Seattle Schools, Week of November 21-23, 2016
Despite it being a holiday week, there are SPS meetings happening.
Monday, November 21st
An Executive Session for the School Board, probably around Superintendent Nyland's evaluation.
I am hoping that the Board recognizes that just 13 of 24 goals in the Strategic Plan have been met, that now for a second time in about a year, staff approved money for staff BEFORE telling the Board, and it is still unclear what the Executive Directors and their Chief of Schools actually do to support student outcomes.
Last Wednesday night, the Board approved a two-person Board team (Blanford and Harris) to decide if the Superintendent deserves a raise. I'm thinking that will be a very short review based on issues such as those I detailed above AND that the district is pounding home a looming budget deficit. There is clearly no money for a raise.
Tuesday, November 22nd
Board Work Session on the 2017-2018 Budget from 4:30-5:30.
Board Work Session on Board's Annual Self-Evaluation from 5:30- 7:00 pm at JSCEE. Agenda
I'm a little surprised at the times for each Work Session given the gravity that staff is stating for next year's budget.
The PowerPoint on the Budget includes the following:
- an updated number for the deficit from $71M to $74.2M due to the boundary changes that include grandfathering with transportation
- changing Board policy on the Economic Reserve fund to access 50% of the funds
- implementing an indirect costs policy for all grants and Capital (except for PTA grants)
- moving "worst case scenario decisions" to January 11, 2017
There is an extremely tight timeline on getting this information out that starts around November 28th until Jan. 11, 2017. It appears the final budget allocations will be known sometime in Feb. 2017.
There is quite an intricate "Start of School Timeline for 2017-2018" on page 18.
Meany Middle School Family and Community meeting with Principal Chanda Oatis at the Miller Community Center from 6:00-7:30 pm.
All meetings will be held at the Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E
November 22, 2016, 6 p.m.
November 22, 2016, 6 p.m.
December 13, 2016, 6 p.m.
January 10, 2017, 6 p.m.
March 14, 2017, 6 p.m.
April 11, 2017, 6 p.m.
May 9, 2017, 6 p.m.
June 13, 2017, 6 p.m.
Robert Eagle Staff Middle School Family and Community Planning Meeting with Principal Marni Campbell at the Broadview Branch Library from 6:00-7:30 pm. (There will be other meetings for this community into December.)
November 29, 2016, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Loyal Heights Elementary at Marshall (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)
December 3, 2016, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m
Location TBD
December 8, 2016, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Loyal Heights Elementary at Marshall (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)
January 5, 2017, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Broadview Branch Library (12755 Greenwood Ave. N.)
Monday, November 21st
An Executive Session for the School Board, probably around Superintendent Nyland's evaluation.
I am hoping that the Board recognizes that just 13 of 24 goals in the Strategic Plan have been met, that now for a second time in about a year, staff approved money for staff BEFORE telling the Board, and it is still unclear what the Executive Directors and their Chief of Schools actually do to support student outcomes.
Last Wednesday night, the Board approved a two-person Board team (Blanford and Harris) to decide if the Superintendent deserves a raise. I'm thinking that will be a very short review based on issues such as those I detailed above AND that the district is pounding home a looming budget deficit. There is clearly no money for a raise.
Tuesday, November 22nd
Board Work Session on the 2017-2018 Budget from 4:30-5:30.
Board Work Session on Board's Annual Self-Evaluation from 5:30- 7:00 pm at JSCEE. Agenda
I'm a little surprised at the times for each Work Session given the gravity that staff is stating for next year's budget.
The PowerPoint on the Budget includes the following:
- an updated number for the deficit from $71M to $74.2M due to the boundary changes that include grandfathering with transportation
- changing Board policy on the Economic Reserve fund to access 50% of the funds
- implementing an indirect costs policy for all grants and Capital (except for PTA grants)
- moving "worst case scenario decisions" to January 11, 2017
There is an extremely tight timeline on getting this information out that starts around November 28th until Jan. 11, 2017. It appears the final budget allocations will be known sometime in Feb. 2017.
There is quite an intricate "Start of School Timeline for 2017-2018" on page 18.
Meany Middle School Family and Community meeting with Principal Chanda Oatis at the Miller Community Center from 6:00-7:30 pm.
All meetings will be held at the Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E
November 22, 2016, 6 p.m.
November 22, 2016, 6 p.m.
December 13, 2016, 6 p.m.
January 10, 2017, 6 p.m.
March 14, 2017, 6 p.m.
April 11, 2017, 6 p.m.
May 9, 2017, 6 p.m.
June 13, 2017, 6 p.m.
Robert Eagle Staff Middle School Family and Community Planning Meeting with Principal Marni Campbell at the Broadview Branch Library from 6:00-7:30 pm. (There will be other meetings for this community into December.)
November 29, 2016, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Loyal Heights Elementary at Marshall (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)
December 3, 2016, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m
Location TBD
December 8, 2016, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Loyal Heights Elementary at Marshall (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)
January 5, 2017, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Broadview Branch Library (12755 Greenwood Ave. N.)
