It's now 6 0 3 p.m.
and this meeting is officially called to order.
Welcome to the board special meeting for school board district 7 candidate forum.
My name is Rick Burke.
I'm the vice president of the Seattle school board.
District 2 and honored to be your introducer today.
As we begin, the board would 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.
Tonight, we will hear from the three finalists for the District 7 Director position.
This is the seat formerly held by Director Betty Patu, who served 10 years as the District 7 School Board Director until stepping down from the school board.
Director Patu's long service to the students and families of this district has certainly inspired many, and we're excited to see such strong candidates express interest in serving on the board.
The three finalists with us tonight are Brandon Hersey, We truly have three gifts to share with you this evening.
The school board selected these three candidates as finalists during a public meeting held August 21st.
Thank you to the finalists for spending their evening with us, and to you for spending your evening, and also for your interest and participation throughout this District 7 appointment process.
Please keep your applause to a minimum level and respect our candidates.
No booing or other negative displays, although there's lots of places for enthusiasm, and we understand that as well, so thank you.
Tonight's forum will be moderated by Angelina Riley.
Angelina is a junior here at Rainier Beach High School and a member of the Seattle Public Schools Student Advisory Board.
Angelina, thank you for joining us tonight.
So as we get started tonight, staff will be collecting questions.
This is an important piece.
Staff will be collecting questions here at the stage until 6, 10 p.m.
If you have a question for our finalists, please take a card from the stage Write out your question and indicate if you are a District 7 resident and drop your card back here.
Don't feel bashful, you're welcome to get up now and do this while I'm speaking or we'll have a little bit of a break afterwards.
But we'll be doing this until 6.10 p.m.
Questions should be directed to all candidates and please ask a single question per card rather than a series of questions or a compound question.
All questions collected by 610 tonight will be placed in a bowl together with questions that were previously submitted by community members through the district's website.
The board has charged me, Vice President Rick Burke, with randomly drawing the questions from tonight's forum and reviewing them for duplicates before handing them off to Angelina.
She will read the questions and whether they were offered by District 7 residents.
We want to acknowledge and elevate the questions that were offered by District 7 residents.
Following consultation with SPS Legal Counsel, no other information about the questioner will be read should it be included with the question.
The directors of the Seattle School Board are seated here tonight in the audience.
Everybody say hi.
And we thank Rainier Beach High School for hosting us.
We appreciate all the Principal Smith and the school staff have done in preparation for the event here in District 7. And thank you as well to the John Stanford Center staff and a special shout out to Pauline Amel Nash.
And thank you to the District 7 students and families.
We appreciate the help we've received from the community in suggesting questions for the candidates and for your time coming out or watching this forum on the internet.
So in addition to tonight's forum, we had an opportunity to hear from the three finalists and other candidates who applied for this position during a forum held here before on August 7th.
We also previously received written materials from the candidates which are posted on the Seattle Public Schools Board website.
What you're all waiting for I know on September 18th the school board will vote as its statutory duty on the appointment to District 7 seat during the regular school board meeting which begins at 4 15 p.m.
at the John Stanford Center auditorium.
The applicant selected will be sworn in immediately and will be a voting member of the board at that meeting.
You're welcome to provide the school board with input after tonight's forum by filling out a comment card tonight or completing a feedback form on the director appointment page.
of the school board website.
Comment cards will be available here at the stage beginning at the break tonight and should be dropped in the collection boxes located also at the stage.
The link to the website is also on tonight's agenda and online feedback can be provided until September 16th at 8 a.m.
when we will be collecting and compiling that data.
So it is not quite yet 6.10 p.m.
I'll wait a few more minutes for you to bring down question cards if anybody has any additional ones they would like to add.
When it is 6.10 p.m.
we'll come back together for Angelina Riley to moderate tonight's forum.
Now I want to bring us back together for tonight's forum and formally turn things over to Angelina to moderate tonight's forum.
Thank you, Vice President Burke.
Tonight's forum will begin with each candidate being given an opportunity to provide a two-minute opening statement.
We will then move into questions, which each candidate receiving a turn will respond to the questions.
As noted by Vice President Burke, these questions will be drawn randomly from questions submitted in advance through the board website and questions that will be provided by the audience tonight.
Candidates will have been seated based on random drawing, and the order in which candidate speaks will rotate each time as a question is asked.
Responses are limited to 90 seconds for each question.
Once we conclude with the questions, each candidate will be given one minute to provide a closing statement, the order of which was also selected via a random drawing.
Time will be signaled tonight with the red, yellow, and green lights.
The light will begin green.
Once the light turns yellow, you will have 30 seconds remaining.
When the light is red, you have no more time.
Please conclude your response promptly when your time is exhausted for fairness and to ensure we get as many questions from the community as possible tonight.
You do not need to use all of your time if you prefer to answer more briefly.
Beginning now with opening statements, candidates, you have two minutes.
Candidate Van Arcken.
Hi, I'm Julie Van Arcken.
I'm a multiracial mom of white and Southeast Asian descent, and I was the first in my family to be born in this country.
