Seattle School Board Meeting Feb. 27, 2019 Part 1

Schools Board of Director legislation excuse me legislative meeting of February 27 2019 roll call please.

Director Burke present Director Geary present Director Mack.

Director Patu here.

Director Pinkham here.

Director Harris here.

For those of you that would like please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

And today we welcome the Thurgood Marshall choir directors.

You want to sit in the audience so that you can see it up close and personal.

Sometimes I lay under the moon, and thank God I'm breathing.

Then I pray, don't take me soon, because I am here for a reason.

Sometimes in my tears I drown, but I never let it get me down.

So when negativity surrounds I know someday it'll all turn around Because all my life I've been waiting for I've been praying for For the people to say That we don't want to fight no more There'll be no more wars And our children will play One day, one day, one day One day, one day, one day, one day.

It's not about win or lose, cause we all lose our feet on the soles of the innocent.

Budget's payment, keep on moving though the waters stay raging.

In this rage you can lose your way, your way.

♪ Drive you crazy but don't let it phase you, no way, no way ♪ ♪ Sometimes in my tears I drown, I drown ♪ ♪ But I never let it get me down, get me down ♪ ♪ So when negativity surrounds, surrounds ♪ ♪ I know someday it'll all turn around ♪ ♪ Because all my life I've been waiting for, I've been praying for ♪ ♪ For the people to say that we don't wanna fight no more ♪ There'll be no more wars, and our children will play One day, one day, one day One day, one day, one day We went on a trip to people to say Stop with the violence, down with the hate We'll all be free and everyone to be Under the same sun, singing song of freedom like One day, one day, one day One day, one day, one day My life I've been waiting for I've been praying for For the people to say That we don't want to fight no more There ain't no more wars And our children will play One day, one day, one day One day, one day, one day

These students are from the Thurgood Marshall Elementary School Choir and you just heard them perform the song One Day by Modest Yahoo.

Thank you for inviting them to sing today.

We don't we just we thought it was just the one song.

I'm so sorry.

Next time.

Next time.

I'm so sorry.

We just learned it was a two song.

You guys that was awesome and it was hard not to join in.

And next time you come let us board members know we'll help.

We've got some some old choir and instrumental folks on our board.

We're not as old and fudgy as as we look.

Could you pass the microphone around and tell us what your name is and what grade you're in.

We'll start.

My name is Jayden and I am in second grade.

My name is Francesca and I am in second grade.

My name is Jaira and I'm in third grade.

My name is Abby and I'm in second grade.

My name is Sophie and I'm in fifth grade.

My name is Ethan and I'm in fifth grade.

My name is Walter and I'm in fifth grade.

My name is Kaitlyn and I'm in fourth grade.

I'm not comfortable with hair in my person.

My name is Reese and I'm in fifth grade.

My name is Julia and I am in fourth grade.

My name is Cecilia and I'm in fifth grade.

My name is Sonia and I'm in fourth grade.

My name is Marika and I'm in fourth grade.

My name is.

My name is Zane and I'm in second grade.

My name is York and I'm in fourth grade.

My name is Eowyn and I'm in third grade.

My name is Angelica Gabrielle and I'm in second grade.

My name is Samuel and I'm in second grade.

Are we good.

OK.

Can you tell us about yourself.

How long you've been teaching with Thurgood Marshall Seattle Public Schools and what you like about doing this.

My name is Kelsey French.

This is my fifth year teaching music at Thurgood Marshall and my ninth year teaching music in Seattle Public Schools.

I enjoy the fact that I can come to school and create joy with students every day and I feel like music is a tool for joy and a tool for self-expression and community and.

Just feeling good together and it makes me really feel grateful to be able to be a part of that every day.

And the students that I work with are what make it so special.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Come back and see us again.

You had something.

Did you want to share or not.

Want to share.

Go.

Ms. French is a really good teacher and she's really good at teaching music and she puts on really cool songs.

And we're really lucky to have you.

Thank you.

Madam Superintendent the floor is yours.

So I'm hopeful that we can get back on track after five snow days and a five day break all piled on to it.

Oh there we go.

So I want to welcome everybody back after break and hope that we can get back on track after five day five snow days and then a five day break and.

You know that I think the message went out that we've now added our makeup days and so school will now end on June 27th.

We're tacking them on to the end of the school year and I just hope that there is no more snow.

If there are snow days people may just have to trudge to school.

I just have a very short presentation this week just because of the break in the snow here.

I visited with students and staff at John Hay Elementary and this young reader shared stories with me about how crazy her dog was in the snow.

I guess the first time seeing snow for the dog.

This awesome group of leaders greeted me at McClure Middle School.

