Evening it is 4 15. Welcome to the July 10th regularly scheduled regularly.
Regularly scheduled July 10th 2019 Seattle Public School board meeting.
As we begin.
We'd like to acknowledge and honor the first peoples of the Puget Sound territories by acknowledging that we are on the land of the coastal Salish tribes.
Roll call please.
Director DeWolf.
Here.
Director Geary Director Mack Director Pinkham present Director Harris present and director.
Did we get Director DeWolf.
Okay and Director Burke is traveling.
And thanks very much to directors Mack and Gary for phoning in from their travels and vacations as well.
This board works hard.
If everyone would please stand if you so choose for the Pledge of Allegiance.
To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
We do not have student performances today unfortunately because they are usually a highlight.
Madam Superintendent the floor is yours.
You're up.
OK.
Thank you everyone.
My very brief tonight so we have a good.
We have a nice celebration to have tonight at the end.
Just so a few things going into it.
Michelle Ramirez school board office administrator.
She won a surprise turtle award this last week.
It was actually during her week her work bridal shower.
So that's why the headgear on there.
Michelle has worked tirelessly and with a great smile to fill both her role and Ally's role for the past three months.
She's off to start a new job as the head administrator head administrator at the at the newly remodeled and reopened Magnolia Elementary School.
She will be sorely missed and I wish her the best of luck and also welcome back Allie.
Dr. Kyle Kinoshita is retiring from Seattle Public Schools after 31 years in education and three years with Seattle schools leading the curriculum and instruction team.
Kyle is a product of Seattle Public Schools attending Bailey Gatzert John Muir Van Asselt and graduating from Rainier Beach High School.
His first teaching assignment was at Concord International.
Kyle has been a champion for making racial equity in education.
And is most proud of his work toward making ethnic studies in Seattle Public Schools a reality.
Thank you Dr. Kinoshita for your service to Seattle Public Schools and our 53000 students.
Thank you.
Bruce Skoura director of facilities operation has been with Seattle Public Schools for 11 years overseeing custodial services maintenance services environmental services grounds self-help and property management.
Midway through this year Bruce stepped in to help with transportation as well.
Bruce's knowledge and commitment has helped deliver great things for students each and every day.
We thank you for your efforts and we wish you all the best in your new position.
As many of you know Stephen Nielsen is retiring from Seattle Public Schools.
He worked for Seattle Public Schools from 2001 to 2006 overseeing the operations side of the district.
He took 10 years off to work at Puget Sound Educational Service District and then realized that his heart was with SPS and our students.
In 2016 he rejoined the team as the deputy superintendent.
I'm going to miss this guy's historical perspective his friendship and his leadership.
I wish him the best of luck and I know that we will be in touch.
His retirement started today so he's absent from the board meeting.
Yep.
I attended my first of what I hope will be many Seattle pride parades.
What a great way to celebrate the diversity of our students.
There were a lot of people gathered a lot of young people.
It was really an awesome event and I just want to give a huge shout out to Lisa Love and her team for their never ending commitment to this work and for organizing this great group in a parade.
And finally our wonderful Seattle voters approved two school levies in February.
These funds are critical for our day to day operations and our needs to upgrade our school buildings.
Schools First Seattle is the campaign organization that works to help pass Seattle Public Schools levies.
It's a grassroots citizen based organization founded in 1995. Its primary mission is to inform voters about upcoming school levies and to direct efforts towards ensuring their passage.
Schools First comprises of a volunteer board of directors who work together.
To meet its mission.
This year.
Schools First presented a positive and inspiring vision to the voting public and spoke to many Seattle voters groups and organizations about the need for passage of our levies.
In the early 1990s five Seattle Public School levies failed.
Failed.
And that's when schools for Seattle was formed.
Since then and for the past 24 years all 15 of our levies have been approved by Seattle voters by wide margins.
Their continued existence and their tremendous leadership.
Demonstrate the commitment of citizens.
In our city who care about our public schools and provide information to Seattle voters.
When considering levy ballot measures.
I just want to personally thank you for your leadership on those efforts.
For working with us.
And for us for so diligently and for our 53000 students who are really reap the benefits of your work.
So everyone.
Please join us in honoring the dedicated members of schools for Seattle.
With the 2019 Seattle Public Schools Citizen Service Award.
Well as president of schools first I'll just say thank you for this recognition.
It's really wonderful.
I'm accepting on behalf of a much deeper bench than is here today.
We have an incredible number of families PTSA community members who of course help us get this work done.
So thank you for that.
I also just want to let you particularly those departing board directors know that we have an unpaid job for you.
There's lots of former directors who work closely with us and we'll welcome your participation anytime.
Thank you.
Oh, yes.
That wraps up my comments Madam President.
I'm going to take chair's personal privilege and ask Dr. Kinoshita to come to the podium please.
She stole my thunder on the thank you's to Michelle Ramirez and all that and a whole lot more and mostly for your good humor and your patience with seven of the most passionate people you may ever work with at one time.
And I am thrilled for you that you get to walk to work and that you get to work with very closely some of our 53000 students.
And that is a beautiful rebuild out at Magnolia.