Growing up, I was usually one of the brownest kids in my class and was constantly asked what I was, like I wasn't even a person.
And whenever I was bullied, I never wanted to tell my parents because I was afraid kids would make fun of their accents.
Like many first generation kids, I never felt like I belonged in school.
And that's why I want to build a school system where all of our kids are valued.
And I finally have the life experience to fulfill that mission.
I've been a tech industry product manager, and I can manage multi-million dollar budgets.
I'm the daughter of a student who was exited from school at age 15, and I support college opportunities for all.
I was trained as a visitation supervisor for young relatives whose father was failed by our public schools, and I will fight to end the school-to-prison pipeline.
I'm a daughter of a union electrician and I support CTE opportunities for all.
I'm a member of the special education community and I support full inclusion for our children with special needs.
And I'm the daughter of immigrants and I support ELL funding and language immersion opportunities for our heritage speakers.
For the last six years, I've spent my spare time partnering with neighbors of all races on a better experience for our kids.
And as a board director, I will work full-time on the urgent mission to eliminate the opportunity gap so every student can receive the world-class education they deserve.
Thank you.
Good evening, everyone.
My name is Brandon Hersey, and I am so excited to be here with you again tonight.
First off, thank you all so much for spending your time with us.
Talking about education and showing up for our kids especially those furthest away from educational justice is a part of our civic duty as citizens of Seattle.
Specifically for District 7. Right.
For those of you who might not know I grew up in a little town called Hattiesburg Mississippi.
If you don't know where that is it's about 90 minutes east of New Orleans.
I'm the son of a teacher and the grandson of a teacher and the great grandson of a teacher.
and I'm the son of a copier repairman who still repairs Canon copiers today in Huntsville, Alabama.
I was one of the lucky ones.
I had an array of life chances and a complete host of giants on the shoulders of which I stand to be in front of you today.
You know I matriculated one of the most oppressive school systems this country has in Mississippi.
And I got really lucky.
I got a full scholarship to undergraduate university at the University of Southern Mississippi and was very fortunate to be appointed as one of the first African-American Truman scholars from our state.
Immediately after that I got a job with the Obama administration under the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services developing policy for our country's most marginalized families to make sure that they had access to the social safety net.
But then while working in D.C.
I met my beautiful black queen Elizabeth who was originally from this area and she accepted a full ride scholarship to the University of Washington Medical School and we decided to relocate from one Washington to another.
While we have been here I have invested myself in this community because Southeast Seattle is my home.
I took up teaching to follow in the footsteps of my family much to their dismay.
However I knew that for education and to actually change our country for the better we have to commit to making strong advancements in the classroom and I'm excited to talk more about how we can do that in the position of the school board tonight.
Thank you so much for your time and I'm excited to speak with you all.
Good evening everyone.
I really do appreciate y'all being here especially community that I'm familiar with and just people who are concerned about what's happening in our education system particularly Seattle Public Schools.
Your energy feeds me and I'm connected to you in community.
My name is Emijah Smith.
I am a product of Seattle Public Schools.
I've graduated a daughter from Garfield High School and I have two children in elementary and middle school here in Seattle Public Schools.
I decided to put my name in the hat for this opportunity, not for political stature, but for the sole purpose of providing service to our students.
My attitude my policy my vision is all student centered and our students are connected to families and our families are connected to community.
And I believe myself being having deep relationships in our community within District 7 and outside of District 7 and having shared power and solidarity across our diverse communities that we can make a real change and major impact in Seattle Public Schools to make sure it really truly serves all our students.
I have participated on the steering committee for our strategic plan.
Right now our strategic plan is set to serve all our students those furthest from educational justice and focusing on African-American males.
As a mother with two black students who understands what it's like to really walk in the shoes of this system with two black children.
Males on top of that understanding the school to prison pipeline having a child with the IEP and special education at a school with the world language.
I understand the complexities of Seattle Public Schools.
I've been active in Seattle Public Schools for years over five years.
African-American male scholars advisory committee school and family partnerships advisory committee to the superintendent as well as our steering committee.
I've also participated as an advisor in the School to Seattle King County Discipline Coalition.
I have the experience I have the expertise.
I have a master's in public education sorry public policy from the University of Washington.
I've prepared myself for this opportunity today to serve you.
Thank you.
Moving on to questions.
This is our first question.
It comes from a resident of District 7. Tell us what you have done so far in your regular work or volunteer work to center the voices of students and families furthest from educational justice and how you plan to focus your efforts to close the opportunity gap in SPS.
Candidate Hersey.
Absolutely so.
As you know I am a teacher in Federal Way Public Schools.
Right.
And the reason that I teach in Federal Way is because when I was hired there I thought that this was going to be an amazing opportunity for me to come having never lived in Washington and be surrounded by educators of color who look like me and our students.
And I was so surprised when I walked into my classroom on the first day and I was the only teacher of color in my building.
Not only that we service almost 500 black and brown students.
And so I have made it my mission to make sure that I show up for my kids in Federal Way each and every day because if I was not there there would be no other black men in that building to support them who understand their lived experiences and who are there to give them the best education possible.
