Tuesday Open Thread
School Board candidate Rick Burke is having an event tomorrow night at the Great Hall at Green Lake from 7-9:30 pm.
Come join us for a get-together so we can eat, drink, and talk about how to transform Seattle Public Schools. Pick up a yard sign and campaign literature. We hope you can stop by. Light appetizers and drinks served.
Parking is limited in the Green Lake area, so look for metered on-street parking near the venue. Carpools encouraged.
There is also a picnic on Thursday night at Carkeek Park, Shelter #2 from 6-8 pm to meet candidates Leslie Harris and Jill Geary. Bring your own beverage. (Leslie and Jill were the only candidates out yesterday outside the SEA meeting at Benaroya Hall.)
I haven't had a chance to view this but Seattle Channel's "Our City, Our Schools" series has a new one on "Safe Passage" which is a federally-funded pilot youth violence prevention program helping the four schools within one block of each other in Rainier Beach. Those schools are South Shore pre-k-8, RBHS, Dunlap and South Lake High School.
I was outside the meeting for SEA outside of Benaroya Hall yesterday. Word is that there was no vote taken on a contract (I believe mainly because the district has rejected so much of what the teachers have asked for/offered) and that when they do vote on September 3rd, it will be to accept a contract or strike. Teachers seemed upbeat but frustrated with the district. (I note that one item teachers appear to be pushing for is to right-time lunch (meaning, have a real lunch time not a truncated 15 minute one).
I think all parties will do the right thing and get this done but again you see the district pushing until the last minute.
It's no way to get things done but it certainly is the SPS headquarters way.
With school coming, a reminder of what teachers do to get ready for your students.
What's on your mind?
Come join us for a get-together so we can eat, drink, and talk about how to transform Seattle Public Schools. Pick up a yard sign and campaign literature. We hope you can stop by. Light appetizers and drinks served.
Parking is limited in the Green Lake area, so look for metered on-street parking near the venue. Carpools encouraged.
There is also a picnic on Thursday night at Carkeek Park, Shelter #2 from 6-8 pm to meet candidates Leslie Harris and Jill Geary. Bring your own beverage. (Leslie and Jill were the only candidates out yesterday outside the SEA meeting at Benaroya Hall.)
I haven't had a chance to view this but Seattle Channel's "Our City, Our Schools" series has a new one on "Safe Passage" which is a federally-funded pilot youth violence prevention program helping the four schools within one block of each other in Rainier Beach. Those schools are South Shore pre-k-8, RBHS, Dunlap and South Lake High School.
I was outside the meeting for SEA outside of Benaroya Hall yesterday. Word is that there was no vote taken on a contract (I believe mainly because the district has rejected so much of what the teachers have asked for/offered) and that when they do vote on September 3rd, it will be to accept a contract or strike. Teachers seemed upbeat but frustrated with the district. (I note that one item teachers appear to be pushing for is to right-time lunch (meaning, have a real lunch time not a truncated 15 minute one).
I think all parties will do the right thing and get this done but again you see the district pushing until the last minute.
It's no way to get things done but it certainly is the SPS headquarters way.
With school coming, a reminder of what teachers do to get ready for your students.
What's on your mind?
Comments
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/12/bc-classroom-photos-teachers-strike_n_5489576.html
Will be interesting to see how the contract plays out. Surprised that they are going to wait until the 5th for the second vote, WEA at the beginning of summer was talking about possible state wide strikes related to McCleary. Hoping that the McCleary votes are settled and in motion before that, just so parents have more time to plan.
Glad I left Seattle
Thanks.
CJ
Reader
The entire August 19th school board meeting is on line and available for viewing. The issue regarding the city's involvement with SEA remains unclear. Suffice it to say, the city has inserted themselves into principal hiring via the Family and Education Levy. It will be interesting to watch.
