Seattle School Board Meeting - Feb 24, 2021

This is Director Hampson.

I'm now calling the February 24th 2021 Regular Board Meeting to order at 331 p.m.

This meeting is being recorded.

We would like to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people.

Ms. Wilson-Jones the roll call please.

Director DeWolf.

Director Harris.

Director Hersey.

Director Hersey.

I can see that you're on the line so I'll come back around to you Director Hersey.

Director Rankin.

Here.

Director Rivera-Smith.

And I see Director Hersey.

Do you have the slide.

Can you hear me now.

Yes.

Okay.

And Director Hampson.

Here.

Okay as we begin this meeting I would also like to welcome Battelle Tadesa who will be joining us as the student representative from West Seattle High School.

We will be hearing from Battelle later in the meeting as well as fellow West Seattle High School student Nikhil Chagan who will be leading off our testimony list.

This meeting is being held remotely consistent with the governor's proclamation on open public meetings.

The public is being provided remote access today by phone and through SPS-TV by broadcast and streaming on YouTube.

To facilitate this meeting I will ask all participants to ensure ensure you are muted when you are not speaking.

Staff may be muting participants to address feedback and ensure we can hear directors and staff.

I will now turn it over to Superintendent Juneau for her comments.

Thank you President Hampson.

Yes.

Thank you President Hampson and Good afternoon Directors.

As you know soon it's almost been a year since we abruptly shut our doors and had to shift to remote learning way back on March 11th of last year.

And we all recognize that it has been frustrating on all fronts.

And we also know that we've learned a lot.

We continue to put together information for our families and partners so that they understand what's going on.

We can always do better and we remain committed to learn and improve.

I'm going to give just a few minutes today to provide a top 10 list of things our families need to know about returning to buildings for in-person learning.

We shared this information with some of our community partners and we'll build some other communication around this as well as we continue to develop more communication strategies for our families so they have an understanding of what this return to school return to buildings really is.

So next slide.

Throughout this pandemic response our students have always come first.

We remain committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure that every student thrives in any learning environment.

This means that we've worked hard to improve remote learning.

We made sure every student had the technology resources they needed.

We trained up our educators in new ways of teaching and have continued to focus on social emotional support.

And yet we also know that there are still students who are struggling and we continue to hear from families and students daily.

We remain concerned about students identified for special education services and our younger students and we'll continue in alignment with our strategic plan to prioritize students furthest from educational justice and those who are most vulnerable in our reopening plans and decisions.

And while remote learning isn't optimal for most students no matter the age some students are struggling more than others.

Last June you'll remember that over 100 stakeholders including parents partners school leaders and educators came together to provide direction in developing our return to in-person plans.

Many of the values listed on this slide reflect those conversations.

There was also a recognition at that time that depending on transmission rates availability of vaccine and other factors a return to in-person learning might might need to be phased and done in small groups.

Next slide.

On December 17th the board directed staff in alignment with the Department of Health guidance to implement plans for bringing back some of our most vulnerable students.

So that those are students enrolled in special education intensive pathways and pre-K-1 students beginning on March 1st.

And staff are prioritizing that phased return of students in special education intensive survey pathways first followed by students in pre-K through first grade.

This does not mean that they are the only students that may return this spring but it's a starting point.

Next slide.

The health and safety of our students and families have been our priority since day one.

And like our neighboring districts our preparation and implemented protocols meet the strict requirements of the CDC and public health.

These protocols have benefited anyone in our 46 schools already have students in their buildings receiving in-person learning in support of their special education IEP.

And thanks to our partners we've also had critical child care services in our buildings since last spring.

And we're operating 8 technology resource centers and 40 meal sites who are serving now an average of 30,000 meals a day.

Over 80 of our buildings are using these protocols including daily health screenings contact tracing and coordinated communication.

And while we have had some COVID cases transmission has been mitigated and contained.

I am confident in our staff's abilities to increase in-person learning and to serve more students.

So I'm going to walk through a few of the steps that families and students will take during an in-person learning day.

This is our top 10 list that we put together and it provides information about what's been planned and put into place.

So next slide.

Before entering a school building parents and staff will submit a daily required health screening.

This screening will be sent to families electronically and they'll be able to access it via home language through email or text.

The screening needs to be submitted by 7 a.m.

every school day.

Families will receive an approved or not approved notice.

If families have not completed the health screening before arriving at school they can also do that at the school site.

If a child arrives with a not approved note notice they will be guided to a supervised waiting room and staff will contact the family.

The only students with an approved notice will enter classroom.

All students and staff must wear a cloth face covering or a mask or another approved alternative.

Some staff because of proximity to students will be required to wear a higher level of PPE including a face shield.

Masks must be worn on the bus and while at school except for when students are eating and drinking.

If a child does not have a mask we will provide one.

Staff have also installed plexiglass barriers in the front office and in specialized rooms that may serve students because of disability and they can't wear a mask.

So all mask protocols align with CDC and public health requirements.

There will be fewer students on our yellow buses to support physical distancing.

Students will maintain 6 feet while waiting for the bus and wear a mask on the bus.

If a student does not have a face covering one will be provided for them.

Seats will be assigned and routes have been designed to ensure little interaction between households.

One student will be assigned to each school bus each bus seat unless they're from the same household.

Windows will open or be adjusted to provide airflow and students will exit the bus at the direction of the bus driver from front to back while maintaining 6 feet of physical distance.

Bus drivers will wear approved PPE in compliance with labor and industry such as a mask and sanitize high touch areas between each route.

Next slide please.

Once students arrive at school they will be met by staff at designated drop-off areas where the daily health screening will be confirmed.

If parents are dropping students off or students have arrived at school on their own they will wait at the designated area remaining 6 feet apart until a staff person welcomes that student into the building.

All classrooms will be 15 students or less.

These small groups or cohorts will stay together all day including at lunch and recess.

And once a student is approved for entry they will enter through their designated cohort entrance.

Student cohorts have separate entrances exits and restrooms in order to reduce interaction between those groups of students.

All of our preschool kindergarten first grade and intensive service pathway classrooms have been redesigned to support health and safety.

In the classroom students will be assigned to seats that are 6 feet apart in all directions and face the same direction.

Ten feet has been left in the front of the classroom for the teacher.

Arts and physical education will be provided through a combination of remote and asynchronous learning.

Students with IEPs will receive general education content remotely with support from their teacher and students will eat lunch in their classroom.

Next slide please.

Students will have their own materials for daily use and items will not be shared.

Items coming back and forth from school to home will be limited.

Handwashing will be prioritized throughout the day including but not limited to on arrival before lunch after recess and after using the restroom.

All classrooms have been stocked with handwashing supplies and handwashing signage is posted in classrooms.

Daily cleaning of common areas is done in compliance with CDC and public health recommendations.

High touch areas such as doorknobs hinges door bars as well as restrooms will be cleaned three times a day.

We've hired additional staff to support this increase in cleaning and additional PPE will be provided in every classroom for daily use.

Next slide please.

Classroom entrance and release times will be staggered and when heading home students will line up maintaining a 6-foot distance and walk to the designated loading zone and will be directed by staff as they load onto the bus.

Students being picked up by a parent will maintain a 6-foot social distance and walk to the designated pickup area.

Any student not picked up will be escorted to a supervised gathering area to wait for parent arrival.

Seattle Public Schools staff have been prepared preparing for a phased return to in-person learning since last June.

Health and safety protocols have been implemented.

We have audited all HVAC systems and I know you'll all be receiving an update on that.

And we brought schools into compliance with CDC and expert recommendations.

PPE is in place and the district is prepared for student transportation and meals.

And so while school will look different we are committed to sustaining engaging and joyful learning classrooms.

Next slide please.

The district's current proposal for pre-K through 12th grade students enrolled in special education intensive service pathways includes four full days of instruction Monday Tuesday Thursday and Friday.

And the proposal for pre-K-1 includes two days of in-person instruction.

So a AABB model.

Once the board approved or provided the December 17th directive we started bargaining with the Seattle Education Association.

SEA represents our teachers our instructional assistants and our classified staff.

Our MOU agreed to in August required any increase of in-person instruction beyond services outlined in a student's IEP needed to be bargained.

And so we've been bargaining with SEA every Tuesday and Thursday since early January.

Yesterday all of you know that we announced to staff and families that we have not yet reached an agreement and our return date has been delayed until at least March 8th.

Over a week ago the district asked PERC the Public Employee Relations Commission to help facilitate a timely resolution PERC is impartial and will help us and the union explore solutions that can lead to mutual agreement.

And at this time SEI SEA has declined to let PERC provide those mediation supports.

Next slide please.

On Thursday February 25th tomorrow you all the board will hold a public work session to discuss possible next steps and planning.

And we will continue to work towards a positive resolution with SEA.

I recognize the very real fear that many of our staff and maybe some families are experiencing.

We've all been touched by COVID.

Many of our communities have suffered a lot and it is really hard to imagine how this will work.

But we've also learned a lot since last March.

We do know how to mitigate and manage the spread of COVID.

We have to keep trying.

We have to keep at it.

Our students deserve our very best thinking and our very best work in this moment.

I'm up for it.

Hope you are too.

And I look forward to our continued work together and the conversation particularly tomorrow at the special board meeting.

So thank you President Hampson.

Thank you.

Pįnagigi Superintendent Juneau.

Again I would like to welcome West Seattle High School student Battelle Tadesse Tadesse Tadesse am I saying that correctly.

Tadesse.

Tadesse.

Thank you.

Batel is the president of the International Intersectional Feminist Club and holds leadership positions in both the U.N.

Club and Sunrise Hub at West Seattle.

Beyond student activism Batel likes to get involved in bettering the school community through Link Crew and NHS.

I will turn it over to you now Batel for your comments and thank you for that support with your name pronunciation.

Yeah of course.

A while back I logged onto Instagram and found my timeline filled with individuals coming forward with their sexual assault stories.

Each survivor echoed how they faced a lack of support and felt alienated.

These survivors were my classmates.

Survivors need to receive the support they need to heal.

Last year West Seattle High School was vandalized with the words rape school.

Researching my school's sexual assault policy solidified the action I knew I needed needed to happen.

I got my intersectional feminist club together and we got the ball rolling instantly.

We gathered expertise through meetings with sexual assault therapists in our school district school district's headline task force in collaboration with the school administration we began a culture shift.

We added imperative resources to the student handbook and reworked the language to be supportive.

Through school-wide lessons we have taught students the nuances of consent and equipped them with tools needed to empower survivors as well as provided a framework to help students cope with someone they know surviving sexual assault.

You're only as strong as your weakest link.

If someone is struggling we must work to uplift that person.

This work should not exclusively be on the burden of students.

When we held our first training we got over 60 questions.

Some of them were heart-wrenching and others reflected the misinformation and lack of education that students held.

It is the responsibility of.

Not just the schools but this district itself to educate and spearhead this campaign for safer and healthier schools.

The district should work to provide more resources and make them widely accessible.

I had the privilege to work for the R90 campaign in the fall and I'm hoping to see those changes implemented soon.

But we can't wait.

The school board needs to make it a priority to provide quality comprehensive sexual education now Each school should rework their handbooks to make them inclusive and supportive.

Add resources to their websites and implement various trainings throughout the throughout the school year.

Additionally the school staff need to receive mandatory trauma-enforced teaching.

This is not a one-and-done situation.

These changes should be here to stay and reinforce throughout the whole school year.

And I hope that we can start to see these changes happening soon.

Wow thank you so much Mattel.

Very inspiring and I do hope that we can do some work on that together.

Yeah may as well.

So yeah let's let's definitely stay connected.

And please feel free if you desire or desirous of making comments at any time during this meeting you can speak up and we'll be happy to hear your thoughts on any of the things that we are considering.

So we've now reached the consent portion of today's agenda.

May I have a motion for the consent agenda.

Absolutely.

I move approval of the consent agenda.

Second.

Approval of the consent agenda has been moved by Director Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

Do directors have any items they would like to remove from the consent agenda.

Yes Madam President.

Director Harris here.

I would like to remove the settlement agreement.

Thank you.

May I have.

A revised motion for the consent agenda as amended.

Yes.

I move approval of the consent agenda as amended.

Second.

Approval of the consent agenda as amended has been moved by Director Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

All those in favor of the consent agenda as amended signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

No.

The consent agenda has passed with 4 directors voting sorry 5 directors voting yes.

1 direct director voting no.

Okay for the item And I would now entertain a motion on the agenda item that was removed from the consent agenda.

I don't suppose it's possible to get that on the screen.

Please bear with us while we bring up the actual name of the item for the motion.

President Hampson would you like me to take it.

I have it here.

That'd be great.

I thought we were supposed to.

I thought we were waiting for someone to bring it up on screen.

I still can't see it.

Oh no I don't know.

I don't know if they'll be able to.

Go ahead Director Rivera-Smith.

I move that the school board authorize the district's Chief Legal Counsel to take all necessary actions to resolve the lawsuit filed by former employee Eric McCurdy against the district which includes a payment of district funds in the amount of $133,333.33 as part of a total settlement amount of $400,000 in exchange for assigning the attached settlement agreement which includes a mutually agreed upon settlement regarding the set statement regarding the settlement of the lawsuit and documentation of accomplishments.

Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

Okay.

This motion was made by Director Rivera-Smith and seconded by Director Hersey.

And I will call on Director Harris to remove the item and then the remaining directors alphabetically for questions and comments if there are any.

Director Harris.

Thank you Madam President.

I will be voting no on this.

And this statement is the last paragraph of Exhibit D. The settlement agreement specifically precludes either party from commenting further on the lawsuit or on the settlement.

Accordingly this public statement will be the party's sole statement regarding this subject.

More than that.

As you can read on Exhibit B page 11 of 11 I cannot say which frustrates me in carrying out my fiduciary duty.

Thank you.

President Hampson are we doing anything from here.

Yeah.

Apologies I was on mute.

So that brings us to Director Hersey for any comments or questions.

I don't have any comments or questions.

Thank you.

Director Rankin any comments or questions.

I guess can I ask Director Harris for clarification the objection is the further that no further comments are allowed.

Director Harris would you like to respond to that.

And if everyone else can please mute.

I do not believe that I am allowed to if our legal counsel Norber wants to weigh in.

Perfect.

Uh, I'd be happy to weigh in.

Uh, good afternoon.

This is Greg Narver, chief legal counsel, um, and, uh, also present as deputy general counsel, John Cerqui, who has worked on this, uh, lawsuit.

That's the subject of the settlement.

Uh, this was one of the negotiated terms of the settlement that, uh, and, uh, agreements like this are not uncommon in resolution of, uh, employment related lawsuits that, uh, the parties agree that there was a dispute that they have resolved it.

That neither party is admitting any fault or liability.

And that the parties agree that that's what they're going to say about it.

And that going further would tend to prolong the the dispute that has been settled by resolution.

I understand Director Harris's objection but this was an integral term of the settlement agreement that was negotiated.

Thanks for the clarification.

I don't have any other questions.

Okay.

Director Rivera-Smith.

I guess my other question would be what happens if somebody does talk about it in their party after this agreement.

Well the agreement provides that that's a breach of the settlement agreement and so there would be remedies available as there would be for for breach of a contract.

If that's what happens the other party would need to examine the nature of what happened and whether to exercise those remedies.

But it is provided in the settlement agreement that that's a term of the settlement agreement that would be breached if that provision was violated.

Thank you.

No further questions.

Director DeWolf.

No questions.

I have no comments or questions.

So with that Ms. Wilson-Jones can you please call for a vote on the item.

