This and That, November 11, 2025

 I missed this and TODAY, the 11th, is the last day to apply.

Seattle Public Schools is starting a School Day Task Force to take a close look at how the school day is organized for all grade levels. This group will review topics like lunch schedules, start and end times, and ways to better support students’ learning, safety, extracurricular activities, and peer connections during the school day. 

We are looking for students, families, teachers, school leaders, and community members from elementary, middle, and high schools to join us in this work. The task force will meet 1-2 times a month from December through May, mostly online. We want to hear your experiences and ideas to help shape recommendations for the future.  

Apply by Tuesday, Nov. 11: School Day Task Force Application 

Thank you for helping us build a better school day experience for every student! 

The district has an announcement on the nomination for Ben Shuldiner to be the next SPS Superintendent. Here's Shuldiner's statement:

“I’m humbled to be selected to serve as the next Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools at this inflection point in the district’s history,” Shuldiner said. “During my tenures as a teacher, as an administrator, and as a leader in national organizations, I’ve seen common values across communities and classrooms. Students, families, and staff are what make them extraordinary. And they expect honesty and transparency so that together we can achieve the most for every young person in our district.”

The district is offering Enrollment Information Sessions, both virtual and in-person, in November, December, and January. 

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How the enrollment process works
• The new Open Enrollment for School Choice lottery timeline
• Understanding Open Enrollment for School Choice options and eligibility

Don’t miss out—let’s make Open Enrollment for School Choice simple and stress-free!

The next regular Board meeting will be Wednesday, November 19th, where I would assume the Board will vote on the Schuldiner as superintendent hire. 

There are a couple of good opinion pieces from The Seattle Times.

The first is by Kate Riley about the Legislature passing a tax bill which, belatedly, school districts have now realized will affect their finances. 

In the waning days of the legislative session, the Democratic revenue-raisers threw some spaghetti against the wall and introduced a bill to expand the state’s sales tax to services. It stuck — and stayed until ESSB 5814 got the votes to pass. 

Part of $9.4 billion in new taxes the Legislature imposed over four years, this law is expected to raise about $1.1 billion. 

This was such a rush job that school district leaders were surprised they would have to pony up the tax on such things as hiring temporary staff, information technology services and live presentations. Education leaders thought they would be exempted, like hospitals.

Since the state is supposed to fully fund basic education — an often-disputed threshold — it’s almost like the state taxing itself.

 

Another is from Bonnie J. Rough, a freelance journalist. It's about the Gas Works Park tower. A 15-year old Ballard High student, Mattheis Johnson, died this summer, trying to scale it. As she says:

This fall, not for the first time, Seattle families, parks officials and preservationists are quarreling over what to do about the increasingly deadly cracking towers that define historic Gas Works Park. The question is whether the towers, which range from 50 to 80 feet high, should be shorn of the climbable ladders, stairs, catwalks and platforms that contribute to their instantly recognizable silhouette — or if they should be left as-is despite a staggering number of accidental falls.

But a misstep caused Mattheis to fall 50 feet, making him one of at least 14 people, most of them teenagers, to plunge from the towers since 2008. Two others died and many other have permanent injury.

Yes, teenagers shouldn't do dumb, daring things. But this is how they think. . The City does not maintain it and it has deteriorated. I'm with Ms. Rough - I do not think it's worth keeping up.

There are several cases involving SPS students or staff that are going to court. I will write a separate post on that topic because the subject deserves it.