Seattle Schools Community Forum

Update:   Story from The Capitol Record and link to oral arguments. End of update. Fascinating and yes, if you aren't a lawyer, somewhat hard to follow.  You are trying to quickly follow the line of argument and then, as well, the line of questioning.  (These are very rough notes as I was listening AND typing.)

The Times continues its march towards becoming less of a newspaper and more of an mouthpiece for ed reform. Folks, I have personally heard from a number of Times' editors/writers who continue to claim that there is a solid wall between editorial and reporting.  That may be true in some areas but that is not true for education reporting especially on ed reform.  What do they do? - they lean the reporting towards ed reform, doing things like only getting a comment from an ed reform person and not anyone directed associated with the opposition.  This has happened several times. - they mislead readers (see Lynne Varner saying that the Washington State Charter Schools Association will "review" the charter applications which would lead the average reader to believe the WSCSA will be the ones picking the winners.  They aren't - it's the Washington State Charter Commission (and the lone district authorizer, Spokane) who will decide but Varner doesn't mention t...

I attended the first hearing on the constitutionality of I-1240, the Washington State Charter School law. To be clear, this hearing was pretty meaningless. No matter who wins or loses, this case will appealed all the way to the State Supreme Court. None of the decisions in any of the lower courts will matter. Only the one decision from the State Supreme Court will decide this.

Parents do the work to defend their schools and Pinehurst is challenging the per student figure for Pinehurst students versus other students. As usual, parents step up with extensive research.  Pinehurst is no exception and here is a letter to Superintendent Banda asking for an explanation of the costs announced to the Board per student at Pinehurst versus other K-8s.

The charter school law case has been assigned to King County and to Judge Jean Rietschel.    I was amused to read elsewhere that the lawyers for the plaintiffs were accused of going "court and judge shopping." For the record, most cases involving statewide issues are either heard in Olympia (state capital) or Seattle (largest court system).  No mystery there. As for judge shopping, it is my understanding that plaintiffs have one chance to change judges if they are not happy with their assignment.  That change right was not used in this case. The Times supported Judge Rietschel's election in 2008. I am seeking information on a court date.  I would think the plaintiffs might argue for a date sooner rather than later because of the impacts on all the various entities (districts, schools, charter school operators, Charter Commission, BOE, etc.) My early take on the case is that there are several legal issues likely to be raised, most of them based on the...

Well, look what happens when you step away for a couple of days - apparently a lot. First up, the Muni League released its ratings of School Board candidates.  Only Suzanne Dale Estey (in Michael DeBell's district) got "outstanding."  In the same race the two candidates, Sue Peters and Dean McCoglan, received a "very good" which is the next level below "outstanding."   In Kay Smith-Blum race, Stefan Blanford received "very good", LaCrese Green received "not qualified" and Ulu Thomas was not interviewed. I was unable to access the Muni League's second page of ratings to check Director Betty Patu's rating. Charlie and I just about finished our interviews and will write up a thread before you receive your primary ballots.  The early assessment is that (clearly) Patu will retain her seat, Blanford will face off against Green but is really the only candidate in that race.  So the real race is in DeBell's district ...

I do plan on doing a thread on the latest Charter Commission meeting but there is some other charter news. From the Everett Herald, there's a story about Jim Spady and his efforts, over the last 20 years, to bring charters to Washington State.  As an activist, I can only admire their drive and tenacity (even if I don't really support the outcome).   The article does bring up two issues I had wanted to call out. One, the lawsuit against 1240 is very much alive, according to Rich Wood of the WEA.  According to the article, it's "in the works" but the WEA is concentrating on McCleary first.  (Good call.) Two, Mr. Spady is to be part of the new Washington State Charter School Association .  This association is a line-up of the usual suspects.  Funded by Gates Foundation ($800k)?  Check.  Chris Korsmo of LEV, spokesperson for the group? Check (but let's hope they make her more camera-ready than she has been in the past).  More LEV ...