Director DeWolf aye Director Harris no Director Hersey aye Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith Director Hampson aye.

This motion has passed with a vote of 5 yes to 1 no.

Thank you Ms. Wilson-Jones.

We have now reached the public testimony portion of the agenda.

We will be taking public testimony by teleconference today as stated on the agenda.

For any speakers watching through SPS-TV please call in now to ensure you are on the phone line when your name is called.

Board Procedure 1430BP provides the rules for testimony and I ask that speakers are respectful of these rules.

I will summarize some important parts of this procedure.

First testimony will be taken today from those individuals called from our public testimony list and if applicable the waiting list which are included on today's agenda posting on the school board website.

Only those who are called by name should unmute their phones and only one person person should speak at a time.

Speakers from the list may cede their time to another person when the listed speaker's name is called.

The total number total amount of time allowed will not exceed two minutes for the combined number of speakers and time will not be restarted after the new speaker begins.

In order to maximize opportunities for others to address the board each speaker is allowed only one speaking slot per meeting.

If a speaker cedes time to a later speaker on the testimony list or waiting list the person to whom time was ceded will not be called to provide testimony again later in the meeting as there is only one speaking slot per person.

Those who do not wish to have time ceded to them may decline and retain their place on the testimony or wait list.

Finally the majority of the speaker's time should be spent on the topic they have indicated they wish to speak about.

Ms. Wilson-Jones will you read off the first testimony speaker.

Thank you President Hampson.

Speakers please remain muted until your name is called to provide testimony.

When your name is called please be sure you have unmuted on the device you are calling from and also press star-6 to unmute yourself on the conference call line.

Each speaker will have a two-minute speaking time and a chime will sound when your time is exhausted and the next speaker will then be called.

The first speaker on today's testimony list is Nikhil Chaghan.

Hi.

So I I'm a person of color.

I've experienced my fair share of performative politics growing up here in Washington, and I've learned how frustrating it can feel to have someone tripping over themselves to, you know, show how much they care about your needs, how sensitive they are to you, and then not sticking up for you or being an ally when it counts.

And it's pretty frustrating feeling.

It leaves you feeling, you know, without power, without control.

And I don't want anyone else to have to go through that, which is why I believe that we need to start looking at change now.

Now, West Seattle High School is a school that, you know, goes through a lot of trouble to show how accepting of the school they are, how much they celebrate their diversity, how much they care about the needs of their marginalized students.

Ultimately, the experience of other marginalized students, including myself, has not reflected that.

Now, we see things like hate crimes going mostly unaddressed.

We see homophobia, racism, anti-Semitism going unpunished, all these sorts of things.

One major example is from my sophomore year.

There was an incident where some people vandalized a black student union poster board with racial slurs during the annual club fair.

Now, in response to that, we got an official statement from school administration.

We got a video discussing how and condemning the issue and nothing else.

There was no follow up.

There was no transparency, we didn't see anything as a result of it.

Now, as I've discussed and met with other peers from across the district, I've been noticing that this is something of a pattern.

We see bigotry either acknowledged and then quickly swept under the rug as soon as possible, or just fully ignored and the victims being left to saddle that burden.

Now, we are ready for change.

This is not working for most people.

We're tired of slogans, we're tired of platitudes, we want to start seeing more initiative on the part of individual school administration and the district.

We would like to see more thorough investigations of these incidents.

We'd like to see following up on reports made by students, transparency so that we know that all these things are happening.

And most importantly, defined punishments and responses to indicate that the school really does care about preventing these kinds of incidents, because they can be extremely harmful to marginalized students.

Until the district is willing to follow up on these incidents and really do their job in that right this district will never be a safe space for marginalized students.

Thank you.

Thank you Nikhil.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Lonnie Norman.

Lonnie Norman.

Lonnie Norman you may need to press star-6.

Oh I see someone is unmuted.

We can.

Yes.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okii ni taniku.

Nii to otsukoi nukumaki.

Hello my name is Yalaba Flos Tolomen.

My English name is Lonnie Norman Big Spring.

I am a sophomore at Chief Sealth High School.

Today I'll be talking about Billy Frank Jr.

Day.

Billy Frank Jr. is a known activist that fought for us First Nations people to teach the equality of strength and human rights.

Me and alongside other students feel like Billy Frank Jr. is a good representation of strength and equality amongst us Native people and that this day needs to be recognized to teach non-Native students and adults that there are many good accomplishments that our people have gained and are still working on.

I believe that instead of having Columbus being cut to students that there should be a real history changer that should be recognized instead within our Indigenous people.

Our lessons should be taught respectfully towards us Native students and colonization needs to end within our school lessons and switch to being true honest and real.

Thank you.

Thank you Leilani.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Mia Dabney.

Mia Dabney.

Hello are you able to.

Yes.

Are you able to hear me.

We can hear you.

Yes we are.

Great.

Hello.

My name is Mia Dabney.

I'm a junior at Cleveland Cleveland High School and I'm also a member of the NAACP Youth Council.

I'm here to speak on how important it is to incorporate student members on the school board which is named Policy Number 1250. Currently there is a major separation between the school board and students at SPS.

The form of communication and lack of understanding adults have about youth is not helping the students And it is a not comforting it's not a comforting way to have youth grow.

There can't be conversations and decisions about youth without youth present in the conversation.

Let me say that again.

There can't be conversations and decisions about youth without youth present in the conversation.

If decisions about our education are made that impact our future we should be a part of the decision-making process.

I came here to speak because policy number 1250 is a way we can help incorporate student voice into decisions that impact them.

They will be able to be a part of the change we want to see in our education.

Thank you.

Thank you Mia.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Leah Scott.

Leah Scott.

Leah Scott.

Leah if you're on the line you may need to press star-6.

Moving to the next speaker.

Angela Niederberger.

Angela Niederberger.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Is this Leah or Angela.

Angela.

Okay thank you.

Go ahead Angela.

Hi my name is Angela Niederberger.

I'm a senior at West Yale High School and the Vice President of my class.

Today I want to introduce the topic of our class's graduation in June the current plan and how we can improve it.

Our senior class in ASB was crushed to hear that the school board consensus as of right now is for virtual graduation.

Not only does this display any hope of true celebration for our 12 years of hard work time dedication and passion towards our academics but also feels like a personal wound to the class of 2021. After almost an entire year of not being in the classroom with our friends and we're depending on our graduation to be a formal closure of our work in high school.

Our class not only in ASB but in every facet of leadership such as Feminist Club Model UN National Honor Society and more have worked tirelessly to create a welcoming community and environment at the school for years to come.

Our deep sadness at the news of a virtual graduation invalidates our years of work at this school and our love for the community that has in turn provided us with so much.

We want to be proud alum of Westdale High School.

We want to shake our principal's hand as they goodbye to teachers that changed their lives.

Be surrounded six feet apart by our peers who we may be seeing for the last time.

A COVID-friendly in-person graduation is possible and in recent we collaborate as a team dedicated to safely celebrating the next big step for the senior class of 2021. Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones I wanted to let you know that Leah's I just got a message that Leah Scott will not be able to make it.

Thank you President Hampson.

Next on the list is Bianca Carufel.

Bianca Carufel.

Oh can you hear me.

Yes.

Hi can you hear me.

We can hear you Bianca.

Okay.

Hello my name is Bianca Carafel and I am a senior at West Seattle High School and overall Vice President.

As a member of ASB we created a petition in hopes of gaining support from the community to encourage you the board to allow us to hold a COVID-safe in-person graduation.

Within two weeks we have already collected 974 and counting signatures.

We even received 53 comments from the community supporting our wants of having this graduation.

That being said I will be reading a few comments.

From students we heard quote I go to a private school and my school is hosting an outdoor COVID safe graduation.

If my school can do it so can the public schools.

After this hardship year these students these seniors deserve to see each other one last time and celebrate their accomplishments.

Then quote Students are getting everything taken away their senior year.

For a lot of people including me graduation is something I have been working towards for the last 12 years of my life and now that's being taken away.

A graduated senior from 2020 even said Seattle Public Schools could have done more for my graduation so they should do more for this year's seniors.

These kids have been put through enough.

I would also like to emphasize a suggestion left about holding graduation at a larger stadium like Memorial Downtown for more space.

From parents we heard quote this may take time and extra effort to plan but no reason to cancel in February.

This year seniors have had just over 2.5 years of high school.

Let them have this.

Along with quote With proper care graduation outside with masks and distancing is the least we can do for the class of 2021. We know so much more about COVID spread than we did last year and can use the knowledge to plan a safe outdoor graduation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Gavin Mountrey.

Gavin Mountrey.

Gavin Mountrey.

Oh sorry.

Go ahead Gavin.

Sorry about that.

Hi I'm Gavin Mountrey a senior at West Seattle High School.

And just as my fellow peers have spoken on the topic of having a COVID-friendly in-person graduation I too will speak on this topic.

You have all heard and will continue to hear how we as a school district and community have had school itself events sports and extracurriculars in-person all while abiding to CDC guidelines.

But I'm here to speak on the more personal importance and meaning of an in-person graduation to many students and families.

As we all already know graduation has been a rite of passage into the next chapter of our lives.

It's traditional.

Happens year after year.

And when it's time all are excited to experience that day.

But many fail to see and acknowledge the deeper meaning behind the importance of this significant event.

Many students just as myself did not feel we would make it as far as we have nor be alive.

Others have been told they will not live up to be much and don't have the support system to motivate their aspirations.

This is simply two of many examples students go through that force them into tough real-life experiences that minimize their level of importance of all other things including school.

This continues to happen as the pandemic has caused a tremendous amount of students to develop depression anxiety and much more.

So when so when That student finally gets the graduation that is a time of remembrance of all they felt they couldn't do being demolished.

A time of showing appreciation to all that have fought for that student to win against life.

A time of self-gratitude many of us who lack who lack due to our circumstances.

I've only touched the surface of how beneficial and vital it is to the families students and staff to have an in-person graduation.

Keep in mind we as students don't want just any old graduation but rather a safe in-person graduation.

I hope you the board deeply consider having an in-person graduation for it's not a matter of getting entitled unfairness but a reminder of the tremendous all students have overcome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Chris Jackins.

Chris Jackins.

My name is Chris Jackins.

Box 84063 Seattle 98124. On hiring an interim superintendent.

Four points.

Number one the board and the superintendent candidate should do due diligence about each other.

Number two with regard to the board five points.

A the board is selecting a superintendent much more quickly than it is replacing an empty board seat.

B the board is allowing remote learning to violate student privacy.

C.

The board adopted a clean energy resolution while it allows construction projects to remove large numbers of trees and grass playfield areas.

D.

The board is allowing district actions that are disrespectful of the Duwamish Tribe.

E. The board has not reopened the African-American Academy and Indian Heritage High School.

Point number three with regard to the superintendent candidate.

Two points.

A.

The candidate was previously the district's Executive Director of Human Resources.

At that time it appeared that the board felt that it had not been kept in the loop about a contract.

B a candidate previously led the district's African-American male advisory committee.

It appeared that the committee missed deadlines for publishing its recommendations.

Point number four without due diligence to address these issues it would be better to not proceed with the hiring.

On Billy Frank Jr.

Salmon Celebration Day district policy supports treaty rights and benefits for the Duwamish Tribe.

The board consulted a number of tribes on this action but not the Duwamish Tribe.

On the $3 million Cleveland Forest easement the district should not be selling off long-term assets.

Also best of luck on safe in-person graduations.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Sarah Sense-Wilson.

Sarah Sense-Wilson.

Thank you Lisa Rivera-Smith and Zachary DeWolf for your communication and enthusiastic work with UNEA to co-create a Billy Frank Junior Day resolution.

An annual recognition of Billy Frank Junior Day is important to not only our Clear Sky cohort of tribal civic leaders but to our entire Seattle Public School student population both Native and non-Native.

In addition to STI curriculum the Salmon Defense has curriculum specific to Billy Frank Junior Day.

I encourage educators to access these resources.

I share concerns about SPS bypassing community engagement with the appointment of an interim superintendent.

While the selected interim superintendent is qualified bypassing community input sets bad precedents and Do not forego a procedure designed to support community confidence and leadership.

We want the interim superintendent to address our concerns regarding Licton Springs and the dismantling of the Native Focus.

The leadership erroneously proclaims they are aligning with the district's strategic plan.

Does the strategic plan call for accelerating inequities for Black and Brown students.

If Licton Springs is aligning with the strategic plan how can the leadership justify rejecting culturally responsive resources and supports such as traditional foods medicine supplies winter coats and other assistance for Indigenous students and families.

I was not aware that Licton Springs was flush in financial wealth to afford denying resources to assist with improving conditions for students.

The district's ongoing harmful practice of blocking cultural enrichment opportunities are a continuation of dirty district politics.

Efforts to achieve equity requires a district to retire political gatekeeping practices.

Personal ego over student needs results in continued failure not just for Indian ed but for all students.

Any semblance of equity in education will only be achieved when institutions develop an ethos grounded in authentic community engagement and where Families youth and elders are treated as valued partners and included in all levels of decision making.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Miss Wilson-Jones.

Next is Kayla Harstad.

Kayla Harstad.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Hello.

We can hear you Kayla.

Hi I'm Kayla Harstad.

I'm Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Assiniboine Sioux and I'm a junior at Ingram and I'm here to advocate for Seattle Public Schools to designate March 9th as Billy Frank Jr.

Day.

The Billy Frank Jr.

Day resolution which was crafted by UNEA Youth and Leadership calls for supporting the designation of March 9th as a day of remembrance celebration and recognition in honor of life legacy and achievements of Billy Frank Jr.

This day needs to be celebrated because when we do hear about Indigenous people's discussions going on throughout the classroom it's in the context of history trauma and oppression that Indigenous people have endured and survived.

We need to hear more than that and we want to celebrate the triumph that we face through the achievements of Billy Frank Jr. and his actions that still live on today.

With the designated day of March 9th as Billy Frank Jr.

Day the hope is to learn about Indigenous heroes of both now and the past whose work and wisdom can act as inspiration for Indigenous students and all students.

It is important for us Indigenous students to have a person who is represented annually and we should be able to celebrate someone whose representation of our own culture who shows many attributes to what a hero is today.

Not only will this day be important for us but it's important for other communities to learn about Billy Frank Jr. and his achievements as well.

We need to recognize Billy Frank Junior Day every March 9th as the Seattle Public Schools students and staff to learn and celebrate.

With Seattle Public Schools commitment to equality and inclusion by formally adopting by March 9th as Billy Frank Junior Day we will bring this step to inclusion that we need to have.

I urge the Seattle Public School Board to support our effort in designating March 9th as Billy Frank Junior Day.

It is more important now than ever to Seattle Public Schools to celebrate the First People of this land.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Ella Richardson.

Hello.

Can you guys hear me.

Yes.

Okay.

My name is Ella Richardson and I am the ASB President at West Seattle High School.

We are nearing the anniversary of a year of darkness.

We have all fumbled through this past year guided by the light of hope and the belief that it will get better.

For a lot of us seniors getting to walk across that stage at graduation has been a big part of our life.

The recent progress we have made in the pandemic bolsters our hope for a non-virtual graduation.

Governor Inslee was quoted in mid-February saying that we are making real progress on the pandemic.

The FDA just announced today that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has met requirements for emergency authorization and J&J has agreed to provide 100 million doses of the vaccine to the U.S. by June.

Furthermore the weekly in-person distribution days held throughout the district and the emergence of outdoor and indoor contact sports shows us that we are capable of adapting our events to conform to COVID-19 protocols.

Making it clear that some sort of in-person graduation is possible.

