District's Statement to Garfield
I'm just on my way out the door to the Garfield walk-out and this message came up on my feed. It's from Superintendent Nyland.
(I don't see they are saying their numbers are wrong. Well, something's wrong if Garfield says they DID meet the district's stated goal.)
Nyland also says:
We are still working through this process, and we would hope the community will allow us time to complete our process.
What? How does that help Garfield to say a process is still going on?
Nyland Letter
Dear Garfield High School community,
(I don't see they are saying their numbers are wrong. Well, something's wrong if Garfield says they DID meet the district's stated goal.)
Nyland also says:
We are still working through this process, and we would hope the community will allow us time to complete our process.
What? How does that help Garfield to say a process is still going on?
Nyland Letter
I want to thank you for contacting the district
regarding Garfield staffing. We understand your frustration and we hear
your concerns.
Each October, after student transfer periods have
closed, the district conducts a state-required official count of all
students. This count directly affects district funding for the school
year.
As a part of our annual process, we then adjust
staffing – up or down – to align with our official enrollment. Our
staffing adjustments are based on the official October count and include
many additional factors.
As we do every year, this process includes working together with each
school’s principal to identify all possible options, check the numbers
for discrepancies, and identify potential impacts on students in order
to make an informed final decision.
The district is committed
to assuring we have proper and equitable staffing at each of our
schools. We are still working through this process, and we would hope
the community will allow us time to complete our
process. While we review the situation at Garfield, we ask that
students and staff stay in class and parents encourage students to
remain in class.
Thank you again for sharing your concerns.
Sincerely,
Larry Nyland
Process
·
Each October, after student transfer periods have closed, the district conducts a state-required official count of all students.
·
This count directly affects district funding for the school year.
·
As a part of our annual process, we then adjust staffing – up or down – to align with our official enrollment.
·
Our staffing adjustments are based on the October count and include additional factors such as
special education, English Language Learners, free and reduced-price lunch qualifications, and grade and program configurations.
·
As we do every year, this process includes working together with each school’s principal to identify all possible options,
check the numbers for discrepancies, and identify potential impacts on students in order to make an informed final decision.
·
The district is committed to assuring we have proper and equitable staffing at each of our schools.
·
We are still working through this process, and we would hope the community will allow us time to complete our process.
Garfield
·
While we review
the situation at Garfield, we ask students and staff stay in class and
parents encourage students to remain in class.
·
Regarding whether
teachers will face disciplinary action if walk out: Teachers primary
responsibility is to ensure safety and supervision of their students
during the assigned time period. If they do
not ensure proper supervision for their students, then appropriate
action will be determined.
·
Monday, Oct. 27,
is a deadline to make a final decision on whether or not to adjust
staffing at Garfield. This is not the day the teacher stops teaching the
class.
·
The teacher is chosen based on seniority – the least senior teacher by teaching category.
·
Teachers have signed a one-year contract
with the district and the district will work to find another position
within the district.
·
While PTAs are allowed to raise funds to
support a teaching position, it is not recommended and should be
considered only as a last resort after careful review of all the data.
Comments
Walk out, Garfield. Walk out. Do it not just for your school but for all the schools on the list who do not have cunning principals who can work the system, ability to raise emergency funds, or the savvy to contact the media.
Walk out, with cameras rolling, to stop the madness at ANY SPS school of yanking staff in core classes 2 months into the school year.
-skeptical-
My gut tells me wrong numbers were intentionally submitted to pull a teacher.
Process...ha
DistrictWatcher
Supporter
Parent
"It's been going on for years" is no excuse for continuing this poor excuse for "budget balancing."
I am pleased Gatewood and now Garfield has chosen to shine a light on this harmful practice.
EdVoter
As the district is required to provide a basic education to every student, and the core courses are a part of a basic education, they can't just stop teaching one of those subjects to 150 students. That's an empty threat on Ted Howard's part.
The equity question here is why some schools were allowed to keep teachers when their enrollment isn't high enough to support them. Of course, if the district backs down, you can bet Gatewood parents are going to want their money back.
Garfield is proud to offer family and student engagement opportunities. Beginning Friday, October 24th, there will be a series of six two-hour sessions focusing on the success of our freshman students. The parent sessions will focus on how to support your freshman student in navigating high school. The student sessions will focus on how to be a successful Garfield Bulldog.
These sessions will take place the first two hours of the day and students in grades 10-12 will not be on campus during that time. Basically, they'll be missing 12 hours (2 full days) of instruction for this. We were not informed until Tuesday afternoon.
Crazy indeed.
Go Riders
bad days
Sorry, Supe, your letter was way too little, way too late. That train had already left the station.
