Grab the Popcorn because Here Comes the Next Seattle School Board Meeting

Oh boy! It's on!!!

What might I be referring to? What looks like - reading an op-ed in the Times from Director Sarah Clark - is open warfare on closing schools and the SOFG governance plan. 

Of course, I did check the Public Testimony list. There are 25 people who made the cut and 72 are on the waitlist. I think that may be a record. Naturally, most want to speak on closures or a specific school on the possible list with a few wanting to talk about the BEX VI item. But onto the op-ed.

First, Clark issues a warning that while it's good the district backed off of closing 20 schools, "This is not a retreat; it's a slowdown."

Then she lays down what she thinks "as a newer board member." I'm going to break out what was one paragraph into bite-sized sentences. 

As a newer school board member, I have concerns about information missing from the plan.

 I am also not convinced that there aren’t other options to balance the district’s 2025-26 budget. 

To continue the well-resourced schools plan at this point, after so many failures and vocal dissent from the community, would be disastrous for students and the district’s future.

Wow. 

And, she says at the meeting tomorrow that the Board should "forge a new path." 

First, end the district’s pursuit of closing 20 schools.

 Second, direct the superintendent to bring the board more options to solve the current budget deficit.

 Third, direct Jones to bring the board options to close the budget gap permanently, including a plan to increase enrollment. 

We also must formalize family engagement in this process and learn from mistakes that got SPS to this point.

Boy, she's not mincing words.  This is the first time in years that I have heard any director say a superintendent should be looking for ways to increase enrollment.

She explains that SOFG implementation got overlooked by media saying, 

Implementation has also consolidated power with board leadership, changed board operations, set impossible “goals” for Jones or any superintendent to meet and is driving most of the board’s decisions since the adoption, including closing schools.  

Boom! I'm sure President Lisa Rankin is seething. But that IS what SOFG does - moves much Board power to the superintendent AND makes the Board president something of a dictator to the Board. That Rankin directed Board members to use the same route to ask staff questions as parents do is shocking.

Clark states what both Rankin and Hersey stated at the last Board meeting; namely, where is the direct link to better student outcomes with the well-resourced schools plan that includes closing schools?

Again, she comes out swinging:

We need to pivot from posturing to amending, apologize to the community for a yearlong, emotional process with no outcome and do a total reset. Board leaders must accept the failure of the well-resourced schools plan, move forward and change our approach to implementing our governance model.

A total reset. I don't think that's in the cards BUT this may help other Board members to speak up and speak out. I'm pretty sure that Briggs and Hersey will speak up to support Rankin but this has opened the Pandora's box that is pushback.

She goes on to say they need a multi-year plan to "permanently" close the deficit. I will note that is what staff has been working IS a multi-year plan but not with an end time for deficits. 

She wants to see a safety issues plan.

Addressing "long-standing intersectional equity and inclusion issues for children of color and Special Education."

And to my great surprise, she says parents should have clarity on HCC programming and "engage people in developing recommendations for SPS to improve student outcomes over the next five years, including rethinking our special education approach." 

She mentions forward progress at several schools and asks why it can't be "education equity to scale while drawing more students to the district instead of giving families reasons to leave our schools."

Then she really hits home:

Jones cannot make all these changes and increase student outcomes exponentially in one school year; he needs time and help. As public servants, however, we should not be making wholesale changes to the system without bringing our community along with us, no matter how justified it may seem.

Most of the comments are in praise of her words. But one was pretty hilarious and multiple people said it had to be Rankin or Hampson or both who wrote it. 

The writer called Clark "self-promoting," twice. 

Rather than penning a letter about what should happen, it appears Ms. Clark needs to learn how to lead within the role she's been appointed to.

It's not a letter, it's an op-ed in the newspaper of record in Seattle.

And this comment writer blames OTHER boards for using up time to correct budget "woes." 

Ms. Clark needs to learn the lessons that school boards across the country have - frankly that new board members are often over-eager and need time to learn how to be effective leaders. 

In other words, sit down, shut up and get with the program. 

Tomorrow night could see fireworks or a smackdown or maybe Rankin will just ignore any director she disagrees with. That's her leadership.