Seattle Schools Community Forum

First up. Despite the third graphic in a series from The Seattle Times in their partnership with LEV, Washington Roundtable, Stand for Children and other ed reform types via their " Education Research Institute " (maybe just call them ROI ) about public education - a series that deliberately targets Seattle Schools and only Seattle Schools, this time calling out Superintendent Nyland - the district itself has been silent. Is all the information on these graphics true?  Or true in one sense but not really?  I'm not sure that staying silent is the way to go.  Maybe Board members and/or the Superintendent should speak up.  Or, since the way the graphics have been written seems to be angled to a certain audience, maybe the district should just ignore them?  I just had one legislator from the Seattle delegation tell me that they never seem to hear much from the Board or the Superintendent and that person wondered out loud why that would be. (FYI, I was told that this

Update: Re: the Seattle Times. I did exchange e-mails with a member of the Editorial Board.  That person maintains that those "ads" are not part of their editorial thought. However, when media entities do not explain relationships between those they support and information they provide - including ads that include that entity - then it's bound to cause confusion.   The Times has a direct relationship with the Education Research Institute and that would seem to indicate they support the tone and purpose of ERI's work which, currently, looks like a full-time job attacking Seattle Public Schools.  To what end?  Why not other districts like Kent or Highline? I maintain that the Times truly does want the GOP spending plan, which includes funding McCleary.  It's hard to not believe that given the sources they cite in their policy and research reporting on public education. Re: KUOW.   I did exchange e-mails with an editor there. To note, they did update thei

 At the very least, you should take all of the Seattle Times' education reporting on policies and solutions to education issues with a grain of salt.  Some of it is supported by the Gates Foundation and the rest of it is suspect.  You should be unhappy that the newspaper of record in our city is being decidedly disingenuous with readers and attempting to manipulate the conversation about public education in our state via back-room decisions with ed reformers around the state. Over the last seven years or so, I have repeatedly told various Times' education reporters that I thought their editors (via Editorial) had to be leading their reporting and every time I am told that there is a "wall" between Editorial and reporting.  Recently, I had given the Times credit for pushing and pushing on the Legislature to get McCleary done.  They didn't acknowledge their push was for the GOP plan and they would be using every trick in the book to undercut the Dems plan. 

Another sad story about Garfield and this time it's a counselor who had a second job that went wrong.

The Network for Public Education , started by the great Diane Ravitch and now lead by Carol Burris, also a noted public education advocate, have put together a great Toolkit on school privatization all over the U.S.  This work was generated by the push by new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

Wishing all those who practice the Muslim faith, a happy and safe Ramadan over the next month.

From the district:

The Gates Foundation has this notice on their grants page: Seattle Public Schools Date: April 2017 Purpose: to ensure the K-12 team’s work in equity is grounded in the real experiences of teachers, we must engage them directly in our learning Amount: $225 Term: 1 Topic: K-12, K-12 Education Program: United States Grantee Location: Seattle, Washington Grantee Website: http://www.seattleschools.org  Now, my first thought is, "Is that a typo? Because $225 isn't going far.  But this is the Gates Foundation so how could that be?   As well, notice of this grant has been on Twitter from national public education activist, Leonie Haimson, with this tweet: Same time @ gatesfoundation gave $2M @ schoolzilla gave $225 to Seattle pubschls to "ground work" in teacher expernce   It's too late in the day for me to ask the district but yes, I did ask the Board about this. Speaking of t

Going to be a beautiful weekend so do put on that sunscreen and/or hat. I'm hearing about a disturbing slam book at Lowell that has parents concerned.  Any other information about this issue would be welcomed by me (sss.westbrook@gmail.com).  I was surprised to learn that the principal there is Colleen Stump because I thought the district long ago decided she was better not being an administrator.

