tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2371908095922088491..comments2024-03-28T23:38:22.511-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Executive Committee MeetingMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50155590323657322462015-05-07T21:13:18.900-07:002015-05-07T21:13:18.900-07:00Bob Roberts - Nyland, Wright AND Echeverria, Garmo...Bob Roberts - Nyland, Wright AND Echeverria, Garmoe, Hanson, Koon (insert name of overpaid suit here).<br /><br />The testing resolution was originally put before the board 3/4/15. There have been 2 C&I meetings and 2 Exec meetings since then. What faith should I have that the directors will their heads in the sand will do anything? NONE.<br /><br />Peaslee's self-serving comments were (as I've heard on numerous occasions) all YOU should do. If she has no duty then what the hell is she doing there? I've heard that same arguments that YOU aren't doing enough: SpEd parents don't have nicely-tabbed binders with talking points to make directors' jobs easier; rape victims just didn't do what she thought they should do; parents should write to D.C. but until then she's compelled to put all of us through hours of an invalid, flawed test and use it to judge teachers and students. She goes onto say that the Exec Comm will develop a "fact-based" resolution. Since when? What facts will they use to rubberstamp Murray's preK pilot? Paying the Alliance $$ for pretty much doing nothing? Hiring more consultants for JSCEE? <br /><br />Oh, and did you see her backpedaling on bell times? "Any change must work within the 24 credit and 1080 hour requirements." How does weeks of lost instructional time due to SBA testing and its glitches factor into this? If directors' comments were code pushing the least favored option of an extended HS day, I will lay bets that students who already face disadvantages, limited resources or obstacles will have fewer "options" to pick a HS start time and get the classes they need. As it stands now, HS scheduling is a horrendous task that can't even be ready by the 2nd week of school let alone with bus arrival times and class mixes.<br /><br />And don't even get me started on the City PreK MOU or the costly, half-baked scheme for "transformational consultants" to do the job we just hired 4 or 5 well-paid staff to figure out. Fire them, then you can spend the money on this latest boondogglemirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59975344008687523052015-05-07T20:02:34.501-07:002015-05-07T20:02:34.501-07:00Sorry, anonymous at 8:00pm is CCASorry, anonymous at 8:00pm is CCAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57608128641829119262015-05-07T20:00:52.256-07:002015-05-07T20:00:52.256-07:00The city has various parcels of land around town n...The city has various parcels of land around town not being used right? I remember a few years ago there was a story about a man living in a tree on city land on Eastlake. Maybe SPS can do a trade agreement where preschool is added to the elementary schools in exchange for land and money to build more schools. We also need the city council to grow a pair and require new developments - especially multi-housing developments - to pay an impact fee for new schools, mass transportation and infrastructure upgrades, especially sewers, water and power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51053538955608065942015-05-07T18:52:22.645-07:002015-05-07T18:52:22.645-07:00McLaren and Peaslee are beginning to sound shrill....McLaren and Peaslee are beginning to sound shrill. Their actions are becoming increasingly disturbing.New Czarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3867924744025886782015-05-07T18:47:43.231-07:002015-05-07T18:47:43.231-07:00Lynn,
Thank you for the link. The Executive Comm...Lynn,<br /><br />Thank you for the link. The Executive Committee is comprised of Peaslee, Carr and McLaren. It looks like we have a new sheriff in town. <br /><br />"Directors spoke about having only three<br />Directors allowed to vote in a Board Committee meeting and that the additional Directors in attendance<br />cannot vote."<br /><br />It is important to consider this in context of full document. However, note that Peaslee sent a letter to the Curricum and Instuction Committee opposing Peters and Patu's resolution.<br /><br /><br /><br />New Czarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62246844328849232662015-05-07T18:18:53.361-07:002015-05-07T18:18:53.361-07:00Human Resource, Sue Peters tried to bring this up ...Human Resource, Sue Peters tried to bring this up - about students being evaluated - and she got shaken off. I don't know if the Board realizes this and did not ask the question properly.<br /><br />I'll have a write-up on this because some of what is being said is pretty troubling.