"Direction for 2024-25 & 2025-26 Fiscal Stabilization Plan to Create a System of Well-Resourced Schools"

Here's a link to the final version of the BAR with the PowerPoint of "Direction for 2024-25 & 2025-26 Fiscal Stabilization Plan to Create a System of Well-Resourced Schools"and the Board Resolution on that "direction."  I'll talk about both of these but I just want to call out a glaring issue.

Director Liza Rankin recently made a comment to a parent on Facebook about enrollment.  (Bold mine)

She said:

"We know that enrollment is declining now, but all indications are that the district will grow; "

 

Someone should call her out and ask her HOW she knows this. Because the Board's resolution on that plan AND the Superintendent's well-resourced schools report do NOT reflect that optimism. 

 

From the Resolution:

 

"WHEREAS, the District’s student enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is projected to decline from the current school year, and is projected to continue to decline in future years;"

 

The Superintendent's report:

 

"Our forecasts do not show substantial enrollment increases for at least the next 10 years..."

 

The Super's report says that many districts ebb and flow in enrollment which is true but generally not as large a number of students as we are seeing here.

 

On the Board's Resolution to accept this Fiscal Stabilization Plan

 

Here's the meat of the Board's resolution to accept the Plan:

 

The Superintendent is authorized to include the following in the development of a
balanced budget proposal for FY 2024-25:

• Reductions and adjustments in central office staffing and expenses;
• Reductions and adjustments in school staffing allocations;
• Changes to transportation;
• Fees;
• Lease or sale of non-school properties;
• Program adjustments and restructuring;
• Delayed repayment of the Economic Stabilization Fund;
• Reductions in contingency balances; and
• Utilization of one-time self-help funds and school carryforwards.

 

It's a pretty non-specific list of items.

The Superintendent is directed to present a plan to realize the vision for a system of
well-resourced schools by May 8, 2024. This plan may include:

• School consolidations, to be implemented in the 2025-26 school year and beyond;
• Grade level reorganizations; and
• Program adjustments and restructuring.

 

The Superintendent will, prior to the introduction of the 2024-25 District operating
budget in a Regular Meeting of the Board, update the Board on any significant
variations in necessary program reductions if the final Washington State 2025
supplemental operating budget results in a significantly different level of revenue for the
District than anticipated.

Specifics of Resolution

4th Whereas:

WHEREAS, the costs of basic education and of services to meet student needs continue to
increase

And folks, here's where the rubber meets the road. 

 

WHAT IS BASIC EDUCATION AND ACCOMPANYING SERVICES?

I have read articles from national public ed types and this seems to be a growing question throughout the US. What should "basic education" be?  Does it includes the arts? Sports? Transportation? Long-term ELL services? 

So an explanation of what SPS thinks and why it believes the state isn't funding properly would be helpful. We do know that we have more Special Education students than the state will cover and that is certainly an unacceptable challenge for the district to take on by themselves. We know that the State is funding 9 nurses for all our schools. That is just ridiculous, especially given that there are more children with issues like obesity, asthma, diabetes, allergies, etc.

6th Whereas;

WHEREAS, because the District does not have the presently assured financial resources to
maintain its program and services at the present levels for the 2024-25 or 2025-26 fiscal years, it is necessary to take certain actions, including reductions in the District’s operations and educational program

What is "educational program?" Is that basic education? What cuts where?

8/9 Whereas

WHEREAS, it is necessary at this time for the Board of Directors to direct the Superintendent to present proposed reductions for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 schools years so that families and
students who would be affected by proposed changes may be provided timely notification in
accordance with applicable laws, policies, and practices;

WHEREAS, it is necessary at this time for the Board of Directors to direct the Superintendent to present proposed reductions for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years so that certificated and classified employees who would be affected by said reductions may be provided timely
notification in accordance with applicable law and contract provisions;

 

These are in accordance with the law and contracts with teachers and staff as well as law on closing schools.  

11th Whereas

WHEREAS, the Board has adopted goals and guardrails that prioritize the critical functions of
the District in pursuit of and accomplishment of outcomes for students, and that must guide what reductions in the District’s operations and educational programs are made;

Here's where SOFG rears its head and frankly, shouldn't. Again, a question. What are "the critical functions" of the district? And if their use of targeted universalism is a "critical function" then the wording should say "pursuit of and accomplishment of outcomes for some students." 

 

PowerPoint of "Direction for 2024-25 & 2025-26 Fiscal Stabilization Plan to Create a System of Well-Resourced Schools (there are more points than I am writing about but I'm picking out the key items I see with issues.) Keep in mind these are "themes" from the well-resourced schools meetings, not what the district will actually be able to do.

 

The PowerPoint is not numbered so start on page 13 of the entire document. It's about Facilities and  Learning Spaces.  Here are the problematic and not reality-based items:

 

Close, nearby school connected to neighborhood

If they close schools, then that is a clearly a promise they won't be able to keep for some areas. 

 

Preservation of historical and classical building elements

I love so many of the schools that historical details but know what? It is VERY expensive to keep those in place and if the district wants modern buildings,  it's cheaper and easier to bring buildings to the ground.