From Brian Vance, Roosevelt High principal:

From Superintendent Nyland: Dear Families: Ruth Medsker has been selected as the Principal of Lincoln High School, reopening in the fall of 2019 in the northwest region of the district. She will begin her new position in July 2017, as she leads the development of the first comprehensive high school to open in the district since Nathan Hale in 1963. The complexities of opening a high school including development of a master schedule, hiring over eighty staff, athletic coordination, and building strong elective programs like arts and music is a significant body of work. With proactive planning, we are investing in smoother transitions for students who may have to move schools and will be putting into place a rich high school experience for all Lincoln High Schools students.

Kellie LaRue has posted the agenda for tonight's Work Session which includes a section on the 2017-2018 budget.  Naturally, that includes the issue of staffing based on enrollment.  That then brings in the issue of waitlists.  (I also note the inclusion in the agenda of a waiver for 2017 graduates that some readers had asked about.) Page 15 of the agenda has this question (that I've asked before): What to do with Last Minute New Revenue? When the state budget is passed, AND IF we receive more revenue than anticipated, what should be done with that increase? SMART Goal funding More for equity High Needs schools  Fall enrollment/split classroom adjustments  Middle School math  Central admin restoration  Other Recommendations will be part of the June budget work session.  Let the Board know your thoughts on spending of any new revenue before the June budget work session. It is also noted that the district is still waiting for action from the City Council on the

Fascinating story from KUOW this morning on teachers and administrators efforts to find out one thing lead to the discovery of another. Chief Sealth High School in West Seattle had a big problem. As one of the most racially diverse in the Seattle school district, Chief Sealth was known for the disproportionate number of students of color being disciplined and suspended. Teachers and administrators at the school realized they needed to make some changes.

Bombing a concert you know will likely have a majority of tweens and teens?  There's real men for you.  A very sad day in Manchester, England.

I'm not sure I really see much wrong with this dress code but then, I'm old.

Three candidates have withdrawn from the races. Two are in District 4:  Jeff Jones and Anh M. Nguyen .  Neither showed for the 36th Dems interviews.  (Also not interviewed there but still in the race; Herbert J. Camet, Jr. and Sean Champagne.) One is in District 5: Michelle Sarju .  I'm a little disappointed about this one; she sounded like an intriguing candidate.  

First, the date for Director Burke's next Lincoln High meeting has been changed.  From Director Burke: The next Lincoln community meeting will be held Monday, June 5 th from 6:30-8:30 + at the Hamilton Middle School Commons.  There will not be a meeting on May 23 rd as originally planned, due to multiple scheduling and space availability conflicts.  I apologize in advance for the late notice on this change and any conflicts as I tried to fit this event in with the myriad of year-end occasions. Meeting topics will include: ·          Introduction of Ruth Medsker, Lincoln High Principal starting June 1 st of this year. ·          Updates on high school boundaries – HS Boundary Task Force process and work-to-date ·          Answers to frequently asked questions from prior meetings, or process/timelines for still-open questions ·          Facility design updates ·          Dedicated time for student Q&A.  Bring your existing HS student even if they aren’t L

Those folks at the 36th Dems* don't let any grass grow under their feet.  Here's the link to their interviews with candidates for many races. For Seattle School Board they include:

The Seattle Times issues the throwdown to the Legislature. I'm down with that - no new Special Session. I'm calling the Governor's office tomorrow and asking him to not schedule one. Let the Supreme Court take the reins now. Enough is enough. Lawmakers won’t reach a budget deal in 30 — or even 300 — more days The Supreme Court should get more directly involved in the state’s necessary effort to reform the school-funding system.

Come Explore the Possibilities! Theater of Possibility ("TOP") helps young people give voice to their ideas and dreams ! Through fun and zany theater games, improv exercises and role-playing, we explore the dynamics of friendship, family and school . Along the way, we shape powerful emotions and ideas into moving, profound and funny works of theater . Theater of Possibility for youth with autism spectrum and other ability differences will offer a two-week half-day summer camp for ages 8-13 at University Heights Center, 5031 University Way NE, Seattle, 98103, M-F, 3-6 PM, July 31-August 11 . Cost $600.

