Seattle Schools Community Forum

The Times is reporting that new (but long-time with UW) president, Ana Mari Cauce , will be paid $910K per year and has said she will donate $100,000 back to the university for "student programs and scholarships."  She will do this over the life of her five-year contract which means half-a million dollars back to UW. Oh wait, I guess the two gestures on the part of President Cauce and Superintendent Nyland aren't really all that similar.

Update : Renton's union approved their new contract today with over 95% approval. As well, word is that the Sisley slums on 65th and 15th are coming down tomorrow.  Good news no matter what but 1) I won't be there to see it and 2) not the ones in front of Roosevelt High. end of update Ross Hunter (D-Medina and one of the "roadkill" Dems) is leaving the Legislature to become Governor Inslee's Director of Early Learning .  It's a nod to the prominence that early childhood ed is increasingly taking in public education.  That means he is likely to be a point person for the City's Preschool Program. The district announced that Ron English - on administrative leave since February - has "retired."  I have seen no press announcement but this from a tweet from KPLU's Kyle Stokes.

Here's the Friday Memo section about Bell Times and what different categories of stakeholders thought. The winner - by a mile- is Modified Flip .

As you may recall, I said there were peripheral issues that I found in the public disclosure e-mails.  Let's go thru them.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth  is a revolutionary act. George Orwell That is a quote that is at the bottom of e-mails for Assistant General Counsel, Ron Boy.  Never were truer words spoken about an institution.   First and foremost, I cannot say for certain what the issue is with Ron English, the on-paid-administrative-leave former head of Legal for Seattle Public Schools.  Those of us with a long institutional memory know it could be one of several issues. Also to note, Mr. English has never been anything but kind and pleasant to me. I have several public disclosure request documents and they are quite eye-opening.   There were enough clues in them for me to piece together what I believe are the cogent incidents that may have set this in motion.

Please, feel free to add to this list. Ron English Alliance for Education MOU MOU for partnering with the City on their pre-k program the issue of Africatown getting back into the Mann building (which they apparently believe is going to happen) FACMAC  Directors Blanford and Martin-Morris' plan for African-American boys (an idea that both have said they want to work on but have never said how) a high school for QA/Magnolia transparency in this district - why can't the district put up every budget for every school/department? 

Many interesting meetings this week.

Dear SPS colleagues, I am writing to let you know that Ron English, General Counsel, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Yes, it's true.   Within a week after First AME Church purchased the MLK, Jr. building from the district, they turned around and did a quit claim (for "10.00 cash in hand paid and other good and valuable consideration, conveys and quit claims" ) to - wait for it - the MLK Family Arts Mentoring Enrichment Community Center (MLK FAME CC).  So FAME sold to FAME.   According to the Washington Secretary of State, FAME CC was incorporated as a non-profit on 1/25/11.  The agent name is "National Registered Agents, Inc." which is a national registry group.  The address is in Tumwater. What's interesting is if you Google "MLK Family Arts Mentoring Enrichment Community Center", it pulls up a new business listing for a group in Tumwater that handles auto sales and repair.  Very strange.  It has the same address as the address for the incorporation.  Okay, let me first say that the MLK building sale has been troubling from the start.  I wa...

Update:  The Times' editorial board weighed in today on this subject.   They are shocked! and appalled! to find this kind of thing happening.  Well, it may have happened under MGJ but some of the stock players are still there.  They end with this: The school district is developing a grim reputation for sloppy stewardship of tax dollars. A legacy with consequences. No kidding. It appears that Ron English, the interim General Counsel, is peeved over the Seattle Times' article about the sale of the MLK, Jr. building to First AME church. He is asking the Times for a retraction and a copy of the audiotape of the interview with him.

 From the Seattle Times and boy, these reporters pull no punches after they explain how Bush offered 3 times the money ($9.7M leased or $3.75 purchased) as First AME church who offered $2.4M (mostly in taxpayer dollars).  The reporters lay out the oddities: • The district staff changed the way it handled and evaluated offers for the building, which pushed the church's proposal to the head of the pack. • Then-Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson shot down The Bush School's high offer, at the same time urging voters to pass a $48 million levy. • One former district employee told The Seattle Times that her boss, Fred Stephens, director of the district's property division and an influential First AME congregant, was determined as early as 2007 to help the church get the school property. • The district did little to investigate the accuracy of the church's proposal — while closely scrutinizing and ultimately rejecting a similar, competing bid from another c...

The Times has a revealing article about Fred Stephens, former head of Facilities and Silas Potter's enabler/friend/supporter.  I was wondering when someone in the mainstream media might want to examine his record.  The Times does a fairly good job but does miss/leave out a few parts. For me, it jogs my memory back to several Board meetings.  (I keep most of the Board agenda's at meetings where I have spoken and so I can recall testimony from other speakers.)  The article starts off with African-American activists wanting more access/opportunities to bid on SPS construction contracts.

Please send an e-mail as soon as you can with what you think the Board should be doing. I can tell you what I think but really, you have to decide what you think is best and LET THEM KNOW. They are going to make a decision this weekend and probably announce on Monday (unless MGJ's lawyer ties them up in knots). I believe the Superintendent and Don Kennedy should be let go for cause. I believe that Phil Brockman is the most honorable and believable person to be interim Superintendent. I believe the Board should careful examine the role of legal counsel, Ron English, in this episode and whether he did do, as an officer of the court, all he should have done.