The light marking the end of this darkness is burning brighter.

None of us the board included are capable of foreseeing what June will look like.

But we are standing here today asking you to hold on to hope.

To ask what if.

What if conditions by June don't worsen like we all fear but instead improve.

What if we listen to our activities coordinators ideas for modified in-person graduations and put our energy towards a non-virtual event.

Would you be showing us your students and parents that our life matters and is important.

You'd be giving us the ability to look at June with excitement rather than with disappointment at what could have been.

Please plan a modified COVID in COVID safe in-person graduation for the class of 2021. Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next is Giselle Jenkins.

Giselle Jenkins.

Hello.

Go ahead Giselle.

Okay.

Hi I'm Giselle a sophomore from Ingram High School and a descendant from the Aleut tribe.

In support of Billy Frank Junior Day I will now read the part of UNEA's Billy Frank Jr.

Day resolution.

A resolution supporting the designation of March 9th as a day of remembrance celebration and recognition of in honor of the life legacy and achievements of Billy Frank Jr. the Squali Nation and whereas we the members of UNEA Clear Sky and Native Warrior Athletics do hereby establish and submit the following resolution and whereas Billy Frank Jr.' 's Remarkable leadership tireless efforts and dedication to upholding treaty rights led to historic bold decision legal victory affirming that the United States would honor the promise made in 1854 in Medicine Creek Treaty and whereas Billy Frank Jr. was arrested at the age of 14 for fishing salmon in the Nisqually River and subsequently arrested and cited more than 50 times throughout the fishing war era for exercising his treaty rights protected right to fish for salmon in the usual accustomated places.

And whereas in 1940, 1974, George Bolt reaffirmed the rights of Washington treaty sanitary tribes to take up to one half of the harvest salmon in the Western Washington and establish tribes as co-managers of the salmon resources and habitat.

And now, therefore, be it resolved that UNEA NWA and Clear Sky members will educate advocate and inform allies and Native communities about the significant critical role of Billy Frank Jr. in protecting preserving restoring and revitalizing salmon in our natural environment and waterways and be it further resolved that UNEA NWA and Clear Sky members recognize that Billy Frank Jr.' 's legacy and life serves as a guiding light for cross-culture bipartisan leadership through collaboration consultation and bridge building to ensure protection of natural environment stamina and cultural lifeways.

Be it further resolved that UNEA NWA and Clear Sky members stand and remember and acknowledge Billy Fink Jr. for sacrifices and lifelong steadfast committed to protect practice and enforce treaty rights tribal sovereignty and self-determination of all tribal people communities and be it finally resolved that UNEA NWA and Clear Sky members observe and acknowledge March 9th as a day of celebration remembrance recognition of Billy Frank Jr.' 's life work and legacy.

I demand that SPS not only designates March 9th of 2021 to celebrate Billy Frank Jr.

Day but every March 9th of all upcoming years.

Thank you.

Thank you Giselle.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Sabrina Burr.

Sabrina Burr.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can.

Culture is often vibrant loud and sometimes quiet and subtle.

But you know it when you see it because it has color.

Dr. Mona Lake-Jones The Color of Culture 1993. This powerful quote comes from an incredible woman who birthed and raised Brent Jones.

This degree of separation I just realized this weekend in a book dedicated to him and his late sister Dana.

But you can this same quote can be stated about the color of racism.

Vibrant and loud and sometimes quiet and subtle.

That is what I witnessed Dr. Brent Jones experience under the leadership of Superintendent Denise Juneau and also with school board directors Harrison Rivera-Smith.

It is the school board's primary responsibility to ensure that the district has a leader that uplifts this district those it employs as well as the students families and communities that it serves.

The fact that he's willing to come back and lead speaks a lot of his character and those that he comes from.

The walls this district put up around him he turned sideways and built bridges.

Something that I witnessed him doing in his past employment and that he will do in his future leadership.

You can use the excuse for the lack of community engagement to quiet and make subtle racism to hide behind.

But let us speak the truth loud and proud.

There is no other candidate more qualified to turn the many walls built within Seattle Public Schools into bridges of collaboration continuity understanding meeting our goals and honoring all that we serve.

So please let him be the build bridge the build the bridge builder to the next permanent superintendent that will be selected through robust intentional engagement giving all stakeholders a choice and a voice.

Let us hire Brent to help us be in action what we say in writing.

I do not know any other better bridge builder that we need and deserve for this appointment.

Please vote yes.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Gia Tran.

Gia Tran.

Hi everyone.

Thank you so much for your words.

I will be speaking about adopting SPS adopting March 9th as Billy Frank Junior Day.

I'm a Clear Sky intern and a first-generation Southeast Asian-American.

So Billy Frank is a Nisqually tribal member and fishing and human rights activist.

He's done much for the community in terms of environmental converse conservation protecting the salmon managing and restoring waterways.

This is all very relevant and local here to Washington.

It is really important for students of color to be able to have heroes in which we can look up to and have a connection with with Native Native heroes and sheroes being uplifted.

We would hope that SPS would make March 9th an annual celebration every March 9th continuing from here on after 2021. It is a deep pledge to uplift and represent and represent Native activists and heroes.

There's a Billy Frank Junior Day petition on change.org.

It is change.org slash Billy Frank Junior Day.

We have 345 signatures so far.

So we're making really good progress.

And I hope that we can continue to see this movement continue on.

Thank you.

Thank you Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Anya Sousa-Ponce.

Anya Sousa-Ponce.

Hi.

I'm a freshman at Ballard High School and I'm a member of the NAACP Youth Council.

I'm here to speak on policy 1250 a youth representation on the school board.

Our current system doesn't represent us especially as youth of color no matter how well-intentioned it is.

Right now if there's a problem with racist leadership for example at a school our concerns as students have to go through so many layers.

To the teacher then to the principal then the chief of school.

If we file a formal complaint with the Office of Student Civil Rights it has to go through Human Resources then the Director of Employee and Association Relations then the Chief of Human Resources in order to finally get to the superintendent.

That might be appropriate for a single complaint.

But when there's an entire systemic failure that we students are aware of but which aren't getting discussed at a level where policy can be made then our voice is entirely missing from the conversation.

When you have engaged students serving on the school board you give the rest of the school board and the superintendent a direct line to the experience of being a student in Seattle Public School System and that's how you make positive change.

By bringing together the people who need the change and the people who can make it happen especially when students of color have historically receive so much less protection and focus than their White peers.

Thank you.

Thank you Anya.

Next is.

Next is Sean Alice Hubbard.

Sean Alice Hubbard.

My name is Sean Hubbard.

My family is made up of alums and neighbors of Northgate Elementary School.

We argue that Northgate School should be saved but we have no argument with honoring James Baldwin in the renaming.

What we protest is the process.

By using Mr. Baldwin's name you espouse his principles of equality and justice.

However the process by which the schools has forced this new building onto the community has been less than equal and just.

From the restricted design process to now the renaming The underrepresented voices of the neighbors neighbors themselves have either not been invited nor paid heed.

Our neighborhood is giving up a lot.

Loss of the communal play field loss of views and quiet and easy streets and the demolition of an historical building.

The district justifies this by labeling Northgate School with a negative image.

This is not the fault of the building nor the neighborhood.

The school was once new and proud.

We neighbors and alums are sad and angered that the district stopped loving this school and its playfield.

And now the district finds it easier to demolish the building and construct on top of our only green space to erase the neglect of their own making.

If you truly want to honor the legacy of James Baldwin mind his quote.

One goes to the unprotected and listens to their testimony.

In the push to build something new the district would not listen.

They not only circumvented the neighbors but neglected to include the original neighbors the Duwamish people.

In order to assure the Duwamish that their cultural resources are valued the district should conduct a soil profile on the Northgate school site before the bulldozers descend.

This is the recommendation of the hearing examiner and it's the least you can do.

Please review your own resolution 2016-17-1.

I ask the district to walk the talk of their belief in community engagement and listen to the community of neighbors early on in the game.

Anyone would prefer a seat at the table rather than be faced with trying to stop a wrecking ball.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Brooke Stromme.

Brooke Stromme.

Hello my name is Brooke Stromme support staff to UNEA.

First off I would like to express my support for UNEA's call for the Seattle School Board to officially recognize March 9th as Billy Frank Junior Day on an annual basis.

I urge the board to commit to recognizing this holiday on an annual basis not just in 2021. Next the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact the Native community.

We conducted a survey amongst the families we serve throughout December and January.

I will share with you some of our findings in hopes that you take action towards supporting these families.

These are the most common challenges that families reported they are currently experiencing with SPS.

Not enough direct outreach to families by Indian Ed.

Lack of advocacy by Indian Ed.

Students IEP's not being followed.

Not enough individualized support for students.

Laptops provided not working properly.

Not getting necessary assistance with Wi-Fi.

Teachers not having systems in place to notice when students are disengaged.

And weekend food packs are by pickup only limiting access for those without transportation.

In regards to what support slash services are most critical for them at this time these are the most common responses.

Assistance with food and basic necessities.

Mental health resources and support.

Educational advocates.

Assistance with bills.

Technology support.

Better Internet connection.

Tutoring opportunities.

Community engagement and transportation.

We urge Indian Ed and Seattle School Board to find ways to respond to these needs.

We also call on Indian Ed and SPS to increase communication and the sharing of resources and information between families UNEA and other organizations currently serving Native youth and families in Seattle.

SPS students and families are losing out on valuable resources such as winter coats food deliveries academic support cultural learning activities and community gatherings slash virtual events specifically for our urban Native community.

Research supports the importance of educational institutions bridging community resources and linking disadvantaged and underserved populations with culturally responsive support services.

It is critical more so now than ever for families to have access to all resources available to them.

Thank you for your time.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Florence K. Fidler.

Florence K. Fidler.

You can hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

So I called to talk about equity in education.

Equity in education is supposed to mean equal access.

That doesn't mean equal standing.

That doesn't mean you get a banana I get a banana.

It means people get what they need to get to have equal access to education.

The school board is elected by regions and none of those regions really reflect who I or my family are.

The Native community doesn't have a set neighborhood that is predominantly Native.

And so while there are Natives on the school board they are they are elected by their neighborhood their community not by the Native community.

The parent committee is not a parent committee for the Indian ed program is not really representative of the greater Native community because it's limited to only parents of 506 students and a lot of our Native students don't have a 506 form for a number of reasons.

So the people on the board who happen to be Native are not our representatives because they are assigned to us not selected.

They are not elected by our community.

So we shouldn't be told we have to go through them.

They are not our representatives.

They're not attributable to us.

They don't do community engagement like they do community engagement with their neighborhood that elected them.

But none of you are doing community engagement with the Native community.

None of you are doing you know like meetings like this Zoom meetings call-in meetings.

There is not a community engagement process for the Native community although it's been promised every year for like 35 years that the school board was going to find a way to do that.

Are you done with that bell.

Is the bell done now.

And so what I'd like to ask for is for the school board to come up with some ideas to provide truly equal access to education and truly equal access to the gatekeepers for that education.

Thank you Kaye.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Anne Goodchild.

Anne Goodchild.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can.

Great thank you.

My name is Anne Goodchild.

I'm a parent of two Seattle Public High School students and I'm frustrated and dismayed by the lack of urgency and commitment you've demonstrated to getting all kids back in the classroom.

Our children need safe in-person instruction.

You must know that school closures are having a devastating effect on students' learning mental health physical health and social and emotional well-being.

You must know that distance learning is not an adequate substitute for live in-person instruction.

You must know that school closures are disproportionately impacting historically marginalized children.

You must know that schools can be safely reopened with measures in place to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Children in private schools and in other districts and in other countries have returned to the classroom.

Every day that you prolong entirely or largely entirely remote learning exacerbates inequities and leaves Seattle's public school children behind.

In 12 months of remote learning my children have never been asked for their feedback.

I've tried repeatedly and in many ways to share our experience and in fact I emailed every one of the members of the school board on the 26th of January and have not received a single response.

I have also emailed the superintendent.

It leaves me with a sense that you do not want to hear And your comments about the success of distance learning feel disingenuous.

It is unjust to continue to deny in-person educational opportunities to our students and your delay exacerbates the mental health crisis and pushes your students farther from educational justice.

I beg of you to put your students first.

for the SEA the district and the school board to put aside their differences to refocus on our students and urgently address the return of students to the classroom.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Miss Wilson-Jones.

Next is Angela Herndon.

Angela Herndon.

Angela Herndon.

You may need to press star-6 if you're on the line.

Angela Herndon.

One more time.

You'll need to press star-6 if you're on the line Angela.

I see someone just joined.

Is that Angela by any chance.

It is.

Technical issues.

Hello.

Go ahead Angela.

I see the agenda for the special school board meeting tomorrow includes amending the reopening plan and many hope that this plan includes the other 11 grades not already offered an in-person option in the current plan.

I know that the OSPI may withhold federal COVID relief money for districts without a reopening plan through a minimum of grade 5. I know that for many in the SPS community bringing back through grade 5 won't be enough.

Virtual learning was meant to be temporary until it was safe enough to go back in person.

The problem is who decides when and what is safe enough.

The community is just asking for a plan that looks at the guidance given by local and federal officials.

I think we were all relieved on December 16th when Inslee released a new Washington Department of Health metric for opening schools but SPS has only planned for pre-K through 1st even though most of our neighboring districts are planning for phasing in upper grades.

We just don't understand how our district can be so different from the hundreds and hundreds of other districts around the country and even locally that are open or planning to reopen for all grades.

In response to the fear and uncertainty about schools, Biden's CDC created new guidance with the blessing of the National Teachers Union.

Many critics said the CDC was too restrictive and that some schools who are already in person wouldn't even qualify.

Here in Seattle our COVID rates are among the lowest in major cities and in the state of Washington we're close to the bottom of the 50 states.

King County is in CDC reopening level orange hybrid for K-12 with mitigations all of which it appears you've actually planned for.

We're nearly in the yellow category full-time in-person with K-12 with physical distancing to the greatest extent possible.

So not necessarily 6 feet.

We're close to that level.

If state and federal guidelines Recommend our school buildings open.

Please follow the guidance of experts.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Our 20th and final speaker today is Amaya Huregue.

Huregue.

Amaya Huregue.

Yeah.

Apologies for the timer.

Go ahead Amaya.

My name is Amaya Jauregui and I'm a 5th grade dual language program student at Concord Elementary.

Concord Elementary is like my second home because there are many friends and teachers that are loving to me.

I'm here to talk to you about the technology problems we have been facing in our classroom and to represent my class after we have decided this is the best topic to discuss.

First there has been many problems with the hotspots and computers.

A few of the hotspots don't work and the computer will sometimes malfunction causing the computers to not let my friends in class.

This means students can't learn and they miss out on their education through no fault of their own.

There have been a few students who have not been able to use their charger because they won't charge the computer.

For example for the first couple of months my computer wouldn't work.

The charger wouldn't charge my computer and I couldn't use it.

I was very lucky that my mom let me use her computer.

That didn't mean there are no problems though.

One of the problems was that I couldn't unmute.

It was really frustrating for me.

That meant I couldn't participate in class when I really wanted to.

I had to put my ideas in the chat.

Everyone had already put their comments in the chat so often my ideas would be missed.

I love going to school so going through those problems made me frustrated and upset even though me and my mom tried to fix my microphone every day.

Problems like this happen all the time every day not only in Concord but in schools all over Seattle.

I'm here to ask you to help us ensure that we have the right technology.

Then all the students can focus and participate in learning.

For example helping us fix all the glitches in teams that cause disruptions and frustrations.

This is important to address because it has been taking over half of the academic year.

