tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post922686482919992586..comments2024-03-28T23:38:22.511-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Community MeetingsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19629190901220598772010-09-23T15:45:38.273-07:002010-09-23T15:45:38.273-07:001. NO BUDGET LINE FOR TEXTBOOKS? This is a heck of...1. NO BUDGET LINE FOR TEXTBOOKS? This is a heck of a chicken-or-egg question, (I've been wondering why on earth the elementry schools have no textbooks) but how could a school district go even one year with NO BUDGET LINE FOR TEXTBOOKS?!? And the board not noticing?<br /><br />2. Thanks for the link to the document on Alternative schools. I see nothing there that says an alternative school can't be an academy with direct instruction and yes, textbooks (as long as someone pays for them).Fruitbatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1473006645738889712010-09-21T09:37:14.102-07:002010-09-21T09:37:14.102-07:00Melissa since it was a Hale parent who mentioned T...<b>Melissa</b> since it was a Hale parent who mentioned TOPS, they might actually know nothing about the school (TOPS hasn't drawn from the Nathan Hale area in maybe 20 years). TOPS is always the example of an Alt that isn't weird enough to be considered an Alt. Some people seem to have the definition that a school can only be an Alt if it is so out there pedagogically (like Summerhill) that very few people would consider sending their kid there! If a school has a wait list, those people think it can't be a 'real' Alt.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/altedfinalreport.pdf" rel="nofollow">Alt Ed Final Report</a> provides a coherent description of what it should mean to be an Alt school in Seattle. If the Board required the Supe to adhere to <a href="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/policies/c/C54.00.pdf" rel="nofollow">Policy C54.00</a> then it would be easier for Alts to retain and implement their Missions and Visions.<br /><br />I forgot to ask Harium what "elementing" means when I saw him at the NE 'Welcome' lats night. Darn it - I hate missing the opportunity to expand my vocabulary!Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17807921466645345682010-09-20T17:09:01.344-07:002010-09-20T17:09:01.344-07:00Sorry I didn't say it but I was dumbfounded wh...Sorry I didn't say it but I was dumbfounded when TOPS was the example! Damned if you do and damned if you don't. I just didn't get it.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87355104384492817352010-09-20T10:33:25.181-07:002010-09-20T10:33:25.181-07:00Thank you Chris!Thank you <b>Chris!</b>Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43971144870581241212010-09-20T09:40:37.186-07:002010-09-20T09:40:37.186-07:00Yeah, I was kind of laughing at the word "coa...Yeah, I was kind of laughing at the word "coach" later on last night. We asked for an "advocate" but someone translated that into "coach" to get it by the powers-that-be, who obviously love coaches.<br /><br />I also want to put in a plug for TOPS. The conventional wisdom out there that it is "not alt enough" is purely political, based far more on the desire of outsiders to have a neighborhood school in that location than any fact. In fact, TOPS over the last year has been a nice case study demonstrating that injection of a non-alt or anti-alt principal does not necessarily kill the program. I hope over the next year these things will come to light. I do have great faith in the TOPS community.Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38546952944926994762010-09-20T09:22:45.355-07:002010-09-20T09:22:45.355-07:00I went to Michael DeBell's meeting. There were...I went to Michael DeBell's meeting. There were several people there - not a lot, but it was a nice Saturday morning and Yom Kippur, to boot. <br /><br />DeBell said something very, very interesting when the subject of the audit came up: district staff gave no indication, in briefings to the board regarding the audit, of the severity of the findings. (FYI: the auditor's office communicated issues to district staff months before the final audit report was released, noting date and who they talked to.)<br /><br />DeBell and Carr were the board members who attended the exit meeting with the auditor's office staff and DeBell said they were taken by complete surprise at the seriousness of the report. <br /><br />So... <em>interesting</em>. The board needs to be able to trust staff to give them an honest and clear summary of information (and by "honest," I don't take the line of "well, I didn't tell you anything <em>untruthful</em>, I just didn't tell you everything, so therefore, I've been honest"). In this case, despite the fact staff knew that the board would get the information, staff did not disclose highly relevant information. It's hard not to wonder how many other cases of less-than-frank briefings there have been. <br /> <br />So. Back to the meeting. I raised the fact that the Superintendent had been personally dinged 3 times in the audit (2x in the report for different credit card issues and once in the audit w/exceptions for the conflict of interest/ethics violation of being on NWEA's board and not disclosing it). DeBell indicated (and I have to take into account that I could have heard what I wanted to hear) that the Superintendent's issues would get some public attention from the board. I hope so - obviously, at least 3 other board members need to be on board with that.<br /><br />At the meeting there was also a teacher there who noted that she was surprised by the near-unanimity of the no-confidence vote. She said two, maybe three people were opposed.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795753563127975720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30923024949237202242010-09-20T08:15:32.622-07:002010-09-20T08:15:32.622-07:00I confess, I don't know what "elementing&...I confess, I don't know what "elementing" means. I'll ask Harium but yes, it was one of those situations where inwardly you go "huh?" but feel you can't interrupt. <br /><br />Yes, Maureen, he did use the word coach.