Not only that but I also serve as an assistant scout master to Troop 008 the only African-American Boy Scout troop in Washington State.
Not to mention I'm a proud Eagle Scout so if there's any of you guys out in the audience I really appreciate you being here as well.
But let me tell you why this is important because our students need to see themselves not only reflected in their teachers not only reflected in their elected officials but also reflected in their curriculum.
I have been working ever since moving to this city ever since moving to Washington State to service those students furthest away from educational justice whether it be in the classroom or out on the trail.
And I have been doing that and have had a proven history of getting results.
You can ask any parent from my classroom.
We get things done and I'm excited to get things done on the school board as well.
Candidate Smith.
Can you repeat the question please.
Tell us what you have done so far in your regular work or volunteer work to center the voices of students and families furthest from educational justice.
And how do you plan to focus your efforts to close the opportunity gap in Seattle Public Schools.
Thank you.
You know I do work every day.
Today this morning I helped a Latino parent who's new to Mercer Middle School connect with another Latino parent to help her be able to navigate that school.
Again as I share with you I've sat on the committees within the district the steering committee for strategic plan that African-American males advisory.
I make sure that I'm in there to understand the policy and understand how the district works.
At my school Dearborn Park Elementary School or International School I gather and organize families to come together to find out the resources and learn to navigate that school who otherwise would be underrepresented and lost.
I do something every single day.
I'm there with regard to the school to prison pipeline.
I'm in federal way schools.
That mediator when you have to get suspended from school and you got to appeal to come back in school he knows me because I'm there with families within Seattle Public Schools and outside of Seattle Public Schools.
I do the work, I know the work, and I know the policy.
And it's my job, as if appointed, I will continue to be there bringing the voices who are underrepresented and not at the table to the table to help us decide what is best for those who are furthest from educational justice.
As a director, I have one vote.
But my vote is to represent the district and to represent our community.
I'm not here to do it alone.
I'm here to do it together in solidarity in relationship.
My track record is clear from the beginning.
I organize families.
I come to the board meetings.
I speak up and I speak out for our families.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
For the last six years I've been focused on increasing racial equity in Seattle Public Schools.
I've worked with neighbors in the Beacon Hill neighborhood to make sure that the district does not disproportionately displace black students Asian students ELL students, special education students, and Latinx students from Maple Elementary.
When I worked with those neighbors, we used to go to school board meetings and we were usually the brownest group of people in fully white rooms.
And we've almost managed to get that done.
That'll finally be done this month I hope.
And I've called out the deputy superintendent for saying that Rainier Beach is fully funded because it's not.
these kids here at this school, we need to fund the IB program fully.
I've advocated for the desegregation of racial data with Eric Anderson in the research department, and that has managed to bring more money to our Southeast schools.
I've produced an analysis that showed that the district disproportionately listens to schools with more white students and how unfair that is.
And I've also drafted the commitment to eliminating all racial disparities in our advanced learning program.
Our next question is.
Middle school years are a time for needed stability, both socially and emotionally.
What sort of grandfathering do you see happening with new boundaries being proposed?
Candidate Smith.
Grandfathering and new boundaries being proposed.
Boundaries are an issue with regard to all of our schools and with regard to all of our families because families do not want to be separated with one sibling.
If they have multiple children one siblings at one school and another siblings at a different school or the walkability or something that just really transitions your life when you've tried to set it up to make things work especially if you've moved into a neighborhood because because of a particular school and now you cannot be at the school.
It's something that as a board director that I would look deeply into and research.
I will have to say that it is very important because based on where you go depends on where the resources will the resources will follow that school and that would depend on how great or quality of a school that can be based on those resources.
So I understand the parameters and the context around boundaries and I would want to fight to keep families together as much as possible when the situation comes up.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
So I'm a member of the special education community here at Seattle Public Schools.
And one of my main concerns is the treatment of children with neurological differences autistic children in particular.
And I know that being forced to change schools for children who who are different.
is truly traumatic and if we don't grandfather when we make boundary changes we are traumatizing our children and so I am very passionate about boundaries.
I think that boundaries inform enrollment which is how our schools are funded and staffed and we owe our families as consistent and predictable boundary plans as possible.
So that would be a huge commitment that I would have as a board member.
And I would work with district staff to ensure that we can grandfather kids whenever possible that we make changes as infrequently as possible and we grandfather every time.
Candidate Hersey.
Absolutely.
So I want to start with a story.
So this past summer, we took some of our boys in our scout troop to Mount Townsend on a backpacking trip.
And these are really great, because I get to know my boys a lot better.
And they share all sorts of things with me, what's going on at school, who are they listening to, who's their favorite rapper this week, right?
And so one of my boys, Elijah, who actually is a freshman over at Garfield, this year shared with me a concern that you know he has all of his friends that are going to another high school but he is the only person in his community that is going over to Garfield.
Right.
Now this doesn't necessarily have to do with grandfathering but it has to do with displacement and it has to do with what our kids need.
