KUOW Week in Review: Oh My!

Sometimes KUOW's Week in Review gets the right combination of guests who actually know something about public education. This week was one of those times. 

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with writer and editor Sarah Anne Lloyd, Seattle Times Claudia Rowe, and political and public affairs consultant Sandeep Kaushik.

Public disclosure:  I know and have spoken upon occasion with both Rowe and Kaushik about public education.

Host Radke started the show talking about Seattle Schools (and the entire discussion around schools goes to about the 25 minute mark). He referenced the $94M deficit that SPS is facing, that SPS originally wanted to close 20 schools and now it's down to five. He added that no matter the number of schools closed that the district would still have to do belt-tightening in the form of transportation changes, staffing, etc. 

Rowe jumped in and said, "(it's) something of a game of chicken, freak people out with a big scary number of schools and no real plan and (then) scale back to 5 and it feels like parents win.” She did err in saying that all Option Schools are open to all. Option Schools operate within a "geozone" in each region. 

Lloyd said what stood out to her was the closing of K-8 schools and it "seemed short-sighted and backwards" and that it limited choices. 

Kaushik mused on the factors that got the district to this decision and that they had been "cooking it behind the scenes" for a long time. He said it may partly have been "a misguided approach to equity by some Board members."

It was pointed out that State Superintendent Reykdal has said that large districts shouldn't be running elementary schools with less than 300 students. 

Radke said that it seemed that people didn't want cookie cutter schools. He offered the question - what if the district left the Option schools but still closed 20 neighborhood elementary schools?

I have to say I had not considered this option but boy, would it tear a hole in the fabric of the district. And, as Kaushik said, even closing 20 schools was not going to fully solve the deficit.

He also said what many of us believe to be true - closing five elementary schools would NOT be the end of school closures in Seattle Schools.

Rowe questioned why there is seemingly zero attempt to woo back parents by making the district more attractive. She also said another thing that we know to be true - some kids do better in a smaller school.

Kaushik pointed that research on school closures has shown that there are long-term academic consequences to some students. 

He then asked a rhetorical question, "Does the district want the better-off parents to leave?" And voiced the answer that he thought was the district's, "Let 'em go!" He added that he thinks their "approach is all wrong."

Rowe added that it was puzzling that the district does not try to ask parents why they leave. She seemed to be wondering out loud if there was some other reason for the district's behavior that was not being revealed to the general public.

Both Rowe and Kaushik spoke of expanding opportunities and Lloyd added that they should not be getting rid of options or opportunities. 

The panelists briefly touched on the cost-of-living raise that Superintendent Brent Jones is to receive. Then Kaushik dropped this bomb - "Knives are out to get rid of Jones and some of the provisions built into this contract could potentially be teeing that up." Rowe said that with those provisions, "the Board actually has to act."

Radke pointed out that Jones didn't cause enrollment to drop and Rowe agreed saying he "didn't do it himself but he also did nothing to attract back parents." She also mentioned that he presented a plan that surprised the Board with its lack of detail.

Kaushik came back again saying he didn't think that is "driving the tension between the Superintendent and head of the Board. There’s this whole - SOFG - framework for how they operate." He said the previous SB "chair" and now this one are “devoted” to this framework model. He said it was an "Us versus them feeling, like a cult."

Radke had a one word reaction - "Wow."

Kaushik went on and said that he didn't think the Superintendent was entirely sold on SOFG and there may be some tension in that between him and the Board. 

Rowe explained that SOFG was catching on throughout the nation including in San Francisco.

Kaushik mentioned how, under SOFG, the Board got rid of most committees including Finance, adding ruefully that might have been one committee they needed given the circumstances. 

Zing!

Rowe said SOFG is "big picture policy thinking" and so acts above the running of the district. She added that she thought money is "big picture" as is the superintendent. She also questioned if there had been any good outcomes for SPS from using this governance.

Well that was interesting.