Students and teachers are struggling so there needs to be change.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Amaya you're amazing.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

That was our 20th speaker for today.

Don't.

Oh great.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Okay that concludes our public testimony for the meeting.

We will now move oops.

Oh I did that incorrectly.

Okay we will we have now come to the board committee report section of the agenda.

We will hear briefly now from the chairs of each of the board's four committees.

The chairs will also lead off the discussion for each of our action and introduction items later in the agenda.

So comments for those items can be made at that time.

We'll also return to general board comments at the end of the agenda.

We'll go first to Audit and Finance Committee Director Hersey.

I don't know if you've met since that time.

We have not but there are some general updates that I can provide really quickly.

Our next Audit and Finance quarterly meeting is going to be on March 2nd.

We will also I'm very proud to announce be interviewing 3 candidates to serve in 2 public advisory roles for the A&F committee.

This work was started by Director Hampson last year and I'm really happy to continue it on and to have a couple of folks join us and bring their expertise to the committee.

We also have a budget work session next week on March 3rd.

So it's going to be a pretty busy week for Audit and Finance.

I know folks have been tracking very closely the developments as we look for solutions.

at our loom for our looming budget crisis as we continue to negotiate a return to school.

There are many other factors.

And so for all those who are listening and who are interested in listening in and being a part of those conversations as much as the public is allowed to be we would love to have you join us on March 3rd for our budget work session.

That's all we've got at this time.

Thank you very much.

Thank you Director Hersey.

And then that takes us to the Operations Committee.

Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

Just as an update between our Operations Committee meeting and our last regular board meeting we did not have an Operations Committee meeting and I did give our update at the last meeting and actually all of the items are on our agenda today so I won't give an update but our next meeting is scheduled for March.

Sorry about the delay.

March 11th.

So we'll see folks there.

Thank you.

Student Services Curriculum and Instruction Director Rankin.

Thank you.

Yeah we also have not had our monthly meeting since the last school board meeting.

Our next meeting of the Student Services Curriculum and Instruction Committee is on March 16th.

And at that meeting we will have One item of particular interest I'll just note is an update with a new and more detailed timeline on the restraint and isolation policy including some more discussion about a forum that I hope a lot of members of public will want to attend to learn about the work that will be coming up later this spring.

And also just to highlight for folks also on March 3rd we have two work sessions.

One is the budget work session that Director Hersey mentioned and the other will be a work session on Social Studies Ethnic Studies Black Studies American Indian Studies.

How those items intersect and relate and how are they how they are different.

And just talking about how we are moving forward in that work and in yeah just an update on that.

So anyone interested in Ethics Studies and those other areas that have been a focus of of attention please join us to listen in on that work session and find out what it is what is happening currently in the district.

Thank you.

And then also the Executive Committee which I chair has not met since our last meeting.

We meet again on March 17th.

And I don't have our final agenda for that meeting yet but do note that for the for consideration of any items that are going to be scheduled to come forward into these board meetings are scheduled via the Executive Committee meeting.

And so if you're looking for what's coming up that is the the meeting to listen to or the agenda to watch because that is where we discuss those things and also encourage fellow board members to let me know about any updates so that we can start to get things in in a more timely basis and not leave our staff having to rush on so many things.

Let's see.

So now we go to our action items.

We will move now to Action Item Number 1. Hiring of Dr. Brent C. Jones as Interim Superintendent and approval of Interim Superintendent's Employment Agreement.

May I have a motion for this item.

It will be a distinct honor.

I move that the school board hire Dr. Brent C. Jones as Interim Superintendent with an official start date of July 1st 2021. based on the terms of the Interim Superintendent's Employment Agreement for Dr. Jones as attached to this Board Action Report and authorize Board President Chandra Hampson to take the necessary steps to sign and implement the agreement.

This item has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

And as I have introduced this item on two occasions before in bringing Dr. Jones's initial consideration to interagent negotiations to a prospective contract and then where I spoke at length about his qualifications and candidacy.

And then I was also proud to bring forward what I think is a is this contract at our last board meeting on an introductory basis.

So there's there's been quite a bit of time in between each of those those segments for consideration and questions to be brought up and thus far have been incredibly heartened at the positive response that that we've received from community members and family both families and staff that are excited to see Dr. Jones come forward to take on this role in this critical critical time.

But rather than speak more on that I'm going to let my Vice President Director Hersey take the take the gavel right now and introduce this a little bit further before we turn it over to directors for for some questions and comments.

Thank you very much.

And rather than going into the almost immeasurable list of qualifications and accolades that Dr. Jones potentially brings to the district.

What I would really like to focus on is some of the information and conversations last night that we had at our District 7 meeting where the Seattle Council PTSA in partnership with many parents across the southeast part of the city were able to collect over 600 survey responses around families of color and how they are feeling about returning to school.

And some of the things that I took away from that space in learning about the responses to that survey were the needs of our families.

And the needs of our families are really focused on how are we going to safely get our students back.

How are we and when we say safely we're not just talking in means of COVID but also safety against the violence that happens to our students on a regular basis.

But how do we not only do that but also hold the duality for so many of our African-American and Black families that there are folks in our system who desperately are yearning for our supports especially those who have children in special education environments who we need to be supporting in buildings.

But there are also.

of folks in our system Black folks and Black families that have children who are thriving for for this moment that they are at home and accessing their learning differently but who still need supports from our system right.

And so being able to understand and really come from a place of not only living and experiencing that duality As we think about how that context needs to be placed against our system as a whole being able to thread the needle in more than one way we are heading and are currently living in very complex times.

We are living in times where we are up against a moving target which seems like almost on a daily basis as we learn more about this pandemic and the effects that it's had on our system.

So as we move forward looking for a leader who not only has an intimate understanding of our system but shares the lived experiences of the very people we are trying to reach most.

This as we have seen based on our community response is considered by and large a win for so many families in our system.

who have been looking and yearning for authentic representation for a long time.

And as I said before I could not be happier that we are at this moment and I am really hopeful that we will be able to adequately seize this opportunity.

So with that we're going to be moving into questions from our fellow directors.

We're going to go in alphabetical order starting at the bottom.

So we will begin with Director Lisa Rivera-Smith.

Thank you.

Thank you for those words Director Hersey.

I'm definitely I'm you know I'm happy that we're getting to the point where we're come today to have this final vote.

I is Dr. Jones here I believe.

Or member Rivera-Smith I am here.

Oh awesome.

Thank you.

Good to see you.

I yeah I'm glad that I was really happy to hear about the engagement last night from Director Hersey because that is what we want to be we really need to focus on and that probably right there that's one of our biggest obstacles right now is having that engagement with our families to know what their needs are and how we can move forward in that way.

Can I ask you what do you see as the most immediate thing you want to tackle and and face or as we as you when you start.

I mean there's so many.

I hate to ask you that question but just thinking about this because I'm trying to get an idea of what your priorities are with becoming a district.

Can I find can I hear what a few of those are.

Sure.

And one of the hallmarks of my my leadership will be that we engage with families and students staff board members and we co-create what some of those items are.

We will be very deliberate in how we assess what the needs are of families.

And so some of the basic things off the top that we were all faced with is really this concept of bringing maybe even take a page out of President Biden's book bringing us back better.

We want to make sure that we center equity in how we return to school.

We want to make sure that we have the basic services digital access all the food scarcity items that we've been looking for.

Really just focusing on the needs of parents students and making sure that our educators have what they need to continue their wonderful pedagogy in the classrooms.

And so it's a gamut of things that we need but we'll co-create and we'll define that together.

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing that because it's no small feat which you're willing to take on.

So I thank you for that bravery and for all of us as we are moving forward here.

You know I I've said before and you know this that I wish we had time to do more engagement on this process.

But I also you know I don't want to be mistaken that I'm I don't want to conflate the two.

My desire for the engagement does not speak towards my recognition of your qualifications as a candidate.

I can be simultaneously.

disappointed in the lack of engagement but also encouraged and recognized your caliber as a candidate.

So I hope that those two aren't conflated but because I do appreciate that you're stepping up here.

And I don't feel that I'm being disingenuous in my positions of both.

So thank you.

I have no further questions or comments.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

Next we'll go to Director Rankin.

Hi.

Hi Dr. Jones.

Thanks for being here.

I'm going to be as brief as I can and and just say that I gratefully support this item.

The idea that someone who is from Seattle Public Schools and is aware of the context that we are operating in right now with COVID and is still willing to return to lead us at the conclusion of our current superintendent's contract is remarkable.

And in a you know we don't have a pool of people in front of us who are dying to have this spot.

And I feel really fortunate that of the person that we do have to consider that he is as qualified as he as he is.

You know we're not just taking the only option our option our our candidate is a good one.

And we in a time when there are so many things that are uncertain and there is so much tension between various groups and everyone's just at their maybe you can hear it in my voice a little bit of shakiness.

Everyone's at just their limit.

I think the best thing that we can do for our community as a whole right now is something decisive that gives some certainty.

And I think there will be a I know I will breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that we have our next steps in place.

And given that feedback that we've heard has been about you know wishing there were more engagement but nothing that's objectionable to the candidate more about the process.

I think you know I have no no hesitancy in in my support for this item.

All right.

Thank you Director Rankin.

Next we will move to Director Harris.

Thank you Vice President.

I I will be voting no.

It's not a personal vote.

It's an objection to not having community engagement and I would take issue with the concept that this is no one else came forward.

We didn't ask.

All that said I consider Dr. Jones a friend.

I will give him my very best effort and I hope that some of the things excuse me that Dr. Jones will tackle will have the courage to push back on the Biden administration's current edict today or yesterday about testing all of our students this year in pandemics that he will have the courage to push back on the legislature and the governor and even entertain the concept of litigation for special ed funding and for the Transportation STARS program that is about as inequitable for the Seattle Public Schools District as is possible.

McCleary did not did not address our funding.

The prototypical model has never been funded and I hope that his strong and courageous leadership will lead us into a place that we can make that well-known and see if we can get some relief because the way this district is treated by the state is beyond unacceptable.

And again I well appreciate that the vote will be to appoint Dr. Brent Jones is the interim superintendent.

And again I'll give him my very best effort.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Harris.

We will now move to Director Hampson.

The only additional thing I would have to say at this moment is just supreme gratitude to you Dr. Jones for your willingness to consider taking this role.

This is a a heavy lift at a heavy time.

And what I know about you and your leadership and your the person that you are it is not it is not shiny.

It's not ego.

It's not about achievement it's about community it's about relationship and it's about connection and those are the things that we need at this very very critical time.

And I am going to to to breathe a big sigh of relief and and also apology for for bringing you into this this difficult place that we're in.

But I think that I'm looking forward so very much looking forward to The partnerships and relationships that we're all going to build together as board and superintendent and community and staff and more important than anyone and I know from you more than anything that you are interested in putting our students first.

And I'm I just I can't wait to do that work together.

So thank you.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director DeWolf.

Thank you Vice President Hersey.

I I had a really great opportunity to connect and chat with Dr. Brent Jones between introduction and action and had just really meaningful and special conversation.

We focused a lot on community engagement really being accessible to families and a leader when it comes to community engagement.

And so I really am looking forward to this opportunity.

I think we certainly need some some new renewed energy.

And so I'm really looking forward to supporting this.

And it's going to be a long road Dr. Brent Jones.

We've got a lot of work to do.

And I feel very confident from our conversation that you understand that.

You're aware of that.

And so you you understand and recognize your responsibility and are still eager to be here and do this work with with the district and the board.

So I am eager.

and excited for this opportunity to bring you on.

And I'll be voting yes proudly and happily.

And I'll turn it back over to you Vice President Hersey.

All right.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

I believe now we will move to a roll call vote.

Is that correct.

Yes.

Ms. Wilson-Jones will you please call for the vote.

Director Rankin.

Aye.

Director Rivera-Smith aye Director DeWolf aye Director Harris no Director Hersey aye Director Hampson aye this motion was passed by a vote of 5 yes to 1 no.

And now I would like to ask Dr. Jones would you like to say just a few words.

Yeah.

Thank you Board President Hampson.

Board members.

Superintendent Juneau.

You're online.

This is great.

This is fantastic.

We know this is going to be a tremendous endeavor.

I'll be very brief because soon we're going to be working hand-in-hand to meet the outcomes in this Seattle Excellence Strategic Plan.

We're going to take the necessary actions steps They're going to be that are going to lead to tremendous opportunities for SPS students.

I'm looking forward to having a great relationship with you and achieving some outstanding results.

I'm grateful for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to get started.

So thank you so much and let's get to work.

Okay thank you and please rest up.

Because you're going to need it.

And that brings us to our next item which is the approval of Resolution 2020-21-22 designating March 9th 2021 as a day of observance recognizing and honoring the life and legacy of Billy Frank Jr.

This is coming to us for introduction and action.

I'm going to hand it over to Director DeWolf who has led this effort and he and Director Rivera-Smith and I are all three sponsoring this item and we'll be providing the briefing.

I'm going to start with Director DeWolf and he'll hand it back to me at the appropriate time.

Unless you want me to start Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

I'm just going to set up context.

I'm going to throw it back over to you.

Okay.

And then we can kind of roll through if anybody has any questions.

So I just want to raise my hands up say thank you say hi hi in my traditional Cree language and hands up to our students.

I want I want to just call out Giselle Jenkins Lonnie Norman Kayla Harstad Gia Tran Hunter Sherbeck Sarah Sense Wilson And all of the young leaders from the Clear Sky Youth Council and Urban Native Education Alliance.

Director Rivera-Smith connected with Sarah about a month maybe a little over a month ago about an idea to recognize and observe March 9 as Billy Frank Junior Day.

Billy Frank Junior is an incredibly important local and regional leader and a Native leader.

It's from the Nisqually Nation.

And so it was a really special opportunity.

And so I just want to share my gratitude to the young people from Clear Sky Youth Council UNEA for allowing us the opportunity to collaborate with you on this.

I was really grateful for Giselle for reading the UNEA resolution that was basically the basis for the resolution that you're seeing today.

And as part of the background Direct President Hampson and I are the tribal liaisons for the school board and we were really we wanted to connect with folks from the Squalor Nation Muckleshoot Nation Chippewa Nation and here folks from SPS.

And just to make sure that this is a really robust resolution and so where we landed I'm really proud of.

I hope that it speaks to the community.

And I would just encourage folks to come back each year to observe Billy Frank Jr.

Day on March 9th.

I will turn it over to President Hampson again.

I know that you have some words that you'd like to share as you have a personal connection to Billy Frank Jr.

And then we can do a round of questions from directors before we move to the vote.

And just for clarification this item is for introduction and action.

As one of the small bits of power that the President has she can uplift and bring up bars and resolutions right to the right to the regular board meeting and today is an example of that and so we're really grateful that we found some space on this agenda so we can quickly approve this because March 9th is approaching and the next regular board meeting is not until March 10th.

So this was the the only the only date on the calendar we could get to make sure that we did it before the day as we wanted to encourage our educators and young people to be utilizing this as time and moral curriculum to learn about Billy Frank Jr.

Fish Wars tribal treaty rights and other important issues in Native history here in Washington State.

So I'll turn it back over to President Hampson and then we'll do some questions.

Thank you.

And yeah I want to make sure I want to give some say thank you to the students for bringing this back to us.

It was actually something that Native and American Indian Ed staff and Director DeWolf had actually floated last year.

And just as we were.

Getting ready to work on it we started we ran into issues around the pandemic and so we didn't we didn't make it.

We were shut down by March 12th.

It was an intense time.