We need to make sure that when we are making any types of decisions that we have a lens of equity making sure that however our students are impacted that the students furthest away from educational justice as identified in our strategic plan are not being impacted in a way that pushes us further away from that goal.
The primary thing that we have to remember is that we have to look at every move in every policy and understand all of the moving pieces that go along with it.
By working in a school I know how drastically a school climate can change once a boundary changes.
Grandfathering is a solution to understanding how can we best serve our students and make pragmatic solutions to problems that families are facing every day.
And as a board director I will be committed to understanding not only the issues that our students are facing but the issues that our families are facing to make sound policy in their interest.
Thank you.
Question number three.
Requirements in the workplace are changing rapidly.
What would be things you would consider changing in our schools to make sure students are ready for the 21st century workplace?
Candidate Van Arcken.
I recently ended a very long career at one of the largest tech industries, tech companies in the world.
And at that company, Amazon.com, I was part of over 100 hiring loops.
And I know very well what our employers in this city are looking for when they're hiring candidates.
And one of the things that is so disappointing to me is that here in Seattle, we have so many amazing technology jobs, and I believe 80% of software engineers are come from overseas they are not homegrown folks.
And so for that reason I deeply support STEM opportunities in our schools.
Cleveland High School is is a great STEM opportunity right here in Southeast Seattle and so I support making sure Cleveland is properly funded.
And I'm also excited at the opportunity of TAF coming in to our city and providing more opportunities for STEM at the middle school and high school level.
Candidate Hersey.
Yeah so as a teacher we have this conversation pretty much every day as colleagues and I want to say I think I view it a little bit differently right.
We often have conversations especially when it concerns STEM about putting programs into high schools and middle schools.
But as an educator and as I'm sure most of you in the audience know that's far too late because by the time we're trying to implement some of these programs our students don't have the basic skills necessary to take full advantage of them.
So what I propose is that we look at opportunities to implement more STEM programming and more intentional STEM programming in K-5 so that we are building a solid foundation so that when we do have programs like that in middle school and high school that they are able to take advantage of it and actually have access to this amazing economy in Washington State that has forgotten so many students of color and so many other students for so long.
But primarily we have a bigger problem with the opportunity gap which has to have multifaceted solutions.
And the only way that we are going to address that is if we have members on the board who share the same lived experiences not only of the students that we're trying to serve but also understand the complexities that come along with working not only within a district but also within a classroom.
Implementation is going to be a key process in this.
And understanding whatever solution we make and how it impacts classroom learning is going to be crucial in making sure we get it done but we get it done right.
So I would love to continue to have a conversation around this and I'm excited to see what our district can do.
But as long as it has a focus on K-5 so that we can build those foundational skills as early as possible I'm in complete support of any type of program that's going to benefit our students.
Candidate Smith.
Thank you.
So I do agree with Candidate Hersey with regard to the K through 5 opportunities for our students.
I find that I have to supplement at least for my children something that's after school a robotics program after school or something on the weekends or something in the summertime and I think it would be in the best interest of Seattle Public Schools to try to implement something inside of the classroom that can connect into middle school.
I think the opportunities also should occur, I mean that's going to be a budget issue that we definitely have to look at.
But we should at least try to figure out more options of making these options free if we have to do it after school if we have to do it in summer times because we have our you know our summer programs for our elementary students.
So we should figure out how do we offer that especially to the children and our students who are furthest from educational justice.
I also think about the opportunities like our Running Start programs are in high school where there are opportunities to get some real work experience in those opportunities for our high schoolers.
I apologize.
I think about offering robotics and offering these opportunities for youth to just get the hands-on knowledge, but what I've learned in the tech community is that oftentimes the folks who get the college degrees who may not have the hands-on experience get it because they understand theory.
So I would also like to see some opportunities in our education where they understand the theory around the STEM program and not just the technical aspect.
Thank you.
Our next question, question number four is, what are your thoughts on the student dress code policy?
Candidate Hersey.
I think that is great.
I think that we have to have an opportunity to whenever we're doing something that affects students anything that has an opportunity to bring in student voice to make sure that you know we are valuing our students and also showing our students that we value them and their opinions about things that affect them is a good thing.
I think any time that we do that we are in the right place.
And going forward I would be a board director who continues to look for opportunities to make sure that we are bringing in student voice to as many decisions as possible.
Thank you.
As long as there's a racial equity lens around our dress code policy I don't have an issue with it.
I think that students have an opportunity to express themselves or school having the decisions families having input on decisions that school in our districts is making.
I don't have a problem with that.
I just think that those who are impacted should always have a voice or something at the table.
We have a lot of cultural difference.
around our district.
We have a lot of cultural difference here in District 7. So we don't want to cater or lean to one aspect than another and bias tends to play itself out based on what your hair looks like and the styles that you want to wear for here not just about your dress code.
How do you look.
How do you walk in your in your in your clothing.
So I do support the flexibility that is being provided.
I do appreciate the thought that was trying to be put out there but I do think that we need to take more time and make sure that there is a racial equity lens in those decisions.
And when if a student is disciplined or not.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
I'm really proud of the school board for working on the new dress code policy.