I would like for viewers to turn to minute 46 of the school board meeting. Seattle attorney- a highly paid individual- tells the board that legal used city templates and did NOT have time to do a line to line analysis. (!!) He goes on to say that the document will continue to change- after the board votes.(!!) It should be noted that language was added to the city's prek service contract AFTER the Executive Committee met and did not vet te changes. (!) I can't imagine Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon- or any individual- accepting the district's shoddy and incompetent legal work.
The motion was for the board to accept funding from the city for prek. The SErvice Contract will be for the superintendent to sign and the board majority has effectively given-up their vote on serious issues within the prek service agreement- which includes the termination clause and union involvement.
To Peaslee's credit, she argued in favor of a funding source and timeline related to the city's 25% hold-back. It became clear: There is NO timeline and there is not the intention of providing one. Finance essentially argued that there are grant funds to cover the 25% hold-back for many years. As per usual, Cashel Toner and Charles Wrigtt shoved this issue back into committee- and Carr gave them cover.
None the less, Peaslee voted Yes.
The question of Exhibit C, which pertains to performance targets, was embedded into Exibit B.
Blanford brought attention to the fact that he- and other board members- were in the dark because discussions occurred only in E. Committee. None- the- less. He voted in favor of this agreement; an agreement without clear understanding of umbrella policies. He provided a round of hugs to Burgess and Holly Miller.
Carr admitted that the scope of the city's prek agreement admitted that the work covers many committees. She also felt it necessary to apologize to the city, for having questions/concerns regarding the 25% holdback. Yet, she, McLaren and Peaslee allowed the prek initiative to remain bottled-up in the Executive Committee.
What will happen if/when an unfortunate incident occurs and there is a lawsuit? I will refer you to Ronald Boy's comments- at minute 46-where he says he didn't have time for a line by line analysis. Then, we can look to all board members that voted in favor of this agreement.
Lastly, I'm disappointed in John Cerqui(sp?). Peaslee asked Cerqui about voting on Service Contract and accepting funding. I thought he was a straigt shooter, but I was disappointed when e joined his fellow tap dancers (Charles Wright and Cashel Toner) The issue of voting on the Service Contract AND accepting funding was ignored. He simply stated the bAR was for the board to vote on accepting funding, and in doing so, the board agreed to let the Superintendent sign the Service Agreement.
I have a fairly easy prediction - some part of this is going to case someone to go to court.
CJ, I don't have the most current figures on administration (with all the hiring and promoting). I ask for those. My contention is that there is Central Adm and Central Office which are two different things (or used to be) to the district. It was easy to say "we are at 6% adm costs" without mentioning Central office costs.
Director Peters brought an amendment to the floor. Harium Martin Morris began scolding Peters for bringing the amendment to the floor, and as per usual, Blanford joined in. I"m becoming increasingly concerned about Martin Morris and Blanford's behavior. I wonder if they treat their wives in the same manner.
Whatever you could provide would be great. I am working with a group of folks who are concerned about the funding of IA positions or the lack thereof. SPS takes the position that those who supply direct services to students are too expensive while continuing to bloat both central office and central administrative costs. It would be very helpful to have some concrete numbers especially as the start of school is looming. Thanks for all you do. The information on this blog is priceless.
CJ
SEA was able to get the district to drop their proposal to centralize control of IAs.
teacher
"Special Education (SPED) http://seattleschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=1626577
There is significant work to do to support our special education students. SPS Special Education department, under the direction of Wyeth Jesse, has worked very hard to meet compliance challenges, and continues efforts on meeting legal assurances. To that end, SPS has offered a proposal that would maintain ratios of Special Education Instructional Assistants (IAs), and also work to ensure paraprofessionals are appropriately assigned work in buildings, to support the legal assurances our special education students need."
reader
Now that the primary is over, I want to pick the candidates who I think who would best support our special educational students. Yes, I understand there's more to SPS than special education.
