tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post3267702839625959630..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Mercer Morning SAP Boundaries MeetingMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69659431575251984982009-10-30T13:41:48.921-07:002009-10-30T13:41:48.921-07:00Has it been confirmed that her daughter is at SS? ...Has it been confirmed that her daughter is at SS? I was told by someone who would know that she has said that she wouldn't send her kid to a K-8 school (though the implication was in comparison to a comprehensive MS). If her kid is at SS that proves to me that she doesn't plan to be around for the long run (no surprise there of course).Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59737800925449251352009-10-27T16:58:15.324-07:002009-10-27T16:58:15.324-07:00Well I don't think there is any conspiracy on ...Well I don't think there is any conspiracy on behalf of MGJ, I just think it's a bit icky that she has her kid in a free preschool program <br /><br />I also thought she lived in Queen Anne, either that was not true or she moved to the southend in time to enroll her child in the only school offering free PreK and all day K as well as small classes.<br /><br />But who knows, maybe she's making big donations to the school, hopefully!ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8442827926069496642009-10-25T21:20:53.613-07:002009-10-25T21:20:53.613-07:00Pre-K and K are full-day only and there is no fee,...Pre-K and K are full-day only and there is no fee, according to the enrollment guide. We did not get in for either, so I have no direct experience with them. I believe, though, that they are able to offer these as they do because of the Sloan money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18086080422176101012009-10-25T15:14:53.108-07:002009-10-25T15:14:53.108-07:00So do the higher income families pay tuition for P...So do the higher income families pay tuition for PreK and full day K or is it free to all who enroll regardless of need?ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23593950075063828432009-10-25T11:00:28.145-07:002009-10-25T11:00:28.145-07:00Perhaps it's just the focus of this conversati...Perhaps it's just the focus of this conversation, but the (New School) South Shore is not ONLY for low-income children-and it never has been. It's always drawn from the population in that area, which is mix of low, middle and very high income households. <br /><br />My daughter attended for two years, and during the first week she was there as I waiting for the school to let out, I listened to two mothers discussing shoes, and the $200 pair one of them was wearing. That same year, my family helped a family at the school that was very low income. I believe the school has worked hard to make it welcoming to ALL, and MGJ's family has a right to be there. And she lives in Seward Park, which is practically walking distance from SS, depending on where in that area she lives. <br /><br />I'm not a MGJ cheerleader, but it seems to me that in this case, people are finding a conspiracy where there isn't one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-46945583129626021492009-10-24T09:14:23.159-07:002009-10-24T09:14:23.159-07:00I do agree the MGJ benefitting from the SS is pret...I do agree the MGJ benefitting from the SS is pretty sleazy, but she's an operator and we know that, no big surprises there. I still think it's a great program for the kids enrolled.<br /><br />As for DeBell, I think you hit nail on head. Funny, people complain that Mary Bass can't "impact" board decisions. Well neither could DeBell on the Discovery Math. But he's running unopposed in that district, QA/Mag love him cause he gets them schools. So nobody is putting him under the microscope. I would like to know if he was on the board when Viewlands was closed and if so, how did he vote?<br /><br />Interesting....huh!ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81882166817438518522009-10-23T18:00:42.604-07:002009-10-23T18:00:42.604-07:00I just get p***ed off at the hypocrisy exhibited b...I just get p***ed off at the hypocrisy exhibited by our superintendent, talking about excellence for all, putting her daughter in a school set up to help low income kids, when her family is on at least $264K+ (that's her income alone)....taking a place another kid with much bigger challenges facing him/her needs more than her daughter does...<br /><br />and the hypocrisy of using private funding to provide so much better resources, facilities, small classes only to some kids in the District, while at the same time closing schools, raising class sizes, rifing teachers, having kids at schools with no text books (or too few of them and most in disrepair) in all the others... the list of inequities goes on and on...<br /><br />And then DeBell finally coming clean that SBOC wasnt moved out of their school to save money/solve a budget crisis, but to give a Montessori programme to his constituents... poor coloured kids who cant even speak English dont matter - hell, they'll probably not even complain, being so grateful for being in this country and getting education for their kids... whereas, DeBell, who's on The Alliance for Education Board and an advisor to one of the mayoral candidates, obviously has higher political aspirations and is looking to shore up future support...