School Board Meeting May 1, 2019 Part 1

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Welcome to the May 1st 2019 Seattle school board legislative meeting.

As we began we'd like to recognize and honor the first peoples of the Puget Sound territories by acknowledging that we are on the land of the coastal Salish tribes.

We would also like to welcome who I expect to join us soon Israel Presley.

Israel exhibits a quality of leadership that is unmatched.

His passion for the Southeast community is what drives him to get involved on various levels of inequities that should arise in the hopes for a positive environment.

Welcome, Israel.

He's a senior at Rainier Beach High School and is aspiring to attend the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.

We are going to ask you for your comments a little later on.

And when the board is asking questions about introduction items you are welcome to ask questions as well as if you were a board member.

OK.

Roll call please.

Director Geary here.

Director Mack here.

Director Patu.

Director Pinkham present Director Harris here.

Director Burke Vice President Burke is in Michigan conducting business for his company and Director DeWolf is in Montana saying goodbye to his beloved grandmother and he has our most sincere condolences and love.

Everyone would stand that chooses to do so for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Unfortunately we do not have a student performance this evening.

So we skip that and we hand the dais to Madam Superintendent.

Thank you.

Just to before I begin my usual types of comments I just want to start by thanking the Seattle legislative delegation a little budget update.

This our legislative delegation fought really really hard for us down in Olympia and I could not thank them enough for the work that they did.

I also want to thank JoLynn Berge Berge Steven Nielsen as you know part of our staff.

They had the foresight to ask Seattle voters for the authority to collect more dollars than were previously allowed.

The legislative session ended on Sunday April 28th with good news for Seattle Public Schools.

Beginning in 2020 Seattle will be able to collect three thousand dollars per student from local voter approved funds.

This will restore twelve point two million dollars directly to classrooms in the 2019 20 school year.

So we want to thank the Seattle voters again for approving our levy back in February and our Seattle legislative delegation for their leadership on restoring this much needed local levy authority.

And while it's good news that next year school based cuts include librarians counselors and assistant principals may due to the 2019 20 budget shortfall all of those will be restored.

Other budget reductions including those to central office and those due to a projected decline in our enrollment will move forward.

So there because of our declining enrollment there will still be a few cuts.

I also want to provide an update on ELL English language learner update and I want to thank those who have expressed their concerns about the plan changes in ELL staffing and upon review we are going to maintain the current ELL staffing level except where there is declining enrollment.

So similar to our overall budget picture.

where there's declining enrollment there will be cuts in this situation and over the next year we will be reevaluating how we provide students ELL services and make changes the next year but for this year Yes.

Rift resolution you'll notice there was something struck from the agenda.

Please note that we removed that resolution to authorize a reduction in force or a rift from the agenda tonight.

The purpose of a rift resolution is to alert the public when we anticipate a large scale rift.

So there were going to be many rifts that were going to have to be made as a result of our budget deficit.

And since the legislature acted, we no longer have to make all those cuts that were planned.

So prior to the legislative restoration of levy dollars and prior to the ELL decision, we estimated a certificated RIF of roughly 60 plus staff members.

With the restorations, we will still have a small number of RIFs, but fewer than 10. The RIF resolution was not intended to grant me authority.

It was intended to make the public aware that we had a large RIF coming our way due to budget cuts.

We only put forward RIF resolutions in years when cuts are significant.

The last time we did this was in 2014. However every year there are small RIFs that are made.

And so that is that's why that is stricken from the agenda tonight.

also the month of May at John Stanford is the month to move.

We have put out a challenge all across John Stanford as the move-a-thon month.

We did a little video and there's a whole tracking method up on up near the cafeteria.

So directors if you are in the building I'd love to see your name up there as joining the team here at John Stanford to move during the month of May.

We are trying to get and we have this huge packet of If you do yoga or you like to skateboard or do any of those things all those activities are translated to steps and so we're asking basically everybody just to move about 26 miles every week and we're tracking those and so hopefully everybody will get out and enjoy the sunshine and do a little bit of moving during the month of May.

So my usual comments this I had a great student led tour at West Seattle Elementary.

These students shared the wonderful wonderful art that is just throughout the school.

As we moved our way around the school they had these student ambassadors at every corner.

So telling me a new thing about the school at West Seattle.

So that was pretty cool.

These awesome student leaders at Dearborn Park International Elementary discuss their learning in English Spanish and Mandarin language as they showed me around the school.

