Seattle Schools Community Forum

For the artists in your house, two guys, feet, a rake and some unusual mediums to work in.  A thing of beauty is not always a joy forever. Saturday Community meeting - Director Sue Peters' first one at Queen Anne library from 11 am to 12:30 pm. What's on your mind?

Got a politically-minded high schooler with some time on his/her hands? From Publicola: Two of the most important members, in our opinion , of Mayor Ed Murray's police chief-search Community Advisory Committee, Franklin High School's Isaiah Bridges and Garfield High School's Jabari Cook—a pair of African American South End high school students in a city where the SPD has a strained relationship with young African American men in southeast Seattle—are no longer on the committee.  Mayor's office spokeswoman Roz Brazel simply told us the students "were not able to keep their commitments...due to permission and contact issues." We've asked for more clarity. The mayor's office is currently trying to find replacements for the two committee members with a "goal" of appointing two more students . Give the Mayor a call, (206) 684-4000.

Trying to keep up; details to come. Also to note; the Times has not had one piece of news on this.  Again, quite strange. Seventh application - First Place - an existing K-5 school for students with trauma, approved 8-0. Eighth application - Green Dot - approved 7-0 with one abstaining vote Ninth application - King County Academy - denied 8-0 Tenth application - Out of the Box - denied 8-0  Eleventh application - Pioneer School - denied 7-0, one abstaining vote Twelfth application - Rainier Prep - approved 8-0  Thirteenth application - SOAR Academy - approved 8-0 - first vote to go against evaluators recommendation to deny.   Commissioner Dziko fought hard for this one and it came in with a condition to redo a budget with some vagueness and seemingly high number of adminstrators. Fourteenth application - Sports in Schools, coming up

Hearing from parents about classroom issues like homework.  Below are two comments (off-topic in Math Adoption thread) and we have heard enough of these to warrant their own thread. Rant and rave away - please DO state things you like in your child's classroom as well as any concerns/unhappiness.

First application - CAL Elementary - is denied, 8-0.  Commissioners cited the evaluators' "deny" and noted not financially ready with little community support/input. Second application - Cedar River - is denied, 8-0.  Third application - Coral Academy of Science - the probable Gulen-based charter - is denied, 8-0. Cyndi Willams, Commissioner said it was a good application but not wide-ranging for a 10-year existing school group and that the Commission had made a real decision with charter applications with groups with prior models to look at their outcomes for evidence.  They also left out Title I dollars in finances and that showed a "real lack of knowledge." Steve Sundquist said that the group could be Gulen and it was something they could look into in the future. Fourth application - Evergreen Academy - denied 8-0. Fifth application - Excel - is first Charter Commission approved charter application but with a 6-2 vote .  Extensive discussion over...

Starting out a bit disorganized with several people lost.  But meeting appears to be starting on-time. Eight members of the CC are present (Doreen Cato has a health issue and is not going to be here - what that might mean for any given charter is unknown). President Steve Sundquist says law makes this process  "complicated."   If denial, must have reasons. If approved, attach any "conditions"  (if any). Make resolution to pass each itemand all work done in public. Public Comment Again, with this lottery process to speak.   I still think it is wrong because it allows some charters to be heard and some not to be heard.  As well, you get nothing from the public. Sunnyside Academy, that narrowly missed the "approved" cut, is pleading their case to be approved with conditions.  (Their financials were not up to par.)  They say they can narrow their enrollment numbers so that can raise the funds.  They had 2 speakers. SOAR is pleading...

 From one Ballard teacher (via Facebook): Educators at Ballard HS voted today on a motion regarding moving the High School start times to a later time (switching with elementary). The vote was UNANIMOUS in support of the motion. The research, by the way, is also unanimous. Students learn better later in the morning.

 Update: First, here's a link to School Board policy (see top of chart "Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials"). To review, here's what we reported (via reader Rick B) in early January: The top three programs are to be selected as finalists by Friday the 10th. Additional copies of these finalist programs will be ordered from publishers and distributed to ~5 locations around the city for formal public review and comment during the month of March. Final selection of a single program will take place by the end of March, to be submitted to the SB for introduction Apr 23rd and approval May 7th.  Clearly, those finalists have not been selected (or, at least, no announcement made).  The next meeting of the Math Adoption Committee is Feb. 7th so I would hope we would hear something then. Also, SPS Communications reached out to us with the SPS Math Director, Anita Box.  She was kind enough to answer some of my questions. The process seems to b...