I'm using the following criteria for grading;
1. All public statements regarding the Seattle school district special education by a candidate.
2. Each candidate's advocacy for special education in Seattle public schools.
3. Participation in special educational groups or meetings.
4. Use of public records request (PRR), email or blogs to support special education advocacy.
5. The candidate's public statements or proposals for improving special education.
Let me know of any other criteria you think is important. I hope to have my findings posted in the next few weeks, so please check back to see which candidates answer my email. If candidates choose not to respond I will search the internet and other sources to find the answers.
District 1 - Michael Christophersen sld.advocate.seattle@gmail.com
- Scott Pinkham nimiipuu@gmail.com
District 2 - Rick Burke rick@rickburke4schools.com
- Laura Gramer LauraGramerSeattleSchool@gramer.com
District 3 - Jill Geary jillforseattleschools@gmail.com
- Lauren McGuire info@laurenforschools.com
District 6 - Leslie Harris harrislsh@comcast.net
- Marty McLaren martyforschools@outlook.com
Dear school board candidates,
Congratulations on making it to the general election. I'm conducting a survey of school board candidates in order to inform my readers which candidate might be best to represent our district when it comes to special educational issues. Of coarse your participation is completely voluntary.
Could you please answer the following questions ;
1. Please state any advocacy you have been involved with for special education in Seattle public schools.
2. Please list any special educational groups you belong to or meetings you have attended.
3. Please list your use of Public Records Request (PRR), email or blogs in support of special education advocacy. These can be emails to directors or the superintendent, blog post etc, regarding special education.
Thank you for your time,
Concerned citizen
Concerned Citizen, two things. You say nothing about district policies and what the candidates might think of them. Second, I hope you didn't sign your request "Concerned Citizen" because they won't answer.
So, what policy questions would you add if you were to send out my hypothetical questionnaire?
Concerned Citizen
The info about the district dropping the IA proposal was given at the SEA meeting yesterday. SEA is posting some bargaining info at their site (seattlewea.org) but I don't think they posted that piece of info. That being said, there is still nothing stopping the district from bringing up the proposal again.
Teacher
"I'll lay bets that Carr pushed that the SPP Bar conveniently only addresses voting on the grant. SPS Superintendent Policy clearly shows that revenue-producing contract over $250K (like this one) shall be approved by the board. Doh! You'd think the Board President might remember that!? Selective amnesia. It's all about pushing this BS through. SAO finding in the making.
8/20/15, 8:06 PM "
David Edelman
"I too would love to know how much is spent on "administration" and "central costs" with further breakdown for special education. (direct student supports vs admin).
It is crazy to me that Seattle schools is getting an additional 40 million dollars for next year- and yet we are not seeing smaller class sizes (2nd through 12th grade), nor pay increases, nor additional classroom supports- and the district is claiming no funding available? Where is the money going? there is something really wrong.
And though SEA is asking for 21% over 3 years increase in pay (which does seem shocking at first glance to even me) the district is asking for an aprox 8% longer school day. There has not been an increase in the past 9 years. So look at it as aprox 1% a year average, with increase in pay for longer day and health care costs."
2006 3.3
2007 2.3
2008 5.8
2009 0.0
2010 0.0
2011 3.6
2012 1.7
2013 1.5
2014 1.7
It looks like teacher salaries would have needed to increase 20%+ over those 9 years to have kept pace. Maybe that explains the request for 21% over the next 3 years--it's basically just making them whole again after years of losing ground.
That doesn't even begin to account for a longer school day. And then when you see the bloat at the top, and all the mismanagement? I'd be ready to strike, too.
HF
This is why it would be interesting to know if there are areas in administration that could be "trimmed". This might make a decent counterproposal.
CJ
And the other thing - this new special ed administrative team has basically slammed the door shut on the community. Only now do they probably have an idea that parents aren't complete pushovers, and can be a force. Yes, after directed to do so, the administration formed a purposefully a meek group, SEAAC... but where are the results of the new SEAAC? What was their recommendation to the superintendent? Crickets. It was all breakout sessions with the consultant. If this administrative team was surprised by the blowback from parents - it's because they NEVER listened, nor engaged the community, nor wanted one shred of input. And now, that lack of engagement has cost them the communities' good will, and a failure with this lead balloon of a proposal. And it appears the school board is onto the problem as well. The wool has been removed from everyone's eyes.
