Seattle Schools Community Forum

I only tell you that because Phyllis Fletcher, the former ed reporter for KUOW (we miss her!), revealed it on Weekday.  She said that she saw Director Martin-Morris at a 4th of July event but wasn't sure it was him because he was so thin.  But he came up to her and said hello. He told her many people were concerned he was ill but he told her that he was on Weight Watchers and has lost 35 lbs.  Good for him and good to hear because I had been asked by several people about his weight loss and I didn't have a clue. Also, the panel that does the news roundup was having a discussion over the new basketball arena.  One listener wrote in and said couldn't they rebuild schools and create jobs that way?  Eli Sanders of The Stranger opined that maybe if we spent some of the time on considering schools  that we do on sports, we might be better off as a city. No kidding.

From Ed Week and the NY Times comes word that Washington State, along with Wisconsin, have been granted waivers from some of the most "onerous conditions" of NCLB.  That brings the total number of states with waivers up to 26.   That's more than half the states and Andy Porter, the dean of U of Penn Graduate School of Education asks, " The more waivers there are, the less there really is a law, right?" From the Times: In exchange for the education waivers, schools and districts must promise to set new targets aimed at preparing students for colleges and careers. They must also tether evaluations of teachers and schools in part to student achievement on standardized tests. The administration said all schools would be required to show yearly improvement.  Instead of labeling all struggling schools as failing, the waivers direct states to focus most attention on the bottom 5 percent of low-performing schools. “With the waiver we can focus on thos...

Heads up on some traffic news for this weekend - closures at Aurora and N. 85th, Mercer Street at South Lake Union and westbound South Spokane Street from I-5 off-ramps to Hwy 99 .  The Times reports that an average of 140,000 vehicles pass through these three areas in a weekend.  Nothing at the Times about the Creative Approach Schools (Brian Rosenthal has been moved to reporting on the campaigns for this election season so there's a new person.) What's on your mind?

Yes, word is that a King County Superior Court judge ruled for the challengers - Carline Brown and Rita Green, Jack Whelan, Robert Femiano and Eric Muhs.     Please, if you wanted a better policy for this approach, you may get it (and with Board oversight and more parent involvement). PLEASE consider sending a check - big or small - to defray the costs of this litigation. Make the check out to "Newman Duwors Attorneys" noting MOU appeal/Keith Scully.  Checks can be mailed to district watchdog Chris Jackins (who makes me look like a slacker): Chris Jackins Seattle Committee to Save Schools PO Box 84063 Seattle, WA  98124 Details to follow Update:   spoke to Jack Whelan, who was in the court when the decision was read, and Director Peaslee. Jack Whelan and Lina Brown were in attendance but apparently only the district's hired lawyer was there.  No one from SPS nor SEA. About the decision, Jack said, " Judge Erlick gave a thoughtf...

I was speaking with a board director this week about the program placement policy and the director candidly acknowledged that the superintendent violated the policy in 2011 and the board (this was the previous board) allowed it because they saw their role as facilitating the superintendent and not as constrainting her. Enforcing policy would have been a constraint. In 2012 they couldn't enforce the policy because sh had already announced her intention to leave and they had no means of managing her. This board director flatly stated what everyone already knows: the board's only meaningful management tool over the superintendent is the threat of termination. They have nothing short of that.

Listening to speaker after speaker talk about the Indian Heritage Middle College program, I thought, "Well, add them to the list that includes Special Ed, Nova, and World School."  What do these programs have in common?   They get moved around as though they were furniture.   Each and every one of them deserves a permanent home. I spoke to Sarah Kelly, one of the speakers, and asked her about someone in their community doing a guest post about the history of their program.  (I was surprised to learn that Pathfinder K-8 used to be a feeder school for the program.)  One thing I told her was that once we had a history - one that is written by those who know it - it would be here for a long time.  The district may purge some history from its website but at least here it would have a home.  I'm hoping I will get that guest post within a couple of weeks. Also, there is an issue over the feeder patterns in West Seattle from middle to high sch...

Welcome to Superintendent Banda. He announced that Indian Heritage Middle College will NOT be moving from Wilson-Pacific for 2012-2013. The room is packed with many supporters of this school and I think it is making a difference to the Board. He said the entire Middle College program needs to be revisited and he would be working with all the communities involved.