They were very proud of their school and find it to be a very welcoming place to learn.

When I go to school sometimes there are student guides that show me through their eyes what it is to be what it's like in their school and it's always the very best to have conversation.

These students at Queen Anne Elementary shared their mission and vision that's posted clearly on the wall.

They took me around to their maker space.

They showed me how they use technology to highlight their learning to their families.

And you'll see on this next one this is they use this app and their.

makerspace area and they take notes and they take videos of their learning throughout the entire day that is then shared sort of on a platform with their parents and grandparents and families and so their families can track how they're learning on a daily basis.

They can upload videos about conversations they're having.

They can take pictures of what they're learning and then parents and grandparents and family can make remarks back in real time.

So it was pretty cool.

They were really into it and she was showing me how she was sharing her work with her mom at that very moment and allowed her mom to comment back on it throughout the day.

I also met with my student advisory board for a second time.

They're just continue to be a really phenomenal group of students.

They're so insightful.

And this time around we shared their they shared their input on our strategic plan.

They continue to work on the board's or the district's dress code policy which I think will be coming to you soon and they're just full of ideas and full of energy there.

Trying to choose some projects to do in their own schools around themes that they came up with that were really important things that they sort of are really theming together is how to make changes about harassment in schools.

So reporting kinds of processes they're talking about diversity of educators you know that's part of our strategic plan and that continues to be a highlight for them of seeing teachers of color in their classrooms and somebody who looks like them at some point throughout their educational career.

And also a big high a big theme seemed to be really getting focused in on improving our comprehensive sex ed program in our schools.

with a focus on consent.

And so they just see a real need to learn more and a more accurate way and so they want to work on those issues as well.

Those are just a few of the items that we had conversations about.

Our staff across the district continue to be rock stars.

Principal Ben shared her team's work on data analysis and how they're using data to guide their work.

They have these big spreadsheets that were laid out around behavior and and how they were trying to put supports around that and where they were happening and how they can make better plans around that.

Principal Connor has some future student advisory board members at McClure.

I mean that was this was the group I showed you earlier of the student leaders in the school.

They were pretty they were really great and they're so appreciative of their work in that advisory period at that school.

Principal Roy proudly shared Queen Anne Elementary.

She and her staff look forward to moving into their bigger schools very soon.

So they're super excited about that and making that transition.

And then on one of the sunny days after the snowstorm team from central office drove to Olympia to talk with our Seattle delegation at an early morning meeting.

It went very well and I just continue to appreciate our delegations work for public education and keeping track of the work the efforts that they're making in Olympia to.

work with us on raising our levy leads special education funding some of the SEBB policies that need to come out and the funding that needs to come so that we can actually do the work of the district.

So I know that we all continue to keep an eye on what's happening at the legislature and so it was good to sit down with them face to face and kind of have conversations.

And on that note finally I just want to really also give a big big huge thank you to the Seattle voters for passing our levies.

You know that school buildings will be able to be built safety and security measures will be upgraded technology needs can be taken care of as well as some of the operations that we can continue in some way to deliver the efforts and the education the quality education that Seattle parents and families are used to receiving and that students deserve.

I know these are tough conversations when we're also talking about budget cuts at the same time but without the passage of these levies we would be in a really huge hole and have a much much larger problem on our hands.

So just thank you so much to the Seattle voters for continuing to see the value in public education and supporting our efforts.

It's very much appreciated.

Thank you.

OK and with that note we are welcoming Clarissa Powelson from Nova High School.

You are a graduating senior and a member of the Garfield High School debate team.

You for all practical intents with the exception of voting tonight are a member of this board so you have voice.

You can ask questions when we ask questions.

Welcome.

Tell us.

Tell us what you've liked about your education what you would choose to improve if you had a authority and probably money and what your plans might be if you care to share.

Thank you.

You can pull it out and —

OK hello and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I would like to begin my time with an anecdote about my past experience with Seattle Public Schools specifically Garfield High School as it pertains to the rest of my speech.

I was formerly a student at Garfield High School and transferred to Nova when I came out as transgender.

At NOVA, I found a safe space to express and experiment with my gender identity, a space I could not find at Garfield.

Every day I walk to Nova I walk to a community that I know will support and respect my gender.

I know that I'm walking to a school where I can sit down in a classroom and learn without the stress and anxiety of feeling like I'm sticking out.

But every Tuesday and Thursday when my classes at Nova are finished I walk back to Garfield to attend debate club.

At Garfield I met with stares and leers people who give you that look that lingers for an extra second or two just to let you know that you aren't welcome.

I walked through hallways that aren't open to me around people that have never known me but are so quick to cast a judgment.