Lucky lucky lady you earned every bit of it.
But I'm very sad.
Dr. Kinoshita.
Thank you.
Thank you ever so much.
You have provided a stability and you have provided a sense of heart and soul.
On some of our biggest aspirations race and equity ethnic studies you've been a champion and it's hugely appreciated.
And from me and this is one of those times I absolutely will speak on behalf of the board of directors to say thank you and I hope you have a ton of fun in your retirement.
Thanks very much.
I'll start working on that immediately based on that direction.
But I just want to say it's been an honor and a privilege to work for Seattle Public Schools the district that I grew up in and the city that I grew up in.
And obviously I wish the best of luck to the students and all the staff and the board of Seattle Public Schools.
And I hope you bring your historical perspective or public testimony in the future.
Thank you sir.
OK we don't have student comments tonight.
So we are at the consent agenda.
I'll note that the minutes for the June 26 2019 regular board meeting were updated in the post today to reflect a public comment provided by an elected official during the superintendent comments and thanks to members of the public that point this out to us and pointing it out graciously.
Much appreciated.
We do listen.
We do act.
Thank you.
May I have a motion please for the consent agenda.
Director DeWolf.
Taking over.
Yes.
So moved.
I move approval of the consent agenda.
I'm very sorry.
First day taken over VP role so I move approval of the consent agenda.
I second.
OK.
Approval of the consent agenda has been moved and seconded.
Do directors have any items they would like to remove from said consent agenda.
Director Pinkham.
So I'd like to request removal of item number five approval of the Creative Advantage Arts and Partnership Fund with the city of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.
I did bring this up with our legal counsel Jerome Boy.
OK that has been removed.
Any other removals from the consent agenda.
Directors Mack and Geary can you hear me.
Yes no I'm not removing anything.
Director Geary.
OK perfect.
Do I have a motion for approval of the amended consent agenda.
I move approval of the consent agenda as amended.
I second.
All those in favor of passing the consent agenda as amended please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Aye.
Aye.
OK that has passed.
Thank you.
And we will go.
Number five will become the new number one in terms of action items.
And if I screw up I know you will remind me because we're a team.
Now would be a good time to have any committee reports but because I don't believe we have had any committees if there is any good of the order from committee work processes now is the time to speak up.
Hearing none.
Then we'll go to individual director comments and you will have the opportunity to reflect and speak regarding public testimony.
That starts at 530 an hour from now.
If you so choose.
Who would like to go first with their board comments.
Director Pinkham.
Director Mack was that you.
Director Geary the floor is yours.
All right.
I just want to keep it very short since it's awkward to be testifying from afar.
But I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank Bruce Kyle and Michelle.
It has been a pleasure working with all three of them and Steven as well though we had a much bigger opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to him.
But I just wanted to make sure that they did not leave without me saying thank you and everything.
It has been a joy and I will miss you and miss your presence and smiling faces and the hard work that you do for the district going forward and that I wish you all the absolute best and hope that you will stay in touch with us one way or another.
And that is all.
Thank you Director Geary Director Pinkham your board comments please sir.
Tachikawa and Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ good evening and thank you.
I too want to just say my show my appreciation and thank you to Kyle Kinoshita for all that he's done here that.
We're able to get the ethnic studies moving forward and also that we're able to get the native languages including that's a big step for me to see that happen with the Seattle Public Schools.
So thank you for all the work that you've done for Seattle schools and other schools.
I know that you're with up there at the Marysville I believe district as well.
Bruce wherever you're at.
Thank you for all your work that you've done for us as well.
Michelle it seems so short that you were here and then you're leaving again but you're not leaving too far.
You'll still be in touch with the Seattle schools and thank you for all that you've done for us.
And Steven.
Sorry I wasn't able to make your retirement.
I think I've learned a lot from you.
Just.
The times that we had to talk and I appreciate all that you've.
Again I think they said here the history that you have the knowledge that you shared with us and thank you for your service.
I do want to share that the seafair powwow is coming up July 19th and 21st encourage people to go out to Daybreak Star area and enjoy the powwow.
This year their theme is love is sacred and where they're honoring our two spirit and loved ones.
So I think it's a great time to get out there and see what this powwow is like if you haven't been there and if you've been there before.
Yeah I think you know what the kind of event that can be that the seafair power puts on by United Indians of all tribes so encourage people to attend.
I know I'm going to try to make it out there at least.
One or all three days.
I think that's all I have and we'll wait.
Public comments.
Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ Thank you.
Director DeWolf you're up.
early tonight I'm grateful.
Well first as a citizen of the Chippewa Cree Nation of Rockwell Montana I also I'm grateful to live and serve and work here in a city that is the ancestral homeland of the Duwamish people Muckleshoot Nation the Suquamish Nation.
It's important we acknowledge them as custodians of this land since time immemorial and as guests we extend our deepest gratitude and respect to their ancestors and elders past present and future.
I just want to share more gratitude to I'm really grateful to President Harris directors Mack and Burke for your incredible support and collaboration as well as our labor partners from the building trades and Superintendent Juneau and Fred Podesta as well as Bruce Skoura for your collaboration support as we're bringing the student community workforce agreements one step closer to reality here at Seattle Public Schools which will be a first in the state.