Very awesome awesome student leaders.

These Dearborn Park students told me about their school in Spanish and the teacher helped me out as an interpreter because I am very have rudimentary Spanish skills and they have very impressive language skills.

Per suggestion from our...

Seattle Council PTSA co-vice president.

I visited the science class at Denny International Middle School.

These students were collaborating to explore which chemicals would react with each other and which would not.

They recorded their findings on a worksheet and there was very robust conversation and discussion that happened at table talk after all of this happened and I gave you a little deeper presentation last night at the committee of the whole and so just really awesome work happening in those science classes.

Ms. Sanchez hosted our science visit at Denny International Middle School.

Her leadership is very very powerful in this work and you can see it reflected throughout the classrooms.

If you have not talked to these two leaders you are really missing out.

Interagency Academy has a powerful staff.

They are they have this motto of relentless persistence to serve students.

Principal Andrews and AP Melissa never ever give up on students that walk through their door.

Boren STEM K-8 students are engaged in project based learning.

Principal Ostrom took me into this great maker space and let me wear this really cool hat.

They use real industrial tools in this space.

Assistant Principal Ensign showed me around Fairmount Park Elementary.

This team has built strong PLC's that uses student data to guide their work.

They're already focusing on third grade reading so they're ahead of us a little bit.

So I'm pleased about that.

I visited West Seattle Elementary and heard with Principal Conyers and A.P.

Washington.

This school has a close partnership with Seattle Housing Authority that really helps students and families.

And as a result they are closing gaps so that partnership the partnerships that we have across this city are really strong and always impressive when I step into the school doors.

Principal Conte and her team are working hard to close the gaps at Dearborn Park.

She has added two therapy dogs to help students with social emotional learning so they can check out the dogs out of her office.

And so that was pretty fun to see.

I sat there for about five minutes too.

Shout out to James Bush.

This guy is everywhere.

He attended the mayor signing of the partnership agreement which I could not attend but then he brought the partnership agreement back and we had our own little signing of the partnership agreement that he attended as well.

And so I just want to thank him for being present everywhere.

Small Cabinet took our administrative assistants out to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day at Derby which is just around the corner here.

Very delicious and just really want to give a shout out to all of them who help keep our schedules going who calendar and who take calls and really they are our right hand and I just really can't thank them enough.

And so we had a good time visiting and pulling them together.

I also met with Seattle's new NHL team staff Todd and Mari are very supportive of Seattle Public Schools and they're very excited to use this their new venue to support our students and so we're talking a lot about how that might look.

I was invited by the breakfast group to speak at the annual Taiwan on event.

I was so very inspired by the four students that spoke about the impact that project Mr. has had on them.

It is very very powerful about the work that's happening and other great partnership that we have in our district.

I learned it's easier as I watched everybody.

So this is a program where they're working with African-American males.

Mentors are provided to them through the breakfast group.

This is their culminating event where it signifies they are given a tie and learn from their mentors how to tie one on.

And from watching everybody in the room I learned it's easier to tie your own tie than teach someone how to tie a tie.

But I just also want to give a shout out to James Bush, Brent Jones, Fred Podesta, John Kroll, and Aaron Smith who work at John Stanford Center and the leadership team for their mentorship.

They were some of the mentors for these young men and very powerful to watch our people engage at that level.

I popped in to support our wonderful partner Seattle Central College and Dr. Edwards Lange at the Believe Gala their fundraising efforts for Seattle colleges.

I attended my first Seattle City Council subcommittee meeting with our partners from Seattle colleges and Department of Education and Early Learning to discuss our partnership agreements.

I just think after that meeting and through the process of the family education levy, that we are just really fortunate to live in a city that continually supports our students, both through the city levy, through our own levies, and that these partnerships can be created.

It's super powerful.

I spoke to Lorena Gonzalez, one of the campaign or the council members about how it's really rare to see this type of partnership across the country where there are the city working together with the school district to try to create a pre-K to college seamless system You know at the at the top levels when we're working through all these issues these are adult issues we're all doing these adult kinds of things of signing partnership agreements and working through and negotiating and all of that's great.

But at the end of the day what we want our students and families to experience is something where it should be seamless.

They should know who holds the strings to the money.

They should know how all of those worked out.

They should just have the experience that they can go from pre-K to college and that we are all working together to support their their success.

And that's what I really see that is possible through the partnerships that we have and particularly with the city.

