This and That, July 15, 2025

Update: more good news via SPS Facebook:

Big congratulations to Roosevelt and Lincoln High Schools' (teams) for taking top honors at the 2025 Washington State Envirothon, hosted by King Conservation District at Camp Kirby on Samish Island!

Roosevelt claimed 1st place overall, earning the highest score in Aquatic Ecology.
Lincoln took 2nd place, standing out with top scores in Wildlife, Forestry, and Oral Presentation, proving their strength across multiple environmental science disciplines.

With over 50 students from 11 schools competing, these teams showcased not only their knowledge, but their passion and leadership in environmental stewardship. Congratulations!

end of update

Let's start with some good news. 

From the Westside Seattle:

West Seattle High School music teacher Ethan Thomas was honored with a shout-out from Barry Manilow during Manilow's July 12th concert in Seattle. Manilow also awarded Thomas $10,000 from the Manilow Music project. Manilow read from the stage:

"Let me just read you what he wrote. His quote, "I am most proud," he says, "of watching my students enter our music program and then become the outstanding leaders and people." How wonderful, wonderful. It's our honor to celebrate you, Ethan. So, let's give a hand. Let's give a hand to our teacher right here in Seattle, Ethan Thomas. Stand up, Ethan. Look at that. Let's go. That's great. High five my view so much. That's great, Ethan. Thanks. We're all so proud of you. That's great, Ethan. Thank you for your commitment."

Sad news from The Seattle Times:

Ballard High School student, 15, dies in 50-foot fall at Gas Works Park

Mattheis Johnson, 15, was attending an “outdoor pop-up concert” at the park when he accidentally fell, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser created for his family. 

In an email to Ballard High School students and their families on Saturday, school principal Abby Hunt said Johnson’s death came as “an unexpected shock to all those who knew him.” The teen participated in Ultimate Frisbee, concert choir, garment club, and track and field, the email said.

As to the danger at hand:

Johnson is at least the third person since 2012 to die after climbing one of the structures at the 19-acre park, which was once the site of a major coal gasification plant on the northern shoreline of Lake Union.

Seattle Parks and Recreation announced in May 2023 that it was replacing the fencing and gates around the park’s towers to make it harder for people to access them because “they are not safe to climb on.” The agency also said it would put in place “enhanced enforcement and monitoring measures” after the new fencing was installed, but did not describe what that entailed.

A spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation did not immediately respond to inquiries on Monday.

I also note that the Times has an editorial with their endorsements for August 5 election but they have yet to weigh in on a couple of Seattle School Board races. They have endorsed Janis White in District 5. 

I see that the Seattle School Board canceled a special meeting they were to have today. I missed seeing that agenda so it's not clear what it was about. They are having one on Wednesday, July 30th but time/location/topic is not available. 

I also note that the Board had their regular Board meeting on July 2nd. You would assume the next Board meeting - a month later - would be on August 6. It is not. It is all the way on Wednesday, August 27th, exactly one week before school starts. Hmmm.

In national news, the US Supreme Court ruled that a lower court ruling that about 1400 Department of Education employees should be reinstated is to be paused. From CBS News:

The high court granted a request from the Trump administration to lift for now the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun, which blocked the mass layoffs at the Education Department. A federal appeals court rejected a bid to pause that decision while the Justice Department appealed, after which it sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court.

The decision to lift the stay was 6 to 3, with the majority saying the lower court's injunction would be paused while the case works its way through the appeals process. 

A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, teachers unions and the Somerville and Easthampton school districts sued the Trump administration, arguing that the president and McMahon are unlawfully attempting to reorganize the Department of Education without authorization from Congress.

 

Also to note, the National Center for Education Statistics will be unable to do its job without the Department of Education. 

From K-12 Dive:

“It is impossible for three, five, or even a dozen people to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of NCES or to fully inform policymakers, educators, and the American public of the condition of education,” Carr said in a July 14 statement. “What has occurred is a quiet, devastating shutdown and decimation of a critical national institution.” Carr’s intention to issue a statement on the situation was first reported earlier Monday by The Hechinger Report.

States and districts will lose their ability to compare education data as a result of the administration’s decimation of NCES, she said. With the lack of data, the nation will also be unable to measure whether education policy changes are effective.

 

From ABC News:

About two dozen state attorneys general and Democratic governors sued the Trump administration on Monday for withholding more than $6 billion in federal funds for several education programs nationwide.

The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 says Congress must consider and review executive branch withholdings of budget authority, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The law requires the president to report any withholdings promptly to Congress.

Federal aid for schools is typically allocated each year on July 1, but aid was paused on June 30 in an ongoing programmatic review of education funding, according to a Department of Education memo sent to Congress obtained by ABC News.

"If the courts don't act promptly, the consequences will be dire," Jackson warned, arguing that districts face immediate harm as the school year approaches.

To be clear - these are funds ALREADY allocated to states and funds that districts have already put into their budgets for this school year. This is a pause, not a cut, but when those funds will be released is unclear.

The pause has so far included Title II-A grants for effective educator instruction, Title IV-B grants for after-school programming, Title IV-A grants for student support, Title III-A funding for English Language Acquisition, Title I-C funding for Migrant Education and grants for adult education, according to the department's memo to Congress.

Jackson and state education leaders around the country believe vulnerable students will bear the brunt of any delayed funding. Alabama, California, and Washington state's education chiefs slammed the review, saying they haven't been given a timetable on when it might be completed. OMB has not said when it will make a decision.

Included in the coalition of 24 states and District of Columbia is Washington State.