Seattle Schools Community Forum

Monday, June 25th Curriculum & Instruction Policy Committee Mtg. - 4-6 p.m.  Agenda This should be a jam-packed meeting as well as one fraught with varying agendas.  They will be discussing the Program Placement policy which guides what new programs get created, where they are placed and who nominates/decides.  It seems like staff is making noises about "community input" but that's not where the action is.  Also on the agenda for policies; nutrition, "ensuring educational equity", student discipline, advanced learning.  There will also be discussion of the partnership agreement for the Families and Education Levy and the Creative Approach Schools Board oversight process.   Wednesday, June 27th Public Hearing on the Budget from 4-5 p.m. This is a legal requirement of the district for any citizen who wants to weigh in on the budget for 2012-13.  Note that you sign up right before the hearing and they only have the hearing as long as there a...

So over at the Times' comment section on their transportation story, well it turns out a lot of you are lazy, whiny parents.  Or so many commenters think.  I would like to ask Enrollment a couple of questions.  What percentage of SPS enrollment goes to neighborhood schools? What percentage of SPS enrollment stays in their region? What percentage of SPS Special Ed has to be bused out of their region for services? What percentage of Option School students are from the region the school sits in? As the only all-city draw, where do the students at Cleveland come from?  Are they all on Metro? I'm being lazy because I suspect this is info somewhere at the district website but don't feel like looking. Are we really running that many kids all over town? Now some questions to you (I am NOT advocating these; I'm playing devil's advocate): Should busing be a core district function? Should parents at Option schools be responsible for their child's transport...

As for the Focus Group Committee recommendation issue, several readers pointed out that on April 19th there was a press release that had said the same thing.   A 25-person Community Focus Group will meet with each candidate next week and make a recommendation to the School Board.  Do I think this was all an error?  Not sure.  I think since the committee's own non-disclosure form said there would be no recommendation, it is an odd mistake.  (They had to sign it before the April 19th press release.)  It could have been someone laying early groundwork to say there was a recommendation in case cover was needed for a superintendent choice, either during Board deliberations and/or when there was a public announcement.  The Times will be revealing their pick in Sunday's Times.  You have three guesses. Budget update from Dr. Enfield.  Highlights:    Over the last two weeks, we have reached that $1.1 million target b...

A thread was requested on school-level budgeting that is occurring over the next couple of weeks. 

There were several meetings yesterday including the long-delayed PTA charter forum.  If you attend that forum or the Work Session on the budget, let us know your thoughts.

Reminder that the only Director community meeting tomorrow is Director Carr's at 8:30 am at Bethany Community Church across from Bagley Elementary. Also, the Seattle Council PTSA meeting on the nuts and bolts of school and district budgets is Monday the 13th at the John Stanford Center in rooms 2772-2774 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Also a heads up - the City and the district are sponsoring an Arts Education Forum  on Thursday, Feb. 16th at Seattle University, Pigott Auditorium from 6:30-8:00 p.m.   You are invited to join Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle Public Schools Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield and youth for a lively panel discussion and community forum about arts education, creative learning and student success. Learn about a coordinated effort to create a comprehensive K-12 visual and performing arts plan for Seattle Public Schools. The district recently received a grant from The Wallace Foundation to engage the community in developing a plan to provide greater ...

As our school district begins the annual process of developing a budget for the year we will hear all of the same messages that we hear every year at this time. People will go on about how the legislature has cut funding, they will claim that they want to protect the classrooms from budget cuts, and they will describe programs and initiatives that are too critical to cut. I don't want to make folks' eyes glaze over with the tiny details of the budget, so I hope those who follow it much more closely than I do will forgive my describing it in very broad strokes. A lot of the budget isn't really available for re-allocation. There are all kinds of laws, agreements, grant restrictions and such that obligate the District to spend its money in certain ways. There is, however, some discretion. In the past, the board has sat passively and waited for the superintendent and the staff to bring them a budget proposal. That didn't work out so well, so now the Board takes a more act...

Tuesday Audit&Finance Committee Mtg. (Audit), 4-6 p.m. Agenda Executive Committee Meeting of the Whole , 6-7 p.m. Discussion of superintendent search. Wednesday Executive Committee Mtg. 8-10 am. Agenda Director McLaren Community Meeting, 11:15 am-1:15 pm Oversight Work Session: Transportation , 4-5:30 pm Work Session:Budget , 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday Audit&Finance Committee Mtg ., 4-6 p.m. Agenda . Friday BEX Oversight Committee Mtg ., 8:30-10:30 am Saturday Director Carr community meeting , 8:30-10 am, Bethany Community Church - CE Brick Room, 8023 Green Lake Dr. Also, from Peonypower, The NW flower and garden show opens this week and Puget sound high schools will be competing in the funky junk competition.Interlake HS, Nathan Hale HS, Tumwater HS, and Ballard High School will all be represented.