Seattle Schools Community Forum

The Senate GOP put out its budget and it's not good.  As if to not only sneer at 1351 (they have been saying all along they had no money to enact this voter-approved measure to lower class sizes), they actually increase class size.

Again, high school graduations are continuing so congrats to all students and their families. As well, Thursday is the last day of school for all students so enjoy these last days.  Wednesday, June 18th School Board meeting, starting at 4:15 pm.  Agenda .

KUOW is reporting a sticking point in the SEA and SPS contract negotiations - class size .  Yes, SPS wants to go bigger in the upper grades. Seattle Education Association President Jonathan Knapp says the district’s latest proposal, made last week, would increase class sizes in Seattle by two students per class in grades four through twelve. That would create average class sizes of 30 students in fourth and fifth grades, and 32 students in grades six through 12. Class sizes in grades one through three would remain the same. Knapp says a survey by the National Education Association earlier this year found Washington state has the fourth-largest average class size in the nation. According to the report, the district is using the capacity management issue as the problem.  I gently point out, who's fault is that?  And, what happens in three years with the next contract?  If I were a teacher I might say okay to this upping of class ...

 Update from Duggan Harmon, Assistant Superintendent, Business and Finance, and his budget update (partial): "While the level of increased K-12 funding is relatively similar in both the proposed House and Senate budgets, the two bodies differ significantly on strategies to fund these increases. In simple terms, the House wants to close tax loopholes to fund K-12 enhancements while the Senate proposes to do so through cuts in other areas of State spending. Failure to adopt a budget by July 1 would result in at least a partial shutdown of State government. Given that this has never happened before, it is difficult to say exactly what such a shutdown would mean, but it is likely that government offices would close, apportionment payments to school districts would not be made, State bond ratings would suffer and other obligations, such as capital program construction match, would not be paid as scheduled. I’m confident a state budget will eventually be passed and it will have in...

The US Census recently released data on public education spending.  Press release on the data. At bottom is Utah with $6,212.  Washington State is 30th with $9,483.  Tops is NYC district at a whopping $19,770 with New York State #1 with $19,076. Eight out of nine states in the Northeast region of the U.S. were ranked among the top 15 in current spending per student in 2011. The remaining state in the northeast, Maine, was ranked 17th. Out of the 16 states with the lowest per student spending, 15 were in the South and West regions. The remaining state, South Dakota, was in the Midwest. Keep in mind that the national average is $10,560. Our state does not even fund to the national average. Also, understand that figure is all the money put together, from all sources, and then averaged.  Not every student is funded at that level.  Washington kicks in about $5200 per student (according to the Charter Commission meeting discussion I was at recently). ...

 Update: the Times has a good piece on this issue but says that if lawmakers were giving themselves a grade for education, it would be "incomplete."  C'mon legislators, you didn't get your work done in a timely manner.  I'm thinking the teachers out there would not simply say, "okay, an incomplete it is." Yes, the "we can get it done" coalition didn't get it done in our state legislature.  The Governor has ordered a Special Session to start on May 13th. I think the message here is that it takes more than being large and in charge to get things done.  Legislators HAVE to work together. Frankly, I don't envy them as they have to worry over the mixed messages they get from voters.  Over and over, voters have said fund education.  Even the Supreme Court says that.  BUT, via Tim Eyman, we also vote "no new taxes."  That leaves legislators with,  all things being equal, continuing to slash social services and health care pri...