 

Grounds and facilities well-maintained, preserved with care

The district has systematically cut grounds care, especially over the summer. They have no real dollars for this so I suspect some communities may take this up on their own (if they haven't already).

School playgrounds, outdoor play areas and athletic fields

The district now has to build in consideration for ALL schools' playgrounds, not just the ones at newly renovated buildings. But as we see from the Green Lake example, it was the PTA who stepped up to make that playground accessible to its medically fragile students.  I think playgrounds are way at the bottom of the list as opposed to the athletic fields.

School gardens enhance the learning environment for kids

Well, again, if you allow PTAs to create those gardens but not all schools have PTAs that can do that, isn't that inequitable so we have no gardens at all? Nathan Hale HS has a whole horticulture program - is that fair for just one school to have that?

Libraries serve as a hub for learning and community activity

Glad this one was on the list because of this trend to either shrink them or make part of the space into MakerSpace. I note that elsewhere parents said they also want full-time librarians.

Art and music
o Integrated into other curricular areas, after-school programs
o Dedicated facilities, full-time staff, multiple choices for kids

Sounds great but all that is expensive and isn't even happening now. The district cannot convince me that they are going to be able to do this just by closing some schools. 

PE and Athletics

Inclusive, accessible opportunities for all students

I think if you wanted this to be true for all schools, you need a district policy to back it up. I think the PE/Athletics situation as it currently is in the district is incredibly uneven.

Enrichment and Extracurricular Programs

Equitable program offerings and resource allocation

What this would mean is anyone's guess but I would think this would be squarely aimed at PTAs.

Diversity Reflected in Curriculum and Instruction
o Curriculum reflects diversity, is culturally affirming, inclusive
o Ethnic Studies, Black history, non-Eurocentric World History
o Training for cultural sensitivity, anti-racist teaching practice

This is a challenge because it's hard to know where the district is in this work already. I don't know myself; anyone? The last item may be difficult if teachers feel attacked in their teaching practices.

World Languages and Dual Language Programs
o Learning a second language viewed as educational priority
o Consistent staffing support for multiple language offerings

Another tough issue - does the district think learning a second language is an "educational priority." If so, when should that start and why do only certain schools get to do that in elementary school?

How many languages? There's a cost to teaching multiple languages so the district may streamline and pick two, like Spanish and Mandarin.

STEM- Well-resourced courses/programs for science, technology (coding, digital media), and engineering (robotics, biotech)

Parents want STEM but does the district?

College and Career Readiness Programs and Resources

- Career and Technical Education, internships, apprenticeships

-  opportunities to earn college credits in high school

- counseling support to apply to college and financial aid

 

More counselors - which is what you would need - is more money. And, when students go to Running Start, the district loses money.

Basic Student Needs
o Free, accessible, fresh and nutritious meals
o Support for students’ clothing, hygiene, medical needs
o Partnering with community-based organizations

This circles back to my question about basic education. Are the above items part of that? We know that hungry students can't learn but what about the notation of clothing, hygiene and medical? A few middle schools and all the comprehensive high schools have a health center via city levy funds.

And included in that basic health is also mental health according to the report.

Special Education Services
o Fully staffed, well-resourced, easy for families to navigate
o Educator knowledge and training in neurodivergence, trauma informed care, Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
o Collaboration time for specialists, general educ. teachers

 

Fulfillment of Special Education services should be at the top of the list but I had to smile because on a couple of parent Facebook pages, it is clear that the services are NOT "easy for families to navigate."

Transportation Services
o Consistent, reliable on-time service, clear communications
o Drivers who know how to interact with and support students
o Equitable access to field trips, expeditionary learning trips

That last one is problematic as it Venn diagrams into PTA and funding. One thing that is frequently stated is that schools with stronger PTAs have more field trips for kids. I have never seen documentation that proves that point so that's something the district needs to get to before they act on that one.

After the listings of what parents believe a well-resourced school should have was this notation that I have never seen this bluntly stated:

 

SPS faces projected deficits of $104 million for FY2024-25, $129 million for FY2025-
26, and $153 million for FY2026-27. This structural shortfall is caused primarily by:

• insufficient funding from the State of Washington;
• declines in enrollment;
• previous service and staffing decisions.

Then there's a Budget Development Principles page.

 

- Prioritize quality instruction and learning
- Good faith efforts: We each share the same values
- Teamwork: Board and Superintendent are one team
- Be clear on the challenges and opportunities

"We each share the same values." Who is the "we" in this item? Staff and the Board or the entire district?

And teamwork. Of course, the Board and the staff need to support each in this work and have open lines of communication. But the Board works for the citizens of Seattle and I would not expect them to walk lockstep with the staff.

Also this - enrollment is approximately 48,000 students 

I JUST saw in the Seattle Times that the district said they have 50,900 students. They need to be more precise on this.

• The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Prototypical Model
allocates funding based on 400 students in an elementary school.

• SPS has 28 elementary schools with less than 300 students.
• None of the districts contiguous to Seattle (Bellevue, Renton, Lake Washington, Shoreline, Highline) has an elementary school with less than 300 students. 

I'm not sure you can make this particular comparison stick because SPS is so much larger than those other schools.