I think it's a huge improvement.
I saw the picture of the little girl who I think instigated all of this dress code change, and she was wearing just a sleeveless dress that practically went down to her knees, and she was sent home from school, which is just horrifying to me, honestly.
We start body shaming our girls young in life, and it's traumatic, and that girl should have never been sent home from school, and I'm so glad that we've changed that.
The day that the school board voted on the new dress code policy I did testify that I had one problem with the policy and that was that it still allows a couple of schools in our district to continue to have uniform policies.
And what I said was that some of our autistic students don't feel comfortable wearing clothes with say collars on them.
And I know that the principals at those schools would allow those children to have an exception and not wear a collar but I think a lot of our students in special education do not want to be thought of as different.
They don't want to wear something different from every other school and I know there's a child who lives near Madrona and can't go there because they still have a uniform policy and I would have I would have made them stop the uniform policy within a couple of years.
Thanks.
Question number five comes from a District 7 resident.
What is your experience working directly with teachers in our Seattle Public Schools.
Candidate Smith.
Thank you.
As a parent my experience working with teachers in Seattle Public Schools is that I have to see them all the time every year a new set each grade and to have such a range of age for my family and my children I've been working with interacting with teachers for a very long time.
My experience which I try to share and model with other families is to go in and build a strong family and school partnership to go in there and get an understanding that we are partners in education.
I am my children's first teacher.
That's my first experience.
They are secondary.
And at the end of the day the responsibility I believe in the success of my student it lies on me.
That's my burden.
If the school or that teachers cannot provide what I believe my child needs it's up to me to go get it.
So I try to have a really strong partnership and understanding with that teacher to figure out what are the expectations.
What is your teaching style to my son's or my daughter's learning style?
What are the learning opportunities and what's happening in the classroom that best relates to their style?
My child maybe likes to move a lot, likes to talk a lot.
How would that be supported?
What is your understanding of brain development and child development so that they're not being disciplined for just being regular children?
for something the teacher may not understand.
I like to go in there and have a partnership so if I don't understand the curriculum that's being taught can you help me understand how to teach my child.
So the relationship and a meaningful one and a healthy one is very important.
And I've had a number of years of these different types of relationships.
But in addition to that at multiple schools I've stood up and talked and facilitated and professional development with educators about how to engage with families that look different than them.
Please summarize.
Thank you said summarize yes, my time is up, but thank you Candidate van Arcken
As a parent of a child in Seattle Public Schools I've dealt with teachers every year and I really appreciate the amazing work that they do in our schools.
I like to have a relationship that's open with them and I've found I've found my child's teachers to be responsive.
One thing that I'm I'm proud of is that I I've started to be called in for hiring loops of teachers and I'm excited.
I've been excited to get the opportunity to to help hire teachers.
And another thing that I'm proud of is I worked with the gym teacher at my child's last school.
It turned out she was being picked last for gym class and she felt really bad about that and I talked to the gym teacher and we were able to come up with a strategy where instead of having team captains who picked children in order of preference, he started using a counting off strategy instead.
And so I was just really excited that he was open to that and that we were able to make a change that I think benefits more children than just my own.
Thanks.
Candidate Hersey.
Yeah so I've had the honor of working with teachers from the Seattle Public School District in a number of different ways both on a personal and professional level.
First talking professionally as an FWEA executive board member I organize our teachers down in Federal Way to go lobby in Olympia when there is a piece of anti-public education legislation going through you know the workings right.
And so not only that but we also do a lot of coordination directly alongside SEA in making sure that we are united front in King County because we are experiencing so many of similar problems not only in Seattle but all across our region.
Right.
And so I work directly with those teachers not only in Olympia but also developing policy as a representative assembly for the Washington Education Association.
I've worked directly with Phyllis Capano and Jesse Hagopian in making sure that that legislation not only has a racial equity lens but is also pragmatic and makes things happen for our students.
And I'm proud to say that I also have the endorsement of the Seattle Education Association and I am going to look forward to working with not only our educators but also our parents because parents are the primary educators of their children to make sure that whatever policy the board might be taking a look at that it not only includes the voice of educators but the voice of parents students and other community members as well.
because only when we work as a team and only when we understand the perspectives of our fellow teammates can we get things done.
And I'm going to be a board director who is focused on getting things done.
Question number six.
This comes from a resident of District 7. What specific action will you take to increase the role the role of parents in decision making and promote parental involvement in schools.
Candidate Van Arcken.
Can you repeat the question?
What specific action will you take to increase the role of parents in decision making and promote parental involvement in schools?
As board director I plan to be more engaged than any other board director that I've known of.
I plan to hold community meetings throughout all of District 7 so parents can be engaged and be part of decision making in our district.
I plan to.
hold meetings even in South Park, which is actually split between Southeast and West Seattle in terms of the district borders.
I suggest actually that we start a task force specifically on parent engagement because right now I don't think the district does a good enough job on this.
CSEC did this survey where they found out that parents overall throughout the city like to be contacted online, but in District 7 they actually prefer to be contacted in person via phone and through print communication.
