Tuesday Open Thread
Parents, the Enterovirus D68 has been documented in 40 states including ours. There are about 300 cases nationwide, mostly in children. From the CDC:
CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. There are likely many children affected with milder forms of illness. Of the specimens tested by the CDC lab, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one third have tested positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus other than EV-D68.
All the confirmed cases this year of EV-D68 infection have been among children, except for one adult. Many of the children had asthma or a history of wheezing. So far, no deaths attributed to EV-D68 infection have been documented.
Symptoms of the virus, which can include coughing, fever and runny nose, can appear mild, the number of those infected could be exponentially larger than what has been reported.
However, this has morphed into limb paralysis in some children in Colorado. It is unclear what makes it more severe in some children and if all children will recover from that paralysis. From ABC news:
The CDC released a statement today saying nine children in Denver had reported a neurologic illness that led to some limb weakness or paralyzation. All of the children had reported having a kind of respiratory virus before showing symptoms of limb weakness.
What's on your mind?
CDC is prioritizing testing of specimens from children with severe respiratory illness. There are likely many children affected with milder forms of illness. Of the specimens tested by the CDC lab, about half have tested positive for EV-D68. About one third have tested positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus other than EV-D68.
All the confirmed cases this year of EV-D68 infection have been among children, except for one adult. Many of the children had asthma or a history of wheezing. So far, no deaths attributed to EV-D68 infection have been documented.
Symptoms of the virus, which can include coughing, fever and runny nose, can appear mild, the number of those infected could be exponentially larger than what has been reported.
However, this has morphed into limb paralysis in some children in Colorado. It is unclear what makes it more severe in some children and if all children will recover from that paralysis. From ABC news:
The CDC released a statement today saying nine children in Denver had reported a neurologic illness that led to some limb weakness or paralyzation. All of the children had reported having a kind of respiratory virus before showing symptoms of limb weakness.
Six of the eight children tested were found to be positive for a
rhinovirus or enterovirus and four of those cases were found to be the
Enterovirus 68. The other two cases were still pending.
Medical officials have not determined whether the Enterovirus 68 virus
caused the neurological symptoms, but the CDC is asking other medical
workers to report any similar cases as the outbreak of the enterovirus
68 continues to spread throughout the U.S.
Medical officials have not determined whether the Enterovirus 68 virus
caused the neurological symptoms, but the CDC is asking other medical
workers to report any similar cases as the outbreak of the enterovirus
68 continues to spread throughout the U.S.
What's on your mind?
Comments
The Prop. 1A folks, represented by state Rep. Gerry Pollett (D-46, N. Seattle) and a Montessori school worker, carried the day. The motion to endorse Prop. 1B, represented by City Council member Tim Burgess, former council member Peter Steinbrueck, and school board member Sherry Carr, only got 40 percent—and failed.
I assumed that school board members weren't supposed to lobby for this sort of thing.
Fingers crossed that it helps!
- North-end Mom
If board members support 1B, does that mean they don't support better childcare/preschool for birth-5?
Directors need to remain neutral. Best for directors support better child care prek, but neither initiative.
It is unclear whether Carr and Martin-Morris were representing the Board. They were apparently introduced as Board members and Carr spoke of resource issues (apparently there aren't any) but not clear if they were speaking as Board members.
Oddly, the 46th would not allow any rebuttals to either measure. Hmm.
I know that 1B is desperately trying to get more money into their campaign. 1A has pretty good funding via the unions but that is based on thousands of contributions from union members (so there are numbers behind that money).
I think 1B fears looking like the charter initiative and that if there are too many ed reform big donors, it will not look good. I know they are sending out e-mails begging for dollars.
follow themoney
follow themoney
"The pro-1A camp (1A is an unfunded union measure to increase preschool teacher pay and set training standards) was asking the district not to take a position."
--- swk
One, submitting room reservations on behalf of our parent/student organization to SPS Building Rental dept.--does anyone notice anything arbitrary about the manner in which they assess service fees (e.g. heating)? Today I received an invoice for service charges related to an after-school activity that is supposed to start TODAY and of course, they include: "schedule is pending receipt of payment" language.
Two, when are employment searches usually conducted for say, an interim principal position? A few months into the school year or at its end?
Any feedback here is muy appreciated.
Thanks,
enya forever
Yes, 1A is content with "no endorsement" because it creates no "lean" for 1B and I think they perceive they will have a better chance at the polls.
I think because 1B has the far more complex plan, it's harder to sell.
Enya, no idea on the first question. On the second question, it is always better to start early because that's when potential candidates start looking. It is more likely to be an emergency situation if it is at the end of the year.