So I think if had the students not brought this forward we would have neglected to come back around to to try to get this.

instituted and I and I heard the students talking about wanting to make sure that it is an annual thing and we will look at how it is that we get this established in the calendar for Seattle Public Schools as opposed to the just the resolution.

I will say there's some benefit to doing an annual resolution because it reminds everyone well first of all it gets us gives us a chance to update and correct any inaccuracies or just new information that we have.

So that it continues to be a living community engaged document.

So there's that benefit to having it be an annual resolution.

But I also think it would be I agree it's important that it's it's listed in the calendar.

And I think that most folks listening today staff and community probably don't know anything about Billy Frank Jr. though I grew up always knowing exactly who he was and how important he was to the Pacific Northwest.

native community and particularly to the lifeways that are our salmon and our rivers and our oceans.

And and so but I want to give a shout out to our resident historians and and American Indian Studies staff Shannon Brown and Gail Morris for helping us And also to Valerie Seagrass at Muckleshoot for helping us on on this and trying to make sure that that we struck the right recognition tone.

If nothing else Billy was he was a a sometimes loud and sometimes quiet but but definitely always a humble person in his absolute belief in the salmon and the fish.

and the importance of that as the keystone species in this ecosystem.

And so I'm fortunate enough to have at the time that he passed away somebody very close to me wrote something that I'm going to share with you now that represents very much about who Billy Frank was.

Billy Frank was like spring weather on the Salish Sea.

Now a steady driven wind with rain Now a small tempest.

Now gentle with eyes gleaming like sun off calm waters.

When he shook your hand he grabbed you and made you feel like you were part of something really important.

Somebody he needed to help him.

Right now to win the day for the salmon.

For all the creatures.

For all the people.

For the people.

For all the people.

Billy Frank taught us that the gold in the river was fool's gold.

The real gems were the eggs and the reds.

The true light came in the gleam of the sun off the backs of the smolt running to the sea.

The best reward was the salmon coming home to the people who have cared for them since the beginning.

Billy is now casting his line on the Bank of the Saints and he deserves to be with the best of them.

The guys who stood up at Frank's Landing the stars and the common fishers.

Guys like Joe de la Cruz, Quinault, Marlon Brando, and Dick Gregory heroes like Gandhi Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

He'll be teaching them how to fish.

They'll be listening and he'll be laughing.

God damn it they'll be laughing.

Thank you Billy.

And I'm so grateful to be able to be part of this today.

So with that let's see.

May I have.

Sorry.

President Hampson I wonder if we could start with Director Rivera-Smith too as the third co-sponsor on this.

Yes well I'm did we did the did we actually have the motion made because I was going to ask her to make the motion.

I don't think we made the motion.

So Director Rivera-Smith can you go ahead and make the motion.

Of course.

I move that the school board approve board resolution 2020 2020-21-22 designating March 9th 2021 as Billy Frank Jr.

Salmon Celebration Day to honor his life and legacy.

Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

Second.

This motion has been moved by Director Rivera-Smith and seconded by Director DeWolf.

And I will now go to Director Rivera-Smith for this first round of comments and questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes.

Thank you Directors Hampson and DeWolf for your work on this.

It was I was definitely honored when Clear Sky brought this to us and reached out and honored to have sat down and met with them.

It was it was truly inspiring to see their energy their resolution.

Well no pun intended resolution to bring this resolution to SPS.

As student speakers came today to speak on and I'm so proud to hear them.

Kayla she said Billy Frank Jr.' 's work and wisdom can act as an inspiration and not just for Native students but for all our students.

We can all I think we can all benefit to stand from examples as Leilani said that are true honest and real.

So thank you students so much for your work on this to Sarah.

Sense Wilson for guiding them and I'm excited to vote on it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Director Hersey.

I'm just excited to move this forward.

I don't have any questions or comments and could not move quickly enough.

Director Harris.

Thank you Madam President.

I'm delighted excited about this resolution.

And I would suggest that we go a couple of steps further and put in our work plan this next year.

I'd like to see us rename a school for Billy Frank Jr.

I'd like to make it an annual resolution which doesn't obviate the fact that we can update it and celebrate it prior to that time in February of years future.

We have schools named after extraordinarily racist individuals from history.

And I can think of a couple of schools that might want to be renamed in honor of this gentleman.

And I would suggest as well that because of the efforts of Billy Frank Jr. and the Native communities and Federal Judge George Bolt we would not have salmon at all in the Salish Sea.

If it weren't for the efforts of the Native tribes and communities their hatcheries and their respect for our environment.

And I thank everyone that came forward to put this forth and I'm very pleased to see that there is recognition and collaboration with USA and the students it serves.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Thank you.

Just a huge thanks to to everyone who worked on this and brought this forward especially students.

And Director Harris I have the exact the same thought.

Seems this seems like an appropriate an appropriate person to honor and recognize and put that on the list of potential potential name changes.

Billy Frank Jr. would be great.

And I also just thank you to President Hampson for the sharing the beautiful words that you that you read.

Yeah.

Nothing but support.

Thank you.

And also I want to make sure that we lift up our hands to Willie Frank Jr.

Director DeWolf do you want to since you did most of the communication do you want to give that thanks for allowing us.

Thank you so much.

Thank you President Hampson.

Yeah just hands up to and hi hi to Willie Frank Jr.

III who is a Nisqually Councilperson but also is part of Billy Frank Jr.' 's family so it was really special to be able to connect with Willie.

And he gave his approval for for this and and actually as a small small bit of behind-the-scenes news as again as part of my as part of the role with Tribal Nations Liaison and building relationships with the Tribal Nations here in Washington State I did have a conversation with Willie and he was very comfortable and did approve of a future opportunity where we did want to rename a school in honor of Billy Frank Jr.

For for that small small bit they've given the thumbs up and I think it just behooves us to engage in those conversations.

And just as a small preview Director Rankin and I are already working on a resolution.

Probably won't come out for a little while just because of all the stuff we have to work on but to do a to do a formal auditing process of all the names of the schools in our district and identify schools that need to be renamed.

So that's coming in a little bit but just as a preview.

And again I just want to lift up the young people that did did so much work on this but also showed up today to speak in front of you to speak and you know on SPS-TV and how scary and nerve-wracking that can be.

I'm really proud of them for coming and speaking truth and working so passionately to get this resolution passed and so I just want to raise my hands up to them and thank them again for this opportunity to collaborate with them.

Okay.

Ms. Wilson-Jones the roll call please.

And President Hampson I apologize.

I did not catch who the second was on this.

Do you recall.

Director DeWolf.

Thank you.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

And apologies I went out of order on the actions so that was I contributed to the confusion.

No problem.

So calling the roll then.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Aye.

Director DeWolf proudly aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye Director Rankin aye and Director Hampson aye.

This motion has passed unanimously.

Thank you and congratulations and thank you Pįnagigi again to the youth for keeping us on our toes and thank you to staff for allowing us to move this through as quickly as we did because it was a huge lift to get it through on that short of a timeline.

President Hampson if I could also just make a small request too.

I wonder if we could once we get the resolution kind of all completed and it's all it's a cleaned up version and it's signed.

I wonder if we can just make sure to send an official copy to our to the young people of Clear Sky Youth Council and Urban Native Education Alliance.

Absolutely.

I hope staff will help me with that.

I know we have plans for some communication press about that as well.

So we will add that to that.

Okay.

We will now move to Introduction Item Number 1. Motion to adopt Board Policy 1250. School Board Student Members and Amend Board Policy Number 1240 Committees.

This came through the exec committee on February 10th for approval.

Directors DeWolf and Hersey are sponsoring this item and will be providing the briefing.

Over to you.

You're on mute.

Are you on mute.

Oh yeah go ahead.

Thank you President Hampson.

Yeah so I just.

You know I want to just again today it feels very at least in these last couple of items just really student-centered and I really just feel so proud about that both with the hiring of interim superintendent.

Also you know centering our youth in our Billy Frank Jr.

Day resolution.

And also this which is the culmination of many months of work between myself Director Hersey senior legal counsel Roma Boy and most especially young folks from the NAACP Youth Coalition and I just I'm so honored and grateful and really proud to have spent the last few months working diligently with these young folks on the student school board student members.

This is a this is a brand new policy and I just am so proud of their work to both do the research do the community organizing do the advocacy meet with school board directors.

They we met pretty regularly with our Senior Legal Counsel Ronald Boy and Director Hersey Senior Vice President Hersey and so what you see here is a product of those those few months those months of work and I'm really proud to bring this forward.

As you heard on the call today a public comment our young people need a voice in our work.

I think that there's a phrase we often use in the queer movement which is nothing about us without us.

And so I really really heard that call and I'm really excited to to welcome student school board student members.

And so I'll let Vice President Hersey share more too and some more background and then really would be happy to answer any questions.

And I know Senior Lead Counsel Ronald Boy is also here to answer questions from directors.

Thank you President DeWolf or former President DeWolf oh my gosh.

Thank you Director DeWolf for your leadership on this.

All I can say is this is just a yet another example of the amazing things that are possible when we get out of the way and authentically share power specifically with our youth.

I listen and remember back to you know it's no surprise that this is during Black History Month post-celebrating Black Lives Matter at School Week.

But one of the central demands is student representation of the Black Lives Matter at School Week movement.

And we when we set out to provide this opportunity and work with youth one of the biggest things that we wanted to make sure it was that they were in the driver's seat for this policy from the very beginning.

So the document that you are going to be considering in the next couple of weeks here is really when we say organically grown from the youth they're there this is the prime example of that process.

And I just want to extend.

a huge thank you and to just put as much sunlight as we possibly can on the students who worked with us on this policy just because they did a amazing job in not only thinking through the really tough policy pieces when you're developing a program like this from the ground up but then also being very thoughtful in making sure that they were acting as true representative for all of the students who were not in the room when this policy was being So it was just a joy for me to be a part of and to witness.

And I am incredibly excited about this measure and hope for its expedient passing.

And President Hampson just one more thing to add which is that we are not the first district in the state to do this.

So I think for if anything we we need to do this a lot sooner.

And so I'm grateful that our students brought it to us now and we should have done it sooner because many districts in our state already have this policy on the books.

So thank you.

Okay.

And then that takes us for comments or questions from Director Harris.

I'm in favor of this.

I have some questions about the logistics in terms of how long meetings will last and whether or not our students will receive credit for their work and relief time to participate in Committee meetings that are held during school days et cetera et cetera.

I also want to shout out to teacher John Greenberg who facilitated and arranged a Zoom meeting and PowerPoint with the NAACP Youth Council.

And I have to say it's one of the best run meetings that I think I've ever seen and frankly they make us the school board and the school district look like pikers.

So I'm excited about this new energy.

I'm excited about new ideas.

I'm excited about hearing from students that are living our policies and giving us the unintended consequences in real time.

I appreciate that this has come forward and I thank the folks that sponsored this and guided it and grew it and props.

to all concerned.

Thank you.

Okay.

And then Director Rivera-Smith I know you heard this in Executive Committee.

Do you have additional questions and comments now.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Oh she's must have.

Okay.

She must not be there.

She said she had to leave after the action item.

So that takes us to Director Rankin.

Huge thanks again to those who brought this forward.

As one of our student speakers said during testimony when decisions about students are being made students should be included.

I think this is great and overdue and I'm looking forward to seeing it progress and implemented.

Okay and that just leaves me I guess.

So I think My questions are just follow-up on questions from the Executive Committee session.

I want to note that in addition to the youth who spoke here today we actually had a large number of youth Rena Mateja Walker-Burr Leah Scott who were not and there's probably others that I'm not remembering but that didn't get a chance to speak tonight and I hope we'll hear from them maybe at the next meeting.

But that that came to the committee which is it was a critical point.

on this and and were very eloquent and clear and persuasive in their comments and their questions.

And I couldn't be more thrilled that we've brought this forward.

I know as Director Hersey said you know I remember being in in August I guess when when King County Equity Now had their equity in education rally and there was just a really this clear set of demands provided by the youth at that event and and we were standing there looking through it going oh these are doable and and and also things that I know Director DeWolf had already indicated interest in having student representation on the board and and it's true that it does in Portland and other I believe in Portland other locations they have managed to accomplish this before now and so I'm happy to that we're finally at this at this point.

And then there's just the matter of the logistics.

I want to give gratitude to our board office staff who supported this as well as this also came through pretty quickly and they provided some some input and some critical you know questions.

And so Director DeWolf do you need your question do you need to ask your question now before I ask mine or.

You're muted.

It doesn't have to be now.

I just wanted to invite Ronald Boy either before or after you to just maybe do a quick overview for folks listening on the call of the policy.

Okay.

Yeah.

I'll just tee it up for him probably with this comment and question.

And my concern is really about making sure that there is fiscal preparation and structure and support to make sure that when the students come on They are welcomed and supported because they'll be doing this in concert with their their schoolwork and I think we absolutely want to make sure that any of the ways in which we might feel you know that we need a little more structure and support we want to tee that up for for students.

And so I know there's been some conversation about that and that's kind of my main question is anything that's been updated about that since then as I said I know you've gotten some good feedback from staff and this will take some work for us to get there in terms of work internally not because it's going to be over a long period of time but because we need to make sure that we can actually staff this and support the students in their their participation and do it effectively.

So and then I can hand it over to Ronald Boy and then we come back from that.

Director Rankin I will go to your question.

President Hampson this is Chief Legal Counsel Greg Narver.

I just exchanged texts with Mr. Boyd.

He was having problems logging in.

I've just send him the link so hopefully he'll be on any second now.

But he was having a couple problems accessing the meeting.

Okay.

Let me go to.

Do you want to answer anything on my question or should I go to Director Rankin's question.

He's on now.

Oh okay.

Do you.

Why don't you go ahead and team him up Zachary.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yes.

Thank you President Hampson.

Thank you Ronald for joining us.

Basically we had kind of gone through a round of questions from directors set up the background and really again just grateful for our students and really your work too.

And I was hoping if you could kind of quick give a quick synopsis of the policy at just the high level some of the main points about it.

And if you want to just share any additional background about the process.

Yeah I would be happy to.

Ronald Boy Senior General Counsel.

This policy I was really happy to be involved with.

The students that brought this this work forward were just really amazing to work with and so intelligent and and so often when I work on a policy with anyone a lot of things are forgotten as far as organizational concerns and the students were on top of every little element that needed to be addressed.

So basically with this policy obviously only our elected officials will have voting power as they currently do.

But student school board members will provide a valuable advisory role to the board and be at the table where decisions are being made to provide student voice student opinion elevate concerns that they hear in their school.

And basically the way it will work is we'll start with three students who the board will select as school board members student school board members.

They will serve on the Student Services Curriculum and Instruction Committee.

One will be assigned to operations.

And one will be assigned to budget and finance.

And they will be expected to attend each committee meeting.

Offer you know their input as far as the things that are on committee agenda.

And then the idea is that there will also be a standing agenda agenda item at regular board meetings to provide comment.

So they'll have an opportunity to provide feedback at the regular board meeting as to what occurred at their committee.

What they feel about the matters that are on the board's agenda for that day.

And it's also kind of the idea that we know that board meetings do run very long at times.

So it will provide the opportunity for them to have the opportunity to comment.

And if they need to obviously do homework or whatever else they have going on in their lives they don't necessarily have to stay for the full board meeting but they would be present for all the committee meetings they're assigned to.

And again I think that this is a great opportunity.

I know that in the work that I do it's so valuable to hear from students.

And honestly we so often think that we know what a student would think.

about something but then when we actually talk to a student you know it may be something completely different.

So I just think this is a great opportunity for the board to just have right there at their table that student input.

