Select Committee on the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy 5/1/2025

All right, good afternoon everyone.

The May 1st, 2025 meeting of the Select Committee on Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy will come to order.

It's 2.03 p.m.

I'm Maritza Rivera, chair of the committee.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Saka?

Here.

Councilmember Solomon?

Here.

Councilmember Hollingsworth?

Councilmember Moore?

Council Member Kettle.

Here.

Council President Nelson.

Present.

Vice Chair Rank.

Chair Rivera.

Present.

Seven Council Members are present.

All right.

If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

There's one item of business on today's agenda.

We have a presentation from the mayor's office in the Department of Education and Early Learning, which will be an executive presentation of the Families Education Preschool and Promise Levy renewal proposal.

I'd like to thank Deputy Mayor Washington from the Mayor's Office and Director Chappelle, Jonathan Swift and Marissa Roussel from the Department of Education and Early Learning for coming to council chambers today to present.

We will now open the hybrid public comment period.

Public comment should relate to items on the agenda or within the purview of this committee.

Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

Currently, we have 10 in-person speakers and 12 remote speakers signed up.

Thank you.

May you please read the public comment instructions?

The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner.

Public comment period is up to 20 minutes.

Each speaker will have two minutes.

Speakers will be called in the order in which they registered.

We will start with in-person speakers first and then remote speakers until the public comment period has ended.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time.

Public comment period is now open.

We will begin with the first speaker on the list.

First speaker on the list is going to be Nadia Gutierrez, followed by Daniel Narvaez.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Nadia Gutierrez, and I'm here on behalf of El Centro de la Raza to speak in strong support for the FEEPP levy's proposal of $1.3 billion investment in Seattle's children, youth, and families through 2031, a commitment that would have a lasting impact in our city's future.

At El Centro de la Raza, we are honored to serve as a trusted partner in the lives of Latino families, not only through early childhood and education and childcare, but also through transformative programs like the Roberto Maestas after-school program.

This program serves first-generation middle school scholars, many of whom are navigating the complexities of growing up between two cultures, often in under-resourced communities.

This isn't just about the after-school program, it's about belonging.

It's about the giving of our youth and giving them a space where they are seen, heard, and supported in all the areas academically, culturally, and emotionally.

Our curriculum is grounded in ethnic studies, and it provides the tools these scholars need to build strong identities, thinking skills, and lifelong connections to their communities.

I come to you because we've seen what happens when we invest in your youth and we see them lead, we see them thrive, and when we see them break cycles and build futures.

City investment in programs like ours is a strategy.

It's how we create a more just, vibrant, and inclusive Seattle.

Thank you for considering this vital levy proposal and for standing with us in investing in the promise and potential of every child.

Thank you.

Gracias.

Next speaker, Daniel Novarez, followed by Therese Jones.

Good afternoon, and thank you for your time.

My name is Daniel Narvaez, and I'm here today as a proud partner in the work to uplift Seattle's children to youth and families, and as someone who has seen up close the difference that a city investment can make.

At El Centro de la Raza, we're not just a service provider.

We are a second home, a bridge, a trusted presence for families who often feel invisible in the systems around them.

One of the most powerful examples of this is the Roberto Maestas after-school program.

This is where Latinx middle school scholars, many of them first-generation, multilingual, come to grow.

to build confidence, to explore identity, and to find their voice.

I've seen what happens when a young person walks into a room where their culture isn't just tolerated, it's celebrated.

Where their ideas matter, where their history matters, where they can thrive not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are.

That's what this proposed FEPP levy represents, the belief that every child in Seattle deserves that kind of space, that kind of opportunity, that kind of future.

We're proud to support this legislation because we know the return on this investment is profound, not just for individual families, but for the health, resilience, and prosperity of our entire city.

Thank you for believing in our kids, and thank you for the opportunity to keep doing this work together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Therese Jones, followed by Sierra Parsons.

Good afternoon, my name is Sharice Jones and I'm the director of homeless school-based health centers and clinical operations with NeighborCare Health.

I'm here to urge you in the health and success of Seattle's youth.

School-based health centers are not a luxury, they are a lifeline.

They offer primary care, mental health counseling, dental and reproductive health services directly on school campuses.

NeighborCare operates these centers in 17 schools across greater Seattle, and last year alone, we served over 4,000 students from elementary through high school.

For many students, especially those from low-income, immigrant, and marginalized communities, this is their only access to consistent and trusted care.

Without FEPP, these clinics and the health of the students we serve are at risk.

That means students could lose access to mental health support during a crisis that in school and thriving.

When students are healthy, physically and emotionally, they are ready to learn.

When they are not, they fall behind.

These clinics don't just serve students, they support families, reduce time parents miss work, and build equity into the system that hasn't always done so.

This is prevention in action.

This is what health equity looks like.

We need the FEP levy to be renewed.

Don't let thousands of students lose access to care they rely on.

Their futures and communities depend on it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Therese.

Thank you.

All right, next on the speakers list, we have Sierra Parsons followed by Leanne Kasp.

Hello, my name is Sierra Parsons, and I'm a South Seattle educator and restorative practitioner here on behalf of Woblock.

I urge the city council and mayor's office to explicitly invest in restorative practices in the FEP levy renewal.

Five years ago in 2020, after courageous student and community demands, Seattle Public Schools indefinitely ended its contract with the Seattle Police Department.

not just to remove police from hallways, but to reinvest in school-based supports that address harm, heal trauma, and build true safety.

Restorative practices are at the heart of this vision.

Woblock has been leading this work for years, partnering with schools to create restorative ecosystems that strengthen relationships, repair harm, and transform school climate.

We've trained hundreds of students, educators, and leaders across seven schools, helping shift environments from punitive to healing centered.

We know that restorative practices go hand in hand with student mental health, school safety, and belonging.

We've also observed that schools cannot do this work without adequate staff and funding.

Right now, city investments support only a handful of restorative practices coordinators district-wide, and that funding is at risk beyond 2026. Without explicit designated funding in the FEP levy, we jeopardize the progress we've made and the promises we made in 2020 to thousands of black and brown youth.

I urge you, center restorative practices as a cornerstone of this levy.

This is not supplementary.

It is essential for creating schools where young people are safe and supported.

Let's invest in this mental health, safety, and well-being of Seattle students by more fully funding the positions and partnerships that make restorative practices possible.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next on the list, we have Leon Kasp, followed by Jill Coladurdo.

Does this one work?

Hi there, my name is Leon Caspi, and I serve as the Restorative Practices Program Manager for Seattle Public Schools.

Our team, in collaboration with community partners, works with schools to build relational, safe, and equitable school cultures, resolve conflicts in ways that provide opportunities for repair and growth, and offers crisis response and grief support during tragic events.

The last levy and council budget actions have supported some of the most important investments in restorative practices in SPS and of critical impact.

Exclusionary discipline is decreasing.

Feelings of safety and belonging and connection are increasing in the schools engaged in this work.

While SPS funds a four-person central office restorative practices team to support over 100 schools in building this workout, city funds have enabled the placement of restorative practices coordinators in eight of our schools and collaboration with essential community partners like Woblock and Wairudo.

These brilliant restorative practices coordinators funded by city dollars are imperative members of their schools.

Their rooms are packed with students after difficult events, like the recent deaths at Washington Middle School and Garfield.

They train students and staff in conflict resolution, and they foster community building.

However, much work remains.

With the systems, trainings, and partnerships we've already developed, we're ready to expand the work and reach more schools.

But we need continued funding to ensure these key staff members and partnerships remain in place.

Our students face overlapping crises, mental health, violence, and persistent racial disparities in discipline and in safety.

These are not just numbers.

They're a reflection of how deeply our young people need school communities that offer connection, not punishment.

healing and not harm.

When students feel supported and connected, they're less likely to engage in harmful behaviors and restorative practices is part of the solution to maintain this connection.

I urge you to include dedicated funding for restorative practices in the upcoming FEP levy package as part of the ready to learn investment.

Please don't let these key staff members and community be cut.

This is an investment in the future of our students and their wellbeing.

Thank you for your continued support.

Thank you.

Thank you for efficiency.

I will be naming the next five speakers on the list.

If you could all please line up behind the podium to make it easier to allow for public comment.

So the next speaker is gonna be Jill Collarudo, followed by Katie Kryan Leary, followed by Alex, so sorry, I cannot read your last name, followed by Tad Howard and Dr. Rosie Raimondo-Sherzak.

Great, and all the mics are working, so if you want to come up to a mic for your next turn, that's helpful too.

Thank you so much.

All right, Jill, go ahead.

Hello, my name is Jill Colacerto, and I'm a consulting teacher on the Restorative Practices Seattle Public Schools team.

Thank you for this opportunity to share with you.

I'm a licensed social worker, and this is my ninth year as an SPS employee.

Prior to this, I was a child welfare social worker for 14 years, where I spent a lot of time in schools all over the county with young people and their families advocating for students.

When school staff had the opportunity to connect with students and families and understand their experience, they were able to hold more empathy.

The outcomes for the students I served were tied to the relationships they had within their schools.

Aside from family, schools have the biggest impact on how all of our children are doing.

I've seen firsthand how even one relationship with an adult at school was life-saving for youth.

A few years ago, my role and position changed as our team transitioned to implement restorative practices district-wide.

RP didn't begin in Seattle Public Schools when our team was created.

However, this was the first time that schools had intentional central office support.

