Seattle Schools Community Forum

Monday is Presidents Day and so national parks will be offering free admission (any other services are still fee-based). I see this notation: Free entry is for U.S. citizens/residents;, beginning in 2026, fees are no longer waived for international visitors on these day. I'm not sure that the Trump regime's dislike of people from other countries is going to help tourism.    Speaking of tourism, a lot of chatter about FIFA moving World Cup matches out of the U.S . From The Los Angeles Times: What worries soccer officials, politicians and diplomats isn’t just ICE’s aggression. It’s also the mercurial and unpredictable actions of President Trump, who in the last month ordered the extraction of the president of Venezuela , threatened military action against Iran , fired on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, paused U.S. visa applications for citizens of 75 countries and insisted that the U.S. had to acquire Greenland.   “Seriously, can we imagine playing the World Cup in a c...

Agenda This was the first Board meeting for new superintendent, Ben Shuldiner.  Topp welcomed Superintendent Ben Shuldiner and noted his first 10 days included tragic deaths of students and a "beloved" l eader (I must have missed something).  She noted his school visits and handling a major event, the Seahawks victory  parade.  Superintendent Comments He thanked everyone from teachers to the Seattle community for being so welcoming. He offered condolences on the loss of the two students and called it " heartbreaking." Among his remarks: "All of our children matter, all of our children are our children." "Seattle is a pretty amazing city and I have visited over 20 schools." "Seattle Public Schools are great but we can be better."  He noted the huge budget deficit. He thanked the head of SEA as well as JSCEE staff.  He also stated he is a Jets fan but congratulated the Seahawks for their Super Bowl victory.  Student Board Members Student...

 From SPS: Dear SPS Families, Seattle is buzzing with excitement as we celebrate the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory! Moments like this bring our city together, spark pride across generations, and remind us of the power of shared experiences in our community. As the city plans celebrations, including a victory parade planned for Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m., we want families to know that  Seattle Public Schools will remain open with the normal early-release Wednesday schedule . Keeping schools open is an important part of maintaining stability, safety, and continuity for our students. For many families, schools provide not only learning, but also meals, transportation, specialized services, and trusted routines. Remaining open allows us to support students’ academic progress while ensuring essential services continue for those who rely on them. Please note: Attendance policies will remain in effect , and parade attendance will not be considered an excused absence. Famil...

  From The Seattle Times: Young voices erupted in waves in front of Seattle City Hall as hundreds of students from 17 Seattle high schools walked out of class Thursday to protest immigration enforcement across the nation and in their communities. About half of the crowd broke away in an unplanned march to the Space Needle, halting traffic as they flooded Third Avenue. As the protest began around noon, teenagers leaned over the railings in the courtyard outside City Hall, climbed on each other’s shoulders and cheered like they were at a pep rally, as car horns honked in support. The students chanted, even screamed, “ICE out now” and, most loudly, a “say it once, say it twice” rhyming chant about Immigration and Customs Enforcement that included a repeated expletive. That rhyming chant should not be too difficult to figure out. Organized by ICE Out Seattle Schools, a student-led coalition, the teenagers demanded their elected leaders vote to defund ICE and called for local leaders to...

So a friend made an interesting catch on this calendar. One thing that is different is the first day of school is BEFORE Labor Day. School starts for 1st-12th grade students on Wednesday, September 2nd. It is notated that this will NOT be a Wednesday Early Release Day.  Labor Day is Monday, September 7th and is a federal holiday so no school that day.  Tuesday, September 8th will be the first day of school for PK and kindergarten students.  But the date that my friend sees is that Friday, June 18th which is Juneteenth, another holiday, and yet, the following Monday, June 21st, is the last day of school.  So the first week of June, 2027,  no school on Monday, May 31st which is Memorial Day so no full week of school. The next week - June 7th-11th - is a full week. The week after sees the Friday , June 18th with no school because of Juneteenth and yet everyone will come back Monday, June 21st for the last day of school.  I'd be willing to bet that June 21...

Out of Everett from the Daily Herald: An off-campus Bible education program sued Everett Public Schools in federal court on Thursday, accusing the school district of violating First Amendment law by implementing a number of policies the program said hinder its constitutional rights. My understanding is that LifeWise is trying to create a legal case that will go to the Supreme Court so that religious groups can get a foot in the door of public schools. The district says: “With respect to LifeWise Academy itself, the District will continue to evaluate any requests to participate in District-sponsored events or to distribute its materials in compliance with its policies and procedures which comport with state and federal laws,” wrote the attorney representing the district, Sarah Mack. “Simply because your client disagrees that those policies and procedures should apply to it or to the families and students served by LifeWise Academy does not make them unconstitutional.” Good news at the ...

