Updates on Seattle Schools, July 27, 2025

Update:

From The Seattle Times, a story that SPS is appealing to an appeals court over an $8M judgment against them "in which a former math teacher hit a then-middle school student and ejected him from the classroom."

The district first wanted a new trial but that got nixed (along with the defendant's claims that his constitutional rights were violated by the district.)

The district has not laid out the specific grounds for its appeal, but the notices filed indicate it is asking a higher court to review the rulings in the case, including the final November judgment, the denial of a new trial and a portion of the order on Sheikhibrahim’s attorney’s fees. A new firm, Seattle-based Carney Badley Spellman, has joined the district’s team.

“We would much prefer that this process was done and that the verdict be left undisturbed,” said Lara Hruska, one of the lead attorneys representing Sheikhibrahim. 

The jury found the district responsible for Sheikhibrahim’s injuries and violating the state’s antidiscrimination and equal education opportunity laws. The district admitted in court to negligently supervising, training and retaining Johnson.

The 2018 incident in the classroom at Meany MS occurred because the teacher was upset that the student - then 13 - brought a backpack into class and school policy barred that. The teacher and the student got into it verbally and the teacher hit the student and then sent him out of class. 

I do want to note that this teacher had been problematic for some time and indeed when reassigned to Washington MS the teacher had more complaints filed against him. He has since "separated" from the district. 

end of update

First, as it usually is in the summer, things are fairly quiet down at the JSCEE. 

The calendar reflects several meetings happening in August. The first is on Wednesday, August 12 and it's a "School Board Special Meeting" at 4:30 pm. There is no information on what it might be about. 

The second is the Finance & Audit Committee, meeting on Tuesday, August 18th from 11 am to 1 pm. There is no agenda yet available.

The last one is the Regular School Board meeting happening on Wednesday, August 26th, starting at 4:30 pm. Also, no agenda yet available.

SPS Capital Projects and Planning Department is seeking qualified individuals to apply for (sic) opening on the Building Excellence (BEX) and Buildings, Technology and Academics (BTA) Capital Programs Oversight Committee.

The committee meets in-person monthly on the second Friday of the month from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., or more often as needed.

There is one seat available with a term ending December 31, 2027, at which time members may reapply for a four-year term. Terms are staggered so half of the membership seats are opened for recruiting every two years.

The BEX/BTA Oversight Committee supports the School Board and the district’s strategic plan. Community members and groups who have not historically been included or represented in district decision-making processes — including women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people — are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by Monday, August 10, 2025.

My only comment here is that these members are not giving "oversight." You'd have to define oversight for me but my experience is there is never any pushback from committee members to anything staff wants to do. 

Interestingly, the application claims:

• Oversees the planning and implementation of the capital levies and makes recommendations concerning progress of the BEX and BTA capital programs
• Oversees the planning, prioritization and implementation of current and future BEX and BTA programs and make recommendations as to the identity, scope and priority of projects to be included in future BEX and BTA capital levies.

I have never in the history of my work covering SPS seen the Oversight Committee work on planning or prioritizing projects. They are basically there to rubber-stamp the work of the Capital Buildings staff and sometimes opine on energy and sustainability. Go to a meeting - you'll see. 

That the Board continues believing in this farce is sad.

The biggest news is the changes for the Executive Directors who oversee schools. Previously, there had been five:

Christopher Carter - SW

Katrina Hunt - SE

Tim McCarthy - NE

James Mercer - Central 

Tim Moynihan - NW

Superintendent Ben Shuldiner recently announced that the Directors will be organized not by region as done previously but now by "grade bands:elementary schools, K-8 schools, middle schools, high schools, and alternative and nontraditional schools."

Also, there will be seven EDs, not five.

The new executive directors of schools are: 

• Dr. James Mercer, Executive Director of Elementary Schools 
• Dr. Jessica Conte, Executive Director of Elementary Schools 
• Dr. Rena Deese, Executive Director of Elementary Schools 
• Justin Hendrickson, Executive Director of K-8 Schools 
• Dr. Katrina Hunt, Executive Director of Middle Schools 
• Christopher Carter, Executive Director of High Schools and Athletics 
• Lynn Herink, Executive Director of Alternative and Nontraditional Schools 

According to my understanding, all the positions were open for anyone to apply. We see Shuldiner retained Mercer, Hunt, and Carter. 