And for schools who are new to this work, they had access to support and resources to help them begin.

This levy directly impacts the sustainability of the work happening in schools because it helps to fund the RP coordinator positions within schools, as well as the work with community partners.

As a district team of four serving over 100 schools, we need our coordinators and community partners.

When I left child welfare nine years ago, I knew I still wanted to somehow continue to serve and advocate for young people and their families.

Never has my work been more connected to the work I used to do.

RP is humanizing work.

The sole purpose is building community between colleagues, students, and communities.

Foundationally, this is what we all need, especially in a time when there's so much violence and loss in our communities.

RP at its heart centers relationships and connections.

It creates capacity and pathways for people to come together when hard things happen.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Katie?

Thank you for this opportunity.

My name is Katie Kryan Leary, and this is my 31st year as a public school educator.

For 21 of these years, I served students, staff, and families in Seattle Public Schools as an elementary and middle school teacher and principal.

I became an educator to help write the social justice inequities I see in our country's education system.

Over the years, I have learned and unlearned from the beautiful humans I've served, how race and racism fuel these inequities, and about my own racial identity and how it impacts my work.

In July of 2018, I started planning for a new elementary school.

In July of 21, I was the principal of this school, which was open for six months before a pandemic closed our doors.

I was craving humanized district support for the wellness of myself and the humans I was charged with helping feel safe, welcome, and included.

In January of 23, I transitioned to my first district position as a consultant and coach in our district's coordinated school health department.

This department also houses our restorative team.

My work supports mental health and discipline, which includes school crisis support, postvention, and grief support, threat assessment, and student rights student engagement.

In this role, I received restorative training through YRURO and immediately recognized these principles and practices as the humanizing support tools I was craving as a school leader.

I now walk closely alongside our shrinking restorative team, integrating restorative components into all of the support work I provide.

Learning is a highly social and thus emotional endeavor.

Restorative practices help schools cultivate the racial equity and social, emotional, and identity safety our students need to engage more fully and successfully in academics.

These restorative practices support adults as much as they do students.

I urge you to prioritize funding restorative practices in the next levy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And the next three speakers are gonna be Alex, followed by Tad, and then followed by Dr. Rosie, if you could please line up.

My name Alex Timmerman, everybody know me for 40 years.

Zeig Heil, my dirty damn Nazi fascist.

And bandita, my bandita.

My name is Alex Zimmerman.

I'm president of Stand Up America.

Support Trump for beginning.

I'm a MAGA member.

I have 6,000 days of trespasses.

Five times you've prosecuted me.

Mr. Zimmerman, please keep your comments to something about this committee.

I will speak about school.

Only about school.

Don't interrupt me.

Yes, I'm in school in Seattle in Bellevue for many years in board meeting.

What does make me absolutely shock?

You know what does mean, what does I come?

They give me three trespass for three years.

Why?

Because when I come and I see what they're doing, it surprises me.

Where does it come from?

From Nazi concentration camp?

From Komi Gulag?

What does this mean?

They have so many limitations.

You know what does it mean?

You make from us children a slave.

So not surprise me, so two generations vote for Democrat, because when you spend in school 10 years, for example, and you know this concentration camp, and you can go to crematorium, you start to be nice, you start to be, so why?

Start to be a slave.

This is very important.

This I want to talk to you guys, because you, by definition, are pure bandita.

You know what this means?

I call you Nazi pig for many years.

Mr. Zimmerman, please talk about something related to the purview of this committee.

I'm talking about school.

I'm talking.

Stop interrupting me.

I'm sick from this trick.

What is you doing?

Cheap, dirty trick.

Yes, exactly what is I talking about.

You cannot push children, what is 6th year, 10th year, or 12th year, you know what this means.

You cannot give children freedom.

You cannot doing this.

Because you bandita, a Nazi pig.

It's a **** who you are.

These are children, viva Trump, viva new American revolution, stand up against these Nazi pigs who make from us concentration camp.

You stop and interrupt me.

The next two people on the list are gonna be Tad followed by Dr. Rosie.

Good afternoon, honorable city council leaders.

My name's Ted Howard, representing Dr. Jones in the superintendent's office.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

I'm here to offer a clear, straightforward message.

Investing in Seattle families strengthens our entire city.

The proposed 2025 Families Education Preschool and Promise levy builds on our 35-year support legacy for children and youth, ensuring that every child is ready to start school, learn, launch into a career, or college pathway.

This levy concerns not just the education, but families.

Family stability, workforce readiness, community safety, and it comes at just $654 per year.

for the average homeowner, but 15 cents more daily than the current levy.

That's less than the price of a cup of coffee here in Seattle.

Mayor Harrell's Every Child Ready initiative drives the vision forward to ensure that every child in Seattle has access to high-quality early learning opportunities, safe, supportive K-12 environments, and a meaningful pathway into college or career.

This initiative touches every stages of a young person's life, starting before birth and extending through the post-secondary success.

With this levy, we support families getting to work, students getting to school safely, and graduates contributing to the low families by expanding access to affordable childcare, doubling the city's childcare subsidy program, and saving families an average of $6,500 per year per child.

This sustains prenatal services for hundreds of young families.

It delivers retention stipends for over 5,000 childcare workers, annually helping stabilize the workforce that supports our youngest learners.

For K-12 students, the levy expands access to after school and summer enrichment for over 19,000 young people each year and invest in students' mental and physical well-being, adding five new school health-based centers and scaling up in-person virtual.

Thank you, Todd.

Thank you.

Today, my name is Rosie Raimondo Terensap.

I serve as the Chancellor for the Seattle Colleges, and it's wonderful to see so many of you who've been engaged with our colleges in the past.

I'm here to speak from the experience of working with the Seattle Promise portion of the FEP levy and the Every Child Ready levy that's being proposed today.

I've been a part of the Seattle Promise program since it was the 13th year.

Back in 2007, I was the Director of Outreach It was a partnership between South Seattle College and Cleveland High School.

I helped recruit the first dozen or so students into that program then, and I am so immensely proud to be able to say that we now enroll 1,600 of our graduates across 22 Seattle high schools today.

We have come upon something in our first iteration as part of the FEP levy that has really touched a need and meets a need in our city.

We've been growing steadily over the last six years.

70% today of Seattle High School graduates apply for the program.

I think 68% of our class of 2024 identify as students of color.

And so the open access mission of our colleges and of the Seattle Promise Initiative has really truly met the needs that have been previously unmet through our community in the past.

And we're really proud to be a part of this continuum of preschool through K-12, preparing every child for a productive and successful and fulfilling adulthood as college graduates into their next career or further into their higher education.

We know that our graduates are brilliant, they're determined, they're inspirational.

You don't have to go far to find great examples of that, who can speak to you or any other audience about the benefit of the program or the support that they're receiving around their aspirations.

And we, of course, are doing this in partnership with the Seattle Colleges, the City of Seattle, and Seattle Public Schools, and are really proud, as I said, to be this end of the continuum that we're trying to prepare our city for.

So thank you very much for your time today.

Thank you.

And colleagues, we're going over the 20-minute time that we normally allot for public comments, so I'm gonna ask if it's okay with you all.

We'll extend further so we can hear everyone else.

Great, thank you.

Continue, clerk, please.

That was the last in-person speaker.

We will now move to remote speakers.

Remote speakers, just a reminder to please press star six when you hear the prompt of, you have been unmuted.

First remote speaker is Mari Ramirez.

Hello, my name is Mary Ramirez, and I'm an educator and restorative justice practitioner with Woblock, where we have worked and organized with hundreds of students and families across Seattle for the past 10 years.

Thank you for having us all here.

It's from this vantage point, working in Seattle for the last 10 years, that we can see how crucial it is that funds be explicitly allocated to restorative practices in public schools.

We urge you to continue explicitly funding restorative practices in the SEPP levy renewal.

This funding is crucial for our work within SPS to continue, and it's crucial to continue supporting the well-being of families, students, and educators amongst these really uncertain times.

In our last 10 years working in the South Seattle community, we've facilitated dozens of circles to help families process grief after the loss of a loved one to gun violence.

We've supported students in speaking up for their needs and making positive changes in their school community.

We've trained hundreds of educators and students in conflict resolution and circle keeping skills.

Me and other restorative practitioners funded by this levy work work really hard to transform school environments, to be places of healing, and for students to have all the tools that they need to thrive, learn, and build healthy relationships.

Restorative practices are violence prevention work.

They are mental health support.

They support the wellness and thriving of our communities.

And our students and families really demand that this work continue.

So again, we really urge you to explicitly fund restorative practices in the FEPP levy renewal.

And yeah, investing in these supports is essential to a sense of hope and to a commitment to our survival.

So thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Next online speaker is Olivia Allen.

Olivia, please press star six when you hear the prompt of you have been unmuted.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Olivia Allen and I'm here representing Children's Funding Project, a national nonprofit organization that works with mayors, governors, child serving departments and agencies and others to sustainably and strategically fund high quality opportunities for children and youth.

We're honored to join the chorus of enthusiastic community support for the Seattle Families Education Preschool Promise Levy Renewal.

As we work with communities to answer tough questions about how to fund child and youth programs and services in an ever changing national context, Seattle stands out as a national leader in this work.

As part of our work, our team has mapped all federal funding streams for children and youth and analyzed state investments in half the country, including Washington.

From this vantage point, we know that the role of local investment in children and youth has never been more critical.

