Seattle Schools Community Forum

They need keyboards for the SBAC testing? I will note that both Orca K-8 and Dearborn Park came begging to the Board at the last School Board meeting for help.  They need their counselor because of the high numbers of students in need.   But, as I said quoting one principal, every - single - year nearly every - single - principal and staffs at schools are faced with a Sophie's Choice of what (or who) to cut. This is no way to run a district.  There should NOT be one more single administrative hire in a new position until schools and classrooms have what they need. From the North Beacon Hill Council: Dearborn Park Elementary desperately needs school supplies. Please share what you can. Thank you. The post below has been shared on multiple Beacon Hill group l ists. "This school is in DIRE need of school supplies in order to save funding for a counselor position. Dearborn has 89.5% Free and Reduced Priced Lunch qualified students this year , which seriousl...

Dr. Enfield has put forth a message for parents and communities about the district's focus for the future.  Here's most of it: I promised to listen and engage with the community around what we collectively want our schools to become. I heard four common themes, which will guide our work this year: great principals, great teachers, connected families and a responsive central office.

I may have missed something so please help me out if you know the answer to this confusion. I was just putting in a public disclosure request for RIFs - the categories, schools and subjects (if secondary schools).  I wanted to give the request some context so I looked for the district's own numbers. Here's my confusion.  First, there is one presentation from a work session on April 27th .   Then, there is one staff presentation from May 4th and one to the Board on May 5th .  The one on May 4th matches the April 27th Work Session presentation. But they don't match in numbers or categories with the May 5th one. April 27th/May 4th both say they will RIF 30 certificated individuals (27.5 FTE).    It also says they will RIF 49 Classified staff (42.05 FTE - 13 SAEOP FTE and 36 paraprofessionals).   So if you wanted to add them all up, you get 79 people RIFed from throughout the district.   But the May 5th one says 36 peo...

From a reader: We are organizing a letter-writing campaign on the counselors issue, since we have limited opportunities for public comment before the RIF. Basically, we are asking people to write letters to Dr. Enfield, cc'd to the Board, with two basic sentences: Our counselor has helped our child by ____. To pay for elementary counselors, I think we should cut ____. Please join the fray and forward to other parents who would be interested! Dr Enfield - saenfield@seattleschools.org School Board - schoolboard@seattleschools.org

I'm behind on this one and I forgot about something happening today - it's National Library Week and today a picture is going to be taken in every Washington state library.  I hope the schools put this word out and got kids in their school library for the photo.  My apologies.

Couple of quick Olympia updates.

Charlie reported that Robert Boesche, CFO, wants budget ideas so let's give him some.  My thought is inspired by the Kia car commercial with the gangsta hamsters (I cannot say why this commercial so entertains me but it does.)  The tag line is: You can go with this or you can get with that. So in that vein, I thought we might put together a list (and feel free to do this at your elementary school).    First up, School Counselors or Academic Coaches? This or That? Which do you think make the most difference at your school?  Which would you be willing to do without for a year or two or three?  (And none of this, "I don't really know" stuff.  You know your school; what do teachers or the principals talk about more?) What else would make a good "this or that"?