Seattle Schools Community Forum

Update:  It appears the Colorado proposition on transgendered children participating in school sports has passed. I didn't realize it but Colorado had two propositions on transgendered children. The other one is  "to prohibit health care professionals from knowingly performing any surgery on a minor “for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics." That one is also passing. end of update  I, along with millions of other Americans, have been working hard this election cycle. Yesterday, I was a roving poll watcher where I was checking to see if there were any issues like tech, intimidation, handicapped access, etc at polling places. At sites in largely Latino areas, I circled a two-block area to look for ICE officers. I visited 19 sites and halfway through I wondered if I was nuts. (I found no issues anywhere except for a long line at one site at lunchtime.) But I continued on.  I spent more money this election cycle than I have ever spent in my life. It w...

The Seattle School Board will be having a Special Board meeting on Wednesday, November 4th, starting at 4:30 pm. Agenda here. That agenda is brief and, true to form, there is no documentation yet attached. However, per the rally about tech that is scheduled before this meeting, there's to be a discussion on "Educational Technology." The other half of the meeting will be about "Special Populations: Special Education, Multilingual Learners and Highly Capable." However before that, the group, Seattle Families for Intentional Tech (SFIT), will be having a rally from 3:30-4:30 pm outside the JSCEE. Here's what they have to say: The SPS school board and leadership are meeting for a special board meeting on November 4. Yes, we know it’s a Wednesday afternoon and the day after election day, but we need YOU. Let’s channel our activist energy one extra day to demonstrate how important this issue is to the board. AGENDA: 3:30pm Sign-Making 3:50pm Rally & Speakers ...

Today I heard a report on the Today Show about Discovery Elementary School in Loudoun County, Virginia. It's a school with over 600 students, a third of them free/reduced lunch level. Minorities make up the majority of the school. Want to know a fun fact about this school? Discovery Elementary School in Loudoun County, Virginia, is nearly surrounded by 11 data centers within a half-mile radius, with two more currently under construction State-issued permits show well over 200 backup diesel generators near the school. In the story, moms are concerned about air quality. One mom says when her daughter comes out of school, she always thinks it smells like smoke. And it's not just air quality, it's also a buzzing noise that has been reported coming from multiple data centers. Environmental calculations indicate that a single backup generator running at full capacity can emit pollutants equivalent to over 100 semi-trucks (18-wheelers).   Many data centers use diesel back-up gene...

First, I note there is zero, zip, zilch at the SPS website on this topic. Ditto on Facebook. The district is clearly trying to keep the information on possible mergers to a "need to know" basis. Meaning, they'll decide what you need to know and when. Let's start with the reporting from the Seattle Times.  Their list did not differ from my original list.  Their article includes the October 25th Superintendent's Newsletter where he tries to explain his thinking. He does indeed lay some blame at the feet of the district.  And the time for change is now. For years, the specter of school mergers has hung over the district like a pall, shadowing every decision. Over the years, the district has opened and closed schools, with seemingly questionable plans and lack of forethought. The district has been known to close a building only to open it again, even though very little changed. I know the fear of closing a school, your school, creates unease and uncertainty. And of c...

Update: The Queen Anne ES and John Hay ES meeting is at Queen Anne from 6:00-7:30 pm on Monday, December 7th. end of update There are to be at series of meetings at schools (presumably the intake schools) with one other nearby school that is likely to see consolidation.  Here's what the basic email looks like but I will provide a full list as I see them. Dear Cedar Park and James Baldwin Families, We warmly invite you to join us on Monday, December 14, 2026, from 6:00-7:30 p.m., for a family conversation with Superintendent Shuldiner regarding the proposed merger of Cedar Park and James Baldwin for the 2027-2028 school year. We recognize that this proposal may bring questions, concerns, and many different emotions for families in both school communities. This conversation is an opportunity to come together, hear information, ask questions, share your perspectives, and begin building connections with one another. This work is currently in Phase 1, focused on listening, learning, and...

Look where former JSCEE staffers Katrina Hunt and Sarah Pritchett-Goodman landed - it's called Eiren and it's their consulting firm. EIREN is an executive and organizational advisory firm that helps senior leaders, executive teams, boards, and organizations navigate complexity, make consequential decisions, strengthen leadership, and shape what comes next.   EIREN is led by two experienced systems leaders whose careers have been shaped by leading through complexity from inside organizations—not simply advising them from the outside. THE EIREN APPROACH See clearly. Connect what matters. Shape what comes next. My observation, from over the years, is that many people who used to work in upper management at JSCEE tend to try consulting.  SPS is asking for high school students to be part of the Memorial Stadium Art Wall Program. This opportunity gives students the chance to create public art inspired by the meaning and legacy of Memorial Stadium and the role it plays in Seattle’s ...

Kids, time to stroll down memory lane. I recall when I became a parent activist that there many long-termers before me. I tried to honor their work and give credit where credit is due. Some never wanted to see their names in print and I honored that as well. And now I'm the long-termer but yes, the day will come when I, too, will hang up my keyboard. What happens to this blog I will leave to my readers to decide on. How am I amused? Well, there are several new parent advocates out there. I think most of them do good work. One reminds me of my former writing partner, Charlie Mas, who was a calm take-no-prisoners guy in his writing. (And oddly, he and his wife live in Tucson now.) However, one of these people told me in an email that my blog was good for historical SPS references (true) but I "wasn't on the ground and didn't know what was going on in the schools." I did find his statement disrespectful, almost like patting me on the head and telling me to sit down....