The pandemic widened opportunity gaps, increased mental health challenges, and disrupted educational progress.

It has improved quality programs.

But by establishing a dedicated stream of support for cradle-to-career opportunities through the FPP levy, Seattle has set itself apart from other communities and its ability to weather changes in the state and national landscape.

This stability allows the Department of Education and Early Learning to use data-informed approaches to monitor outcomes and improve program quality while increasing access to opportunities across the cradle-to-career pipeline.

Other communities across the country have taken note, and models like Seattle's levy have become increasingly popular policy solutions.

In the last five years, voters have authorized the creation of over 20 new children's dedicated levies in 20 communities.

Seattle's approach to coordinated investments for children and youth of all ages represents a North Star that communities nationwide seek to emulate.

By supporting the levy renewal at its increased rate, you are advancing a clear and resolute vision of what's possible when a community prioritizes its young people from cradle to career.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker on the list is Amanda Griswell.

Amanda, please press star six.

Greetings.

My name is Amanda Griswell, representing Creative Kids Learning Center.

We have been participants of the Seattle Preschool Program under the FEP levy since its pilot program back in 2015. We have seen immense growth and benefits of SPP over the years.

particularly with providing affordable, equitable, high-quality childcare and preschool services for all families in Seattle.

These investments impact teacher retention, the continuity of care for children, and this makes a huge difference for families as we become a stable and reliable resource, providing parent education, social-emotional support, daily nutritionist meals, individualized instruction, health and developmental screenings, and academic readiness.

With the uncertainty of accessible education for at-risk families, it is especially crucial to expand investments in our children and their families.

Thank you so much for your time and your consideration.

Thank you.

And let the record reflect Council Member Hollingsworth has joined us.

Welcome.

Clerk.

Next is Jay Wesley.

Jay, please press star six.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Jay Wesley St. Clair.

I served for over 30 years as a judge, including time as chief judge of juvenile court in King County Superior Court.

During that time, I became deeply involved in restorative practices, not just as a policy tool, but as a transformative approach to safety, healing, and accountability.

In our schools, restorative practices have become a lifeline.

They create supportive communities where students and staff still seen, valued, and protected.

They provide real tools for addressing harm, preventing violence, and fostering responsibility, all while reducing reliance on punitive discipline that too often pushes students further away.

I've seen firsthand how effective restorative principles can be when they're resourced, well resourced, and that's the key.

This work cannot succeed without trained staff.

face to hold restorative processes and sustain support for the school's communities doing this work every day.

I strongly support the extension and expansion of restorative practices in Seattle Public Schools, specifically for those restorative practitioners.

It's not only a matter of discipline reform.

It's a matter of public safety, emotional well-being, and educational equity.

By investing in these approaches, you're helping prevent school violence, reducing exclusionary practices, and promoting long-term healing for students, educators, and families.

Thank you for your leadership and your continued commitment to safer and healthier schools.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next on the list is Marcus Gittens.

Marcus, please press star six.

Good afternoon, City Council.

My name is Marcus Gittens, and I'm an educator with over 18 years of experience in the youth development field, working directly with BIPOC youth and families, including multilingual families.

I'm also a current member of the Levy Oversight Committee, and I'm here to express my enthusiastic support for the renewal of the FEP levy.

As an LLC member who's had the privilege of closely monitoring the current implementation of this levy, I've witnessed firsthand the critical supports and resources for youth and families early learning through post-secondary.

I've also witnessed how these supports have enhanced equity and access for BIPOC youth.

In addition, the close partnership between the city and the district has been an asset in the implementation of these vital resources.

I've also appreciated as an LOC member, the high degree of transparency in which DEAL has operated.

I've had the pleasure to witness implementation of this current levy in action via multiple site visits and through engagement with the staff who are implementing the work on the ground.

I'm here to enthusiastically endorse the sustaining of these critical resources, especially during this time of great uncertainty.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Jabali Stewart.

Jabali, please press star six.

Good afternoon, council members.

I am Dr. Ernest Jabali Stewart, an educator of 20-plus years, a former school administrator, circle practitioner for over a decade, and currently co-founder of Wairuroi, a community-based organization that has worked with peacemaking circles throughout our city including deeply in Seattle Public Schools, supporting teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

We are deeply committed to the well-being of the humans that occupy our schools and see that there is much to do.

We find ourselves in the perfect storm.

The Surgeon General has named isolation an epidemic, and our youth are drowning in disconnection and killing themselves and each other as a result.

Resortive Practices directly addresses this by cultivating authentic connection.

When young people feel truly seen and heard, entire communities transform.

The restorative practice coordinators and school buildings and community partners like us guide our schools, help guide our schools through this essential cultural shift.

Consider this paradox.

We readily fund police but hesitate to equally invest in practices nurturing student well-being.

It says that merely prevention is rewriting a harmful narrative about what we value.

Currently, the narrative reads the city is more invested in policing youth instead of taking care of their well-being.

This story needs and can be changed.

Each dollar invested pays dividends through reduced disciplinary incidents, healthier school culture, stronger academic outcomes, and perhaps most importantly, humans who can transform conflict into connection.

I urge you to continue and expand this critical funding.

Our youth deserve spaces where they can show up authentically and develop the skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex world.

Thank you kindly for your consideration and your time.

Thank you.

Next is Christina Black.

Christina, please press star six.

Hello, council members and stakeholders, and shout out to WaBlock and YEuro.

My name is Christina Black.

I taught Ethnic Studies World History at Rainier Beach High School for a decade, and I am now about to complete my third year as Levy Coordinator at Franklin High School.

It is an honor to be a part of the community that strategizes and works to increase the college and career readiness on time graduation and ELA and math proficiency for our students who have been historically overlooked and underserved within the system.

And I want this community to be sustained rather than disbanded in the middle of the biggest attendance and academic crisis our country has ever seen.

I'm urging you to maintain levy funding going directly to high schools and to maintain the investment in restorative practices to best support safety, security, academic achievement, and bright futures for our youth.

Our levy goals, intervention strategies, and how the levy dollars allocated to us are spent are all decided upon through collaboration with a number of internal teams and committees at Franklin, including the building leadership team, the MTSS student intervention team, the family co-design team, the counseling department, the instructional council, the associated student body, the PTSA, and the restorative practices team.

However, it's important to note that the levy team does not visit these teams for feedback.

These teams are made up of levy team members.

Because our levee team members are Seattle Public Schools employees based here at Franklin High School, working inside the classrooms with our students and available onsite to provide interventions exactly when they're needed, we are best able to serve the youth.

We all attend the same professional development sessions, gaining the same language to speak about our strategies, and committing to the same practices that the building as a whole is embracing.

We understand our shared expectations for instruction, assessment, and grading, We have built reciprocal relationships with the teaching staff, security, administration, and families because we are working alongside each other on a shared vision.

We have worked within these schools year after year and have served generations of families.

Our turnover is low and our relationships are strong.

If the format were to shift in the next levy cycle to a scenario where money is no longer allocated directly to Franklin High School, the impact would devastate our students, staff, and staff.

Next is Trish Haggerty.

Trish, please press star six.

Trish, please press star six.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Trish Haggerty.

With over 30 years in public education, my journey began as a special education teacher and evolved towards systems level improvement through tiered support.

Effective systems should uplift individuals while broken systems perpetuate harm.

I've been disheartened by the limited access and early intervention available for children needing additional support.

Every child deserves to have their educational, social-emotional, and mental health needs met without the burden of labels or special education qualifications.

The exclusive focus on academics often neglects the development of a child's social-emotional health until issues arise.

All behavior is communication.

When we respond with punishment or exclusion, we may overlook the root cause linked to unjust systems.

What if these behaviors stem from a lack of opportunities to practice social skills or from systemic inequities?

Restorative practices works within schools, within communities to counter these concerns.

I'm heartened by this council's commitment to prioritizing the educational and mental health needs of our youth, Restorative practices align seamlessly with the council's priorities and the needs of our community, fostering a supportive environment for our children.

Restorative practices is about learning, building community.

It is relational and empowering.

The vision statement from Seattle Public Schools reflects the collective desire to confront harmful systems and create a holistic and collective path forward.

Seattle Public Schools are at the heart of the city.

Seattle Public Schools restorative practices empowers school communities and centers students' wellness and joy in learning and in life.

We engage in a relational and healing centered process to foster community connectedness.

I wanna thank you for...

Thank you.

Our last speaker is Cora Brunner.

Cora, please press star six.

Hi, this is Dr. Cora Bruner.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Oh, hi.

My name is Dr. Cora Bruner, and I am so honored to be here today to the Child Health Services and Families Education Preschool and Promise Levy.

I am a professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital, have worked in school-based clinics since they began here in Seattle over 20 years ago.

Nothing is more important than the future and well-being of Seattle's children.

But we know more face real challenges accessing care.

I see it every day in my clinic, and I also see it at the school-based clinics.

At the school-based health centers, or SBHCs, they're making a real difference.

It is unbelievable how much change has occurred because of these school-based health centers.

They're important because they put medical and behavioral health right where kids spend their days, at school.

Especially when things like finding transportation costs,

or just knowing where to go can be real hurdles.

We know that putting the care right in the schools means more kids can just walk down the hall, walk into the office, and see someone that can help them feel better without having to pull their families from jobs or pulling them out of the schools across town to wait in clinics.

Problems get caught earlier and they get taken care of faster.

We see this working well right here in Seattle.