And despite being just a block away from each other these two schools could not be more different.

I'm here today to talk to you about the needs of trans and LGB youth that are in the Seattle Public Schools district and why I would love to make a fact studded presentation using data collected on queer students in the Seattle Public School systems to make the case for certain medical and community programs.

I can't because Seattle Public Schools simply doesn't collect or correlate this incredibly important data.

And that's why I'm here today.

We already know from multiple surveys done at the high school and college level nationwide that lesbian gay and bisexual youth are an increased use for drug abuse and high school dropout rates.

If you talk to anyone who works with queer youth in general you would find out firsthand that LGBT youth especially trans youth are at a high risk of homelessness and drug abuse due to lack of family support inadequate access to community resources and general stigma at large.

According to a Center for Disease Control study approximately 2 percent of high school students are transgender with 27 percent feeling unwelcome at school 35 percent experiencing bullying and 35 percent who have attempted or contemplated suicide.

If these findings are correct that it would mean that 1077 approximately Seattle Public Schools students are at risk and Seattle Public Schools seems to be doing the minimum to support them.

Most recently Nova students won one point three million dollars for an LGBTQ wellness center focusing on helping queer students across the city and providing training for other health care clinics.

While we applaud this development we have to remember that queer students don't just all go to Nova or live in the central district where this clinic is easily accessible.

NOVA with about 40 percent of its student body identifying as trans or non-binary and 80 percent identifying as LGBT is a disproportionate outlier.

But until Seattle Public Schools begins to collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity we can't accurately figure out why NOVA is an outlier or which schools are more homophobic slash transphobic and why these things are the way they are.

Collection of data allows us to accurately assess the largest problems plaguing the queer community in Seattle schools.

It lets us build powerful campaigns to win resources like the LGBTQ Wellness Center.

It allows us to figure out exactly which schools are building queer positive communities and how they're doing it.

On the flip side it lets us identify which schools are doing a poor job of creating these communities and allows LGBTQ students at these schools to tell us why.

At Nova we are building not just a queer community but a community that is positive and accepting of everyone's sexuality and gender expression.

It's not an accident that Nova is disproportionately chosen by LGBT students especially students with past histories of bullying in the Seattle Public Schools District.

Because we were able to collect internal data at our school and identify these problems we're able to act and create resources for our students.

But until Seattle Public Schools begins to collect and act on this data we cannot help all queer youth across the schools.

is absolutely imperative for the health and safety of LGBTQ youth that Seattle Public Schools begins to collect this data not just on the healthy youth survey but on the school's own internal surveys for example the ones that I know Garfield does.

That gender and sexuality become questions that students can safely fill out without fear that the wrong teacher might read their form and that LGBTQ youth can finally access the resources we need not just to survive but thrive as high school students.

Thank you.

Thank you.

My apologies for skipping the Nova piece on my script here.

I'm thinking on the next step.

I had you down as a Garfield senior.

My apologies.

Yeah.

And I can see how come you are very proud of your attendance at Nova.

Care to ask answer a few questions from board members.

Of course.

OK.

What's next for you.

If you know.

So I have applied to and have been accepted at the Evergreen State College and at the St. John's College.

And so right now I'm making those decisions and just thinking about that.

That's mostly the big thing after high school.

And do you feel prepared.

I do a little bit.

I was most recently just able to spend some time with my family out of town and me at home and taking care of myself.

So that was just a little taste of what it might be like in college without people there to be like oh hey you need to go outside every single day and you have to find ways to be like oh hey I need to go outside every single day I need to go out and talk to people because you no longer have like parents in school to force you to do those things.

And do you have any sense of major or exploration during and after college.

Sorry could you.

Exploration and like profession passion.

So debate has made me really passionate about like public policy as well as like philosophy.

And so I feel like if I were my general passion right now would be like more political science oriented stuff as well as just like activism in general.

Well I dare say you're going to be very successful at that.

Other comments questions.

Director Geary please.

Thank you for coming.

Nova is one of my favorite schools in the district and I've always enjoyed going to visit.

So just wanted to always I will always take an opportunity to give a shout out for Nova.

I'm glad that you raised the issue of gathering information not only for the LGBTQ community but there are I think we're hearing more and more a thread around our communities wanting to have a way to gather the information around experience in our schools.

So I wanted to just let you know that I heard you say that it's very important that I know our PTSA right now is looking for systems around bullying focusing potentially on racial incidents.

But the reality is is if we can get some good reporting systems in place that have an easy access into the district and then the appropriate dissemination of that capturing of that information and then response loop for it.

We will be able to serve a lot of communities that currently don't feel as well served as they could be.