Another reader
Wink Wink
Published letter to editor in "The Olympian"
Better High School Diplomas Needed
The reality is - if SEAAC didn't offer any recommendations, or if the recommendations are not available anywhere - then, it never really existed as a group.
Another Reader
Mr. Jesee never bothered to show up(without notice) at several scheduled Special Education bargaining meetings over a period of several months leaving the SEA bargaining team staring at the walls. What kind of "leader" does that? Can you even imagine a manager getting away with that kind of behavior in any business?
I do not believe that Mr. Jesee is leading the dance. He is just a puppet. The only input that moves him that of his handlers.
CJ
I say stand with teachers, not necessarily their union. Their leadership is not great but the teachers themselves have to face down more change in a year than most people at their jobs.
CJ, your point about IAs not being included in the extended day is excellent and true. In addition, SAEOP (school secretarys) are not included in the extended day. Anyone who has ever been a teacher(or a public school parent) knows that buildings don't run without the school secretary, thought the district administration folks doing the bargaining don't seem to be aware of that.
Teacher
Teacher
I have a great deal of respect for the SEA bargaining team members, who worked countless hours and demonstrated that front-line educators are the ones who know how to do the job.
David Edelman
How did SPED PTSA rally its community to lobby on behalf of IAs? I'd love to know what happened.
Teacher
No you don't have to tell me about your group and what they do. But don't expect cooperation in return. Just based on the snarkiness of your last comment, I am not drawn to joining your group.
In addition, I have been to some sped ptsa meetings (the last I attended was when Virginia Berninger spoke) and have not been impressed. I've saw parents who want to brag about the 1-1 IA they got for their own kid, but NOT much in the way of how we might work together to make sped work better for all. I don't really have time for that.
I'm speaking from the perspective of a sped teacher and former sped parent. Yep it's hard, but being rude and snarky accomplishes little.
Teacher
The SPED PTSA is like all PTSA there's only so much they can do.
I emailed the district's Jacque Coe, Chief Communications Officer
several times asking about the PD offer, but I never relieved a reply. Perhaps they are all busy with the CBA?
Patiently waiting
Ex-SPEDPTSA member
I guess it's just that I don't consider myself to be casually involved and I find this attitude deeply offensive and in juxtaposition to so much that I value.
My overall take on the organization that you suggest to the "casual reader" to be involved in or not as well as on many of the other posts on this blog, is that I am very apprehensive and perhaps scared to be involved. The attitude, the judgement. It seems hostile, cliquey, and unhealthy.
Done
I'm tired for her attacking anyone who might have a different opinion of SPED, like APP parents or teachers.
It's frightening to think she's still behaving this way considering she is now the SPED PTSA president. BTW, the SPED PTSA already has a web-site the url is in all the emails and filers SPS sends out about SPED, it's also listed on the SPS web-site. http://seattlespecialedptsa.org/
I don't know what game mirmac is playing, but her antics are not working. People should search this blog and view for themselves what she is all about.
If I thought it would make a difference I would file a complaint with the national board about her behavior.
SPED parent
reader47
Special education is better represented on the bargaining team this year than in the past. In addition to the members on the team, they brought in extra folks on the bargaining day specifically set aside for SPED proposals. This was the day in June when Wyeth Jesse couldn't be bothered to attend, nor any other of the many SPED directors.
Union SPEDTeacher
What are the bargaining team's key points about special education? What improvements are being sought? I've only heard about the reactivity to that strange "we know best" proposal to centralize assignments and supervision of special education instructional assistants. Not that building admins know how to do this supervision. Sure, it is a gap. A big one. But central office does not have the capacity to do this either, not from afar and not in terms of relations with buildings. Uh uh.