<br /><br />It all stinks to high heaven... <br /><br />And for those of you who dont know me, the tone is sarcastic/facetious/mocking and incredibly disillusioned that this degree of lack of integrity exists in SPS leadership... and that they probably dont even see it for what it is... or have a huge range of justifications lined up in their own minds ready to spout to the world, which justifications they have to believe because else they couldnt sleep at night and would have to resign... and we already know that our dear MGJ has no trouble sleeping at night - she told us that right in the beginning of the capacity management fiasco...Sahilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610179287237833742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31315603330901619172009-10-23T08:53:36.217-07:002009-10-23T08:53:36.217-07:00Actually I do not begrudge the SS funding like Sah...Actually I do not begrudge the SS funding like Sahila. My schools have PTAs that raise funds to help support the school. <br /><br />My concern is what happens if and when the money dries up? The difference with PTAs is they are here to stay, know how much to raise and have a say in how it is spent. Schools dependent on private funding are subject to that funding disappearing.<br />That would worry me.<br /><br />I also do not begrudge the nice new building. I have seen it and think is really adds to the nieghborhood, it is very cool. And I hear it came in under budget, which is great, unlike Garfield...whose cost overruns really upsets me!ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10037587341032606982009-10-22T20:40:40.252-07:002009-10-22T20:40:40.252-07:00Sahila - keep in mind that the majority of the New...Sahila - keep in mind that the majority of the New School funding is for pre-K and then some for full day K. The majority of their investment is in early education and the partnership is supposed to (from what I understood) demonstrate what adequate funding levels could do in public schools. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful that I live in Rainier Beach and can take advantage of South Shore, but it's a bit ironic thinking that we're living it up in the southend.kimberlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15596007532071842826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62126595814076182722009-10-22T19:46:37.520-07:002009-10-22T19:46:37.520-07:00Kymmi - look around you... how many other SPS chil...Kymmi - look around you... how many other SPS children get the opportunities that South Shore kids get? None.... South Shore kids get what they do because the school gets an extra million a year to give them that... that's why some of us are snarky... we want the same for our kids and they're not ever going to get it...Sahilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610179287237833742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38763235476180578572009-10-21T10:53:27.412-07:002009-10-21T10:53:27.412-07:00Prt of my concern about repurposing South Shore as...Prt of my concern about repurposing South Shore as an Option School is that even families who live in the immediate neighborhood will have to actively choose it to be enrolled. If they are with in the 'Geographic Zone' for the school they will have preference over people further away, but they will have to actively make a choice. I am afraid that this will close out the very demographic that the New School Foundation wants to help.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59159913764363390672009-10-20T21:31:02.426-07:002009-10-20T21:31:02.426-07:00Well, and it is puzzling that the district doesn&#...Well, and it is puzzling that the district doesn't talk up South Shore as their example of a public/private partnership, the Board has never created a policy on public/private partnerships and that South Shore, as an alternative doesn't get much press in district newsletters. I don't get it if this is the model of what we want all schools to be (which is what the Foundation says about SS as an example to the Legislature to fully fund education).Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50085569553683911442009-10-20T20:55:03.607-07:002009-10-20T20:55:03.607-07:00Jan - naming South Shore as an option school has m...Jan - naming South Shore as an option school has me and other South Shore parents puzzled as well. This is certainly not a choice we would make, as it's been stated before that the school is focused on the immediate community. <br /><br />As for other things about South Shore, I'm only 2 years in and can only comment about the new building with second hand /fuzzy memories from old building, but from what I remember reading in the paper the building was a leaky mess that the New School couldn't grow into. How the decision was made on which school to rebuild, I have no idea. My beef is that every time the school is brought up, so are snarky comments about the sneaky way the school was built. There is definitely an axe to grind around here, and as a South Shore parent I find this blog more than a little hostile. Of course I'm a Seattle Public School parent as well, and the health f the entire district is of interest to me. <br /><br />I have nothing but fantastic things to say about South Shore, the staff that serve it and the kids that make it what it is. I applaud the New School Foundation for their effort to improve early education and show through results that things such as early education resources, low class sizes and community focus make for healthy kids. <br /><br />My kindergarten child has amazing opportunities - she's taking drumming during "after school club" and gets to perform for the community several times throughout the year. Her drumming instructor is the artist-in-residence, how amazing is that? I also love how the school allows itself to grow. When they took over the old Orca building @ Columbia, Orca left a beautiful garden and was interested in its continued upkeep - something South Shore hadn't done before. They stepped up to the challenge and found that the kids loved learning about plants and growing their own herbs and vegetables. They reworked their plans to build a garden in our new space and the kids are enjoying the process of building it up.