Seattle Schools Community Forum

Quite an interesting and packed agenda for the Audit and Finance Committee meeting on Thursday.  (It's also interesting that the Executive Ctm meeting, normally in the morning, is at the exact same time so it won't be possible to attend both.) Items of interest : Washington State Auditor’s Office Entrance Conference (Technow)  Always interesting to hear from the Auditor.

Tuesday, April 22nd "Open Mic Night" on Special Education , from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park S.  Families of Seattle Public Schools are invited to join experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group (Teams Intervening Early to Reach all Students) during two Open Microphone Nights to give feedback on Special Education services. Seattle Public School’s Special Education Department is undergoing a Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan (C-CAP) to help improve results for our students in special education. As part of this plan, the department is working with experts from Louisiana State University and the TIERS Group for consultation on activities related to C-CAP targets.  They will be visiting the District the week of April 21 to collect data for initial analysis on the Special Education department. Part of their data collection will incorporate family input. Families are invited to give feedback orally or in wri...

(Note: readers started commenting on this at the Friday Open Thread.  I had thought to try to transfer their comments to this new thread but was unable to do so.  I created a new thread as to make this huge issue, front and center here.) From SPS: The recommendations below go to the Board on November 6 for action on November 20. (The information from previous proposals is now obsolete.) Two Types of Recommendations Long-range boundaries that will be phased in as construction is completed by 2020.  Map showing long-range boundaries to be phased in  through 2020 Recommendations for specific components to implement next year.  Map showing recommedations to implement for the  2014-15 school year Board Materials Board Action Report (BAR) for November 6 Complete maps packet for the Board  (includes more detailed attendance area maps, feeder patterns, and geozone maps) Reference materials for the Board Summaries of public input— ...

I attended the Budget Work Session on Wednesday.  It was pretty sobering.  Key facts: There is a projected deficit of $18.4M .  I would love to explain it all to you (and I will try to at least get the PowerPoint up by tomorrow) but frankly, I look down at the paper version and I don't know what half of it is.  Imagine my happiness (and surprise) to hear Board Directors say, "Now, what is this?" because they don't know either.  I don't know if it is the Budget office trying to use smoke and mirrors or just too much jargon but if the people who will make the final decisions don't know what you are talking about, you're doing something wrong. By April 10th, we will have the Governor's budget, the House budget and the Senate budget.  We were told that is when "the rubber meets the road."  The Governor released his budget today and it seems quite favorable to K-12 ed (if not quite the amount everyone would want).  He seems to be finding the m...

He said that on KUOW earlier this week.  I did finally listen to the interview because I had been told he talked a lot about Seattle public education.  I found his remarks kind of all over the place and frankly, I'm glad he's not running.  His main theme seemed to be that mayors should bring change.  And, for Seattle, that would be in public education.  When the host pushed back saying that a mayor like that would hear from the Superintendent and School Board, he said "mayors lead and organize."   Some of what he said: he gave a shout-out to Garfield teachers for standing up against MAP.   he said (repeatedly) that all schools should be "international" schools and we should have a K-12 system of them.  Now, did he define what that meant (and did the host ask)?  No.  I believe, based on his remarks, that he meant all students should learn a second language.  Great Ron, with what money?  I mean we can all talk...

I had been meaning to write this thread for some time now.  It's a worthy example of how Seattle Schools starts off with a good idea but cannot follow-thru with execution. I will be upfront and say I probably should have done more research so fill in the gaps if you know more.  But the issues are in very sharp focus right now and it is a program that is going to reach a stress level soon.

Mark your calendars, folks. You will not want to miss the April 26 meeting of the Curriculum and Instruction committee. And bring a snack because the agenda is going to be packed! According to the timetable for the policy review process, the C & I committee will consider Phase II revisions for five - count 'em, FIVE - different policies. And not quick, simple, non-contentious policies, but five potentially controversial ones. I'm not sure what else the committee hopes to do in that meeting, but the discussion of these five policies could take a long time.

Several of us have seen advance notice of what Central Administration cuts lead staff is going to present to the Board this afternoon/evening at the Board Work Session on the budget. What I saw almost borders on the ridiculous. There are, to the naked eye, almost no coaching cuts. There are also no senior level cuts (and that's where we would save money). It is also confusing what they suggested and what got saved. Example: 10 people work in Child Nutrition Services - no cuts. Enrollment/Planning has 6.5; they would cut 2.3. Example of total elimination of work: cut all from the following: International Education (.5), Mail Services (1), Native American Education (.07), Native American (1), Risk Management (.9). Example: Systemic Interventions - sounds like an important thing to fund - it would go from 7 people down to 2.5. But Visual/Perf Arts, at 8, would go down just one position. How are interventions less important than arts? Biggest hit? 36 of 90 positions in ...

I'm not sure what this means and I'm not sure what community engagement was involved (if any), but according to a press release: Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., has announced the designation of Chief Sealth High School as the district's first international high school, completing a K-12 international program pathway in West Seattle that reinforces Seattle Public Schools' commitment to international education. Here's the whole press release: Seattle – Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., has announced the designation of Chief Sealth High School as the district’s first international high school, completing a K-12 international program pathway in West Seattle that reinforces Seattle Public Schools’ commitment to international education. In 2009, Concord Elementary and Denny Middle – both in the same attendance area as Chief Sealth – received International School designations. Now all three schools will offer major components of an internation...

It was done as a footnote to the Student Assignment Plan and got almost no discussion from the Board, but the Program Placement decisions for the coming school year have been made. The process for Program Placement decisions was just as opaque and mysterious this year as it has been in previous years. The rationale for decisions were just as flimsy or non-existant as they have been in previous years as well. I just wanted to take a bit of space to review and discuss both the decisions and the given rationale. It seems appropriate at a time when a King County Superior Court judge is trying to determine if the School Board makes decisions capriciously. 1. The superintendent decided to place a Spectrum program at Arbor Heights. Since this decision is concurrent with the closure of the Spectrum program at West Seattle Elementary (and the creation of an ALO there), it constitutes the relocation of the elementary Spectrum program for the Denny Service Area from West Seattle to Arbor Heights....

So I was trying to get up to speed on the new Assignment Plan. At the Assignment Plan page , there is an FAQ page. On the FAQ page, there are FAQs relating to different topics as well as a " As Heard on the Grapevine " page to help dispel/clarify what you might hear at the supermarket or at the playground. Each section comes with a Comment box to send in new questions. Good stuff. Among the interesting things I learned: - Spectrum will be available at all comprehensive middle schools. - According to this page: At the School Board workshop on March 25, we will seek guidance from the Board on the variables that should be considered when updating attendance area boundaries. Based on that guidance, we will produce initial options for school boundaries. That clearly didn't happen; we still don't know the boundaries. - There will be an English language-based program within all international schools for families seeking that option; this program will run in parallel to...

Update: the PI reports today that both Concord and Denny are becoming international schools. Here's a link to the district's webpage on International Education. I did not find any district news release. Checking in over at the West Seattle blog, I find that Denny is going to be the next "international" school following in JSIS and Hamilton and Beacon Hill. The blog says it is to be formally announced at tonight's Board meeting (although the agenda doesn't reflect that). From Principal Clark's letter to parents: "First, I am thrilled to announce that Denny Middle School is officially becoming an International School, starting next year. As an international school, we will be continuing to offer our students a rigorous academic education, coupled with a global perspective in all of our classes and new world language options, including a new dual language Spanish option." This is good news for the south end. More options for each area of th...