Take the partnership between the city and Odessa Brown Children's Clinic.

We run health centers in three schools offering connected medical behavioral health and even dental care to students.

Through this initiative, we have skilled therapists, nurse practitioners, and care coordinators from Odessa Brown right in the school building several days a week, ready to help students with what they need right where they are.

It's not just convenient.

It's good, effective care and places kids and families trust.

Now, services like these that clearly work need reliable support and funding to keep going and reach more students.

That's why sustained and expanded funding is absolutely key.

The physical and mental health needs of our students are real and they need steady funding.

This levy is how we make that happen.

Using the levy funds to keep these services strong is vital for the future.

Thank you.

Chair, that was the last registered speaker.

Thank you.

The public comment period is now closed.

Let the record reflect that Council Member Rink has joined us online.

Welcome.

I also want to give a special note of thanks to Seattle College's Chancellor Rosie Raimondo Cherunsap, or Chancellor Rosie, as I believe her students know her, for her great partnership, and also Ted Howard for being here on behalf of the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools for Seattle Public Schools Partnership and also Marcus Giddens who joined us online for public comment who's a fellow Levy Oversight Committee member.

Thank you for all the work that you do on the Levy Oversight Committee in support of our kids in Seattle.

Clerk, will you please read item one into the record?

Agenda item one, every child ready executive presentation on families, education, preschool and promise levy renewal.

Thank you.

This item has been read into the record.

Thank you colleagues for being here today.

Before the presentation starts, Tiffany Washington for her partnership and long hours working on this proposal.

I believe the collaboration between the mayor's office, the Department of Education and Early Learning and my office has resulted in a proposal that includes most if not all of the priorities and requests that colleagues you and I discussed.

I also want to give a special note of gratitude and take chair's privilege to thank my staff, Wendy Sykes and Nicole Munoz-Castleduc for all the hours that they've put in toward supporting this levy and all the work that they do every day.

I also wanna take another opportunity at this juncture to clarify an area of understandable confusion that some Seattle residents have and that I've already heard after the mayor proposed this renewal.

The city of Seattle and Seattle School District are completely separate entities.

This city does not have oversight of Seattle Public Schools.

It is the state's paramount duty to fund K through 12 education and the district's responsibility to provide that education.

This levy is to fund educational needs that are outside of Seattle Public Schools' responsibility, such as childcare, preschool, K-12 academic support like tutoring and mentoring, K-12 health and safety services, and post-secondary opportunities like the Successful Promise Program and the Pathways to the Trades.

Colleagues, as you heard me say before, for 35 years Seattle voters have invested in our children through the families and education levies.

Let me say that again, for 35 years Seattle voters have been supporting our kids in Seattle.

We know that these investments are even more important today in light of the federal administration's unconscionable attacks on our working families and children.

We're going to hear from Deputy Mayor Washington on the specifics of the mayor's proposal.

Colleagues, I'm going to ask that you please hold your questions until the end.

Deputy Mayor, please state your name for the record, and you can begin your presentation.

Good afternoon, council members and Chair Rivera.

For the record, my name is Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington, and I'm going to pass it for the record.

And I'm Dwayne Chappelle, proud director.

Jonathan Swift, I'm the CFO for the Department of Education and Early Learning.

Hello, Marissa Roussel, Deputy Director of Impact and External Affairs for DEAL.

All right, I'll begin.

So it is my privilege to be with you today to introduce the Mayor's proposal to renew the Families Education Preschool and Promise Levy, which he announced last week as part of his Every Child Ready initiative.

shared last week, we are in a critical moment to reinvest in the health, safety, and success of Seattle's youth and families.

The mayor's Every Child Ready initiative includes transformative investments that will make Seattle one of the best cities in the nation to start and raise a family, supporting our children from cradle to classroom into college and beyond towards successful careers.

I'd like to thank Chair Rivera, who has been an invaluable partner in this work as Deal and the mayor's office work to develop this proposal to meet the needs of our Seattle students and their families.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you.

So what we'll be covering today, I will share the mayor's vision for the Every Child Ready initiative and his proposal for renewing the FEP levy.

I will then pass it over to Dr. Director Chappelle.

I couldn't let it go.

Talk more about the proposal development process and our timeline for renewal and the upcoming work around implementation planning.

And then Director Chappelle and his team will support me in answering your questions.

As someone who has dedicated most of my career to working on downstream impacts such as juvenile justice, homelessness, poverty, and foster care, it feels incredibly rewarding to be involved in an upstream initiative focused on preventing problems before they start.

In the early 1990s, I had the privilege of working as a chaplain in the J Hall, which is an all boys section of the juvenile detention center on Alder.

During my time there, I encountered a young man who was only 12 or 13 years old.

He had been incarcerated for an unfortunate incident involving jumping another student with his friends.

Regrettably, the impact of this act was devastating.

The students sustained a severe head injury and tragically lost his life.

That day, multiple young lives were shattered, and the young man I met was among them.

In his letter to the judge, he expressed his remorse and the profound impact his actions had on his life.

He candidly shared his struggles as the youngest of two children living with his grandmother, who was struggling to make ends meet.

He expressed his aspirations of becoming a football player, but now he acknowledged the devastating consequences of his actions, realizing that he had not only ruined his own life, but also taken the life of another innocent person.

This young man is just one of many youth I've worked with who had already lost their way by the time they reached middle school.

This levy holds immense significance for me beyond speeches and slide decks.

It represents an opportunity to save lives and provide young people and their families with the resources they need early on.

By doing so, we can prevent them from ever having to write a letter to a judge expressing their deepest regrets.

I sincerely invite you to join the mayor and me in this upstream initiative by ensuring that every child is ready to start, ready to learn, and ready to launch into adulthood.

By working together, we can make a lasting impact and create a brighter future for our youth.

So now we're gonna jump into some of the investments at a high level and then we'll go deeper as I move on.

So Ready to Start is all about impacting the lives of children from prenatal to three.

Remember that visual we just looked at of upstream and downstream work.

This is all upstream work because research suggests that the most critical years of brain development occurred during pregnancy and the first three years of life.

The Ready to Learn bucket focuses on our part in ensuring that students are safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

We do this by investing in academic and enrichment supports, after-school and summer programs, and our health investments.

Finally, the Ready to Learn.

Mother of three and a grandmother of three, even though I know I do not look a day past 25, my husband and I grew up in less than ideal environments and were determined to give our kids everything they needed to succeed.

And even with that, we still worry about our kids' ability to launch every day.

This investment area ensures we can give as many young people as possible the resources needed to launch into adulthood prepared for life.

So I want to take another moment to note that these upstream investments are an opportunity to invest in Seattle's future leaders and residents.

Research shows that many young adults are leaving high school without the skills needed to thrive as adults.

As a society, we are either going to invest early or pay higher cost on the back end.

$1 invested in early childhood yields up to a $16 return via increased high school and college graduation rates.

$1 invested in quality out of school time programs like after school or summer learning yields a $9 benefit in societal benefits, including reduced crime, increased earnings, and better health outcomes.

A young woman spoke at the mayor's press conference last week.

For those of us that were there, we remember this.

She shared the story of her and her brother, both whom are Seattle Promise scholars and first generation college graduates.

She spoke about her hardworking parents who work long hours each week cleaning hotel rooms to provide a better life for their children.

As she recounted her family's journey, I was deeply moved and humbled by the determination of her and her brother to seize the opportunity given to them.

Their hard work is altering the course of their family history for the better.

It demonstrates that when individuals are provided with the necessary resources, they have the potential to flourish not only for themselves, but also for future generations.

Generational impacts, that is the vision of this levy.

If we do our part with our system partners, as Councilmember Rivera spoke about in the beginning, like Seattle Public Schools, Department of Education, et cetera, we can truly impact the city, state, and ultimately the country.

This is how strong societies are built, upstream investments.

When developing this levy package, we asked ourselves three main questions.

What needs to be sustained?

What should we expand?

And what new investments are required?

Under what needs to be sustained, we determined early on that our high-level strategies of early learning, K-12 supports, and college and career readiness are still the right focus.

We also examined other city investments that aligned with the levy goals and included them to ensure a stable funding source to maximize program coordination and drive positive outcomes for Seattle youth.

As the city grapples with an uncertain economic outlook and a reduction in federal funding, we can safeguard these critical investments until 2032. Next, we looked at what programs need to be expanded.

This area allowed us to address emerging community needs such as the significant increase in infant and toddler childcare cost over the past decade.

For families with more than one child under five, childcare costs more than housing.

In 2024, Child Care Aware of Washington reported that 40% of Washington parents reported having quit their jobs or been fired due to childcare disruption.

Childcare access is impacting household stability for Seattle families.

Another area of emergent need that we are responding to is youth mental health.

We know youth are dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic, and civil unrest in recent years, not to mention the rise in school shootings.

This levy responds to this need.

And then finally, we identified new areas of investment that will help our youth prepare for their careers and our region's future workforce needs.

In 2023, a Washington Student Achievement Council report estimated that trades and middle skill careers will account for 33% of jobs in Washington by 2031. Our proposed path to trades program is an exciting opportunity for Seattle graduates.

You are a terrible PowerPoint person.

Well, this levy proposes to address the child care shortage we propose adding 800 new child care slots.

This initiative will more than double the number of subsidies available to families, resulting in a total of 1,400 child care slots annually.

We also recognize the significance of taking good care of the individuals who perform this essential work.

