Nepotism in Seattle Schools

Update:

Following a scandal at Aki Kurose Middle School, apparently the district has pulled the principal, Caine Lowery who leaves Aki for a promotion to Central Office to support/train/guide principals. Hmm.

I also note that former Rainier View Elementary principal Anitra Jones, who was removed from that school, still doesn't show up on the staff roster at Rainier Beach High School where it was stated she would be. Where is she? Who knows? 

end of update

 

This is going to be a difficult post to write because it is sad to see what looks like a norm now at JSCEE. The norm I speak of is largely an occurrence with principals as well as JSCEE senior staff. I also know that this is not going to surprise most who works at JSCEE.

The norm I'm referring to is the one where some personnel have personal connections within the district that sees them moving between jobs and even getting promoted based on those relationships. In short, nepotism. 

This district is risk-adverse when it comes to personnel. They are deathly afraid of being sued for any kind of "wrongful termination" and tend to crumble if challenged. You do that enough and employees realize they can do almost anything and not fear any repercussions. 

I would also venture to say that if people are employed at JSCEE long enough, they tend to see many damning occurrences. Meaning, if their job gets threatened, they know where bodies are buried and use that info to protect themselves. 

I am going to name names. I tried writing this without names and it seemed hopelessly muddled. 


What has finally spurred me to action are two things - the moving of Principal Anitra Jones to Rainier Beach High School after her removal as principal at Rainier View Elementary School because of her demonstrated actions against staff and complaints from families.  

Ms. Jones is now one of three assistant principals at RBHS, a school that has under 900 students. Only the larger high schools have three. For a district worried about finances, that seems absurd.  

The other reason I can name is that this district has made the job of head of HR available to people who have no background in it. I believe this is why there are revolving door personnel issues. The current head of HR, Sarah Pritchett, has moved from job to job to job in SPS. She has no background in HR and neither did the person before her (Noel Treat who at least was a lawyer). 

It is also hard to know - for certain - if personnel found to have violated a district policy or state law are ever truly held accountable. The district will tell you, "it's a personnel issue" and I would venture to guess that protection of union folks and principals is in their contracts. But, what about the people who should have had oversight of the accused, where is the accountability for THEIR actions or lack thereof?


Naturally, all of us end up with connections at the place we work. And sometimes family and friends looking for work might ask about any kind of openings there. That's fine. Plus, many times families do work in the same industry. But there seems to be at SPS, some cliques of people who share outside relationships that appear to help/protect their employment. 

Not one of these in of itself is necessarily odd but when you can draw a Venn diagram among people and their relationships, you see an interesting pattern.

You do wonder if some of the job announcements even see the light of day or does someone "know somebody" for the job at hand? It appears so. When issues arise, do the wagons get circled to protect people? It appears so.

I do want to say in advance that I KNOW these people care deeply about students. 

 

#1

We have a senior-level staffer (formerly a principal) who has a principal brother-in-law. The principal brother-in-law seemed unaware of a major situation at the school that he led that recently came to light. What is also troubling is that when this senior staffer was himself a principal, he seemed to have many serious incidents at his school and yet nothing ever stuck in terms of him being held responsible for lack of oversight. 

How can you be a principal and yet not be held to account for what happens in the school you run? 

Those two people are Ted Howard, originally hired as "Assistant Superintendent of Strategy and Climate" who is now "Chief Accountability Officer" and Joe Powell (now removed and on leave from Alan T. Sugiyama High School. ) The irony of Howard being an "accountability officer is not lost on me. The incident in question for Principal Powell was covered in this story from KUOW.


#2

There are some staffers who go way back, all the way to high school and those would be Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Sarah Pritchett and Rainier Beach High School principal Annie Patu.

There are several female staffers who all belong to the same sorority. Those would be Executive Director Katrina Hunt, Principal Chanda Oatis, Principal Anitra Jones, and Sarah Pritchett.

Two of them - Katrina Hunt and Chanda Otis -  are actual sisters. The two of them tried to protect a math teacher, James Johnson, who had been taken out of his previous school because of bullying and assaulting students. Story from KUOW. It's a shocking story to read because of what Hunt and Otis are stated as having said and done.


