Seattle Schools Community Forum

I've said this, over and over. But here I go again. When you vote for school levies, you are voting for a pot of money. Oh sure, there's a lot of projects listed but you never see an actual yearly "here's what we got done." I had a recent email back and forth with Director Liza Rankin over what was stated in a Seattle Times article about safety updates as well as what the district told voters about the use of taxpayer dollars when BEX V was voted in. The Seattle Times is reporting this on safety measures: There are about 15,000 locks that need to be changed and the district is about halfway done, Robinson said. The work should be completed in the next two years. This initiative started about three years ago, and is being paid for through a voter-approved capital levy. You'll note that the name of the levy is not there. I think that was on purpose from district communications. Director Rankin claims that lock set replacement is part of BEX V. No, it wasn...

I found this information from several sources but I again recommend the once a week civics roundup from realtor Sol Villarreal. It helps me to keep up with happenings in Seattle and it's super helpful.  Education Bills and their Status (way too many to list but ones I find would be the most helpful or make me shake my head). Let us know in Comments if you are tracking one I don't have listed. SB 5257 would require schools to give elementary students a minimum of 45 minutes of recess per day. It passed out the Senate on Feb. 20th and has a hearing in the House Ed committee on March 1st. Wonder what teachers would think. SB 5019 concerns use of wellness funding going to nurses, counselors, social workers, etc and NOT going to school resource officers and other school security staff. Districts that have been using funding for safety officers would likely now not be allowed to do so.  Still in committee. HB 1479/SB 5559 would ban the use of isolation and several forms of restr...

The identity of the Franklin High teacher who had sexual relations with a student has been revealed - Pawares “Mac” Pathompornvivat, It appears it might be this person who, at that time, seemed like a great guy. The student in question seems to be fully cooperating with the police. The teacher allegedly told her that they "needed to get our stories straight" but the student told the police everything.  Very interesting stats on teacher retention in Washington state from researchers at CALDER , Teacher Turnover Three Years into the Pandemic Era: Evidence from Washington State. Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic era, concerns about teacher turnover and teacher shortages remain at the top of the education agenda. But contrary to media reports about a “wave of resignations and retirements” (e.g., Heller, 2021), early evidence from state databases showed a more nuanced picture: teacher attrition was actually down during the pandemic’s first year (teachers lea...

With the culture wars sweeping the nation and especially public schools, it wasn't going to be long before actual academics became the issue.  Many parents know that AP courses tend to be "a mile wide and an inch deep." They also know that not all college and universities give AP credits. They also are aware that many colleges and universities are starting to back away from the SAT. So change is happening and more to come.  One thing to consider (which is, sadly, true for all of life) - it's about the money. The College Board is a business and makes huge sums of money. However, one thing you could say for AP courses is that there is a strong curriculum and a standard for teachers. (This is even more true of the International Baccalaureate program.) Colleges and universities know that "honors" is a term that varies from state to state, district to district and even school to school. Those institutions are looking for students who pushed themselves the hardes...

Folks, I do this work as a labor of love. Public education matters greatly to me and since I've invested so much time in learned about Seattle Public Schools, I write about them a lot. You also know that I put up so many other links like good news, state education stories, national education stories, educational opportunities, etc.  At any given time, I have at least 5-10 stories in the hopper because I know that I HAVE the time to go out and find, read and write about these stories and most parents don't. Some stories just have to wait because of breaking news.  So it stings a little when I see comments about how I don't cover Story X (but I print that comment anyway). If you think I'm missing a big story, could you just email me (sss.westbrook@gmail.com) rather than try to make some public point? I would appreciate that.  Thanks!

  Going Dr. Rocky Torres , the assistant superintendent of student services for Seattle Public Schools in Seattle, will take over as the new School District of Lancaster Superintendent in July.  Staying The Edmonds School District Board of Directors selected Dr. Rebecca Miner as the district’s permanent superintendent, pending successful contract negotiations, during a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. Miner was one of two finalists for the superintendent’s job, along with Dr. Concie Pedroza who is the associate superintendent for Seattle Public Schools.  This is at least the third try by Pedroza for a superintendent job in the region.

