Seattle Schools Community Forum

This Tacoma News Tribune article had a letter from Randy Dorn about the Race to the Top money: From: Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Re: Race to the Top money A recent editorial by The Everett Herald as well as a report by the League of Education Voters might have created some confusion that I want to clear up. Washington will be applying for Race to the Top money. The exact requirements needed to receive the money have yet to be announced. But, as I’ve said many times before, we are confident about our chances based on what we’ve heard from the U.S. Department of Education. While Washington voters have said no to charter schools, this state features many schools that are similar to the charter school philosophy, such as Aviation High School in Des Moines and the Tacoma School of The Arts. We have a system in National Board Certification that is more popular every year and rewards teachers for additional work. Our new data system tracks students by ...

Discussion this morning on Weekday on 94.9 FM KUOW will be about education reform including the "Race to the Top" money. The guests will be: Robert Manwaring is a senior policy analyst for Education Sector, a Washington DC education think tank. Randy Dorn is Washington state superintendent of public instruction. Robin Lake is the associate director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. She is also executive director of the Center's National Charter School Research Project. Mary Lindquist is the president of the Washington Education Association, the state's teacher's union.

From today's Times, an article about how districts around the state are spending federal stimulus money. I guess I was confused because I thought at least some of it was for capital spending. From the article: "Washington schools will get an unprecedented federal windfall over the next two years — up to $400 million for special-education and low-income students. The temporary influx of money is certainly welcome. School officials have long complained that the federal government doesn't give them what they need. But the federal cash has also put some school officials in an awkward spot. The state budget crisis has forced schools to cut training and class offerings and lay off hundreds of teachers. The Legislature slashed $600 million from Initiative 728 funding, approved by the voters in 2000, to hire teachers and reduce class sizes. So due to limits on how the new federal stimulus money can be spent, the additional money means many districts may wind up maintaining or i...

This article is on the PI website on the JA school. I am quoted a couple of times and yes, I pulled no punches. (The reporter, Nick Eaton, states that I am a blogger and co-president of the RHS PTSA but as I wrote to him this morning, I was not speaking for any PTSA.) From the article: "Jane Addams K-8 could be on its way to closing before it is even opened. And the future of students who are enrolled there this fall is already up in the air. Debbie Nelsen, the appointed principal for Jane Addams K-8, confirmed Tuesday that the district is working on a plan to create separate elementary and middle schools. In an e-mail to seattlepi.com , she said she did not know what schools would be established." When might we know? "Seattle Public Schools would not confirm details of the plan Wednesday. Responding to a request for more information on the plan, spokesman David Tucker said the district will post student assignment plan information to the district's Web site ...