The OSPI action was reported in the Sept 19th Supt memo here
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/Friday%20Memos/2014-15/September%2019/20140919_FridayMemo.pdf
Did you know that OSPI SPED is sending a staff person in one day/week to help SPS get its act together? Does that person attend the executive cabinet meetings? That is the group that also must hear what needs to be done and own it.
Reader
- need real program
Purpose Statement: The monitoring activities are two-fold; (1) to verify the actions taken by the district with regard to compliance requirements of IDEA Part B, and (2) to verify the actions and activities taken by the district with regard to the Revised Comprehensive Correction Action Plan.
Month Revised C-CAP
October 2014
(10/13/14 – 10/15/14) Staffing Structures
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Categorized Table of Compliant Decisions & District Actions
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December 2014
(12/3/14 – 12/5/14) Verification of IEP Compliance Review Training
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Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting
January 2015
(1/13/15 – 1/15/15) Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting – Analysis & Systems Testing
Compliance Reviews
Data Management System
February 2015
(2/4/15 – 2/6/15) Verification of Staff Training on Internal Policies & Procedures
Review of Principal Survey Results
Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting
March 2015
(3/4/15 – 3/6/15) Targeted Professional Learning and Development Plan
Systems Testing Across Databases
Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting
April 2015
(4/1/15 – 4/3/15) Verification of Timely Initial & Reevaluations – Source Data
Review of Approved Budget per School for Special Education
May 2015
(5/6/15 – 5/8/15)
Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting
Review of Evaluation Compliance Data by School & Region
June 2015
(6/3/15 – 6/5/15)
Benchmarks and Compliance Reporting
Data Management System
Categorized Table of Compliant Decisions & District Actions
July 2015
(Dates TBD) Systems Testing and Verification of Benchmarks As of 6/30/2015
follow themoney
- need real program
On the Friday Open Thread you said that
"....... with Van Asselt being the City's center for preschool in East/SE, Webster could be the center in the NW."
I thought that Old Van Asselt, now housing only special ed students and support staff, is only a temporary home for preschool and that another school (was it Wing LUke?) would be moving in as an interim site in two years. I thought that was the reason that the city declined to put any preschools there at all this year.
Any current updates on the use of that building?
Casey
Thanks,
HP
HP, write to me at sss.westbrook@gmail.com. I know a good one.
I find LEV's reasoning not that sound. I get that the research on class size is mixed but guess what? Parents and teachers believe it will make a difference (to their child, in their classroom). It's a confidence thing.
So LEV thinks that not passing 1351 will not allow investments in early learning and college readiness(they say "our ability to make investments" and I assume they are talking about the state and not LEV - I would call and ask but the last time I did that at LEV, I had a lawsuit on my hands so no, I won't be checking).
I'm not sure a smaller class size precludes that spending but they do.
I'm going to have a thread on the class size initiative soon.
I perceive that's going to have to be some kind of marketing plan especially when middle-class families realize there's no access to Montessori or Waldorf thru the City's plan.
Eric, I agree with your reasoning.
- southpaw
Please (please PLEASE) make the first really accessible playground in Seattle. I have seen a few Boundless playgrounds that are AMAZING. Rubberized surfaces, options for sensory input/quiet spaces, wheelchair/walker accessible! It is a shame children with more complex special needs need to go as far away as Gig Harbor for a safe, fun playspace they can actually access.
NE Parent
Southpaw, very cool news.
CR
Check out Seattle Children's Play Garden.
CCA
I don't know what Boundless is, but I agree that we should have more accessible (in all ways) playgrounds in Seattle. We would love that playground to be Orca, but there's only so much we can do. Orca has a medically fragile classroom; these kids currently have very little access to the outdoors at the school. So our Phase 1 elements try to focus on improving outdoor opportunities for differently abled kids, and we've been working closely with the special education teachers about priorities. For example, first on our list is an asphalt track around the field, including a separate "pole and ramp course" for kids in wheelchairs to experience the undulating up and down motion. Depending on abilities, they can use their arms to pull themselves from pole to pole, or they can be pushed by an aide. We are also increasing our all weather surface area, and have other improvements. A new play structure with accessible equipment and expansion of the incredible garden (with wheelchair accessible garden beds) will be in Phase 2. We just don't have the resources to do it all at once. I wish we could do more.
Definitely check out Children's Playgarden - it's incredible. It's also not on SPS property so they have a somewhat lower risk management threshold.
-southpaw
Actually, 1A is requesting a small amount of dollars from the Family and Education Levy. Last check, 1A wanted $3M out of the city's $232M. Any funding would need to be approved by the city council.
I heard your concerns that 1A will put some child care facilities out of business. That said, I believe the city's plan will also impact small child care centers/ homes.
I think both props will impact businesses but 1B more than 1A.
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But 1A will affect EVERY preschool in the city. 1B is a voluntary program.