And I think that if passed this will be a really valuable aspect to the board's work.

Thank you.

And then so my question had been about sort of structure and cost associated with the administration of this and whether if you could speak to any refinement of that.

And I want to make sure I'm also going to just caution that we are we don't get into too much detail on anything that we're only considering the changes associated with student addition to the board in terms of the committee structure.

We're not trying to to open up any other Pandora's boxes on that.

But so any further comments or updates on the kind of the fiscal analysis and the the the structure for what we're going to need to make sure that students are well supported in doing this work.

Yeah at this point obviously this will involve cost.

What I would perceive to happen is that the committee liaisons who manage the agenda and send out agendas and materials to board directors for meetings they would add also the student onto that work and provide the committee information to the students as well.

There will be some additional work on part of the board office as well to get them materials that they need.

Make sure that they're invited to board meetings.

And then I also believe that it's important that we have a staff member who meets with the the students on a weekly or you know bimonthly basis which also entails a cost.

And you know I.

Unfortunately I'm not you know a financial person I am the attorney so I don't know what that exact cost would be.

But I would estimate at this point that it probably would realize an amount between I don't know $5,000 to $10,000 minimum for the bare minimum of these three students to support them.

And if it was integrated into current roles that are currently staffed by the district.

Sorry I was talking on mute.

That's on as an annual cost correct.

Correct.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

I don't have any additional questions.

So let's see.

Did we get through everybody.

I guess I had a.

Oh yeah sorry Director Rankin you had a follow-up question.

Yeah thanks.

I was curious about the procedure part of it and specifically credit or service hour I don't want to call it compensation but that sort of is I guess what's when might we see that and what are there other factors that you need.

I'm totally supportive of that.

I was I was going to ask if that was a possibility and then you know when I read it saw that it was a possibility.

In fact it was in there.

But I'm just wondering what if this if anything else needs to happen to enable that assigning of credit or how that works.

You know it's my understanding that and I think I would let our curriculum instruction experts provide the exact answer in this but both These finders came in to provide credit.

There would need to be a teacher of record assigned in order to do that.

I think that service hours are a likely easier route for this.

But I I also would have to say that because this is very new I believe that at this point our philosophy is that starting with three and really making the next year learning process and developing what the program can be you know through through the process as we work through it.

We'll also be developing procedures as we're working through the process and realizing what we need to do.

And again I think that a lot of this is really going to be led by students.

And I think that this first group of students is really going to have to You know they will make it what it's going to be.

So hopefully if it is passed we can select a great group of kids to really to really kind of develop this with us and make it so that it works for them.

Cool.

Thank you.

I'll just go go on record as saying being in support of credit earning opportunities for this kind of hands-on experience in general.

Especially we have you know some different civics requirements coming up for students and you know participating in this kind of thing with you know there's a structure and guidelines and just a huge educational opportunity.

And you know in addition for obviously benefit for us as a board of having the expertise of students something that I would like this and other similar things just support the possibility of students earning you know being recognized as having taken on a significant amount of learning and expanded their education and recognizing that with credit earning opportunities.

So thanks.

Yeah.

And I think I'll look into that more in the next few weeks prior to action and I can provide an update at the end.

Okay.

Thank you.

That takes us to our that's everybody right.

That takes us to our next action item.

I'm sorry intro item.

Approval of guiding principles for the buildings technology and academics slash athletics BTA This came through Ops on February 4th for recommended for approval.

Director DeWolf is sponsoring this item and will be providing the briefing.

Awesome.

Thank you President Hampson.

I think just for clarity Chief Podesta I'm pretty sure we put this through as consideration so I wonder if you could just kind of check the check the background.

We have it here as.

approval but I thought we did consideration.

So I'll just if somebody could kind of clarify that for me but each each levy cycle one of the important documents we try to produce is a guiding principles document for our capital projects folks to use in community and really to help guide the process for development of the projects prioritization and just as a just as a way to understand kind of the the values and the principles that the board wants to ensure are part of the process.

This I was given the BTA V guiding principles at the end of 2020. The former director who was the Ops Chair within that transition I was able to take on the responsibility of the BTA V guiding principles and we delayed it by just a month.

Because I wanted to do some additional outreach to our partners at SEA the Principal Association of Seattle Schools Seattle Council PTSA and then NAACP Youth Coalition.

And heard back from everyone and I just want to again raise my hands up to all those those folks who supported this effort.

The document that you see here is actually not only created by this board so thank you to the board for participating in that process.

passionately but also to thank you to the community for being part of this process as well.

And just want to name the document that you're seeing today is a real collaboration between all of us.

I really want to make sure it felt like we were all part of this effort.

And I want to just again call out our young people and our students particularly from the NAACP Youth Coalition.

One of the great suggestions they had was to add an additional line under each of the principles called just titled result.

And so each of the guiding principles has background about what the guiding principle is and then a result that basically outlines if we if if we put out this principle what result do we need to see.

And so as you can see in the document there are results under each of the guiding principles and if directors have any feedback on those please let us know between now and action.

And I'll turn it over to President Hampson for questions and comments from directors.

But again just thank you to SEA PASS and NAACP Youth Coalition and Seattle Council PTSA and our board directors for really creating this really rich and meaningful document for our BTA V process.

Okay we'll go to directors for comments and questions and Director Hersey.

No comments or questions for me.

I'm excited to move forward.

Director Harris.

Thank you for this Director DeWolf.

I I'm very pleased to see that we're doing guiding principles much like we did for BEX V that slowed us down some but I think made a very big difference in terms of equity concerns.

Appreciate your hard work.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Just second what Director Harris just said.

Big appreciation to Director DeWolf for taking the time to engage with various stakeholders get their input and also to staff for allowing the breathing space that required was required for that to happen.

And then that goes to me.

So I think thank you Director DeWolf for leading a very inclusive process to get this revised in a shockingly short period of time.

I'm not exactly sure how you got so many people to get to give so much feedback on on a written document because it is always tough.

So just my only question I think is about did this resonate well with staff and getting it back.

Did they see how they can.

you know implement this effectively.

Yeah I will you know anecdotally Richard Best from our capital projects team talks about the immense importance that this document held in the BEX V process.

So they came with a lot of enthusiasm about what this could mean for BTA V process.

And like I said, I asked them for a delay so I could make sure we had the right stakeholders giving input.

And I feel very confident that where we landed, our capital projects team will be able to work with it really well.

And I think one thing I've heard from folks was just as a small example, I know I've already said this before, but just adding in a result, it's kind of this results-based or outcomes-based process and I think that is a real shining moment on this whole document and I hope we get to use that in other documents and I know that our capital projects team will be able to take this and use this in a really productive and effective and constructive way for for BTA V process.

Yeah I appreciate that in particular Eva and that it it starts to drive towards student outcomes focused place which is where we really need to be headed as a board and as a as an institution.

So yeah I don't have any further questions and I know it's it's been a good evolution with all of this this work.

So thank you for continuing to push it forward.

Okay.

We will now move to Introduction Item Number 3. Approval to rename Northgate Elementary to James Baldwin Academy.

This came through Ops on February 4th for consideration.

Chief Operations Officer Fred Podesta I believe you will be briefing us.

Yes thank you President Hampson.

This came to Operations as you said on February 4th and we heard a very impactful presentation from Principal Dede Fauntleroy and family support worker Guillermo Carbajal who have led the efforts and are at this meeting so I may ask them to expand on my comments a little bit.

The there is BEX V project to replace the Northgate building and so principal and staff are seizing on this opportunity to use the renaming of the school to continue to build a community and identity for the school.

As part of our capital projects we engage a school design advisory committee which helps advise the project going forward.

And that committee took note of The resolution the board adopted last June that committed to inclusion for our LGBTQIA plus community and specifically called out naming a school for a member of that community as a as a supportive action and felt that there was a great intersection of their goal for an identity for the school and the board's intent and state as you see in the BAR they filled it honoring James Baldwin in particular.

It is perfect for their community because their community is passionate about literacy literature learning critical debate diplomacy and social justice.

And that they would see that this action would demonstrate a commitment to social justice unconditional love for the school community and speaking truth to power.

And so I will ask Principal Fauntleroy and Guillermo Carvajal if they would like to add any comments since they're here with us tonight and have written the the best BAR I think I've ever had the opportunity to bring to you in terms of just the passion that flows through it.

And I will happily hand it over to our family support worker Guillermo Carvajal because he's the one who wrote it.

I'm just sort of a cut and paste.

So go ahead General this is fantastic work.

Well hi do you guys hear me.

Yes we do.

You guys hear me.

Yeah.

Oh I think I'm on the phone that's why.

Anyway thank you very much for the opportunity to try to make this a more equitable society.

And I know Seattle is in the forefront trying to make things work for everybody.

And the leadership that my principal DeeDee and others have shown in regards to how to make a community better and a hope and dreams and desires is to really excel academically.

And one of the ways you excel academically is by And showing your kids that there are people like them doing phenomenal work, despite whatever struggles and barriers they have.

And I think that James Baldwin is a model citizen for what we believe in, which is truth to power.

Education is foremost.

Understand that this world will always be a struggle.

But as long as we have dreams and visions and desires to succeed we will make it happen.

And I think that our school emphasizes that every single day.

And the composition of a school also dictates that.

And the desires to make this world even better just adds more flavor to it.

So I won't say anymore just the fact that I love the idea of having James Baldwin's name on our school to emphasize education literacy diplomacy civil rights social justice and I can just go on because he was a person of many accomplishments.

So thank you for putting this on the table and let's hope for the best.

Yeah and I would just add that Guillermo has done most of the work for this.

This really shows that you know if you let people If you let your staff work to their strengths they just do amazing things.

And I'm a real believer in blowing up that hierarchy of of you know that that is in schools now that is racist and keeps people back.

So I really appreciate that.

At Northgate we work like a family and nobody's the head really.

We all pull together and use our our myriad of talents.

Yeah, did you want to say something?

May I say one more thing before I go?

Yes, I also want to emphasize, and this is really important to me on a personal level, I am Spanish.

I came here as an immigrant, and I'm very fortunate to have papers and everything to be here.

But I also want to let the communities know, all of the communities that I work in behalf of, that despite the fact that I am Spanish, I care, respect, in hope to support any community in the margins and in our communities and our neighborhoods.

I believe that is an example that even though you're not part of a community You could still step up and work on behalf of those communities.

And I think that's crucial that we all realize that because it's a Black community it's not a Black problem.

It's a Spanish.

It's a white.

It's an Asian.

It's a Native American issue.

And that we always need to step up no matter what.

And I want to be an example and I want the school to be an example of what diversity inclusion is for all communities no matter what gender et cetera.

You can go on and on and on.

But I want to make that very clear that it's very important to me that you don't have to be for one community to support another.

Thank you.

Thanks Garibald.

And I'll add two other things.

One is that I think I hope that you are taking a really good look at what Northgate is doing with this new building.

We are putting equity at the center.

We are making it actionable.

We are talking about our.

I mean just for one example we will have gender neutral restrooms.

We will have a color scheme that is designed around a black woman artist.

Where it's amazing how we've pulled along as we are learning alongside our architects and our construction contractor.

We are.

We're not doing it perfectly but we can start providing a template for how this can be done in every school.

And the second thing I will mention if Director Rankin gives me the space to do so I just I want to acknowledge that for some reason the word academy is a vis has a visceral I don't know what to it.

And we were finding that happened especially for our our white community members.

And we put it there because it sounded cool and that was Guillermo's idea and I thought it was awesome.

But we we dug a little bit deeper after hearing it a couple of times and we asked people to reflect on why this is why this is so why this word is as is problematic.

And people gave us some really good some really good reflections on it.

I really appreciate our white community members who were able to honestly reflect on that.

And honestly we don't want anything to get in the way of the name James Baldwin.

We don't want any kind of icky taste in anybody's mouth around one word.

So we are fine to let it go.

It is not something that was generated.

It was something that was presented to the community as a possibility.

But we are not married to that particular word.

Elementary is just fine.

We want to highlight James Baldwin.

And if that word gets in the way we're letting we're ready to let it go.

Okay.

Thank you so much Principal Fauntleroy and Guillermo Carvajal if I'm saying that correctly.

for being here.

That was inspiring.

And I'm my my spirits are lifted hearing you talk and reading the the BAR.

It's incredible to see you all represented directly in this way in this BAR and I so appreciate it.

So thank you to all of the gatekeepers that stepped away and let this happen from the school communities because it's it's really incredible.

So let's see with that Director DeWolf did you have anything else to add or can I go ahead to other directors for questions.

Just just a couple small points.

One is just thank you so much Guillermo and DeeDee for this.

This is a true example of community just galvanizing around an idea working with it.

And I think not only did you come up with a really great product and a result.

But I know that you you had an opportunity to build community in the process.

And so those are two really wonderful things and I'm so grateful you're a part of Seattle Public Schools.

I think I just want to underline a point that Principal Fonts or I made which is that I would love to hear from directors as we go around.

If people feel comfortable.

Obviously what is presented today was a BAR for being renamed to James Baldwin Academy.

But just let us know if you're comfortable if we revise it to elementary between introduction today and action.

And I just want to do one final point around James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin.

James Arthur Baldwin was an openly queer Black scholar public intellectual and civil rights figure who became one of the country's most sought-after commentators on social politics.

I you know when I heard this this proposal come through from Guillermo and Principal Fauntleroy.

I was so just jazzed and excited because it really spoke to exactly what I was hoping for from our LGBTQI plus resolution from last June.

And so I'm really really really excited to see this through.

And thank you for the opportunity to work with you Guillermo and Principal Fauntleroy on this.

And I'll turn it back to you President Hampson for questions or comments.

Okay.

Director Hersey.

Thank you very much.

Oh let me get my camera.

So James Baldwin is a personal hero of mine and it's a shame that I didn't learn about him until I was in college.

Right.

And so the opportunity that is before us to name a school after one of the most prolific African-American figures our history has to offer is obviously incredibly exciting.

I just want to say thank you to all the work that's gone into this.

I know that this was no small feat.

And what I would really like to see as we move forward is continuing to assess the names of many schools especially here in the South End and in the Central District that need to have new opportunities for folks who we can all be proud of to have their names adorn these buildings.

So my only ask would be at some phase after we take action tonight I would love to meet and talk about the process that y'all went through so that we can replicate that on a larger scale for our other buildings that it's long past time that we get some new names on there.

So again just endless appreciation for all the work that's gone in and I'm excited to move forward.

Thank you.

I'm going to go now to Director Rankin since this is her district.

If you'll give me that Director Harris I'll go to you next.

Director Rankin.

Thanks and thank you to DeeDee and Guillermo for for being here tonight and for being truly just wonderful partners and collaborators and it's been such a pleasure to be a very small part of this important project both in the naming and in the rebuilding.

The way as Principal Deedy said serving as a model that this can serve as a model for how we go about news you know big changes as buildings names all of that with community at the heart.

I know we've heard some some testimony and gotten some e-mails at the board from neighbors who are concerned about loss of playfield space and some other things.

And I'm I'm happy to continue to answer those questions as I can.

I did meet with Chief Podesta and Richard Best to to give reiterate for me the information that I need to answer questions for community.

And you know a big change right in your backyard is is tough for people and a period of construction is is disruptive for various reasons.

I truly believe that what's been designed is so centered on the needs of the students and the neighborhood that I truly believe when all is said and done everyone will be so thrilled.

And so I'm happy to continue conversations with anybody listening who still has questions because you know it's it's this is something I think that the whole community can be just really really proud of.