Once again, blog business.

Update:  As I predicted, a few more candidates at the last minute.

The candidates for School Board continues to grow and I'll have a thread on the newest folks.   Interesting, though, that Patu still has no challenger. I'll note that Trump is considering former senator, Joseph Lieberman, as the head of the FBI .  A former elected official as head of the FBI?  Who sits on a board for one of DeVos' organizations?  Of course, that makes sense. Portland Schools passed a record $790M bond for school buildings:

From the Washington Post :

At the Seattle Opt-Out Facebook page, there's this:

From her website: After serving four years on the Seattle School Board, I will not be seeking reelection. Other obligations and responsibilities beckon at this point in my life, in the realms of both family and career.

Update 2: Yet another candidate for Peters' position - Jennifer Crow. There is one Jennifer Crow with a LinkedIn profile says she is the Clinic Operations Supervisor for the Breast Imaging Center at Swedish Medical Center.  She was a mentor in the early 2000's for Youth in Focus.   There's 24 hours before the filing deadline.  This should be interesting. end of update Update:   more candidates

Wonderful, fabulous news and congrats to the student scientists, their teachers, their families and the school community at Ballard High!

I am told this girl goes to Hale.  Her family is very worried.

From KING-5: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Western Washington Wednesday and Thursday to take part in the Microsoft CEO Summit. The prime minister's office said Trudeau will be at Microsoft's Redmond campus to promote the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, encourage investment in the Canadian technology sector, and draw global talent to Canada. It's unclear if the public will see Trudeau but between going to Microsoft and then downtown to see the Governor Thursday morning, traffic is likely to be tied up. I have a query into SPS about any bus schedule changes. Agenda for Board Meeting .

The Seattle International Film Festival is just getting underway this week. One film I want to emphasize is Backpack Full of Cash , a documentary about public schools. It's having its West Coast premiere here after being the runner-up for Audience Award, Best Documentary at FilmfestDC.  The SIIF link has a trailer for the film. Backpack Full of Cash, narrated by Matt Damon, explores the real cost of privatizing America’s public schools.  The producers also created the award-winning PBS series,  SCHOOL: The Story of American Public Education  (narrated by Meryl Streep.) 

The Bellingham Herald has good coverage of THE key race for the legislature this fall - the race in the 45th where interim Senator Dino Rossi will likely be replaced by one of two major candidates.  With the Senate barely held by the GOP, this race could be a game-changer.

I'm not kidding. There are bell time issues, 24-credit fulfillment, reaching more students with advanced learning opportunities, the reopening of Lincoln and the boundary alignment and enrollment issues that will involve. I had a good conversation recently with a director on many issues and one topic I asked about was who is overseeing all these changes to high schools.  The director said there really wasn't a single person so I asked how parents could be sure that there was alignment of all the details and oversight for the big picture.  Not sure. I am truly worried about how this will all play out.  High schools are usually big enough entities with strong principals and manage on their own.  But this is a plethora of new issues and some that will not (cannot?) be in control of principals. I urge you to ask the Board for the district to appoint one staff member to oversee all this change.   Here's another curve ball for ya. High school sciences courses are to u

I have to getting going but I did want to put up two key items. One, did you get that letter from Superintendent Nyland ? What a hot mess.  Basically, please stay tuned and someday you'll find our the school schedule, bell times, transportation.  The least the district could do is provide a chart so you know at a glance what key dates there are. I also found this sentence - around early-release dates - off-putting: In further review of our data we found that Wednesdays are better for teacher collaboration time and maximizes educator participation. I find this issue of why Wednesday is better for having teachers in place versus Friday (which is when many parents want an early release day) something of concern.  The teachers contract wasn't written to emphasize penalties for non-participation in professional development? Plus, a odd sentence at the end that I don't recall him placing in other letters: Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of Se

