tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2019685309464805221..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: School Board Candidate UpdatesMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17114479354997839692019-09-14T09:17:00.945-07:002019-09-14T09:17:00.945-07:00Oops. And I mistyped above. I meant District 5, Za...Oops. And I mistyped above. I meant District 5, Zachary DeWolf's district, not D3. Andre and Alex were both extremely qualified candidates. <br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54905459853670335662019-09-14T09:16:11.594-07:002019-09-14T09:16:11.594-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87984676698972634742019-09-14T09:09:33.536-07:002019-09-14T09:09:33.536-07:00I find it very interesting that a thread about sch...I find it very interesting that a thread about school board candidates quickly segwayed into Language Immersion. That is the exact point I am making about qualified. <br /><br />Many people think that the issues with Language Immersion have something to do with "philosophy." When every single decision about language immersion has always been a capacity management decision. <br /><br />It typically take board members at least two years to begin to manage all the intricacies of capacity management and school based curriculum. <br /><br />Why are some schools K8's? Well, that was the capacity management plan circa 2005. It has nothing to do with pedagogy. Why was the Latona school made into the first language immersion school. Well, that was a building that could be reprogrammed and it was John Stanford's attempt to increase enrollment when SPS was riddled with half empty building. <br /><br />I have learned to be very wary of any school board candidate who does not understand the mechanics of operations and how education program and capacity managements are intertwined. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15989995659309664602019-09-14T08:43:01.792-07:002019-09-14T08:43:01.792-07:00Equity Matters, you are right. I let this thread g...Equity Matters, you are right. I let this thread get hijacked. <br /><br />So no more discussion on LI.<br /><br />Hijack this, I have had plenty of threads to talk about "actual issues" including LI.<br /><br />Anonymous, no anonymous comments per the comment guidelines. But I'll put it up in my comment so as to address some issues.<br /><br /> "I support Emijah Smith because she is passionate and knowledgeable. I like Brandon's energy but I do not think he is ready for this. Julie in my personal opinion has been around SPS enough to understand people like the idea of a safe candidate and she is taking advantage of that. She is also clever enough to highlight her POC status although I could not avoid to roll my eyes when she said she was usually the darkest kid in the group while sitting on a stage with African American people. It just sounded off.<br />Anyway, if we are talking about district seven here you go:<br /><br />May the best candidate get chosen. GO EMIJAH!"<br /><br />First, thank you for saying "may the best candidate get chosen" - I agree.<br /><br />Is Julie a "safe" candidate? I don't get that as Emijah is the PTSA-linked candidate. You can't get much more safe than that.<br /><br />And yes, you should have listened as Julie speaking of her skin tone was about HER experience at HER school. Because if one group says, "Well, you aren't really a minority like we are" I'd tell we are a sad place and time.<br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77845588717746868352019-09-14T08:27:46.351-07:002019-09-14T08:27:46.351-07:00I find all the comments about "who would win ...I find all the comments about "who would win in a real election" to be interesting and quite myopic. <br /><br />General elections for school board are pretty much a crap shoot, with races all over the map. <br /><br />In the last election cycle, the two extremely qualified candidates for District 3 were wiped out in the primary and we were left with the two candidates with the least experience. There were over 7 candidates for District 4, many qualified and after the primary we had Eden Mack and some barely coherent person, rather than any of the other qualified candidates. <br /><br />In the election before that, we had some hotly contested races and some effective walk-ons. We have also had many years were there were true walk-ons. As well as races with tons of outside money. <br /><br />I think any notion of who would do best in an election is specious at best, because none of the current candidates needed to do the daunting organizational work of a political campaign. <br /><br />In general, school board races are determined by who gets the most and the best endorsements. Because in a general election, very few voters follow school board races closely or at all. While I follow school board carefully, I rely on trusted endorsements for many other elected races, like the Port of Seattle. <br /><br /><br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28869710239396340242019-09-14T08:09:04.937-07:002019-09-14T08:09:04.937-07:00@ Fed Up,