I also attended the city year Seattle gala a lot of galas in the spring I'm learning in Seattle and they are also such a very strong partner in the work that we do.

We're lucky to have them and just really happy to see the work that continues to grow and the partnerships that we continue to solidify so that we can get the work done on behalf of students.

So thank you Madam President.

Thank you.

Israel.

You're next up.

Tell us what you think we need to know.

What's worked for you in your Seattle Public Schools career and what hasn't.

Floor is yours sir.

Well good afternoon everybody.

Some things that.

Sorry I battle in the cold.

A lot of good things actually just even throughout this week popped up.

I had a chance to go to Nathan Hale's unity and community workshop day and got to lead a workshop and ethnic studies was actually amazing seeing the type of support that was coming from from the students and teachers.

It was actually amazing seeing seeing the reactions out of some of the students and the passion coming from them.

and walking through their hallways and seeing the artwork that they do.

You know just even seeing especially the emotions a lot of tears were actually shed during that time and truly feel like ethnic studies is something that's needed.

And I know it's a big task to get it out but it's definitely needed as some kids feel uncomfortable and need to tear down these walls so we can move in advance as as human beings in society.

Second of all, today I had the opportunity of, you know, getting to talk to young men about what they see in their communities and how they could be themselves and better their community at Rainier Beach.

They were being vulnerable.

And I think I think definitely our school system needs to provide more more spaces like that for students to be vulnerable and you know get the chance to learn.

And I think I think ethnic studies would really provide provide us an opportunity to enable young people to.

to engage in the curriculum and really dive into it the way they need to.

And I think that's how school is supposed to be be done.

But yeah that's something that I'm going to keep on asking for you know.

And lastly yeah just kudos for that.

Just allowing allowed it allowing schools and students to just lead things like that that.

was actually eye opening for me and just seeing the type of support and how students really rally up for ethnic studies.

And last last thing I want to speak about was this morning.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it because I had a I a prior engagement to go to take my mom to the airport but there was there was a walk in for four teachers in these budget cuts.

It's affecting communities.

Even one of my mentor slash slash teachers were cut this year and he played a vital role in my high school career and was you could you could say he was a catalyst for a full 180 in my high school career just GPA wise the way.

He educated me and enabled me to you know use my voice and advocate for myself.

And it's really affecting students.

So if you know and I know you guys are working hard you know hard to to adjust these these budgets or whatnot.

But you know if there's any way to you know make it work a little bit better.

You know no disrespect intended.

because there's really good leaders out there that are losing jobs and that are needed especially for these students.

That's all.

OK so it looks like you are headed to the UW Foster School of Business.

Is that our aspiration here.

It's it's the goal.

But I am working to get there.

That's what I'm working for.

I won't say it's sealed yet.

OK.

But I am staying in town so you can help us with the lift for ethnic studies.

Yes ma'am.

OK.

Dr. DeBacker could you wave your hand please.

Could you connect with her so that she can hook you into the system to give us your input.

Just just because you graduate doesn't mean that we're losing you is my hope.

Yes ma'am.

I would gladly.

Do other board directors have comments questions for Israel.

I want to thank you so much for your words because I think one I agree with you I think ethnic studies is something that's powerful for every student and it does allow them to access all kinds of curriculum from a whole different lens that is really powerful for them.

And the fact that I also wanted to highlight you're letting us know that that was happening across high schools.

And I think just that that movement between high schools is so powerful because high schools can develop their own personality and then they can also sort of stereotype the other high schools as well.

And I know we all can do that probably even from when we went to high school.

And so I'm going to continue.

I mean I heard you talk about the power of going into another community and having that opportunity and I'm going to keep that with me when we're talking about things that we can make available to our students.

So thank you for sharing that and the power of that experience.

And yes I'm going to totally.

piggyback on to President Harris's words that I would love for you to continue.

I hope that we can even the words that you said were so powerful I hope we can make just a video of that and put it up as a way to let people know how important it is to students that we continue this work.

And we do have some good news with regard to personnel as our superintendent said we're trying to restore as much as possible.

So thank you for being here.

No problem.

Director Pinkham.

Thank you Israel for your words and just want to offer my support as much as I can.

Helping you transition when you're ready to come to the University of Washington study business.

I can have Zachary get ahold of you if you're not already connected with the young executives of color and just listen to your talk for a short time.

I just get the sense that you'd make a great contribution coming there.