Forbes has just come out with its annual list of the wealthiest people in the world.  It was a record year for the richest people on earth, as the number of billionaires jumped 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 last year, the first time ever that Forbes has pinned down more than 2,000 ten-figure-fortunes. Their total net worth rose by 18% to $7.67 trillion, also a record. The change in the number of billionaires -- up 233 since the 2016 list -- was the biggest in the 31 years that Forbes has been tracking billionaires globally.  Bill Gates is the number one richest for the fourth year in a row, and the richest person in the world for 18 out of the past 23 years. He has a fortune of $86 billion, up from $75 billion last year. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos had the best year of any person on the planet, adding $27.6 billion to his fortune; now worth $72.8 billion, he moved into the top three in the world for the first time, up from number five a year ago. The U.S. continues to have more

From Liza Rankin at Soup for Teachers:

Shocking.  Stunning.  Horrible.  From USA Today : A security camera video taken inside a Cincinnati elementary school reveals that a student assaulted an 8-year-old boy in a restroom and other children may have kicked and struck the boy for 5 minutes while he lay unconscious.   Two days later, the child, Gabriel Taye, hanged himself. You'd think that was the worst part but no, there's more:

Congrats to Coe's Peter Fleisher who was picked for the AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame this year. From SPS Communications: Advanced Learning Referral Window Open May 15 - Sept. 22, 2017 Advanced Learning referrals for the 2018-19 school year of students currently in kindergarten through 7 grade will be accepted online beginning Monday, May 15.  Paper forms in nine languages will be available online and at schools. Eligibility testing for the 2018-19 school year begins in September 2017. Applications for students in grades 9 through 12 will be available in January 2018. Complete information and referral forms can be found on our  Advanced Learning webpage .

Now we have Rep Jesslyn Farrell and former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan running to take the place of current mayor Ed Murray. I hope to interview all the major candidates (and that's a lot just in itself) about public education and Seattle. What questions would you like me to ask?

I attended the Audit and Finance committee meeting this afternoon.  On the agenda was discussion around accepting funds from the City for the two-tiered transportation system. Pegi McEvoy, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, reported that she had attended the Families and Education Levy committee yesterday. She stated:

I'm asking this question just for discussion because there are several issues in this story that may come up at some point for SPS students. Kent School District is not allowing any international trips for student groups over the worry that any undocumented students on such a trip might be held up at the border upon return.  I heard a report on this on KUOW yesterday and the Kent superintendent stated that they had heard - anecdotally from some undocumented students - that the students did have this fear. On one side, it's a major disappointment for many students; the flip side is that it's a potentially life-changing issue for a few students.  From the Seattle Times :

Update:   The final Spec Ed PTSA meeting of the 2016-17 school year is coming up on Tuesday, May 16 7:00-9:00 p.m . at the JSCEE The meeting will feature guest speaker Cathy Murahashi, the Family Engagement Coordinator King County Parent and Family Coalition, from the Arc of King County, talking about parent advocacy. There will be Spec Ed Directors there to answer questions and address concerns, the SEAAC report and elections for the PTSA Board for next year. Also Wyeth Jessee, Chief of Student Supports, will be presenting briefly on the strategic plan for the District moving forward. end of update From the Seattle Special Education PTSA:

Are you looking for a lovely school for your kids to learn and grow? Cedar Park Elementary is a new SPS option school opening this fall. Our Expeditionary Learn ing model uses big themes throughout the year to apply reading, writing and math to real world questions. All the academic rigour of Seattle Public School core curriculum paired with topical adventures that gets kids (and their adults) excited for learning.

Congrats to Ballard High's Robotics team !   From GeekWire : A robotics team from Seattle’s Ballard High School accomplished what no program from the Pacific Northwest has ever done. The Viking Robotics team took home the world championship at at FIRST Robotics competition last month in Houston. The event April 20-22 featured approximately 400 teams, including groups from Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Israel and China, according to a news release.

