Seattle Schools This Week, May 12-16, 2025

The Board is having several important meetings this week.

First, on Tuesday, the 13th, they will be having a Work Session  from 5:00-6:30 pm on the superintendent search. Here's the agenda with little info except that it will be available for viewing on YouTube. It may be the first meeting where we see reps from the search firm, HYA. (Update: here's the link to the job posting at HYA for Seattle Superintendent. As well, here's the link for the Associate at HYA that is leading the search.)

Next, on Wednesday, the 14th, the Board will have an executive session about an employee. Given that word on the street is that Director Liza Rankin is keen to exit current superintendent, Brent Jones, and install an internal interim, it may be about Jones. However, I just don't think the majority of the Board would go for that. 

After that executive session, there will be the monthly Board meeting. Here's the agenda. 

Of interest:

- There will be two reports on Guardrail One: Engagement and Guardrail Two: Operations. 

For Engagement, there is this:

The Board is implementing a robust plan and strategy for community engagement. It will be important for the Board and staff to coordinate and align where possible. This will also allow the district to communicate to families and community members the various modes, issues, and levels of administration with which they can and will engage.

They also seem to throw a bit of shade over the "well-resourced schools" idea saying SPS "did not transition to a system of well-resourced schools" but got valuable feedback from families during the process. Wonder what term they use for the current system of schools. 

For Operations, they include Board member questions but the questions seem to relate to academics rather than operations. 

As well:

Artificial Intelligence Integration:

To meet the rising demand for AI capabilities in education, DoTS has established an AI Focus Group. This initiative seeks to responsibly leverage AI to enrich student learning experiences and optimize instructional practices, with a strong emphasis on ethical use and safeguarding the privacy of our students and employees.

 

Among the items that have rolled into the single vote Consent agenda, is renewal and expansion of the Check Yourself questionnaire for student mental health. They are expanding its use from all of the middle schools plus Franklin High and Ingraham High to include all the comprehensive high schools.

I have written for years, here and here and here, about the questionable creation of this document and I again say that it's invasive. Interesting thing is that now - probably because of student complaints - they note that students are spaced apart when they fill it out AND they don't get called, if necessary, out of the class that they took it in. This because students said other students were peering over their shoulders, trying to read answers to highly sensitive questions. 

I foresee a lawsuit someday from a family whose child took this questionnaire. It doesn't matter if parents and/or kids can opt out; frankly, I'd be very upset if I knew my child had taken it without talking to me about it first. The school will know personal information on the student that parents may not know (and should). Parents are only notified if the student presents as a possibility of self-harm or harm to others or if recommended for more high-level counseling.

The district is buying a warehouse, just down the street from JSCEE, for $12.5M for facilities, maintenance, and grounds operation "for maintenance, storage and repair."  But other spending on the building will be needed for it to meet district standards for use. This will free up about 100 parking spaces at JSCEE. 

There will be an Enrollment update but no documentation attached yet. As well, there will be a presentation on the Strategic Plan; that presentation is embedded in the meeting agenda.