From Washington Ceasefire : Asking Saves Kids (ASK) - Washington is a public safety education campaign aimed at encouraging inquiry by parents and neighbors about guns in homes where their children play. Our goal is to persuade parents that this conversation—to ensure that their kids play in a gun safe environment—is an essential parental responsibility. Despite the very real dangers of guns in proximity to children, pro-active dialogue is necessary due to the often delicate nature of any conversation in this country involving guns. Thus, this effort does not interfere with nor infringe upon anyone’s right to legally possess a gun, but normalizes parent responsibility to ask and make an informed decision that where their children play is safe. The conversation is worth the effort given that ten children a day in this country under the age of 18 are killed or injured in the home with a gun. An estimated 40% of homes in the US (and in Washington State) have guns. A recent study by King...

(Editor's note - the district is making a distinct difference here between oversight chaperones and day fieldtrip volunteers - I believe that may be what "A" and "B" volunteer categories are but I have a call into SPS about that.) From SPS Communications: To ensure the safety of our students and volunteers, Seattle Public Schools has updated our Volunteer Administrative Procedures, including certain instances where fingerprinting will now be required. Starting Feb. 1 , schools should follow these procedures: • As previously required, all overnight field trip chaperones must be screened via the WATCH (Washington Access to Criminal History) check. • Any overnight field trip chaperones living continuously in Washington state for more than two years shall not be required to be fingerprinted; clearance via WATCH (Washington Access To Criminal History) shall suffice. • However, if a prospective chaperone cannot provide verification of a two-year re...

This kid is great - listen up students (and everybody's a teacher). Get your learn on!

 Update: First, still nothing about the charter applicants and the upcoming Charter Commission meeting.  Still odd. Second, there was an article this morning. about public school funding throughout the country that may give some insight into why our state legislature drags its feet on fully-funding education.  To whit: nearly all states doubled or tripled the amount of money spent on public schools from 1970 to 2010; but the growth has been uneven But the biggest per student spending has been in nine states, with seven of those in the NE Seven of ten states with the least growth in spending are - you guessed - in the West and yes, Washington State is one of them. Despite what Washington Policy Center wants to tell you (they regularly say that the average WA State student spending is about $12k), according to Ed Week, Washington State spending is about $9,497 (adjusted for inflation from the 1969-70 rate of $4,794).    The top six states spend ab...

I used to have bingo sheets for School Board meetings (particularly when we had an ed reform superintendent that had every ed reform phrase in the arsenal).  It helped pass the time. So in honor of tonight's State of the Union Address, here's a mock-up for your own "education" bingo sheet for the President's speech. Possible words/phrase the President might use: - choice - college and career ready - teacher - data - reform - Duncan - Common Core - testing - classroom - schoolhouse - early childhood learning - RTTT - teacher evaluation - class size Name your favorite.

 From Stay Safe Online : Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower and educate people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the January 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Day is now a celebration for everyone, observed annually on January 28.  Data flows freely in today's online world. Everyone - from home computer users to multinational corporations - needs to be aware of the personal data others have entrusted to them and remain vigilant and proactive about protecting it. Being a good online citizen means practicing conscientious data stewardship. Data Privacy Day is an effort to empower and educate people to protect their privacy, control t...

As you may be aware, there are two competing initiatives going to the Legislature (and, in fact, going before a committee tomorrow). One is SI 591 - Protect our gun rights and the other is SI 594 gun sales background check.  Both are about background checks - one for and one against.   You might want to consider contacting your own legislator on this issue.   Look, do I think background checks for guns will prevent all gun violence?  Nope but it's a start (and, at this point, we need to start doing something).  I think the bigger question - for our purposes of talking about gun violence in schools - is whether parents who own guns will have the common sense to secure them from their children.  That seems to be quite a problem and for the life of me, I don't know why.  Guns and kids - of any age - do not go together.  (Hunting is different if it part of your family's culture and still, the weapon should be secured when not in use for ...