So I appreciate you bringing up that point in just a different angle on a problem that we have that we need to continue to look at.

So I appreciate you coming here today and letting us know.

Thank you.

Director Burke.

Welcome and I want to thank you for a really well articulated comment question request and recommendations and I guess it's exciting how you know I think things are shifting that we can have more of these conversations.

But for us in the district we sort of have a there's a lot of polarities around student data.

And so I'm wondering you know we want to be able to reliably collect it.

But people will question who's as you indicated is it collected to what end.

Who is it shared with for what purpose.

And so I'm wondering if you could if you could provide any more any more insight in terms of the climate and how we would have to ask to be able to feel like it was safe and what sort of controls we need to put on it so that people.

recognize that we would be essentially a trusted recipient of that data.

I think that's something that absolutely needs to be considered.

It can be like I said in my speech it can be incredibly difficult to write down that you are being bullied because of this or that you are closeted and experienced people like saying homophobic comments around you when they don't know that.

And you don't really want this idea of a teacher any teacher just reading through that.

And I know that Garfield High School when I was attending there has done surveys through phones through websites and I always felt like people were not only more enthusiastic because hey I get to fill out my survey and then my phone's out and teachers like bringing everybody together and you know check my text.

But also there's just that like people feel more anonymous and safe because they feel like when I write this down it is going to Seattle Public Schools.

It's going like all the way to the top without interacting with my teacher like or it's going to like.

principal Howard without that middle level of oh what if somebody reads my paper.

And I think that looking at ways to do it with phones ways to do it with like online surveys where a class might get a laptop cart for that class and just fill out a survey at the start of the class would do a lot for making for creating trust in students that this data is only going to be viewed by the proper authorities.

I want to thank you as well.

Chris I was sharing the words and it was so well written and spoken and you know that there is a need for us to be able to change how we collect data.

It's one of the things I noticed one of the new forms that went out and I said why is it just two options for gender.

What if someone opts to not identify as either one.

We should allow them to do that.

I choose either not to answer that question or the responses you have.

don't match who I am.

That's just one step I think we can probably do to help make people feel safe because if we just say there's only two choices you know we need to provide more than that.

It can also be incredibly difficult if you are not out and you see these choices, you might be just looking at that and you're like, I have no idea which to choose for what I'm going for.

It also just is a good way to Yeah, like you said, start off the questionnaire by alienating people who are at the most risk for the things that you're trying to figure out.

Yeah and I hope we can get to the point where we don't have to ask or someone has to worry about coming out.

They're always themselves and something that they feel free to share and not have any repercussions.

Again I thank you for your word you've shared.

Thank you very much.

OK.

We have reached the consent portion of tonight's agenda.

May I have a motion for the consent agenda.

I move approval of the consent agenda.

Let's go to the consent agenda and we'll since we've done that we'll come back.

OK.

I second the motion.

Thank you.

OK.

Just kick me next time.

OK.

OK.

Do we have folks that would like to remove items from the consent agenda.

Please say so.

I definitely I do ask to request to move item number three the extending the contract for middle school and high school yearbooks.

I do have some questions myself and I do see we have two public testimony listing that as a common item.

Any other items to remove from the consent agenda.

Saying none do we have a motion for the amended consent agenda with number three removed from saying.

I move approval of the consent agenda as amended.

Second the motion.

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

Aye.

OK.

And we will hear number three under C as the new number one.

after public testimony and we can address those concerns.

Let's go back to board reports.

Who would like to go first.

Who would like to go first or we're going to name you Director Pinkham Audit and Finance.

Thank you and good evening.

As chair of Audit and Finance our February meeting was I think with most of our committee meetings was one of those that was canceled and wasn't rescheduled and our next Audit and Finance meeting actually won't be until March 18th because of midwinter break.

We had a bit of extension but we will have our quarterly audit a finance meeting next Tuesday.

So if you wish to come out and see what's being discussed there with our quarterly report please do so.

And just an FYI I do know about some things that are coming up with A&F in response to some of WSSDA's new policies on us with having to do some audits and some things with social media that we are looking at that will come up on future agendas and.

That's really all I have right now with A&F to share and Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ.

Thank you.

Geary curriculum and instruction and legislative please.

And strategic plan steering committee.

Well that too.

So for curriculum instruction like audit and finance our meeting was.

Not held and so the items were then handled in exec.

I believe that was the.

yearbooks that has now been removed from consent.

And there was one other item which is on the agenda tonight.

Our meeting our next meeting for curriculum instruction will be March 19th 2000 19 430 to 630 here at the board.