Comments
BLMS
Spread love
Called the admissions office and they can't answer my question either. They said the address lookup tool may be done some time in January, though.
Unbelievable mismanagement
-North-end Mom
Loose Ends
1. Race & equity assessment of changes should be done.
2. Relook at plan and see if there is a way to minimize changes to boundary change areas
to result in less disruptions to students and families.
3. We are not confident in the data framework compared to actuals or projected based on
residential data and growth.
4. We want a plan that includes a whole vision of schools (SPED, preschool, ELL, HCC, art
and music, after school programs, summer programs, option schools).
The Superintendent was completely silent during the Growth Boundaries discussion at last Wednesday's Board meeting. I got the impression that the work of the CMTF was not of value to the Superintendent and his staff, though the Board's action largely supported the CMTF recommendations.
-North-end Mom
Loose Ends
The original Growth Boundaries BAR has zero cost information. It stated that the cost could be neutral, increase or decrease depending on transportation.
The board directed plan, essentially maintained the status quo and at least when I learned accounting the status quo was cost neutral. The could only be a $3M increase if the staff created plan was going to save $3M and then the return to the status quo causes a costs savings to be reversed. Hence an increase.
Unfortunately, it is because of estimates like this, the it is almost impossible to have confidence in cost estimates around capacity management.
Just for giggles, remember when the closures were going to save several hundred of millions of dollars?? Remember when the three tier bus system was going to save $4M but cost $20M to return to two tiers?
Not Giggling
How does NOT changing boundaries = $3M increase? What all are they including in that number?
-Green Lake Parent
Burke said "roll ups cost more" but could not provide data or analysis to back that up. I'm not bashing Burke--he is well intentioned and clearly wants to do right by kids. But all the SPS staff in the room at the meeting remained SILENT. The board must DEMAND data and know enough to question WHERE the data comes from and WHAT it represents to assess whether it is reliable or not.
Data. Evidence. Facts. They matter. Otherwise decisions (often poor ones) get made in a vacuum.
Concerned SPS parent
If Cedar Park was implemented as an attendance area school, then there would have been some transportation costs saved, because some neighborhoods currently receiving busing to John Rogers would be in the new Cedar Park walk zone(though they would have been forced to cross some very busy streets to get to school). As an option school, presumably drawing from the JAMS attendance area, Cedar Park will probably need more buses than if it had been an attendance area school...but not anywhere near $3M - worth of buses.
Some of the added costs probably have to do with the projected need for additional portables at schools receiving grandfathering or who would need portables if their boundaries weren't changed, but if Cedar Park eventually fills as an option school, it would be helping with capacity needs just like it would as an attendance area school, which would decrease the number of portables needed overall.
-North-end Mom
Saying a roll up is more expensive than a geo-split is like saying that chocolate is more expensive than vanilla. It is a nonsensical statement that can't be answered with more context and amounts.
The MOST expensive thing that can happen is to plan a school and have students and families avoid the school.
Folks are basing geo-splits are "less expensive" based on the opening of JAMS. In the case of JAMS, the critical factor was Paula Montgomery and the year she spent building parent buy in and attracting an excellent teaching staff. JAMS had a cost effective opening because people believed that Paula was going to deliver what she promised.
High school will be a completely different scenario. For a few reasons
1) The expansion at Ingraham is going to open also in 2019. That means there will be new capacity in two locations and significant choice seats at Ingraham, a proven school.
2) During the NSAP meetings, when the high school boundaries were originally drawn, Tracy Libros said a huge challenge was the 70% of high school students had two addresses and that these students could enroll at either school making projections challenging. There is no reason to suspect this number has gone down.
3) 11th and 12th graders all have the choice of Running Start.
In other words, high school is a big deal and people will do whatever is necessary to ensure that their students get their needs met. Without a cohesive plan to start building parent buy in, people will start to make other plans and there are lot of other plans that can be made.
Wishing4realLeadership
November 30th - Nathan Hale HS (Library) 6:30-7:30
December 1st - Ingraham HS (Lunchroom) 6:30-7:30
-North-end Mom
-Thoughts
The District couldn't build a new K-8 building for Hazel Wolf K-8 at the Cedar Park site, because it received landmark status (after the District self-nominated it for such status), so SPS decided to put the Hazel Wolf program at the Pinehurst site, which happened to be occupied at the time by the Pinehurst/AS-1 K-8 program (oops!).
Pinehurst was then proposed for closure (again). Sharon Peaslee swooped in and negotiated a marriage between Pinehurst AS-1 and Indian Heritage, thus saving the Pinehurst K-8 program (the only other option being discussed at the time was a merger with Hazel Wolf K-8). This gave Pinehurst/Indian Heritage 14 classrooms in the Lincoln building with the direction that the program (now called Licton Springs K-8) would be moved to the Wilson Pacific campus in 2017.
Strangely, only 6 classrooms were set-aside for Licton Springs in the planning for the Robert Eagle Staff building, limiting their enrollment to under 150 students (oops, again!).
