This and That (and faith in Superintendent Schuldiner)

That faith I reference? It comes from an editorial in Sunday's Seattle Times. I'll get to that after This and That.

First, kudos to the SPS Communications department. They are really seeking out good news in Seattle Schools. Under "News" on the SPS home page, you should check out the stories there. I am especially impressed with the Regional School News Roundup and SPS Shout Outs - there is much to celebrate. 

 

Under the News, there is a story about Superintendent Ben Shuldiner marking his first 50 days in office and he has already visited more than half of the district's 106 schools. One teacher, who has been in SPS for 29 years, said this was only the second time in her tenure for a superintendent to visit her school. 

 

As well, there was a story about Sanislo Elementary reopening its food pantry for families and an update on transportation from Fred Podesta. 

 

I was forwarded an update email from the principal on the situation at Cascade Parent Partnership. As you may recall, many parents and families visited a recent Board meeting to plead for help for their school. The email says they are being staffed at the same level as last year with certificated teachers. One item of interest is that the district gave them a fixed amount to "purchase online course subscriptions." They seem to think that limits their enrollment. 

From the email from Principal Owen Gonder:

 Community outreach will continue this year, taking the shape of regional gatherings with families. These gatherings will include interpreters, food and childcare, so that we are able to meet with families in-person and discuss our school and how we best serve our students.

 

There is one SPS meeting this week which is the BEX/BTA Capital Levies Oversight Committee on Friday from 8:30-10:30 am at the JSCEE. I asked for the agenda and was given the runaround but I will try again. That this notation of the meeting doesn't even include the room number that it is in should tell you something. And why no public access to the agenda? 

 

There was a bomb threat to Garfield High School on Friday, March 27th. Reporting via The Capitol Hill  Seattle Blog:

Garfield High School students spent Friday afternoon cleared from buildings after what officials said was an email bomb threat targeting the 23rd Ave campus. Seattle Police Department responded “to conduct a thorough search of the campus,” Garfield’s message to families after the incident said, but nothing was located.

Seattle Times Editorial, Sunday, April 5, 2026 

Seattle Public Schools boss unafraid to turn the mirror on district

Is Seattle ready for Ben Shuldiner’s brand of honesty?

In a wide-ranging meeting with the editorial board Thursday, the new superintendent of Seattle Public Schools described the district as “the richest, whitest” place he had ever worked, and indicated amazement at its inefficiencies and waste.

He said he'd be able to cut SPS’ $100 million budget deficit in half before the start of the next school year, no sweat. And a good portion of the belt-tightening, he promised, will be focused on reducing redundancies among the 800 staff at central office, which he characterized as a “Wild West” of cronyism.

“We’re here for the kids. This is not a jobs program,” he said. “Big change.”

This is a man unafraid to say the quiet parts out loud. His Sunday night emails have become a must-read. In the March 29 edition, he decried some of the district’s processes as a “byzantine and Kafkaesque nightmare.” He called out “the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations’ pervading some places, especially around our BIPOC and multilingual students,” and criticized SPS for “Accepting and excusing low performance rather than owning it.”

No Seattle superintendent in memory has said anything remotely so pointed.

So I give it to Shuldiner - those are some pretty blunt words. That he points to the Central Office as where to start is quite interesting. I will say that many in education would see the "not a jobs program" as a swipe at teachers but we'll see.

 

I think saying out loud that not working harder or believing in students of color more and "excusing low performance" is quite brave. 

 

For myself, I do recall Superintendent John Stanford being a fairly blunt guy; I wonder if Shuldiner is mirroring that. 

If SPS fails to confront this and give parents what they want, it faces the very real prospect of becoming like so many other public school districts in urban centers — New York City and San Francisco come to mind — where families with any means opt out.

Shuldiner was hired to steer Seattle away from those shoals, and the school board signed him up knowing it would mean making difficult, unpopular decisions.

That’s the question confronting this city now. Considering our wealth and brainpower, Seattle Public Schools could be — and by all rights should be — a standout district. The new superintendent represents an opportunity to make it so. Let’s hope we have the courage to grab it. 

 

The Times is not wrong there - parents in SPS have shown they will walk and the numbers are there to prove it. 

 

I also echo the editorial board on what SPS could represent nationally and I have said it for decades - this district could be one of the best large districts in the country. 

 

This editorial garnered 208 comments. 

 

It's about a third who just love this tough talk. Another third blames the teachers (even as Shuldiner talks about the cuts being at Central Office). Still another third is pessimistic that he can do it.  

 

One comment on Stanford:

 

But the big difference is the moment we’re in. Stanford stepped into a district that still had broad public trust. Shuldiner is stepping into a system where trust is already fragile, politics are louder, and families with options are quietly slipping out the back door every morning. That makes his honesty both more necessary and more likely to ruffle feathers.

Still, the comparison is hard to ignore. Stanford pushed Seattle to expect more from its schools... and from itself.

 

On that pessimism, well, I think Fred Podesta and Kurt Buttleman are pretty good guys to stand with in this effort. I have found them to be quite professional in their speech and actions and I think they will not deliver much pushback to Shuldiner from where they stand at the top with him.  

 

The Board is clearly behind him and clearly want to see change. They know the statement of the district is not strong and has to be realigned to serve students. 

 

I think the Times is right there with him and so are many parents. 

 

That backup needs to stay steady for Shuldiner to take the strong actions needed for real change in SPS.