So please use me as a contact and best of luck in your future.

Appreciate it.

I think you just hired yourself a mentor for the next four years pal.

And and this gentleman has made a difference in countless lives and it's a safe space out at the UW which is awfully big.

Yeah.

Now we come to the consent agenda portion of our agenda.

I don't see them on my agenda and I am following my script here.

Thank you so much.

Let's go with board committee reports.

That's what I love about this collaborative board.

We catch each other and we inspire each other.

Who would like to go first with board committee reports.

Well that would be Director Geary.

I'll be very abbreviated.

It's been very very busy lately.

I'm going to give two board reports I'm going to do audit and finance because while Director Pinkham was out of was otherwise engaged I had the pleasure of chairing the audit and finance.

meeting we'll see three items on the agenda tonight.

Some gifts which we're always very appreciative of.

And then we had a great conversation around policy 5 0 0 5 which will come up for introduction tonight and probably will be.

Talking raising many of those points again as it's up for consideration but just the idea of what kind of background checks that we are providing to different types of people that play roles in our students life from our volunteer coaches to people who volunteer within the schools on a regular and consistent basis to those who just attend one time field trips.

So it was a great conversation.

And then one of the gifts that we have is a donation of a house which was very interesting raises issues about every kind of gift is welcome and we appreciate it.

But sometimes houses come with a lot of questions about them.

So we had a great conversation about making sure we get an environmental study on that.

So we'll see if that that's why we had that up for consideration tonight.

And then the one that is removed is the RIFs which again yay that we don't have to even go through that process and that continued very painful discussion.

The big conversation continues to be the fluid conversation and the one that we don't expect to come up with any quick answers again but is around the equitable funding from outside sources within our schools.

And so these outside gifts.

Whether from PTA or from established foundations always raise the question of which schools are they going to what impact are they having and how does that leave other schools.

And the focus that we look at it's easy to talk about that in a polarity.

between the schools that have the ridiculously high ability or great ability to raise dollars and those that aren't.

But there are lots of schools in the middle who may not qualify for the extra federal dollars nor can they raise the parent provided dollars.

And so we have to continue to make sure that whatever conversations we are having are addressing the great number in the middle and not either not the schools that exist on either end of that conversation.

But we have to do it holistically so we had Those are ongoing conversations that are happening in Audit and Finance and are good because it's a good it's good that we continue that.

Did you want to add something Director Mack.

I just wanted to add that one of the really helpful and informative bits of information that came forward which you can get if you ask for the work packet is that what's called the big sheet and it actually shows the funding by school and the various grants that are coming in and so forth and it's just it's it's informative because you know people make assumptions about things and there's some data out there too.

And so we had a really good conversation I appreciate it.

It's a big sheet and don't attempt to look at it without really powerful readers.

Big sheet with very small print.

And then for curriculum instruction we have three items tonight.

Again another gift.

So we have both the Nesholm and the Satterberg gifts coming up which again raise those issues.

Then we have tonight online learning which has gone through a lot of vetting by the board and is with the hope of consistency in terms of its application and the highly capable plan which is a form that is required that we submit to the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

We are continuing to discuss the curriculum adoption policy in curriculum and instruction committee and looking to avoid some of the struggles that we've had around adopting our self-made curriculum but also hoping to make a policy that.

will be consistently applied regardless of the adoption to hopefully make it easier on our staff to know that they are doing what is expected and can be assured that all their work will be in the end will be fruitful.

Tonight will also there was also the equitable access quarterly report which is a good report to show sort of where the programs what's happening with programs in our district.

The big movement around that was with CTE programs.

And so you can access that by going into the agenda.

I'm not going to go into the details of it.

There was some movement around special education but no elimination of any program or creation of any given program within a school just reconfiguring in terms of the number of rooms.

And then our next curriculum and instruction committee meeting will be on May 21st 2019. Thank you.

Director Mack did you have an ops report.

I was I was actually.

Wait did you do both of them already or not.

OK.

Thank you.

So I'll start.

Please go ahead.

How could I forget we had the committee of the whole last night.

I can't believe anybody kicked me because we were here which is probably why I'm a little tired.

And last night we discussed for a good three or so hours the science adoptions in elementary middle school and high school.

We had many many people in attendance most of which were district wide science teachers so I appreciate their interest in showing up.

to keep abreast of how this is going forward.

I'm going to thank our science adoption team who's here today.