<br /><br />I am interested to hear how the new class added to the 6th grade does (brought by NCLB and South Shore making adequate progress I believe). I have no doubt they will thrive.<br /><br />I imagine we are all proud of our own things, but I can't think of another school off the top of my head that draws so much snark as South Shore does, and I find it disconcerting.kimberlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15596007532071842826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43715877627161671522009-10-20T18:21:46.942-07:002009-10-20T18:21:46.942-07:00Kymmi -- some of us (I at least) know very little ...Kymmi -- some of us (I at least) know very little about the New School Foundation, and have no notions, one way or the other, about the school. If you are a South Shore parent or advocate and are aware of good stuff about the school or the foundation that isn't being presented -- I hope you will chime in. It is the only way we will learn. Based on what others have said, I guess here is what I think (not that it matters, particularly, I guess):<br />1. It seems very odd to me that it is NOT an attendance area school, since they hope to draw from the immediate neighborhood. It seems to me that Foundation money could be used to keep class sizes small, without opening the school to an all city draw as an option school. The frustration of many over the District's seeming arbitrariness in placing schools in/out of attendance area status is not aimed specifically at SS -- it is aimed at the District's high-handedness.<br />2. As I read the posts, it appears that there is a fair level of concern (at least with Melissa, though she is probably not alone) over whether the process of building/funding SS was "fair," -- followed the District's stated priorities and procedures for determining where building money should have been spent, etc. That is coupled with a distrust, among many who post here, of the "strings" that may come attached to private money. Melissa is way ahead of me here, but I will say this -- if the "cause/effect" line leads from SS to the closing of Cooper, that IS a heartbreaker (not the fault of SS families, certainly -- it is a district failure) as Cooper families were very badly treated by the District last year when they lost their school and their building was given to Pathfinder.<br /><br />At any rate, if you have good stuff to say about SS, or reasons why you believe that keeping it as an "option" school rather than an attendance school makes sense for the district or the New School Foundation -- I for one would love to hear what you have to say, as the district's decisions on this school's status under the SAP make no sense to me. <br /><br />One of the great things about this blog is that it has allowed me to broaden my sights beyond my own kids' schools, to all the others -- including SS, the now defunct Summit and Cooper, the problems of Bryant families, the displacement of Madrona families, etc. The more I know, the more it makes me want to be in a position to advocate for ALL district kids and schools, including SS.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18171991585667195445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51177012896938053642009-10-20T17:39:45.534-07:002009-10-20T17:39:45.534-07:00Kymmi, that is all you on South Shore. There is n...Kymmi, that is all you on South Shore. There is no one here who ever said they hate South Shore or advocated for the school to go away. I'll wait; go check. Pull up every South Shore reference and show us where anyone says get rid of South Shore. You won't find it.<br /><br />South Shore is doing good things for the community it is in. I have consistently said that.<br /><br />What I, personally, don't like is New School Foundation and their heavy-handed ways. I have data to back up that assertion; whether others would agree their actions are neither fair to other communities nor good for the district could be up for argument.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-6389736092302896362009-10-20T11:39:14.836-07:002009-10-20T11:39:14.836-07:00I had written a much longer post about the odd Sou...I had written a much longer post about the odd South Shore hatred around these parts, but I don't think it's worth it. You say that this is an inclusive blog, but you remain very dismissive about South Shore and angry about any success it has. <br /><br />Honestly, I don't think you'll be happy until the New School Foundation is driven out of town and all the South Shore kids are redistributed to lower performing schools. Then it'll be fair, right?kimberlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15596007532071842826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-27811988057993347792009-10-20T10:49:07.919-07:002009-10-20T10:49:07.919-07:00Luckily this blog is filling in a wee bit of the g...Luckily this blog is filling in a wee bit of the gap. Go team! <br /><br />I'm starting to hear rumblings about the levy as people grasp the amount we're being asked to spend with no more explanation than "we need space for kids." I hope to see the smart parents on this blog shaping the public discussion and tying the SAP's strengths and weaknesses to that story.Central Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05411595538958030193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16558244214092767572009-10-20T10:17:46.932-07:002009-10-20T10:17:46.932-07:00You're probably right Central Mom. I think we&...You're probably right Central Mom. I think we're seeing some of the direct impact the loss of the P-I is having on news reporting in the city, and the downturn in news reporting in general.