Reviewing the Candidates for Patu's Seat on the Seattle School Board

Editor's Notes:
- Some candidates will have longer write-ups than others.  I mean no slight to any candidate but some have more notable resumes/backgrounds.

- I also try to bring forth personal issues that could come to bear on their outlook while sitting on the Board such as if they are parents in the district.
- I know some readers will ask, "Why state their racial/ethnic background?"  I do that because it certainly has bearing for those in this particular district/community.  The recent history of this particular SPS region is that the director has been a person of color.
- I do not know any of the candidates except Julie Van Arcken who I have seen over the years at Board meetings and events.  However, we are not social friends. 

Sandra Bosley
Ms. Bosley appears to be an African-American woman.  She has a long history working for the district and is currently working as a French teacher at Roosevelt High.

Education
I hold a B.A. in French, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a M.Ed. in Leadership and Policy Studies through the Danforth Educational Leadership Program at the University of Washington.  

To Note
She speaks French and some Spanish.   She has been a teacher and a principal in several Seattle Schools at various times over the last 15 years.

My Take
She probably knows this district better than many other candidates.  She says many of the right things and, as a teacher/principal, knows what those challenges look like. She filed lawsuit against the district in 2012.  The lawsuit said she had tried to get over 100 jobs in the district but was turned down, she believed, because of discrimination.  The district won a summary judgment in 2013 and her suit was dismissed. Clearly, if she's working for the district there are no hard feelings but it gives me pause. 

Does she know the district? Probably better than most.

Would I recommend - no

Patricia Cheadle
Ms Cheadle appears to be an African-American woman.  She is currently working as Executive Director at Partners for Educational Reform and Student Success (PERSS). (Editor's note; I Googled this group and cannot find any information.  She has two LinkedIn pages: one says she is Marketing Vice President for Ryo Technologies, the other says she is CEO of Cheadle and Associates.)

Education
University of Washington Doctoral Program; University of California Berkeley: MA; California State University: MPA

To Note
Says she served on the Anchorage School Board for two years in the early '90s.

My Take
I like that Cheadle talks about "working collegiality" because school board is a team sport. (I quibble whether it should be "working collegially." Some of her writing has a bit of a tense problem.) She seems to have worked with many different communities and had leadership roles in education settings but since there is conflicting info out there, I'm not entirely certain about her background.

Does she know the district? No.

Would I recommend - no

Dionne Foster
Ms Foster appears to be an African-American woman.  She is currently working at the Seattle Foundation as a Program Officer.

Education
University of Washington, Seattle, WA Master of Social Work in Policy & Administration, 2015
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, magna cum laude, 2010 Minor, Women’s Studies & Administration of Justice

To Note
- Ms. Foster currently has a child in SPS.
- Worked at City Hall when Murray was mayor.
- Ms Foster has a very strong resume around public policy and budgets.  She co-wrote a paper called The Determinants of Equity in Jan. 2015 for King County that shows a deep understanding of equity issues.

My Take
Does she know the district? I'd put her in the maybe column.

Would I recommend - yes

Jason Hahn
Mr. Hahn appears to be a white man.  He appears to be a principal at 3223 Consulting, Skilled Communications and Strategy Manager, provide consulting to non-profits, and political candidates in the Seattle area.

Education
Washington and Lee University, BA, Political Science
MBA in Business Administration from UW's Foster School of Business

To Note
- He was in the State Department as a diplomat for six years; that kind of experience is quite valuable.  Ditto on his work in the Peace Corps in Niger.
- He does go out on a limb in his application with specific goals, something few other candidates did.
- He has a child in Special Education in SPS.  He has reached out to the Special Education community at this Facebook page.
- He has quite an interesting paper that he wrote in 2018 for his blog for customers -  Thinking about Running for Office?
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My Take
He looks like a smart guy who would work hard on Special Education issues.  He has a good background in working with different communities.