#3

There is a relatively new senior hire, young without much experience, who seems to have been hired based on a relationship with a former senior staffer. 

The former senior staffer is Rob Gannon who worked with Superintendent Brent Jones when both were at King County. Gannon worked in SPS as Deputy Superintendent from May 2021 to about May 2022. ( He now works as Library Director of Administrative Services at the downtown library.) 

The new senior staffer is Eric Guerci who is named as "Deputy Chief of Staff" right under Bev Redmond who is Chief of Staff. Apparently, Gannon is friends with Guerci's family. I would be willing to bet this was not an advertised job opportunity.

Guerci is currently handling a $125,000 grant from the Casey Foundation for "eliminating opportunity gaps" per the Strategic Plan. 

 

#4

This one is difficult because it involves a family deeply rooted in community in Seattle. Several of them are employed by SPS or work for orgs that do business with SPS. Again, nothing is wrong with a family being in the same business. 

But when they are clustered together and then there seems to be ongoing issues, you wonder what is going on. 

I first want to say that I have the utmost of respect and admiration for Betty Patu and her late husband, Von Paul. Betty served on the Board for 8 years and was voted president for a term. Both of them cared about kids in their community and their lives were devoted to that service.

So it's not a surprise that their adult children are part of that line of community service as well. Two of their children, Annie and Virginia, work at Rainier Beach High School. Annie has been named as the permanent principal (after being an assistant principal and teacher). Virginia Bathea serves as the Community Engagement & Oversight Manager for the RBHS rebuild.

Betty, Annie, and Virginia all serve on the RBHS School Design Advisory Team for the school rebuild. (Also on the team is Director Brandon Hersey. I have never before seen a board member on any one school design team. Weird.) 

What is odd here is that Annie says on her LinkedIn page that she has been at Rainier Beach HS as an assistant principal since July 2016. But, in a story at the South Seattle Emerald from July 2024 about happenings at Rainier Beach HS, this is stated:

Coaching inspired Patu to become a teacher, and it was at RBHS that she first started teaching. After a few years, she was laid off due to budget cuts and went on to teach in Tacoma for eight years.

Patu again returned to Beach as an administrative intern, and then went on to be an assistant principal at Franklin High School for four years. When the pandemic hit, she came back to Beach and served as assistant principal for two years, then worked as an administrator at Kentridge High School in Kent. That was her last position before landing in the role of principal at Beach.  

She worked in two other school districts in her education work history. Why not say this on LinkedIn? It's not even close to what she told the South Seattle Emerald. It sure doesn't make a lot of sense. 

Virginia is married to long-time (and long-winning) RBJHS boys basketball coach, Mike Bethea. The gym at the new RBHS building is likely to be named for him. 

Betty and Von Paul also have a son, Paul, who started a community group - Urban Family - with his wife, Shantel. The non-profit provides family and youth programs. 

Which brings me the difficult part. There is another daughter, Matelita (Marty) who is married to Mandel Jackson. Marty has also followed the family tradition of service to her community especially in times of great stress within it. She was the director of SE Network SafetyNet, a community group in the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. Sadly, that is no longer the case. From the Seattle Times, October 4, 2024:

Fourteen people were indicted in federal court Wednesday in connection with a multistate fentanyl drug trafficking organization, including the executive director of SE Network SafetyNet, a community group that is part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County.

Matelita, or Marty, Jackson, a fixture in South Seattle, is a well-known violence prevention advocate who has frequently called for alternative pathways and opportunities to help steer children and young adults away from gang culture and gun violence. Often one of the first responders to sites of shootings to help de-escalate tensions, she also hosts community healing spaces in the wake of violence.

She was indicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle for allegedly laundering money, though court records did not detail the extent of her involvement. Also facing drug trafficking charges are her husband Mandel Jackson, 50, and her two children and stepchild, Marquis, 31, Miracle, 22, and Markell, 21.