In light of this, the mayor has introduced a plan to provide direct support to 5,000 childcare workers.

These workers play a pivotal role in the success of the children they care for, and we wanted to ensure that their contributions are acknowledged and appreciated.

Finally, this proposal allocates 600 new seats to the Seattle Preschool Program, bringing the total number of SPP slots annually to 3,100.

In the Ready to Learn bucket, this levy maintains the essential academic and enrichment support for K-12 students while introducing five new school-based healthcare centers, bringing the total number of clinics across the city to 34. These centers provide students a convenient way to address their health concerns without disrupting their school schedule.

Through this levy, we aim to provide K through 12 students, including telehealth.

Finally, we will maintain the current investments in school safety while also allocating additional resources to enhance safety within and around schools.

In the ready to launch bucket, we will sustain our successful Seattle preschool program and provide more opportunities for young people to earn a four-year degree from the University of Washington through the Path to UW program or...

Thank you.

or obtain certifications and apprenticeships in a skilled trade.

This is a six year $1.3 billion levy with most costs allocated to the ready to start and learn categories.

The hypothesis here is that if we invest in the early years, young people will be well prepared to launch into adulthood and need fewer supports later in their journey.

Seattle voters have consistently supported investments in our students and children for over three decades.

While we acknowledge the impact of taxpayers, we firmly believe in the long-term return on investment of these programs.

Dill, the mayor's office, and Chair Rivera dedicated significant time to identifying cost savings and program efficiencies.

These efforts led to a reduction in the anticipated percent of levy proceeds allocated for program administration and operations.

Consequently, a larger portion of the funds will be directly supporting students and families.

Now I'll take you through each investment area in a little more detail.

Ready to start.

Research shows children's brains develop the fastest between birth and the age of three.

The relationship they form with caregivers and the early experiences they have, both positive and negative, significantly impact the physical structure and overall well-being.

Helping children have a strong start leads to greater success throughout their educational journey.

So let's look at at a high level what's in these buckets.

As you can see on the screen, the ready to start bucket includes prenatal to three supports, child care family subsidies, child care worker supports, and the Seattle preschool program for a total investment of $658 million.

Through this investment, we plan to serve 750 children annually in the prenatal to three investments, including home visiting programs such as Parent Child Plus and Nurse Family Partnership, which provides parent education and support, especially for first time parents in early screening for learning challenges.

14,000 children will be served ages zero to 12 annually, or 1,400 children will be served annually through our Child Care Assistance Program, provider worker supports to 5,000 child care providers annually, and serving 3,100 children in our nationally recognized SPP program.

The Ready to Learn investments are focused on ensuring children and youth attend school feeling safe, healthy, and prepared to learn.

Research indicates that these enrichments and academic supports coupled with health and safety investments enhance attendance, equip young people with essential 21st century skills, and ultimately contribute to their overall success.

This suite of investments will be further detailed in the implementation plan.

Once approved, a competitive process will be conducted, allowing qualified CBOs and individual schools to access the funds to support young people's health, safety, and individualized needs before, during, and after school hours.

The investment area under ready to learn is around $506 million and includes expanded learning opportunities.

As I said, including afterschool and homework assistance, tutoring, mentoring, summer learning opportunities for an estimated 19,000 youth annually.

Ready to Learn also includes comprehensive supports for families, such as food access, connections to basic needs, mental and physical health supports, and school safety efforts.

In partnership with Public Health, we will establish five new school-based health centers, bringing the total number again to 34 sites citywide.

Mental health is a significant aspect of this proposal, and services are accessible to all 51,000 SPS students through our school health centers and telehealth options.

Furthermore, given the recent surge in violence in and around schools, this levy responds to the urgent request of students, teachers, families, and the community to expand on existing school safety investments and dedicate additional resources to enhance safety in and around schools.

Now moving to the ready to launch bucket, Research reveals, again, that students are not prepared for college and life when they leave high school.

This investment area is focused on ensuring that all SPS graduates are well equipped to transition seamlessly into college and pursue career pathways of their choice, including in trade careers like welding, plumbing, and construction, and electrical.

This is an $82.4 million investment aimed at ensuring all SPS graduates have free college tuition at Seattle colleges for the first two years, with the goal of serving 1,475 college students annually, funding for the UW transfer program that supports community college graduates continuing their studies at the UW, And the new Path to Trades program, thank you Councilmember Rivera, who was very passionate about this and birthed this vision from her heart.

And the new Path to Trades program acknowledges the many opportunities available for students in the trades.

These include high paying union jobs that can financially transform the lives of many students.

As you can see, this is a bold proposal to invest in our children and in the future of our city.

I will now pass it to Dr. Director Chappelle to share more about how Deal developed the recommendations for this proposal.

I lied to him and told him I wasn't gonna do that.

Thank you, Deputy Mayor of Washington.

So this levy proposal is grounded in years of listening, learning, and reflecting alongside our community.

This slide illustrates the depth and breadth of work and informs where we invest next.

And I just want to emphasize something Deputy Mayor Washington said, because it can't be overstated.

This levy proposal carries within it the hopes, concerns, and wisdom of thousands of Seattle families and that's their children's future.

Just last week, Mayor Harrell reminded us that education is the passport to the future.

And this proposal isn't simply about funding, it's about giving every child in Seattle the key to unlock their own potential, their own passport to a future without limits.

This vision wasn't built in isolation.

Over the past five and a half years, we've been on a journey of deep engagement.

We've gathered over 10,000 survey responses from students, families, and providers, and engaged with 88 focus groups and made more than 2,000 site visits.

Every story shared, every challenge identified, every success celebrated, they all find their place in our proposal before you today.

In 2024, we went further.

We conducted a comprehensive needs assessment that combined local lived experiences with national research and best practices.

Beginning last July, we had intentional conversations with our existing implementation partners.

to ask them what they're seeing as key community needs and how the services we were funding could be improved.

We heard consistently the need for investments reflected in this new renewal proposal.

So now I just wanna take a moment to walk you through what you can expect from now through 2026 as we move this proposal forward together.

So following the select committee process, this council will have the opportunity to approve sending the levy to the November ballot.

And when that happens, we'll be asking voters to once again invest in what Seattle has always stood for, and that's opportunity, equity, and strong futures for our children.

If the levy is approved by voters this November, We plan to bring back a comprehensive implementation and evaluation plan in early 2026, and that's where the deeper work begins, and together with you to shape these investments, to shape how these investments come to life in our classrooms, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities.

So we look forward to transforming the lives of our youth because when we invest in them, we're investing in the future of Seattle.

And so as we stand at this pivotal moment in our country, I invite all of us to take pride in what the 2018 FEB levy has accomplished, as we've shared with Council on April 10th, and to embrace the extraordinary opportunity before us to renew this commitment for another six years.

Since 1990, Seattle has not merely participated in supporting our children, we have led.

For over three decades, I think Councilmember Rivera mentioned this earlier, our city has demonstrated what's possible when a community invests boldly and consistently in its youngest residents.

And what began as a local initiative has grown into a nationally recognized model of excellence.

Organizations like Children's Funding Project, City Health, and the National League of Cities have all recognized Seattle's comprehensive cradle-to-career approach.

And these aren't just accolades, they're affirmations that we're on the right path.

So as I close, this proposal is more than a funding plan.

It's a declaration.

A declaration that in Seattle, we will ensure every child is ready to start, ready to learn, and ready to launch into a future that reflects their potential.

So let's meet that future with the commitment, clarity, and courage it deserves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Colleagues, before I take questions, I want to thank again Deputy Mayor Washington, Director Chappelle, and his team at DEAL, some of which are in the audience today, for this presentation and for the hard work that they did implementing the 2018 levy these past years, and then for the work that they will be doing in terms of the implementation plan, which will not wait until the levy passes.

They, of course, will be working on this from now through the passage of the levy and into next year, and we'll be coming back to you all, and I will be having further conversations with you all about the implementation plan.

I also, Deputy Mayor Washington, thank you for raising Fatima Garcia's name, who was the Promise student at the press conference last week that we met I am so proud of this student.

She started as a Promise student.

She did the pathway to UW, to the University of Washington, that we talked about the last time that deal was at the table.

And she now has a job.

She will be graduating in June, and she already has a job at Amazon.

I mean, this is profound.

First generation college student.

And the reason this is, and you said it, and thank you for always sharing your experiences, Deputy Mayor Washington.

I too feel a source of pride because I was that kid whose parents had very little formal education, first-generation college, and my parents put all their hopes and dreams into my getting an education in the United States because, of course, my parents were from Puerto Rico.

Although we are citizens, it's a completely different culture.

And, you know, parents want their best for their children, as you so aptly put it, Director Chappelle.

And I know what that feels like, and I know what that's like.

And then I know the pride that my parents had when not only did I get a scholarship to undergrad, I went on to go to law school, which my parents never, I mean, my dad, I remember him saying to my mom, where did she get this idea from?

but he was so proud, and I say that not to be self-serving, but to say what Fatima's experience is still today, and I'm an older person of a certain age, but still this today, there's so many students similarly placed.

The investments that we're making in these levies since the 90s are making a profound impact on people's lives.

a very profound impact that I don't think it is to be the constant, we need to be focused on this.

And so I really wanted to name her.

She's probably not watching, but she might hear about it.

And I just, I feel so proud in that moment.

It really brought chills.

And I really, I am so grateful for the Promise investment.

