This and That (Plus a Preview of Next Week's Seattle Board Meeting), April 12, 2026
On the bomb threat phoned in a couple of weeks ago to Garfield High School - oddly, the threat, according to the Seattle Times, demanded bitcoin.
Garfield’s principal called 911 around 2 p.m. after receiving an email saying there were bombs in the school that would be detonated within two hours if the senders weren’t given 1,600 in bitcoin, Seattle police Detective Eric Muñoz said.
Muñoz said it’s unclear whether the person wanted $1,600 worth of bitcoin or 1,600 bitcoin, which would be worth more than $100 million.
On the story about several members of the Patu family being charged by the DOJ for drug trafficking, the principal of Rainier Beach High, Annie Patu, was interviewed by the FBI about the case. From The Journal 425:
Federal investigators recently interviewed Rainier Beach High School (RBHS) Principal Annie Patu regarding her connections to a multi-state drug trafficking organization (DTO) that flooded the Pacific Northwest with fentanyl and weapons, J425 can exclusively report.
Court documents recently unsealed in the Western District of Washington reveal that Patu, the leader of one of Seattle’s most prominent high schools, is now considered a likely witness in the federal prosecution of her sister, Matelita “Marty” Jackson, and her brother-in-law, Mandel Jackson. Patu’s niece and two nephews are also indicted.
Transcripts obtained by J425 reveal that Patu, an educational leader and mandatory reporter, provided information to federal investigators revealing that she was aware of significant criminal red flags within her immediate family at the same time she was simultaneously integrating family members into the Rainier Beach High School ecosystem.
On the Facebook page, HC Seattle, there's a report from a parent about their elementary school being awarded a large grant that the PTSA had applied for. It appears that SPS seems to be putting up roadblocks to the school accepting the money. SPS wants a "full RFP process and whoever wins the RFP would need to get approval from the board before we could ask for approval."
Hmm. I note that the general consensus was to contact Board members and the Superintendent and testify at the Board meeting.
Seattle Schools has a summer application window - June 1-30 - for applying to the Highly Capable Program
Summer Application Window: June 1-30
All portfolio materials are due no later than June 30. Please submit all materials to hicap2@seattleschools.org.
Applications will not be reviewed or processed if families are unable to submit required documents during the June 1- 30 submission window.
As I previously reported, the KUOW podcast, Focus, had a fascinating story from the 90s about a teacher at Garfield High School who appeared to be grooming students called Adults in the Room. What makes it doubly interesting is the lead reporter, Isolde Raftery, was a student at Garfield at the time and was suspicious of the teacher's actions. Raftery, along with a friend, had been made to feel like they ruined his career. (Spoiler alert: they didn't.) The teacher was Tom Hudson who killed himself after a second round of findings came out.
However, there HAD been an investigation where the teacher was told not to do certain things any longer AND had to have an adult on field trips for an outdoor group he ran. Nobody from the district followed up to make sure he was following their directives which is very true to form for SPS.
There are seven episodes, each between 35-40 minutes. I recommend the 7th one especially as Raftery never got a reply from SPS on this story until Superintendent Ben Shuldiner arrived. He had some interesting things to say. Basically, it is all linked to teacher and principal contracts and the district has to follow strict rules on investigations. He seems quite interested in realigning HR which I applaud.
What is also fascinating is that although former Board member, Cheryl Chow, passed away a decade ago, she did talk about this situation as she installed as the principal at GHS after Hudson died. It was great to hear her voice; she was an exceptional educator and human being.
Interesting article (I'm gifting it) from the NY Times - These Towns Want a Tsunami Shelter Before It's Too Late.
They report:
Using tons of steel and concrete, Ocosta Elementary School in Westport, Wash., became the first structure in the United States designed to withstand a tsunami.
The first tsunami shelter in the United States, a school gymnasium in Westport, Wash., was completed in 2016.
The first stand-alone tsunami tower was built in 2022 by the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Tokeland, Wash.