Coming up on Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the MAP test boycott.    It's also the day that SEE (Social Equality Educators) are introducing their "Respect' slate of candidates to challenge the current SEA leadership.  They are having a forum on Thursday at Garfield Community Center.   Lead by Jesse Hagopian, a Garfield teacher who was named "Secondary School Teacher of the Year" by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences, the group has a mix of current SEA Board of director members and award-winning and/or veteran educators. The event starts at 4:30 pm and City Council member Kshama Sawant is scheduled to make an appearance. What's on your mind?

 Updates: It seems there are three Charter Commission members with conflict of interest issues with charter applicants.  Two seem simple and one is quite problematic. Trish Millines Dziko is in a leadership program with the founder of Summit.  That one is a big of a tough call to make because the relationship could be either just professional or just collegial but if not financial, I think she could vote.  On the other hand, if she's in their their program, she probably supports how they operate. Chris Martin has some personal friendship with the founder of Pioneer.  I would say straight-up, no voting on that one. The last one is that Larry Wright has taken a position with a non-profit funded by the Gates Foundation.  Not only do I think he would have to recuse himself on several applications, he probably should step down as a Commissioner.  Why? 1) Bill Gates funded most of I-1240. 2) The Gates Foundation is the primary funder of the Washin...

Items of interest: - the Charter Commission is going to have a phone-in meeting tomorrow, the 28th from 9 am to 10 am.  The agenda vaguely says " discussion of resolution process" and "bills currently under consideration."  Dial-in number is 800-245-9874, Access code 7784207. - the Charter Commission will have a regular meeting this Thursday the 29th, in Seattle, from 8:30 am to 5:50 pm at TAF Headquarters, Bethaday Community Learning Space, 605 SW 108th St.  Agenda This should be quite the meeting as the Commission will be announcing what charter applications have been approved (if any).  They seem to be expecting a crowded meeting as they will be putting in speaker spots by lottery (after sign-in).  (I'll have more to say about this public speaking process when I cover the charter applicant forums I attended.)

In one heck of an op-ed by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld in the NY Times Sunday Review, they lay out their case for the three conflicting (somewhat) reasons why students in different groups perform the way they do.  The two authors have a book coming out called "The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America." It's long but worth it (especially the comments).  The comments are widely different and you can see a lot of "right on" with "racist trash."  One commenter asked a question, "A more pressing question for us here in the US is "What drives a successful SOCIETY?"  Is that the more important question - how we succeed as a society or as individuals?  Another says: I think the authors have a very limited idea of what constitutes success--"income, test scores and so on." What's missing is emotional success: humanity, compassion, strong family ties, empathy. A...

A fairly quiet week in the district. Monday, January 27th Seattle Special Education PTSA General Meeting at 7pm. JSCEE Rm 2700. Agenda includes program services and enrollment issues for 2014-2015. Tuesday, January 28th Community Meeting with Director McLaren from 8:45-10:15 am at Highland Park Elementary. Thursday, January 30th A day to note as the Washington State Charter Commission is to announce who passed muster to become part of the inaugural class of charter schools.   Spokane has already claimed one space so there are seven left.  The Commission does not have to fill all seven spaces but I suspect they will.  (A thread to come on the charter applicant forums I attended to come.) Now what is puzzling to me, even as someone who knows the law, is if there are more than seven, will there be the run to the State Board of Education (where the approved applications are to be filed)?  And, if so, whoever gets there first, gets in.  I'll double-check ...

The District is forming a task force to make recommendations to the superintendent on delivery model(s) for Highly Capable Services. This group will meet, investigate, discuss, and recommend the structure for the services that the District currently provides as APP. Here is a link to the form for nominations for the Highly Capable Services Delivery Model Task Force. Here is a link to the charge for the Task Force . The charge seems to confuse the program, APP, with the service, Highly Capable Services. It's a common misunderstanding, but they are not synonymous. APP, the program, is the dominant delivery model for the service. Non-program delivery models are possible and, with the placement of highly capable services at Fairmount Park, necessary. Also, let's not forget that highly capable services are, purportedly, provided in Spectrum, in A.L.O.'s, and at Garfield High School. You will notice that there is no task force for Spectrum or A.L.O.'s. Their structur...