I think the one addition that everybody will be interested in knowing that will most likely show up on the agenda is the amendment of policy 2024. We've gotten a lot of feedback on that.

Appreciate people providing that feedback and giving us the opportunity to look at the policy further.

I have been working on that policy based upon some input from our principals as well as families and its inconsistent application throughout our district.

and that different principals handle it differently different principals think that it creates very different workloads.

The reality is is that the online offerings are not vetted thoroughly by our district.

And so therefore we not only can assure our students of the academic rigor that they offer but we may actually inadvertently be allowing them to access curriculum that is unsafe for them both racially or gender based.

And so it's really an important policy that it's not just a matter of convenience.

And I did a long Facebook posting but that last point was brought up to me by some Nova staff.

Thank you.

In terms of the safety of that curriculum.

And so while there were issues of flexibility for parents that has to be weighed against the messages that we are inadvertently providing our students.

And I take that very very seriously.

So it's not an easy discussion and it's not one where convenience of families is necessarily the bottom line and the right decision.

So it may just be one of those hard decisions that we live with but we will be working at it and looking at it more to make sure that we can build in flexibility.

So I'll just say that that's one of the things C&I will be working on.

We'll post the agenda otherwise it's going to otherwise it's a lot of the same things that we normally talk about.

The next committee I will talk about is our strategic planning steering committee.

We have met several times.

These these yet the steering committee has met several times since the last time the board met.

Those meetings were cut short and delayed due to the snow as well.

But I think that.

Once again we were able to build in enough feedback.

A new draft will be going out to the board tomorrow.

I have asked that the board take some time to look at that and I will be calling on Friday.

So do not avoid my telephone call so that we can have a very good we have a retreat this.

It is one of the topics for the retreat on Saturday.

We want to make the most of it.

The idea is that our strategic plan will be done by March because it is after that point that our schools will be expected to build it into their continuous improvement plans.

And so if we want it to be implemented with fidelity throughout our district it is our job as a board to make sure that we get this work done.

It's hard because you always want to tweak it and do a little bit more and think about it a little bit more.

But.

We're on track for that.

So thank you to our steering committee and everybody who spent many many hours participating in that process to help us come out with a good product for our district and our city.

And then I'm going to turn legislative over to my co-legislative committee member Eden Mack.

I'll start with the legislative representative brief kind of overview.

We too were impacted by the snow.

Director Geary and I were not able to join Superintendent Juneau and others down to meet with our Seattle delegation because of the snow.

Unfortunately and also that same weekend WASDA WASBO and WASA which are all the administrator level statewide organizations had to cancel our conference and day on the hill because of the snow.

So we're WASDA is in the process of rescheduling kind of on a limited basis based on.

Director areas were broken up across the state and director areas so Director Area 2 which is includes Seattle.

We're in conversations right now rescheduling and this is just brand new to me as well to March 21st.

So hopefully that's a day that we can can make to get down there and speak with our legislators face to face on the issues that matter to us here in the district as well as across the state.

So I'm looking forward to that.

Also we've we've been really active testifying in the past few weeks on a number of bills we are citing and support 50 23. There's an ethnic studies bill supporting some additional work at OSPI to to create a curriculum around that.

We signed in pro 53 13 is a bill on the levy authority increasing the levy authority so that we if that were to pass we would.

not have to do our huge cuts next year.

So we've signed and signed in and testified pro on that.

Another bill is 57 36 which is related to SPED funding.

I believe we signed in pro with concerns because it doesn't quite go far enough for the gap that we've got on special education funding but it's a step in the right direction and we're grateful for steps in the right direction.

And additionally one of my.

Focus areas for many years is is the lack of adequate funding from the state around funding our facilities across the state.

The program is called the school construction assistance program SCAP and Bill 58 53 would make dramatic improvements across the state for not just Seattle but all districts to receive more appropriate funding to update and have safe school buildings.

So those are just a few of the things that we've testified on and advocated for and we're going to continue to do so.

The there's we've already reached cut off of the first house I believe it is or a cut off of committees right now.

So and you know your letters to your legislators supporting funding for special education.

And or increasing our levy authority would be much appreciated as well.

They need to hear from you all as well.

So that's legislative stuff.

Operations Committee we didn't get canceled.

We were the day after the last board meeting so we had our meeting.

It was really productive.

The agenda is still up online.

You can look at it there but a couple of highlights.

are that we discussed policy 6900 which is facilities master planning.

Currently we have a planning around levies but not around the overall master planning.

So we're starting to work to put that policy into place.

We got an overview an update of the capital grants that we get which was informative as well as an update on where we're at with improving the.

safety and security of our buildings across the district.

And there was a brief update about the transportation task force as a couple other things.

