Seattle School Board Meetings - Should There Be An In-Person Option?

 Several commenters have stated - and I agree - that the Board should have had in-person meetings for the permanent superintendent discussion as well as their regular Board meetings being in-person. 

I did check Governor Inslee's proclamation ( see end of page). 

It's a bit confusing because saying there no longer needs to be an indoor mask requirement seems like it would then generate a statement that local governments can conduct meetings in-person. But, apparently, no; there HAS to be a remote meeting but in-person could be also happen. Local governments can't have only in-person.

The Board sure could have an optional in-person component. They did for a bit and then went back to remote. The JSCEE auditorium certainly could have spaced seating. And, of course, anyone who wants to wear a mask can do so (Director Michelle Sarju even wears a mask for remote meetings as she is sitting at home). 

But it feels like they don't want to have to leave home and drive to JSCEE. But given how they have cut back on discussions at the Board meetings, why not have an in-person option? 

Having an in-person option would mean looking members of the public in the face. Not this Board. 

Of course, this begs the question of whether Board members will EVER have in-person community meetings. But that takes time and effort and well, it just doesn't seem like most Board members want to do that for their regions. 


Thursday, March 3

  • We have received a number of questions about whether the upcoming changes to the face mask requirements will change how local governments conduct meetings subject to the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). In short, no. Proclamation 20-28.14 (extended by Proclamation 20-28.15) remains in effect until specifically modified or the emergency is terminated. All meetings subject to the OPMA are required to be a remote meeting with an optional in-person component. Agencies choosing to hold hybrid meetings must make sure there is sufficient space for everyone that wants to physically attend (including overflow space if necessary) and must comply with any other health directives (including local health orders) in effect.

Monday, February 28

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Who Is A. J. Crabill (and why should you care)?

Why You Should Care Mr. Crabill has found quite the acolyte in Director Chandra Hampson. In the course of discussions over SOFG, she says his name over and over, "A.J .says we...." Now that's not too surprising given the direction the district is heading and that it is Mr. Crabill's work with the Council of Great City Schools is how we got here. But it appears that Mr. Crabill is working very closely with Hampson and we know she wields some amount of power over the majority of the Board. Mr. Crabill is going to continue to work with the Board as SOFG is instituted in SPS. In fact, his role may become more public as it did at one SPS Board meeting in the spring where he was on the phone during the meeting and suggested the Board stop the meeting to "self-reflect." I also noticed that in a district in South Carolina, when things weren't going to plan, he blamed the Board for not following SOFG to the letter. Look for that to happen here if Board members w
Read more

Why the Majority of the Board Needs to be Filled with New Faces

This may only be a partial list of reasons; please, add anything else in the comments. The deadline to file to run for the Board is May 19th. Entire Board Majority NOT vetting the Superintendent in any way, shape or form. Even the Seattle Times thought that was wrong.  It was just absolute hubris and it was wrong. For the second time in just over a year , board members voted to negotiate a superintendent contract during a special meeting with no opportunity for public comment. This time, they showed an even deeper disregard for their responsibilities as public servants: Aborting a national search for a new superintendent and denying Interim Superintendent Brent Jones a chance to show students, parents and taxpayers that, indeed, he is the best person for the job. Government bodies can’t fast-forward through transparent processes just because they think they know the right answer. One other odd thing about the hiring of Brent Jones - most permanent SPS superintendent contracts ar
Read more