Seattle Schools Community Forum

The district loves to do an end-of-school-year flurry of activities.  It's like parents are just about out the door and the district says "have a good summer and oh, we are changing XYZ". Bryant's long-time child-care provider (17 years)  is getting the boot (but can reapply but good luck).  Parents are rightly suspicious as the answers they are receiving on why this is happening don't quite mesh.  The district says it is compliance issues but it seems that may not be the issue (the provider's license is fine).  Their PTA had no notification this was coming and the Bryant administration does not favor the decision.  Over in West Seattle, it suddenly got announced that the Middle College program that has been at South Seattle Community College for nearly 20 years is getting the boot because SSCC needs the space.  Interestingly, the district has never paid a cent of rent to SSCC and it might have been that with tight times, they asked for some mone...

When you get asked (or you apply) to be on one of these committees, it's always important to remember that it's not about you.   Being on a committee means trying to be part of a team and find like-minded options and solutions to bear on the problem you are trying to solve (or at least help).   Many times it means biting your tongue and yes, even sometimes, going along to get along. It has been my experience that a key to success for any committee is the leadership.  I believe that even with district committees, it is a good idea to have community/parents as chairs or co-chairs who are elected by the committee.  I've seen the two women who lead FACMAC, Caroline Webster and Elizabeth Wong, who seem to be wise, calm and most of all, people who listen.  (Unbelievably they both serve on the ALT as well.  Their next meeting is June 19, 10:00am - 1:00pm, Room 2776, JSCEE.)  I think their group is well-served by having co-chairs. In advance I sa...

We've been hearing some news about the District deciding to place the Middle College program, now located on the campus of South Seattle Community College, in the Boren building next year. It would be co-locating there with the new K-5 STEM program. Before you write to the School Board about this, I would remind you that program placement decisions are made unilaterally by the superintendent. They are not board-level decisions. Moreover, the Board has made it clear that they have no interest in enforcing the program placement policy, which would require the superintendent to disclose her process and would require her to provide rationale for them. They have decided that we do not need transparency or evaluation with these decisions and consequently we get the kind of decisions that can come from under the cloak of secrecy and behind the shield of no accountability. In other words, the Board has already determined that they not only will not get involved in this, but t...

One more week of school - I'm sure your kids are chomping at the bit.  Where I tutor, the kids were full of excitement for the field days to come.  Seattle Schools starts its round of graduations tonight. Best wishes to all SPS grads of 2012.  I hope your future is so bright, you have to wear shades (those of you of a certain age will get that song reference).  And congrats to all the supportive and hard-working parents.  A promise to sit down today and write up a detailed report about Advanced Learning (and several other stories that have been brewing are coming this weekend).  Lastly, I tutor with a group called 826 .  This group was started in 2002 by author Dave Eggers in San Francisco.  It has spread across the country with after-school tutoring, field trips, in-school projects/help and more.  Each center has a store (the original one was a pirate store) and the one in Seattle is the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co . (on Greenwoo...

Today in Crosscut we find an article about the Downtown elementary school that actually includes some data  - census numbers - that could be used to make a case for the school. It actually makes a stronger case for a downtown high school than a downtown elementary school, but there's no mention of that. I have a number of questions that I would like to see answered. Where are these kids going to school now? Do we only need an elementary school downtown - not a middle school and a high school? Why don't we need a middle school or a high school? If these kids are in the census data, why didn't they appear in the District's enrollment projections? It's nice to finally see some numbers associated with this school idea, which has seemed like a pet project by downtown elites until this.

Okay, the latest is that the AL recommendations will be posted Friday sometime. They did go to Dr. Enfield. I will expand on this when I get to a computer that will actually blog but I can only say that this is part and parcel to the district at the end of the school year. Things get stretched out, quick decisions made with parents practically going out the door (that would be Bryant, more on that to come)and that it happens each and every year, well, sigh.  Joe Paperman will officially start as Budget Manager on Monday.

On Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 6:28pm. Dr. Robert Vaughan sent an email to Dr. Enfield with the recommendations from the Advanced Learning Programs Task Force regarding placement considerations for elementary students in north Seattle attending the Accelerated Progress Program. Nothing has, as yet, appeared on the District web site about these recommendations. I'm not sure why the recommendations could not have been sent to Dr. Enfield within a day or two of the final task force meeting. Nevertheless, it's done. Dr. Enfield now has 90 days to implement the recommendations or explain why she hasn't. Except, of course, Dr. Enfield doesn't work for the District any more. She is using her vacation days for the remaining days of her contract.