Does he know the district?   Maybe

Would I recommend - yes

Romanita Hairston
Hairston currently is working at Microsoft, Director, 21st Century Job, Skills, and Employability

Education
Eastern University - MBA in Global Development and Non-Profit Management
UW - BA in Sociology
UW - BA in English

To Note
She has large-scale experience in policy and budget development.  

My Take
Her education and work background are great.

However, there is one thing that you find, over and over, in most of her work experience that is not in her application.  That would be her deep, abiding faith as a Christian.  This is absolutely fine.  But her own quotes about work and faith worry me.

She is the president of the board for Global Women.  This is what her LinkedIn page says about that (partial):

Our vision is to help create a world where every woman is empowered by the love of God, valued by her community, and equipped to fulfill her unique purpose.

She is a board member of Urban Alliance.  Here is what her LinkedIn page says about that work:

Motivated by the love of Christ, as people of faith and hope, we have a deep desire to respond to the brokenness of our Greater Hartford community together in unity, and to help and serve others, even as all of us are in need of help, hope and love.

There is a quote about her from her (apparently self-written) biography at World Vision:

She teaches, preaches and speaks regularly on issues related to leadership, community development, youth development, collective action, economic development, poverty, biblical justice and God's heart for the poor.

I'm reporting this because the district has many kinds of students and families and faiths (even some with no organized faith).  The district has had issues this year with the timing of religious holidays and school events. People who serve on the Board need to be very cognizant of the dynamic tension in a diverse district with people of many religious/non-religious backgrounds.

Does she know the district? Not currently, given her children graduated several years ago.

Would I recommend - no

Brandon Hersey
Mr. Hersey appears to be an African-American man.  He is currently working as an elementary school teacher in Federal Way (he lives in the Rainier Valley). 

Education
University of Washington Graduate School of Education: Accelerated Certification for Teachers (July 2017)
University of Southern Mississippi, Honors College: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & Communication Studies (May 2014)

I note that Mr. Hersey served in Teach for America and hence the accelerated certification.  He does not mention that fact in his application.

To Note
He started an all-black Boy Scout Troop in Rainer Beach; he himself is an Eagle Scout.

My Take
He's a very accomplished person.  But he has not even been in the region for four years and I do not   believe he knows Seattle Schools. 

Does he know this district?  No.

Would I recommend - no

Barbara Rockey
Ms. Rockey appears to be an African-American woman.  She currently works at Treehouse, Senior Education Specialist.  (Treehouse is a non-profit serving foster youth.)  She previously worked in SPS as a paraeducator.

Education
Sea (sic) University, Seattle, Washington, Public Administration Certificate 2018-2019
University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, Washington, Teacher Certification Program 2009-2010
Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Bachelor of Arts 1995-1999 

To Note
- Rockey is one of the few candidates to direct parallel her current work to the Strategic Plan.
- She is a co-president of GHS with a son attending GHS.

My Take
Does she know this district?  Maybe

Would I recommend: No

Chukundi Salisbury
Mr. Salisbury appears to be an African-American man.  He currently works as Environmental Education and Engagement Manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Education

Elizabeth City State University, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science. He is a graduate of Garfield High School.
To Note
- Mr. Salisbury is an accomplished DJ and also produces the Bubblin Brown Sugar, a High School Dance Competition held at Garfield High School.
- In his day job, he manages a budget of $1.5M and oversees a team of nine.  
- He has connections in several directions in the District 7 region including serving on the 37th District Democrats Executive Board.
My Take
 Does he know this district?  Maybe.

Would I recommend - yes

Emijah Smith
Ms. Smith appears to be an African-American woman.  Her application wasn't written clearly but I believe she works for the Children’s Alliance as a Community Engagement Manager. She also has a lengthy volunteer roster.  This includes being a Community Member for the Seattle Public Schools P-3 Early Literacy Committee and serving this last school year as SCPTSA co-vice president.
Education
Master of Public Administration, University of Washington  (She did not state where she earned her Bachelor's.)

