Seattle Schools Community Forum

The district requested that I provide these updates for clarity.

Principals.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - if your principal is less-than-effective, your school will suffer.  Nothing can pit staff and parents against each other more than a principal who cannot lead. As I previously reported, I attended the HCC Committee meeting earlier this month where a parent asked about what is the line between what the district mandates/oversees about schools and what principals have leeway/control of.  Just like how a principal gets chosen - from school to school - has never been revealed, this is one of the great unanswered questions in our district.  And schools suffer from this kind of deliberate vagueness from the Superintendent and senior staff. Let's chart some of the examples:

The Board will be having the Operations Committee meeting on Thursday, the 17th, from 4-7:15 pm.  Why such a lengthy committee meeting?  For one, it's a packed agenda but there are a couple of high profile issues that could take some time. They are: - Approval of the Student Assignment Plan for 2017-18 (F. Herndon) - Transportation service standards and contract (P. McEvoy) As well, there will be a COW (Committee of the Whole) session for Special Education Placement Update.  That they want the entire Board at this meeting must mean something.  (Frankly, it would be great if the entire Board was there to hear about the other two big issues as well.) I have not read thru the SAP info but reader Lynn has:

Update : KIRO is reporting that the district says about 5,000 students walked out.  As well, apparently other districts - Highline, Lake Washington are two - had student walkouts as well. End of update I received a press release this morning about the high school student walk-out.

I asked some pretty direct questions on this topic but got less-than-direct answers.  However, it seems apparent that it was the Superintendent's call on the waiver for social studies for Thurgood Marshall's HCC program. From my e-mail to SPS Communications:

I was told by SPS Communications that transportation letters went out this week.  If you do NOT get yours by Thursday, they ask that you call Transportation. I received an e-mail from a parent that Dr. Nyland appears to have an Instagram account.  SPS Communications tells me he does not have one.  So if you get a friend request from that account, just know - it's not him. Garfield was to have a 9th grade (parent) orientation on Thursday.  There was a terse announcement that it had been cancelled and will be rescheduled.  (When? Friday? Tuesday? That's all that's left.)

 Before starting this thread I want to acknowledge that long-time (and beloved) staffer, Joe Bland, died on August 11th.  From the Garfield PTSA Facebook page: Joe was a cherished presence at Garfield High School for almost 30 years where he worked as a teachers assistant in the gym (basketball, volleyball and wrestling), with the kids in detention and the incoming freshmen in the Bridge Program. His warmth and kindness touched so many. I went to this meeting truly not knowing what to expect.

In advance of the meeting tonight at Mt. Zion Baptist Church at 6 pm with Garfield principal Ted Howard and black parents at GHS,  I thought I would put up their short survey. I'm putting it up for two reasons. One, if there are any black Garfield parents who haven't seen it, they might want to weigh in. Two, I note the list of items that is their wish list of 17 items.  Know what's NOT on it?  Blended classes.  It's a long list and that's not on it.  What they do say on honors is this:

I met with Wyeth Jessee last week (it was arranged thru Communications so there was a Communications person in the room who was not part of the conversation.)  He was the former head of Special Education and now, thru a realignment,  has a new role.

Two stories about Garfield (neither about Honors for All.)  The first is from KOMO tv about a staffer at GHS, Joe Bland, who has been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer and how the school is rallying around him. Bland is a proud Seattle educator. For 26 years he’s been the locker room attendant at Garfield High School – at least, that’s his official title. Students would say he does much more.  Joe served several roles at the school. He was a disciplinarian who helped run Saturday detention. He also joked with students and gave guidance to those in need. His portrait is painted outside the locker room, where he’ll be missed this Fall. If you'd like to help, you can do so here . From the GHS PTSA Facebook page, this news:

Via our friends at the HCC blog ; Updated GHS page on Honors for All

Update:   a new document from Garfield about the "Honors for All" plan.  They cite research: Our main goal is to create a richer honors curriculum that engages and benefits all ability levels. Studies over the past thirty years that note the detrimental effects of ability­level tracking are an indicator of the institutionalized racism that plagues our school system and adds to the opportunity gap. 

