Seattle Schools Community Forum

Here are some updates on various meetings coming up. Thanks to the Seattle Council PTSA for this info. Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 - School Board meeting. The Board will vote on the capacity plan for the north end and vote on tweaking Board policy to meet a fast-track school closure schedule among other items. An interesting confusion is the issue of what happens to Summit. If the Board votes to use the Jane Addams building for a new K-8, Summit has to go. But the Board also said that, based on school closures, Summit might go into a newly closed building. However, the Board has also stated that closures this round are mostly to be based on building condition/site. So would they move Summit into a building they don't consider a good one? Also, interesting how we are going to close some schools, possibly end a program (Summit K-12) and yet we still pay for a lease to keep The Center School at Seattle Center. Thursday, November 13th, 6-8 p.m. at Cleveland High School s...

Hello I received this e-mail late last week on the budget process: Dear Seattle Public Schools Staff Members, In my recent email, I committed to keeping you updated on our progress toward creating a balanced budget for the next academic year. Let me first update you on the highlights of the Wednesday, November 5, Board Finance Committee work session: · We reviewed the financial results of last fiscal year, which ended August 31, 2008 o SPS ended with a surplus of approximately $5 million more than earlier forecasted o We showed the board how this additional amount might partially be used to offset the projected FY 2009-10 budget shortfall and fund the cost of building closures · We recommended a hiring freeze to the board. This is a prudent step to take to ensure we do not increase costs as we attempt to balance the budget. · We presented several scenarios that showed the board various ways the budget could be balanced. These included a combination of the various approaches that I...

This article appeared in the October 31, 2008 NY Times. It details questions about a principal-hero at an elementary school in Charleston, S.C. (Dr. Goodloe-Johnson's previous city of employment) and the school's sharply rising test scores. From a story in the Charleston Post and Courier dated June 12, 2008 that details Ms. Moore's decision to move to another district in North Carolina: "Moore has earned respect and recognition for her dramatic transformation of Sanders-Clyde, which once was one of the academically weakest schools in the district. The school now outscores district and state averages. Former schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson was so impressed with Moore's leadership that she asked her to guide a second school through a similar transformation. This year was Moore's first to lead Sanders-Clyde and Fraser simultaneously, and preliminary test scores from Fraser showed strong gains. Moore is the only county principal who was responsibl...

The district and Board are going full-speed ahead with closures. Seattle Council PTSA President (and whirling dervish) Sharon Rodgers e-mailed PTSA leaders yesterday with information from an Executive Board meeting of the School Board. What she let us know is depressing. From the School Board agenda for next week: Release of Preliminary Recommendations November 25, 2008 Building-based Hearings December 15, 16, and 18, 20081 Release of Final Recommendations January 6, 2009 Introduction of Closure Motion January 7, 2009 Final Hearing January 22, 20092 Action on Closure Motion January 29, 2009 (special meeting) 1 Building-based hearings are public hearings that will be held in any building that is proposed for closure for instructional purposes. The purpose of these hearings is to gather public comment about the specific building recommended for closure. The times and locations of the hearings will be set once any buildings recommended for closure are identified. 2 This is a public hea...

The newspapers are now reporting that Randy Dorn has beaten Terry Bergeson for State Superintendent of Public Instructions. Ms. Bergeson has conceded to him. This win plus the election of Barack Obama are very hopeful signs for public education. One, because President-elect Obama repeatedly brought up education during the debates (without a single question about education being asked) and dedicated a policy speech during the campaign to education. I believe education means a lot to Obama and I look forward to a revamped NCLB. (There has been talk that Colin Powell may be the Education Secretary. Interesting choice but he's obviously a bright guy. I would prefer someone with an education background however.) Mr. Dorn has pledged to shorten and streamline the WASL. This is huge because he will finally get to us a finished WASL. If we are using it to determine graduation, it needs to be completed. Hey, if we have a finished WASL, he can actually focus on other important educ...

Hello I received this e-mail yesterday. I am posting it here. I will try to post all the e-mails I receive on the budgeting process. Dear Seattle Public Schools Staff Members, Excellence for All, our strategic plan, affirms that our central purpose is to advance the academic achievement of all students. The plan establishes key priorities for our work to improve the academic performance of students throughout the District and strengthen operations that support our schools. In October, the Superintendent informed you that we must work together to address a projected $24 million funding shortfall in our next budget. We are committed to serving our students well in the short term and protecting the District's long term financial health. We must employ a variety of strategies to adjust to the reality that expected revenues are falling short of the increasing costs of delivering even current levels of service to our schools. Last week, the School Board directed the...

Please go vote. Your ballot has to be postmarked by tomorrow's date to be valid. If you are going to the polls, please offer a ride to the polls if you know someone who might need the help. And, whatever the outcome, the world is watching. We need to close the divide between the parties and the so-called red states and blue states. Hooray for small towns AND for big cities. Hooray for the farmer AND for Silicon Valley. Hooray for all religions (or no religion). You get the idea. We are ALL Americans. (That said, anyone, any party, thinking of mischief or downright theft of the election should just leave it where it belongs - in the hands of the voters.)