Seattle Schools Community Forum

I've been reading a lot of chatter lately at a couple of sites about the negotiations between the district and the SEA (Seattle Education Association, the union that represents teachers). Here's what the district says (partial and bold mine):

Checking the election results now a week later:

A reader sent me this interesting l ist of all the SPS superintendents and board directors from the late 1880s on.  It contains their years of service, when they served and racial background. One board director served for 32 years! And current director, Lisa Rivera Smith, is the district's first Latina member of the board.  Of course, it wouldn't be SPS without a couple of errors.  1) No notation that Jose Banda was the first Latino superintendent. 2) The terms of both Brandon Hersey and Zachary DeWolf expire this year, not in 2023.  3) They don't note that Director DeWolf is the first openly LGBTQ male member and that Cheryl Chow was the first openly LGBTQ female member. (You could quibble if Chow was open about it but she didn't make it a secret. She just didn't talk about it as DeWolf does.)

The Seattle School Board had a busy week last week. Several of them attended a Zoom conference, 2021 Harvard and Council of Great City Schools ABC Leadership Institute, lead by the Council of Great City Schools. The CGCS :

Today was the unveiling of the new look for Seattle Schools' website . I really had hoped - as I do each and every time they tinker with it - that it will be better. You know, more accessible, easy to find pages, etc.  It's not.  I always say that after a website is redesigned, go get someone who has NEVER used it and give them ten areas to find. I can tell that didn't happen this time. I can say the home page looks more attractive.  However:

 I have received several comments that I have not printed because: - The comment was just an insult to me. - I am having a problem with getting a duplicate of every comment (plus spam ones) and sometimes it's hard to keep up. If you think your comment was within the bounds of this blog, please ping me again. - A comment was cryptic. Reader Cassandra sent a comment that I will partially reprint: Since no one is allowed to argue with the district's diversity agenda, this is what we get. Torturers allowed to speak from positions of authority and paid from the district coffers. People afraid to speak up because they will be accused of racism. Censor away, enabler. I HAVE challenged the district's "diversity agenda" and reported on issues of race within senior leadership.  But Cassandra also made a claim about a diversity training that is to happen at SPS and who is leading it. Looking at the district website, I can't verify that is happening. So Cassandra, if you...

This is the last in the series on Critical Race Theory but there are now other elements to consider like teaching about equity and ethnic studies.