Seattle Public Schools has re-defined the word "curriculum" no fewer than six times in the past four years. It seems to change with each new Chief Academic Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, or Executive Director of Curriculum. It also changes anytime the District needs to weasel or make other people (the Board or members of the public) appear ignorant.

Several items I thought might interest you. Frida Kahlo, a favorite of mine One is a new video from Dove soap, straight from the Sundance Film Festival where it "premiered."  It's an 8-minute video about an experiment with teen girls, their mothers and cell phone photos called "Selfie."  Worthy viewing, I think.  My favorite line, from a girl, " Social media is widening the definition of what beauty is."  Yes, maybe a good thing out of all these millions of self-photos taken on cell phones is "look at me, I look great/having fun/I matter."  You can also show your kids there were always selfies - great artists loved to paint themselves.  One link here , another here .

There's an article by Joel Connelly in the PI that there was some irony that one of the first acts of our new mayor, Ed Murray, was to go to see the Race exhibit at the Seattle Science Center.  (It has now ended.)   (Thanks to Johnny Calcagno for the heads up.) The irony is that just across the way at Seattle Center is Center School where Seattle Public Schools allowed one family to upend a vital conversation about race and privilege in one teacher's class. That teacher is Jon Greenberg. It is a great article and a great topic.  From the article:

From the Seattle Council PTSA: Dear Seattle Council PTSA Members, As you probably know, our state constitution requires ample funding for education.  The Washington Supreme court has directed the legislature to show real and measurable progress by 2018--the McCleary Decision--, and yet, our schools are still underfunded. Please take a few minutes for kids and complete this quick s urvey  .   Your survey reply will be printed into a postcard.  These postcards will be hand delivered to your Washington State Legislators (your Senator and 2 Representatives) plus Governor Inslee on Washington State PTA Focus Day on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 in Olympia. Our kids deserve a twenty-first century education.  The  survey  takes less than 3 minutes but time is short and we need your response by Tuesday, January 28th, 2014. Thank you very much, Eden Mack, SCPTSA Legislative Chair Heidi Be...

A class size bill, HB 2589 is making its way thru the Washington State Legislature.  Interestingly there is a column at The Olympian by Dick Cvitanich, the Superintendent for Olympia Public Schools,  who advocates for spending McCleary money on smaller class sizes.  A story of contrasts between that bill and Bill 5246 for teacher evaluations which would no longer allow districts to use years of teaching experience in their hiring except as a tiebreaker and would rank order all teachers and principals based on student growth in their evaluations (mandating use of state test scores for teachers).  I'll try to do a complete round-up of education bills including the student data privacy bill.  What's on your mind?

Among the many unusual things I've done in my life (not many but some), one was working as a volunteer investigator for one the Seattle public defender offices.  It was fascinating work and I got many insights to both sides of the law. One thing that troubled me, though, was that we were told not to bother to look up any record of our clients.  We could look up the victims or the witnesses but we were told not to bother with our clients.  Naturally, I did and most did not appear to be in the church choir. But a wise lawyer said to me, "We're not really defending any one person. We're defending the Constitution." That's the point I was trying to make recently.  That if even one person tries to silence anyone else from speaking out on a public issue at a public forum (or reporting on such), it is a blow to all . I'm not sure most of you understood the issue of my concern because it really was not about me (although I am grateful for the many people w...

I wanted to pull this issue out from the Seattle Schools This Week thread because I believe this could affect many, many schools and their after-school programs. Amending School Board Policy #4260,   Use of School Facilities.  It has come to my attention that the district wants to create a change in usage of facilities.  The district says it is "working with SCPTSA" over using facilities and there is a rent waiver process for groups wishing to use facilities for "youth enrichment that meet requirements."  This is a change from type of organization to type of use. The issue is that the district now wants the group - not the district - to pay for aides or support for any special needs child. With respect to all non-District uses of school facilities, the organization conducting t he activity shall be responsible for assuring that youth are able to participate consistent with these requirements.  This includes providing appropriate services and accommodations and...

In a classic "aw shucks, we tried and keep in mind, education, if run like a business would do a lot better" interview, Bill Gates spoke with the Wall Street Journal .  He somewhat humbly says, "It's been about a decade of learning."  Kind of true but it's also been a decade of experimenting with other people's children.  (But I think Bill, like a writer at Forbes who had written about yet-another Gates ed initiative said, he wouldn't want it for his own child but sure, why not try it somewhere.)

