On the Weekend Eve of Election Day - No on 1B to Protect SPS

I'll put in my plug for voting NO on the preschool/childcare props one more time. 

This plea  is for Seattle Schools parents. 

In every single document that I have found about the preschool plan, the number one "priority" is to "partner with Seattle Schools."  After you have read thru a number of documents, it starts to jump out at you.

Now 1B says, we know there is little space and there's other things we'd like to work on with SPS.  Yes, SPS could help with curriculum, info on how they already work with preschool groups, etc. 

Except that, as the Board complained at the recent Work Session with Councilman Burgess and others on the preschool plan, the district really hasn't been consulted on curriculum.  The Board wasn't invited to give any input at all on the preschool plan.  Hmm. 

(To note, three current Board members have endorsed 1B - Sherry Carr, Harium Martin-Morris and Stephan Blanford.  Carr and Martin-Morris have donated to the campaign.)

I tell people I know that if 1B passes, the full-court press is coming to the district from the City and  it will be from multiple angles.  In fact, my cynical side thinks that the district may be getting that full-court press in the form of a stick and not a carrot by which I mean if the district doesn't help with space, maybe the district might not get things it wants in the way of grant funding, etc.

Why do I think the pressure will be huge?  Two reasons.


- This plan needs multiple spaces in all parts of the city.  The City is not going to open preschools on their own; they are looking to expanding existing preschools that will using their plan/curriculum.  That means that those preschools that exist in SPS?  There will be pressure to expand them.  As well, the district has buildings in all parts of this city and its neighborhoods.   Which would you rather do as the Office of Education must?  Negotiate with multiple entities for space or one?  

- The pressure we saw from the City (and probably others) to get SPS staff on the multi-city pre-school junket that happened earlier this year is a fine example of what is to come.  You saw the e-mails.  You know that Title One, baseline and capital funds were used to fund five SPS staffers to go on the trip.  (Charles Wright dropped out at the last minute and all those funds were lost.)

One new thing I found out, reading thru F&E levy minutes, is that the Chamber of Commerce paid for nearly all the participants' costs.  Why didn't they pay for SPS costs especially since preschool is not the district's mandate?  

The pressure will be painful and come quickly.

How many of you have room to give up inside your building?  How about outside your building?  Because a preschool classroom is NOT just one room.  They have to have their own bathrooms just for them and their own playground just for them.

The district just announced that, for the 4th year in a row, enrollment has grown by nearly 1,000 students.  It's not letting up.

Do you want to give over room that most of our buildings do not have for a program that is not the district's state mandate?  And, while we are waiting for the funding for the existing K-12 mandate to get funded under McCleary?

I think as Seattle Schools parents you should take all this into consideration and I hope you will vote NO to both measures (the first question on your ballot) but if you choose to vote yes (an option as well), please vote for 1A.  

Comments

Leo said…

Hedge fund managers jump into 1B campaign!!

http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/hedge-fund-managers-jumping-onto-the-proposition-1b-gravy-train/
Anonymous said…

Just listened to this rebroadcast
on TVW radio. This is just a start with the goal to incorporate 0-3 years.
Skip to 90 minute mark if you don't have time for the whole discussion. Panelist Kagi wants McCleary to cover pre K thru K-12 and into college (min.64+)

Just listened to this rebroadcast
on TVW radio.

http://livewire.seattletimes.com/the-case-for-early-learning/


PSP
And Matt Griffin who was reported by the times to be Prop 1b's largest donor is also the largest campaign donor to Carr and Martin-Morris. And to think Carr wanted a board resolution on 1b prior to the election. Disgusted.
dan dempsey said…
Carr and Martin-Morris are the remaining two of the $500,000 four from 2007 elections.

Carr, Martin-Morris, Maier, and Sunquist spent slightly less than $500,000 in 2007 to get elected. It can come as a surprise to no one that Martin-Morris and Carr support what Big Money wants. It is exactly the way it has been since December of 2007.
Enough said…

Finally, an article regarding technology and tots.

Of course, we have to get those toddlers ready for K and computerized tests!

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/11/01/technology-for-tots/
cmj said…
@Enough,

Thanks for sharing.

I'm also concerned about toddlers not developing fine motor skills because they spend too much time with iPads and not enough time with crayons.
Voted NO1B said…
Keep Teach for America out of prek classrooms in Seattle Public Schools.

Vote NO 1B
Anonymous said…
Just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

Your worst fears are in fact true about the politics in this City and State. Yes, it IS a wolf in Grandma's bed. (My what big teeth you have Grandma...)

"Democratic" party leadership are pushing 1B so that the "Mayor has skin in the game." It is a power play to have the City gain more control of SPS. And if you didn't yet realize it, our "democratic" leadership are owned not only by big corporate interests, but by union bashing/ education starving fat cats.

1B is yet another regressive tax imposed on the masses so that our Mayor who had years and years in the legislature where he and all of his "Democratic" colleagues failed to fund education can claim that he's an education advocate. Never mind that it steals needed building space from K-12 kids, lines the pockets of a few privileged friends of the "Party" and only serves a fraction of the kids of this City.

Vote no, and lets get to work kicking the damn wolf out of grandma's house!

thebettertoeattyouwithmydear


Even if 1B passes, the fight is not over.

I perceive it will pass if only because of the King County Labor endorsement. Sad when unions oppose each other (and another reason for both to fail and have parties go back to the table.)
Truth Meter said…

Q13 calls-out 1B for making a false claim. 1B does NOT provide prek for ALL.

http://q13fox.com/2014/10/29/tracking-the-truth-seattle-pre-k-initiatives
Voted NO1B said…
Stand for Children is supporting 1B. What does that say?
Unknown said…
So what's the strategy on the second part of the question? Vote for 1A as the lesser of two evils or don't vote at all?

Maureen
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