The City wants to "Improve Collaboration" with Seattle Schools
Update: I missed the part where the City also wants to increase their data collection from their education work. No big surprise.
End of update.
From the Seattle PI via Joel Connelly, comes the not-so-new news that the City is going to create "a full-fledged Department of Education and Early Learning" that will be part of the next City budget.
The new city department would have 38 employees, the bulk coming from the city’s Human Services Department and the Office of Education. It would administer a $48.5 million budget, including $30 million annually as part of the Families and Education Levy that provides after-school and health services.
Of course, I suspect this is very dependent upon the City's preschool proposition passing in November.
The PI doesn't mince words:
However, the widespread distrust and unpopularity of Seattle Public Schools’ central bureaucracy has caused such programs as the Families and Education Levy to be directed out of the city’s education office.
I have never heard that myself - that the City's Office for Education took the reins of F&E dollars because of mistrust of the district's central office. I'll have to ask around.
Murray's goal is a good one:
“We want Seattle to be the first city in America that eliminates the achievement gap.”
But the way to do that is for the City to take a bigger part? Lead the way?
Naturally, Councilman Burgess is in the mix. The Mayor didn't call him the "Godfather of Preschool" for nothing.
Oddly, despite not knowing the district well, here's what the Superintendent had to say:
An endorsement also came from interim Seattle Schools Superintendent Larry Nyland, who has made a favorable impression since succeeding Dr. Jose Banda.
“We cannot do this work alone,” said Nyland. “We are pleased the city will partner with us to meet our goals for student success.”
I keep hearing these bland statements from Nyland and it's starting to concern me.
This needs a careful watching over. Unless, of course, you do want the City running the district and the Board.
End of update.
From the Seattle PI via Joel Connelly, comes the not-so-new news that the City is going to create "a full-fledged Department of Education and Early Learning" that will be part of the next City budget.
The new city department would have 38 employees, the bulk coming from the city’s Human Services Department and the Office of Education. It would administer a $48.5 million budget, including $30 million annually as part of the Families and Education Levy that provides after-school and health services.
Of course, I suspect this is very dependent upon the City's preschool proposition passing in November.
The PI doesn't mince words:
However, the widespread distrust and unpopularity of Seattle Public Schools’ central bureaucracy has caused such programs as the Families and Education Levy to be directed out of the city’s education office.
I have never heard that myself - that the City's Office for Education took the reins of F&E dollars because of mistrust of the district's central office. I'll have to ask around.
Murray's goal is a good one:
“We want Seattle to be the first city in America that eliminates the achievement gap.”
But the way to do that is for the City to take a bigger part? Lead the way?
Naturally, Councilman Burgess is in the mix. The Mayor didn't call him the "Godfather of Preschool" for nothing.
Oddly, despite not knowing the district well, here's what the Superintendent had to say:
An endorsement also came from interim Seattle Schools Superintendent Larry Nyland, who has made a favorable impression since succeeding Dr. Jose Banda.
“We cannot do this work alone,” said Nyland. “We are pleased the city will partner with us to meet our goals for student success.”
I keep hearing these bland statements from Nyland and it's starting to concern me.
This needs a careful watching over. Unless, of course, you do want the City running the district and the Board.
Comments
HP
Fed up
He won't do much to change the district.
The city had to take responsibility for levy spending because there was an incredible lack of confidence related to scandal.
WSDWG
How are they doing and why does anyone think the city can/should handle education
So they want to oversee two new areas; Parks and a brand-new, citywide pilot preschool program.
Does the City Council really have the bandwidth/expertise for all this?
Another huge bureaucracy grafted on to a city administration is not exactly ideal. But would the city really be any worse than the bumbling that has gone on at JSCEE for the last decade or more?
-DD