According to the indictment, federal agents allegedly intercepted Marty Jackson in the background of a phone call between Mandel and Marquis Jackson before and after a deal involving fentanyl pills. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges Marty Jackson laundered money through structured deposits and by using her account as a “pass-through” between members of the drug trafficking organization.

Marty Jackson, 49, was arraigned Wednesday and pleaded not guilty, according to federal court records. She was released from federal detention Wednesday and remains subject to pretrial supervision.

She does not have any prior criminal history, U.S. attorneys noted. According to charging papers, her husband does have a past criminal history.

The SE Network had been receiving money from the City's Seattle Community Safety Initiative and that is now being reviewed by Mayor Harrell's office. 

A Department of Justice investigation is very serious stuff. That it involved a group of people of color allegedly selling drugs to another community of color (the Lummi Nation who, in 2023, lost 4 members in fentanyl overdoses in 4 days, including one linked to the Jackson group) is very troubling.

The SE Network isn't listed on the King County Boys & Girls Clubs page any longer.

In August of 2024, Ms Jackson wrote an op-ed for the Seattle Times decrying violence in her neighborhood that occurred during a weekly SE Network event. 

It's sad all around. 

I note that this is the second event around King County Boys & Girls Clubs in SPS in six months. I think in both cases that not only were SPS staff not paying attention but probably the KCB&GC needs to do a real review of their personnel and programs. 


In conclusion, at the very least you might have good candidates who might not even get the chance to interview for some jobs (like the Deputy Chief of Staff one). At the most, you may have people who will allow their judgment to be clouded for friends and family.

It's getting harder to ignore these patterns.

Comments

SPS teacher said…
Thank you for this post. As a teacher at one of the alternative schools in the district (based in the SE) I wondered about the connections that exist between some of the people in power. Re: #2 in your post, another sorority sister is Sharonda Willingham, principal of Interagency Academy. Last year, she, Katrina Hunt, and Sarah Pritchett forced out a beloved and effective assistant principal of Interagency. Dr. Jones knew about this and did not intervene. It is widely known in the school that Principal Willingham rarely visits the various Interagency sites under her watch and spends an inordinate amount of time with district people instead of actively leading her own staff.
Anonymous said…
Good recap. However, what are we going to do? I will tell you what I will do: watch and be quiet because I don’t want to lose my job and Sarah Pritchett is scary. I need to provide for my family and it kills me she can do what she wants because Brent Jones will let her get away with anything.Nobody wants to cross her and end up like Principal Catherine Brown, fired after decades of service. She did get a settlement but you cannot put a price on the humiliation she had to endure.
I am at central office so I cannot comment on the Patu stuff, I dont know them. I know Anitra was useless here at central office so they had to find a place for her. Like you said, in a district with financial problems, this only makes sense if leadership is corrupt.
About Guerci. No idea what he does but he is definitely a favor hire. I don’t know where his office is but I would imagine it in the restricted wing. The only time I see him is out in larger meetings, or board meetings. He seems bored, distant, just playing with his hair. This is what SPS hires to make decisions about our kids.
I would leave SPS if I could. But I need the salary and medical benefits. So I just put my head down and be quiet. It is sad.

Working Dad
Working Dad, I did not use the word corrupt but you can. I see a district that has cliques that no superintendent cares to address. In this present day, I would say Jones is also using nepotism so the issue won’t be addressed.
Anonymous said…
Thank you for posting this. It is hard to read, but it is important to know. As long as our District isn't trustworthy and operates without basic integrity, it will suffer financially. Trust is the wind at a public institution's back-- if there is trust, everything is a lot easier. When there is no trust, the board and staff are walking into the wind. Families trying to advocate for their kids face the same storm. School board members, if you are reading this, start with trustbuilding. That means it is time to clean the house.

Knowing the school board members might not be reading this-- or may be reading this and thinking that this too shall pass, what are we concerned members of our community to do? Much like our federal system, at what point do we say that we reached our limit with public corruption?

There is an ethics investigation going on. It is being conducted by an outside person, as I understand it, so maybe more needs to be shared with them.

