Seattle Schools Community Forum

I just wanted to make sure that my readers are aware this incident happened at last Wednesday's Board meeting in a discussion around the Highly Capable program.  I want to note that the two items previous to this one - the principals' contract and the criteria for the next BEX levy - DID have staff available to answer questions. But not HC. From my post: Director Gina Topp wanted to know if Highly Capable was a service or program. She asked for consistency in the language and Rankin talked around it but said they have a month as this is an Intro item. Except next month, it will be rolled into the Consent agenda without any further discussion as they have been doing for months. Then, Director Evan Briggs asked questions about what is replacing the cohort model and when will they see that timeline. These are not bad questions. " What is the future of Highly Capable in SPS? It feels like it's past time to know what's going on with that." Rankin really wasn'...

Man, news is coming fast and furious be the key item at this hour is that the Superintendent and staff are pushing a closure and consolidation list all the way to October. From KUOW: In an update to the school board on Wednesday, Superintendent Brent Jones laid out a new timeline for the district’s “well-resourced schools” plan, and confirmed the preliminary recommendations would be made public at the Oct. 9 school board meeting. Jones’ new timeline starts with more community engagement events in September and early October. District leaders will report back to the board on Sept. 18 with feedback and answers to questions that come out of those meetings. The district will also launch a new online “well-resourced schools hub” during the week of Sept. 9. Jones said it will include a “detailed analysis” of the district’s current portfolio of elementary school buildings, and give insight on the impact school closures could have on families. “ We want to be there alongside you with every ste...

 With this headline: Superintendent Jones Joins Federal School Safety Advisory Board  The guy who - in about two years - has seen two students killed at two different high schools? The same guy who has an oversized plate of issues like a HUGE budget deficit AND wants to close up to 20 schools AND has on-going safety issues?  That guy has time to fly to DC to be on this board.  What did Shania Twain sing? That don't impress me much. You can't make this stuff up.

I can see this will be a BIG week for me posting. Summer is over. The other item I wanted to call to your attention in the Board meeting agenda for Wednesday night is this on the agenda near the bottom: 2023-24 Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Evaluation So apparently the Board is STILL working on his contract which did expire on July1 of this year. I will go on record as saying that I do not believe there is the time or bandwidth to change superintendents but if the Board would do their job and give him a sober talking-to and NOT give him a raise, he might be a better superintendent. There is no edu-talk, no edu-phrasing that is left out of this document. It's just ridiculous and reads like a parody.  What does he say? (partial) Academic Goal Attainment and Strategy Refinement - As we navigate complexities, it's imperative that we remain agile and responsive to evolving needs and challenges. Really? Because there have been two murders at two high schools in the last coup...

Update: It appears I was mistaken about page 20 of the budget presentation which has two blocks of information that I thought were both going to happen.  Those blocks are 1) the option of closing schools OR 2) if the Board doesn't want to close schools, all the items in that block - raising class size, no APs for elementary/K-8, reduce librarian time, etc. - would be done to find that same savings. It's quite the Sophie's Choice for the Board except that you will have fewer direct effects if you close schools than if you do cuts in every direction.  I do note that Director Gina Topp did ask that ALL the costs in closing schools be labelled so that the Board has the clearest information. That all the costs were not included in this presentation is curious. End of update Kids, it's not good. All documents referenced are in this agenda. One agenda item for the School Board meeting this Wednesday is waaay at the bottom and it's called " Study Session " and no...

  Today, we’re kicking off the first annual SMART Week to spread the word about the critical importance of secure gun storage!   Change happens every day through meaningful conversation with friends, family, neighbors, and community leaders. As we prepare for the school year, let’s normalize conversations about gun safety and spread the #BeSMAR T message far and wide.   One of the smartest things adults can do to keep kids, classrooms, and communities safe from gun violence is raise awareness about secure gun storage. SMART Week is all about educating communities on the simple steps that everyone—gun owners and non-gun owners alike—can take right now to prevent gun violence.   Join us throughout this week by spreading this message, and learn more about how to get involved by texting SMART to 644-33!  

Update 2: Here's my executive summary of what the Board's Retreat this Thursday from 3-8 pm will cover.  The agenda for this meeting says the topic is " Goals & Guardrails Drafting for 2025-2030 Strategic Plan." Given the concerning items before the Board like school closures, a huge budget deficit, school shooting deaths, etc., it seems an odd topic. The agenda also includes documentation of two surveys done by the district. One was for parents, students and staff and the other was for community groups/partners. Both were asked about different topics in SPS as well as what SPS is doing that works and what they are doing that does not work. Both groups wanted more academic rigor, they worry over fiscal issues, how responsive the district is to school communities and community at large and class sizes.  The Goals and Guardrails section is from the Board's new governance model SOFG (Student Outcome Focused Governance) which states: It is critical to remember th...