 From My Northwest: 32-year-old teacher from Franklin High School in Seattle has been arrested and is accused of having an ongoing sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.  According to the investigating officer: “Their intimate relationship began on Feb. 2, 2023.” Police said the two communicated through Discord, email, and text message, with the victim stating that more than 3,000 text messages were exchanged between the two, according to officers. In a court appearance, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) argued there was probable cause for five counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree and an additional count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.  SPS: A Seattle Public Schools spokesperson told Jason Rantz that the teacher is on paid administrative leave. Franklin High School Principal Dr. Joseph Williams III sent a letter to the school community in response to the allegations on Sunday. His opening l...

Not sure why there is no notice of this at the district website but a water main broke at JSCEE a week or so ago. I am told that a notice about it stated that all central office staff will be working from home at least until March 3rd.  Looks like Eric Marshall, principal at Cleveland, is going to be replaced. The school is advertising for people to serve on a principal search committee.  At the next Board meeting on March 1, one item to be introduced is the document with the C-SIPs for each school .  The Continuous School Improvement Plan is an action plan for each school that identifies the areas a school plans to focus on in the current and coming school year, the performance goals they want students to achieve, and how the school plans to collaboratively meet these goals. I will be interested to see what schools say. I did a spot-check of the current ones  and while there is better uniformity, there was also not as much real information as in past years. Hmmm...

I am hard-pressed in deciding what to say personally on this topic.  I am from the Baby Boomer generation and yes, I am aware of our reputation. In terms of thinking about mental health of boys and girls, I can offer a couple of thoughts. One, in my day, most adults, even parents and teachers, did not care much about your feelings. There was no hand-holding but a lot of "grow up," "stop crying," and "you'll get over it" or "you'll grow out of it." And did we even talk about LGBTQ issues? The rights and opportunities of girls and women? Racism? Nope. For all the stress today in talking out loud about these issues, I am glad for the awareness of them and for the expectation that today, schools will not ignore these issues as if they don't exist.  Two, on the other hand, I wonder if parents are not themselves overly anxious about any change or difference they see in their kids. No two children are alike so expect the unexpected. Childre...

 From the New York Times , Childhood’s Greatest Danger: The Data on Kids and Gun Violence (I am gifting this article so there is no paywall to get behind.) For much of the nation’s history, disease was the No. 1 killer of children. Then America became the land of the automobile, and by the 1960s, motor-vehicle crashes were the most common way for children to die. Twenty years ago, well after the advent of the seatbelt, an American child was still three times as likely to die in a car accident as to be killed by a firearm.  We’re now living in the era of the gun. In 2014, the rate began to creep up, and by 2020 guns became the leading killer . Overall, gun deaths among children jumped sharply in 2020 and again in 2021. A 31 percent increase for children 17 and 18 since 2019 is troubling enough, but the increase was 74 percent for children 9 and younger. Not cancer, not non-gun accidents - guns are what kill American children. Last year, nearly two-thirds of gun deaths...

 

This post comes from Kellie LaRue who knows her way around a spreadsheet AND statistics. One item not directly in her post is her thought that for some schools that are underenrolled but also ended after-school childcare. Why not bring it back? Many parents would be ecstatic to have more choices.  Kellie's Post Greetings to the new folks trying to interpret SPS enrollment information. Here’s a little bit of information on how read (and not read) SPS’s crappy enrollment charts. This is written mostly for the new people as it is far too easy to presume that SPS is using common vernacular when they are not. The chart can be found on page 27 of the January 25, Budget Work Session presentation.  Here is the version that was in the Seattle Times article.  Basics on School Enrollment Methodology SPS is using a common methodology that is used by the vast majority of school districts. As such, this information may be helpful for Bellevue families who are also trying...

  KOMO is reporting that West Seattle High School has asked students to mask up.  This week, students at West Seattle High School are being asked to pack their masks once again as COVID-19 case counts begin to rise. "The precautions the principal is taking at the school are done with a focus on the health, safety and welfare of all students and staff," said Tim Robinson, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools (SPS). According to the SPS COVID-19 dashboar d, 120 cases have been reported at West Seattle High School for the 2022-2023 school year. According to the story, Ballard, Roosevelt and Lincoln have reported over 100 cases each for this school year.   There's a bill in the WA legislature to give charter schools more money . Keep in mind, that some of the state funding gets withheld from charters precisely because with the freedom they get to be "innovative" is used for oversight to protect the use of those public dollars. They also get fewer dollars b...