Clean house
Anonymous said…
Ugh. SPS is an absolute swamp that needs to be drained and flushed out to sea. I can't believe Seattle voters continue to fund this corruption via those billion dollar levies. Central Office needs to be eliminated! What a bunch of grifters!
Nepotism? Corruption? Nah, this is Trumpism at it's absolute worse, the group of people you talk about with their mixture of pettiness, arrogance, and casual cruelty, doing things because they have the power, going after people because they can. And being rewarded by Seattle voters over and over again! The most cynical aspect is the special way the district is "risk aware" when it comes to this group which is that the likes of Anitra and other are never placed anywhere north of the Ship Canal: imagine if Anitra was at Loyal Heights instead of Rainier View? Would it take as long for her to be removed if those parents complained?
Anonymous said…
I think one person managed to slip through the cracks when mentioning the sorority sisters. Denise Williams.
Anonymous said…
This club of old pals can filter down to the students where exceptions might be given to some populations, and not others. With my student graduating in 2016, she missed the 1/31 deadline for the 2nd of 3 academic PE waivers. There were no reminders sent or late forms allowed. During her senior graduation appointment it wasn’t mentioned. The other counselor sent parents the checklist for graduation by snail mail. Despite her having 7 classes a day and helping co-teach zero period jazz choir with another student, meeting with Mr.Howard about the class, helping keep choir going when the teacher was fired, he didn’t let her walk for graduation. And Ms. Pritchett also did not waver. I was on the phone with her right before the ceremony. Meanwhile coaches were turning in PE waivers so their athletes could walk. As Mr Howard said, she clearly qualifies. Anyway, the summer after her senior year she had to squeeze in 60 hours of supervised athletics to graduate, putting her scholarship and admission to university in jeopardy while she waited for the diploma. She actually started university on Labor Day, the day before we could turn in the hours at GHS. It definitely felt like they were going out of their way to punish her for no reason.
NESeamom
Anonymous said…
Ted Howard as Chief Accountability Officer? I hope that's a joke. Ted Howard has a record of suppressing student media at Garfield, with the blessings from the district. When he first became principal at Garfield in 2011, he stopped a student publications of an unfavorable story on a former principal. He went as far as talking to the newspaper adviser four times. He even went to that teacher's home and demanded access to the student reporters. When is it acceptable for a principal to go to a teacher's home to demand pulling the publication of a student newspaper story.

In 2020, he and his assistant principal also stopped another student story on hazing. This time, he went straight to the students. He told the student reporters that they would be sued. He also talked to his admin staff about stopping the newspaper story because he was directed by the district. His boss at the time was Sarah Pritchett. He specifically talked to the newspaper teacher about the consequences of publishing the story.

In 2019-20 there was a complaint about Ted Howard for sexual harassment and stealing from the money from the basketball games. And there was discrepancy in the money from the til and money deposited in the account. The district's investigation found that there were discrepancies, but believed Ted Howard's underlings' explanation that the difference was due to the change. When did one ever pay for a basketball game in change, and when the small coins amount to the amounts of hundreds of dollars. The district cleared him because Garfield's accounting was so bad. I wonder how much money were missing because Garfield's accounting was so bad for many years.

While under investigations, Ted Howard was not placed on leave, which meant that he was free to exert influence of any employee at Garfield everyday, affecting their testimony. In the end, no one would dare to cross their boss.

There were also complaints of him dress coding female students, touching them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. The district's response was to have Sarah Pritchett have a talk with Ted Howard.

Chief Accountability Officer: Visiting employees at their homes to pressure them is acceptable.

Chances are Ted Howard will be SPS's next superintendent.

