Seattle Schools Community Forum

Tomorrow, Friday, April 1st.  Ironic because it's April Fools' Day (but who will be laughing?) Ironic that yesterday when Governor was signing the education opportunity bill to support more underserved students - he dubbed it the Student Sunshine bill, to try to wipe out the gray of decades and decades of injustice - it was at Aki Kurose Middle School.  (That selection of school was not random; Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos of the 37th picked it.) It's ironic because Aki Kurose was considered - just several years back - to be a "failing" school but now is a "growth" school with a steady rise over several years in test scores.  As well, they have falling discipline rates.  And, their principal, Mia Williams , was just named Middle School Principal of the Year for Washington State.   All these things that charters claim just aren't happening in public schools and yet, there you go. And think of what Ms. Williams and her staff could do with fully-fu...

 Update 4/1: more than a dozen states are also having testing problems.  From KSL.com:

From SPS Communications: Family Input Requested: Bell Times Implementation  The Seattle School Board recently adopted a new bell time schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 school year. This change is meant to recognize and leverage research that has shown that teenagers may benefit from later start times resulting in more sleep, better health, increased academics and improved truancy rates.  

Opt Out Bus Spring Tour   (Starting at Garfield HS,  Thursday March 31 st , 2:20 pm ) As the spring high-stakes ,  common core tests begin, the Opt Out B us will be touring Seattle schools to provide families with information on their rights to opt out of standardized testing.  

Chris Reykdal is a native of Washington state and attended WSU.  He serves as a representative in the legislature from the 22nd LD.  He is the Vice-Chair of the House Education Committee.  He was also the Deputy Executive Director for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.  He and his wife, Kim, were both teachers earlier in their careers; she is still a high school counselor.   Rep Reykdal's campaign website.

Flip Herndon did not make the final cut for the Edmonds School District superintendent post. In 2013, he applied to be superintendent of Renton Schools.  He had previously been the superintendent in Bremerton School District. Michael Tolley is in the final four to become the superintendent of Bainbridge Island School District.

Below is a letter from Feb. 2014 from Superintendent Susan Enfield of Highline SD that I believe was originally for her staff but was also later handed out to Rainier Prep parents (but not by Enfield.)  You'll note two things.