Seattle Schools Community Forum

I was actually going to give you all kinds of links and updates but here's all you really need to know - the Dems caved, schools will not be fully-funded and property-rich areas will pay for most of the increases. Schools will get $7.3B more over the next four years.   This is not enough and is likely to not pass judicial muster for fully funding schools.  After this budget is passed, the Supreme Court will review the part that addresses McCleary and allow the plaintiffs to give their thoughts.  Any ruling on this issue would probably come at the end of the summer. Tweet Robert Cruinkshank Last year, McCleary plaintiffs said $5.6 billion needed just for next school year. $7.3b over 4 years won't cut it - Property taxes will go up in Seattle/King County - by a lot. Tweet Joe O'Sullivan Rough numbers, Seattle will see $440/yr increase in property taxes for average house , Ranker says . 

From Education Week: Bradley Shear is a lawyer who focuses on digital privacy and social media.  He's also the father of two elementary-aged children who attend the public schools in Maryland's Montgomery County.  A little over a year ago, Shear says, the focus of his professional life became an intensely personal concern, as well. "I got a phone call from my son's teacher, who said he had performed an internet search for inappropriate content on a school-issued Chromebook," Shear said in an interview. "It got me thinking about all the data being collected about kids, and whether it will ever be deleted. From Shear's blog, Shear on Social Media Law : Every time our kids may be admonished for talking out of turn or texting in class they may receive a permanent demerit in Class Dojo .  In the near future, classrooms may be filled with cameras and other tracking technologies that also analyze our kids every interaction with their teachers...

#thismatters

Latest on the budget and McCleary: Rachel La Corte Retweeted Jim Brunner (Seattle Times) We were originally told budget details would be released publicly at noon Thursday. Was told tonight there was a miscommunication. # waleg Boy, the Washington Legislature makes the GOP in Congress look like pikers on lack of transparency.  Just sickening.

From SPS Communications: Join us for an event to celebrate the unveiling and dedication of the Andrew Morrison's murals and Honoring Circle at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School and Cascadia Elementary. The public ceremonies will be held July 13, 6 until 8 p.m. and August 25, 5 until 8 p.m. at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, 1330 N. 90th St. 

Superintendent to skip his Comments and noted that the construction contract for Magnolia Elementary did not proceed and so they are rebidding in the fall and the school will open in 2019-2020. President Peters is out of the country; Vice-President Harris is presiding.  All other directors are present. JoLynn Berge of Budget is reviewing the budget portion of the Work Session, noting that the thrid session of the legislature is still in progress and they expect some news tomorrow. Superintendent Nyland pointed out that the district, like all other WA state districts, has been dealt a bad hand by the Legislature but there is nothing they can do. Blanford didn't even know that Peters was out of the country and was asking about her thoughts.  He himself was late and somehow decided he needed several clarifications because of it. Looks like they are going to put off any budget decisions until they understand what comes out of the Legislature.  Vice-President Harris ...

On the Work Session on the Budget and Waitlists, here's the presentation .  The waitlist section starts on page 14. Staff is insisting: Waitlist moves are predicated on staffing, not just space capacity. That may be true in internal practice. Long standing actual process/practice is that both physical space and staffing determines the number of waitlist moves at a school.  I sure wish former head of Enrollment, Tracy Libros, was here to verify that because that may be true internally but that was never transmitted to parents.  What WAS very clearly stated - over and over and over for decades - said is that the district's biggest commitment to families was to keep sibs together.  That I know for a fact.  It was not a guarantee but it was stated in that manner repeatedly by superintendents, staff and boards.