Seattle Schools Community Forum

Not from The Onion - Court rules Michigan has no responsibility to provide quality public education

The two items I've been tracking are the denial of renewal of the NCLB waiver for Washington State and the SPS math adoption . Today Secretary Duncan appeared before the U.S. Senate budget committee.  He did get asked about waivers but not by Senator Murray.  From Ed Week: Unlike late last month, when Duncan faced hostile declarations about his NCLB waiver moves from lawmakers in both the House and the Senate, the only significant exchange Duncan had with the Senate budget committee about waivers was with Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa whose state does not have a waiver from the NCLB law. (Duncan's department rejected Iowa's waiver proposal back in 2012, the first state to be turned down for a waiver.) If you find that last sentence confusing, Iowa was the first state to get a waiver turned down and Washington was the first state to have a waiver not renewed. Grassley told Duncan he thought the DOE was being vague on how Iowa should proceed without...

Looked like the word "boobies" will be used in a Supreme Court case over two girls, who in 2010 were then 12 and 13, who were trying to raise awareness for breast cancer.  They violated their school's ban on bracelets and wore pink bracelets that said, "I heart Boobies!"  A lower court said the district didn't prove the bracelets had disrupted learning.   The district won't back down and has hinted it will take it all the way to the high court.  (What's interesting is that the district sees this as interfering with their right to make policies about discipline versus the girls' belief in free speech.) A new website about Native Americans called - what else - Native American News .  Has news from around the country on a variety of topics including public education. The Times got off a nice little shot of support for their favored School Board candidate in District IV.  They had yet (another) editorial about PTAs sharing fundraising dollars.  I...

As we grapple with the minutia of boundaries and enrollment, here's some higher level thinking on education to challenge you. From Ed Week , "What the Goal of Public Education?" , author Tom Segal offers his and others' ideas: Reform, however, has more to do with the learning experience itself. What should we be teaching? How do we think about accountability? How do we balance standards with the complexities of population diversity? Undoubtedly, technology is typically an offshoot of this dialogue, a tool through which much of this reform can be delivered and administered. But they are not the same thing. Reform is a big fancy buzzword that floats around one particular concept: what are we trying to get out of this educational experience, and how do we adjust the current system to reflect these changes?  In your opinion, what is the current goal of the American Public Education System? and.. What should be the goal of the American Public Education Sys...

Yes, I know. It's quite early in the year but this rather fascinating op-ed just appeared in the NY Times about fundraising.  What's interesting is that it is not about PTAs per se but about foundations that are created to support schools.  (Most of our comprehensive high schools have them.  Not sure about any others except I know Laurelhurst Elementary has one as well.) The op-ed, entitled "Not Very Giving" is by Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford and co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.   (I'm linking the website but I haven't looked at it myself.) He starts off in his own backyard with a bang: Hillsborough is one of the wealthiest towns in the United States. Median family income is over $250,000, and residents enjoy one of the best school districts in the state. It’s not hard for Hillsborough families to donate to their own children’s school. These funds supplement the annual public spending of $13,500...

Not completely (more on that at the end) but better.  (Notes in red are mine.) From SCPTSA; Why the sudden change in policy of the new 10% fee for fundraising on school grounds by the district? It not really a new policy, but more accurately a policy the district should have been following but was not. In a workshop sponsored by WASBO (Washington Association of School Business Officials) the district learned they were not in compliance with State laws around Associated Student Body (ASB) activities and funds (WAC 392-138-010, RCW 28A.325.020 and RCW 28A.325.030). The rules indicated the following activities turn a parent group fundraiser into an ASB activity: *    A majority of the work is performed by the students. *    The parent group uses the school name. *    The use of district facilities is not followed per district policy. *    School district personnel are involved during staff time (during ...

Want a job with the SCPTA interfacing with SPS staff?  Here you go .  (I would actually be swell at this job but they would never hire me.) They need folks to represent most areas of the city. Do you have an interest in issues that go beyond your local school and affect children throughout the district? If so, we need you! Transportation, capacity, family engagement and district policies are just a few areas that SCPTSA is currently working on. SCPTSA board members have a number of opportunities to serve on committees in the district, as well as meet with district officials and school board members. SCPTSA works with all local PTAs throughout Seattle, including outreach, education, training and troubleshooting. We are looking for Area Directors for : NE, NW, SE, SW and Central Districts. The board meets monthly at the John Stanford Center, or via conference call. Are you interested in helping, but are not sure what role is right for you? Contact us so we can learn about ...