With the STR and Gates' new PreK carrot/gotcha grant, SPS could be on the hook for >$1M of Ed reform niceties by the year after next....let's see, that's 11 teachers. Gee, what should we do....?
1) Dr. Nyland asking the students to stay in class while Director Peters participates in the walk-out.
2) Dr. Nyland threatening the teachers' certificates ("Regarding whether teachers will face disciplinary action if walk out: Teachers primary responsibility is to ensure safety and supervision of their students during the assigned time period. If they do not ensure proper supervision for their students, then appropriate action will be determined."
That "proper supervision" is a reference to the professional code of conduct. If a teacher fails to properly supervise students the superintendent is required - by law - to report the teacher to the OSPI. The funny thing about this is that the family of the girl who reported the rape at NatureBridge raised this issue with the superintendent about the teacher chaperones who walked away from the students and slept in cabins hundreds of feet away. Dr. Nyland, however, chose not to regard that as a failure to properly supervise.
Along these same lines, there seems to be a blatant shorting of SPED IAs across the district. I have heard now of 4 K-5 and K-8 who do not have the coverage they should to serve IEPs. The district is stalling and school leadership is complicit or at best opaque about the real reason for a failure to fill these positions mandated by law. OSPI Citizens Complaints are on the way.
- Enough Already
Similarly, OSPI might actually stir from its decades-long slumber and impose (and enforce) meaningful corrective action to comply with Federal law.
The money should be in the classroom.
- Data Hungry
If Garfield releases a World Language teacher, I expect that will take longer - unless Rainier Beach, JAMS, Mercer or Middle College is looking for another World Language teacher.
In his letter to principals of 10/20, interim superintendant Nyland prefaces his announcement that SPS is putting 14 more schools in play with "Each October...As part of our annual process.." THIS IS THE PROBLEM! Not whether Garfield's numbers look "off," or FTEs vs. budget, or if kids will still graduate or are "resilient" in first grade. The problem is in accepting and managing a process that CAN ONLY RESULT in ripple-effect changes in our schools IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER. And JSCEE' terribly skewed, internally acceptable priority to attempt "fiscal responsibility" (more akin to "penny wise, pound foolish") by confusing our children and teachers with chess pieces.
Just over two weeks ago, Gatewood's reaction to "raise $40K, then $90Kin 5 days" launched them into fundraising action, nearly immediately launching "the Biggest Bakesale Ever" on the busiest street in West Seattle, scrambling to pull together an evening auction, donations from Gatewood teachers at $500/pop, and community letters hand delivered to JSCEE to protest and then to request more time, and importantly, rallying their School Board rep to explain and intervene not just for Gatewood, but to keep this from happening to ANY school.
I'm not at Gatewood. I find this SPS' practice of Reconciliation and Extortion outrageous. Yet, I admire the h*** out of Gatewood, for what they did, and what they went through earlier this month.
That interim superintendant Nyland can now so casually announce that here's another 14 schools(!) (how many kids are in these 14, which exclude Gatewood and Fairmount Park? All grades, all classes, can be affected with the loss OR add of 1 FTE) is astonishing. Nyland could make an explicit policy edict, reflecting a reasonable expectation our community wants and deserves: "NO SPS movement of teachers after school starts." Assuming C-level management skills, this would force internal fixes and alignments- in waitlist practices, enrollment deadlines, data-demands, forecasting refinement - even transparency. That Dr. Nyland attempts to rationalize launching turmoil by trying to use "the process" as a fig leaf is astonishing, and completely unacceptable. Maybe James Carville is too blunt, too rude, but he can get a message through: "It's the TIMIING, stupid."
Schools receiving additional staffing budgets:
· Lowell Elementary – 1.0 FTE
· Jane Adams Middle School – 1.0 FTE
· Laurelhurst Elementary – 1.0 FTE
· Rainier Beach High School – 0.4 FTE
· Mercer International Middle School – 1.0 FTE
· Sanislo Elementary – 0.5 FTE
· Concord International Elementary – 1.0 FTE
· Middle College – 1.0 FTE
Schools with reduced staffing budgets:
· Garfield High School – 1.0 FTE
· Stevens Elementary – 1.0 FTE
· Hazel Wolf K-8– 1.0 FTE
· B.F. Day Elementary– 1.0 FTE
· Denny International Middle School – 0.6 FTE
· Madison Middle School – 1.0 FTE
A couple interesting contrasts.
1) Dr. Nyland asking the students to stay in class while Director Peters participates in the walk-out."
Hey Charlie,
I hope you start fact finding before you document such "contrasts"
Director Peters was working in conjunction with Dr. Larry Nyland on the Garfield issue. She was invited to speak at the event and she provided support to faculty and students. Students would have walked out with or without Director Peter's presence.
Your assertion unfairly casts doubt on a board member.
Thanks.