Seattle Schools This Week

Tuesday, April 22nd
"Open Mic Night" on Special Education, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park S. 

Families of Seattle Public Schools are invited to join experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group (Teams Intervening Early to Reach all Students) during two Open Microphone Nights to give feedback on Special Education services.

Seattle Public School’s Special Education Department is undergoing a Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan (C-CAP) to help improve results for our students in special education. As part of this plan, the department is working with experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group for consultation on activities related to C-CAP targets. 

They will be visiting the District the week of April 21 to collect data for initial analysis on the Special Education department. Part of their data collection will incorporate family input. Families are invited to give feedback orally or in writing during this meeting. There will be a sign-in sheet for parents and they can leave comments, respond to a paper survey or stay and speak publicly.

The sign-in sheet will be used to determine the order in which people speak. Individuals will be allowed 3 minutes each to speak and any other comments can be written and left with one of the TIERS members.  

Wednesday, April 23rd
 "Open Mic Night" on Special Education, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Nathan Hale High School, 10750 30th Ave N.E.

School Board Meeting, starting at 4:15 pm. Agenda. 
Action Items
- boy, it costs a lot to re-roof a building - the district is paying over $1M to re-roof Gatewood Elementary.  Once again, I am baffled by the flow of money from the various capital funds.  This project has money from BTA III AND BEX IV.  
- I see a capital item for the Columbia building.  Can someone remind me what this building is to be used for? 
- the district is putting money back into Head Start salaries that was cut by sequestration.  I find it odd that there are no supporting documentation for this item.

Intro items
- renaming both Dearborn Park and Asa Mercer to add the word "International" to their school names
- SIG grant for RBHS for $4.3M for use through September 2017
- Wilson-Pacific Ed Specs document - it says, repeatedly, there should be spaces for community (and yet, no auditorium).  This document is longer than it need be with some very odd choices for photographs.  How much did the district have to pay for this kind of documentation (which, could be distilled down to, say, 30 pages instead of 73?  Your capital dollars at work.)

Saturday, April 26th
Community Meeting with Director Patu, 10 am-12pm, Caffe Vita, 5028 Wilson Avenue S

Community Meeting with Director Peters, 11am -12:30 pm, Magnolia Branch Library

Comments

Bureaucratic Baloney said…
"School Board action is necessary because this application will be $216,007 for restoration dollars and $54,000 for cost of living, for a total application of $270,007."

The above action is for the Head Start document. Very nice for the bureaucrats to give themselves $54K for cost of living raises. I guess it is for the kids.

I also note the funds will be used for Universal Pre-K, which will require voter approval. Why are they spending dollars on this project BEFORE funding is approved.
Bureaucratic Baloney said…
I also agree that the district should attach documents related to the Head Start program.
Charlie Mas said…
The Columbia building is currently used by Interagency.
Charlie Mas said…
I see that there's an item to re-roof Meany for about $1.1 million. Given the plan to renovate Meany for use as a middle school in the next year or two, I wonder if this this roofing job won't be torn up or need to be re-done with that renovation. The BAR makes reference to the renovation, and makes it seem like this roofing job is the start of it, but it just seems odd to me to start the renovation with the roof. I'd like that explained.
Joe Wolf said…
Regarding the Meany roofing project:

- The decision to do this project now: It can be completed during summer break(s) without affecting the operation of Nova HS and The World School.

Additional ihformation/context: Most of the Meany moderization/re-opening project is scheduled for the 13 month period June 2016-July 2017, after World School moves to its new campus. It really isn't practical to start many aspects of the project until Meany is *entirely* vacated.

Related messaging/good-to-knows:

- That Nova will remain at Meany until Winter Break 2014-15 (or maybe end of 2014-15, which I have heard is the principal's wish) is a nojn-issue *wirh regards to the Meany BEX IV project*. The Mann campus will be ready for occupancy in October 2014.

- It is critical that the World School BEX IV project at T.T. Minor stick to the current planhed schedule.
Lynn said…
Joe,

Do you know how much it would cost to accelerate the project at Mann so that Nova could move in at the end of August 2014?

mirmac1 said…
Lynn,

Until the amount is finalized into a change order, the cumulative impact/acceleration costs are subject to negotiation and not generally speculated or published.

I'm not too familiar with Nova's current situation. What benefit would there be for this additional cost?
Joe Wolf said…
Lynn - Mirmac is correct; there are "estimates" but nothing official/reportable.

Sidebar: The "robot" text looks like something from the "this is what you see on LSD" cautionary film they showed us at Woodrow Wilson ES (Rapid City, SD) in 1973. Srsly.
Joe, is the district worried at all about Mann being ready in October but not moving in until after the holiday (I mean given the past activity in the building).
Joe Wolf said…
Melissa: That is a concern, absolutely. And one of the reasons central staff is recommending the Nova move to Mann happen ASAP (i.e. at Winter Break).
Lynn said…
mirmac,

I don't know what the situation is at NOVA. What benefit did the district receive from the $82,000 we had to pay the contractor for delaying the start of construction?
mirmac1 said…
Lynn,

A contractor who takes on a "hard-bid" job at risk means that, given anything outside its control, it can recoup any additional costs. Like lost overhead, revenue and bonding capacity tied up ( and guaranteed) by taking on this job - that did not start on time. Know that public works, hard-bid contractors have an extremely narrow profit margin.

Pls don't take my question as a challenge. It's just that my thrifty nature would not allow me to buy into paying more than necessary unless the benefits outweighs the costs.
Lynn said…
Thanks mirmac,

I'm just annoyed by the superintendent's poor judgement in the situation last summer. He wasted $82,000 and nobody seems to mind.
Anonymous said…
I wish there was some means of giving input on the Special Education CCAP without attending the meetings tonight & tomorrow - if they are taking written comments, why can't they accept email or something? Why does one have to be there in person to write something down for them? I guess it is good that they are taking any public comments at all, but if they really wanted to have input they wouldn't limit it to people who are able to drive across town on one of two dates.

Mom of 4
Mom of 4, if you went and gave them a hard copy, I'm sure they would accept it.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
I'm attending both meetings tonight at RBHS and tomorrow night at Hale.

If you post what you what to tell the consultants I will be willing to print it out and place it in someone's hand.

--Michael
reprinting for Anonymous (no anonymous comments, pleas):

Families are invited to give feedback on Special Education services

at Seattle Public Schools during two “Open Mic Night” meetings



Families of Seattle Public Schools are invited to join experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group (Teams Intervening Early to Reach all Students) during two Open Microphone Nights to give feedback on Special Education Services.


....Why would the district engage outside consultants at the end of the school year and why would you go across the country when we have recognized experts right here who are willing to help at no cost to the district?

I hope people are keeping up on what is going on....Currently the district is NOT in compliance with FAPE and will NOT meet their own deadline. Come to the meeting and watch them dance.

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