Ocean Shores, Wash., a town about 10 miles north of Tokeland, has been trying to minimize the risks of a tsunami for nearly a decade. On a sandbar protruding into the Pacific Ocean, the community of about 8,000 is one of the most vulnerable along the coast.
Ocean Shores Elementary School has been proposed as the site of a tsunami-safe expansion.
I have a public education colleague, Lori Wright, who has edited and written a Facebook page on Kent School District. Her work is very impressive and sadly, they inherited their superintendent, Israel Vela, from SPS and boy, are there some fishy things going on in that district. Here are a few of her posts.
- From NEA Today, a story about how 27 states now have laws mandating or encouraging cursive instruction in public schools—up from only 14 a decade ago.
- She has a story on a Northern Michigan school district that is ditching tech. This is a growing movement, both in the U.S, and other countries. I'll be doing a separate post on it.
- OSPI has a survey for Special Education parents. Not sure when it ends.
- The University of British Columbia has a study on fake turf fields, examining the chemicals leaching from crumb rubber infill made from recycled tires.
A new study from the University of British Columbia has found that artificial turf fields across Metro Vancouver leach 6PPD-quinone, a chemical known to kill coho salmon, into municipal stormwater systems—and the contamination persists long after the fields are installed.
So what's on the agenda for the Board meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd?
- a performance by the Eckstein Jazz Band
- two items caught my eye in the Personnel Report. One, Laureen Miller, the principal at Decatur Elementary, is leaving after the end of the school year. Two, the manager of the Ethnic Studies Program, Alezandr Wray, left the district on April 11th.
Consent Agenda
- Authorization for 2025-2026 Legal Services Contract. Huh? Shouldn't this have happened awhile back? I suspect SPS needs expanded outside legal services and had to stick this in. Three vendors can't exceed $750,000 and two others can't exceed $1.2M. If any vendor does go over its stated amount, the Superintendent can only authorize $500K more.
A few choice statements from the BAR:
Legal services contracts with these and other vendors funded through the general fund were budgeted at #3.47M for the current fiscal year.
Legal services are an on-going contributor to the structural deficit of the District.
- A BAR for Special Education services from one vendor to amend their contract from $1,943,000 to $2,893,000 for services for 13 students.
Another BAR for Special Education has raised that vendor's service costs up $711K.
Still another vendor will receive over $350,000 more which ups their nearly $1M original contract to 1,327M.
- Nine schools have had their elevators updated. That's great but somehow change orders cost a whopping $835K. Apparently Capital Facilities and Planning missed "design and permitting of fire-rating and HVAC updates" and "implementation of those updates to bring all nine rooms up to current code."
Honestly, my take is that Capital Facilities and Planning do all sorts of things to avoid honest costs right upfront because they KNOW the Board will approve any and all changes.
Action Items
- CSIP approval, including Alternative Learning Experience Schools/Programs, by the Board.
- Adoption of new K-5 English Language Arts Instructional Materials
- Bar - Intro and Action - for the Board's positions to be under consideration by the Washington State School Directors' Association permanent and legislative positions.
Introduction Items
- Approval of the 2025-2026 Career and Technical Education Annual Plan. Again, huh?
- Approval of Board Resolution 2025-2026-14, Authorizing an Amendment to the Repayment Plan of the Economic Stabilization Account; and Authorizing the Use of Capital Fund Interest Earnings for Instructional Supplies, Equipment, or Capital Outlay Purpose.
Staff wants an amendment for the repayment plan that they must do as well as using $5M in Capital funds for the above stated purpose. This money is from interest being collected from levy funds.
These short-term solutions will include deferring repayment of the Economic Stabilization Account (estimated at $7.2M annually until repaid). This is the Rainy Day Fund that they wish to defer payments until 2027-2028.
Raise your hand if you think that will happen.
They need to do these things for a balanced budget for 2026-2027.
I wish this resolution had stronger language. That Rainy Day Fund is important.
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