I'm curious, what sped issues is the union bringing to the table?
reader2
Thank you for your work and I'm sorry your group has all the responsibility, but no authority. I think that needs to change, see you on the picket line.
Wink Wink
Team Teacher
If the new SPED PTSA website is anything like its list-serve and its presence via Mirmac's comments on this blog and others, it will continue to degrade any possibility of SPS-family collaboration.
Team Teacher
I personally find the accusations, insinuations and outright insults being directed toward writer, Mirmac1, mean, inappropriate and unnecessary. And, frankly, embarrassing.
Take it somewhere else.
Casey
Mirmac1 has strong opinions for sure and it's her issue to navigate expressing them while being a PTA president. (I know what that's like.) It is important to be inclusive and sometimes that means dialing it back, if only for the comfort of other parents. That's for her to decide and those of you in that PTA can vote her out if you are that unhappy.
Casey.
New offer from district still falls short
District administrators brought a new wage offer to the table on Tuesday, the day after SEA members voted to set September 3rd as a strike deadline.
The administration's offer was a slight increase from their previous offer, but still fell far short of paying certificated staff for the increase in work hours the District is proposing. The first year remained the same at 2%, while the second year increased from 2.5 to 3.2%, and third year increased from 2.5% to 3%. In contrast, SEA has proposed increases of 7 percent a year for three years, which is much more in line with what is needed to continue attracting and keeping quality educators in Seattle.
The District administration's wage proposal is contingent on our acceptance of their proposal for a longer school day for certificated staff beginning in 2017-18.
Partially because of WEA's advocacy in Olympia this year, the Seattle School District is receiving significant new funds this year from both the state and the levy. Yet their wage proposal looks very similar to what was offered in the last contract two years ago, when funding from the state was less robust and we were still feeling the effects of the great recession. The District also continues to maintain a very healthy reserve of over 8% of its budget. It's our position that investing in Seattle educators should be the district administration's top budget priority.
"We can't regard this as a serious proposal," Andy Russell, teacher at Dearborn Park told the administration. "It assumes a half hour donation of time in the 3rd year. How could we present this to our members?"
Administrators suggested that teachers could reallocate the time we currently have in the half hour before and after school, and thereby see their proposal as working just ten more minutes.
Team member after team member described for the administration what we do in the half hour before and after school: contacting parents, helping students, planning, meeting with colleagues and on and on and on.
"How do I 'reallocate' those 20 minutes?" asked Joe Kelly, teacher at Ballard. "The work will still have to be done. A half hour is 6.7% more time, and I don't see a 6.7% increase in this proposal to cover my time."
SAEOPs and Parapros would receive the same third year increase as certificated staff, but not be required to work more time.
"Having students on campus longer creates additional work for parapros and SAEOPs," said Lynne Hubbard, SAEOP president. "The District doesn't seem to have a plan for how we get our work done with a longer school day."
District also responds to our proposal around substitutes
We received a counterproposal regarding certificated substitutes that indicated some movement on some aspects of the substitute shortage. We have not yet received a response to our proposal for classified substitutes.
"The classified substitute shortage may be even worse than the certificated one," said Peter Henry, SEA Substitute Department president.
Little progress on other important issues
The district administration continues to reject SEA's proposals on ESA workloads, equity teams, recess and teacher evaluations. Bargaining resumes Thursday.
David Edelman
Could you better explain the SEA proposal for 7% per year salary increase? Doesn't the state set the salary scale?
Thanks.
teacher neighbor
In short, there's both a state and a local component. The state has increased theirs a bit, and now the SEA would like to see the district step up and do the same.
You want research? We don't need any more fads. So, that wouldn't be in the bargain. We need programs to come with expectations.
Get real.
Nudge Nudge
Thanks for your clarification. That sounds reasonable.