<br /><br />THE SAP is hardly "old news" to many of us in the city, but it is not going to show up as news. There doesn't appear to anyone reporters who are concentrating on education issues, which makes it so much easier for all school districts to operate under cover.SolvayGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12709893209963350066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54925042552909005122009-10-20T10:12:39.122-07:002009-10-20T10:12:39.122-07:00SolvayGirl...The Times and KUOW both did breaking ...SolvayGirl...The Times and KUOW both did breaking news stories as the draft SAP maps were shown. They're both likely to do a (shorter) story when the SAP is adopted next month. <br /><br />If you want to make noise about the effect of the enrollment changes, the upcoming levy is probably a more fruitful story to pursue, tying the SAP into that angle. The news organizations will be seeing the Levy as "new news" whereas the SAP is now "old".Central Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05411595538958030193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48732914723176464222009-10-19T22:32:01.192-07:002009-10-19T22:32:01.192-07:00I think it would be very good if we could get some...I think it would be very good if we could get someone with the Seattle Times and/our KUOW to interview a number of parents about the SAP.<br /><br />I believe the only people whoa re happy with the proposed plan are those that were on the border of a desirable school and now have them guaranteed (Garfield, Washington, etc.). Otherwise, I think the majority of people are either unhappy or neutral because it didn't change anything for them.SolvayGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12709893209963350066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25743041951917458912009-10-19T22:07:58.199-07:002009-10-19T22:07:58.199-07:00I would love to push for it. Any ideas on the most...I would love to push for it. Any ideas on the most effective way to do that? It feels like my emailed feedback on the district website goes into a black hole and cyberspace. I don't think individual comments here and there are going to make any impact.<br /><br />Group communication?<br />Many individual comments?<br />Petition?SE Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537722194376827564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3872564624062743102009-10-19T21:48:29.645-07:002009-10-19T21:48:29.645-07:00At the afternoon Mercer meeting, I asked Tracy Lib...At the afternoon Mercer meeting, I asked Tracy Libros about the Gale-Shapely algorithm. She confirmed that it is doable to continue to use the Algorithm. I think it's important, and we should push for it.BLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18171184976280483050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-748372732771811472009-10-19T20:21:04.067-07:002009-10-19T20:21:04.067-07:00ZB, all I have is what's in the appendices, wh...ZB, all I have is what's in the appendices, which have the 2008-09 and projected 2010-11 data. I don't know what the district is basing those projections on, and I don't have licensed statistical software that would let me see if the overall variance has changed.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28155176874241007192009-10-19T19:02:44.034-07:002009-10-19T19:02:44.034-07:00Doesnt it just make you livid that the District St...Doesnt it just make you livid that the District Staff actually use techniques to steamroll, divert, disperse, avoid, ignore difficult/inconvenient community input?<br /><br />What is happening when a public service organisation thinks it has the right to use such techniques to avoid answering to its stakeholders?Sahilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610179287237833742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37671015129894285042009-10-19T18:38:19.409-07:002009-10-19T18:38:19.409-07:00dj:
I was also noticing what you've noted: th...dj:<br /><br />I was also noticing what you've noted: that the FRL populations have remained relatively similar overall. That is, individual school's FRL's might have changed, but no real evidence that the variability in FRL in SPS has changed substantially. I've always been astonished by the degree of variability in FRL (i.e. schools going from 97% FRL to 3% FRL). <br /><br />Do you have the numbers for the hard core analysis? i.e. the FRL in elementary schools, now, and predicted with the SAP? Is the variability in FRL the same as it was before? higher? Are more schools being brought to a median? or is there more variability, many schools with a broader deviation from the mean for the school district? <br /><br />I was planning on doing the analysis -- one of my hopes is that the new SAP will reduce the variability in FRL among the different schools, but I will only have an opinion about seeing the real data.zbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13205346985598789513noreply@blogger.com