Monday, January 20th No School in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Wednesday, January 22nd School Board Meeting , starting at 4:15 pm.  Agenda.   Note: there is to be an Executive Session after the Board meeting for 30 minutes. 

Gentle readers, The last couple of months have been something of a strain for me. I was busy fighting a petition in court for an order of protection against me, claiming I had harassed someone via this blog and this person feared loss of their job because of the alleged harassment. I will go into some detail about this case in another thread but suffice to say that, of course, it was without merit and summarily dismissed. I knew this from the start - as did my lawyer - but the wheels of justice can be slow.  (My lawyer and I also made a motion for a little-known law that protects citizens speaking out on subjects of public interest in a public form.  More on that as well later.) But the broader issue - one we can open up for discussion today - is a discussion of the Internet, privacy and free speech and how they relate to each other with respect to this blog. Charlie and I have tried valiantly to keep this an open and lively place for discussion. We have tried to keep it c...

 From The New Yorker, a thoughtful article by Mark O'Connell, "First Thought, Worst Thought," about thinking before you hit send.  I would think that includes Facebook, e-mail, texts or Twitter.  Something to talk to the kids about, perhaps. On the one hand: As Roxane Gay put it in an essay on her ambivalence about the public shaming of Sacco : “The world is full of unanswered injustice and more often than not we choke on it. When you consider everything we have to fight, it makes sense that so many people rally around something like the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet. In this one small way, we are, for a moment, less impotent.” Or maybe: The weird randomness of this sudden mutation of person into meme is, in the end, what’s so haunting. This could just as well have happened to anyone—any of the thousands of people who say awful things on Twitter every day. It’s not that Sacco didn’t deserve to be taken to task, to be scorned for the clumsiness and hurtful...

We can all feel this way sometimes. 

Fun math challenges via UW's Computer Science and Engineering department.  Former School Board President Kay Smith-Blum will have her name on the scholarship wall at JSCEE via a constituent, Eleanor Towes, for Smith-Blum's service to Seattle Schools and students.  It's a great way to honor someone and help a student. Today I'll chatting with folks about student data privacy and other public education subjects as part of the Seattle Education Meet-up with our host, Dora Taylor.  Noon to 1 pm at Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Avenue North. Director community meetings tomorrow:Blanford and Martin-Morris. From the district : Seattle Public Schools is seeking parents to attend a ten-week course dedicated to supporting their children's education and becoming better advocates for their children and schools. Classes are held 6-8 p.m., Tuesdays, starting Jan. 21 at North Seattle Community College. Cost is $40. Financial assistance is availabl...

Publicola is reporting that some legislators - notably Senator Rodney Tom - aren't really interested in putting more money into our K-12 public education system.  Apparently, even with all the mandates (including Common Core),our schools have enough money. I keep asking - over and over - how Senator Tom would spend the money for better outcomes.  What are districts spending the money on that he thinks they shouldn't and what would HE spend it on?  I never hear that answered. From Publicola;

From Seattle Education blog via writer Dora Taylor: Our first Meetup was a success with our guest, the newly elected School Board Director Sue Peters. We were also fortunate to have with us at the Meetup two previous board members Amy Hagopian and Sally Soriano. It was a great discussion and we learned more about the history of our district and how the school board works along with Sue’s priorities as a new School Board Director. The next Meetup will feature Seattle Schools Community Forum contributor Melissa Westbrook. The main topic will be on student privacy and House Bill 2133, “Maintaining privacy of student educational records”, that was dropped last week and had a hearing on Wednesday, January 15th. Please join us for information and discussion on this topic. Melissa is also well-informed about many other issues that affect Seattle Public Schools and you are invited to ask questions on other topics as well. Friday, January 17, 2014 Noon to 1:00 PM ...