Teacher neighbor
Wondering
ESA (psych, slp, OT/PT) caseload limits. There are no caps now. Some therapists have 50 or more students on their caseloads.
more support for intensive classrooms
more support for the riser process
fighting against the district proposal to have less staffing of sped preschool
Teacher
"Could you better explain the SEA proposal for 7% per year salary increase? Doesn't the state set the salary scale?
The State has a state salary schedule. There is much more to that than meets the eye.
The following is from memory.
Around 1980 the state needed to fully fund education. At that time there were large discrepancies in salaries paid to teachers. Generally rural school districts paid way less than other districts. Teachers generally moved to more developed areas to get more money. There was about a three year window to equalize this.
In this time higher paying districts gave no raises and lowering paying districts had three years to catch up. It did not take long for teachers to see that moving to the more urban areas made no financial sense.
I remember a district recruiting and interviewing a wonderful teacher and girls basketball coach, offering him a contract and then he rejected it because the cost of living was so much higher in Western WA than in Ephrata. (housing prices for a teacher with a wife and four children at home = no deal)
Eventually many districts decided to supplement teacher pay with TRI money (and the state said this was OK). This was necessary because teachers had extreme difficulty seeing any financial logic to teaching in the Seattle and the areas around Seattle.
I believe that all TRI money came from local funds. (The legislature on McCleary has completely failed to address this huge financial discrepancy - as around 1/3 of district salaries are coming from local funds and no mention of how that will be funded by 2018)
TRI money stands for Time and Responsibility Incentive (I think)
For the rural places next year the top of the teacher salary schedule is around $65k
in the higher paying districts it is around $85k.
-- Dan Dempsey
The Math is that a significant % of the complainers and whiners ever get off their asses, except to whine and complain about the tone of others. A significant % do participate, and when they get in charge they censor out anything and everyone who doesn't follow their narrow definition of 'positive'. They tend to not only lose, but to politically get their butts handed to them, year after year and decade after decade. While it is admirable that they'll stick to their Holier-Than-Thou-NonGuns, if they weren't so intolerant & stuck in folk music land of 1965 & allowed tactics & messaging other than whiny begging pathetic, they might accomplish something.
In 1965 20 or 30 Republicans voted for the Voting Rights Act. 1965 & bipartisanship & working together are gone. By the way ... there was a lot of other stuff happening besides sing a longs with Pete, Joan & Bob which made the Nicey
NicePossible
AreGone.
as a fellow teacher, sadly, I have absolutely no more details about what my Union is bargaining for, in Sped as far as :
more support for intensive classrooms
more support for the riser process
fighting against the district proposal to have less staffing of sped preschool
Nothing was elaborated on at the meeting. Anyone have specifics? (the words: "more,""less" don't cut the mustard)
Teacher2
In the meeting, we were encouraged to contact bargaining team members with questions. Their names are on the SEA website. I think the ESEA caseload limit is highest priority among the SPED issues.
Teacher
Anonymous
To join the SpEd PTSA listserv, email: seattle_sped_pta-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Do know that, unlike this blog, trollers are excluded. Thanks : )
This is how I understand it:
The state is kicking in a 3% COLA increase over two years. In addition, the state is granting an additional temporary 1.8% increase over two years. So the phased-in increase over two years is 4.8%.
The district initially offered a 4.5% increase over two years, which is lower than the state allocation. That I don't understand. The district offered an additional 2.5% in the third year.
Now its offer is a 5.2% increase over two years. And it's offering 3% in the third year.
Thus, for the first two years, the district would be kicking in .4% beyond what is coming from the state in the form of state COLA allocations. That .4% would come out of the additional $40 million the district is receiving from the state. In addition, the district has what the SEA believes is excess reserve funds, though how many tens of millions that amounts to is not something I know.
If any of this is incorrect, I invite someone with better knowledge to clear it up.
David Edelman
If they moved say a block or two outside the assignment zone( but still within walk zone) wuld they still be able to attend?