Now there is the offer to move the Licton Springs program to Cedar Park (which, frankly, IMO should have been the plan back when they were displaced by Hazel Wolf). But now, the Licton Springs community has to decide between the potential for program growth and sustainability at Cedar Park, or honoring its partnership with Indian Heritage and keep its 6 classrooms in the Robert Eagle Staff building near the sacred Licton Springs site.
So many questions come to mind...like will the District continue to support a K-8 program of under 150 students? Will they continue to receive funding for their own principal, counselor, etc...if they are co-located with the comprehensive middle school? What happens if there is enrollment growth in the middle school? Would Licton Springs, as an option program get squeezed out again? If they moved to Cedar Park, would current families receive grandfathered transportation?
It is such a mess, in so many ways.
-North-end Mom
However, rather than adjust the feeder patterns, the decision was made to reduce the space allocation at Licton Springs. My guess is that the six rooms represent most of one floor of one wing.
Now all of the testimony about "broken promises" to the Native community at the board meeting make sense. The decision to reduce the Licton Springs allocation at RESMS should have been brought to the board for board approval as it was a major programatic change, akin to closing Middle College.
The most frustrating part is that we have more than enough middle school space, for the first time, since the closures. (The closure of Meany never should have happened as it triggered multiple capacity problems for middle school.) However, the middle school seats are allocated very badly with some schools way over capacity and some way under capacity.
- being creative
Does anyone believe that the salaries paid to superintendents of large school districts are justified?
What would be the purpose in raising Dr. Nyland's pay?
Really does the thought of more money improve a superintendent's performance?
-- Dan Dempsey
Bad Planning
But basically I was saying:
- the district did not support Licton Springs/AS #1 for the last decade. Is the reason they are so underenrolled because of the program or the district's lack of support? It's hard to say and it leaves the district in a bad position should they try to close it or move it.
I was suspicious from the get-go with the placement at Wilson-Pacific but I've seen the staff go along with something but really are just waiting until the right time to undo it.
- I don't think putting Licton Springs at Cedar Park is the answer, though. I'm not sure if the district will truly support the program and encourage parents to enroll.
- Dan, the only purpose I could see in giving Nyland a raise is to keep him (and he asked for one in order to stay.) He already has a one-year extension on a very good contract and I think that should be enough. He claims a lot of things got done but I'm not sure I think he deserves the credit and/or it's too soon to tell. A list does not reflect outcomes.
- To Bad Plannings' point - I know of no one who ever was publicly held accountable for bad planning.
I've said two things before:
1) we need a sheriff to come in and clean up JSCEE and that means organizationally and staffing. This is not - from an operational standpoint - a fully functioning, well-managed district. It hasn't been for a long time.
And despite the fact that Dr Goodloe-Johnson wasn't my first pick, at least I thought her strong enough to come in and get stuff done. She was strong-willed but mostly for what she wanted to do, not necessarily getting the trains to run on time.
2) you CANNOT have a good/great district if it doesn't run well. The proof is the long time of initiatives and Strategic Plans that have had minimal effect on outcomes.
Licton Springs K-8 has not been surveyed about the potential to move to Cedar Park, though we are going to survey our community about it. The whole idea was first mentioned on the Thursday after the 11/16 board meeting, when admin were clear they did not have a plan for how to make Cedar Park an option school.
Kellie:
"Now all of the testimony about "broken promises" to the Native community at the board meeting make sense. The decision to reduce the Licton Springs allocation at RESMS should have been brought to the board for board approval as it was a major programatic change, akin to closing Middle College."
The testimony about broken promises was mostly about the closing of Indian Heritage and Jose Bonda's statements about revitalizing Indian Heritage Middle College. The only exception was Carol Simmons, who testified specifically about the space for Licton Springs (Thank you again Carol!). UNEA still wants to have the high-school program at that site. In 2013-4 they tried to get a program started at Ingraham on the model of Proyecto Saber, but it did not get any traction with the principal, so they have moved back to advocating for a stand-alone high-school.
UNEA learned about the Cedar Park idea this weekend and has come out with adamantly against moving Licton Springs from the Eagle Staff site.
As I understand it, the decision to limit Licton Springs to 150 students was included in a spreadsheet attachment to the Ed Specs in the Spring of 2014. I don't believe it was ever day-lighted to the board nor brought up in any of the committee meetings for board discussion, but I might be wrong about that.
Dan, the only purpose I could see in giving Nyland a raise is to keep him (and he asked for one in order to stay.) He already has a one-year extension on a very good contract and I think that should be enough. He claims a lot of things got done but I'm not sure I think he deserves the credit and/or it's too soon to tell. A list does not reflect outcomes.
It is time to reject Dr. Nyland's raise request and get on with selecting a new superintendent.
I certainly would like a greater amount of school based decision-making with less central office control (meddling).
-- Dan Dempsey
HP
To the best of my knowledge, the Superintendent HAS NOT asked for a raise. I should have written:
(and IF he asked for one in order to stay...
I am going to try to get more info from leaders in the Native American community that I know about the issue of Indian Heritage.
Access or inclusion is a service not a place, my eye!