Fascinating reading provided via the Center on Reinventing Public Education (our local ed reform think tank).  They are recommending the list "top eight books that schools reformers should read" from Dropout Nation.  Boy, are there some interesting picks. One is I Got Schooled by none other than "I see dead people" director, M. Night Shymalan.  Here's what Dropout Nation says: Written as a travelogue of sorts about his six-year exploration of education policy issues, the director of The Sixth Sense manages to do in a mere 249 pages what most think tankers fail to do after thousands of pages: Quickly explain flaws in traditionalist thinking — including class-size reduction efforts — and outline five key steps (including giving power to principals to make hiring and firing decisions, and embracing the use of data) to transform education.  Really?  Just 249 pages and he has all the answers (and watch out CRPE because he apparently does that thinkin...

The C & I meeting on Monday began with a change to the agenda. An update on Advanced Learning was added as an eighth discussion item.

I picked up a draft copy of the annual program placement report at Monday's C & I meeting. It was written by Misa Garmoe, the recently hired Executive Director of School Operations. She has been on the job for about three months. This is a new job which is different from the Assistant Superintendent for Operations. The copy I saw was clearly labelled as a draft and the final report won't be released until January 31, so I won't comment on it in detail yet. That said, I think the report is seriously flawed and I have sent Ms Garmoe my suggestions for changes. I don't really expect her to make the kinds of changes that I suggest, but I did offer them nonetheless. The draft I saw included a lot of information about changes to curricular foci rather than programs. None of those should have been included. In addition, the information provided about changes to programs did not include the sort of details required by the policy. As I often say, the fact that all of m...

In response to an apparent need, I offer this explanation of the Equitable Access Framework. It begins with the differences among schools, services, programs, and curricular foci. The distinctions are based on the definitions provided in the Superintendent’s Procedure 2200SP. This document should have ended the confusion about what is a school, a service, a program, or a curricular focus. Unfortunately it did not - mostly because few people took the time to read and understand the procedure. That includes the people who purportedly wrote it. Some of the confusion lies in the legacy names for things or our habitual way of speaking about them. Some of the confusion lies in the historical trespasses on authority. Some of the confusion is rooted in the large amount of overlap.

A great ad and the looks on the adults' faces is telling.

From Moms Demand Action: Details are still unfolding, but at least two children are in critical condition after a shooting today at a middle school in Roswell, New Mexico. Witnesses say a 13-year-old student shot a 14-year-old classmate in the face: http://tinyurl.com/kd9odt8 (from the Albuquerque Journal). The scene of parents waiting in a school parking lot to find out if their child was shot is all too common in America. Mothers will no longer be silent about the epidemic of gun violence across our nation, and we will continue to speak out for the safety of our children and families. Join a chapter in your state TODAY: http://momsdemandaction.org/join-us/ Update:  After the 12-year old (!) pulled out a shotgun and fired, according to the AP, he was "quickly stopped by one staff member who walked right up to him and asked him to set down the firearm, which he did." Superintendent Tom Burris stated, "In the 10 seconds that transpired from the time of th...

I will be attending several of the charter school applicant forums this week.  I am slowly making my way thru some of the applications and it makes for interesting reading (but what a slog - very long applications - one was 238 pages!). I don't want to give too much away because I do hope to make a public comment on several of them.  But here are a few highlights: no KIPP ? Not to worry, there's a KIPP-look-alike in the bunch.  Uniforms? Check.  Middle school handshake with administrator with scripted responses? Check?  Lots of TFA?  Check.  Very structured? Check.  Working with the Washington State Charter Schools Association? Check.  Punitive discipline over the small stuff? Check. Another one - Coral Academy - is a no-sale for me.  It appears to be aligned to Gulen and that's just not a group to trust.  There is way too much evidence - from multiple states who have their charters - that the overall answer should be no....

It's not just Russell Wilson and his quiet leadership (and off-the-field history of helping others).  It's not just Marshawn Lynch who doesn't just power past the opposition's defense; he shoves them out of the way despite their size (and his). It's this guy - Derrick Coleman - who is the first deaf player in the NFL. Picked on and picked last his whole life.  Didn't get picked during his first NFL draft. They didn't call my name but I've been deaf since I was three...and I didn't listen.   He says he has the loudest fans in the NFL...and he can hear them all.

