Seattle Schools Community Forum

This Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m., the League is hosting the Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate forum, moderated by KUOW Reporter Ann Dornfeld. Livestreaming and ASL interpretation will be provided.    Meet us in Bellevue or watch here: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947...      

One item - A reader said that the district really should use clear language in what is happening. The message to parents talks about “consolidating” five schools, without actually saying what “consolidation” means. Closing? Merging?  Good point as San Francisco Unified School District is even considering co-locations (although that has not been mentioned in Seattle Schools at all).  I believe, legally, these will be closures. But the dispersement of students from a closed school is key along with the transition plan for the receiving school (s). It would be great to keep students together but we would know if that's possible once they name the closing schools as well as the possible receiving schools.  In fact, keeping students together may influence which schools are picked. The district tweaked the list of criteria to include this factor.  I do want to point out that the district - and the district alone - is responsible for the condition of every single buildin...

Update: There are many takeaways from this messaging. 1. This smaller closure model has been done elsewhere like in Chicago. I think a go-slo approach is a good idea especially for a district that struggles with messaging and public engagement.  2. However, NO ONE should think this is the end . I think the district is very determined to close more schools. But now they have gotten the message that wholesale "out with K-8s and Option Schools" is not going to work. I think there are those both on the Board and in senior leadership that just wanted to wipe them out. It's a sad thing to see because I believe every school should be examined on its merits, not just on its program form.  3. I have to wonder about the district's desire to have this all in place by the end of 2024. As I stated in my post on the legalities of closing schools, I don't see how they can do it legally or fairly. I note that the Times seems to believe "within 90 days" is the working t...

Seattle Schools has many clinics set up for vaccinations, both for the flu and for the latest COVID update.  The program started on September 20th and continues to the middle of November. The locations are throughout the district, depending on the day.  The vaccinations are free at the school-based health centers while the vaccinations provided by the Seattle Visiting Nurse Association are by insurance or payment. The school-based health centers also offer childhood vaccinations as well.  If you need assistance by phone or interpretation, call the Coordinated Vaccine Transportation Helpline at  425-943-6706  Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and  press 5 for language assistance .  If you have questions, please reach out to info@seattlevna.com for assistance.   The district has a volunteer opening on its Capital Programs Oversight Committee.  We are looking for individuals with experience in capital programs, including expertise in areas such a...

Naturally, it comes from a smart parent crunching the numbers. In this case, that smart parent is Albert Wong. (And boy, do I hope he runs for the Board someday.) He publishes this article on Medium called Anti-Asian Bias in Seattle School Leadership and Advocacy Community. Bold mine. I am extracting a large amount of what Wong has written because it hits great points solidly. His opening statement: Deciding to write this post has been difficult as it leaves me exposed to a lot of the inter-parental bullying that happens in the SPS city-wide advocacy community, but given the data I’m seeing I feel compelled to put it in text. If you don’t want to read, play with the graphs here . If you want to connect with others about Asian advocacy, fill in this form here . I find this a very humble way to start, saying " you don't need to read this but look at these numbers!" The “Well Resourced Schools” plan has a disproportionate impact on school communities that have a highe...

 The Seattle Times had a recent story on the uptick of private school enrollment in Seattle.  Census data released this month shows private-school enrollment for Seattle K-12 students hit an all-time high in 2023, estimated at 19,400 students. That represents one-quarter of the city’s total 77,200 K-12 students.  Among the nation’s 50 cities with the largest K-12 enrollment, Seattle ranked No. 2 for the share of kids in private schools last year. San Francisco was No. 1 with around 30% of K-12 students enrolled in private schools. Census data shows that nationally, 12.8% of K-12 students attended private school, so Seattle’s percentage is nearly double the national average. It’s certainly not cheap to send a kid to private school in Seattle. According to the website Private School Review , average private-school tuition in Seattle is $20,977 for elementary schools and $23,708 for high schools, higher than the national average. The increase in private-school at...

But not for the closure plan. It's a Board Special Meeting that will have two items. Agenda here. The meeting is to be live streamed. - Approval of the Superintendent's "employment agreement" - Approval of the " 2024-2025 Superintendent Evaluation Instrument" Notable items - Pursuant to the existing agreement, the term renewed for a one-year term, through June 30, 2025, because the Board did not vote before November 15, 2023, to not renew the contract. I did not know that.  - This action would approve a new Superintendent’s Employment Agreement with Dr. Jones to replace the March 11, 2022, existing employment agreement effective July 1, 2024. - Yes, he gets a raise of about $13,400 which takes the base salary to $348,395. He'll get almost that much of a raise for his pension. The entire package is now worth $390,940. Yes, he got a raise but it's just about 4% which isn't a lot. But then, he hasn't done a lot.  The evaluation instrument is a...