Seattle Schools Community Forum

Finally sat down to listen to the Gates Foundation preschool grant discussion from last Wednesday Board meeting.  Many adjectives come to mind; disingenuous (Cashel Toner), tardy for the party (Director McLaren), integrity (Director Patu), rationality (Director Peters) and dumbfounded (for Directors Carr and Peaslee). Folks, our Board not only okayed a grant that had been signed off months before by the Superintendent (and more on that in a moment) but most agreed it lacked clarity in one key issue.  Astonishing. It seems that staff was able, somehow, to negate to the Board that going into Years 2 and 3 of this grant, it is completely unclear what will happen.  Both Sue Peters and Betty Patu asked, over and over, and yet no real answer. Here's the crux of the problem as both Patu and Peters pointed out. The district is doing this backwards.   The MOU with the City should come FIRST and then any agreements.  Because what IF an MOU with the City is n...

November 19, 2014.   Mark it on your calendar or in your journal.  Because today, to my mind and experience, marks the beginning of the reform movement of our district.  (I say "our" district meaning the parents and taxpayers of Seattle.  I leave out staff because they have unions and contracts to protect them.) In a couple of days, if you watch the meeting online, you might be puzzled.  Sure, it's a packed house (and very few who came to the meeting actually got to speak about their issue) and sure enough, droning reports from staff, so what's so different? The difference is - as Charlie points out - that lawlessness has taken our district.  The manipulation of district processes are now being controlled but surely not by the Board. The Board had to vote - under Board policy 6114 and 1620 - on the Gates Foundation Preschool grant.  That Action Item, so lovingly written as to make it sound like the district had to fire this shot against the inju...

From Seattle Schools: Seattle Public Schools celebrates with the City of Seattle and says a resounding thank you to Seattle voters for their approval of the pre-school initiative.  Our utmost appreciation for the leadership by the Mayor and the City Council in supporting this important work.  Providing an early start to our neediest families is one of the most cost effective ways to help EVERY student succeed.  The city initiative starts small and builds to 2000 students over the next four years.  We look forward to working with the City of Seattle in the implementation of this important work.   Naturally, we all think preschool is a good thing.  But really?  All the schools are excited about this work as they are underfunded and overenrolled?  Hard to believe but I'm going with headquarters staff is happy.   (I also note that the second sentence lacks a verb.)  The district is also WRONG in the "neediest famili...

Election Update : 1351 is still failing but has closed the gap by about 3,000 votes, 49.58% to No, 50.42% end of update 1B passed handily.  I was surprised at the "handily" part but Seattle folks are a generous bunch. I am going to be speaking at the Board meeting tonight and I may include a bit about what the passage of 1B will mean to SPS.  (I'd lay money a draft partnership agreement is coming very soon.)  But will agreement of that partnership come with a carrot or a stick?  I wonder if the money for the Federal Reserve building might materialize (via a group of businesses, maybe)?

I'll put in my plug for voting NO on the preschool/childcare props one more time.  This plea  is for Seattle Schools parents.  In every single document that I have found about the preschool plan, the number one "priority" is to "partner with Seattle Schools."   After you have read thru a number of documents, it starts to jump out at you. Now 1B says, we know there is little space and there's other things we'd like to work on with SPS.  Yes, SPS could help with curriculum, info on how they already work with preschool groups, etc.  Except that, as the Board complained at the recent Work Session with Councilman Burgess and others on the preschool plan, the district really hasn't been consulted on curriculum.  The Board wasn't invited to give any input at all on the preschool plan.  Hmm.  (To note, three current Board members have endorsed 1B - Sherry Carr, Harium Martin-Morris and Stephan Blanford.  Carr and Martin-Morris have don...

The Times (finally) had an op-ed that wasn't for mayoral takeover or promoting 1B.  That was written by Seattle Schools parent, Rita Green, is even better.  Rita is a savvy, smart, dedicated parent and advocate for Rainier Beach High School.  My hope is that she may run for the School Board soon (before it becomes an appointed job). Her POV is that 1B likely won't help low-income students and may even hurt the situation.  She supports 1A. Now I believe voters should reject both but, since you can name a favorite (or the lesser of two evils), you probably should vote.  My vote, like Rita's, would be for 1A.  I'll highlight her thoughts but my basic one is that, after consideration, I think more low-income children would receive the benefit of 1A and that's where I want my tax dollars going.

I am urging voters to consider voting no to the first question on the preschool ballot measures in Seattle. Here's why. Preschool, especially for disadvantaged children, is a good idea. No one is arguing that point. But if the City and the unions truly wanted voters to say yes, there would have been ONE proposition. They had the opportunity to work together but choose to walk away from the table. That should give you pause about both sides. What the City and the unions have given us with these two propositions is confusion and division when what we need is clarity and unity. It's not like the City doesn’t already invest in preschool - 26% of the Families & Education levy (about $61M ) is dedicated to it. Seattle Schools has over 35 federal and state funded preschool classrooms right now. Also, as to this "we have to do this now, " well just like every other levy, it can be brought back very quickly to the ballot.  It is not that the issue isn...

I am back and it seems to be quite a busy week. Ballots are dropping this week for the November 4th election.  I'll have more to say on the ballot measures on preschools but, from being out on the campaign trail, I see that it seems to be shaping up somewhat like the charter school measure.  Meaning, unions against wealthy ed reformers. I will be speaking about the two preschool measures at a voters forum this Thursday, Oct. 16th at Horizon House, 900 University Street, starting at 7:30 pm.  This is co-sponsored with the League of Women Voters who have already recommended a no vote to both measures.  (Meaning, vote no on the first question and send idea back to the drawing board which is my position as well.) The agenda for both the Operations Committee meetings this week on Thursday the 16th are still not available.  That seems odd but I suspect it's because the Board may be considering finding funds to accept the Federal Reserve building and renovate it...