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8359653669139878792015-05-07T18:18:53.008-07:002015-05-07T18:18:53.008-07:00Human Resource, Sue Peters tried to bring this up ...Human Resource, Sue Peters tried to bring this up - about students being evaluated - and she got shaken off. I don't know if the Board realizes this and did not ask the question properly.<br /><br />I'll have a write-up on this because some of what is being said is pretty troubling.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77632229276459199922015-05-07T17:15:52.839-07:002015-05-07T17:15:52.839-07:00Typo: The city's agreement should NOT be appr...Typo: The city's agreement should NOT be approved unless vetted in the Operations and A&F Committee.<br /><br />Only SPS would allow such shoddy work- and let's see if the Ex. Committee pushes to have the MOU vetted in committees.Human Researchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37905762525445408132015-05-07T17:13:37.215-07:002015-05-07T17:13:37.215-07:00The city's MOU with he district should NO be a...The city's MOU with he district should NO be approved until this item has been vetted in the Operations Committee and Audit and Finance Committee. Any effort to pass this MOU without scrutinizing the impact Prek will have on district's operations, facilities and finances is irresponsible.<br /><br />It appears the Almighty Executive Committee- which is comprised of Carr, McLaren and Peaslee- has become the self designated clearing house for all types of things. <br /><br />Lastly, the city's prek program is a research project called P20, The city's MOU with the district( page 4) indicates that prek students will be the subjects of research. The project will be approved by an Institutional Review Board. Institutional Review Board's are intended to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating in research projects. This language must be taken out of the MOU. Nyland, district staff and the board should not sign this MOU - unless this language is removed.<br /><br />If the city wants to conduct research on children, they should do so within their own facilities.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Human Researchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29459311939311148982015-05-07T16:46:25.490-07:002015-05-07T16:46:25.490-07:00Kellie, let's find out Tracy's going rate,...Kellie, let's find out Tracy's going rate, shall we?Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68841525689358141502015-05-07T16:12:01.609-07:002015-05-07T16:12:01.609-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47218598927442304542015-05-07T16:11:44.314-07:002015-05-07T16:11:44.314-07:00I think Charles Wright's proposal is a great i...I think Charles Wright's proposal is a great indication of just how care Dr. Tracy Libros applied behind the scenes with great acumen to the start of school process. <br /><br />In almost every meeting, I attending on enrollment over the last dozen years, at some point, Tracy would point out the impact that X would have on the "start of school." Tracy was incredibly conscientious about how all the pieces fit together and and how important it was that all of the pieces from ensuring that there was a bus to a teacher. Tracy took great care to ensure that critical decisions happened a timely fashion, so that each department could do their part.<br /><br />IMHO, Tracy could do a far better job at this, than an entire team of consultants and I expect she might charge slightly less that the $1-2 M proposed. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74039303444346260782015-05-07T15:49:59.737-07:002015-05-07T15:49:59.737-07:00Marty McLaren is running for reelection. Her posit...Marty McLaren is running for reelection. Her position on the SBAC is going to cost her in terms of activist support. Without activist support, her campaign will go nowhere.<br /><br />David EdelmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53745560781512800442015-05-07T13:52:15.568-07:002015-05-07T13:52:15.568-07:00Again, they have been printed "Special Meetin...Again, they have been printed "Special Meeting of the Board" on committee agendas for several months now, almost as if they wanted to cover their bases if multiple Board members showed up.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71971621637460885962015-05-07T12:49:06.911-07:002015-05-07T12:49:06.911-07:00Lynn and Mel-- The restriction of not allowing a s...Lynn and Mel-- The restriction of not allowing a sitting board meeting to attend a committee that they don't sit on is interesting. I've been in C&I committee meetings last year where Director Peaslee was present even though she was not on that committee at that time. I can't recall if the other 3 were there as well. I wonder if this wasn't supposed to happen then, and the just started enforcing it? HMMMMM<br /><br />BUT-- They are addressing this issue by updating the policy as will be discussed in the Executive committee today. The BAR say this:<br /><br />"Both policies received additional edits to call out that Board committee meetings are Special Meetings of the Board. This revision establishes broad compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and allows for the attendance of additional Directors at committee<br />meetings beyond the three serving members. Staff is working on additional edits to Policy Nos. 1240, Committees, and 1010, Board Oversight of Management, to address this clarification, and anticipate bringing the proposed amendments to the Board in June."