The Legislature has started its new session but because it is not a budget session (and therefore shorter), no one seems to think too much will get done.  Issues include the DREAM act to allow college financial aid for children brought illegally to this country, health insurance covering abortions, reducing the costs of vehicle registration and, oh yeah, fulfilling McCleary. Here's a link to the legislators .  You only have to write to one and you will get a prompt that asks if you want your message to go to both your reps and your state senator.  Pretty easy.  Let them know that there are mandates that our district can't avoid like Common Core.  That needs to roll out well and that means money for professional development and technology updates to support those assessments.  We need lower class sizes.  We need more supports for at-risk high school students in danger of dropping out.  Arts, STEM, you name it.  These cannot just be talking...

From KING-5 : apparently a drunk man wandered into Salmon Bay on Monday, January 6th and was found (not sure by whom) in a bathroom. He had entered via a door that is left open longer for students using wheelchairs.  All the rooms were secured and the man taken away by police/paramedics.  From the letter to parents: "At approximately 9:30 a.m., a transient man entered our building and attempted to take shelter in a boy's bathroom.  We immediately called 911 and the district security officers, and teachers were notified to keep all students and guests in their classrooms.  Upon the arrival of police and paramedics, the man - who was very intoxicated but non-confrontational - left the building." The district says it will be reviewing procedures to ensure the school can balance the need to maintain access for students with disabilities while also ensuring the security of the building. KING 5 also spoke to one parent, who was volunteering inside the sch...

Updates from the Charter Commission: 1.      Each applicant will be given 10 minutes of presentation time, followed by 30 minutes of public comment. Individuals will be provided up to 2 minutes for comments. We are hopeful that 15 people will be able to provide comment. 2.      Individuals who wish to provide public comment are asked to sign up at the meeting. If there are more than 15 people that signup to provide comment, a lottery will be held to determine the 15 individuals. If an individual wishes to provide public comment on more than one school, myself or a volunteer will enter that individual into the lotteries for the schools of their choice. 3.      The January 11 deadline pertains to comments concerning re-nomination of commissioners with expiring terms. We’ve, in fact, not named a deadline for written comments on potential schools. Also, a new story online said that at one ...

Oh Boy! The Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee meeting this afternoon is going to be good! I'm going to be there for sure. Just check out this list of discussion items from the agenda : Committee Discussion Items a. BAR for Yearbook Contract (Shauna/Kathleen/Misa) b. Policy 3130, Student Assignment (Shauna/Ronald/Janet B.) c. Policy 2415, High School Graduation Requirement (Michael/Janet B.) d. Career and Technical Education Annual Report (Mary) e. BAR for RTTT Project 4 (Clover, Eric C., Anna) f. Equitable Access Annual Report (Michael/Misa) g. Math Adoption Progress Report (Shauna/Eric/Adam/Shawn) h. Policy 2090, Program Evaluation and Assessment (Marty/Shauna) Nevermind the yearbook contract (how is that even a C&I issue), nearly everything else is a hot topic - or could be.

Monday, Jan. 13th Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee meeting from 4:30-6:30 pm. Agenda Discussion of Policy 3130, student assignment, Policy 2415, high school graduation requirement, CTE review, Equitable Access Annual report, math adoption progress report I will be unable to attend this meeting but it does look interesting. Charter Commission Charter Applicant Forum Starting at 5 pm for Washington STEM academy, 6 pm for CAL Elementary and 7 pm for Sports in Schools Team Charter.  All are to be held at South Seattle Community College, Building C, Room C122.  Public comments accepted with sign-in at the meeting and a lottery to pick speakers if there are more than there is time to hear from. Wednesday, Jan. 15th 2-hour early dismissal for professional development Work Session: Board Code of Conduct from 4-5:30 pm This was discussed at the Board retreat and I see that they have captured ideas from various sources.  I hope they can get this done quick...

Arbor Heights Elementary School 's photo . A VERY big thank you to Softchoice for their very generous donation. Today at our monthly assembly Harry Turpin, from Softchoice's Seattle office, presented a check for $3,829.49 to purchase replacement computers (stolen Fall 2012). Softchoice employees held a variety of fundraisers to help raise the dollars donated to our school. We will always remain appreciative of your kindness and extension of generosity! Ditto on the THANK YOU to those in our communities who care.