Thanks for the update about Smith. I h...@ Fed Up, <br /><br />Thanks for the update about Smith. I have done a little more looking and here are my opinions. <br /><br />I would call Smith's experience "limited." I would call Van Arken's experience modest or moderate. The is compared to Eden's Mack's experience as extensive. <br /><br />As I have mentioned many times, it takes years to get a working understanding of enrollment and budget and student assignment. Julie has that understanding and Smith simply does not. <br /><br />As this is a limited two year appointment, IMHO, the most important quality is a working understanding of the process by which students are matches with teachers. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16906337595952927042019-09-14T07:45:19.894-07:002019-09-14T07:45:19.894-07:00You know our corporate overlords have won when the...You know our corporate overlords have won when the radicals have taken to shaming each other anonymously online over this. Really, are families (many native speakers) so terrible for shelling out money so their children can know their mother tongue? How is that a detriment to families at Title 1 schools? I’ve lost track of who the purported oppressor and victim in this narrative is, it can’t be as easy as north/south or black/white since humans never fit neatly in those boxes. Meanwhile, Amazon paid ZERO taxes last year, announced this week they are cutting health care for part time workers. Is ANY of that good for income inequality and the ability for poor families to get by? No. I’m not saying throw race out the window, I’m saying watch the ball. We getting played.<br /><br />SonrisaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65931848523635386102019-09-14T07:44:12.847-07:002019-09-14T07:44:12.847-07:00SE Seattle’s population is 21% African American. W...SE Seattle’s population is 21% African American. What of the other 50% who are not, and also, not white? There are others far away from educational justice; ELL kids, and kids who need SpEd support. Smith covers for her lack of knowledge of SpEd by telling us that we “don’t need labels.” Hersey says that he has what he guesses is a 2E kid in his Federal Way classroom and leads off with describing their struggles, while generalizing gifts (“all kids are highly capable, he says in the first forum”). I was shocked that he identified a current child in his class, for a campaign stomp, very poor judgement. In both cases, this is ableism and erasure of SpEd kids whose parents are of all races. Van Arcken was the only candidate that spoke to this intersectionality, not to mention, the only one that spoke to gender. She understands this complexity, and the others mask their lack of understanding with talking points and broad platitudes, and the pivot back to one racial identity. We need someone that the entire district, even the entirety of D7 can rely on. If the Directors are scared of being called names and will succumb to bullying then we don’t have leaders willing to make tough choices. And that would be truly sad.<br /><br />More noise pleaseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20792955054655162262019-09-14T01:25:57.394-07:002019-09-14T01:25:57.394-07:00darkest kid in the group... Was when she was growi...darkest kid in the group... Was when she was growing up. Good grief. <br /><br />But what you are saying now brown is not brown enough. Patu isn't black enough either then. DeWolf has made similar claims of Asians being white. Oh yeah that whole interment thing must have been glossed over. Brown isn't white in America. Those 'great again' hats are about not brown. <br /><br />We saw it on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. Hats against drums. <br /><br /><br />Uncouth f13<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91575702795635937752019-09-14T00:34:26.341-07:002019-09-14T00:34:26.341-07:00People on this thread that want Standardized Educa...People on this thread that want Standardized Education probably would not want the candidate with ties to a charter school.Standard Educationnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3532040887728394392019-09-13T23:40:25.895-07:002019-09-13T23:40:25.895-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48175995175951501792019-09-13T23:23:46.788-07:002019-09-13T23:23:46.788-07:00What privilege is that then? The one to keep on to...What privilege is that then? The one to keep on topic. I can't hijack what you already hijacked. No other candidate has the experience or energy and time that Julie has committed. <br /><br />Thank you Smith and Hersey but I would say that for this abbreviated position she is the best one for district 7 and for the district overall. <br /><br />EQUITY MATTERSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33925418492819110092019-09-13T23:00:45.383-07:002019-09-13T23:00:45.383-07:00Maybe talking about actual issues that are usually...Maybe talking about actual issues that are usually shoved under the carpet is the very essence of what needs to be discussed on a board appointment thread.