And, you know, I always say this was a brainchild of former mayor.

and then now, of course, Mayor Harrell, who also was very involved in the 13th year.

So the partnership of a lot of people that really believe in this and Promise is a program that really has amazing results.

And for the communities like mine, it really makes a huge impact.

And so I am very grateful and I was so happy to meet this young person.

So colleagues, thank you for letting me talk all about Fatima.

this really brilliant, special young woman.

But all our kids are special and they all have the same potential and they just need the help to get there.

And this is what we're talking about today.

Every child has the potential to reach what Fatima and I reached and many of us here, new deputy mayor, new director, all of us, but some kids need more help than others and that's what this is about.

So also I wanna say, I wanna highlight two things that deputy mayor and director Chappelle talked about that were especially important to all of us colleagues when we had conversations.

First, the pathway to trade.

This is especially meaningful to me.

You've heard me say I'm the daughter of a welder whose good union job was the reason my family could have a roof over our heads and food on the table.

And then second, along the same lines, the support for our childcare workers.

As many of us know, and it's actually very fitting because today is May Day.

As many of us know, leaving your child with a caretaker can be difficult.

You want to know that your child will be safe, happy, engaged, and given a good foundation for learning.

Our childcare providers also provide education.

When I was preparing for this levy, I spoke with childcare providers, preschool providers, the Promise students met with the chancellor, met with a lot of folks, and the childcare providers specifically said to me, people don't always think of us as educators, but we are, and I agree.

So Seattle's Child Care Assistance Program providers play such a large role in the lives of our kids and in their care and the families who depend on them.

And so by investing in these child care, our child care providers, we can retain and attract these essential workers that are supporting our kids and our working families.

All right, colleagues, I see I do have questions.

Council Member Strauss and then Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Chair Rivera.

I will say thank you for meeting with me and giving me the initial briefing.

I had many questions.

I'm not gonna ask additional questions here.

We're gonna dig into more.

I have a couple reflections.

Deputy Mayor Washington, you made me sit up in my seat a little bit straighter today, listening to your words.

You're always a powerful speaker about whatever topic we're discussing.

And I had forgotten that you used to work for DEAL.

And the passion that you have for this work came through in your words today.

It reminded me that meeting with you and Director Chappelle was my last in-person meeting before the pandemic started in the office that is now Councilmember Saka's office.

So it's good to see that you both have a jovial sense of humor with each other.

And I like your PowerPoint style, just for the record director.

Some things that you said were really important is that this program is, in these programs, this levy is geared to make generational impacts from that zero to three most expansive time of your brain development to your career readiness in the Promise program.

I have to give a thank you, much like the chair did, to a number of people.

First, my first interaction with the Promise program was at the state when I worked at the state level.

Folks like Representative Jerry Paulette, Senator David Fracht, at the time then Senator Pramila Jayapal, now U.S.

House of Representatives, Congresswoman Jayapal, and of course, Jenny Durkin, Mayor Jenny Durkin.

This was a...

a very big and important, the promise aspect of this levy was very important to her.

And it's something that we should all be proud of her for because she did a really good job here.

I'll just say, repeat back to what I heard you say is that these programs and this levy creates that passport to the future.

And that starts at zero to three.

And I'm just so proud and thank you.

I raised my hand because I wanted to express back the passion that I felt from you today, Deputy Mayor.

This is just such critical work.

It's work that we won't necessarily be able to see in our lifetime because this will change over many generations.

We're lucky to have programs like this and I'm excited to dig into the details to continue these important programs.

I look forward to asking my tough questions the next time I see you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Deputy Mayor Washington.

Thank you for being here.

Don't necessarily believe how it's possible based on your introduction, but we'll skip over that.

Director, doctor, doctor, director, Chappelle.

I have to say it both ways, just so I cover it.

It's like being in NATO, you know, French and English, you have to do both, so just to make sure I'm covered.

Thank you for being here, and thank you for our conversations that we've had in the past.

And also to Mr. Swift and Ms. Roussel, bienvenue, to keep the NATO thing going, and welcome to this meeting.

The first thing I wanted to say is I wanted to commend the chair on her work related to the Path to Trades program.

I'm not sure if the clerks will support this.

They may call a foul, but chair, I'd like to be a co-sponsor of the Path to Trades program.

And partly because I, too, am a first-generation American.

I am the first-generation college student, first of four, so when I stepped out and Went to Boston.

It was a brave new world for me.

And so I recognized those points.

And my father was a welder.

Imagine the small world in which it is.

And he used to always ask me, and I think Dr. Director has heard this, that why did I come to America?

And my answer to my dad would be, because he told me what it was, education, education, education.

So with that imprint, You can imagine the impact of that.

So I really want to thank the chair and for everyone for the path of the trades.

I think it's extremely important to support this because every person is different.

Every person is unique.

Every person has their path.

Sometimes it's military, and I see that, and I would mentor my young sailors, and sometimes the future would be maybe more traditional college or the trades.

And as noted today is May 1st, and I am supportive of the building and trades world and the community and the support that they need to ensure that that community of people who work together for the improvement of our city and our communities, our neighborhoods is well supported.

So I wanted to make a point about that.

I also note, and particularly given my work now, is that it's also a path, particularly for fire, but also a police, that the Seattle Promise Program can be a great gateway to recruit and to pull people from the communities and from which they serve.

And I think this is extremely important.

That combination with programs like Before the Badge is a recipe for success.

And I know there's a formal program with FIRE in terms of certificate and or associates in the future.

But even with police, I think, again, it's a recipe for success across all fronts.

It's a win-win-win-win kind of situation.

I just wanted to make that point.

I mentioned first-generation American.

I'm also a later-in-life dad.

For those that know, I came to this job from being a stay-at-home dad, and so from the ready-to-start program, ready-to-start portion of the briefing, I saw firsthand, not that long ago, because my daughter's still elementary school, the importance of zero to five and the importance of zero to three.

No one could argue my daughter had me, but still, and I was very observant.

I would see what others, I would see the different schools.

I see the differences and the challenges of people to be able to do that.

I was quite fortunate to be a stay-at-home dad.

There was different things that allowed me to do that, but most families can't, and it's gotten harder.

It's a huge strain, financial strain and all of the above.

And so this is the ready to start.

You can't.

fully appreciate the advantages, the head start, to use that phrase, that we give our children by investing in those early years, as you noted, when the development of the brain is so precious.

And so I just wanted to note that and from my recent experience, the direct observation here in Seattle in terms of how this plays out.

And just the last thing, to say is ready to learn.

Clearly, I am here as Chair of Public Safety to ensure that our kids are learning in a safe environment, and I know there's different things that are in play, and I am 110% behind those programs within the safe environment context and will be supportive from my position as Chair of Public Safety.

With that, Chair, thank you very much, and we'll check in with the clerks to see if I can be a co-sponsor on the...

Path to Trades program.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

No Diet Coke.

Thank you.

It's starting to become a thing.

I may have to stop bringing my esteemed colleague to my right who's already...

Thank you council member.

And I will say I've already had a conversation with chancellor Rosie about this.

How can we create a path to, you know, to police as part of an expansion of what we've already done with fire, but so more conversations on that for sure.

So thank you for raising that council member Hollingsworth.

Oh, thank you.

Sorry.

Forgot I raised my hand.

But I did.

I apologize.

Thank you, Chair.

I'll just be super quick.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

I could go down the line.

I just want to say the experts.

Dr. Fajardo likes when I said the experts on this.

So thank you to the experts for being here.

One of the things, and I appreciate all the briefings that you all have brought and just being very thorough and informational and just having all this information.

And one of the things I was really happy to see, and I know that we've made investments, is the afterschool.

I just wanna hammer home is it is super convenient for people just to, for our kids, easy just got caught up in different activities that are not positive and engaging and connected.

And I want, and I know that we have, I know we've made significant investments in our afterschool and summer program.

And I also just wanna hammer home.

We make it just super easy and convenient for people to be able to find these programs and things.

And I'm always talking to kids and they're always hunting for certain activities and they're really smart and engaging and just making it just completely open and accessible for students just because we live in such a great technology world and they can be able to find everything on their phone.

So I just, I wanted, that was like one of the reflections I had.

And then I also wanted to hammer home and I'll continue to hammer home the food piece in the summer is gonna be such a critical component.

I know you all know that there are significant cuts in our food bank and food meal sector right now, where summer is going to be, it's gonna be a cliff for some folks, unfortunately, and for our kids.

Um, just wanted to hammer that home.

I will, I know there's engagements with programs that do food and I just, that is such going to be such a critical component for, for kids.

And last but not least, I really appreciate the, the path to trade.

So thank you council, uh, chair, my bed.

Thank you, madam chair, uh, chair Rivera for that.

Um, just because, um, when, uh, I always talk about black community and, uh, wealth and mobility for us, only 2% of the workforce for the trades are black.

And there is such an amazing opportunity for our community to get into working at the port or, you know, utilities, parks department, all these opportunities for working with your hands, I think is, is going to be the way to upward mobility as Booker T. Washington used to say to our people, it's going to come around, but I think it's going to be incredibly important for that.

So I just wanted to hammer that home.

I know you all know that, but really appreciate your work on this and the significant investments for this levy, I think is going to be incredible.

So thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Hollingsworth.

And I know we've talked, we had conversations about this important piece after school programs and teen nights.

I know you and I both have a passion for teen nights and we started teen night at Magnuson Park.