So much work has gone into this and so many great questions have been raised.

It is it's really requiring us to look deeply at what the future of our curriculum should be and how it should be structured.

And again that wraps back around to policy 215. But a lot of hard work is going into it and I know we're all working.

to do the best we can for students because as we know while this board is super in favor of supporting new curriculum there have been times when boards have not been so in favor which is why we have science curriculum that is respectively 23 and 18 years old.

And that's too long especially in science where things are changing all the time.

So again I'm just going to say we manage we moved all three items out of committee so they will be coming to board for introduction too quick to come to this meeting.

But at the next meeting we'll show up for introduction and the meeting beyond that will be up for vote unless there's some adjustment to that schedule.

But that would be the normal schedule there.

I can't believe I forgot it.

So now to you Director Mack.

Thank you.

So first operations committee update.

Our last meeting was a couple of weeks ago the day after last board meeting.

We got to hear from the chair of the BEX BTA oversight committee and there's actually a written report.

Just FYI if you're interested in getting details on the if you can't come and aren't present for it you could always contact the board office to get the materials sent to you.

We learned about the initial draft portables plan and has maps so like what's going to be happening with our portables over the next few years.

One of our goals that was stated in the BEX V process was to get rid of old portables that are not healthy for students and so that's a part of the process that's going on there and the planning We got an update from staff on the work that's going on to improve our transportation challenges and improvements that are being made and meetings that are being had and planning that's going on.

There's there's not a specific action item coming in front of us or happening in particular but there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make improvements to those.

systems and concerns around on time bus service and those sorts of things.

So just you know want to assure folks that I know that staff is putting a lot of energy into to to making these things run more smoothly for students.

We also got an update which is exciting to me on the the water quality issue.

There was an article in the paper some time ago around water quality and there's concern around that we We're likely going to be looking at the policy again in the next few months to see if we need to tweak it at all.

But the short term positive is that we've we've identified that there's a couple of faucets that we can change out and those are going to get changed out.

And so there's a plan to correct that kind of immediate concern around some of the water faucets in some of our schools.

Our next.

OK before I go into that we had we had great conversation around policy process and some of the policies that are coming forward.

We've we've discussed 6900 multiple times over and we're going to be moving forward with some draft of that I think next meeting.

That's facilities master planning.

And we also discussed having a draft potential charter for an advisory committee.

And just quickly want to give a shout out to the BEX BTA oversight advisory committee volunteers for all the work that they do and looking forward to having some support on the facilities master planning future planning side of things in the future.

and that work moving forward.

Our next Ops meeting is May 16th and don't have an agenda set for it yet but we have a number of things that are in the work plan.

Before that though we have May 8th.

We are going to have a board work session.

I think it's three hours so it'll be a long time but it's the annual capital report.

So we get to find out all the buildings that we've been working on new ones that are coming up.

And we're also going to talk about the annual enrollment report and capacity evaluation which includes kind of conversation around wait lists and where space exists in buildings and where it doesn't and those sorts of things which will then lead into a conversation about potential student assignment transition and boundary changes that may be needed for 2021. And that's because we have to start planning out in the in advance.

We have a work session plan for June 5th on that topic so that would that's a precursor to the work that goes on in the fall to actually make adjustments to those plans.

So lots of planning legislative update.

I appreciate Superintendent Juneau for the update on the budget and yes again thank you to our legislators for the support to get the levy lifted somewhat.

I wish we could say that we actually got fully funded on special ed and some other things and we didn't.

There's still ways to go.

We did.

We did make some progress but we still are challenged in terms of fully funding and.

At the same time I really appreciate our legislators who fought hard to support us and especially around.

We still have more need for capital projects than our levies can fund and they were gracious to find some additional dollars in the capital budget for a couple smaller projects so.

Thank you to senators and representatives who supported that.

There's a number of policy level bills that made it through.

There's one on ethnic studies actually that made it through and I think it I'm not quite sure how it impacts us but it's a it's something that we were supportive of.

And there's also 1599 regarding regarding high school graduation requirements and whether or not you have to have take a test that's going to impact the district.

There's a number of things in there I'm not exactly sure all of the impacts and I know that one session ends and we have the new laws that come out then staff is going to have to take some time to evaluate the impacts and then those will start kind of working through our process and policy.

So you know thank you to the legislature for Finishing on time and the additional levy lift and my third update is on the family and education the FEPP levy oversight committee.

