Seattle Schools Community Forum

This will likely be the last thread until Friday by me.  I would like to celebrate with my family and power down for a couple of days.  What's on your mind?

The District is considering an MOU with Africatown, but something familiar is proving an obstacle: Africatown's use of a District building without paying any rent or utilities.

Ramona Hattendorf, who has done a wide expanse of public education advocacy, writes a great op-ed at the Times on Special Education.  She is very specific in what is needed.  It's a piece that needs wide reach so I hope you send it along. I think the topic on Special Education is finally rising to the top of the district's radar (and it needs to stay there). I am sorry to see Sped parents knocking heads - it plays into the hands of those who don't want to fully serve these students.  I believe this issue needs parents to continue to stand up to a district that is seemingly confused about its role and responsibility in this area.

Each week the superintendent prepares a "Friday memo" for the Board. This memo is used to inform the Board about ongoing issues and to answer questions that have been asked at meetings or in emails. The Friday Memos are made public each week, one week after the Board sees them. They are posted to the district web site here . The December 12 Friday Memo has information about: Board SMART Goals set at the Board Retreat on December 6 Specific efforts to close achievement gaps Special Education - the corrective action and the data leaks John Hay/Interagency Garfield Field Trip Legislative issues (McCleary) Bailey-Gatzert PreK enrollment rules Bell Times Task Force update Capital Projects update

It's before my time here in Seattle but during the lean years of Boeing, someone had put up a billboard that said, "Will the last person leaving Seattle -- turn off the lights?" I'm starting to feel that way about Seattle Schools but maybe with the question, "Will the person who understands what is going on in Seattle Schools -- please clue the rest of us in?"   Example one is this letter from Ballard High School (partial) to families with seniors:

Whether you are on the naughty or nice list (as Obama put it the other day when choosing which reporters to ask him questions at his press conference), we wish you happy (and safe) holidays. Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.  But we have entered Hanukkah (which ends on Christmas Eve) and Kwanzaa starts the day after Christmas.  In case your kids want to know more about the Solstice, five basic questions answered in the Washington Post.   Sunset today in Seattle will be at 4:20 pm.

First up, the Board retreat on the 6th.  Apparently, I had been expected because Director Peaslee said something to the effect of, "wait for Melissa" and Director Peters and Michael Tolley (who ostensibly must read the blog and knew I was not coming) said, "She's not coming."  I'm sure there was a sigh of relief that no one from the "angry community " was there. I also learned via public disclosure documents that at least one director feels the need to pass on many of my e-mails to the Board to senior staff .  To note, there are about 13 people who get the e-mails you send via "schoolboard@seattleschools.org."   These include the Board, Legal, the Superintendent, Communications, a couple of cabinet people and a person in the Board office.  So now, if I'm writing to the entire Board, I'll just send it to the main e-mail address because it seems my e-mails get forwarded on anyway.  I don't really like it this way because I...