So we're really excited about being able to make some history.
I also wanted to thank last night I was able to visit had a parent family meeting with folks from Bailey Gatzert and was able to kind of hear some of the concerns that have been going on there and so really both grateful to them for sharing their stories but also being able to continue to advocate for it for some of those concerns in the process in here at the district.
So hopefully we'll have some good news for them.
The only last thing I wanted to do as is tradition.
I wanted to just read a poem.
Here from one of our students.
Her name is Kylie Mack.
She's a Lute, Gros Ventre, Chippewa and Cree so she's actually.
She's actually a relative.
And it's called Proud as the whole book is it's from the Shikachi program and I just want to elevate the fact that I'm really excited about the Shikachi program.
We expanded the program from West Seattle at Denny Denny and Chief Sealth up to the north as well at Nathan Hill and Jam.
So really really grateful that we have strong Native American education program here at Seattle Public Schools.
Oh Jam sorry Jane Adams Middle School.
So here's here's this poem Proud by Kylie Mack.
I don't think related to Director Mack.
I'm proud to be native.
To be native.
You know about what happened in the past.
And well.
It sucked.
That does not stop me from being true to my roots and practicing my heritage.
I am proud of my past present and future.
The tribes I represent are Gros Ventre Chippewa and Cree.
I'm red I'm registered with Ahusan and Chippewa tribes.
I'm also enrolled in Turtle Mountain.
I'm the head wolf's daughter from my dad's side.
If my dad was still in Canada he'd be the chief.
I'm proud to be a part of a strong family.
I am proud.
To be native.
Yeah I'm looking forward to a really eventful summer with our appointment process.
I know we're all first timers in the process so really looking forward to connecting and hearing from the folks that have put their names in the hat have read through.
The information they've sent in and so I'm really looking forward to having.
A whole new process to go through this summer so.
We'll be we'll be here a lot.
Director Mack did you wish to make comments.
Yeah thank you.
I'll also keep them short.
I want to ditto the great thanks to all of the staff that has provided so much expertise and frankly love and commitment to supporting our students.
You're going to be sorely missed.
Michelle I'll be seeing you in the neighborhood.
So I'm glad you're not going too far.
And I did want to say from a.
Committee report update just so folks have it on the radar that there will be a work session around the student assignment transition plan and boundaries coming in September.
I don't think we've gotten that scheduled yet but staff's working on holding various engagement meetings with the communities around the topics that are on the table.
And I just met with them yesterday and that I think it's going to be.
We'll have a really good meeting in September and some good steps forward for the 2020 plan.
So I'm really encouraged and I don't have a ton more to say.
It is really awkward to be doing this over the phone and not actually looking at people when you speak from the dais so I'll sign off and continue listening for the rest of the meeting.
OK last but not least I have a community meeting scheduled Saturday July 20th 3 to 5 at the West Seattle library.
It's one of the old Carnegie libraries.
Our meeting room is in the basement.
That's not quite so attractive but you have a one in three chance of lasagna and staff you are more than welcome.
And I really wish you'd come because they are rowdy.
They are thoughtful sometimes painful but.
Excuse me.
I look forward to seeing you there Madam Superintendent.
It is indeed delightful.
I I really encourage you all to come because hearing from your neighbors and brainstorming ideas and hearing about issues before they become emergencies is part of the cultural change that some of us believe very strongly in that if we deal with issues openly before they become crises and we work together to solve them then we're all that much stronger.
And again we feed you and even if you don't get lasagna community members bring cookies and coffee and baked goods and I am very lucky and very blessed to have such an extraordinary community to represent.
The work doesn't stop even though school is out.
The cell phone continues to blow up.
The e-mails continue to blow up.
Folks are very excited and interested in the district 7 succession plan for Director Patu's seat.
And if anybody says replacement you'll incur my ire because Betty Patu cannot and will not be replaced.
And we miss her already but we have a absolute extraordinary group of candidates.
Go to the website.
Their information is there as are the community questions that were put forth all very thoughtful and then we will be working on that in a public meeting potentially Monday evening next.
We're working on scheduling as you can see from the dais here folks do have families and in fact need to reconnect with those families because it's been one heck of a year and oftentimes it feels as though we live down here and I know that staff feels the same.
So no one begrudges time with your families and vacations.
We all have earned it but we still need to continue to do our business.
And with that I will close and we will reconvene at 530 and I will mention that public testimony is an issue of some concern for a great many of our community members.
And it is on the agenda for the executive committee meeting in August towards potentially moving our meetings later so that folks can get down here this easily gotten to place to come do public testimony when you've worked all day.
And I say that with a certain amount of snark and sarcasm and.
Potentially to take a look at holding slots open for standing items say for instance recent equity issues because right now the way that our sign up starts the folks that call in at 8 o'clock and are testifying about action items not intro items action items get the first 25 slots.
And because we value the input from.
our community so much we need to tinker with the system and and that will be a rich and rowdy conversation and look for changes coming probably in September.
I'd bet my money on it.
So we'll see you back here at 530 for public testimony.
Thank you.
Board.