And I know that there's a family engagement action plan but I don't think that the district necessarily has a blueprint for what to do when they need to engage with parents.
For instance recently I was asked to provide feedback on boundaries and asked how we wanted to provide that feedback.
And I thought that the district should already have a plan for that.
Thanks.
Candidate Hersey.
Thank you.
Yes.
So as a teacher I work with parents every single day and trust me getting parents engaged is probably the most effective way to improve educational outcomes for a student.
But let's not mince words right.
Parents are engaged.
It just depends on the capacity in which those parents are engaged.
Now if they're engaged in the way that we would like them to be we can have a conversation about that.
Right.
So I don't know if we can necessarily improve parent engagement overall but we can definitely figure out ways to bring parents more so into the conversation.
And three words come to mind when we do that.
The first one is how do we communicate.
The second one is how do we accommodate.
And the third is how do we elevate.
Right.
How do we communicate with parents.
Are we meeting them where they're at.
Because that's what we do in the classroom for our students and we have to do it for our parents as well.
At the beginning of the year, I send home a survey and I ask parents, how do you like to be contacted?
And I make a specific communication plan with each individual parent because I know the returns that it provides for our students.
Second how do we accommodate.
How do we make our schedules more flexible so that we can bring more parents into the conversation.
Maybe it doesn't make sense to have a meeting during the day.
Maybe it doesn't make sense to have a meeting where is where there's not going to be parking available.
How do we figure out ways to best accommodate families and parents so that they can get to these types of meetings and things like that.
The last one is how do we elevate how do we elevate parent voices to the point to where we show them that we know and appreciate the fact that they are the experts on their children and how do we work their expertise into board policy in order to improve the educational outcomes for the students furthest away from educational justice.
Candidate Smith.
Thank you.
So as a participant volunteer parent Seattle Public Schools School and Family Partnership at least three years on this committee to the superintendent we did a lot of we looked at the research we did a lot had a lot of conversations around meaningful family engagement.
and meaningful family engagement is going to be meaningful to the community or to the families that you're serving.
And students are not are connected to families and it's not just the parents it could be your grandmother the auntie.
How are we engaging the family to have a voice at the school.
So that's been work that I've done for a long time at Dearborn Park right now organize families together to feel comfortable and welcome into the school to have a voice of like what are our resources what are our navigators who's there to help us.
And a lot of schools in Seattle Public Schools we don't have family support workers anymore who would kind of be a conduit and a liaison for those different type of services.
So there's a disconnect in a lot of our schools with our families.
So trying to find someone in the school level who could be that one person that that family can go to and get a resource or find out information.
Another barrier in a lot of our schools because we have opportunities and outlets in Seattle Public Schools we have the BLT the building leadership team.
We have the PTAs we have FEET teams which is a family engagement action teams.
But who gets an opportunity to participate in those.
Oftentimes our BLTs don't allow for much space and voice for families to be at the table and as a director if appointed I will want to see that change or we can open up that space not just for more parents but also for students to be engaged because those who are impacted those who should be centered which is the student should have a voice at the table.
Thank you.
Question 7 comes from a District 7 resident.
What needs to be changed about how the district projects enrollment.
Candidate Hersey.
Absolutely.
So.
For those of you who might not know enrollment is how our schools get funded.
If you have more students you get more dollars.
If you have less students you get less dollars.
The problem with that is that enrollment doesn't really have any excuse me.
There are so many things outside of the school district that impact enrollment.
So say for instance a new cheaper apartment complex opens up in another part of town and a lot of families can afford that.
and they move then that plummets the enrollment of a school and the funding models change and oftentimes a lot of that happens over the summer.
Right.
So you've got a building for example like Rainier Beach that started school last year with five less full time employees because their enrollment numbers changed over the district.
What we really need to do is partner closely with the city council and with the legislature to get better numbers and understanding about how are our families moving.
Not only that finding ways that we can work closely with those same elected officials to improve the number of MFTE units on the south end to make sure that our City is more affordable to make sure that we don't have parents that are having to constantly move around right.
And this is a problem that specifically affects the south end because in our side of Seattle we have more renters versus homeowners which means that our schools are more destabilized based on enrollment.
So we need to do everything that we can not only as a school board but also as a community working closely with our families legislators and policymakers on the city level to get a better understanding of how can we circumvent these things before they happen and stabilize our schools to best serve our students.
Candidate Smith.
Thank you.
I agree that we definitely have to work on the state level with our Washington state legislature to be mindful of our budget and thinking about policies that are going to impact enrollment.
But the realities are when these enrollment changes occur they happen quickly.
They happen based the changes are going to be based on some of the board decisions at a point and we make decisions that impact enrollment.
For instance transportation.
boundaries will impact if a family can stay or not.
Gentrification.
I don't believe the school district is a catalyst to gentrification and what's pushing families out but that does definitely play a role in what's going to happen.
So the budget is set months in advance before school is even over and is set for October.
So schools will find out in October what their actual enrollment is to really decide on what their resource allocation is in real time.