I'm really proud of that.

And you were a partner in that too.

So really appreciate that.

And yes, the food piece is really important as part of this work because kids need to be well fed so their brains are working for them.

And so that's an important piece.

Thank you for your advocacy there.

And then in terms of the trades, I mean, these are really great high paying union benefited jobs.

So we definitely want kids to know that there is a great option for them.

And you know, the trades are underrepresented right now.

They're meaning we, there's a shortage.

in the trades right now.

And so this was really part of the conversation that went into this.

So thank you.

And I knew you were very supportive of that.

Council member Nelson.

Thank you very much.

So this is my, I repeat, the thank yous, et cetera.

And I will note that knowing how closely, Deputy Mayor, you have been working with Chair Rivera gives me an extra dose of confidence knowing going forward on this.

So this is my fourth property tax levy lid lift.

And I have to say, so parks and housing and transportation, This is the one that I've been looking forward to the most, because I do believe, soft spot maybe, that the impact is profound.

And everybody's talked about already the generational impact, et cetera.

But when I think about what is happening right now, we don't have to wait generations.

to see the impact and see how needed this is with the threats of federal cuts coming down.

I'm gesturing in this direction, but from my office, I'm looking at Columbia Tower where Human Services, the office was closed.

Those are impacts right now.

And so that will impact, that just increases the need for the work that this, the benefits that this levy will provide.

So I just wanted to note that It is now, right now.

So beyond that, I do have a question.

And I serve on the Board of Health Board, King County Board of Health, and also on the governing board of KCRHA.

One thing that keeps coming up over and over again is prevention, addiction prevention for young people.

and I have visited the interagency recovery school, et cetera, that's just one high school.

So I'm just wondering, I know that the implementation plan is yet to happen, but the health centers are going to be expanded by five, I understand.

Is there now or is there any thinking about integrating some prevention, drug prevention or even recovery into those facilities or services?

Yes, we have to.

We have to.

If we're going upstream to prevent the things that we've seen on the streets right now, we have to.

I will pause and just turn to the deal staff.

I don't know the details of kind of what work, if we do any right now in that area, but if you all have something to add, please feel free.

I would just say that that's a common topic of health education, which is a service of the existing school-based health centers.

And if a patient presents with a substance abuse need that's addressed by the clinicians, whether that's mental health counseling, behavioral counseling, or medical.

So it's a part of the existing service, but I...

...

ensure that students are receiving that information before it's a problem.

And we'll make sure it's visible in the implementation plan and...

The chair, I'm sure, will talk to you further.

It's a very important issue that we should get ahead of before it goes into a downward spiral.

So I appreciate you asking that question and continuing to be an advocate for treatment.

And thank you very much for taking my question well.

And I would just want to note that we're not talking about that this is your brain on drugs sort of, you know, education, right?

And it should also prevention of overdose, which includes recovery supports in high school.

Yeah, thank you.

And I will say, as a parent of a high school or at Seattle Public Schools, that the school-based health centers do a great job when kids...

go for counseling.

They identify if there is a substance use problem and they offer treatment to the kids.

So I know that that's happening.

And I see Ted Howard nodding his head because he's here from Seattle Public Schools.

He knows, but this is something that the schools take seriously and the school-based health centers, the clinicians are there to support.

I mean, the support provided by the school-based health centers is from A to Z all across the board.

And I know because my kids' friends utilize the services and there is a lot of support that goes.

And while my kids have not had friends to have substance abuse issues, they have heard of.

I mean, these schools are really small.

Everybody seems, and also this generation's a little different.

They really support each other in ways that, Again, I'm older.

We didn't support each other maybe as well, but this new, maybe it's COVID going through the global pandemic, but there's a lot of supporting of each other anyway.

And so kids know, kids that are having some issues and the school-based health centers are doing a great job.

Yeah, so thank you.

But we definitely will continue this conversation.

That's not to say we won't.

Do you have any other questions?

Okay, Councilmember Saka.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And first off, I'll say, Council President, as the chair of our city's transportation committee, as the unapologetic king of potholes, I am very...

It hurts my heart to hear that this is your favorite levy.

But I try to find multiple complex things can be true at the same time.

For me, I find the unique elements of every individual work stream in this education I love, love, love.

And so I view that as co-equal importance to the transportation levy.

But all that said, I want to thank you, Deputy Mayor Washington.

I really appreciate this kind of overview presentation.

more about you.

I've had the pleasure of working with you the last almost a year and a half now, and I learned more about you in the first five minutes of this conversation.

The grandkids that threw you off, huh?

What's that?

The grandkids threw you off.

Don't crack.

So I learned more about you, and I have never been more impressed and inspired.

And I'll just say that, I'll add that Since in the spirit of education, I note that you and I both share a common, an alumni affiliation with the best high school in the state of Washington, Kent Meridian High School, go Royals.

Royal power over here with R's.

So we share that in common.

Also note, in the spirit of uplifting, education, and in this case, a specific institution, because point of personal privilege, Madam Chair.

We have Taha, who is one of our wonderful contract security guards.

We have Tenelle.

Colleagues, you might know Tenelle.

He leads our, I think, City Hall or second floor security.

Also a proud KM alum, so we out here got royal power.

Royal power.

In any event.

Director Dr. Chappelle.

In my mind, that is the most appropriate title for you in this role, in this body, because there are PhDs is a very prestigious elite title.

You gotta work hard to, but you are here at this body as in your capacity as a city official, not many department heads.

So I prefer to lead with the most senior title in this context.

So that's why I'm preferring to call you Director Dr. Chappelle.

And also, might I say, that is a very robust half Windsor tie you have on there.

Is that a half Windsor?

Maybe you went for the full Windsor.

But I just want a cool tie.

In any event, this is a great kind of initial overview.

More conversations on the way.

Appreciate your partnership also behind the scenes and getting me up to speed.

Finally, in the spirit of thanks, just want to thank you, Madam Chair.

for your collaboration and partnership in this journey.

So far, we're at the early public stages, but you've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, meeting with all of us on a one-on-one individual basis, and reporting out and sharing information, understanding priorities.

It's a lot of work.

And I just appreciate your leadership.

It's an absolute privilege and honor to be able to lead and shepherd this process from a council perspective once it officially ends up in our court.

And so I just want to say you've been doing a great job so far.

I look forward to continuing this work alongside you and under your leadership.

And also, thank you for sharing more of your personal journey so publicly.

I knew all that stuff.

but it's in everyone here, it's inspiring.

And colleagues, you all know, I too have made no secret and I talk openly about my personal particularly in childhood, is someone who has overcome the foster care system.

Someone who is the proud son of a Nigerian immigrant.

And someone, so we live in Kent, and Kent, what do we know about Kent?

The Kent economy, it's a, Historically, it's an agricultural and warehousing district.

That's what runs the economy.

And my dad ended up raising me as a single parent, rescuing me from the foster care system.

And we struggled growing up.

We didn't have some of these robust programs in the trades.

And so we struggled growing up.

And so he was a warehouse worker.

He was a frontline warehouse worker in Kent.

Now there's this big fancy Amazon Fulfillment Center in Kent.

It's like the crown jewel of the warehousing district in the Kent Valley.

But before that was there and after it's gone and it's something else.

The city of Kent has always, has been and always will be a warehousing district.

And my father was a frontline warehouse worker.

I benefited from many of these effective government programs and services.

And so I know firsthand, and like I've said in the past, I know what it's like to go to school, For the primary purpose of receiving services and support, whether that's meals, other treatment, other help, and then for the secondary purpose of maybe I'll learn something and get an education.

And so those Experiences really compelled me and drive me to do more, do better for other people, to make sure that more people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities are able to thrive and achieve their true potential in life and make sure more people are ending up at these tables and behind this dais.

In any event, and also I note that At least one of my elected officials, colleagues, and actually a few constituents have let me know about, when I talk so openly about this and candidly about my background and my journey and the impact, sometimes a sad thing.

This is my story and my experience, what I heard from your story, Deputy Mayor, what I heard from your story, Chair Rivera, it's not a sad story, it's not a sob story.

This is a story of triumph, it's a story of resilience, it's a story of strength, and it's a story of community.

This is something to celebrate.

But this package that we have before us, that we're gonna make better, is an opportunity, I view it as an opportunity for us to help bring all those things I just said to life.

And let me just be crystal clear, transparent about some of my priorities.

Wear my heart on my sleeve, say what I mean, mean what I say.

But this should be no surprise, but my priorities for this pertain to the early childhood education component of this.

That includes paying childcare workers fairly.

To the chair's remarks a moment ago, like childcare workers are grossly underpaid.

They're .

They also do more than just I don't want to say just education, but they do so much.

We entrust them with the highest responsibility that any parent can give anyone.

Please take care and look after my child while I go work, while I go seek treatment, while I go seek services.

That is the highest responsibility.

We entrust them to keep us safe.

But we pay them pennies, and they're suffering, many in poverty, abject poverty.

Oh, it's time to uplift and center the voices of black and brown communities.

Oh, many of them by the way are, and women, and who have put their own personal health and safety on the line during COVID to unlock so many opportunities for working families, including mine.

So I, and many of them unfortunately are not represented, not in a union of any sort.

And so, which means they need more help and more support.

So I'm looking for opportunities to do that.

I like the King County pilot program, and I wanna make sure this levy includes similar appropriate funding to allow us to do something similar, to take good care and look after, because low wages compounded with an affordability crisis in the city, it's not a good formula.

