Tuesday Open Thread

 Today is a meeting for the Advanced Learning Task ForceOn the agenda is a discussion of twice exceptional students, looking at research-based "Successful Practices" and "To prepare for Service Delivery recommendations."  Looks like good work being done.

Just to note, many, many other districts in the state are struggling with cuts.  It's not just Seattle Schools.

A good story from KNKX on the Dyslexia Advisory Committee for the state that is working on screening tools for districts. 

Parents of children with dyslexia celebrated legislation that passed in Washington last year requiring school districts to screen all young children. 

The statute says districts have until the 2021-22 school year to fully implement the law. But first, a dyslexia advisory council is working on identifying screening tools for use by schools.

“This is a universal screening, which means that it’s provided to all students and it’s used as an early warning indicator,” said Glenna Gallo, assistant superintendent of special education for the state. The tool is not the same as a full evaluation to diagnose dyslexia, she said.
Good article from Ed Scoop on digital citizenship.
“Digital citizenship is not about teaching curriculum — it’s about creating a culture,” Culatta told EdScoop. “That really has to happen at a school level. It can’t just be adding another hour of teaching in a particular class.”

Those student-learned online behaviors, Culatta said, should result in four outcomes: 
  • improvement in students’ real-world communities, 
  • improvement in students’ abilities to shape public policy, 
  • more respectful online engagement with those who hold different beliefs, and 
  • improved ability to determine the validity of information online.
What's on your mind?

Comments

Anonymous said…
The legislature needs to immediately lift the local levy caps. Two thirds of school districts in Washington next year have budget shortfalls. Some McCleary fix! If Seattle could just collect the money from the recently passed operations levy, there wouldn't be a budget problem.

Starving
Dieting said…
Seattle’s budget rose by a stunning $411 million, rising from $544 million in 2011-12 to $955 million in 2018-19. Tacoma Public Schools budget went from $319 million in 2011-12 to $467 million in 2018-19. In all, Washington is spending some $4 billion more on public education, and per-student spending is now higher than the tuition at many private schools.

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/school-officials-from-property-rich-districts-tell-lawmakers-how-they-would-benefit-from-sb-5313-a-bill-that-would-re-introduce-funding-inequity-in-public-education?fbclid=IwAR0_gZuJp58Tkxzub4DzFIc1NmAhhedMt92_LdHM0lmgi8VGfgPk8guLqIE
2E Improvements? said…
For anyone curious about what "2E" is, here is a pamphlet from the National Education Association. Seattle is doing a spectacularly poor job 2E students.

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/twiceexceptional.pdf
Jet City mom said…
I wanted to let you know that Zoe has been found safe by police.
Thank you.
Anonymous said…
How can we find out how many teachers are scheduled to be cut from each Seattle high school next year? In the thread earlier this week, some people seemed to know how many teachers were going to be cut from their schools, but I can't find info on this. In particular, does anyone know about Garfield?

Thanks,

-Seattle parent
Anonymous said…
The missing child has been found, and her family requests that photos of the child be removed from postings in the interest of protecting her privacy.

Pinehurst
Pinehurst, I can do that but that's akin to shutting the barn door after the horse left. Her photo, via Twitter, Facebook and news media, has gone far and wide already.
seattle citizen said…
Ballard might well lose at least 13 FTE of certs. Also half its librarian and all of its library assistant. Library might well be closed half the day, or every other day, if you can believe it.

That is NOT counting the $600,000 less that Ballard won't have due to the Core 24 money going away - BHS was given 700k to expand options for the Core 24 (credit) requirements and that was a only a two-year funding which goes away, so that is another 3 or 4 FTE hole.

Part of this is due to the budgeted drop in enrollment due to Lincoln opening (I think the drop was 300? students fewer, but given Ballard neighborhood's growth and HCC students deciding to stay at BHS, it's likely that the drop will only be a hundred or two, while the budget reflects a drop of 300...

The other part is due to the District's new WSS staffing model, and the 40 million budget hole.

Lean times, indeed. It's a train wreck.
Anonymous said…
Roosevelt I heard is losing 10-15 FTE teachers as well. Probably similar situation. That's all I know.

RM
Anonymous said…
If the enrollment is indeed higher than expected, I would anticipate they will hire back at least a few of those teachers back beginning of school year? Also, if the legislature makes some adjustments so that 2/3 of WA school districts currently facing severe shortages won't be in the hole.

Parent
I just put up the Budget Work Session documentation in my separate thread on the topic. Not pretty.

Parent, that could be true except that the upheaval is very hard on everyone. The Legislature has made this hard on every district and that lack of understanding and/or just plain animus is disappointing.
These cuts can and must be averted. We cannot treat them as inevitable or irreversible. To do so would do a huge disservice to our kids and would be a hugely inequitable outcome.

Here is how we reverse the cuts.

1. Get the legislature to give SPS local levy flexibility.
2. Get the legislature to pass a capital gains tax with more funding for public schools.
3. Get the legislature to pass more funding for special education.

The legislature is very close to doing all three, but more parent calls and emails are needed. Do not believe anyone who says the legislature won't do these things. I was there last week and can confirm we are close on all three.

Then we need one more thing:

4. Get SPS leaders, including the superintendent and all seven board directors, to commit to fully restoring all cuts to the classroom, including to teachers, once SPS gets enough money from the state. They may have to send out layoff notices, but those can be rescinded and/or teachers and librarians and other workers rehired as new funds come available.

Four board director positions are up for election this fall. No board member who refuses to commit to fulfilling item #4 should be returned to office.
Going to post this at the Work Session thread, Robert. Thanks and I agree.
SPS Mom said…
Hi Melissa - Please do remove the photo from the missing child thread and, if you keep the text of the thread, please post an update that she's been found and is with family. There's no way to add a comment onto that thread.

I realize that her photo has been posted widely, but it's been cleaned up on most of the facebook groups and the parents have requested we do our best to comply, especially considering the reach of your blog.

Thanks.
SPS Mom, I would need the parents to make this request. I can certainly post an update.
Former WPD said…
Some teachers didn't join WPD's push for double digit pay increases. Teachers knew that double digit pay increases would lead to layoffs. The union didn't care.

Shortfalls should not come as a surprise.

"Demands" only get you so far.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
HB1089 passed out of the House on Monday, 3/4, and is now in the Senate.

If I read it correctly it would take away the requirement to pass specific tests in order to graduate from HS? It also seems like it would ditch the SBAC entirely?

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1089&Year=2019&Initiative=false

-StepJ

Anonymous said…
Please remove the image of the minor child with her name attached. News media reports she has been found. As an supposed proponent for privacy protections, it is ridiculous that you are hesitating in any way to do this. The post with the child's image and name has zero to do with the purported purpose of this blog. Show a shred of compassion for the family and the child.

Be Reasonable
Be Reasonable, let me get this right.

On Facebook the call was to put up the photo of the missing girl, Zoe Burns, far and wide. In fact, when one person said "oh, she's been found" another person stated she hadn't and please keep up the search and spread the word.

I did.

Now you, and others who are anonymous, are trying to tell me what to do at my blog and I have no idea if this is really true.

And if the photo and name has nothing to do with the blog, why were people glad when I put it up?

Because I AM all about kids but it's foolish to think this is gone and shows the lack of understanding of the internet.

To accuse me of a lack of compassion is astonishing.

I'm taking down the photo but it's not going to change much.
Mom said…
UW acceptance notifications have begun. My Ballard kid got in, Arts and Science.

Thanks SPS!

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