Seattle Schools Community Forum

Here's the email I sent to the City and I ask that you consider sending one as well.  These changes will undermine what the New Holly neighborhood was planned to be. Write to Maureen.Sheehan@seattle.gov Dear Ms. Sheehan, I write in opposition to all the zoning departures that Green Dot Charter Schools is asking for in SDCI PROJECT #302901. These departures for heights and setbacks fly in the face of what is a carefully planned and developed residential neighborhood, New Holly. It is a plan the City itself was involved in and is appropriate to maintain that neighborhood to that plan. I request that you say no to these departures.

The Green Dot charter school group is asking the City for a couple of departures for the new high school they want to create.  This new high school, Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, will be very close to Rainier Beach High School and somewhat close to Franklin High School.   Given how some high school families are not happy with the overcrowding in SPS high schools AND the way the district is handling the boundaries issue, these charter high schools might do good business. In other new schools stories, an interesting article from the NY Times on the growing number of for-profit private schools in NYC.   They are entities like AltSchool , a San Francisco-based start-up that says it can use technology to revolutionize education. It opened its first “micro-school” in New York in 2015, and has opened two more since then. There are the cost-cutter schools, like the tiny Portfolio School , which opened last year in TriBeCa and uses technology to ke...

This event happened today at Memorial Stadium.  (I would have been there but my invite got lost.)  Representing SPS at the event was Vice-President Leslie Harris and Mayor Tim Burgess.  To understand, the MOU is not legally binding and, going forward, the public will be part of the process about deciding what happens to Memorial Stadium.  This is a measure to get the discussion going. To note, the district MUST keep this stadium because it serves as the home field for several high schools for football and soccer as well as hosting graduations.  The district has no other place for these events.  As to whether the stadium stays there, well, that's a good question to discuss.   I have not yet seen the MOU (I believe it will be released tomorrow).  My understanding is that the district will keep 6 of the 9 acres it controls at Seattle Center AND the district will be part of the Fort Lawton EIS.  I am so happy on the latter because it simp...

Elementary and K-8 schools are closed for parent-teacher conferences.  No school on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Monday, the 20th Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Meeting at JSCEE from 5:30- You are invited to join the Seattle Public Schools Special Education staff, families and D/HH community to: •    Hear updates from staff about the Program Review from the Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL) •    Meet other families & community members with shared interest in D/HH Supervised Children’s Activities, light snack, and ASL Interpreters will be provided. If you have other language or interpreting needs, please contact us Questions or Interpreting/Language Needs? Contact us: Michael Dickneite at 206- 252-0332, msdickneite@seattleschools.org or Margo Siegenthaler at 206-252-0794, masiegenthaler@seattleschools.org    There are two other events upcoming that should be of intere...

A big shout out to Rancho Tehama Elementary in Rancho Tehama, California where this week a gunman, on a rampage in their town, came to the elementary school and tried to access classrooms.  The school staff, hearing the gunfire outside quickly locked the building down.  Footage shows the gunman trying to open doors to classrooms and giving up.  He then shot into the building (one child was hurt by flying debris as he hid under a desk).  Bravo to those calm and brave staff members! Forbes magazine does a listing of "30 under 30" (30 people under 30 years old) for various categories including education.  Now Forbes is a business magazine but the category was "education," not education technology or innovation.  Not a single educator made the list.   Hmmm.  (Also, a shout out to former Board member, Kay Smith-Blum, on the inclusion of her son, Bryce, on a technology list.) There has been no press release on this but KNKX reports the distric...

I've said this a lot.  The Seattle Times has a blurred line between editorial and reporting when it comes to stories on public education in Seattle.  Their reporters deny, deny, deny this but it's too obvious to be denied.  So what is it that is apparent? Slant.  Pure and simple, slant.  And, to a lesser degree, omission of facts. The Times, either via their editorial board or with the input from the Gates Foundation which solely funds their "Education Lab," is attempting to paint a picture of Seattle Schools that is neither fair nor fully fleshed out.  Story after story, there's the same voices (which is kind of funny because they are always complaining about the same activist voices like SEA) and the same people interviewed and quoted. It was interesting to hear the contrast between the outgoing board members - Stephan Blanford and Sue Peters - at last night's Board meeting.  Blanford talked a lot about himself and Peters talked a lot mor...

Following up on my thread about the Board's upcoming vote on the Naviance software platform, I did write to the Board.  I heard back from a couple of Board members, one of whom sent me several documents to help clarify some issues I raised. These documents were somewhat helpful but here's the thing - why aren't they attached to the BAR?  If there is this much progress on this contract, why the lack of transparency?  It seems every time you turn around, you have to make a special request to see documentation.  And, if they could attach the general RFP for this kind of service, why not these documents? Why? I think they just don't want to be transparent.  It wasn't an oversight or a technical issues.  They just don't want this all aired out. I'm beginning to think that the new superintendent needs to start with being a sheriff first and cleaning up some thinking at JSCEE or some senior staff should be let go. There was a shooting this morning in Nor...