<br /><br />Of course, the pattern for JVA supporters has been "preserve my privilege."<br /><br />Hijack ThisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35403290967819326802019-09-13T22:52:23.411-07:002019-09-13T22:52:23.411-07:00What a cleverer hijack of a thread. Well done oppo...What a cleverer hijack of a thread. Well done opponents of an experienced leader like Julie to be on the board. But back to that. In a few short days the Board members are going to make a decision. I am hopeful that they choose somebody with experience and the right attitude to hit the ground running. This is for two short years. Julie is the only one that has thst capability. <br /><br />EQUITY MATTERSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-39388589827219335232019-09-13T22:51:50.801-07:002019-09-13T22:51:50.801-07:00It's outrageous that programs like language im...It's outrageous that programs like language immersion aren't option schools.<br /><br />Having some programs on the backs of English Language Learners in the south, and then on the whims of parent fundraising in the north, is the very definition of inequity.<br /><br />In most places, this would be deemed completely inept and unacceptable for public schools. <br /><br />It's only okay here because the families who reap the benefits would rather take from the EL coffers in the south or put out the extra funds in the north.<br /><br />As long as they are getting theirs, don't make waves.<br /><br />What aJokeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77005033382428467572019-09-13T22:49:21.976-07:002019-09-13T22:49:21.976-07:00@ Standardized Education,
You ask:
What is equity?...@ Standardized Education,<br />You ask:<br />What is equity? When is equity achieved? Is equity achieved when north end PTAs are no longer permitted to support dual language programs?<br /><br />Equity is: providing all students with the same opportunities regardless of their zip code, color of their skin or their families' ability to fundraise huge amounts of money for schools to provide what every kid has the right to: FAPE (free and appropriate public education). <br />As long as the district continues to be unsupportive of Dual immersion programs, the system, (not the parents) will be the one to blame for an inequitable and elusive equal access for all.<br /><br />@MW,<br />I am breathing just fine. no worries.<br />To answer your question, AIs at let's say Beacon Hill may or may not speak the languages spoken at the school's dual language classes. Why? Because unlike JSIS and Mc Donald, AIs are not dedicated to each and every dual immersion classroom, rather shared by the entire school body.<br /><br />I will be honest, I cannot say who's idea it was to make us believe we needed to buy AIs. By the time my kids started attending JSIS, Kelly Aramaki was principal. We have been fundraising for what used to be "Annual Fund" more recently rebranded "Campaign to put students first" or something like that for years.<br />Principals after Kelly have been on board with the huge fundraising for the most part, some others have tried to reduce it. <br />Every Spring we are politely asked to donate. And this is why I am<br /><br /><br />Fed Up<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62750438800431538992019-09-13T22:38:39.934-07:002019-09-13T22:38:39.934-07:00According to No equity's logic, schools that o...According to No equity's logic, schools that only accept students within their boundary lines should not have access to programs.Illogicalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48961786942400800602019-09-13T21:54:31.646-07:002019-09-13T21:54:31.646-07:00I agree with Fed Up. The district is very selectiv...I agree with Fed Up. The district is very selective as to which programs and services it considers inequitable. For some reason, having kids learn a second language on the backs of parent funding is totally ok. They also benefit from lower class sizes. The school isn’t open to everyone. You have to live in the pricey neighborhood of Greenlake or Wallingford to have a real shot of attending. It wasn’t until the last 5 years that they saved spots for native speakers, and it was only because it would help the program as a whole. Not because of equity. <br />Per pupil expenditure is irrelevant when compared to South end LI schools, who rely on title I funds.<br /><br />No equity Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36132473627445231682019-09-13T20:34:36.877-07:002019-09-13T20:34:36.877-07:00Fed Up, are you saying the IAs at the southend LI ...Fed Up, are you saying the IAs at the southend LI schools don't speak two languages so that they can help in the classrooms? They only speak English?