Really good meeting moving a number of issues forward.

The next meeting will be on March 14th.

The agenda for that's not posted yet but we've already met to discuss that and it includes More work on policy H13 which is the process match mapping for our capacity management work as well as I believe we're going to get an update of kind of an overview of all of the issues around transportation and the snow and things that happen there and how we what what happened and how we might make some improvements going forward.

And also we'll get some information on the capital budget for next year so that we can talk about you know do we have everything on that list that we've promised to voters as well as you know can it all be done.

And in advance of that actually what's very exciting Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you voters for passing it over 70 74 percent in the end.

It was over 70 percent for our BEX V levy.

Thank you.

That passed and now we are going to have a work session on March 6th.

at Garfield High School starting at six o'clock right before that there's going to be a budget work session.

There's no public comment at work sessions.

I just I do want to mention that because folks might think OK it's a board meeting and so there's public comment.

We don't typically do them at work sessions.

This meeting though is out in the community.

It's at Garfield High School which is exciting to be out instead of here in this room and the budget will happen first and then the BEX V implementation plan will be discussed which will give a lot of information about when projects are likely to happen.

We'll talk about safety and security projects we'll talk about the big buildings how many years out we're looking at various things what the timeline is.

We'll talk about technology and what kind of things will be rolled out over time the plan etc.

So that I'm excited for that work session coming up on March 6th at Garfield High School.

I think that's it.

Any other liaison or committee reports feedback.

Have at it.

And so I'm also the board's representative for the family the FEP levy family education preschool and promise levy which is the city of Seattle's levy not ours but it supports a lot of the work in Seattle Public Schools.

They're currently working on the implementation plan the levy oversight committee which is what I sit on is the board's representative has to approve that before work can go forward.

We have to make a recommendation to approve it and then City Council has to approve it after that.

So we're meeting again tomorrow.

There's another draft of that implementation plan and I know that work is going on between staff and staff here in the district and staff at the city on the partnership agreements and various other pieces that need to be pulled together.

The work is going on and we'll see what happens at tomorrow's meeting.

OK executive committee did meet.

We met on a different day because of snow and the availability of our members.

We hosted Seattle Education Association as a part of our labor partners so we can converse and talk about what's on our minds and that's always been very helpful.

And we try to rotate between our labor groups because sometimes unfortunately even though we're all on the same team.

It can get a little oppositional and it can get a little narrow when we're in bargaining.

It was great to see both Phyllis Campagno and Michael Tamayo and hear the feedback with respect to Black Lives Matter planning.

And that was a very big lift and was extended because of the snow as well.

A great deal of effort goes into that a great deal of professional development goes into that as well.

And as Director Geary mentioned because C&I was unable to meet because of the snow we passed on the other agenda items.

We also talked a fair amount about planning for our retreat on Saturday.

The strategic plan board staff superintendent communication and board intra communication.

And they're all wonderfully complex issues sometimes fraught with peril sometimes fraught with history.

But let it not be said that we don't respect each other we just are looking for more effective ways to communicate so that we can get more done of a higher and deeper quality of work.

And we all have roles and sometimes they get a little messy but game on and I'm looking forward to it and I'm bringing lasagna.

I am OK.

There'll be a veggie option.

I recognize my colleagues and others.

OK.

So there's that.

So now we are at 5 0 5. Time check because we did the consent agenda out of order.

We are at board comments.

Who would like to go first.

We've got 25 minutes before public testimony.

Director Burke you're tagged.

So since.

Thank you for.

for coming and spending your evening with us.

Since we last met.

We passed a levy as a city which is amazing.

You've already heard about that.

So I also wanted to thank Seattle voters are our partners and colleagues at schools first and education advocates all over the city that that helped get the message out and including community staff.

It was was really an amazing effort.

So I'm really grateful for that.

I've had a couple of activities in the last few weeks that I wanted to share about.

Some of them are meetings and some of them are well they're all meetings because that's what we do.

Right.

I met with a fellow by the name of David Coven.

He's a Seattle Public Schools grad Cleveland High School University of Washington engineer I'm not sure if this is something that's crossed runs an organization called scholarship junkies.

And I heard him speak before at an education event and was inspired and then connected with him again just a couple of weeks ago.

In the last year through the work of scholarship junkies they've engaged with over 3000 students.

Not just in Seattle but nationwide providing scholarship guidance.

Essays you know support with with college essays and placement jobs and internships.

So they're they're they're essentially people that have just gone through this process themselves.

And through a very heavily volunteer leveraged network are impacting a huge number of students.

So I just wanted to thank him for for taking the time and you know it's something that I would like to explore more if there's an overlap with with what Seattle Public Schools does because it was really powerful.