So we need to think about.
how to prepare with a plan B if something occurs.
At Dearborn Park when the transportation switch or the bell changes switch then transportation switch lots of families had to leave because we were down to one or two buses that would no longer go to an after school program that was five minutes away.
They were limited to one option so families had no other choice but to find a different school that would make more sense.
And then with our boundary changes and our enrollment waitlist you can't just go to a different school.
But families are going to make the choices that are best for them.
We need to have a plan B.
We need to be thinking about something that doesn't devastate the school first with over enrollment or with under enrollment.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
So my daughter didn't have a fifth period class all last week the first week of school because of enrollment projections.
So staffing is not actually based on enrollment.
It's based on projections of enrollment that occur in February before open enrollment starts.
And I know that this year after open enrollment the budget office did not change the projections so they didn't.
So schools were given these projections last February.
They were dramatically conservative to the point where I'm not even really sure what they were based on.
And then schools had to issue RIFs telling teachers that they needed to find a new job because we wouldn't have the students for them in the fall.
So what happens of course so many more students show up than were projected last February and the prediction predictions were especially wrong for Garfield Franklin and Rainier Beach.
And so and originally the district had suggested that when the real numbers came in the fall those schools could then try to hire whoever's left in the pool but only 50 percent of they'd only get 50 percent back of what they were owed.
I think that changed but the idea that that was even suggested is a little crazy to me.
So we need to get our projections right or else our schools suffer.
Question number eight, in what ways do you think option schools such as Cleveland, Orca, Boren, or South Shore are like or not like charter schools?
And do you think option schools and charter schools improve or harm equity in SPS?
Candidate Smith.
Thank you for this question.
Of course charter schools hurt SPS.
I don't know if I would say that option schools per se hurt SGS but of course charter schools hurt our district.
And let me just be clear I am not a proponent of charter schools.
So let me say this again for anybody so I am not a proponent of charter schools but I am a proponent of community.
I am a proponent of families and family needs and I will not judge any family for their choice.
I think when I think of option schools it's a lottery system of how who gets to go there.
When I think of Cleveland High School it's a great school.
I don't compare Cleveland High School to a charter school by any means.
It's serving Seattle Public Schools students.
It's serving District 7 Seattle Public Schools students with STEM.
It's one it's a top rated school so I wouldn't want to even compare the two.
I don't know another I don't know of a charter school that's comparable to an option school in Seattle Public Schools.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
I also oppose charter schools and in terms of option schools I have concerns about how the district runs option schools.
It seems to me that we've had a number of option schools in the last 20 years and The ones that we close are the ones that specifically serve children farthest from educational justice.
We closed the African-American Academy and we closed the Indian Heritage High School.
Yet we have a bunch of other option schools open.
that seem to disproportionately serve white students.
And so as a school board director I would like to take a close look at option schools and who it is that they're serving.
I it costs more to send students to option schools because the transportation district is is larger.
So they're expensive.
And I do believe that there is a place in our district for different pedagogies.
But I want to make sure that our option school policy really follows the strategic plan and that we focus on the needs of.
Children who have been underserved historically.
Candidate Hersey.
Yes I largely agree with my colleagues.
Again I am also opposed to charter schools and I think that option schools play a very specific role for very specific students and very specific communities and I think that when done right option schools have the ability to build and promote community that is incredibly important.
especially in educational systems that are designed against people of color and those furthest away from educational justice.
However what I think about as an individual and what I'll continue to think about as a board director is what is the purpose and the existence of option schools and how can we replicate what makes option schools amazing in every building.
Right.
What are the best practices that are going on inside of these institutions that we can find ways to replicate and bring to all of our buildings so that maybe We don't have families that are considering option schools.
Maybe we have families that are happy at all of their buildings.
And what can we do to make sure that we are bringing those things so that all students have access to it regardless of a lottery.
Right.
Because it just makes sense.
And however we can pragmatically sustainably and affordably do that I'm going to be in favor of as a board director because community is at the heart of.
everything concerning education and however we can build that and provide access to it for our students especially those furthest away from educational justice is something that I'd be in favor of.
Question number nine.
How do you see yourself as a good fit to collaborate with the rest of the school board and newer superintendent.
Candidate Van Arcken.
I see myself as a good fit for collaborating with the rest of the school board and the superintendent because I've collaborated in the past with neighbors and school board members.
In fact I've actually already written a school board bar amendment that got passed unanimously by a previous version of the board when I was working with Betty Patu on the boundaries for District 7. I'm so honored that she let me and a Kimball parent draft what we thought would improve that board action resolution.
And so the resolution that.
I collaborated with this other parent on was and with Betty on was that the district would partner with the families of District 7 to authentically engage families to review all of the boundaries and make sure that they worked for our families.
Thank you.
Candidate Hersey.
Right, so there are two ways that I think about this question.
There are the professional things and then there are the personal things.
So we'll start with the professional and then go to the personal.
I think that I would be a good fit because I know policy.
As I stated before, I worked on a national policy level developing social safety net policy for nation's most marginalized families.
