This and That, November 8, 2024

 Update:

So the Seattle Times parsed out something that I missed in the district's announcement about community meetings for the potentially closing schools.

Without openly saying it, the district seems to be saying ONLY members of that school community should attend.

These meetings are to support the individual impacted school communities.  

We want to make sure the impacted families have the chance to fully understand the recommendation, ask questions, and share ideas for how we could implement a potential closure and consolidation with care and support. 

SPS will host more engagement opportunities for the broader community.

I certainly think only members of that school community should be the ones to speak up at any given meeting. However, there may be parents from other schools - like the potential consolidation schools - who want to learn more NOW. I don't think any parents should be held at arm's length for information by the district. Again, this will affect the entire district. 

This is part and parcel of a classic Seattle Schools edict - You're on a need to know basis; we'll tell you what we think you need to know when we think you need to know it. 

End of update

 

 A couple of asks from me:

- Did anyone attend the online levies meetings? I was at the first one but I'd be interested in feedback about what questions got asked at the other meetings.

 

- Also, I know that the West Seattle Blog will do an excellent job in covering the Sanislo Community Meeting on closure on Tuesday the 12th. But did anyone attend the one at Sacajawea last night? Any thoughts if you did? 

The next two meetings are Stevens Elementary on Friday, Nov 15th at Stevens and North Beach Elementary on Monday, November 18th. Both start at 6 pm. (Who schedules a meeting with parents on a Friday night? Sigh.)

The districtwide online meeting on closures will be on Thursday, November 14th. There is no link available yet. 

 

- Did anyone attend the BEX/BTA Capital Programs Oversight Committee meeting on Friday? No agenda available.

 

- Gotta say, that Tuesday, November 19th Board meeting is likely to be pretty action-packed.  No agenda yet.

 

From KUOW, What the election means for school funding in Washington state

Voters resoundingly defeated an effort to repeal the capital gains tax on the state's wealthiest residents. It's funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into education, from pre-K to college, and funds two state programs that help low- and moderate-income families find child care.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson sailed to victory in the governor’s race. During his campaign, he pledged to dedicate a greater share of the state's budget to schools.

At a debate in September, Ferguson pointed out that the percentage of the state's operating budget going to K-12 education has decreased in recent years, to about 44%. Ferguson said he wants to bring it back up to half.

Incumbent state Superintendent Chris Reykdal has declared victory in his race for a third term. Earlier this fall, he said he plans to ask lawmakers to inject nearly $3 billion more into public schools.

"I think it's time for all of us — in a bipartisan way, across the state, and every community — to recommit to schools in our state," Reykdal said. 

From reader Stuart:

All the 2024 school measures in King County are failing. He also notes that a levy lift in Des Moines for police is also failing. 

However in districts where students do well - Issaquah and Lake Washington - their levies are passing handily.

 

- From the Chalkbeat blog on what might come next at a federal level for public education.

Chalkbeat spoke to advocates, experts, and former education department officials about what to expect from the next administration. 

They widely agreed that President Joe Biden’s Title IX rewrite, which extended new protections for transgender students and is currently tied up in the courts, will be repealed, that civil rights enforcement will look very different, and that future education budgets will be more austere.

Many said they do not expect to see federal policy focused on improving education, even as students are still struggling to recover from the wide-ranging effects of pandemic school closures, chronic absenteeism remains high, and many students graduate poorly prepared for college or skilled jobs.

“We are getting ourselves into a position where we are seriously under-educating large, large numbers of students,” said Thomas Toch, the founding director of FutureEd, a think tank based at Georgetown University. “It’s almost at a crisis point.” But Toch doesn’t expect leadership from a Trump administration.

But

Arguably this has been Trump’s most consistent promise on education policy, but also the one that seems most far-fetched to some political observers. Conservatives have talked about getting rid of the department for almost as long as it’s existed, and Trump didn’t make any moves to dismantle it in his first administration.

This is true. He had uber-right public education advocate (and billionaire) Betsy DeVos as his Secretary of Education and he couldn't exactly turn her out.

Immigration enforcement could ripple through school communities. An estimated 4.4 million American children have at least one undocumented parent, and some former Trump immigration officials have suggested that families be deported together.

Even if enforcement is spotty, changes to federal policy have the potential to sow confusion and chaos in local communities, said Janelle Scott, a professor at University of California Berkeley. Some families may keep children home from school out of fear, she said. The messages that local law enforcement and school district officials send to families in this situation could make a difference.

Trump’s first administration also revoked Obama-era guidance on school discipline that aimed to reduce suspensions and expulsions for students of color and emphasized quick resolution of complaints. Some conservative groups have also used civil rights complaints to go after programs that aim to support Black student excellence or mentor teachers of color.

Voters in three states — including two that Trump won by large margins — rejected school choice at the ballot on Tuesday, indicating that even many conservatives have qualms about spending public money on private schools.