His message and the work that they've done.

When we were supposed to have a.

We had a Wednesday a while ago that was supposed to be a work session and it was like an empty Wednesday.

When have we ever had an empty Wednesday.

And it just happened to coincide with the Seattle Times education lab workshop.

They were having an event around special and specialized education sort of a town hall.

So I attended that and got to listen to.

Folks from from from Seattle and from from other districts talk about some of the challenges in special education and their hopes and dreams and things that they would like the times to to have a better insight into.

So it was really as as with every special education meeting it was a really powerful place to to to hear.

There's there's such a diverse.

and complex set of of of needs and expectations in the special education field and definitely challenging not just for Seattle but for other districts as well.

So that was that was a powerful thing.

Let's see.

We had a an internal conversation with with our capital staff around.

You know we've talked about.

the priority hire initiative which isn't really a priority hire initiative but rather it's a how do we as a district collaborate with our labor partners to help students find careers and help our students that find those careers work on our projects and do it in a cost effective manner.

So there's going to be an April 6th work session on that topic.

And so this meeting was myself and Director DeWolf Richard Best and Fred Podesta to try to put some some structure around that.

So there'll be more conversation coming on that.

And so I want to thank staff for for doing some of the legwork on that.

I've met either in person or on the phone with each of you on the board in preparation for our board retreat this Saturday.

So I want to thank you all for the gift of time that you've shared with me to try to cue this up.

It's a particularly important conversation not only do we open it up a strategic plan which is important but both the superintendent and the school board have annual goals.

that we've made a commitment to around communication collaboration.

So this is this is our chance to kind of put the rubber to the road and I'm looking forward to that.

I have a community meeting on the schedule for March 9th at the Fremont library from 4 to 5 30 p.m.

As I've indicated before I'm going to try to I'm going to have a focus theme.

Of course people can talk about anything.

But I wanted to to try to rally folks around science because I know we're in the middle in the middle of our adoption and I want to get kind of common feedback get some educators and families in the same room talking about this this topic as we work towards that.

So that's also on the table.

Unfortunately we had a.

a community meeting community presentation of the science materials that was canceled due to snow.

So I'm not sure if that's been rescheduled or if it's going to be.

But you know I watch the website for that or that is all I have for now and I may have a few more comments after.

Do I see Director Kinoshita nodding his head yes for the reschedule on the science.

We can we can take that up after.

Terrific.

Sounds like we're rescheduling that.

Next up Director Mack.

I gave a.

I talked a lot about committee stuff earlier and liaison work.

So I actually don't have a ton of things to say in my board comments tonight.

I know that there's been some tragedies in our communities recently and I just want to.

Acknowledge those.

And.

Send positive thoughts of healing and ask folks to remember that everyone you come across is dealing with something and it's important to to walk gently with folks.

Excited about board meetings that are coming up and again want to thank the voters for their support of our operations and our BEX levy.

That was an exciting night to to be out in the snow and see the results of that.

So I'm super grateful.

And looking forward to board comments I might have something more to say after that.

And just also very appreciative of the retreat that's coming up tomorrow and our conversations around continued collaboration.

And thank you.

Director Geary.

Well I also have made several comments about things.

So I'll keep it brief.

I do meet with the public Tuesday mornings at a coffee shop called Zoka on Blakely near the university village from 8 to 9 30. I post that usually the night before but check the morning of to see if the meeting is going to go forward because snow or child illness those things sometimes get in the way.

Just as an aside I was on a walk today and I thought a snowflake dropped on me it was so cold and I had PTSD.

I was just like no this can't be happening.

We cannot have any more snow.

Thank you so much to Seattle for approving our levies.

It's huge.

It just tells all of us that.

You want a great education for your kids and you want to provide us the resources to do it.

And I've said it before and I'll say it again that Seattle does not want what Olympia has defined as basic education because we look at every single one of our students as individuals.

And we want to be able to do our best to provide them a great education that responds to their learning styles to their dreams and to the people that they want to be.

And we can't do that without resources and the less resources we have the less choice we can offer.

It's going to be hard because even though we have been we have a very generous city and community base.

We can't access all that money.

So to keep in mind that the levy that you voted for is not the levy we can collect.

So there will be hard decisions to make and keep talking to your legislators about what you think is a basic education for your individual learner.

because it's really important that your unique stories are told in that forum.

We can talk to them but we have been told over and over that constituents personal stories mean so much.

And then thank you to Thoreau Good Marshall and that lovely performance.

It's just heartwarming there.

It just reminds you every one of our children is an individual.