Both victims of last Friday's shooting at a bus stop near Rainier Beach High School and South Shore PK-8 have been identified.  One is Traveiah Housemuse, 17, and the other is Tyjon Stewart, 18. Both were students at RBHS. SPD has classified both deaths as homicides. The Seattle Times reports that on Monday, Feb. 2nd: After school, students, staff and community members, including the district’s new superintendent, Ben Shuldiner, and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson,  gathered to honor the students at the bus stop .  From that article on the bus stop vigil: Jeremiah Ntoco, a 17-year-old sophomore at Rainier Beach High, said he felt stressed and unsafe coming to school Monday.  Ntoco said he was friends with one of the students who was killed.   Seeing more security guards on campus, and police officers passing by the school every few days, would help him feel safer, he said.  It is unclear to me what the status is of SPD drive-bys at SPS high schools during the we...

This terrible event occurred at a bus stop in the Rainier Valley last Friday around 4 pm; the students appeared to be teens and part of the Rainier Beach High School community. This led to a two-hour delay of start at South Shore PK-8 which is very near to RBHS. As well, Sugiyama High School and Interagency Academy SE started classes at 12:30 pm today. All weekend activities at those schools were canceled.  From The Seattle Times : Superintendent Ben Shuldiner, who began his first day on the job Sunday, “has been clear that strengthening safety measures across the district is a top priority, and that work begins immediately,” according to the school district.eattle police investigating the homicides believe the shooting was targeted and have said they do not think there is a broader threat to the community.   The male teen victims have not yet been publicly identified although their families did tell people who they were and there was a vigil for them on Saturday. SPS is wor...

Update: From the SPS home page, an announcement of the Superintendent's "Community Engagement Tour." He is doing eight events, one of them virtual but the rest at schools. The first is on February 26th and the last one is on April 2nd.  end of update As I previously reported, Benjamin Schuldiner's contract started February 1st and he is indeed on the job.  I say to him - as I have for over a decade to ALL the new superintendent - I want you to be a big success. Because if he is successful, then that means the district is successful. Not on paper "I did this, this, and this" but actual progress visible to all.  Readers, what are your top three things he should focus on? He has said he wants to visit every school in the next 100 days which is sweet but I don't think needed, given the state of the district.  The first time you can see him in person in public is this Wednesday, Feb. 4th at a Board Special Meeting Work Session: Progress Monitoring - Goal 2 ...

  This meeting had two parts. One was an update on SPS' efforts around protecting schools from any federal intervention. Meaning, likely ICE coming in a nd asking about staff/students.  Julia Warth, Board office administrator, talked about the district receiving grants from different federal sources. I assume this was perhaps noting that the feds could put the screws on school districts that don't cooperate. Superintendent Fred Podesta moved onto what schools are being told. The first issue of concern is " the need for better facts." It seems that a lot of rumor gets going and it is difficult to know what is truly happening on the ground.  Associate Superintendent Rocky Torres-Morales said that they need to know factually what is happening and so "if you hear something, see something, say something."  There is to be a large meeting of principals on Friday to go over guidelines for action. Each principal, should they encounter this situation, is to gather ...

From a reader: There has been some personnel movement heralded in the past week - Eckstein Middle school principal is headed to take over at Roosevelt this week, with Ambyr Burrell (Assistant Principal at Hale) assuming the interim principal role at Eckstein - and Rocky Torres Morales has been named as the new Superintendent in Vancouver WA staring July 1.  TJB My comment to that information is that there seems to be a lot of principal churn in the north end.  As to Dr. Torres-Morales leaving, he serves as Associate Superintendent so that will be a fairly big hole for new superintendent, Benjamin Schuldiner, to have to fill. I could see him moving Mike Starosky up from Assistant Superintendent of Academics.  The Seattle School Board is having one meeting this week on Wednesday, the 28th starting at 4:30 pm. It's a Work Session on the Budget. The agenda lists the first item as "Federal Response Update" but there is no further information. I'll try to ask what that'...

  It appears at least one Kent School District high school is having a student walk-out tomorrow over the actions of ICE. Any word on any SPS high schools?  The  NEA  has a good article on student confusion over what is happening.

The Seattle School Board meetings are so fascinating. Well, alternately fascinating and boring. But you have to pay attention or you might miss some nuances.  Highlights - The entire elected Board was there in person (first time). There was one student board member, Sabi Yoon, who ended up with a lot to say. Also, oddly, Director Liza Rankin was in short-sleeves and Director Vivian Song was swaddled in a coat.  - A new item got put on the agenda which was ostensibly an update on Highly Capable services but it got its own presentation which I will post on separately.  - Today is Fred Podesta's 7th anniversary with the district and the last Board meeting where he will be at the dais as superintendent. He was given kudos by Board directors for his work; I thought he looked relieved.  He mentioned that there had been issues about ICE in the SPS community. He said they could not be on SPS property without a warrant* and the principals have had training. He said there w...