<br /><br />If you are saying the idea of two native speakers in a classroom is really not needed, then I would say, yes, the district was the one who sold this idea. I have written - several times over the years - of how much pressure this was to put on parents to fundraise for this year in and year out.<br /><br />And the district is the one who decided - for many years - that only kids who lived in a certain neighborhood could access LI.<br /><br />Fed Up, I urge you to take a breath. No one is saying what you seem to think they are. <br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91780441786428687272019-09-13T20:31:24.208-07:002019-09-13T20:31:24.208-07:00What is equity? When is equity achieved? Is equity...What is equity? When is equity achieved? Is equity achieved when north end PTAs are no longer permitted to support dual language programs?Standardized Educationnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14933854206509598842019-09-13T20:21:45.558-07:002019-09-13T20:21:45.558-07:00@Standarized test
Leave who alone? I am a JSIS par...@Standarized test<br />Leave who alone? I am a JSIS parent. And your per pupil reasoning just shows you do not understand the point. <br />It's not about white VS non white. It is about understanding what equity really means and wanting all students to have access to opportunities regardless of their zip codes.<br />Of curse Concord Elementary gets more money per student because, I repeat: Title One dollars are to ALLEVIATE THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY. You sound like you have a problem with that.<br /><br />Fed Up<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75654237926144425642019-09-13T20:02:25.828-07:002019-09-13T20:02:25.828-07:00Happy to provide the following information for fre...Happy to provide the following information for free. ;)<br /><br />McDonald International schools has a non-white population of 54%. They receive $14,900 per student.<br /><br />John Stanford International school has a non-white population of 57%. They receive $13,800 per student.<br /><br />Information about the district's various types of dual language programs can be found here.<br /><br />https://seattleschools.org/academics/international_education/dual_language_immersion<br /><br />Leave them alone.<br /><br /><br />Standardized Educationnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-419091787626839062019-09-13T19:24:12.277-07:002019-09-13T19:24:12.277-07:00@MW,
Us JSIS parents were sold on the idea AIs wer...@MW,<br />Us JSIS parents were sold on the idea AIs were needed to make dual immersion work therefore we needed to pay for IAs. In the last few years efforts have been made to reduce the amount of money raised by families by hiring interns instead of IA's. People who got interns were not happy as they saw interns as less qualified.<br />No, the district will not call it what it really is, because it would be "divisive". I think what it really is divisive is not to support programs whatever they may be and have parents supplement.<br />Your question regarding what second language the AIs speak is odd. Ai's that speak a second language are there to serve all students as AIs speak English. Again, what an odd question.<br /><br />At JSIS we were told in order to have a successful Dual Immersion model we needed to raise $450,000 (that was the highest amount over my almost 10 years at JSIS)in two weeks. Is not a matter of shame. It is about understanding what equity really means and wanting all students to have access to opportunities regardless of their zip codes. Mine granted me access to JSIS, but denied it to so many others. I am privileged but still<br /><br />Fed Up<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65956281174857859172019-09-13T18:15:49.981-07:002019-09-13T18:15:49.981-07:00I think it’s really cool north end and south end s...I think it’s really cool north end and south end schools are both getting dual language education using the tools and resources available to them. I’d check your biases though No Credibility, I know many McDonalds students are native speakers, it’s really not a bunch of white supremacists trying to learn a second language at public school LOL. <br /><br />SonrisaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91665603250089007592019-09-13T17:21:15.472-07:002019-09-13T17:21:15.472-07:00But Fed Up, is that how the district describes it?...But Fed Up, is that how the district describes it? Not sure that's true. <br /><br />And if the IAs in the southend schools with LI are only there to work to alleviate the effects of poverty, then why does the school make sure they speak the languages taught? Why would it matter if the IAs only have one purpose? <br /><br />You don't need IAs at all for LI but all these schools have them in order to make the teaching and learning really work for all these kids. I'm not sure there's anything to be ashamed of for that.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.com