Friday Open Thread

From Seattle Schools:
Community Engagement Task Force
Community stakeholders are invited to participate on the SPS Community Engagement task force hosted by SPS School Board Director, Leslie Harris and Chief Engagement Officer, Carri Campbell.


Task Force Primary Purpose
  • Recommend revisions to the draft SPS Community Engagement Model and Tools
  • Develop recommended community engagement strategies 
  • Provide input into SPS Staff Training 
  • Represent our community and stakeholders
Our goal is for the task force to include staff, family, and community members who represent the diversity of Seattle Public Schools and who can provide valuable insight, expertise and perspective on ways to improve community engagement in Seattle Public Schools. Members should bring an open mind, a passion for student learning, and a willingness to engage in inquiry, meaningful dialogue, and collaboration throughout the task force process.

The Community Engagement Task force will meet monthly beginning in August 2016 through January 2017 for a total of six meetings. All meetings will be held from 6-8 PM.
First meeting: August 16, 6-8 p.m.
Deadline for submitting the application is August 12, 2016.
In the dead of summer, less than two weeks notice for a task force.

Satanic after-school clubs are starting in two of our region's elementary schools (not SPS but wait for it.)  This seems to be a response to the Good News clubs that are geared to promote Christianity that schools allow to use space after school.  From KUOW:
The Satanic Temple said it’s bringing the After-School Satan club to schools across the country that now host the evangelical Christian Good News Club, including Centennial Elementary in Mount Vernon and Point Defiance Elementary in Tacoma.
In contrast, Claypool said, "We’re indoctrinating them into scientific, logical, rationalist, non-superstitious worldview. The program includes an art project and a curriculum that is based in free inquiry.”  Claypool said that is the Satanic Temple’s philosophy, rather than devil-worship.
Good editorial from the News Tribune on contributions to Supreme Court races.
In this war by proxy, the WEA is getting outgunned, but donations of any amount from any special interest group will call into question a judge’s impartiality on any close call.

Bankrolling high court candidates tears at the integrity of a judicial system that’s supposed to be impartial.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article93304807.html#storylink=cpy
Children's Museum hosts Dental Screenings with University of Washington Center for Pediatric Dentistry
Aug 18, 2016, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Keep your smile healthy with help from the University of Washington Center for Pediatric Dentistry. Learn about children’s dental health and the many specialized services the clinic offers. FREE dental screenings and fluoride varnish will be available for children! 
Free during $1 Third Thursday Night.
Really a plethora of things to do in Seattle this weekend; Seafair, Blue Angels, plus you could just stay home and watch the Olympics.  The Seattle Art Fair is opening today and here's the description at Parent Map to activities for kids at the fair.  Seattle Art Fair offers free entry for children 12 and under with adult admission on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Teen Tickets are available online here: seattleartfair.com/tickets/teen. Kids activity totes and teen guides will be available at the ticketing counter. 

What's on your mind?

Comments

Eric B said…
The Satanic Club reminds me of when the "You're all going to hell!!!" campaigners came to Ingraham this last year with their bullhorns. Apparently some students took great joy in going up to them and calling "Hail Satan!" back at them.
8/5/16, 9:53 AM
Anonymous said…
What are the issues with the PASS contract, btwn principals and district?

Reader
8/5/16, 11:56 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Reader, I don't really know. I only know that it got withdrawn from the the Board agenda (I think two meetings back now) and the reason given was that they had not reached agreement.

I suspect more principal control could be the issue.
8/5/16, 1:39 PM
Watching said…
As you know, Dorn is suing 7 school districts for "illegal use" of levy dollars. It has been speculated that Dorn is trying to push for state-wide bargaining.

Thought you would be interested in Dorn's position regarding statewide bargaining:


"Initiate statewide collective bargaining for compensation, benefits, regional cost-of-living adjustments, and workday definition. During the transfer to the new system, the Legislature must restrict current bargaining, local levy bases and any possible new levies so that the state doesn’t incur larger obligations."

http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/FullyFundPlan/BasicPrinciples.pdf
8/5/16, 10:08 PM
Charlie Mas said…
Statewide bargaining holds out a certain kind of promise.

If the statewide salary formula is done as a base amount with a local cost-of-living multiplier then it could be the path to regular cost of living adjustments in teacher salaries.

The CPI for Seattle as of June 2016 was 256.098. The CPI for Yakima, however, might be more like 210. So two teachers with the same status, one in Seattle and one in Yakima might be paid $51,219 and $42,000. Then, two years from now, when the rates are reviewed, the CPI in Seattle might be 266.444 and Yakima's CPI might be 216.347 so the teachers would get a cost of living adjustments to $53,288 and $43,269.

This would not only be equitable, it would build in the teachers' cost of living adjustments.
8/10/16, 11:16 AM
Karthik said…
Tactical urbanists make their voices heard in unquantifiable ways – thus a key element missing from typical planning practices. It is evident that a purely technical reading of urban change most often creates social exclusion.
Community Engagement Strategies
4/10/18, 3:38 AM
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