To Note
She does not state this but she is/was on a Community Advisory Committee in the last few years for the charter school organization, Green Dot, as they prepared to open a couple of schools in the Rainier Valley.  I believe this work disqualifies her to be on the Board.  

Two different Seattle Public Schools school boards have passed resolutions against charter schools.  As well, voters in Seattle itself, by a firm majority, voted against charter schools.  If she is a supporter of charter schools, it seems opposite not to just the spirit of the Seattle School Board but the actual beliefs of SPS about charter schools.  

My Take
Does she know this district?  Yes.

Would I recommend - no

Julie Van Arcken
Ms. Van Arcken identifies as a multi-racial woman.  She currently works at Amazon in Senior Product, Program, and Editorial.

Education
University of Washington, Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Honors Program

To Note
- Van Arcken has worked within school communities within district 7, serving as SE Director for the SCPTSA.  As well, she has successfully lobbying for the area to the City Council and working with neighbors in Georgetown to protest a second dump.

- She has a lengthy list of service to the district including now serving on the Advanced Learning Taskforce and she has presented to the Board research she has done on several topics including on a more equitable SE boundary proposal for ELL and Sped students.

My Take
Like a few other candidates, Van Arcken has deep ties in the region in multiple areas.

Does she know this district?  Yes (probably more than any other candidate in the pool)

Would I recommend - yes

Sofia Voz
Ms. Voz self-identifies as a Mexican-American.   She currently works as the Managing Director of Impact, City Year Seattle.  This work means that she has interacted with many schools and their principals. 

Education
Masters in Public Administration | University of Washington (Emphasis in Education Policy & Non-Profit Management)
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature | Seattle University Minor: American Law & Politics

To Note
- Oddly, she doesn't mention that she was part of a group of emerging leaders for Leadership Tomorrow, which is a collaboration between the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of King County to enhance the civic participation of emerging leaders within the region. - Implemented best practices in hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, leading to an increase in the % of people of color on staff from 37% to 85% in four years. Perhaps she didn't finish?

-Like candidate Barbara Rockey, she worked for Treehouse.  

My Take
To the best of my knowledge, the Board has never had a Mexican-American director.   I note that OSPI says that in the SPS population Asians make up 14%, Blacks are 15% and Hispanics are 12%.  On page she is far more qualified to sit on the Board than the other Mexican-American candidate in the race in District 3, Rebeca Muniz.

Does she know the district? Probably better than most but not enough to fall in the "yes" category.

Would I recommend: yes

Brittany Williams
Ms. Williams appears to be an African-American woman.  She currently works as a
home care aide, for Washington Aging and Disability and for Full Life Care.  She is an SPS parent.

Education
Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood, AR
Little Rock Job Corps, Little Rock, AR - Plumbing certified
SEIU Benefits and Training Program, Seattle - Home Care Aide certification, October 2014

To Note
She serves on the SEIU775 Executive Board.
She is the only candidate to talk directly about supporting teachers and school staff.

My Take
 Does she know the district?  No.


Would I recommend - no

Comments

Anonymous said…
You will never stop with your slights and your biased comments. As you can tell by the steep decline in your traffic and comments, we have had enough of your meddling.

LWV BS
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
LWV BS, please explain how I slighted anyone or my bias. I said good things about every single candidate.

Actually, for the start of summer, the blog's hits haven't declined. I have access to that info - comments don't always tell the story.

Some People, the place for these comments is the Saturday Open Thread. This is a post about people who want to replace Director Patu.
carol simmons said…
Dear Melissa,

Thank you.

Carol
Anonymous said…
Thank you Melissa for your diligence and informed insight.

SPSParent
Anonymous said…
Melissa,

It is very helpful to have this information. Thank you for putting it together for us.

