Seattle School Board Meeting 2/7/2024 - Part Two
I will have a separate thread on the appointment process to find the two new directors to fill the vacated seats left by Vivian Song and Lisa Rivera. I'm checking on a few legalities that Legal Counsel Greg Narver laid out last night. (I was impressed when Narver explained where and how many years he had been working with electeds.)
But before the appointment process discussion, there were two things said that add to the timeline for how these vacancies occurred.
1. Narver did not come right out and say it but he seemed to put forth that the district may not have received notification of Song's change of address in a timely manner. When he and Rankin were discussing the change to the policy on vacancies, he said "We need to know the facts as change occurs."
2. The other timeline update was from Director Michelle Sarju when she stated that she had spoken with "Choir Director 1" late last year about the residency situation.
So that means in November/December 2023 at least Hersey, Sarju and probably Rankin knew about Song's residency issue. Maybe the entire Board knew. Does that mean Legal also knew? Would Hersey - as president at the time - go to Legal in order to make sure that there was no legal issue involved for his own leadership?
And if Sarju talked to Song then, did anyone else?
But the last issue to talk about from last night's meeting is what is now the second written statement from Director Michelle Sarju at a Board meeting. The one last night was much more fiery than the first.
Both times, though, she made big statements but did not explain what she was specifically talking about or who she was referencing. That's not helpful to the general public. It felt like she wanted to get it on the record. Of course, the Board minutes now are a joke so while her remarks are in the public record on video (and now here), the minutes will not reflect anything that she said.
It is difficult to know how to say anything about last night because what I got, as an overall statement, is that you cannot criticize her. She said she "didn't have to answer questions."
She said something about looking "dishevalled" (I didn't think so) as if to say that she wasn't feeling/sleeping well?
She used the term "dog whistle/racist dog whistle" about seven times. It was clearly a point she wanted to make.
She talked about "a choir of dog whistlers" but who they are is unclear. She called one person "Choir Director 1" and stated she had had conversation with this person, sharing her concerns over residency issues. She told that person that it would be better to control the narrative because a controversy could hurt her children.
Well, you have two guesses who "Choir Director 1" is and I'm guessing Vivian Song. Vivian is a calm person and I'm sure appreciated Sarju's concern at the time but I can say, as a mother, that I would not particularly like someone else trying to say I didn't think about my children's welfare. As to whether Sarju was bullying Song, it would be hard to say because it would be important to know how the meeting came about and the tone of what was said.
She went on about being a "volunteer" and not a "politician" and railed at the media for taking her statements out of context.
Let me jump in here and say, if you run for office, whether non-partisan and/or unpaid, you ARE a politician. I say that because you go out as a candidate, present yourself and your views and ask to be elected. That's a politician.
As well, from decades of personal experience, I can tell you that the media NEVER puts in full statements, especially the tv media. They tease out what they want and yes, sometimes it looks like what you said is not great. Sarju is right about context but in today's media, I'm not sure that's job #1.
Then we get to the issue of the use of the word, "bullying" which is yet another word that is being misused left and right. Sarju is correct that many people don't like to be make uncomfortable "and truth does that sometimes." Ah, but here's another term "my truth" that is also out in the ether.
Who's truth IS the truth?
She went onto to say that she wasn't running for any higher office which, frankly, I took as a swipe at Song.
That someone wrote her an email and said she wouldn't get an endorsement (I would assume if Sarju was to run again) is not bullying. It's hard as nails politics. She said the job wasn't about endorsements. People don't get elected without endorsements. Perhaps she meant that she wasn't there to make people happy which is true for most electeds - you will not make everyone happy.
She made a statement about "the choir" to "Let It Go" and then said something about the choir recruiting students. Again, was that a swipe at any of the student board members (and one sitting across from her)? That student member, Aayush Muthuswamy, had made an earlier statement about this vacancy damaging the relationship with community and that directors need to trust each other. He said he admired both Song and Rivera and that the Board could support more than one belief. I can only wonder what he thought of her speech. But I'm sure he just learned the lesson of not saying anything lest you be attacked.
I believe she owes him a public apology without any qualifiers.
She says she was harassed but doesn't explain how. She asked for an escort from the building and, if someone had made a direct/veiled threat to her, I can't blame her. When I was on the last Closure and Consolidation Committee, I was accosted twice in different school parking lots.
She also said, "Leave me alone!" Again, what does that mean? That no one can write to her to complain or disagree with her? Without explanation given, here's an elected saying "go away" to the public.