I have had the pleasure of having my child have soccer practice on that field and it's it's it's You know the new school is going to be built where the field is now.

Sorry Director Rankin.

It's naming.

I'm getting off into a hole.

Yes.

Could you.

Yeah.

Get back to the topic.

If you want to talk about Academy or but otherwise we need to keep moving.

Okay.

No the main thing is what has been so clear through the naming process and the building process is how much student and family voice has been at the center.

And the choosing the name of James Baldwin is really the the pinnacle of that.

That it came with such support from the school community and represents so many things that that the Northgate community wants everyone else wants to to say about themselves and wants everyone else to know about them is so wonderful.

And in terms of elementary versus academy at the at our committee meeting where this came forward I was a White person who had a sort of distasteful response to the word academy and and you know wondered why academy and not elementary.

And we had a good conversation about that and you know I acknowledge that if it's just just me personally it's not something that I'm going to you know draw a line in the sand about.

And then in in sort of individually letting directors know that this was going to come up and how people felt the consensus seemed to be that keeping elementary consistent with the other K-5's in our system was preferable.

So I just appreciate everybody for being part of that process.

And and I'm just really grateful and happy that I just love the Northgate community.

The soon-to-be the Baldwin community.

I'll just end it there.

Okay thank you.

Director Harris.

Thank you Madam President.

First of all props for what Principal Fauntleroy had to say in terms of getting out of staff people's way and letting them rise to shine and the concept of teamwork.

That's my definition of leadership not hierarchical and I so appreciate that.

With the question of academy versus elementary I would like to see us have consistency elementary and middle school K-5 schools etc.

Academy gives me some trigger warnings to corporate deform policies and nomenclature that that frankly distress me greatly.

It's it's like talking about our students as scholars and our schools as campuses and our schools as academies and it it's it it feels like charter school corporate deformed language to me and I'd like to see us keep that consistency and I so so appreciate Principal Fauntleroy giving us space to give that feedback.

Appreciate.

Thank you.

Okay I think that leaves me.

I won't I've already said a couple of things so I would just go straight to the point of whether or not I think Academy is problematic and even though I think it's it's one of those things that I that I do hear that is problematic for folks and and I as as you both stated Didi and Guillermo so well.

We wouldn't want anything to get in the way of that.

And and I do feel like having elementary afterwards better highlights it being about James Baldwin.

I don't have any specific or good rationale for why it's academy.

For me it actually sounds more like I associate it with the military actually.

And so that's the only and that's not necessarily negative it's just a different context is how I think of Academy.

So other than that I'm just so grateful again to this work.

Another good good item in a exciting meeting.

So with that I think we'll get to the next item unless you want to add anything else Director DeWolf.

No just that I would be really grateful for Guillermo and Principal Fauntleroy to join us at our next meeting just as we'll be voting on it next time.

I'd be happy to have him so we can celebrate.

Thanks.

We will be there.

Okay.

We will now move forward to Introduction Item Number 4. Cleveland High School Memorial Forest Conservation Easement Agreement with King County and Memorandum of Understanding with the Cleveland High School Alumni Association.

It came through Ops on February 4th for approval.

Exciting meeting that one.

Okay Chief Podesta I believe you'll be briefing us again.

Yes thank you President Hampson.

Cleveland High School Memorial Forest is 133 acres northeast of Issaquah that was donated to the district by students in 1944. The intent of the donation was to create a perpetual memorial to Cleveland students who had lost their lives in World War II.

In the past couple of years there's been discussions going on and King County approached the district about they have a very ambitious land conservation program and they approached the district with an unsolicited offer to acquire a conservation and trail easement and compensate the district $3.47 million for that easement.

And a conservation easement is an agreement between two parties the grantor and the grantee that limits the ability of the property owner to develop the property.

We have talked about this informally at times and sometimes have used the language that this this would be a sale of property right of development rights.

That's not exactly accurate because What the conservation easement does is it limit anybody's ability to develop the property.

So King County would not be buying rights to develop this property.

We would remain owners of the property.

There would be prohibitions that are consistent with the goal of the donors to the district that this stay in perpetuity of forest and the This transaction is very strongly supported by the Cleveland High School Alumni Association.

Vice President John Barton joined us at the Operations Committee meeting to to speak on his behalf and the Alumni Association really values the certainty that this provides that this will forever remain a forest.

In the the way the transaction is structured we retain the district would retain 10 acres where we would keep our development rights and At the current time those 10 acres there is a memorial there are restrooms there's a small Lyceum a caretaker building and a shed for garden tools.

And the action also calls for a memorandum of understanding with the Alumni Association that we develop a joint working group that we consider earmarking $150,000 of the proceeds of this sale to rebuild that Lyceum to allow some wet weather protection for events at at the site.

It maintains the the annual Memorial Day event which is held there now and just calls for that to continue.

And then also suggested the district conduct a forest management study about the the total acreage.

There is also a trail easement built into this.

One of the reasons this is a really good site for the county's conservation program is our property is surrounded by other open green space.

And so the easement would allow the county to build a trail which design would be need to be approved by the district to allow non-motorized traffic between the various green spaces and through our property to connect that space so people can traverse from one park or through our property to the other.

And so that would conclude my remarks.

Be happy to take any questions.

This seems like if you look up win-win in the dictionary this transaction would be there.

Thank you.

Director DeWolf to you.

Yeah thanks President Hampson.

I guess this feels like an extra operations committee if there's so many of our items today.

Thank you Chief Podesta for the background.

I actually think it's a win-win-win.

I think just to clarify this is a win for our alumni.

They get you know the space will be maintained as a memorial for our high school students from World War II.

The county gets to continue their commitment to their climate goals.

You know trees are a really important and critical carbon sequestration tool and we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

And then it's just a win for us because the county is paying us $3.47 million dollars.

And so I see it as a win-win-win and I'm just really grateful for your your work on this Chief Podesta.

And I just want to elevate some of the groups that sent in letters in support.

The American Legion.

Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Daughters of American Revolution.

The American Ex-Prisoners of War.

National Association of Black Veterans.

Sons of Union Vets.

The Marine Corps League and World War II Museum.

So just really broad support.

And so I'm just really grateful to see this and I'll let you move it on to the next director.

Thanks President Hampson.

Director Hersey.

Definitely a win win on top of a win especially in the moment that we are in right now given everything that we have been discussing in relation to our budget and an opportunity to ensure that the land is preserved in a significant way.

I think that this is I wish we had more opportunities like this where we could do good work and also provide resources for our students at the same time.

So super excited about it.

Thank you for the presentation and all the work that's gone into this.

Director Harris.

Speaking as a proud Cleveland graduate I think this is a win and I don't know how many we can stack up but but it's all valid.

I get the alumni alumni newsletter every month and the folks that help make this happen are the best kind of folks and they're still connected with us after decades.

And to Mr. Jackins and his public testimony we're not selling anything we're preserving.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

I I feel like we I've been in so many different conversations about this project I was surprised that it was introduction.

I was thinking surely it had to be action.

But yeah no I think as Chief Podesta said it's a win-win.

We had overwhelming support from the Alumni Association and from other organizations that support veterans and support conservation efforts.

And as Director Harris said preserving this preserving this land going forward is fantastic and I can't wait to vote on it next time.

Okay.

And again Director Rivera-Smith is not here.

I'm not I'm not leaving her out.

But yeah and I will say I'm really happy to see that this was realized.

It was an exciting proposition when it was originally brought to us and and so I'm grateful that you were able to work this out.

And yes we're not giving up any assets.

This as Director Harris said this is we get to maintain that.

This is an easement and a really incredible solution.

Thank you to those Cleveland High School students back in the day.

And I will probably be recommending that we put this on the consent agenda because I think we've all had plenty of good positive things to say about it.

With that we will move to the next agenda item which is the Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Seattle.

Let's make sure I'm reading the right words.

Sorry.

Building Excellence.

This is Item Number 5 Building Excellence Specs 5 Memorandum of Agreement between City of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools regarding the Student and Community Workforce Agreement.

This came through Ops.

on February 4th for approval approval.

Chief Podesta I will be I believe you'll be briefing us and then you'll take it over Director DeWolf.

Thanks again.

The board approved a Student and Community Workforce Agreement in September of last year.

And this agreement was negotiated between the district and the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council.

And the point of the agreement you'll recall is to support construction trade careers for Seattle Public Schools students and allows for prioritizing the hire of district-affiliated workers on covered projects on projects of 5 million or greater construction projects that are undertaken by the district.

And it has ancillary goals of advancing equity in work and also in contracting opportunities.

The agreement establishes working conditions at job sites and it There are many facets to it and its companion goals that require administration and monitoring.

As directed by the board when we negotiated this agreement with the trades we modeled it on the City of Seattle's existing agreement that had been in place since 2016 and felt that because of we the district doesn't have much direct experience administering such an agreement that it would make sense at the outset to contract with the city to help us since it's our agreements are very similar.

They have a team of more than 10 people that administers their agreement of course across multiple capital programs for utilities and transportation and other departments.

But they have a lot of experience.

They have relationship with the trades and some of our contractors as well and can jumpstart us being able to manage this agreement well.

and go beyond things that are just in the agreement to help our monitoring and administration of complementary programs.

Monitoring for prevailing wage.

Apprenticeship utilization.

Outreach to women and minority-owned business enterprises which are also our companion goals to actually implementing the agreement and the and the support for our students in the construction trades.

So the agreement itself calls for two full-time staff with backgrounds in this issue and management support who will be whenever we determine what that means a lot of this work is done in the field but though this we intend for these students to be co-located with our capital team once we see what the future of co-location with anybody means.

But we will have direct access to these workers will be part of our team.

and will help teach us how to administer this agreement.

And we'll also examine how we're partnering the potential for a future partnership with the city since again we share many relationships with labor and we've modeled our agreement on theirs.

So we really want to leverage their experience.

This will be a great way to hit the ground running on this agreement as we have covered projects that we're working on this year.

And with that I will conclude my remarks and happy to take any questions.

Go ahead Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

Just thank you to Chief Podesta for your work on this.

And just as context for board directors last year we approved the Student Community Workforce Agreement and this is kind of the next and following up and ensuring we're investing in the work that's going to go into monitoring and evaluating and improving and refining our student and community workforce agreement and making sure we're aligned to that agreement.

And so I can't remember where Chief Podesta but there was a number I think we had described in our operations committee meeting that in 2021 I think the total amount for projects $400 million.

So this $455,000 really represents about 0.11 percent of the of the total expenses for BEX V projects.

So that's that seems like we're getting a pretty great deal for the amount of work that will go into making sure that our SCWA is being implemented appropriately.

I don't have anything other to say other than I'm just really excited to finally see this through.

This is that kind of last final step and so just thank you for all your work.

Director Hersey.

No questions or comments from me at this time.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

Director Harris.

I will circle back around.

Director Rankin.

I don't have any questions.

Thank you.

And then my only question is it assuming that this is successful and it seems to me that this I would be really excited to see kind of a return on investment out of this.

And I don't know if there's any plans to do that or if there's any way to kind of tickle that as a to create a plan to do that.

But by tickle I mean set up as a as a reminder a tickler.

So because I think it's a relatively small amount of investment for what I hope will be a strong student outcome.

And so Any kind of idea or prospects of what that might look like or how we could support that as a board.

The indicators that we intend to look at are the placement of students you know students former students or otherwise district-affiliated workers on our projects.

We have relied on for apprenticeship utilization really have relied on our contractual controls and our contractors to do that work.

This gives us kind of direct monitoring and observation of how apprenticeship apprentices are utilized on our contract.

So we will you know have be able to verify those numbers and look for a greater opportunity.

So we would expect to see hopefully our contract utilization increase or if the numbers that are provided by contractors if there are questions raised about them that we can have those meaningful discussions.

And then this will also allow us to lean in more than we're able to now to do outreach to minority and women-owned contractors and subcontractors because they'll have dedicated staff that work on that.

And then also we'll be part at least have a relationship while we'll manage these staff directly we'll have a relationship with a much larger city team So we're hoping that we can leverage that so we should see participation by women and minority contractors increase on our projects.

And so those are the things we're going to be looking for.

And this model working together on this might be the right cost aside might be the right way to do this permanently just because we have access to resources at the city and the city does a lot of We do probably more vertical more building construction than the city but they do more of everything else.

And so this hopefully can be a very rich partnership.

Certainly we got support from the city in the development and the community workforce agreement.

And again we can also leverage our relationships with labor.

So but again I think this is one of those things that should produce actual quantifiable outcomes.

Okay.

And yeah and then I guess we'll also in my mind and you can correct me at some future date about if it's not appropriate but this goes in the kind of category of ways in which we have resources or funds going back and forth between the City of Seattle where there's you know public benefit and the extent to which we are able to share resources and services that benefits the community.

And this is yet another one that is that is going into that.

Whoever it was as it were although we're you know paying for this but I think that we have some rich conversations in our future about that relationship and how we can maximize those the use of our respective resources.

So and I'm surprised that we do more building than the city.

But.

Again we we're more about buildings than they are you know in on any given year parks and their facilities department does but we probably have a larger construction budget devoted to the kinds of buildings we build certainly.

And you know they have a much larger capital program when it comes to roads and power lines and other types of work.

But so we can this will be a complementary program for them.

All right.

Thank you.

Director Harris did did we just lose her altogether.

Oh.

Okay.

I appreciate it.

I've got a couple of questions if I might for Chief Podesta.

This is a 5-year contract is that correct.

It's a 5-year agreement.

The SCWA is a 5-year agreement and yes the MOA as well.

Okay and then I see that in community engagement it's Tier 2 consultant-involved and it doesn't say we've done to talk about this to folks.

Can you expand on that please.

Talk about the partnership with the city.

What has it done to engage community engagement.

We conducted a.

We led a task force a board task force for a few months to build the Student and Community Workforce Agreement and then the ultimate design of the agreement was a result of recommendations of that task force.

With regard to the — I just didn't recall that the agreement when we passed that resolution.

which I could not be more highly supportive of and will forever be grateful to Directors DeWolf and former Director Burke and the trades folks.

But but I'm not sure I understand why this is a 5-year agreement as opposed to say a 2 or 3 and then do a look back to see what's working.

If if the Seattle Public Schools had as many folks working on things like the FPPP levy we'd be in a heck of a lot better shape.

They've got more bodies per capita than SPS does and I'm concerned about the overhead and carrying costs quite frankly.

Yes we are.

You know we will again continue to assess this.

We we do have again a 180-day option to terminate.

Given the the number of resources relative to the size of our respective capital programs that the city has versus us I think we'll be getting far more than two FTEs worth of value from this agreement.

But that's really what we want want to see if this partnership for the long haul makes sense because This this team will have access to resources in the city and will be able to lean into relationships that we have had difficulty staffing at the district.

Would you be would you be adverse to scheduling that on an annual basis to analyze with the board of directors.

No I think it would make sense.

I think around milestones around projects because will really be tallying up the results as as projects enter kind of a closing phase.

But certainly you know roughly annually or and regularly we need to and the Student and Community Workforce Agreement itself calls for a two-year review because there.

There are.

the Oversight Committee for their feedback because quite frankly they were fairly negative about the workforce agreement and I and I think it's important.

That's not true.

That's not true.

Fair enough.

I think we have a difference of opinion.

So but would you be adverse to adding that to the resolution.

Just for clarity two people from that oversight group wrote a letter that does not represent the full group.

So I just want to be clear about what that what you're trying to say.

Go ahead Chief Podesta.

So I mean we can add that language we could add language into this board action report about this student about this MOA with the city that I think since we are calling for a two-year review of the Student and Community Workforce Agreement acknowledging that our approach to administering the agreement should be something we look into including is partnering with the city you know as a third-party administrator you know helpful or not.

