Readers/Parents, What Do YOU Think? (Updated 7/17)

Update:

KUOW joins this chorus about when a new superintendent might come AND gets a big quote from Board president Gina Topp.

First, she's all "participation" and "process" "and that we really care about who's leading our public schools here. If we need to take some more time to make sure that we get this right and do this right, we're going to do that."

Okay. It's stated that she could not predict a date for a new superintendent and...

"There could be a candidate we like and they can start two weeks later. Or maybe the right candidate can't start until January or June," Topp said. "Is that acceptable, and is that what the board wants to do moving forward? I think those will have to be conversations the board has when we get to that point."

Oh my.

If the right candidate can't get here until Jan or June, then the Board should just extend the application process into November and get a much bigger (and possibly better) pool of candidates.

She mentions the meeting on July 30th where the Board will discuss this situation.

At the July 30 meeting, Topp said the board will also get an update from the superintendent search firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, on key takeaways and themes from community engagement efforts.

"I can't speak for other board directors. I don't know where they are on the issue and want to make sure we have an opportunity to have that conversation in public," Topp said. "However, I do think Acting Superintendent Podesta is doing a good job and I would like to see him continue in that role as we look for a new leader."

Well, they are going to discuss this in public but not at a meeting where the public can weigh in.

There's a little discussion in the story about Podesta and that he might possibly want to stay on. I have not seen that fire in Mr. Podesta and I really doubt he wants the headaches that go with being superintendent.

There were two other language specific meetings mentioned:

The board will also host virtual single-language engagement sessions in Amharic at 4:30 p.m. July 22, and in Spanish at 7 p.m. July 25.

end of update

 

The Seattle Times is reporting this:

New Seattle school superintendent unlikely by start of school year

Here's their reasoning:

Seattle Public Schools is unlikely to have a new permanent superintendent when school starts in September, now that the period for the public to weigh in on the search has been extended at least through Aug. 4.

School Board President Gina Topp said given the revised timeline to hear from the community — including a new round of meetings and time needed to analyze the feedback after a survey closes on Aug. 4 — Seattle schools probably will not have named a new superintendent by the start of the new school year on Sept. 3. 

That’s also outgoing Superintendent Brent Jones’ last official day. Acting Superintendent Fred Podesta’s tenure also ends that day.

Podesta, who is still the district’s chief operations officer, said Monday that he is committed to serving Seattle Public Schools in whatever way the board determines is best. Jones is on medical leave and will remain on leave through his last day with the school system. What comes next?

Topp said the board will have to consider the next steps, including whether to offer Podesta the opportunity to continue leading the district until it finds Jones’ permanent replacement or offer the interim post to someone else.

Now the Times says the Board has "a meeting" on July 30th but the Board, oddly, doesn't have an actual Board meeting until August 27th. That is well over a month from the July one. Why are those Board meetings so far apart at such an urgent time?

I say this because while citizens can come and listen in on the "special meetings," (or watch on tv), the public can give no input.  All this "we want to hear from you but only in our tightly restricted fashion" is getting old. As has been pointed out, the survey had zero open-ended questions which is a bad sign. 

I say keep Podesta. There is zero reason to change horses now. And, the Board would have to find an internal interim at this late day and it has been reported that many of those who took the survey said they did NOT want an internal candidate.

Director Sarah Clark said the board has some time before it decides whether to hire an interim superintendent. 

What time? She's not a serious person if she thinks this. 

Clark said she also wants to avoid recent history where an interim superintendent was appointed to the permanent job and the search was abandoned. 

Well, good on that one.

You have a couple more opportunities to weigh in .

Micah Ali, an associate with the search firm, said he planned a new push in mid-July to work with ecumenical and community-based groups. Those meeting dates have not yet been published, but two new communitywide meetings were posted on the district’s website late last week. They are scheduled for July 25 at 6 p.m. at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in North Seattle and July 26 at 3 p.m. at South Shore K-8 in South Seattle.

And look at that! Finally one in the north end of the city. 

Topp said sessions are planned for Native American families, and communities whose home languages are Spanish, Vietnamese and Amharic. There will also be a session for Black families. Each session will be held in conjunction with a community-based organization or another group, she said.  

Ali acknowledged at the July 2 school board meeting that the timeline would “slip” with the extension of the community input period, but not in a way that would hurt the firm’s ability to recruit a highly qualified superintendent.

In response to a question from Director Liza Rankinabout whether he’d find a candidate for Seattle, he responded: “Absolutely, unequivocally.”

“We’re going to find somebody for this exceptional school system,” he said. “Sept. 1, Sept. 3, Sept. 30 — arbitrary dates. The objective here is to capture voice.”

Let me give you some thoughts.

1) Sadly, Superintendent Jones left at an inopportune time (or was forced out). Will SPS be getting the leftovers who didn't get selected during the usual time of year for superintendent searches? This is a big question.

2) Please join me in praying that the Board does not pick someone just to fill the post. 

3) When Director Michelle Sarju said, quite awhile back now, that she felt the Board should wait for the newly elected Board (after the November election), I could see her point. However, there could be up to four new people who have never been on the Board before and I think it implausible for them to get up to speed to make such a momentous decision. 

4) I would think this situation certainly will be favorable to any candidate that the Board really wants in terms of salary and benefits. 

Readers, what do YOU think?