We all knew this would happen with the amount of talk against vaccinations; here's real outbreak in Minnesota that was caused by aggressive anti-vaxxers on a community they knew would more susceptible to their influence. Here's what happened via two stories in the Washington Post (red mine):

This Wednesday, May 10th, is the Seattle Foundation's Annual Give BIG day.  GiveBIG Seattle is a one-day online giving event to raise funds for nonprofit organizations serving Greater Seattle. Their theme this year is "Now More Than Ever." #GiveBIG  Donor FAQs   GiveBIGSeattle.org GiveBIG is the third largest Giving Day in the country.  It is a community-wide event supported by significant media and corporate partnerships.  It is our region’s most well-recognized and visible crowd-funding platform, with more than 1,600 nonprofits estimated to be participating. One very big difference this year is that there is no "stretch pool."  Previously, there had been a matching "stretch pool" for all the organizations, depending on the number of donations.  That has been eliminated and organizations are being encourage to seek matching funds.  I think you would have to check with the orgs you wish to donate to and see if they did get a matching fund.

Apparently, some of you do not understand what I mean by name-calling especially as it pertains to children.  A few of you seem to play dumb as if you just don't know what I saying.  So here goes. I think most of you know I mean no using curse words to describe students. And not unkind/derogatory descriptors : snowflake, anchor baby, heathens, spawn, brats or sarcasm like: precious, special, angel, etc. You can easily use: child(ren), students, scholars, kids, adolescents, juveniles, youth, preteen Non-judgmental words.   We all love our children and should consider that feeling when speaking of others' children. It's fine to say that you think some parents overprotect, overvalue or push their child's interests before others.  That's your opinion. You can say that you believe some parents' actions underprotect, undervalue or show a lack of concern for others' children in this district.  That's your opinion. But I think it should b

I'll just note that, at this point, it's not entirely clear who is the Lincoln community except for those who live close-by the school. Good for Director Burke for being detail-oriented and keeping the community updated. From Director Burke (bold mine): Dear Lincoln Community,

Dandelion Dash to Olympia on Wednesday, May 10th, is a grassroots event to raise awareness and rally in favor of amply funding public education for all children in Washington.  Because members of the Washington State Legislature devoted a significant amount of time debating dandelions on the Capitol lawns in the last days of the 2017 legislative session , advocates of all ages will take advantage of the Seattle Public Schools early dismissal on May 10th to support Seattle Education Association and teachers from around the state, as they continue to Occupy Olympia, by making and displaying tissue paper dandelions and engaging in other advocacy and awareness activities that are supportive of the Washington State PTA legislative  platform issue, "Amply Fund Basic Education" and similarly aligned platforms.

Wanted to give a big shout-out to these seniors and their benefactors; from SPS Communications (partial) : The community is invited to attend the Seattle Public Schools Scholarship Fund Awards Ceremony on May 11 at 7 p.m. in the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence Auditorium.  At the awards event, 26 graduating seniors from each high school will be recognized for their personal tenacity, contribution to their community, and academic accomplishments.

Update: One last piece of blog business - blanket accusations and statements must always have "in my opinion" with them or they will be deleted.  I need to find the statement made about Garfield teachers that was wrong and hurtful and delete it but that's a good example.  In that particular case, that was name-calling and would be deleted anyway.  You can have opinions; just make sure that you say that. end of update Let's just get some quick blog business out of the way first.  Do NOT name-call here.   Ever.  And especially don't even think of calling any child any name.   Any word that is pejorative to a child is strictly off-limits. You are adults, you know what I mean and you know better.  If you don't, this is not the blog for  you. From Washington's Paramount Duty Facebook page: Cecelia Lehmann #specialsession Day 12, a math lesson for you. (98 House members +49 Senate members) * $120 per diem *12 days =$211,680 Tickets for the Seattle

Here's the link to that information .