And that would give us a way to consider you know are we going to continue this partnership or not.

And you know what are the advantages and disadvantages.

Thank you.

I am especially excuse me I'm speaking.

The other piece that I'm especially happy about here is the fact that frankly I don't think Seattle Public Schools has done a good job of soliciting and engaging with minority and women-owned business enterprise because of the last dance fest.

And I hope to see us do much better.

Thank you.

Yeah we we do as well and that's why explicitly resources are allocated for that that are over and above really administering the Community Workforce Agreement.

The city's performance in attracting minority and women-owned businesses to its construction projects far exceeds what the district does at this level.

So we're really hoping to leverage a program that exists and that's all about relationships.

And so again you think This is a way this is a very efficient way to ramp up our efforts in that regard.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Harris.

I'm going to move on to Director Rankin.

I think you already you already came to me.

I'm good.

Oh oh sorry I forgot.

I was going back.

Okay.

I would just say I just wanted to add there at the end.

I want to challenge our directors to make sure that when we ask for staff to provide additional feedback or work that everything that we're doing really needs to be focused on student outcomes.

I think there's some really critical student outcomes related impacts that are associated with this work and I'm so grateful to everybody that has worked on this and the support from from the board.

And that that we want to make sure that that is in fact the the feedback that we're asking staff to give in terms of how impactful this this is.

So with that I think we're going to move to the next item the request for the I don't know direct or Chief Podesta and Chief Narver if we can combine these next two that are both furniture procurement or.

They are virtually identical actions.

They cover just some different set of contracts with some of the same vendors actually.

They're just separated because they were around two separate sets of bids.

We bid our variety of furniture contracts that mostly supports our capital program as we add classrooms and other spaces we need furnitures fixtures and equipment and These contracts were bid in 2018 with the original three-year term and an option to extend the contracts a year.

And both items 6 and 7 exercise that option to extend these contracts one year.

I didn't let Chief Counsel Narver ask whether we can gang these things together but they are almost word-for-word the same bar.

Yeah I'm not sure we're officially combining them but the presentation is going to sound awfully similar on both so I think it's six of one half dozen of another.

Special item.

Okay.

Well just for the record this is recommendation to extend contract terms and amend contract amounts for furniture procurement for the 2021-22 year bid number B01834 and recommendation to extend contract terms and amend contract amounts for furniture procurement for 2021-22 bid number B05866.

So take it away.

Chief Podesta with any additional comments and then Director DeWolf will comment first.

No and again it's pretty straightforward.

We're exercising an option to continue a contract that allows us to buy furniture that with a number of it's a number of contracts with a number of vendors that were done around this bid B01834 in the spring of 2018.

Okay.

Director DeWolf.

President Hampson thank you.

I have no further questions comments other than to say that in Operations Committee we passed this for approval to the full board at a vote of 3-0 for both.

So feel very confident.

We talked about this enough there and I look forward to voting on this at our at our next meeting.

Director Hersey.

No comments from me either.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

I'm good.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

No questions.

Thanks.

I just have one question.

Well I guess it's a two-part question.

One what is is there anything with these providers that allow us to send furniture back for storage for when we have to socially distance.

Not typically.

You know the the most of the items are not locally sourced where there's a like a local warehouse.

And so that's why we have a capital warehouse because the lead time on these things are long and we fill up a warehouse as our capital program proceeds to have the furniture ready on the day that we need it.

these products are built all around North America and other parts of the world.

Capital Warehouse the last place that I was supposed to tour before the before COVID hit and didn't get to.

So someday I'll get there.

Okay.

I don't have any additional questions.

So I think that brings us to the end of the introduction items.

And we now come to the board comments section of the agenda.

And we are going to start with Director Hersey.

Hello.

Thank you very much.

I will keep my comments very brief tonight.

Again just a huge thank you to all of our educators all of our nutrition services workers our bus drivers senior staff all of our John Stanford Center staff.

This past week has definitely been one that has tested a lot of us in so many ways.

And I just want to appreciate everybody's resilience that even though there are many challenges that at this moment might seem insurmountable that as long as we stay focused and committed to our children and providing what they need that I believe strongly that we will end up in a place better than where we started.

In terms of board comments and things of that nature just a huge thank you to the District 7 group as always.

I will always continue to shout out those individuals who show up every Tuesday and really sink our teeth into all of the equity issues facing our specific region.

Huge shout out to the NAACP Youth Council who especially over the past month to 6 weeks has been deep in engagement with us not only in preparing for our a selection of Director Mack's successor but also our policy on adding student board members and just so many other things that you know as students they give so much of their time volunteering quite frankly when they could be out doing other things or rather inside doing other things.

And I just remain in awe of all of the context and all of the information that they provide in terms of making sure that we're making a system that is not only equitable but sustainable for them and their classmates.

So again for all of those who are out there watching from home who see us at the top end of this system struggle and work incredibly hard to figure out what next steps are going to look like.

I know that from your perspective and from the perspective of so many other folks in our system you know it appears as though Seattle Public Schools just can't get its act together in that you know people often ask the question what makes us so special or what makes us so unique.

And I think that the very clear answer for that is that we are the largest district in the state.

We are the most urban district in the state.

When we are trying to come to an agreement with our education association that represents the largest contingency of educators in this state those things take time.

And we have to make sure that we as Seattle as the leader of in so many ways maybe we are not arriving at this place first but we need to do everything that we can to arrive at a place right.

And so as we push forward and we continue to negotiate with our educators the focus has to remain on children and making sure that when we do this we are getting this right.

So please I know that for many of you out there that online learning is not working.

We hear that loud and clear.

But I want to make sure that before we bring students back to these physical buildings that not only our educators but also our students and their families are feeling ready feeling like they have the information that they need and feeling like they are sending their student into a situation to where they do not have to worry about transmission or violence or you name it.

So as we continue to push forward to that goal in good faith with our labor partners at various phases I this is One of the most important times because as we move forward to trying to figure out what does it look like for us to return we have to get this right.

So your patience is appreciated.

Continue to engage with us.

Do not let up on sending us emails.

Those are always opportunities for us to learn more about your varied and individual experiences and opportunities for us to take those experiences to the bargaining table as we try to reach a fair agreement and contract for our educators.

I'll leave it at that.

Thank you all.

I hope all of your families are doing well and you're remaining safe.

And please continue to take care.

Thank you Director Hersey.

And you are up Director Harris.

Fabulous.

I didn't know that you staged it around by the first names.

Well way to go.

Thank you.

I'm going to keep my comments very short.

I will ditto every word that my esteemed colleague Director Hersey had Vice President Hersey had and then some.

I do want to share with you that Director Rivera-Smith asked that I share the reason she left after the action items is because it's her daughter's birthday.

And I think that it illustrates the commitment that this board takes at the expense of their families as well as staff.

So enjoy your birthday Liza's daughter Lisa's daughter excuse me the L's again.

I was serious when I suggested that the Seattle Public Schools explore litigation against the state.

I know that sounds radical and probably a little scary given the fact that The McCleary children graduated from high school before we got a ruling from the Supreme Court.

But our tax structure and our aim for education being quote the state's paramount duty and then being constricted with respect to our special ed service funding which is a federal a state and most importantly a moral mandate that has never been funded appropriately nor has McCleary nor has the prototypical model.

And the transportation budget and the STARS algorithm that we heard about last night and that is uploaded to the school district's website is phenomenally unfair.

And yes we are in fact the largest school district in the state out of 295 of them.

And and it's got to change.

And I don't see that changing without our putting our shoulder to this issue and seeking assistance from the judicial branch.

Because with all due respect and I do have extreme respect for our colleagues in the legislation legislative and executive branches.

It is not working.

It's just not working.

And we need to recognize that and decide what it is in fact we're going to do.

I would encourage everyone listening and to tell 10 friends to write the governor write the Superintendent of Public Instruction and move our teachers up in the vaccination list especially for those 600 teachers and staff that deal with our students that need intensive assistance.

Feeding.

Toileting.

Etc.

This is serious business and they're every bit healthcare workers boots on the ground and we cannot afford to lose any of them.

And we need to respect that work and give them an opportunity to get those vaccinations and remove one of the impediments of getting our intensive students that need special education services back to work.

They have lost an entire year and it is morally indefensible.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Harris.

Director Rankin.

Yeah I'm going to continue on that theme.

If I was going to create a scenario to you know mastermind the slow and steady downfall of public education I think what I would do would be to cut funding demand more basic needs be covered by public education food access housing other basic needs.

Take away resources.

Put more and more on educators.

Devalue the teaching profession.

I would do that for about 10 or 15 years.

And then I would bring in a global pandemic.

And then I would say that school is important and everybody needs to get back.

And I would propose budget cuts and not advocate for accelerated access to vaccines for educators.

That would be that would be my that's a pretty sure shot to you know picking apart an already fragile structure that a lot of us depend on and and watching it crumble right in front of us.

I you know there's there's so many things that are true at the same time and you know Yeah science says that if this and this and this is in place this can be done safely.

You know that is maybe true with with full fidelity and with the with the assumption that students are static little beings that can that are going to stay six feet apart no matter what.

So I think when people say you know the science is clear this can be done safely they're picturing probably middle schoolers or high schoolers that are sitting in rows.

Younger kids are actually really good at following kind of silly arbitrary directions.

That's how they spend a lot of their time when school is in-person.

Sit here.

Don't sit there.

Move here.

We're going to walk together.

They're pretty good at following instructions but our youngest learners preschoolers kindergartners they are just getting used to being part of a school system.

And the idea that the governor and the state has said that our youngest learners and special education students should be prioritized to go first with no acknowledgement of how important it is that teachers be able to be in closer proximity to them than with other students.

It's it's true it's it's truly baffling to me that we can say how important children are and at the same time not value the people that serve them and not give us as a system the resources that we need to actually do that.

And in particular disability is has been completely invisible in this conversation at the state level as far as I can tell.

As Director Harris mentioned toileting assistance feeding physical therapy.

I mean even with kindergarteners first graders learning to grip a pencil.

All kinds of things that you know the reason that we as a board prioritized you know way back in June with community with educators with with principals prioritized early early learners and special education students is because we understand the different needs that those groups of students have.

and how important it is for them to be able to you know notice if something with with is you know needs more attention with a child's grip or maybe they need to be referred for special services.

Early intervention is huge.

And building early literacy skills all this stuff all of these things that we think that for some reason the state thinks we should be able to snap our fingers and just make happen.

I I'm even more beside myself and and kind of going off into a tangent than usual because I'm I'm so frustrated and upset at the the simultaneous demands to keep everybody safe and comfortable and happy and bring students back into an environment that it we have to be able to protect and prioritize educators that we need to be comfortable and safe and be able to be in close proximity to some of our most vulnerable students in order for them to access education.

I can't like so my my my call my question my demand to to our state lawmakers is to value the educators that we are asking to provide the most critical in-person services.

Give us the resources that we need to be able to do that to bring students back.

Because you know all of the questions really good questions.

Why are they doing it in that state and not here.

Well in that state they did prioritize educators for vaccines.

You know why can't we do a hybrid model.

Well a lot of our buildings are so over capacity that we cannot fit half the students at a time with the social distancing measures.

There's there's not space.

The classrooms are not large enough.

We have too many students.

And so at the same time we are being promised federal money in relief to recover from COVID and our state legislator legislators are indicating that that will be that will supplant funding that should come from the state.

So I'm really I'm just I'm going to wrap up.

I'm frustrated.

I'm sad.

I'm angry for special education students and youngest learners more than for anybody else because of what they need from us.

And for us to give that we have to have the support of the state.

You know teachers can't give any more.

We have no other room to give.

Parents are.

you know at their limit and it's not about it's not even about you know getting back to work or getting child care or whatever.

It's about building skills and our obligation to our most vulnerable learners.

And we simply cannot do it when all of our options and resources are being cut off at every turn.

So please to the governor to state legislators whatever you can do.

We want our children back in classrooms.

Our teachers want to be back in classrooms with kids.

You have to give us the tools and the flexibility that we need in order to do this to meet the needs of our most vulnerable students.

Thank you.

Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

I just wanted to raise my hands up once more to our young people.

And just to really hope that the folks listening in our community really understand and especially our young people and our students understand that the power that they hold especially when they come together for common goals.

And so just really really excited again about policy number 1250 which is our school excuse me school board student member.

So just want to elevate that.

Thanks again to the NAACP Youth Council I've been really grateful in my time here on the school board as a director that the NAACP Youth Council has allowed me to work with them so so many times particularly over the course of last year we've worked on about 4 or 5 different projects and so I just thank them for that opportunity.

Also just want to again say how excited I am to have Dr. Brent Jones join us as our interim superintendent and really looking forward to that collaboration and the work ahead.

And then finally just wanted to forecast for folks that on March 15th we will be having the district 4 director appointment and it's a youth-led forum.

Currently we have 4 remaining candidates.

We had 1 person withdraw on the 22nd.

And the forum will be led by and for youth.

And so just please visit the website SeattleSchools.org for more information about the candidates and the process and email us and let us know what you think.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

Okay so we're I'm the last one to go here and I know folks are probably anxious folks are anxious to to to be done with the evening.

We're down to 20-some people.

Just thanks to all the staff for the work that you do to put on these meetings.

Despite what the Seattle Times has to say I do know that it's a lot of work to get for these meetings and and that we try all the time to make them better and and certainly appreciate all the staff that that sticks around and listens and participates and is willing to be part of this process.

Thank you Director DeWolf for reminding folks about the Director for Forum coming up on the 15th.

And there are some great videos and other things statements from those candidates are available on the website so I hope folks will be reviewing those.

We still have four very strong candidates and I'm excited to get to learn and know more about them as we make this consideration.

And again that was really pulled off the entire process for getting the candidates up onto our site getting their their resumes and their videos all that was done by board office and communications and other staff and we really appreciate it.

And we're looking forward to having an opportunity as I said to get to get to know them.

There is so much to talk about that I don't think there's that other directors have addressed in terms of school reopenings.

I think probably the best advice that I have is to please tune in tomorrow.

We're going all week this week.

And we have our work board special special session specifically on school in-person.

portion of reopening.

So these are revisions to our reopening resolution that occurred in that we passed in August which was last updated on December 17th.

For anyone who hasn't read those resolutions I encourage them to.

It outlines all the directives that this that the board has given staff in terms of our structure for either remote or in-person learning for this year.

And they're not long documents.

You can even skip the whereases and get straight to the the the therefores and get most of what you need.

And we will be bringing forward in addition to the check the progress report that has to be submitted by March 1st to OSPI we will be submitting a resolution which provides clarity of that direction for staff in terms of in-person so encourage folks to tune in for that.

I have a community walk in Magnuson Park socially distanced tomorrow at 11 a.m.

A meeting at the community center.

I had the opportunity to spend time with Decatur Elementary to talk about the HCC cohort on Monday and spent the evening with the TOPS K-8 community last night mostly talking about transportation and wanted to say thank you again to staff who put together and provided the details on the transportation perspective cost savings in transportation that would allow us to to to have the most minimal impact on students and families and and yet prioritize equity efficiency and and fiscal accountability.

So that was a really excellent cross-departmental work session and I know that we all appreciated it quite a bit and I think it leaves us more informed.

And then we also have more budget work sessions coming up.

I don't have the next date off the top of my head but for those that might still be listening Please look for those as well.

And with that there being no further business on the agenda this board meeting stands adjourned at 7 0 4 p.m.

Thank you all so much.