tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5511661182631005741..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Meeting Items of NoteMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-24936817801161197442017-12-20T08:09:23.379-08:002017-12-20T08:09:23.379-08:00Like a lot of people, I looked at the projections ...Like a lot of people, I looked at the projections for 2021-22 without putting a lot of thought into the 18-19 school year. That turned out to be a mistake. There is a serious train wreck coming at Ballard, Garfield, and Roosevelt. All three are predicted to be at 125-150 more than they are this year. Ballard is predicted to be at 2035, 400 over capacity. Garfield is predicted to be at 1901, 300 over capacity. Roosevelt is predicted to be at 1986, 270 over capacity. <br /><br />Garfield can't handle much more than they have now. Ballard is pretty strained and I'm pretty sure can't put any more portables down. I don't know how Roosevelt is doing. <br /><br />Ingraham needs portables and there should be nobody assigned to the three schools above on a waitlist come April. Otherwise staff simply aren't doing their jobs. <br />Eric Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91874135499142342932017-12-19T17:14:51.548-08:002017-12-19T17:14:51.548-08:00The geographic maps are completely missing from th...The geographic maps are completely missing from this process. <br /><br />During all the last high school boundary redraw, there were maps that showed the number of students and their closest school. This made it very clear where the challenging areas were and which schools could simply not handle every student for whom that was the closest school. <br /><br />Those maps brought some civility to the conversation. Without the maps we once again have neighborhoods pitted against each other. kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40282005881026488632017-12-19T09:27:03.279-08:002017-12-19T09:27:03.279-08:00I don't understand why Magnolia families are s...I don't understand why Magnolia families are saying that their students can't be assigned to Lincoln because of long commute times. This was the same argument that families north of 85th St NW had about being assigned to Ingraham a few years ago. The district agreed that Metro would take too long and decided to run a yellow bus through the area to take those students to Ingraham. If Metro service from Magnolia to Lincoln takes that long, why doesn't the district just add yellow bus service for those students to get them to Wallingford? There are a smattering of neighborhoods around the city that get yellow bus service for high schoolers when Metro is too long of a ride. If the main reason Magnolia wants to stay at BHS is because of Metro bus service/commute times, SPS just needs to run yellow buses for them, problem solved. Magnolia shouldn't get to just stay at BHS by default and force other students who could otherwise walk to school continue to sit on a bus. Students who live on 80th St being assigned to Ingraham??? That's just insane. I hope the district slows the train down and takes the time to look at transportation feasibility as they're deciding on high school boundaries. <br /><br />North of 85thAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45757943558125626622017-12-19T09:01:09.477-08:002017-12-19T09:01:09.477-08:00RP1, you are right; there's what the Board mus...RP1, you are right; there's what the Board must consider. <br /><br />The overall picture - how many kids will be on buses with one plan versus another versus what that picture is today?<br /><br />The smaller picture - are there more kids on buses but with about the same number of minutes?<br /><br />Of course, this does beg the question of the district stated goal of having more kids walk or bike to school. I'd like to see the current data on that and how that might change with different boundary scenarios. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25962497394135498992017-12-18T21:59:02.901-08:002017-12-18T21:59:02.901-08:00Equity means sharing in the sacrifices as well as ...Equity means sharing in the sacrifices as well as the benefits.<br /><br />It means busing to one school when you could walk to another so a kid in another neighborhood doesn't have to ride a bus for over two hours a day.<br /><br />RP1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70154152554902419572017-12-16T11:01:30.794-08:002017-12-16T11:01:30.794-08:00The enrollment projections show that even with the...The enrollment projections show that even with the opening of Lincoln and additional seats at Ingraham, the North end will still be over capacity by 2021-22. <br /><br />So why are enrollment projections capped at 5 years when North end high-density housing construction, light rail development and enrollment patterns in elementary and middle school indicate even greater capacity demand within 10 years?<br /><br />Why is a downtown high school being planned for opening 8 years from now with 5 year projections? <br /><br />I'm concerned that data is not being used to guide sound long-term decisions.<br /><br />/MAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74847188076431014212017-12-16T08:11:52.875-08:002017-12-16T08:11:52.875-08:00“From what I heard, the task force didn't beli...“From what I heard, the task force didn't believe it had the info to come to a consensus, so staff didn't get the endorsement they might have been looking for. “<br /><br />As a veteran of several task forces/committees, I can tell you that placing of info from staff can doom many a group who may struggle to be making the best decision.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51181763755565572902017-12-15T23:28:57.162-08:002017-12-15T23:28:57.162-08:00@SAB,