The Times has an article this morning on "de-tracking" which is quite illuminating. First, the expert they site, Carol Burris, is the head of a group I belong to, the Network for Public Education. Carol Corbett Burris became Executive Director of the Network for Public Education Foundation in August 2015, after serving as principal of South Side High School in the Rockville Centre School District in NY since 2000.  Prior to becoming a principal, she was a teacher at both the middle and high school level.  Dr. Burris co-authored Detracking for Excellence and Equity (2008) and Opening the Common Core: How to Bring ALL Students to College and Career Readiness (2012), and authored On the Same Track: How Schools Can Join the 21st Century Struggle against Re-segregation (2014). She is one of the brightest lights in pushing back on corporate ed reform and a great thinker on public education. The Times' article cites her work in New York wh...

The Times had a story about the principal at Garfield High School, Ted Howard.  Mr. Howard went to Garfield and his father was also a principal.  Mr. Howard has been principal at Garfield since 2004. (Fun fact; there are at least three SPS high school principals who graduated from their schools - Howard, Martin Floe at Ingraham and Kevin Wynkoop at Ballard.)  The focus of the piece seemed to be how Principal Howard has a "microcosm" of the city to manage. To note, it appears to me that the Times is on a careful campaign to try to point out the many ways that SPS is not bridging the opportunity gap.  I'm pretty sure this is in anticipation of figuring out a way - next legislative session - for the Mayor to take over some or all of the district. I'm not kidding.

From the Facebook page of Racial Justice in Seattle Schools (I am happy to print any response from the current officers or Garfield parents who may know more - sss.westbrook@gmail.com.)

I went back and reviewed my notes and the public disclosure requests I made about this case. - Beryl Miller, the SPS staffer who was the Civil Rights/ Title IX Compliance Officer at the time of the incident is no longer in that position. She was the SPS Behavioral and Emotional Team Supervisor. Whether she still has that position within SPS, I don't know. - My question to SPS: B eryl Miller said she spoke with Student 1's doctor and psychologist but she only references notes about the call to the doctor. Are there any notes/documentation about Ms. Miller's call to the psychologist? (Please note: I know under FERPA/HIPPA I cannot have the notes or documentation. I am ONLY asking if they exist - meaning did she call both Student 1's doctor and psychologist?) SPS Answer: Ms. Miller has confirmed that no additional documents exist beyond the email records provided as exhibits to the investigative report (see pg 54-57 of the previously provided “GHS Exhibits Final...

Reader Lynn sent me the link from the Times with this announcement.

 Update:   according to a comment in this thread, this rally is timed for when Ms. Burton is meeting with Dr. Nyland today. I have requested the District's investigation report and was told I could have it on June 22nd. The District put out a press release on the report right as the Garfield students and Friend of Garfield Choir were rising up to support Ms. Burton.  A tease of a press release is NOT the full report and to act as though everyone should go "oh well, never mind, move along, nothing to see here" is a wrong assumption on the part of the District. 

The Garfield student protest over the possible loss of their beloved choir/musical director was held on Wednesday.  There were about 100 students, many with signs that read, "Bring Back Burton" and "Hurtin' for Burton."  Their statements are included at the end of this thread (these were supplied to me by them).  Here's their ask: We are calling on Seattle Schools, especially Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland to take into consideration the legacy Ms. Burton has built and her day to day performance as a devoted, caring, and invaluable teacher. We encourage friends, former students, colleagues, and the public to send letters in support of Ms. Burton and her positive impact to the email: superintendent@seattleschools. org .

One teacher at Garfield was put on administrative leave after a school choir trip to New Orleans earlier this year. Two teachers at Ballard are on administrative leave. I normally might not put this up with so few details but there are a couple of concerns. One, Garfield has had several issues around teacher supervision and school trips.  The last one created upheaval around Title IX issues. And now there's another one.  Hearing from a couple of parents, there is concern this teacher might not come back and apparently, is well-liked. For Ballard, it seems odd that two teachers would be put on administrative leave at just about the same time.  But the district will say nothing as "it's a personnel" matter.  Again, I get that but it does create confusion for students when teachers suddenly disappear.