Conte has been a teacher and a principal. She appears to have been a leadership coach in SPS prior to this appointment. 

Deese has previously been a Principal Leadership Coach and has been a teacher and a principal in Seattle Schools (Graham Hill ES and Alki ES). She also "teaches future principals in the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program."

Hendrickson has been with the district for over 20 years as a teacher in K-8 schools.  He has also been a principal and leadership coach. He also co-authored a book in 2021, “Race Resilience: Achieving Equity Through Self and Systems Transformation."

Herink was a principal in Federal Way SD where she led three distinct alternative schools located on one campus: a big picture learning high school; a re-engagement high school; and a K–12 online alternative learning experience.  Earlier in her career, she launched Highline Public Schools’ first high school Spanish Dual Language Program, coached teachers in multilingual instructional practices, and served as a mentor for teachers working towards National Board Certification.

Herink appears to be the only new hire as everyone else already works at the district. But I wonder - did the new people in previously SPS roles get a bump up in pay for the new position?

Did McCarthy and Moynihan not apply? Or they did and were not selected? Are they still in the district?

And why go from five to now seven (but it is a big district).

Also, why would an ED oversee "athletics" - wouldn't that be the role of the head of Athletics? 

Let's see what The Seattle Times has to say. 

Shuldiner said the new model will encourage collaboration, support and partnership between schools. 

“There are important synergies that can occur by bringing all the High Schools or K-8s together to share and support best practices,” Shuldiner wrote in an email to The Seattle Times. “Additionally, these Executive Directors have specific leadership experiences at the level they are supervising. This is very important.”

The broader central office reorganization is still “in process,” Shuldiner said, but the changes he’s already implemented have saved almost $10 million. Shuldiner expects to save another $5 million to $10 million in the coming year as he makes more changes to the organizational chart at the district’s headquarters.

Sadly, the Times doesn't tell us how Shuldiner saved $10M nor how creating two more EDs helps the budget.

And here's a surprise:

Over the next few weeks, SPS will post new-to-the-district positions, including an assistant superintendent of student and family support and an assistant superintendent of special populations, who will supervise special education, multilingual learners, highly capable students, career and technical education, prekindergarten and other departments. Once those hires have been made, Shuldiner said he will begin to shift the rest of the central office structure to better support schools and students.

I will be terribly interested in what comes next because I don't see how this saves money. Because SPS pays their senior staff handsomely. But maybe other JSCEE staff will be cut for these new hires. 

The comments were interesting like this one, seemingly coming from a teacher or principal:

Please don't waste money and time on collaborative meetings with colleagues from other schools. We don't get much from these meetings, they take a lot of time that could be better used on our own job needs such as assessment and preparation or communicating with parents or our own administration. These meetings are a waste of time and resources.

But many comments called out on particular ED:

BEN! BEN! BEN! You had the golden opportunity to get rid of Katrina Hunt. I am appalled you kept her. Nothing personal actually - I have never met her in person - but oh boy has she caused this district thousand and thousands of dollars in settlements. You just let her and her sisters prove they are untouchable.I am sure there were more external applicants but you went the safe route - not the best route for our students. 

and

You kept the same people that have done so much harm. But Katrina Hunt?!? Really? Katrina Hunt needs to go. She already cost the district $8M in a lawsuit. That would have made a big dent in the $100M deficit the district faces. 

and

Keeping irresponsible people in power is just asking for more lawsuit losses against the district. 

Another commenter looked ahead:

This isn’t really about efficiency. It’s about political sequencing. Clearing the runway for the next, harder set of decisions. Central‑office shake‑ups are the least painful way to show motion, discipline, and seriousness before the district asks families to absorb the real impacts.

Reorganizing a central office is the least controversial way to show “change” without immediately triggering parent uprisings. Closing schools, redrawing boundaries, or touching special‑ed services all create firestorms. Reorgs create headlines but not protests.

Also, not to be nitpicky but the Times keeps saying this:

There are 106 schools in the district, serving about 50,000 students. 

The district hasn't had 50,000 students for at least 4 years and the "about" doesn't salvage that.