And when childcare workers doing the hard work are paid fairly, working families, and all of us benefit too.

Next thing I'm gonna be kind of focused on for this is expanding the Seattle Preschool Program broadly, principal level right now.

Expanding investments in childcare, family subsidies, and early childhood education services and support.

Ideal state, like in Utopia, which this is not, but ideally I would love to get to a point, where we pass a universal preschool for all type program similar to New York City.

This is not the funding vehicle or instrument to do that.

I recognize that.

But we do need to make better, more urgent progress to put us in a position to do exactly that.

Because all the data and all the evidence and research you cited earlier in your presentation, Deputy Mayor, is absolutely true.

We know that those front end, frontline investments Not to take away from all the teenage kind of things, the great programs we already have.

We know that that is the number one most impactful thing we can do to change people's lives in terms of career trajectory, high school completion rates, college entrance rates, college graduation rates, avoiding school to prison, pipeline, all the, like, so much more.

We'd be up here for days if we ticked off the research.

But in any event, so at a high level, and paired with the realities that...

Sorry, guys, I'm almost done.

Paired with the realities that the current Trump administration is defunding the federal Head Start program, cuts across the board, impacting our most vulnerable, Workers who rely on Head Start, children in need, if it is to be, it is up to me.

We can't be all things to all people at all times, but we do need to step up and do something, and I'm looking forward, and I couldn't be more excited and invigorated at our collective opportunity to do just that.

In any event, I'll stop there.

Just all this to say, thank you all again.

Really appreciate, you know, this conversation more to come and thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Council Member Saka.

Council Member Rink.

Thank you, Chair.

And I think I joined in the chorus of my colleagues when saying that this is something to be really excited about.

This is an opportunity to be investing in our young people and working families and I could not be more excited to work on this levy renewal with you all this year.

I just have three quick questions for today, just starting us off.

For contractors who may be under contract with deal through the existing FEP levy, will there be an overall re-procurement process or do you expect any of these contracts to roll over assuming this levy is renewed?

There'll be a procurement process.

But remember, and I think it's so hard, I have to remember every time that the current levy is through when?

Through mid-2026.

Through mid-2026.

And so the current contracts go through mid-2026.

And then after the implementation plan is approved by you all, then we will put the next set out for competitive bid.

Fabulous.

Thank you.

And with that, in regards to the Ready Start program, we would like to know about the child care subsidies and worker supports.

We're aware of the programs that are available for working families with non-traditional schedules, and we're wondering if there was any expansion into this aspect of child care and what kind of outreach efforts have been done in order to promote this program to folks who are in need of child care at non-traditional working hours.

I'm thinking particularly about folks, for example, who work at the port.

Thank you for this question.

Yes, we shared at the last committee meeting that we do have upwards of 70 providers already participating in the child care assistance program that offer non-traditional hours.

But I think your comments speak to a great opportunity.

As we develop the Path to Trade program, DEAL will establish new relationships with those employers, and we can look at a whole family approach to promoting all of the levies' services.

So thank you for naming that.

Thank you and my last question is just related to you know our office is interested in getting a better detailed cost assumption for the FEP levy.

When could the executive office commit to getting us these details to understand the areas in which the FEP levy will fund and support our communities.

We'd like to see that these items in the FEP levy are organized into larger buckets and we would like to know how we got to all these numbers.

So I might share this comment with the chair just because of the implementation plan process.

But I mean, starting today, you all can submit all of your questions that Deal and mayor's office will have to answer.

And we already have a question in from central staff for a deeper level of budget analysis.

So you can expect that to be provided through the answer questions process.

So the question's already been submitted, and so it's a work in progress.

We just were not allowed to answer questions prior to the transmittal of the document.

Chair, do you wanna add anything else about?

No, that's exactly right, Deputy Mayor.

And folks have already submitted questions.

This was one of them.

And then what happens is our central staff, and I was going to give her a shout out after this actually, but Jasmine Marwaha with our central staff is our trustee central staffer working on this with my office.

And she's working through getting answers to the questions that have been submitted in that spreadsheet.

Did that answer your question, Council Member Rink?

Yes, it did.

Thank you so much.

And that concludes my questions.

Thank you, Chair.

And thank you all for being here today and for your presentation.

Thank you, Councilmember Rank.

Councilmember Moore.

Oh, thank you, Chair.

And Madam Chair, too, wanted to say thank you so much for the amount of hard work that you've been doing.

I see you here at all kinds of hours working away.

So you've done an amazing job.

And I am really looking forward to working with you and also to everybody at the table.

You are all incredible.

And just want to say that I am routinely humbled by the life stories and achievements of everybody up here and people who present to us.

and that this also provides an opportunity for incredible generational and, as Council President said, immediate impact.

And I wanted to say thank you so much for listening to our comments as we've gone through this and expanding the childcare slots, the childcare worker support, the preschool program seats, the school-based health clinics, very dear to my heart, as all of us, and the Path to Trades program.

So thank you for being willing to expand those.

and add new investments, and I too will certainly have some questions about the details, but I think based on the comments that you've heard here today, it's unusual that we all so enthusiastically agree, so I think that in and of itself is a win, and we all are so very much committed to making this succeed, so thank you for your hard work and dedication.

Thank you, Council Member Moore, and I'm going to echo that.

You know, sometimes I hear, you guys down at City Hall don't owe

is working together and then when we do get a working a government that's working together sometimes we're like wow you guys were all kind of high-fiving but you know what this is something to high-five about these are our kids and our kids are our future and if we can't stand behind them who are we going to stand behind and the timing right now as it coincides what i said earlier with the attack on children and families We have to do this, we have to do it right, we have to support our working families and children.

Supporting our working families and children supports all of us.

And making sure that children have access to the supports that they need to be successful in and out of school is important.

And so that's why we're all, yeah, we're all working together.

I will say also it was really, really, really important to meet colleagues that We had our one-on-one so that I knew what everyone cared about because I really wanted to make sure that everyone saw themselves reflected in this levy.

And here's the thing, it's a tough funding year and we are going to voters and we're asking voters to support this.

So it was important to me to make...

There are a lot of competing interests and we have to compromise.

and that was important to me as well.

So that's why I said earlier, you will see colleagues, the things that we talked about reflected, we talked about the childcare, we talked about preschool, we talked about the path to trades, all of that is in here and we talked about the supports in the K through 12 space, that was not a supplantation but a supplement.

Because kids need, in the best of education scenarios, kids need supplements for what we were talking here about earlier, where kids don't have access, depending on their family means, to things that other kids do, like tutoring and mentoring.

So we wanted to make sure that those things were in here in this way, And we worked really hard together to make sure that we're making those upstream investments that are so important because to your point, Deputy Mayor Washington, I grew up in a neighborhood where it was a lot of downstream and it was a lot of sadness.

Council Member Saka, this is not sadness.

Achievement is not sadness, but not every kid gets what they need.

And there was a lot of downstream sad stories in my neighborhood.

I was one of 20 kids.

We used to be the little kids around the block that we all played together and maybe two of us went to college and everybody else didn't have the opportunity.

I'm not saying those folks aren't living great lives.

I'm just saying they didn't all have the opportunity because they didn't have the means to get a scholarship like I did or some supports, you know, and that's what this is about, making sure they all have access to those opportunities and so yes, there is a lot of alignment here and like I said earlier, it was important that at this juncture there was that alignment because we are here to support all our mutual constituents and government works better when we all work together and then that's something that Deputy Mayor Washington and I have in common.

We want to work together and Director Chappelle and his team, because we've been working together for seven years now, making sure that we are working together and compromising and making sure that all of your interests are represented so that we are serving our constituents well, and like I said earlier, our kids.

So thank you.

We will continue this partnership, colleagues, and this is something to really be proud about, and this is something that our kids need, and that is like my North Star.

What do our kids need in Seattle to succeed?

And I want more stories like Fatima's.

I want more kids going to Promise, going to Path to UW, getting jobs at Amazon or wherever else, that they want, or a kid who, you know, I'll tell you the one last story, too, on path to trades, because this is really great.

I'm a big fan of, most people know by now, Chief Scoggins.

And he's the one who helped the, yeah, get in line, right?

And he's the one who created the curriculum, you've heard me say, for the Promise program, Councilmember Kettle, for the firefighters.

And I remember Chief Scoggins telling me, hey, you know what?

If someone is a mechanic and they want to specialize in fixing fire engines, that is a lucrative career because it's a niche.

It's a niche.

industry, not a lot of mechanics do, it's a very specialized type of mechanic.

And I thought, well shoot, who do I know who's a mechanic so I can say go in that, get the specialty for that because that's gonna really serve you well, there's a shortage.

So whether it's a college opportunity or the trades, either will get you to the same path which is your ability to have a living wage where you can have a family, raise a family if you want that, and live a good life.

And so that's what this is all about.

So anyway, colleagues, unless there are other questions, this is, so okay, seeing no further questions or comments, this concludes the May 1st meeting of the Select Committee on Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise.

Continue on this renewal work and please do submit your questions to central staff, our Trustee Jasmine Marwaha, who's been working on this alongside my office.

She's terrific.

I really am enjoying working with her and our next committee meeting is a public hearing scheduled for Monday, May 12th at 5 p.m.

If there's no further business, this meeting will adjourn.

Hearing no further business, it's 3.56 PM and this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.