-HS Parent
Anonymous said…
Sandra Bosley-- I'm not as optimistic about her as Melissa is. It sounds like she would come in with her vision of how to do things, and I didn't get the sense that she would necessarily listen to and represent her district (or the larger community). She seems like she might be more of a "I know the best way to do this" type. I could be wrong, but that's my gut.

Patricia Cheadle--assuming I've found the right person online--doesn't seem like she's been very forthcoming about her current work. A Google search suggests she has her own education, market research and business development company (http://www.cheadleandassociates.org/), which is not noted in what's posted on her SPS candidate info page. Like Melissa, I also couldn't find info re: the PERSS group she did mention. Too many red flags for me. (Plus, the numerous grammatical errors in her letter of interest were hard to ignore. If you're a professional, at least have someone proofread your work before submission.)

Dionne Foster--says all the right things and has good experience in the city re: policy, budgets, and equity. Aside from having a kid in the district, though, it's unclear how familiar she is with SPS issues--and we need someone who can get up to speed quickly. I also noticed that she doesn't seem to stick around long at any of her jobs, so the board may want to try to understand what that's all about...

Jason Hahn--I'm a little more skeptical than Melissa. His experience and expertise--and apparent commitment to measurable outcomes--sound good, but that blog post about using a vacant seat to jumpstart your political career makes me nervous. Is he really committed to SPS, or is he another opportunist who sees this as a stepping stone? I also disagree about rushing to roll out ethnic studies--we need to make sure what we're rolling out is of high quality. We've had too much of the typical SPS "this is urgent, we have to something now, even if we haven't fully vetted it" approach already.

Romanita Hairston--I'm a little less concerned about her religious views than Melissa, as, based on some of her non-religious roles and speaking engagements, I assume she's able to keep her faith and professional work separate when appropriate. I agree, however, that she may not be up to speed on some of the current SPS issues, and there may be a bit of a learning curve--and ideally, we want someone who can jump in and contribute quickly.

Perspective 2



Anonymous said…
Brandon Hersey--great experience and seems committed to youth of color, but doesn't seem to have the experience with SPS that it'll take to quickly jump in and contribute as we need. Additionally, while I get the sense he truly cares about youth and education, I also get the feeling he might see this SPS gig as an opportunistic step toward a political position in Olympia. State educational policy may indeed be a good fit, but I think SPS needs someone with a deep and longer-term commitment to the district.

Barbara Rockey--I'm less enthousiastic about her than Melissa. She doesn't have experience at the policy and oversight level, and seems to think that the district does well in meeting the needs of special ed students (based on her statement of accomplishments as a paraprofessional). I'm also unclear what this means: "Assisted with DRA and MAP assessments assuring that students were meeting, exceeding or approaching standard." How does assisting with the administration of assessments assure that students do well or ok?

Chukundi Salisbury--long history of local public service re: youth is great, but he does not appear to have experience with policy and budget oversight. It's also unclear how well he is familiar with many of the larger SPS issues. I would like to hear a lot more about why he is interested in an SPS board position, and how he thinks he can well serve the diverse range of students and families across the district.

Emijah Smith--Personally, I don't want someone who is interested in this role for the sake of building their own legacy, as she stated multiple times in her letter of interest. I want someone who is in it primarily for the kids and families and community--not their own personal legacy. I agree with Melissa that the work with Green Dot charter schools is problematic for this board role, although I would not necessarily say it 100% disqualifies her IF, and only IF, she was forthcoming about that role. That it's not in her letter is troubling. I wonder if she included that in an attached resume that isn't uploaded to the candidate info page? I hope the Board has a lot of questions about that if/when they interview her.

Perspective 2
Perspective 2, thanks for chiming in. I certainly want to hear other perspectives.

I put this up on a Facebook page and someone said maybe people should do their own research.

It took me hours and hours to pull this together. If you have the time, please do so and report back what I might have overlooked/misssed/misread. I did this as a public service. No other media outlet has even listed the candidates.

You'll note that I don't tell anyone what to think or how to advocate.