Again Superintendent Juneau already forecasted that the partnership agreement has been signed which is very exciting.

At our last meeting we got to have a report on the K-12 from the previous levy so.

That annual report if you're interested is available on their website.

Also we talked about our bylaws which was an interesting thing for me as a policy wonk was that during those committee meetings there's public comment.

So that's an interesting thing.

And so we had a conversation on the specific bylaws for that LOC meeting and.

I appreciated that process and I believe next time we're going to be getting a report on the preschool portion and we ran out of time to get that report.

And I think I touched on all of the major topics.

Thank you.

OK exec committee continues to roll along approve agendas and discuss in a very frank manner.

Some of the issues that we need to wrestle with and they're interesting meetings.

Their public meetings are held in the boardroom.

Senior staff report on our goals.

This last meeting we were joined by the PASS representatives Ted Howard the principal at Garfield High School the president of PASS advised us that PASS has changed its bylaws to where the president now will serve for two years.

So.

He is finishing up his first of two years for continuity.

They've also added some more positions to their board including K-8 representation because they have a different landscape than elementary schools.

and high schools and middle schools.

And he also advised that he was selected to work with a CEO group in a mentoring capacity for the next year which sounds really exciting and I'm hoping we can have him back to present.

And I look forward to stealing ideas from him from that.

We continue to talk about board staff or board superintendent communication.

We're working through that.

We are continuing to work on the superintendent's evaluation criteria and rubric and those meetings are held for the most part offline and we update in our public meeting that my two gentlemen that serve with me on the executive committee have abandoned me tonight so I can't ask them if I've forgotten anything.

And with that we will now move to the consent agenda.

Excuse me.

Director Pinkham please feel free.

Thank you.

Well first and foremost I do want to thank my fellow board members for covering for me last week.

I had a family emergency that I had to address like we did.

Director Geary chaired the A&F President Harris stepped in for the C&I committee and just want to acknowledge and thank you all for the support that you had shown for me.

And also before we get too far I want to ask for clarification from Director Mack because as we're getting into the year 2021 when we say 2021 want to make sure that's the year versus the academic year 2020 and 2021. So when you said 2021 was at the academic year or the calendar year.

Yeah this this is this is going to be a difficult academic year to be referencing because of that.

So it is academic year 1920 — 1921. Sorry.

No I'm sorry.

You're a century behind.

I'm a total century behind.

So 2020 — 2021.

Yeah.

OK I'm looking at my colleagues to see if I'm stepping in it.

I believe we are ready for consent.

I move.

I'm looking for the right right thing.

I move approval of the consent agenda.

Second.

OK consent agenda has been moved.

Are there any items on the consent agenda that directors wish to take off of the consent agenda.

Seeing none.

All those in favor of passing the consent agenda please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

OK.

I've got four fifty six p.m.

We can start with board member reports out who would like to go first.

Director Mack.

Good evening.

I actually don't have a ton to say I've said a lot of stuff around the committee updates.

I want to wish everybody a happy May Day.

Happy May Day.

I also wanted to just give a shout out that next week is teacher appreciation week and we appreciate our teachers.

I know I appreciate our teachers and I'm I've been seeing flurries of emails around the various activities that schools are organizing and just want to give that shout out and.

I hope every single one of you feel appreciated because you are and unfortunately I don't have a community meeting scheduled.

I've had a difficult time actually finding time in the schedule to make that happen amidst all of the other responsibilities and I'm looking forward to introduction on the items tonight and then we'll talk about and board I'm sorry public comment.

Looking forward to hearing what folks are saying and talking about those issues when they come up for conversation.

Next up Director Patu.

I just did not have much time to do anything this week since I've been out of the weather but it's good to be back among the living.

Now my goal this this year actually is I think I mentioned before is to hopefully to visit all my schools before the year is over and I've already started that process and hopefully to continue that process throughout the whole school year.

So that's my goal.

Thank you.

Director Pinkham you want to flip for it.

Director Pinkham.

Totskala and Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ.

I kind of said my comments interrupted you and did it kind of early but.

You know I just want to thank Israel for being here and sharing his voice and acknowledge all our legislators out there for what you do to support all the schools in the state of Washington and the extra that we can collect now I think is going to help solve some problems.

We're still a ways to go.

But thank you.

Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ to everyone out there.

Are they just short comments.

