A Quickie This and That, November 15, 2025

First, I was looking over the district calendar and saw two items in December worth noting.  

1) The new Board members will be installed on December 3, 2025 at a Special Board meeting, starting at 4:30 pm. 

2) I took a count of days (including weekends) for the Winter Break. It comes out to 16 days because somehow, there will be three weekends in this break. Good luck, parents. 

3) The Seattle Times had an editorial entitled: 

Philanthropy done right for the benefit of WA kids

The Washington Legislature’s commitment to our youngest residents, while well-intended, has faltered in recent years as lawmakers prioritize other spending. This editorial page has long lamented that trend, and now finally some soul-raising good news on that front from philanthropy — with teeth.

On Wednesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson unveiled a new partnership between Washington and philanthropists at the Ballmer Group to expand early childhood education. Founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, the foundation will pay for up to 10,000 more low-income children in the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, known as ECEAP.

Near-term, the partnership rescues ECEAP after repeated cutbacks made by state lawmakers. Looking further out, the Ballmers’ investment could reverberate for generations, improving more children’s school trajectory, their adult lives and, ultimately, the state’s economy.

That’s the stated aim of philanthropy, to deploy private money in ways that make a difference to society. But it doesn’t always happen. Often, foundations fund pet projects for a limited time, then move on to something else.

So this offering by the Ballmer Group means more stable funding. However, there is also this brilliant part:

But there’s a catch: If the Legislature cuts one dollar of existing money for ECEAP, the Ballmers’ grant evaporates. 

That’s leverage, using private money in a savvy way to improve public policy.

I agree. While I think it might be better overall to tax the rich but this is still a good thing.  

4) One thing I noticed recently while listening to a Board meeting - they stopped doing the pledge of allegiance. Thinking about it, that might have been during the Hampson Board years. I assume the land acknowledgment is the substitute but it's hard to know why when the Board itself doesn't acknowledge it (at least not to my memory). Does it matter?

Lastly, I know quite well that I am not "on the ground" in Seattle. I also know that I am not an SPS parent any longer. 

But I'm the ONLY one who covers all this stuff. 

There is probably no one outside JSCEE who  reads the BEX/BTA committee minutes but me and Chris Jackins. 

There is no one who covers nearly every single meeting, gavel to gavel, but me and Jackins. And I even do a write-up of the highlights or live blog. 

Because public education has become such a larger issue nationally, I've covered state and federal stories for years.  I even went to hear Betsy DeVoss speak.

So when I read elsewhere that "no one" is covering public education in Seattle, I get beyond miffed or annoyed. I get upset.

I do welcome and applaud all the current activist SPS parents out there. 

But I would appreciate the mention that I've been doing this work for a very long while.  I rarely see that happen and it's insulting. 

You know who you are. Do better.