How to fund schools properly?  The Stranger Slog offers up not one but two alternatives.  It can be done and done without adding onerous bills (like grading schools) in order to say "we're doing something about education" before education is truly fully funded. Here's the district's "official" notice about proposed Transportation changes.  I'll note a couple of things.  One, they don't list (or link) what schools would be affected.  You'll get a letter if you are affected.  Two, they claim money saved will go to teachers and classrooms.  All $3.4M goes to classrooms?  I'd like to see real and verifiable proof that claim will happen.  Three, about those secondary late start times and the Board wanting a real timeline, here's what staff says: During the School Board’s March retreat with senior District leadership, Board members will discuss their governance priorities and when staff might pursue this work. So they'll h...

From SPS Twitter at about 2:30 p.m.: Franklin HS and Thurgood Marshall Elementary are in shelter-in-place after shots were fired in nearby neighborhood. SPD looking for suspects. Students were released on time when school ended.  For Thurgood students who normally walk home, parents were asked to come and pick them up.

I do want to note a couple of items before attending to the subject of the thread. Director McLaren was not in attendance at last night's meeting. Also, the student speaker, Mallory Richey of Roosevelt , told the Board and Superintendent that they are working more on school pride and have "Rider Pride" cards that they send home with students to their parents, letting the parents know a good thing - either kindness, leadership, etc. - that their student did that contributed to the life of the school.  Great idea. After attending part of last night's Board meeting, I feel somewhat differently about later start times for secondary students becoming a reality at some point in the near future.  Here's why. Most of the speakers for public testimony were speaking in support of later start times and boy, did the supporters find some good speakers. One was Michael Vitiello who is a UW professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  From his UW page: Dr. Vitie...

From OSPI : State Superintendent Randy Dorn today released a draft of a bill that would move Washington state toward the full funding of basic education in the event that the Legislature fails to do so by Jan. 1, 2018.  Among other things, the bill calls for a one percent increase in sales tax, an increase in state property tax to $3.60 per $1,000 of assessed value and a decrease in local levy authority – the so-called “levy swap.”  OSPI estimates the bill will increase education funding by $7.5 billion in the 2019-21 biennium.  “This bill is a blunt but necessary instrument,” Dorn said. “A general increase in the sales tax is not the best solution to this problem. But something has to be done, and passage of this bill will, I hope, spur the legislature into action.”  About the bill Dorn’s proposal makes it clear that the intent of the Legislature is to create a process that will comply with the McCleary decision. The compliance consists of th...

Yes, all our comprehensive high schools will be moving to the Metro league (including Roosevelt, Ballard and Garfield).  Roosevelt will be the second-largest in the league but keep in mind, they count ONLY the numbers of 10,11and 12th graders to decide school size.  That's why Roosevelt will fit into the Metro league. Boy, that will save transportation dollars AND be one less reason to change to later start times for high school students (and middle school, as well).

Here's how a downtown school for SPS might work .  Good job, Northwest School.

I have just received word from OSPI that the data sharing agreement with the Seattle Times has been terminated.  Don't get too excited as apparently a new one is being written. Details to follow.

 Update : this is a draft of Arrival/Departure times which, if those change, the bell times would change.  I am seeking clarification from staff but it would be mighty helpful if things were clear from the start. End of update. Readers had been asking about possible changes to bell times previously discussed by Transportation.  I could not find a link at the SPS website so I scanned it in.  I had to handwrite in "old" and "new" (for start times) as it had not been noted that way on the original. As previously mentioned, most of these are 5-10 minutes with a few, like Laurelhurst being about 20 minutes. 

From reader Rick B: Re: the K-5 Math Adoption. Here's a quick process overview and status update from the trenches: The Math Adoption Committee (MAC) has met three times so far. The SSD website has some basic info and minutes of the first meeting, but not for meeting #2 or meeting #3: In these meetings, the committee laid the typical process groundwork, developed selection criteria and weighting formula for evaluation, and reviewed the 8 candidate programs. All MAC members are supposed to complete their reviews and submit score sheets this week for tabulation. A separate questionnaire was created for community feedback, which is on the tables at the JSCEE library, or can be accessed and submitted online from the website above. DEADLINE FOR THIS IS TOMORROW if you still want to weigh in. The top three programs are to be selected as finalists by Friday the 10th. Additional copies of these finalist programs will be ordered from publishers and distributed to ~5 loca...