But also here in Washington State I've helped promote the policy of the Washington Education Association both on a state and local level.
I know schools.
I work in a school.
I'm a teacher and I know the intricacies of policy and how it gets played out in classrooms.
I know districts.
I serve on several district committees have written curriculum for the district and have served on several hiring boards.
I know District 7. I've received the endorsement of former board director Betty Patu and work directly with students through my scout troop and through fathers and sons together a local nonprofit.
the legislature, I've received the endorsement of Senator Bob Hasegawa and Senator Joe Nguyen, and spend a lot of my time during the year and over the summer legislating for pro-public education policy.
But even more so than all of that, I'm positive, I am incredibly excited to be here talking with you, and I am a nerd when it comes to ed policy, so I am excited and ready to learn.
I think that I would be a good fit because I am going to come in that first few months as a board director and be a sponge.
We have so much knowledge sitting on that dais and so much knowledge in District 7 and I just want to soak all of it up in order to get things done for our students.
So for all of those reasons I think that I would be a really good fit because I'm excited to be here.
I'm ready to work.
But most importantly like I ask my kids to do every day when they come into the classroom I'm ready to learn.
Candidate Smith.
Thank you.
I believe that I am a benefit for the mere fact that I have the deep connections in the community and I'm first and foremost will bring the voice of the families who are impacted furthest from educational justice or not.
I will bring the voice of the families who are impacted by our educational system.
That's number one.
Number two I wouldn't call myself a nerd although I've been Highly gifted educated never known to be unintelligent all my life but I've studied education policy my whole college career.
My time at the Evans School was focused on education and social policy and specifically Seattle Public Schools.
So I understand the district and being on the steering committee for the strategic plan I'm ready to move like I said before in the past the train is moving I'm on that train I'm ready to go.
So it's not a steep learning curve for me to be appointed to the board.
With regard to endorsements on a state level Senator Rebecca Saldana has endorsed me.
Senator Hasegawa just gave me a shout out yesterday evening for my work on the steering committee of our people of color legislative summit that's coming up October the 12th.
I have lots of endorsements by people who are connected to community in so many ways and I have the experience as a parent who is impacted by Seattle Public Schools.
I'm a benefit because I help Superintendent Juneau part of her listening tours of bringing the African-American community voice.
This is about service for me.
This is real for me.
This is not just about a position for me.
I am passionate because I am passionate to see that our children succeed.
This is real for me.
Thank you.
Question 10 do all teachers in our district meet the federal government's definition of high qualified.
Candidate Hersey.
There's no way that I can know the answer to that.
I would imagine yes because as an educator every person who is willing to step in a classroom every single day It's highly qualified and I am appreciative of their presence because we need them and we need more educators who look like me specifically.
But also I don't know what the policy you know what the specifics of that like highly qualified piece are.
I think that what the question is really getting at is how are we recruiting and retaining really solid educators.
And I think that you know as a board director I'm going to be in favor of any policy that.
Is not going to cost us a ton of money but will also put us in a position to recruit and retain educators who want to be here who look like our students who have the training necessary to be effective.
And if they don't have those things how can we get them there.
Right.
Every educator that we have in Seattle right now is valuable.
Do they all have the same skill sets.
No.
But what we have to remember is that it takes all of us working together to get things done.
So to answer your question I don't know that to be true but in my heart I want to believe it and I'm hopeful and I'm willing to work to make sure that we can attain you know having every teacher meet that standard.
Angelina Riley-Smith Thank you.
The definition around highly qualified On the state level some of these things are constantly being discussed.
In my experience in my professional life 10 years doing policy advocacy on the state level working in the early learning arena we've been talking about what is a highly qualified educator.
What is highly qualified educational early learning education.
And I appreciate being at the table for that but there's more work to do because.
If we were already set where it was highly qualified then why are so many of our kids furthest from educational justice.
Why are they being undereducated.
There is a lack of cultural responsiveness.
There are some language barriers and language issues that are happening that must be addressed in our education system and our state level can our state policy needs to put more work and be a little bit.
There's a sense of urgency there and I think it needs to be stronger around that definition.
Thank you.
Candidate Van Arcken.
I don't know if all of our teachers meet the federal definition of highly qualified.
If I had to guess I would say probably not.
I believe that our workforce does need to be more culturally responsive and needs to reflect the the demographics of our own students better.
And for that reason I support the Academy of Rising Educators and the Seattle Teacher Residency which are both trying to take kids from our own schools and.
promote them into teachers.
The Academy for Rising Educators we've partnered with Seattle Promise which allows SPS grads two years of free college education and it helps support them into a teaching path and provides a cohort for them to learn from each other.
And I really support that.
I also support racial equity training and implicit bias training not just for our teachers but for all staff at the district.
who interact with families.
And honestly I think that might be all staff in general.
I'm not even sure what staff would never interact with families.
I mean I myself have interacted like with the research team.
And so I think yes training for all of our teachers.
Thanks.
Thank you, candidates.
We are now going to pause briefly for a 15-minute break.
To the candidates and audience members, we'll resume the next question promptly after the break.