I’m glad I was able to help. There are two ...@SAB,<br /><br />I’m glad I was able to help. There are two items that are tied for first place in the category of over-reaching and out-of-scope, from my point of view. <br /><br />1). Downtown school. Talk about an existential problem. Significant time was spent contemplating modifying boundaries for a potential-future-possible downtown school with the earliest opening date of 2025. This project has not even been put in front of voters for a budget or timeline, but yet it got task force time. <br /><br />2) Cleveland - Any change to Cleveland’s status needs to be brought to the SE community at large.<br /><br />Significant time was spent on these topics and now there are looming deadlines. kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-76701113294644178812017-12-15T23:10:44.126-08:002017-12-15T23:10:44.126-08:00@ so frustrated,
A promise “in writing” may or ma...@ so frustrated,<br /><br />A promise “in writing” may or may not mean anything. Hence the tremendous amount of localized upset. Please remember that the promise to grandfather students at Whitman was “in writing,” posted on the district website, was cost neutral, AND was completely ignored. <br /><br />Without a written policy that mandates a minimum AP slate of specific course and the budget for this written directly into the WSS, there is no reason to believe this promise. After all, Michael Tolley directly stated the district will NOT offer classes without sufficient enrollment. <br /><br />Once again, this focus on AP offerings is a distraction.<br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72466840697219965812017-12-15T22:49:51.851-08:002017-12-15T22:49:51.851-08:00@ kellie,
Thank you for taking the time to explai...@ kellie,<br /><br />Thank you for taking the time to explain the Cleveland situation. I fell for the myth. It's frightening to think that staff put the school's option status up for discussion based on a faulty understanding of what is going on, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. From what I heard, the task force didn't believe it had the info to come to a consensus, so staff didn't get the endorsement they might have been looking for. Given all the other changes taking place throughout the district, maybe they will let Cleveland be. It's a shame they are not supporting the school with the number of student it needs and doubly so if those students are indeed leaving the district.<br /><br />-SABAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15833026491467716502017-12-15T19:36:28.811-08:002017-12-15T19:36:28.811-08:00@ SAB,
Thank you for bringing up Cleveland again...@ SAB, <br /><br />Thank you for bringing up Cleveland again. I think it was beyond overreaching that Cleveland’s status as an option was ever on the task force agenda. The implication for changing that status would change every boundary in the south end, and not improve education outcomes for one student. <br /><br />I also believe it is an urban legend that Cleveland hurts Rainier Beach. Frankly, I think that Cleveland’s option status helps Rainier Beach. <br /><br />There is this mythology that somehow, we can treat students as if they were widgets and just cause them to enroll where it is convenient for administration. That mythology loses sight of the fact that Schools are in the education business, not the assignment business. The biggest impact on enrollment is not option school enrollment but out of district enrollment. Families have the choice to enroll their students in public school in adjacent districts. When these families pick Cleveland, we have families staying in the Seattle Public system. <br /><br />There has been zero analysis to show that the artificial enrollment caps at both Franklin and Cleveland benefit Rainier Beach. This analysis is shockingly easy to do. You simply pull the enrollment ID numbers for any student who was waitlisted at Franklin and Cleveland and then report on where these students are actually enrolled in October. I would love to be proven wrong but historically any time an analysis like this was done, it was reported that a very high percentage of these students just left the district rather than take a mandatory assignment. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20672711734559924912017-12-15T19:24:33.556-08:002017-12-15T19:24:33.556-08:00@ Over it and So Frustrated,