The Urban Native Education Alliance conceded their Clear Sky mentoring nights this Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Robert Eagle Staff slash Victim Springs K-8 this Thursday mentoring tutoring NWA basketball and dinner and they will have a rites of passage for rising ninth graders and graduating seniors right now looking at June 21st.

So if anybody interested in joining that event or if we have our child or cousin or someone that is moving up to ninth grade next year or graduating seniors contact me and I can make sure I can get you in touch with UNEA and the Clear Sky group.

I don't have any community meetings planned for this month yet.

My weekends are just about booked as well as my evenings and I have some people that have emailed me and I'm arranging sometimes that I can do best to meet with you.

I know that C.C.

Chan who's at Nathan Hale I see her standing back there that hopefully we can meet up tomorrow night.

I don't know if you saw your email but I did respond to see if we can meet up and talk a bit but.

Thank you all that are here to support the causes that you feel adamant about because it's your voice that helps me make the hopefully decisions that's best for all of our students.

So again Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ to everyone for being out there and Rick and.

Zachary hope things are going well with you two as well.

Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ.

Director Geary.

I'll again like likewise there's been so much committee work that has occupied much of my time.

A few other things though I want to remind people that the narrow more art display is going on at the Seattle Art Museum.

And I think anybody who can take the time to go visit it will be stunned by the beauty quality breadth diversity of the art that is produced by Seattle Public Schools.

students, the actual award ceremony for our students and I think it's like a teen night out, they get to stay a little bit later and hang out downtown at the art museum is this Friday, May 3rd, so I believe it starts at 6pm according to my calendar, so anybody who wants to participate in that, but the exhibit is available to be seen in a part of the museum, the sort of lowest part of the entry, so you don't need to pay to get in, but you can go.

It is a nice size exhibit, so definitely worth visiting, and you can see some of the posters of the work around the building, and so you know it's just, it's really good stuff, so I hope people will take advantage to get downtown.

I also had the pleasure to visit our art school, the Center School, always a joy to be hosted by Dr. Barbara Casey, the principal there, her enthusiasm around her school and making sure that she maintains a breadth of art-based programs for her students is It's just so wonderful to hear the passion that she brings and it reminds you that every every school that's doing something really unique with surprising little resources it's because of a person who has a big personality and a vision for her school.

Unfortunately I was told that she was in a position to cut her.

music program a music program that she had been working very very hard to expand.

So they had one year of established music and then she found out that would she wouldn't be able to maintain it.

So I'm hoping this news will mean that it won't have to be cut in terms of the riffs but.

That said I'm going to take this opportunity to once again say that music is it is one of the crown jewels of the Seattle School District and we need to always look for ways to make sure that we're prioritizing it.

You know I hear President Harris's voice if every student did music we'd have no problems in making our math standards.

So I agree with that and would like to make sure that we are expanding our music.

To all of our students in equitable access that in closing the opportunity gap we're not eliminating the opportunity but making it more available to everybody.

I also had the pleasure to accompany Eckstein Middle School to the science and engineering field day at the UW which I believe is an event of great sensory overload.

I was amazed to see all these kids get through building after building of multiple exhibits but the opportunity to be exposed to what is super duper cool in science be it I think a glowing rat.

I didn't have the pleasure of that one but 3D printing kids walking on water which I think was some mix of corn starch and water but a wide variety.

Tons of fun.

I'm not sure that all of our middle schools get to go.

I hope many do and I hope to the extent that some aren't going.

that we're working to make that available because it was a great day.

Lots of fun.

Lots of opportunity for them to practice independent experiences behavior on a college campus.

And I think sometimes just getting kids to a college campus is half of.

the fun of it because it exposes them to something that maybe they've never been to before.

And sometimes just breaking down that barrier of the unknown is what gives kids the belief that they can take the next step to go there, to go to the University of Washington.

And if they've been on the University of Washington, they'll have an idea of what it might be to go to the University of Michigan.

So breaking down those barriers of the unknown that some of us take for granted and some of our kids never have the opportunity to do is another benefit to this.

After about five or six exhibits, my group of sixth graders, I had five, they really were done, you know, that sensory overload thing.

And where they wanted to go was Cisello Library.

And so we walked into this awe-inspiring library with huge stained glass windows and they were quiet, They were calm they were in awe and it's it's moments like that where you just you feel the power of education and great places and it's inspiring to kids.

So that's what I'll say about that.

And then I continue to have my Tuesday morning coffees from 8 a.m.

to 930 at Zoka on Blakely just north of the university village.

