Looking for Input on Growth Boundaries
I have a couple of reporters looking for parents affected by the growth boundaries. If you want to speak out publicly, let me know at sss.westbrook@gmail ASAP. Leave a phone number if possible.
To note (in case it got missed), the Native American SPS parent community is having a rally at 3:30 pm before the meeting. Wear red in support. If you are already going, please come and support these parents and students and their community.
If you ARE going to the meeting, I urge you to get there early as it will likely be packed. I'm hoping they will have screens in the lobby for those who cannot get in to watch.
I checked and the notation on the agenda under "Business Action Items - Motion to Amend the Agenda" is just there to quickly pull off all the amendments that the Directors are withdrawing, in order to save time later.
The Public Testimony list is full with 25 people. I urge that if you see someone else speaking on your topic to give your space to someone on the waitlist with a different topic. (Like Special Ed or the Indian Heritage Program).
To note (in case it got missed), the Native American SPS parent community is having a rally at 3:30 pm before the meeting. Wear red in support. If you are already going, please come and support these parents and students and their community.
If you ARE going to the meeting, I urge you to get there early as it will likely be packed. I'm hoping they will have screens in the lobby for those who cannot get in to watch.
I checked and the notation on the agenda under "Business Action Items - Motion to Amend the Agenda" is just there to quickly pull off all the amendments that the Directors are withdrawing, in order to save time later.
The Public Testimony list is full with 25 people. I urge that if you see someone else speaking on your topic to give your space to someone on the waitlist with a different topic. (Like Special Ed or the Indian Heritage Program).
Comments
thanks
avid
Let's be clear: The only constant in leadership from the Goodloe-Johnson capacity crisis to the Banda capacity crisis is the presence of 3 board members: Carr, Martin-Morris and DeBell.
(We have new staff, new superintendent, new politicians and new parent/kid faces since the last time.)
In fact, these 3 directors were involved in the district when Raj Manhas started us downhill with his first not-well-handled capacity (closure) effort. (No Melissa, I don't mean the efforts of the committee you were on, I mean the lack of follow-up on the committee recommendations and the lack of additional data inputs into the plan.)
Carr, Martin-Morris and DeBell are probably quite well meaning. But they learned nothing - absolutely nothing - over all this time about how to lead, by which I mean
>consistently follow board policy or amend/update it address emerging situations
>give helpful directionto the superintendent,
>pose timely and insightful questions to staff
>and listen to more than the loudest voices early and often in community outreach.
The district is much the worse for this consistent failure of leadership.
Veteran
We need alternative schools. We value (I hope) alternative school students and their families.
For programs that already operate outside the box, it would be a tragic irony to have absence of a box (building) be the reason to abandon these programs.
EdVoter
So true. The "governance" chorus has done the most micro-managing and damage to this district. Who would listen to them now?
I can't imagine that Peaslee took the time to consult with Lincoln staff as to whether this is feasible. And given that the District concluded that Lincoln couldn't be used as an annex to Hamilton due to inadequate bathrooms and cafeteria space, I'm wondering what miracle occurred so that now there are suddenly adequate bathroom, cafeteria and playground spaces.
And just to be clear - if Pinehurst and Lincoln staff think it's feasible and they can figure out how to make the already overcrowded tiny cafeteria and playground stretch to fit a couple hundred kids, great. But I'm stunned that Peaslee would introduce this the day before the board meeting (and I'm guessing without any staff input).
Dumbfounded
Lincoln COULD serve as a Hamilton annex, if the MS kids only attend class in south wing in a chunk, return to HIMS to eat, and different chunk attends in afternoon. That seems doable with a 2 hr LA/SS block. There are classrooms, but the cafeteria is the problem. MS kids also don't need playground space.
Re board: I think Sherry Carr gets it now. I think she has learned from the past, and is very careful these days to listen more and do a lot more of her own work to verify before making decisions. I think she is head and shoulders better than the other two mentioned from MGJ days. Furthermore she seems to have one of the better understandings of cause/effect and ripple effects and capacity on the board, and she sees that you can't shove 250 out of area kids into a neighborhood school just b/c your politics say you want to. She gets it that just because there are 200 seats in School X in a new building in 2016 does NOT mean there are 200 seats there long term, b/c there are more kids coming. I am impressed with her grasp of those things, in comparison with some of the other board members, so I'm happy to deal w/her. But anyone who thinks "put APP where they live = at Eckstein" or "Put APP into Olympic Hills b/c it's going to be a big building" ... GRRR. Fail to understand. Epic fail. At least Carr doesn't fail at that analysis.
Did anyone see todays Times article about Daybreak Star? It's such a beautiful facility, with such a vital mission ... is there a creative way to collocate Heritage there? It would seem to be a natural fit, and a place that perhaps the students would feel very connected. In such a capacity crisis, the district has to rent some spaces - and this is a very logical place to rent, and the upside is also helping Daybreak Star. Just wondering if there is a creative partnering that can happen ASAP there, to everyone's benefit.
-- Math Counts
1) add other programs (Pinehurst) to it;
2) force it into different schools (Olympic Hills, Thornton Creek) who don't want it;
3) take away its promised location (promised for 2017 after a LONG period of "interim" space with "interim"-style accommodations) pending some new plan...
I have one kid at Hamilton and one kid at Lincoln and she has not darkened the door at EITHER place in the last two years. Where is your community engagement, Sharon? How can you be so certain that THIS is the most important issue of our time without even meeting the community?
Fed Up
Fed Up
Look at: http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2013/11/growth-boundaries-work-session-part-two.html Ammendment 19.
I have not idea whether she consulted anyone further.
It really would have been the staff's responsibility to report back on the feasibility at that point like they did for all the other ammendments.
Ben