I agree with a lot ...@ Over it and So Frustrated, <br /><br />I agree with a lot of your underlying comments. Decisions need to me made and there are no perfect choices. Not everyone is going to get everything at a local convenient school. <br /><br />But that said, this is far more complex and there are substantial domino effects to these decisions that have received precious little daylight. <br /><br />Because of the way that high school is funded, there are multiple unique programs that will only ever be provided at 1-3 high schools. AP Classes are a powerful distraction at the moment, because these are not unique, they are offered at all schools and it only takes a wee bit of flexible funding to expand this options. I repeat the focus on AP is a powerful distraction. <br /><br />The truly unique offerings are IB and CTE and a handful of specialty programs at each high school, like the Hale Radio program. The way the boundaries are set, will either provide a long term commitment to IB and Career and Technical Education or it will be the deal of these programs. <br /><br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86450334819735615122017-12-15T19:18:05.658-08:002017-12-15T19:18:05.658-08:00I'm glad Cleveland came up. I agree it should ...I'm glad Cleveland came up. I agree it should stay an option school. Its success is not universally viewed as a positive thing however--it is pulling students away from the struggling Rainier Bch HS. So, instead of figuring out a way to help RBHS attract students, they are thinking about solving the problem through boundary redraws--making Cleveland an attendance area school. Cleveland is the only option school that is also a comprehensive high school. That is also seem by some as a problem. They want everything the same--even if it means killing a popular choice that students want. Yes, it is so very frustrating and I too hope they let more students in Cleveland, but otherwise they should leave it alone.<br /><br />- SABAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9257643225946027772017-12-15T19:16:08.846-08:002017-12-15T19:16:08.846-08:00@Frustrated Parent,
I honestly don’t know what q...@Frustrated Parent, <br /><br />I honestly don’t know what question the district is trying to answer. But I do know that when things get this convoluted, some clarity around the question certainly helps. <br /><br />It took me a long time to really understand that the madness of the closures dragged on for as long as it did because of bad questions, Everyone thought the question was “Which schools need to be closed?” When in actuality a better question would have been about how do we measure capacity?<br /><br />The 2004 closure report starts with this little paragraph that states Enrollment will be declining to 45,000 students and SPS has capacity for at least 55,000 students. People focused on how the projections were incorrect but that didn’t help because the other number was the real problem. SPS never had capacity for 55,000 students. We have almost that many students now and to accommodate that number, we needed to reopen every closed school, reopen additional schools and add over 200 portables in the process. <br /><br />So that is why I’m asking ... because the board keeps asking for some better data and enrollment keeps producing more and more convoluted scenarios. So I’m now at the point, where I think we need some better questions. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48923761747616968732017-12-15T18:13:41.192-08:002017-12-15T18:13:41.192-08:00And people you need to get over the fact that our ...And people you need to get over the fact that our high school kids are going to have to get on a bus, carpool, bike or private vehicle to get to a school that isn't conveniently located. Our city's geography isn't convenient. Our city's layout isn't convenient. Our city's school locations aren't ideal. Our traffic is a nightmare. We do not live in Perfectland. It may take our kids the better part of an hour to get to school. It isn't convenient. It is survivable. <br /><br />SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FRUSTRATED<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36385300684811654732017-12-15T18:08:52.490-08:002017-12-15T18:08:52.490-08:00+1 for Over It. Redraw the boundaries to fit ALL p...+1 for Over It. Redraw the boundaries to fit ALL populations in each north end school. Added technicality: "rightsize" the schools at 15% less of the target population size. That allows room for GROWTH + LOTTERY seats. PUT THOSE NUMBERS IN WRITING. NO MORE BACKSLIDING LIKE THE LAST TIME AROUND ON LOTTERY SEATS.<br /><br />The rest of these contortions are simply maddening. We're about to end up with a hell of a mess of boundaries and programs. Seattle does NOT have to reinvent the wheel every time. North end neighborhood schools offer programs to serve their populations. Duh. Double duh. It doesn't have to be the deluxe Cadillac version. It does have to have a core of advanced classes and competent resources to get students into Running Start for additional advanced courses.<br /><br />This solution also means less impact on Central schools. Leave Garfield alone minus rightsizing the draw area. Ditto Cleveland. Leave it as a tech option school. Expand the number of kids it takes? OK. But leave a program that is working alone.<br /><br />+1 also for forcing district in writing to serve central and south kids with the same menu of in-school advanced classes as the North End. Equity costs money. But the promise in writing means no more hand-wringing as to whether or when these classes will be offered. They will be offered. Period. Maybe it's one section, not 7, but they will be offered. <br /><br />Again, enough with the ridiculous HCC paths and shoving all students this way and that to accommodate what should just be happening in their comprehensive high school as a matter of BASELINE DISTRICT COMPETENCY.