Seattle School Board Announces Superintendent Finalists

And so far, I'm pretty impressed.

They are (in no particular order):

- Jeanice Kerr Swift, superintendent of Ann Arbor SD in Michigan
- Andre Spencer, superintendent of Colorado Springs SD, in Colorado
- Denise Juneau, State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2009 to 2017 in Montana


I'll be doing a separate thread on each and hoping to post all three tonight.

First up, Dr. Swift.

Candidate Denise Juneau https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/supe_candidateA

Candidate Andre Spencer https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/supe_candidateB

Candidate Jeanice Swift https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/supe_candidateC

Please submit any comments by 9:00pm on Thursday, March 29 to allow the Board time to review the feedback. The Board intends to vote at its meeting on April 4 to begin negotiations with a single finalist.

Comments

Liking 2 of the 3 said…
Dr. Spencer has strong connections to the Broad Academy, which raises red flags for me, and his PhD is from an online/for-profit institution, another red flag for me. Dr. Swift and Ms. Juneau have more impressive backgrounds to me. I like Ms. Juneau the best on paper, but I'm strongly drawn to Dr. Swift's strong commitment to the arts (something Seattle is relatively weak in).
Anonymous said…
Yes - as stated above, Spencer is a Broadie.
https://www.broadcenter.org/alumni/directory/profile/andre-spencer/

I'd steer clear there.

CT
alex said…
Can someone pls explain the Broad Academy. I have a background in education & have never heard of them. He’s seems like a highly qualified African American candidate to me. How bad is this Broad Academy?
Liking 2 of the 3 said…
Here is some background from a reputable source: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/06/08/33broad_ep.h30.html

“People know basically what your reform line is: hard on the unions, pro-charter, pushing for a certain kind of accountability,” said Mr. Klonsky, a chronicler of what he believes are Broad Foundation shortcomings in his blog Small Talk. “It’s not just a coincidence they all have the same position, more or less.”
Cheryl said…
For me MS Juneau sounds like the better candidate. She seems to be strong on putting the breaks on Charter schools and she does not seem to be a fan of standardized testing. All pluses for me. I am not that impressed with the other two.
Anonymous said…
Broad Foundation primer
https://seattleducation.com/2012/06/23/a-parent-guide-to-the-broad-foundations-training-programs-and-education-policies/

http://progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/funding-education-reform-big-three/

https://capitalandmain.com/eli-broad-and-the-end-of-public-education-as-we-know-it-1007

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/broad-foundationsplan-to-expand-influence-in-school-reform/2012/08/20/c118e134-eb0a-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_blog.html?utm_term=.c05cd4e3c754

CT
Alex, Eli Briad is yet another billionaire trying to shape public education. The Broad Academy is sort of a superintendent charm school that tries to shape the work to one narrative and teaches its students a communication style that’s very Orwellian.

We tried one of their grads in Maria Goodloe-Johnson. She was so driven to HER vision that she ignored teachers AND operations and we ended up in crisis.

No thanks. I’m willing to listen to Spencer but I already have my doubts.
alex said…
Very helpful, thanks Melissa & others. Sounds like quite an agenda. I am surprised that the board would have allowed a candidate with an agenda along those lines to get this far especially since SPS went down this road already, unsuccessfully, with Goodloe-Johnson (before my time in Seattle). Odd.
Anonymous said…
Let's hope the public Q/A sessions give us a glimpse beyond the predictable platitudes. What is their familiarity with WA and pressing issues in SPS - things like capacity, long range facility planning, budget challenges, changing demographics, 24 credit, etc.?

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