Pre School discussion event
SEATTLE SPEAKS
PRESCHOOL POLITICS
Join the conversation
Should Seattle invest in prekindergarten education? Join Seattle Channel, Seattle CityClub and Town Hall Seattle for a live, televised community forum about the future of early childhood learning and hear from the supporters of two competing ballot measures—a city-backed plan to make high-quality preschool accessible and affordable and a union proposal seeking better pay and training for child-care workers.
Wednesday, September 24
6 p.m. doors|6:30 p.m. audience prep | 7 p.m. live show
Watch live on Seattle Channel 21 or SeattleChannel.org.
Register
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Sign up at SeattleCityClub.org or 206-682-7395.
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Comments
If the city's initiative passes, the City of Seattle (COS) wants principals to start working with the city. This is an opportunity for Holly Miller to act as a de facto superintendent. The city already has too much information about our children...they don't need more.
Allowing the city to work with principals (K-5) is another opportunity for the camel to stick their nose further under the educational tent.
We've already seen too many instances of the city working with SPS staff and keeping the directors in the dark. Now, I'd have more trust if the city acted in a transparent manner-- they didn't. We have no reason to trust the city.
Please vote NO and send a message to the city.
IMHO- The city should have worked with unions. The union wants to make sure felons aren't working with children. Is it too much to ask the city to help protect the children under the care of 4500 care providers? Instead, the city decided to cozy-up to Gates and Seattle's business class.
Vote NO to the city's proposal. We need transparency.
I've asked the city if they plan on partnering with Acelero- - crickets.
Not represented viewpoint: We should not fund this.
Not represented viewpoint: We should fund this, but neither plan is ready.
I want preschool for this city but I don't think either plan as offered is tenable. I want to see it voted down and brought back with
-better labor-city agreement
-free funding up to a lower family threshold than currently offered. certainly below $100K.
-better coordination between SPS and city
-very clear understanding of where academic, funding, labor, programming and capital (e.g. buildings and maintenance) lie.
Presumably I will vote yes on this the next time it is presented, if it fails this first time, because these issues will be addressed.
However, I don't expect it will fail this first time. Seattle is big picture "pro" public schooling. Therefore, I hope these points continue to get an airing even after the vote because none of them are resolved.
EdVoter
Why didn't Charles Wright bring this initiative to the board's attention? He has been involved...all along.
Where can I get NO signs for the yard or window?
(If the city wants SPS help for preschools, the city should: 1) pony up 2 football practice fields at Sandpoint so Roosevelt, Ballard, etc can have portables on their fields beginning fall 2015; 2) announce Discovery Park land for a new high school serving QA, Magnolia, Downtown and part of Ballard; and 3) allow portables on the park lands next to crowded schools.
City council controls Parks now through the new district. City Council can do this basically unilaterally - and should.
That's my starting point. Until the city does those, SPS shouldn't even return their freaking calls about preschool. Or every memo about preschool and every email should have a paragraph requesting high school capacity mitigation help. Every single communication. It needs to be a given: we need high school capacity mitigation help, from the city, and that's the first step.
Signed: Math Counts
I have been speaking out on my own accord but unless people are paying attention, it might be "it's for the kids."
Yes to the concept, no to the specific plan. Tell the City Council to go back and get it right.