Per the schedule, questionnaires that candidates filled out will be out sometime in July.

I think the forum on August 7th from 6-9 pm at the RBHS library will be interesting. It may be difficult to get a great impression, given the number of candidates.

The schedule indicates that there may be a second public meeting after the Board whittles it down to three candidates.
Anonymous said…
Julie van Arcken--I don't know how to find them, but my recollection is that she has made many balanced, well-reasoned, and pro-equity comments on this blog in the past. She seems smart, committed to SPS, and well-informed about both SPS and her local neighborhood and schools. From her website (https://julieforschoolboard.com/), she seems to have the most well-rounded sense of the many issues facing SPS, and would be in a great position to hit the ground running.

Sofia Voz--She has experience working with the district, but it's unclear from all her talk about equity and social justice what she really would support as a board member. She speaks of dismantling and disrupting the current system, and building something that never existed before. That's all good, but is that the role of an incoming board member, when the board just created its new 5-year strategic plan? It's unclear how her beliefs on equity--and the requirement that we are "willing to give something up"--fit with the need to serve the entire SPS population. I'm mixed on her thus far.

Brittany Williams--Her SPS student is very young, so she seems to have little experience with SPS and the many issues she'd need to address right away. Her focus on teacher respect and pay also seems to demonstrate an unfamiliarity with the financial challenges currently facing the district. She seems to think that increased teacher pay and better access to computers are the answer to all our problems. I'm not at all convinced that her "appointment...will make sure that our future has a fighting chance."

Perspective 2
Anonymous said…
Julie van Arcken is the strongest contender based on her advocacy and work to improve SPS. Many of the other candidates could be great, but Julie has already shown her dedication for fighting for the SE in the last few years.

Candidate roundup

JustAnotherSEParent said…
I think one of the considerations is what kind of outreach is each candidate doing outside of their normal advocacy bubble? I see that only one has a website with info and endorsements (van Arcken) that meets this standard, but finding info on the others is relegated to the usual Google garbage and confusion. We are going to need someone who can actually campaign, if we expect them to be a long term Director past the remaining two years, which should be a top priority, given the turnover.
Perspective 3 said…
Bios lack specific information regarding views on advanced learning etc.

Two Strong Candidates:

Foster:

Foster's background in policy development and social work would be beneficial. Having a child in Seattle Public Schools is an additional benefit.

Smith:

Smith appears to be a strong candidate. She has a Masters degree in public administration. In addition to having a child in Seattle Public Schools, she has more than five years working with SPS district policymakers and seeing how SPS district policy help and/or harm students at the school level. I have experience contributing my leadership and expertise on SPS advisory boards and committees, such as SPS Strategic Plan Steering Committee for 2019-2024, African American Males Scholar Advisory Committee, SPS School and Family Partnership Advisory Committee, and more.
Jan said…
Thanks, Melissa. This is a terrific start for those of us who haven't dug into the candidates yet! And thanks as well to Perspective 2 and Perspective 3. Hearing other people's evaluations is very helpful. Having this many qualified, or reasonably qualified, candidates is really encouraging. I hope it extends to other districts in future races.
Perspective 3, to your point on views about different areas of interest in SPS:

- Bosley's resume indicates interest in arts, though she said nothing in her statement about it.
- Foster briefly mentions her own personal experience with honors programs as well as school suspension/discipline.
- As I mentioned in my post, Hahn gets very specific with amending the Strategic Plan with ethnic studies, out of school suspensions, restraint and isolation. He also talks about Sped because his student is Sped.
- Hersey speaks about students of color and boys of color.
- Salisbury speaks about environmental programs.
- Smith mentioned African-American students, ELL, world language, identity safety, disproportionate discipline, and had this to say about AL:

"I am aware of equitable challenges experienced across the board, including families with advanced learning students."

Not sure what that means.

- Van Arcken mentions STEM, ELL, Sped, AL and 2E, IB, and language immersion.
- Voz mentions the Student Advisory Board.
- Williams school employees and technology at schools.