<br /><br />SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FRUSTRATEDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25050596638617049692017-12-15T16:44:37.086-08:002017-12-15T16:44:37.086-08:00They’re adding the portables for fall of 2018. Lin...They’re adding the portables for fall of 2018. Lincoln will be opening a year later. <br /><br />Fairmount ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83006360862563851042017-12-15T16:15:07.088-08:002017-12-15T16:15:07.088-08:00Why would the district open Lincoln for grades 9-1...Why would the district open Lincoln for grades 9-10, but add portables to other high schools. Portables are expensive!Questionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85187841704058629482017-12-15T15:49:52.321-08:002017-12-15T15:49:52.321-08:00I agree with "over it". Also, if the Lin...I agree with "over it". Also, if the Lincoln option fails, the neighborhood school option is no different and worse in my opinion. In addition, much of north end HC is ALREADY enrolled in IGH, BHS & RHS. A MAJOR reason boundaries are being drawn the way they are is because Magnolia & QA have no high school...yet. <br />JaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22301114845231356102017-12-15T15:39:39.455-08:002017-12-15T15:39:39.455-08:00@anonymous 8:56 "decrease mitigation costs, b...<br />@anonymous 8:56 "decrease mitigation costs, because advanced classes would be able to be filled--and whether SPS likes it or not, by pulling some students from RHS and BHS they are going to need to offer advanced options upon launch.<br /><br />They will pull some 10th graders. Just an FYI though the plan has Lincoln opening as a 9/10 with only 9th grade HC.<br />K Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20178092881612169272017-12-15T14:16:57.899-08:002017-12-15T14:16:57.899-08:00Does it seem like opening Lincoln as a 9-10, despi...Does it seem like opening Lincoln as a 9-10, despite suggestions otherwise, leave the other schools overcrowded? Is opening Lincoln as a 9-10 a given, or will the numbers force them to do otherwise? Think about it - a newly renovated building, ready to serve 9-12, but only operating at half capacity...<br /><br />no guarantees<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23204553921489335182017-12-15T14:08:50.627-08:002017-12-15T14:08:50.627-08:00SPS staff seem to favor F4 because it will enable ...SPS staff seem to favor F4 because it will enable them at assign all HC students to their assignment area high school by 2021. What happens in the meantime is all up in the air. I wish someone could figure out which scenario does the least amount of harm between now and 2021.<br /><br />N by NWAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20014888743083610182017-12-15T13:51:27.610-08:002017-12-15T13:51:27.610-08:00I read the post, the attachments, etc. I apologiz...I read the post, the attachments, etc. I apologize if my reading comprehension is low. What option is in the lead right now? There are 5 versions each of options F and H. I don't know which one to comment on. Thanks.RPMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4573850870503431372017-12-15T13:01:54.773-08:002017-12-15T13:01:54.773-08:00It seems like there are only two options that make...It seems like there are only two options that make any real sense given how close Lincoln is to Roosevelt and Ballard.<br /><br />1) Make Lincoln the north end HCC school (maybe language/spectrum too?)<br />2) Make Lincoln a meaningfully exciting option school to attract enough kids to balance out the other schools. <br /><br />Oddly (to me), neither option is one the district is considering so they’re drawing map after map considering how to move kids around in ways that add large logistical burdens to kids who would like to be in school, so activities, have jobs, and will spend a ton of time bussing around (or adding more cars in very cramped neighborhoods).<br /><br />As a parent who’s kid misses the HCC cut-off, but is performing well above grade level and I would expect to be able to handle AP science, BC Calc, etc as was the norm for the more advanced kids where I grew up (maybe top 10-15%, not just top 2%), I’d rather HCC in the neighborhood high schools and an option Lincoln, but either of those seems better than the myriad options the district has thrown out there.<br /><br />NE ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81671091368968982482017-12-15T13:00:32.642-08:002017-12-15T13:00:32.642-08:00"Only when Board members have data from a det..."Only when Board members have data from a detailed survey that ranks concrete alternatives can they make an informed decision. They wouldn’t have to follow parent’s wishes, but at least they would know what they are."<br /><br />Bravo.<br /><br />Over It, yes, students do need to enroll soon. BUT this is decision that will have huge impacts for years to come.<br /><br />The district is not good at providing services district-wide. So I'm not believing this idea that they can provide enough acceleration and rigor at all the high schools especially for HCC student.<br /><br />And that "if it costs more money, so be it" - well, tell that to staff and watch them laugh.<br /><br />The district promised a lottery for high school seats before - never happened.<br /><br />Lastly, of course, there will be unhappy people with the boundaries but it needs to be based on data and clearly explained. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.com