tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post1198615118883014333..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Audit&Finance Committee Meeting TodayMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75479271088526608552013-08-24T14:10:41.102-07:002013-08-24T14:10:41.102-07:00Yeah, I know Charlie. Thank goodness they at leas...Yeah, I know Charlie. Thank goodness they at least recognized their duty to assign someone like Andrew who recognizes his duty.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21009894371304797602013-08-24T12:46:51.074-07:002013-08-24T12:46:51.074-07:00Wow. Just wow.
The Board is so completely without...Wow. Just wow.<br /><br />The Board is so completely without any sense of compliance that they misunderstand their role in it.<br /><br />They still refuse to accept their duty to enforce policy.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-66407077162963142892013-08-23T08:11:05.192-07:002013-08-23T08:11:05.192-07:00GMG,
Amazingly, everyone was looking around the t...GMG,<br /><br />Amazingly, everyone was looking around the table for an answer to that question. I wanted to shout "the Exec Directors of Schools?!?!!" Wouldn't it seem that the boss of principals would ensure that they have a functioning site council in place, and check their soundness on a random basis - keep people on their toes? Would principals' evals be hinged on that?<br /><br />But the Exec Dir of schools never came up.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8478797883342572882013-08-22T22:03:21.522-07:002013-08-22T22:03:21.522-07:00Director DeBell is the one who has instigated the ...Director DeBell is the one who has instigated the whole sped blow-off attitude with his continuous quips as to the discretionary nature of special education. If he sets the tone, special education is "discretionary", then the funding follows that directive. Eg. It's ok not to comply with special education directives.<br /><br />When DeBell says that levy funds should not be used for special education students, he opens the door for the exact type of abuse that has happened while he has been driving on the board. Why should levy funds go for general education, but not special education? The same cost forces (mostly staff salary) that cause general education students to "bust the budget" and require levy extra funding also exist for special education. Is he implying that special education teachers should be paid less than "general education teachers" so as to fit in below levy limits? That really is the implication of his continuous banter. Glad he's out. He's been there too long.<br /><br />-Sped ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15659254599781214732013-08-22T21:34:11.637-07:002013-08-22T21:34:11.637-07:00"Director DeBell pointed out that the current..."Director DeBell pointed out that the current situation is partly due to lack of enforcement for site councils/building leadership teams"<br /><br />So, who is responsible for oversight and enforcement of site councils and BLTs? The buck stops where exactly?<br /><br />GMG<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42324338383491145032013-08-22T20:41:47.528-07:002013-08-22T20:41:47.528-07:00Mirmac
Thanks for the update.
-West Seattle par...Mirmac<br /><br />Thanks for the update. <br /><br />-West Seattle parentUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01943744073332758161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47904373368756132672013-08-22T20:31:34.606-07:002013-08-22T20:31:34.606-07:00Wow, the A&F was a breath of fresh air. The S...Wow, the A&F was a breath of fresh air. The SPS Internal Auditor Andrew Medina is a peach. He presented a draft list of many areas calling for priority, and secondary audits. Up at the top were two that suggests that, as a board director told me, "it's not business as usual anymore".<br /><br />Special Education was singled out as an area getting audited; this after two SAO and the OSPI WISM team reports calling out significant issues of noncompliance, placing $11M of IDEA funding at risk. Looks like that finally caught someone's attention. The Internal Auditor will look to ensure that the district is in compliance with the final corrective action plan (yet to be submitted and accepted). One director noted "how did special education slip off the rails so bad? There does not exist a culture of compliance!" Well, parents have been saying this forever but... It obviously takes the top boss, the superintendent, to tell everyone else get off your butts and fix this. This has been the case for ELL, which received priority attention from day one of Mr Banda's tenure. Their presentation at the Oversight Session was impressive and made the dysfunction in SpEd even more evident. I expect that the new Exec Dir of SpEd will be given as much support as ELL.<br /><br />Another area of audit is, are you sitting down, "Control Environment/Tone at the Top/Culture of Fear". What's that you ask? Good question. This is a direct result of the whole Potter piehole. Are staff and parents free to report malfeasance and ethical lapses without fear of retribution? Now, I thought the internal audits mainly focused on counting the beans, but I understand now that along with fiscal control, they are to look at policy compliance. And the district now has a policy of doing things legally and ethically (have you told Ron English that?) Director DeBell pointed out that the current situation is partly due to lack of enforcement for site councils/building leadership teams, that "autocratic" principals create toxic environments that discourage parents and staff from participating in school matters. Amazing, because I distinctly remember DeBell going on about ensuring strong principals having more control and "constituent matters" being referred to the principal. Hmmm.<br /><br />Finally, another area for audit is Testing Integrity. Mr Medina wants to be ahead of the curve, mindful of the testing scandals and snafus around the country. Good thinking.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61716884447314009212013-08-22T11:56:45.939-07:002013-08-22T11:56:45.939-07:00I think the references to "Policies and Proce...I think the references to "Policies and Procedures" and "Board Priorities" are just section headers on the agenda. Since those sections are empty, it appears that the Committee has none of those to discuss.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30269260211419274822013-08-22T08:58:43.621-07:002013-08-22T08:58:43.621-07:00I'll be there, as well as at the Oversight Wor...I'll be there, as well as at the Oversight Work Session on ELL.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.com