Via SPD Twitter: Police assisting the Seattle Fire Department and investigating fire in the 2500 block of 34th Avenue West. No one reported injured at this time. Suspect not located. More as information becomes available. This was last night at in the early evening.  There is chatter on Twitter that there is an encampment near the school; anyone?  From the SPD Blotter: A witness reported seeing a man setting a fire on the school property then leaving once the surrounding building caught fire. It appears the man was within an alcove near an entrance of the school. The fire caused substantial damage to the school property, starting from the exterior and spreading into the interior before it was extinguished. Via SPS Communications from Principal Patrick Gray: This message is to update you about an incident that has impacted our school and will require us to cancel all classes on Monday, February 13, 2023. A small fire broke out today, Sunday, February 12, 2023 on the outs...

From the Seattle Times : Nine Metro League teams took part in girls flag football this season, and last Saturday L incoln High School earned the championship with a hard-fought 32-18 win over Eastside Catholic.  It was their first Metro title in any athletic endeavor since the school re-opened in 2019 after being closed down in 1981. While it is not an officially sanctioned Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sport — yet — the victory still caused elation for the Lincoln girls. I. The Lincoln seniors, who comprised the bulk of the team, had endured the growing pains of re-establishing athletic programs, so the trophy they received touched their heartstrings. The Lynx went 9-1, most of them blowouts, with the lone loss in the regular season to Eastside Catholic avenged in the title game.

As you may recall, back in June 2022, a week after Uvalde, Sand Point Elementary School was invaded by what appeared to be a mentally ill man. He climbed the fence, chased kids on the playground, and then continued to a 5th grade portable before he was talked out of the classroom by a teacher (not the teacher of record in that class) with the principal. I had put in a public disclosure request for several items and have heard back on a few.  One item result was astonishing - I asked for any emails that were sent to the Board president and/or entire Board or the Superintendent within specified dates and with key words around that incident from anyone identifying themself as a Sand Point Elementary parent or guardian. According to the Public Records Officer, not a SINGLE email of that kind exists. (Naturally, I would have expected the parent's name or child's name to be redacted.) However, in a new batch, there were letters from community members who said if it were true that th...

Congrats to the Garfield Bulldogs girls basketball team for defeating Lakeside 53-47 to win the girls Metro League title!

Update: one email exchange in this batch was between the SPS Internal Auditor, Andrew Medina and a senior internal auditor, Amanda O'Hara. Boy, he takes good notes; very helpful. He had a conversation with Director Hampson who wanted him to start aligning his work with SOFG.  What I found interesting is her explanation of what needed to happen with Board work under SOFG, including the Board not "micro-managing." Pretty funny coming from a person who was micro-managing senior staff to the point where they accused her of HIB and it was found to be true. But I digress. So the Board got rid of the Operations Committee, the Audit&Finance Committee, and the Student Services and Curriculum and Instruction because none of that (save the Audit) is Board work. What stands out is that she then says there should be an Audit Committee, a Policy Committee, and a Budget Committee.  So if they got rid of some committees and now want to replace them that's not going to lessen the ...

 It's a slight agenda for tonight's meeting but one item packs a punch. We continue to see in this agenda how the directors are trying have changed the agenda format to push further and further away from the public.  There are just 8 speakers for Public Testimony.  There are three for Middle College HS that look to be about defunding it because of the district's decision to close schools and these speakers' concern that Middle College might be on the chopping block. The agenda again reflects putting items in the Consent Agenda that will take just one vote from the Board to pass all the items. And the Board continues its uptick of Intro/Action items on the same night which is just plain wrong for non-emergency items.  One is the really big item: This Board Action Report is requesting approval for the Superintendent to accept funding from Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Project AWARE grant in ...

The Times had an article this morning, Seattle may need to close schools to save money. I was wondering when they might get around to printing something. The Times says SPS is "tiptoeing around the idea that it may have to close some schools in a few years." If they listened to that Work Session on the Budget, they wouldn't have said "tiptoeing."  The district's party line: If SPS were to consolidate, staffers argue, students might get better access to specialized programs, social workers, specialists, school counselors and nurses — resources that students have continuously requested in the last school year. Podesta said the district believes that “consolidating into larger schools that have the resources they need is a good strategy whether you have money problems or not.” If the latter were true AND SPS has had money issues for years, how come no one has suggested it before? Five years from now, SPS staff projects the district could have as many as...