Parent of a former Garfield student
David Westberg said…
Jones is using nepotism and the system is currupt.
Odd. She lists her job at SPS on her LinkedIn page. But when I put her name into SPS site as Denise Williams, Denise Williams Saunders or Denise Williams-Saunders, nothing comes up.
Jim Basinski said…
Ech! Sorry to hear of you and your daughter's experience. I suppose that the best that can be said is that your daughter got prepared for bureaucracy, and hopefully her university was relatively more student friendly. The high school six period system does no favors for students who want to take four years each of a foreign language and art/music....
Anonymous said…
I can provide some additional information about Eric Guerci.
The story about Eric being associated with Rob Gannon is correct, but there is more to that story that makes it worse. The story that was provided to me by leadership and those who work in close proximity with Eric is that Rob specifically asked Dr Jones to provide Eric with a job as a favor to him. Eric was then directly appointed by Dr Jones with no interview process or open applications from the public into a position that was invented out of whole cloth with no clear responsibilities. Digging around and looking at SPS salary and positiion guidelines, i found that his salary is likely somewhere between 120,000 and 160,000 a year and should require atleast 10 years of relevant experience.
Eric's only relevent employment history is being paid under the table by an east coast school district that was reprimanded for this action. He is inexperienced, un-tested, and does not have any stake in Seattle or our public education system, having never lived here or been a part of SPS in any capacity before this. The work I've seen him perform personally ranges somewhere between glorified administrative assistant, unqualified copy writer, and needless middle manager that slows project process. The lack of clear position responsibilities and role is further concerning and points to him being just a Dr Jones lacky and yes man.
In SPS's current budget crisis climate, his hiring felt like a slap in the face for teams that are struggling with lay-offs and understaffing issues due to hiring freezes. We have been told for over a year now that there is no money for hiring, but then there is no issue when aninexperienced grad student needs a six figure job as a favor.
I'd encourage others to look into Eric Guerci's background and how little experience he has for the amount of compensation and power he has within the district.
-John Stanford Center district employee
John Stanford Center district employee, this is very much what I have heard as well. That he is getting 6-figures with no real skills is ridiculous and,yes, a slap in the face to other employees.
Anonymous said…
I wish I could say I’m surprised by all this. Dr. Jones’ tenure at Seattle schools prior to this was some made up job in the executive wing where he was then appointed to be the head of HR (also with no experience) after he was accused of intimidating and bullying several African American women (that left the district with settlements).Does this sound familiar? Not only has he surrounded himself with people that don’t have experience and make bad choices, he’s been allowed to do this for several years and run our district into the ground. What other organization would allow their leader to lose 100 MILLION DOLLARS for 3 years in a row? But don’t worry, they took money from central office staff so that he could get a raise! It is shameful. You should do a public records request to see the interview materials from all the sorority appointed positions and see who was on those interview teams and what those scores were. Follow that paper trail and you’ll probably find that nepotism is in full effect.Expect to see more nothingness from SPS. I honestly don’t know why all these things are not being investigated. I guess Dr Jones and company have something to hold over the powers that be…wait…who are the powers that be?
Anonymous said…
https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2024/10/good-news-bad-news.html October 2024 re: Guerci amazing luck he has had at such a young age while SPS struggles with shortages of money.

NESeamom
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
What -John Stanford Center district employee said is true.
Eric Guerci is 24 or 25 years old. Has never taught, never been a paraeducator. He was a student school board member- that’s his only qualification. He sits in meetings and twirls his hair. No one knows what he really does.

Why aren’t major news outlets investigating his appointment, along with the nepotism more deeply?

-Anonymous School Employee
Anonymous said…
Jim, thanks.
She had a great university experience and is now a real music teacher.
NESea mom

Anonymous said…
We are upset and losing focus. A superintendent can pot all kinds of shenanigans. It is THE SCHOOL BOARD that is elected to hold him accountable and evaluate him. And ultimately fire him if he is not performing.
GINA TOPP, PRESIDENT: If you are reading this (I seriously doubt it) WHY WOULD YOU ECTEND HIS CONTRACT?
Sarah Clark, Brandon Hersey, Joe Mizrahi: Why would you vote YES on a contract extension?
I have lost any faith and respect I had for you. You use the right words in your speeches (except Clark that barely ever shows up) but have no back bone. You all need to go and take your superintendent with you.

