Sending Everyone Holiday Greetings

 We are in the last weeks of 2023. The holidays are upon us and I hope each of you finds some happiness/solace/joy from family and friends and food.

I was going to write one more post before the end of the year about the last school board meeting but nah. There's time enough in the new year. 

I have to say I find it hard to think of a new year coming that I dreaded more than 2024. I'm not even going to try to say it won't be as bad as I think it will be. 

And job one is making sure Trump is not president again. I don't like the other GOP candidates but anyone who think he will be a better president than he was previously is delusional. Yes, I know, he's a big mouth blabber but anyone who is a big mouth blabber with power is generally a dictator. 

I'm still on Twitter and I'm seeing this uptick of Republicans who are actually worried, nay, despondent that Trump will be the candidate. I'm very pleased to see more of them waking up and saying outloud that Trump has been a disaster for their party. (I generally tell them to tell a friend and take back their party but we shall see.)  

Do I think Joe is too old? Well, not compared to Trump. There isn't anyone alive who can look at Biden and look at Trump and say Trump is in better health. 

But Joe would not have been my first choice because I believe younger voters want to believe that there is a better future for them and, for whatever reason, he hasn't communicated that well.

As for Seattle Schools, well, I just learned that there's a new policy that cuts out any snow days because the district will go virtual if there is enough snow to prevent schools from being open. At the Facebook page I saw this on, parents had mixed feelings. On the one hand, if it prevents school going way into June, parents are happy. But other parents recall the pandemic times and said there are too many kids who will get nothing out of it. 

I bring this up because some of those parents asked how they missed giving input or hearing a discussion about this change. Well, that's not SOFG, my friends, and that is what you who have children in SPS are dealing with. 

That's another reason 2024 is going to be problematic; how much further away will this district hold parents at arm's length? We shall see.

Best to you and your families for a safe and happy holiday season.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for the Holiday Greetings!

According to SPS Work Session Doc (v.3, 10/17/2023, P12), on one hand, the district is expecting revenue growth next year and the year after, even though the enrollment will be staying around 48,000. On the other hand, the district's Expenses are projected to outpace it by $104M next year and by $129M the year after. SPS is not making any fiscal sense at all.

What does it even mean that this Board "approved the Budget" to close the gap for next year?

You have been the only consistent reporter of the facts as far as what is going on at Seattle Schools District Administration and Board. Your blog discussions have been such blessings to the Seattle communities. (@TheMelWestbrook is also great to read and follow.)

Wish you wonderful Holidays and an interesting new year.

#GoodJournalist



12/20/23, 5:02 PM
@Good Journalist said…
You make many good points. The district's budget hasn't decreased despite decreasing enrollment.

Thanks for all your work, Melissa. Best wishes for a joyous holiday season and wonderful New York.
12/21/23, 8:55 AM
JS said…
I heard about the tablet policy from a friend with a K-5 student just the other day. She indicated the teacher told her that "well they'll have their tablets but we're pretty much going to make sure they check in with us so we can count it as a teaching day but we really aren't going to try to do anything".

This is one teacher at one school, but one definitely wonders about just how much value the district will get from this policy in terms of education :)
1/10/24, 10:30 AM
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

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, gr...
Read more

Education News Roundup

From the ever-amusing Washington Policy Center : Vouchers are Pell Grants for students under 18.  Vouchers are no different than Pell Grants or GI benefits, except the money goes to the families of students younger than age 18.  Except they are. Pell Grants were created to help needy students and that's not really the goal of the voucher program.  The Pell grant website does have a couple of great studies on why low-income students drop out before finishing their higher ed and what makes a difference.
Read more