Also, Perspective 3, in your paragraph about Smith, it looks like you took it from her application statement but some of the pronouns changed, going from "she" to "I." Any reason for that?

Anonymous said…
Thank you, Melissa, for your reporting and recommendation.

I appreciated the perspective of Perspective 2 and wanted to provide my perspective:

- To be clear, I am in this for the long-haul. Between my 8-year old and 5-year old, I will have children in SPS for at least the next 13 years. If selected by the board I will serve out the remainder of the term and stand for election. This is not a stepping stone of any sort.

- We need ethnic studies now because every day we wait is another day our children don't learn the full history of this country. I'm 41 years old - I'm just now learning about what really happened over the past 400 years. Shame on me, I know, but I'm a product of the public school system as it is currently. We need to change this so our kids grow up knowing what has happened in this land and use that to build a better community in the future.

Jason Hahn
Mr. Hahn, thank you for those insights.

I hope your commitment to Sped is better than Director Geary's. With all due respect to her, she ran as someone who knew and was committed to Sped reform. I did not see that happen with her leadership.

As for Ethnic Studies, I agree. In fact, I wish it were not standalone but embedded in every subject. But perhaps ES may evolve that way. (I do urge you to read my post on the head of Ethnic Studies, Tracy Castro-Gill. She is a bright person but she is very aggressive in letting teachers and principals know that they have been/are doing it all wrong and are probably racists. She slings that word around a lot. She knows her stuff but if anything will slow ES down, it's her communication skills.)

To let readers know, there is a new Facebook page on Sped - Equal Right to Representation in Education - WA. They have a lot of good information there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/214476569447560/?multi_permalinks=340847156810500%2C340766233485259&notif_id=1562630487901021&notif_t=group_activity
Anonymous said…
I agree with JustanotherSEParent. These candidates’ longer term aspirations should be explored, perhaps by simply asking if they intend to campaign in the future. Seems like a fair question to me. I like seeing this diversified pool of applicants, but I also would like to see that one individual emerge who can potentially serve as a longer term director beyond 2021.

Let’s Talk
Let's Talk, I would write to the Board and let them know that. Mr. Hahn has already indicated he would run.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Reprinting for Anonymous (no anonymous comments - read the comment policy):

Nice "reporting." You don't even bother to read the SPS website. Ethnic studies is and has always been in all grade levels and subjects:

https://www.seattleschools.org/academics/curriculum/ethnic_studies

Well, that's aspirational for sure. Go into any school and show us where that is truly happening.
Anonymous said…
But are any Ethnic Studies curricula actually adopted? That web page Anonymous provided gives absolutely nothing but the vaguest information except for a staff login, so no transparency for the public, and there is nothing concrete about adopted curricula linked to from there that I can see.

Our middle school is having to develop and deploy its own ES curriculum because there is no middle school curriculum (yet) provided by the district. I get the sense that lots of people are antsy for ES to find its way into classrooms and are acting like it's ready to go, but I don't think that's the case at all levels. We saw this problem with the science adoption, too, where conversations about curriculum were mixing up elementary, middle & high school levels, and curriculum-wise these are totally different fish. There is no MS ES curriculum, is there?

MS ES
Anonymous said…
Won’t a stand-alone ethnic studies class be a high school requirement in WA, by law? So yes, SPS will do it. The key to doing it well, however, is to have strong, fully vetted curriculum with teachers who are well-versed on the curriculum and taught how to address sensitive topics when—not if—they emerge.

To be clear, in no way am I suggesting we not provide ethnic studies ASAP. I would just hate to see something rolled out ASAP for the sake of just getting “something” out ASAP. If not done reasonably well, this has the potential to exacerbate divisions. It is important to do this right. It’s not simply a matter of adopting what some of the most vocal activist teachers want. We do not want to alienate those we are trying to teach. We need a curriculum that acknowledges diverse perspectives, experiences, and histories, and that helps students think critically about how information is presented, whose voices are often missing, how people of all stripes can contribute to the world, etc. Whatever curriculum is developed and implemented/adopted should be subject to public review. We should expedite the process as much as possible, but not skimp on the vetting and training. Good is better than fast.