And looking at my calendar I believe I will be there all May but I every Tuesday in May but I do always ask people to look on Facebook ahead of time.

to make sure that I'm going to be there because family emergencies can arise and I don't want you to go to the effort if I'm not there.

And I think I've really talked about all the other big issues that are going on.

Thank you.

OK.

I'm up to my director colleagues who have not set community meetings.

I have three and I always welcome company.

The first is May 18th Saturday 3 to 5 at the Delridge library 50 percent chance of getting lasagna.

The second is June 15th at the Southwest library 35th and Barton 3 to 5. If you don't get lasagna on the May you're definitely getting it in June.

The next is July 20 at the West Seattle library 3 to 5. And again welcome the attendance of my colleagues as well as staff.

It's a rowdy thoughtful inquisitive group with really great ideas and I appreciate the folks that show up because they teach me a great deal.

And yes I'm looking at you Jeff Treisman.

Thank you.

Okay going last has problems.

You don't want to rip up time saying the same thank yous and you guys steal all my best lines including Naramore staff appreciation week center school and my fantasy music art every day.

No worries on math.

Here's a big one.

May 9th.

7 p.m.

this auditorium the Seattle schools scholarship group.

This is a program that is supported by staff members retired teachers donations.

Two scholarships are given to each comprehensive high school and they are.

sent by the counselors who have hands on visibility of these students who have strived and succeeded in the face of extraordinary odds.

They write an essay.

The essays are breathtaking and heartbreaking both and I triple dog dare you to get through the evening without shedding more than a few tears.

It is one of the very best things in this district and in some of our previous scholarship recipients have gone on to do great things with our assistance.

Again, be here, we'll give you coffee and cake, and we'll give you enough soul nourishment to take you through the next six months of crazy making frustration.

A bureaucracy with 52000 children and a hundred and two schools.

And believe you me the folks up here at the dais and around the sides of the room appreciate the frustration.

But we're working through it and we're trying to do a better job every day.

I want to add my thanks as well to the folks that spent so much time working with the legislature and clawing back the money that was due this district.

We are not in fact lawbreakers.

We do in fact value our teaching staff and our librarians and our counselors and our nurses and our assistant principals.

But let's add to the list of folks that Madam Superintendent identified.

Let's add Erin Bennett if we would let's add our liaisons.

for legislative work.

Director Geary and Director Mack.

Let's add the PTSA.

Let's add the SEA.

Let's add Washington Paramount Duty.

Let's add Heidi Barron Bennett who was given the Washington State PTSA outstanding advocate award and who also has Work with the Seattle Council of PTSA training hundreds and hundreds of people and has been a valued friend and mentor to many of us here in this building and on this dais.

No one deserves that award more than she does.

Pleased to spend part of my sunny Sunday with the West Seattle Parent Collaborative.

This is a Facebook group meetup.

Meets once a month and we talk about race and equity issues from both a teacher and parent perspective and really thoughtful yummy learning and and it's a safe space and cannot appreciate it more.

Also want to call out, there are two plant sales coming up.

I'm a gardener.

And Nathan Hale, who has an extraordinary horticulture program, has a plant sale coming up.

I believe it's the 9th and the 10th or the 10th and the 11th.

Check their website.

It's amazing.

The prices are good.

The quality is amazing.

And Pathfinder also has a plant sale coming up that same weekend.

It would not be me if I did not call out the shenanigans late at night behind the curtain in the dark of night with our Washington state legislature and bills going back and forth between the houses and a Senate bill that had an amendment that would hugely compromise our teachers rights to bargain and that would.

Suggest that charter schools should have access to levy funds that Senate amendment was stripped out.

It went back and forth but it was a very long and very tense weekend.

For those of us that have the fiduciary duty to balance budgets when people's lives are at stake both our staff's lives and our students lives.

And I hope that folks remember that when it comes to election time and then I'll have to stop or I'll have to go to PDC jail.

Thank you very much.

We're going to take a 10 minute break and start public testimony right at 530. We have a very long list.

As of this afternoon we had 30 folks testifying on science adoption five folks on Washington Middle School several on race and equity five folks on libraries and 11 folks on English language learning.

Now I suspect that some folks given the good budget news may well be giving up their place.

So hang with us.

We have.

36 folks on the list but we have no action items.

We only have 14 intro items.

Thank you.

We are at rest.

I appreciate it.