Update:   I must have been tired when I posted this thread.  I did leave out another key testimony. A parent of a Special Ed student explained how their initial assignment was to Olympic Hills which would be nearly an hour bus ride from their house.  Meanwhile, just blocks away was Thornton Creek which did have the type of class they needed.  To their joy, the waitlist moved and they were assigned to Thornton Creek.  What happened next was their child, and four others, were then "unenrolled" from TC and reassigned back to Olympic Hills. Again, that kind of jerking of assignment - of what looks like someone changing their mind and NOT considering the real children that would live with that change - is the kind of trust-buster that hurts this district. end of update I'll be brief because I only watched the first hour of the Board meeting and did not wade thru the director comments. On Bell Times Superintendent Nyland started out thanking the City for the help in p

The Washington State Charter Commission reports that they have received two completed applications for new charter schools in Washington State (I have not yet been able to confirm if Spokane School District, the only school district authorizer in the state, has received any applications.)

Update: families from Stevens Elementary are planning to show up at the Board meeting in force to ask the district to release the waitlist on their school. They are underenrolled so they can accommodate new students (some of whom already have sibs there) and not lose a teacher because of...underenrollment. end of updat USA Today is reporting that Nathan Hale basketball coach , Nathan Roy, was shot in the leg while standing on the porch of his grandmother's house in L.A.  From KING-5: He was shot while at an outdoor gathering in the Los Angeles area. Roy was reportedly an innocent bystander in what may be a gang related shooting. There are still spots on the speakers list for the Board meeting tonight if you are so inclined and have an issue you'd like to raise to the Board. Most of the speakers appear to want to comment on waitlists. Also to note, the Board is scheduled to have an Executive Session right after the meeting. Initially it was about Complaints again

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week(s), a video montage of tv and movie teachers in films that many of us enjoyed. What is a wonderful thing is how many actors - both stage and screen - and singers, when accepting an award for their work, thank their music or drama teacher for believing in them all those years ago.  It says something about the power of teaching and the inspiration therein. And sometimes it's not even the teachers you love but the ones who pushed you (even when you didn't want to be pushed). I volunteer just a short amount of time each week in a classroom and I am in awe of the teacher I work with.  It is so tiring and worrying and stressful and yes, wonderful, to know and try to help these students.  And she does it every day, all day. I want to thank my second grade teacher, Mrs. Gates, my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Springer, my sixth grade PE teacher, Mrs. Banky, my high school civics teacher, Mr. Huddleston, and my high school band teacher, Mr. Brend

Facebook in Australia seems have gotten caught trying to collect data on kids' emotional states to fuel advertising.  It does not seem a surprise but it is one more example of the vast collection of data on kids. Mining Facebook for young people and children's negative emotions including "stressed," "defeated," "overwhelmed," and "useless" seems contrary to the ethical standards the Code's authors, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), champions. A horrific story from the AP on a sexual assault at school that escalated from bullying and teasing to sexual assault.  A cautionary tale about the consequences of not nipping bad social behaviors from the start. Relying on state education records, supplemented by federal crime data, a yearlong investigation by The Associated Press uncovered roughly 17,000 official reports of sex assaults by students over a four-year period, from fall 2011 to spring 2015.

Many, many of you - both here and at the Soup for Teachers Facebook page - have expressed concerns over the enrollment trends for next year. It appears that 10+ schools that have been underenrolled, will continue to be underenrolled and will lose staff over that fact, also have waitlists.  That does seem odd unless the goal is to force people to go to their neighborhood schools.  But if a school has been underenrolled, doesn't it help to have it fully enrolled even if it's with people not in that neighborhood?  I wrote to the Board about this and heard back from Director Rick Burke: Enrollment. I share many of the community's concerns. Staff is taking a deeper look at waitlists today and has been asked to provide updates and supporting data this week. I expect it to be a topic of discussion at Wed Board meeting. Also, reader Just FYI reports that there are updated waitlist numbers put up this morning. I checked out the waitlist and found some interesting trend

OSPI has a short survey for feedback on their Special Education Manual.

From SPS Communications via Twitter: Monday PM activities that req transportation are cancelled at Gatzert, T. Marshall, McClure, and Wash MS in anticipation of May Day protests.