Get Out
I thought I put through a comment that John Cerqui is still employed with SPS. That is true; he is Deputy General Counsel.

I also want to explain to readers - as I have over and over - I'm trying to not put through anonymous comments. Give yourself a name.

However, I will NOT print any accusations that have no backing data. I had one comment that Principal Anitra Jones had some outlandish salary; I looked it up and her salary is in line with other principals (albeit it seems very high for an elementary principal).

I will also not print comments that are mean just to be mean. Do better.
Anonymous said…
The cronyism is PROFOUND.
Anonymous said…
This thread is a reflection of how we all feel. But is there anything we can do? I am afraid not.
We can blame a lot on the current school board while we praise and get sentimental of the good times when Song And Rivera-Smith “asked the hard questions” or when Eden Mack left “heroically” or wish former members were in charge. Or Leslie Harris with her colorful language. All words. No substance. No action. None of the public servants I mentioned set their foot down for reals, for our students.
The truth is, we are all part of this. Whether we are brave enough to admit to it. I see how problematic it is to Have Guerci as a DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF. What in the world? How did we get here?
Principals are suffering, no guidance, no support, many of them set up for failure (leaders of color get the short end of the stick) while HR continues to place leaders with ZERO consideration of what communities want or need.
So what do we do? Testifying at board meetings doesn’t work. Writing hundreds of emails doesn’t work. Creating petitions doesn’t work. Commiserating online via forums or FB groups doesn’t work.
I get paid by SPS, twice a month. I will remain quiet until I can get out of here.

Working Dad
Anonymous said…
Thank you for exposing the rotten insides at JSCEE. I’d encourage you to look even further to the operations department. Look into Aaron Smith, Director of Nutrition Services and has an enormously long list of complaints against him by women who worked under him is still working there. And why his direct boss principal Marni Campbell was promoted to Executive Director over operations with ZERO operations experience.
Anonymous said…
Key piece of info. SPS removed the anti-HIB(harrasmenr bullying and intimidation) policy against staff in June 2023 approved by the board. Employees can literally VERY LITERALLY not go to HR when they have an issue with another staff including their direct supervisors.
Anonymous said…
I’m not sure what to do. I also work for SPS and I try to ignore the sorority sisters and friends that are getting hired in the district. Anitra can be on the news, bulky yet get a job at JSCEE then transferred to RB, WTH? Pritchett picks and chooses who she wants to save and not save-when will this swamp be drained-the kids are suffering, hire people with experience and knowledge of kids not people that are competing to get the highest checks at the district level. Like the Dad said above, I need the job and I try not to cry daily about the environment I work in. HR is toxic!
Anonymous said…
Yes check the board meeting notes:
https://www.seattleschools.org/board-meetings/school-year/august-2021-july-2022/?_s=Intimidation

“1. Repeal of Board Policy No. 5207, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Approval
of this item would repeal Board Policy No. 5207, Prohibition of Harassment,
Intimidation, and Bullying, so that it may be replaced with a new administrative human
resources guideline governing workplace civility. Board Policy No. 3207, Prohibition of
Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying – Students, would be retained and is not impacted
by this action.
Directors continued discussion of the item.
This motion was approved 3-0-4 (Directors Hersey, Rankin, and Sarju voted yes“

JSCEE staff have two options: quit or get in line.

Also if you do some digging and research on your own you will find that this came conveniently right after a couple of board members were accused and found guilty of harrassment, bullying and retaliation by a JSCEE staff to which Hampson then sued the district if I do recall.