<br /><br />Eden<br /><br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00147954881410244096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55425641297885317202015-05-07T11:39:20.457-07:002015-05-07T11:39:20.457-07:00Well, someone is blowing smoke because the Board o...Well, someone is blowing smoke because the Board office has put - at the top of every committee agenda - "Board Special Meeting: Committee X. <br /><br />So that IS notification that there may or may not be multiple members present. I have been in the room when more than three Board members were present (with Ron English right there). They cannot vote but they can be part of the discussion.<br /><br />I call BS on that.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-66819444823964098162015-05-07T11:31:34.650-07:002015-05-07T11:31:34.650-07:00Sue Peters and Betty Patu are not on the Executive...Sue Peters and Betty Patu are not on the Executive Committee and cannot add items to the EC meeting agendas. Reading the <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/committees/Exec/2014-15/20150507agenda/20150402_Minutes_Exec.pdf" rel="nofollow">minutes</a> of the April committee meeting, it appears a board member tried to attend and was not allowed to stay.<br /><br />From the minutes: <i>Erinn Bennett noted today’s meeting was noticed for an Executive Committee meeting and so therefore there can be only 3 Board members present. Ms. Bennett noted there will be an update provided to the Board on Special Meetings. John Cerqui explained if there are 4 Board members who attend a committee meeting, it<br />should be posted as a Special Board meeting.</i><br /><br />I think Carr, McLaren and Peaslee are attempting to silence them.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86430572767162871232015-05-07T11:26:58.031-07:002015-05-07T11:26:58.031-07:00I did not get to watch the Board meeting last nigh...I did not get to watch the Board meeting last night. Peters and Patu DID go to the C&I ctm which would not vote it out of committee to even discuss. So I think Peters and Patu tried to take another shot at it.<br /><br />I'm not sure that was the best course of action given the rest of the Board's indifference.<br /><br />Lynn, I saw that the Superintendent visited Schmitz Park recently and yet his Friday Memo notes don't reflect that staff or PTA said anything to him about the overcrowding. I find that very hard to believe. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40919236048078133862015-05-07T11:13:17.926-07:002015-05-07T11:13:17.926-07:00The May 20th agenda includes an intro item for the...The May 20th agenda includes an intro item for the purchase of portables for 2015-16. Staff expects they will need to purchase 14-17 new portables. Poor Schmitz Park is expected to get three more. (That would indicate an enrollment increase of 75 students.) How many portables will that make for them? Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54947721947163240992015-05-07T11:05:40.512-07:002015-05-07T11:05:40.512-07:00Mr. Wright proposes to hire temporary consultants ...Mr. Wright proposes to hire temporary consultants to do the ongoing work of the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent, at 4x the cost.<br /><br />The consultant will recommend splendid-sounding system and procedural changes which, given the same people in HQ, will after a time prove useless. <br /><br />1) Vote no. <br />2) Please ask for Mr. Wright's resignation effective tomorrow morning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-41379335081040225822015-05-07T10:53:08.123-07:002015-05-07T10:53:08.123-07:00Melissa,
Wondering if you have any insight into wh...Melissa,<br />Wondering if you have any insight into why Sue Peters and Betty Patu keep pursuing adding an SBAC discussion to the board agenda as opposed to doing it in the ECM.<br />I do commend them on being the fly in the ointment,but it's painful to watch.<br />Sherry Carr and Marty Maclaren seem to think the ECM is the best place for this and there will be opportunity for public input.<br />What's your take?<br /><br />If you didn't get a chance to watch last night,I think I started at 5:20,but the slow train wreck started before then.<br /><br />In the Ointment<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com