Seattle Schools Community Forum

The Washington State Budget and Policy Center does a great job unpacking these issues of why the Legislature would want to reform local school levies.  The article is about the competing bills in the House and Senate over this reform (bold mine). Local levies – property taxes approved by voters for a specified school district – have become increasingly used to fill gaps left by inadequate state resources. Although local levies are intended to fund “enrichment programs” like extracurricular clubs and advanced learning programs, the funding from them currently supports a multitude of school’s basic needs. Things like teacher salaries and textbooks. When the State Supreme Court ruled in its 2012 McCleary case that the state had failed to meet its constitutional obligation to fully fund basic education, it asserted that this model doesn’t work. The court noted that the state’s reliance on local property taxes to support basic education – instead of broader, statewide taxes – fail...

Tell me what you think.  From the OSPI press release: The State is currently under a court order to produce a complete plan showing how it intends to achieve full state funding of K-12 basic education without the use of local funding. Superintendent Randy Dorn has introduced a plan makes two significant modifications to current law regarding full funding: 1), It reduces class size in grades 4 through 12, but not as much as voter-approved Initiative 1351; and 2), It extends the timeline for achieving full funding from 2018 to 2021. The extension is a realistic timeline to hire more teachers and build more classrooms to accommodate the new class-size limits. Below is a summary of the complete plan: The State must: - Complete the funding of House Bill 2776 . In their McCleary decision , the State Supreme Court requires the State to fund HB 2776, which includes statewide full-day kindergarten; lower K–3 class size; materials, supplies, and operating costs; and tra...

From the Seattle PI : Teacher convicted of raping student wants to teach again Mary Kay Letourneau, a former Washington State teacher, said she is trying to get her name removed from the sex-offender registry and wants to return to teaching . All together now - no and no. From Seattle Education blog: Census Bureau Reports Majority of STEM College Graduates Do Not Work in STEM Occupations

On the eve of the first budget coming from the House is the latest NY Times Room for Debate section on "Is Improving Schools All About Money?" I'll just simply say - after sitting through the Board Work Session yesterday that included next year's budget - yes it does. But it matters HOW the money is spent (and SPS is a baffling example).  Naturally, as we wait for enactment of McCleary, it is also about fully funding basic education (which is not happening in our state).  My favorite in the NY Times bunch is Lisa Delpit "Can we put the money to better use?" and her analogy of a gym membership.

The House will be releasing its budget tomorrow with a public hearing on it also that day. Naturally, this is a greatly anticipated moment for public education because the question is: what's in there for McCleary (and how are they paying for it)?   What is vitally important to let legislators know is that McCleary is about several things. fully-funding K-12 public education fully-funding to whatever they are defining as "basic education" remembering that class size IS part of McCleary (especially at K-3) and any attempt to say that they can't fund 1351 would not be true (given the first part of my statement).     You cannot divorce class size from McCleary.  What was clear from the Town Hall at Hale on Saturday is that even the biggest legislative supporters of public education have no time/stomach for figuring out funding for 1351.  However, none of them want to ignore the will of the people, either.  (They all said they would no...

As many readers have reported, seven Democratic senators, in the Washington State Legislature, including three from Seattle, voted to move forward a bill (SB 5748)  that would tie student test scores to teacher evaluation.  The vote was 26 yeas to 23 nays.

The Legislature doesn't like what the voters want. Really? From The Olympian : Legislature Might Send I-1351 Back to Voters. So wait, does this work for ANY unfunded initiative?  Because we could talk about others like I-1240. Also, how much would this repeal election cost taxpayers? A couple of choices for the Legislature: Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2015/02/13/3576397_legislature-might-send-initiative.html?fb_action_ids=10153069460173166&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Want a fully funded education for Washington's children? Make a postcard    Your response to the  survey    will be printed into a postcard, and these will be hand delivered to your Washington State Legislators (your Senator and 2 Representatives) plus Governor Inslee on ​Washington State PTA Focus Day on January 19th in Olympia.   This is the last chance-the deadline for filling out the survey is Monday January 13 th at 10 p.m. so please take a few moments now to fill out the  survey Going to Focus Day on January 19th?  Find out more and register   here   Don't feel like driving?  Ride the bus.  Round trip tickets are $10/adult and $5/kids.  Bus will leave from both the Green Lake and Airport Way park and rides.  Buy your bus tickets here   Want to meet with your legislators?  RSVP to your Focus Day legislative...

The Times starts off the year with their "headlines we'd like to see" contest.  Funny thing, their editorial doesn't even give the top reader winners' headlines but only the ones the Times wants to see.  (None of were about public education except for "No U.S. school shootings in 2015 " which won first place.) The Times calls their own headlines "wishful thinking" and they certainly are. Hey, look at that - four of them are about public education. 

As several readers have noted, more information has come out about the suspended View Ridge teacher and how he came to this time and place.  Q13 had the story . Apparently the teacher had reached out to a 16-year girl that he knew had attended View Ridge to ask if she would like to volunteer in his classroom (it is unclear if she had been in his class when she was at View Ridge).  How he knew how to contact her is also unclear but he then allegedly sent her texts and anonymous comments in chat rooms.  The girl felt uncomfortable and did the right thing and told her parents. I report this because, as another reader suggested, parents (and teachers and school staff) should know what " grooming" behavior by an adult to a child looks like.  It is important to know that if you see inappropriate behavior, you report it.  School staff have been trained in how they should interact with children.  Sometimes an action can be innocent or even accidental but on-go...