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43802091758274041232010-09-20T06:41:55.253-07:002010-09-20T06:41:55.253-07:00What does "element" mean as a transitive...What does "element" mean as a transitive verb?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-76028150411358637582010-09-19T22:20:43.277-07:002010-09-19T22:20:43.277-07:00See, this is why I don't go to these things. I...See, this is why I don't go to these things. If I'd been there when he suggested that alt schools are about "elementing pedagogies", I'd, I'd -- well, I don't know WHAT I'd have done. Laugh? Probably, yes.<br /><br />This gibberish, from a school board member? In my professional opinion: yikes!Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16204668945868858162010-09-19T22:00:45.527-07:002010-09-19T22:00:45.527-07:00Harium then starting talking about how the distric...<i>Harium then starting talking about how the district hasn't allowed the alternatives to do what they are best at - "elementing pedagogy and strategies".</i><br /><br /><b>Melissa,</b> I hope I'm not being dense. What on does "elementing" mean here? I'm thinking that my alt school may well be truly terrible at it, since In 11 years of BLT/Site Council/Volunteer involvement I have never heard this word!<br /><br />By the way, did Harium actually refer to John Miner's role as that of a 'coach?' I see it as more of a part time Alt Ed Director which some of us have been advocating for for a long time. Given the random way in which administrators are being assigned to alt schools, I think it really makes sense to have some one one level above them to help communicate institutional memory (and maybe help them "element" pedagogy and strategies?!)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7606642623005310882010-09-19T20:22:15.424-07:002010-09-19T20:22:15.424-07:00Weeell, if there has to be a way to "exit&quo...Weeell, if there has to be a way to "exit" alternative schools there darn well better be a way to create new ones because we still have massive waiting lists out there.<br /><br />I'm on strike from board member committee meetings because Melissa convinced me it was a waste-o-time. Don't tell, but I broke my vow last week and went to see Sherry Carr and there was <i>no one else there.</i> If I were a board member, I would find this ominous.<br /><br />WV is gyratin'Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29104215366179027582010-09-19T13:40:37.257-07:002010-09-19T13:40:37.257-07:00The State is Constitutionally required to amply fu...The State is Constitutionally required to amply fund basic education. Olympia needs to pay for the textbooks!John Adamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64092865520424629122010-09-19T13:15:49.734-07:002010-09-19T13:15:49.734-07:00"He said the budget is there for LA texts and..."He said the budget is there for LA texts and novels."<br /><br />Really? What texts was he referring to? High schools only have novels; there are no texts to help teach writing, short stories, poetry or non-fiction.<br /><br />Is there another adoption in the works?karyn kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08370286067103785050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43550024630077831422010-09-19T13:07:36.043-07:002010-09-19T13:07:36.043-07:00Can't help but wonder as to whether or not the...Can't help but wonder as to whether or not there isn't a line item for books because the Superintendent has a reform agenda to pass.Arnoldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31986756827473060012010-09-19T12:22:44.221-07:002010-09-19T12:22:44.221-07:00Wait a sec....they are starting to announce that t...Wait a sec....they are starting to announce that they are going to use a community-input based model for budgeting, at the same time the levy is up for vote.<br /><br />hmmmmm.....ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4661064107704516892010-09-19T12:19:55.284-07:002010-09-19T12:19:55.284-07:00"Harium let us know that how they create the ..."Harium let us know that how they create the budget for this year will be different. They seem to be following the model of Bellevue in wanting to have community meetings where items will be ranked."<br /><br />Excellent NEWS! <br /><br />I cannot see how we could trust this for the supplemental levy (which is already promised for new spending anyway.<br /><br />IF they make this work, if the board follows through and makes this happen and IF the superintendent shows that she listens and aligns spending priorities with what stakeholders want, then this could be a cultural shift of awesomeness. <br /><br />And, we should have results of this new budgeting model and better audits before the 2013 Operating Levy, so we can vote for that levy with clear assurance that we are furthering appropriate educational goals. <br /><br />(I'd vote for the 2013 operating levy no matter what, because the consequences of it not passing would be dire, but it makes me sick to my stomach to vote yes when I know so much of it is wasted, ineffective or worse.)Dorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-6620908259855576252010-09-19T12:19:20.927-07:002010-09-19T12:19:20.927-07:00"I would have thought from posts here that mo..."I would have thought from posts here that more parents had issues and questions especially about the NSAP."<br /><br />Have to wonder if the fact that is was Yom Kippur impacted attendance?<br /><br />Also, I like the idea of budgeting this year. I would fund schools first, web site redesign dead last. I would eliminate the coaches and put that money back into the schools. <br /><br />I also filled out a very detailed survey about LA textbooks...wonder what happened to that input. You can get all the input in the world, but if you ignore it then it's really just a waste of time. <br /><br />So, if they are really serious about changing the way they budget, then that means there is big change (wake up call) downtown as there is not a parent in SPS that would rank MJGs pet projects at the top of the list.<br /><br />We shall see.ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.com