The endless stream of tea…
Anonymous said…
The District will keep corrupt ‘favorite’ employees on payroll (‘administrative leave’) for extended periods of time in lieu of firing them and then will either hire them back when they think everyone has forgotten about the misconduct, in another role (often a promotion). Why you sometimes don’t see their name populate in a search or internal email is because they are hidden behind a department generic email titles like HR@seattleschools…
How much of a dent would it put in the $100 million deficit if they didn’t pay these outrageous salaries for their friends that aren’t actually working. Perhaps them not being outright fired has something to do with insurance or other liability but doesn’t make it any less infuriating or discriminatory to other employees that don’t have family members or friends in ‘leadership’ positions.
Examples: James Johnson, Joe Powell (see kuow article), Patrice Debe, Pat Sanders, Denise Williams, the list goes on and on.
Anonymous said…
Aaron Smith has allegedly been running his own show in the culinary department. From harassment and discrimination to fraud to ethics violations. The district is too lazy to hire a competent person. Will they care when the government uncovers the fraud and misuse of funds?
Anonymous said…
Wow, that is really sneaky.
NESeamom
Anonymous said…
Since we are talking about things that need to be looked into, please, someone look into the special education department at JSCEE. Since special education is going so well in our district, the “leadership” and a lot of the downtown “support staff” decided their job is done and don’t come in to work. Special education staff in buildings do not even know who the directors and executive director of special education are. Program supervisors, who are supposed to support special education staff in each geographic region, change frequently and/or go on leave, and no one is notified of the changes or told who will be the new contact person. We do not know who to reach out to when we have questions or need support. The boots on the ground are powering through and trying to make things work, but it can’t last forever. Things really took a turn for the worse when Rocky Torres took over, so of course he was promoted. There has been so much discussion about special education with the budget and the current legislative session that it makes no sense that the department seems to have no oversight.

-Sad, Maybe Done
Demoralized said…
Possibly true, but there is a civility policy people can invoke if being harassed.
Anonymous said…
Am I the only person that thinks a person that is being investigated for money laundering with alleged ties to a fentanyl ring shouldn't be allowed on school property? Am I the only person that thinks there is something wrong when that person is standing in a SPS gym with Superintendent Brent Jones and Mayor Harrell with a bunch of students? Am I the only person that thinks the principal of the high school shouldn't allow the charged individual on high school property? Am I the only person that thinks anyone with pending criminal trial shouldn't be in the schools until after the outcome of the trial has been determined?

-- Speaking of Nepotism
Anonymous said…
I work at the JSCEE and am terrified of Sarah Pritchett and the chain of sorority sisters from principals at specific schools up through the director of schools and then HR. I have seen them flout SPS policies without challenge or accountability because the cronyism goes all the way up the chain. We have principals that are holding schools hostage with toxic environments despite pleas for help from students and parents and no mechanism for accountability.
Anonymous said…
Like other commenters, I work at JSCEE and don't like what I see. Lower-level departments are understaffed, underpaid, and overworked. Many of us had coworkers cut in the name of the current budget crisis. We must cover their workloads while receiving less pay since we also have to take furlough days. I understand the severity of the budget crisis and the need for cuts. Still, while we take cuts to our shoestring budgets, there is always money for hiring and adding new positions for the higher-ups and their friends, plus money to hand out for contracts that seem unnecessary. How vetted are these contracts? Are they being handed out to friends and past staff, similar to what Keisha Scarlett was doing in St. Louis? Please keep bringing these issues to light, many of us hope for change at JSCEE. I want to see the Seattle Times do a deep investigation into all the shadiness mentioned in your post and in these comments.

-Fed Up SPS Staff Person
Anna said…
That basketball story from KUOW reminds me that I would still like to know what is going on with RHS and the football situation. Seeing the players with a special room (the "Kennel Club"), special snacks, special tutoring services...all at a time of big budget cuts, is really disturbing. I want to know if the allegations about the program are true.
Anonymous said…
As a decades-long SPS employee, it is amazing to see all these truths in print. I keep coming back to this post again and again- I am not a regular follower of this blog, but it is validating to see someone say the quiet part out loud.

I do feel moved to say that Caine Lowery is good people and not connected to the nepotism you mention (which is very real and should absolutely be investigated by a publication with wider reach/capacity). He had plans to exit his principal role long before the situation with the City Year employee transpired.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I need people who want to comment to give themselves any name. Daffy Duck or whatever but I am tired of seeing anonymous comments. If you know why Mr. Lowery left Aki that would be helpful.
Jennifer S said…
He is seeking more work-life balance and more time with his babies!

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