My wife owns a Montessori preschool and we've looked at both proposals. 1A definitely would have a negative effect on her school. At worst, it would not allow her to operate her school and she would close. At best, it would significantly affect her ability to offer enrichment options like Spanish instruction, dance, and music programs.
1B might cause some families to choose cheaper options, but those could be made up for out of their annual waiting list and other middle class families who don't buy in to the city's prescriptive curriculum.
--- swk
On a related note, don't you find it ironic that the Ed Deformers insist on everyone ready for college - then eliminate college counselors at high schools?
However, the City's plan won't allow Montessori or Waldorf (probably others) to be part of their group. That means people have to choose a one-size=fits-all curriculum which is not how preschool should be.
How would 1A affect the ability of what your wife's school offers for enrichment?
All employees would be required to make a minimum $15 per hour (and it's unclear as to whether or not benefits can be calculated as compensation --- e.g., the school provides health care benefits and other benefits to all employees). There are currently three employees who make less than $15 per hour --- these three are the ones (all part-time) who assist in the supervision of the playground, lunch room, nap room, and bathrooms; clean the facility; etc.
Under 1A, families would be not have to pay more than 10% of their income as tuition. Specifically, my wife can only estimate who those families are that might be paying more than that. But, there are at least a small handful of families.
1A would also mandate additional professional development for staff that would have to be paid for by the school.
In essence, the school's costs would increase (wages and additional PD) while revenue would decline. And because they're already at student-teacher ratio capacity, more students could not be added to shore up any revenue deficiencies. Tuition is the only revenue source.
Something would have to give and that would be the enrichment programs.
--- swk
Mom of 4
"Under 1A, families would be not have to pay more than 10% of their income as tuition."
My understanding is that is not one of the mandates in 1A but I'll check.
Both 1A and 1B have professional development and at least in 1A you would have a huge swath of people getting that training/professional development.
Can you weigh in on the future of the Old Van Asselt site? Is the city planning on using it for preschools? Is it scheduled to be an interim site for SPS schools?
what's the latest?
Thanks.
Casey.
It's fine to look at a vote thru any lens you want but, for my work, I have to look at the benefit for the most kids.
"Opponents say 1a will cost $100 million, proponents say it will cost $3 million, which amount sounds more likely to you?"
It was a laugh out loud moment.
My fear is that the end result of 1A will be to blanket the city with large, corporate preschools like KinderCare, while we lose small, high-quality preschools around the city.
And I'm not supporting 1B either. The excessively high cost of this program --- given its number of and salaries for administrators, dependence on high-paid consultants, reliance on SPS capacity that doesn't exist, etc. --- plus its prescriptive curriculum and demand for student-level, longitudinal data makes this program a non-starter for me.
I will be voting no on the first preschool question on the ballot.
--- swk
Seattle Channel is doing their "Civic Cocktail" event tonight with ballot measures. I read about it at Publicola where they leave off the panel of journalists but then have this:
"Hosted by former Seattle Times columnist Joni Balter, this two-part event starts off with a conversation featuring King County Executive Dow Constantine about Metro buses—the subject of November's Prop. 1—and the county budget, and ends with a panel discussion about the fall ballot in general (including a potential tax increase for preschool funding) and the potential for voter tax fatigue.
The panel will include former deputy mayor Tim Ceis and longtime political consultant (and PubliCola co-founder) Sandeep Kaushik, along with city council member Sally Clark."
To which I wrote:
"Isn't it a little weird to have someone on a panel to discuss ballot issues who is getting paid to work for an issue - Sandeep Kaushik works for 1B. And Sally Clark voted to put 1B on the ballot. And Tim Ceis also worked for the charter school campaign (it's related because 1B is backed by a number of ed reformers including, oddly, a lot of Republicans).
Nothing biased about that panel."
Geez, nothing like the powers that be in this town at work.
Jan
Amplify was given to our children and I'm hearing that the teachers have SO much data that they can't use it.
Not only are our children being used for data, but they have also become guinea pigs for companies, Bill Gates and anyone else that wants their data.
I remember my Research 101 class. Rule 1: Who wants the data and what will data be used for?
Did anyone else notice that Michael Tolley wouldn't publicly acknowledge that the research project was going to be within low income schools? Patu tried to get Tolley to name the schools, but he referred directors to BAR.
Anecdote: I met a CEO of a large day care chain. I asked- How do you like being in the business of child care? The answer- "Great. You have a bunch of people willing to overpay and a bunch of people willing to get underpaid." I'll let you make your own decisions about this individual.
Unfortunately, both initiatives have problems that will impact the lives of many.
There are also qualified individuals that have child care businesses, but would need to obtain a bachelor degree under 1B. Think about single parent running a daycare in their home.
My stand is that labor and governance need a cold slap of failure at the polls to get back to the table and bring ONE unified plan to voters.