And on that note I'm going to do a plug for Roosevelt High School which was once again invited back to the Duke Ellington Jazz Hall.

Festival in New York City.

It is such a huge honor and both Garfield and Roosevelt were invited back and they are invited back year after year.

It is only a handful of districts across our nation.

And so it is a gem of this city the music that we have and it starts in those kids.

And I know every single board director up here wants to continue to promote music in the heart and school Every single child's heart every single school so that we can continue to have a nationally recognized music program.

So on that I too will wait for comments and thank you everybody for coming tonight.

Director Burke.

I just want to add a clarification I did find on the website that the science materials adoption has been rescheduled for March 2nd.

So thank you for that.

So it's right after it's during our retreat.

So you can start at the retreat and then go check out some science books.

Next up who would like to speak.

Director Pinkham.

Oh well.

So I guess I'll speak.

There you go.

As if on cue.

Hi Joanne.

There you go.

Again Tots Cloud good evening.

Since we are almost at the time for public comment again I just want to thank the voters out there for passing the levies again.

You know again it's showing your definite messages that we need to provide our students the quality education.

I was also at Licton Springs on Monday with Denise Juneau and other people interested in that community and the Licton Springs K through 8 school.

One of the topics was what does it mean to be a native focused school.

So I hope that we'll continue that traction make sure that we do.

Get the school and the community the principal and us here in the central office to be able to support the school if that's the direction it wants to go and how we can do that.

One thing I hope to do is make sure that they have the adequate space that they need for for their school to grow and.

As we're looking at we approve native languages as part of our curriculum.

And can that then be a place to pilot to have maybe some like shoot seed language taught at that school as a K through 8. So just things that I hope we can discuss and see what direction that can go.

While there I did notice that Robert Eagle Staff Middle School did finally put the Eagle Staff that was donated to the school in its proper case and it's on display at the case is wonderful.

It's good to see that it's there.

The janitors appreciate it as well.

Now they just have to worry about fingerprints they said not too much about the Eagle Staff being damaged but it is behind a glass case but it's not very movable.

That's another concern because now it's in a case without wheels and it's going to be tough to move but.

Thank you to the people that were able to address that and get it under proper care and custodianship See other announcements for me my next community meeting will be March 9th from I think the same day as Director Burke's.

Mine will be from noon to 130 at Lake City Library which should be fairly newly remodeled so I get to check out this new space.

So hopefully if you're there please come out.

I didn't have one in February just because the weekends and time didn't work out.

And plus with all the snow closures that happened.

See just another quick announcement the University of Washington finally select the date for its spring powwow.

It'll be April 6th and 7th.

It can't be on the UW campus due to remodeling of Heckhead Pavilion.

It'll be at actually Seattle Exhibition Hall.

So April 6th and 7th come out to the UW spring powwow.

And I'll save other comments I have for after public comment but do want to make sure to thank Thurgood Marshall where they're singing and Clarissa again thank you for being here and sharing your perspectives and your voice.

Qeˀciyéẁyéẁ.

Well in that event you want to do your initial comments.

I'll just go ahead.

Thanks.

Good evening.

It is always a pleasure to come up here and represent our community in terms of the education that we provide to each and every one of our students here in Seattle.

Snow has really kind of put a damper on a lot of stuff that I was actually planning to do and I Maybe for the fact that I live up on a hill and so it's pretty hard to come down on the hill when there's a lot of snow.

If you want to slide all the way down to the street that's probably not the best thing to do.

But as I was at home thinking about.

What is it I need to do to actually to continue on to provide better opportunities for all our kids in Seattle Public Schools.

And it really dawned on me that we have come a long way.

As I thought about when I first got into the school board there were so many things that was not happening in terms of providing opportunities to all our kids especially our kids of color.

But then as I look at what we're doing today I really make me proud actually to look at all the board directors around here and just think about their hearts where their heart is is actually making sure that every student Seattle Public Schools get that excellent education that we all talk about on a daily basis.

So it really is.

A wonderful thing to actually to be able to see progress take place and just to make sure that they are taking place.

I usually will do a monthly checkup or a monthly visit to certain schools just to make sure that things are going successfully.

And I have to say that our staff and leaders within our schools are doing a wonderful job of actually educating our kids at least at this point.

So I am really happy to say that Things continue to look in the positive way and we're always looking for great things to happen and making sure that all our students are served and providing the best education that we can and and hopefully to continue to see bigger and better things in terms of what can we do as board directors to make education even better than where it is today.

So thank you for coming tonight and appreciate all your support.

OK we're going to take a nine minute break.

We're going to start up at 530 on the button because that's what we have noticed for public testimony.

Okay.