Yawn.  Yet ANOTHER Times push for takeover of Seattle Public Schools.  I have said this elsewhere but I'll say it again: I believe there are forces, both within and without, trying to create a situation to take over the district. I believe there are some people in SPS who are either working with outsiders or working to drag their feet on some issues so the district will look worse. Back to the Times op-ed. I always find it interesting that people at the top of the food chain think that they will be able to force top-down edicts.  It's not going to work but it will be a very interesting exercise to see who lines up where.  Who stands up for local, elected control of our district by people elected to oversee the district (and nothing else).  The Seattle Times has its stable of ready mouthpieces for its public education view.  Honestly, Google and see how many times LEV's Chris Korsmo has had an op-ed.  Charters Lisa Macfarlane.  TFA's Chris Ei...

A very busy week. Tuesday, Oct. 21st SPS College Application event at Garfield High School from 2:30 pm-5:30 pm College Application Events provide one-on-one support for high school seniors navigating the college application process. At these events, students receive help researching colleges, filling out applications, and drafting personal statements. Volunteers, including local college admissions officers, are on site to provide support with college applications and answer questions. Note: there will be several more of these events in the coming weeks at high schools thruout SPS.

Apparently that's the consideration of some in the Legislature.  Publicola is reporting that Senator Steve Litzow told a group of regional leaders (in a closed door meeting a couple of weeks ago) that after the election, the Legislature would convene for a special session...for transportation.  (It's a gas tax.) Now either the Governor would have to convene this or the Legislature would have to get a 2/3rds vote in both houses to have a special session. So here's the question (bold mine). From Publicola: And this brings us to the "One Question" we've got for Litzow: Is he trying to get the Washington State Supreme Court—which is already holding him (along with the entire legislature) in contempt for failing to come up with a plan to fully fund K-12 education —to throw him in jail now? The legislature needs to come up with about $5 billion extra for K-12 education. The Court would certainly be stunned—after being told by the state's attorne...

Going to The Stranger Slog (as I do every morning - my go-to feed for all things Seattle, entertainment/culture and the interesting/weird), I see this interview with Supreme Court Justice Debra Stephens who wrote the McCleary decision.  (She's up for re-elected against a guy who has been disbarred.  I wonder who will win.)

From Washington State Budget&Policy Center: Today, Pacifica Law Group filed an amicus brief with the Washington State Supreme Court on our behalf that makes it clear that legislators cannot responsibly address the requirements of the McCleary decision to fully fund education without raising new revenue. Joining us as co-signers on the brief are Centerstone, Equity in Education Coalition, Eldercare Alliance, Solid-Ground, Statewide Poverty Action Network and students from the University of Washington. In the amicus brief we argue that the math doesn’t pencil out when you try to fully fund basic education without new revenue. It details the devastating impact of potential budget cuts on students, low-income families, communities of color, supports for older adults and children, and more. Full statement at their website. Read the full amicus brief here . They get right to the point at the beginning of the brief: it's been three legislative sessions, modest mo...

(I'm hoping this will be a multi-part thread about public education in this country, where we are, where we are going and what should/could change.) I come to this thread thinking of two different things that really have nothing (but really everything) to do with public education. One is a song by the late Waylon Jennings (a great country/western singer) called Luckenbach, Texas.  In it, he is singing to his wife how all material things in the world are not making them happier and are, in fact, holding them back. Maybe it's time we got back to the basics (of love). Two is the monolog in the Charlie Brown Christmas special where Charlie, at his wit's end organizing the church play, cries out, " Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"   and Linus says, 'Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about." He steps forward and calmly recites from the story of the birth of Jesus. So what does this have to do wit...

Sorry to pick on the Times but their publisher (and fearless leader), Frank Blethen, put up a speech that he gave recently to a Rotary Club.  He makes a lot of claims without backing up his stats or explaining his thinking. To whit,  

Stories on Common Core polling, charter schools, all-day schools, spending on high poverty schools and and an ACLU lawsuit over uneven school experiences for low-income students.

The Supreme Court had something to say about the lack of progress in fulfilling the McCleary Decision.  It's short but sweet .  They ordered the State to appear before them on September 3, 2014 to address why they should not be held in contempt by the Court.  The State must reply by July 11, 2014. Here's what they say they can do to address the request for "relief requested by the plaintiffs:" - imposing monetary or other contempt sanctions; - prohibiting expenditures on certain other matters until the Court's constitutional ruling is complied with; - order the legislature to pass legislation to fund specific amounts or remedies; - ordering the sale of State property to fund constitutional compliance; - invalidating education funding cuts to the budget; - prohibiting any funding of an unconstitutional education system; - and any other appropriate relief.   I find it hard to believe they can order the legislature to pass anything.  But i...

First up, from The Columbian (via Associated Press) which is reporting that the lead attorney for the McCleary case , Thomas Ahearne, told the Washington State Supreme Court that they should hold the Legislature in contempt for not complying with their orders. “We’re asking the court to at least hold the Legislature in contempt, to prohibit any more unfunded or underfunded mandates on our schools, and to impose even more serious sanctions if the Legislature does not reconvene and obey the court’s orders by Dec. 31 of this year,” Ahearne wrote. In his written response to the Legislature’s report to the Supreme Court, Ahearne said lawmakers do not seem to understand that the Supreme Court was issuing an order, not making a suggestion.  “The State did what it had been ordered to not do. It offered promises about trying to submit a plan and take significant action next year — along with excuses for why the State’s ongoing violation of kids’ constitutional rights and c...