It’s also important to figure out how this fits with the 24-credit requirement, since students already have less flexibility in their schedules. This should be a fairly easy thing to figure out (in theory), but SPS has proven to be pretty inept when it comes to Core24.

Also, thank you Mr. Hahn for clarifying your intentions.

Perspective 2
Perspective 3 said…

Melissa,

Thanks for the additional information. I want to thank you for noticing my error, as well. I should have put Smith's statement in quotes:

"I have more than five years working with SPS district policymakers and seeing how SPS district policy help and/or harm students at the school level. I have experience contributing my leadership and expertise on SPS advisory boards and committees, such as SPS Strategic Plan Steering Committee for 2019-2024, African American Males Scholar Advisory Committee, SPS School and Family Partnership Advisory Committee, and more. "


I would like to thank Mr. Hahn for calling attention to special education students, seclusion and restraints. IMO, the board is failing in their oversight duties. Sadly, Geary ran to support special education students.
Anonymous said…
According to a summary of SB 5023:

"By September 1, 2020, OSPI must identify and make available ethnic studies materials and resources for use in grades 7–12. The materials and resources must be designed to prepare students for global citizenship in a global society, with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures. The materials and resources must be available on OSPI's website.

Public schools with students in grades 7–12 are encouraged to offer an ethnic studies course incorporating the materials and resources."

–––––––––––––––––––––– This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.


"Encouraged to offer" is not the same as "will" or "must" offer. Districts already have access to Since Time Immemorial (curriculum is online, free, and currently available), and SPS is just now formally "adopting" it.

details
Advanced Learning said…
Van Arcken sits on the Advanced Learning Task Force Committee. For more information:


https://www.seattleschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=87981412

https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/School%20Board/Policies/Series%202000/2190.pdf

https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/School%20Board/Procedures/Series%202000/2190SP.pdf
Anonymous said…
Don't pay attention to anything these people say...they never ever follow through. Take Mack for example , "Mack aims to help the district solve its financial crisis, make the most of its money and find waste in the budget"

So how did that claim turn out? Not well.

So is Mack backing off all her promises or is the rest of the board blocking her, like Harris?

I think people should sue the school district and make PATU seat up for election in November.

There was obvious manipulation by the current board to not put PATU's seat up for election.

FOIA request for the boards emails both district and private will reveal the conspiracy.

District 7

Anonymous said…
@District 7

You overlook that Mack was literally the only board member during the Amplify adoption who was even trying to keep track of the money. Burke and Pinkham were concerned about having enough money to adopt Amplify and Ethnic Studies, but Mack was actually trying to do numbers.

You also overlook one of the central oversight challenges we face as a district: board members have access only to whatever staff provides them. If Mack asks for certain numbers, staff may or may not provide it, or they may not provide all of it, or they may provide it in a misleading way, or they may provide it late. Board members have no paid staff to do research for them, either. This makes fiduciary oversight really time-consuming and challenging.

Unfortunately this would need to be changed at the state level. Personally, I think board members of districts with more than 25,000 students should receive an annual salary equal to 50% of the median income in that school district as well as a part-time paid assistant. Boards should also be able to hire 0.5 FTE employees accountable to them per 10,000 students in the district to handle data collection and analysis. Without supports like that, I can't see that it makes sense to have any one district's board overseeing a budget of $500 million let alone Seattle's $1.5 billion. That change needs to happen at the state level.
Elsa said…
DeWolf is also affiliated with SEIU and (for the last two months) has said some stuff about supporting teachers and staff.

It only took 2 years!
Ed said…
I would not pay ANY of the current board members a cent for the type of "service" they have rendered.

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