Being on the Board is not a solitary endeavor. Directors can certainly decide how they want to be a director. We have seen her choices, since she joined the Board,that she doesn't take notes, asks few questions, sometimes loses track of what she is voting on and seems to have only private meetings with constituents.
She had turned off her mic but clearly said, "I'm not an angry Black woman." I know what she means in terms of the meme out there. But she practically spat out her words in places and was on the attack. So was she angry? Yes, she was.
What can be noted is that she is the third leg of the triangle of power on the Board with Hersey and Rankin. They need her to stand with them so maybe they will say nothing to her. But this is the second time and you have to wonder how many times there will be to come.
And, how many times she might have gone after Song and Rivera had they not resigned.
The Board is not looking good.
Comments
Maybe Eden Mack was right all along: there has to be an intervention of some kind. SPS cannot save itself.
Crisis Levels
I’m really embarrassed how leadership is modeling civic engagement. I’m also feeling bad for the new members onboarding right now.
Tears
Here are just a few things: Board appointments, school closures, defining "Well Resourced School", Jones's contract, $105M budget shortfall, borrowing capital dollars to pay for operations (?), expiring Strategic Plan in June, falling enrollment, and, of course lowering of student achievement.
National BLM bringing in some type of Middle East curriculum without a Curriculum and Instruction Committee.
The Audit Committee hasn't met since September. Six months will pass before the audit committee meets again. With Song's absence, Rankin is the only Audit Committee member left. The Operation Committee and Finance committee has been disbanded.
This, as we watch the board collapse.
Many students doing the board testimony were handpicked and coached by their parents, the NAACP, and WAESN. One of the student board members is connected through a sibling to all the hot activism at Ballard, and I'm not referring to the family the went after the principal.
If grown ups are going to use children to fight their battles, those kids are going to take shots from other grown ups.
Magnolia Bluffs
However, Castro Gill is a toxic person who shouldn't be anywhere near children. And, that her pushing ethnic studies will serve her bottom line can't be overlooked. One odd thing is that she is referred to as "Dr. Castro Gill" and yet her bio at UW (she's a lecturer) doesn't reflect that. I mean, if you have a PhD and work at a university, you'd assume that would be in the bio.
By the way, per her dissertation, "Educators of color (EOC) [are] people who work to educate youth who do not identify as solely a descendant of European ancestors. This includes but is not limited to people who identify as Asian, Black, and Indigenous. This includes people from Latin America who do not solely identify as a descendant of European ancestors. This term does not include people who identify as Jewish who are also White."
Peaceful Person
These days, WAESN is dedicated to fighting SB5851, which would mandate Holocaust and genocide education and dedicate $2 million to the Holocaust Center for Humanity for educating teachers statewide. Castro-Gill has on multiple occasions expressed resentment about Holocaust education. She demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the Holocaust, Jewish history and identity, and the work and approach of the Holocaust Center for Humanity. In a February 6th webinar about the state of ethnic studies, she claimed that the money will go to the Holocaust Center to teach about death and destruction while “tokenizing” other groups that have experienced genocide by teaching about them without them. Furthermore, she argued, what should be taught is not “trauma porn” but “resistance and liberation and humanity and hope.”
SPS Parent
"[BLM at School] wants to be clear in our recognition that this unfolding loss of Palestinian and Israeli lives is the direct result of decades of Israeli settler colonialism, land dispossession, occupation, blockade, apartheid, and attempted genocide of millions of Palestinians," the organization wrote. "Palestinians are reminding us that decolonization is not a metaphor or abstraction, but requires real, daily struggle."
No mention that Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Jones and the board need to articulate why they are aligning with this group. There are thousands of ways to teach Israel and Palestinian history- and BLM in Schools shouldn't be dictating curriculum.
SPS is now getting too political and venturing into national politics in an extreme way. It is one thing to discuss world events but when you start taking sides you can easily lose your balance.
District watcher
I do remember the situation with Mr. Greenberg and thought at the time, that he was a very thoughtful teacher. He did mention TCG at the Board meeting so I would guess they work together.
I follow JG on social media. They even vacationed together. Interesting that you have such disparate opinions of two people who are obviously on the same page-one a white male without a PhD, and one a woman of color with one.
Senseless in Seattle
My personal belief is that conversations about race do belong in a higher level humanities class like the one Jon teaches. These conversations are less appropriate in math or foreign language classes. We have challenges with our students learning the basics, let alone following the political agenda of TCG. There is a fine line between education and indoctrination and she appears to cross it.
District watcher