Seattle Public Schools
Good afternoon.
We will call the meeting to order momentarily and SPS TV will begin recording.
All right the January 29th 2025 special board meeting is called to order at 431. We would like to acknowledge that we are on ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people.
Also today we mark the Lunar New Year and move into the year of the snake.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year.
For the record I will call the roll Vice President Briggs.
Here.
Director Clark.
Present.
Director Hersey.
Here.
Director Mizrahi.
I believe he's online so waiting just a second here.
Present.
All right.
Director Rankin.
Here.
Director Sarju.
Here.
And this is President Topp.
We will begin tonight with public hearing on action item number one and accompanying amendments.
Action item one is adoption of the board policy number 0020 goals for the district and 0025 guardrails for the district and amendment to board policy number one zero one zero oversight and progress monitoring.
Today's hearing is limited to this item, but we can but you can join us for our regular meeting to provide feedback on other issues before the board.
We have a sign up sheet for those who are here in person and we will begin with in person testimony and then move through remote testimony.
for which we had advanced signups.
Speakers will have a maximum of two minutes speaking time.
I'm going to work hard to keep folks at that two minute speaking mark.
But if you're unable to finish your comments, we invite you to provide the rest of your comments in writing.
I want to thank everyone for joining us this afternoon and for being part of this this many month journey.
Our community has partnered with us to define a shared vision for what our district can deliver for our students reflected in our goals and our values of how we get there as reflected our guardrails.
The earlier opportunities we've had to engage with our community are summarized in material posted for tonight.
Thank you for your time and reflections throughout this work.
Moving into our public hearing, board procedure 1430BP provides our rules for testimony.
The board expects the same standard of civility for those participating in public comment as the board expects for itself.
As board president, I have the right and will interrupt speakers who fail to observe the standard of civility required by our procedure.
A speaker who refuses or fails to comply with these guidelines or who otherwise substantially disrupts the orderly operation of this meeting may be asked to leave this meeting.
Going to now pass it to staff to summarize a few additional points and to read off the testimony speakers for tonight.
Thank you, President Topp.
Please wait until call to approach the podium or unmute and only one person may speak at a time.
The board's, sorry, the timer at the podium will indicate your time remaining and will with a red light and a beep will mean that the time has been exhausted and then I will move to the next speaker.
For those who are joining remotely for our remote testimony today, we're gonna go through our speakers list for those who are here in person.
We've currently got about six people on the speakers list, and then we will start to call from the remote testimony signups.
The first speaker on today's list is Gerard Montejo Thompson.
Hi there.
Gerard, Vice President of Seattle Education Association.
And we find ourselves in a time of fear and uncertainty, echoing some of the darkest moments in our history as a country.
We are scared.
We are confused.
And that is by design by those that have taken power.
Because they are scared too.
And in their fear, they have retreated into hate and bigotry.
They bully and oppress the disenfranchised with the intent to divide us.
It's easy to assert our values when times are good, but now is the time to meet the moment, to face our fear, and resist the urge to abandon our principles at the first test of honor.
Let's remember what we teach our students about how to deal with a bully.
Call out the behavior and name it for what it is.
We know that SPS, SEA and the school board have already laid a solid foundation to fight back because of our shared paramount duty to keep our children safe.
We know there's much more work to do and I want you to know that SEA is ready to stand together, united with SPS and the board to protect every student and family in our charge and to uphold our values and protections in place.
Now is the time to strengthen our resolve and move together as a united front for our students and communities.
Because that is the right thing to do.
Because this is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
So I urge us all to be brave right now when it is hard to uphold the values of the Seattle we know and love.
Let us be the example by which other school districts are emboldened to be strong for their schools.
Thank you.
The next speaker is Mish Vikyo.
I want to give thanks to Vice President Gerard Montejo-Thompson and say, good afternoon, Superintendent Jones and directors.
I'm Mish Vecchio.
My pronouns are they, them.
Formerly a special education teacher at the NOVA Project and current president of the Seattle Education Association.
I also want to name the fear that our students and educators are facing.
And in response to the executive orders on sex and gender, I want us to heed Gerard's call.
This is an opportunity for us to stand together in our values, which do guide our goals and guard rail work.
Our responsibility is to make sure our students feel supported and welcomed in our schools, and I'm resolute in working with you to protect our students and the policies that support them.
Let me be clear, the executive order signed on January 20th is anti-science and an alarming attempt to erase trans, intersex, and non-binary students from existence.
Further, it's an attack on the inclusive policies that we fought so very hard to enact.
this policy in combination with the other executive orders has overwhelmed and confused those working with our students we have questions on if our federal funding will be affected if we continue to support students with ex-gender markers on how to ensure ieps are federally compliant for our transgender students and how to ensure free and reduced lunch signups within our statewide and local systems are not jeopardized we need to call this for what it is it's a divide and conquer tactic that potentially places our protection and acceptance of our trans students in the way of us receiving federal funds we've seen these tactics before and i know that our educators communities families and you the board and superintendent are steadfast in commitment to our students we have stood together before in this very room with our trans educators and students and we can stand together again Finally, to the students of Seattle Public Schools who may be listening and may be afraid, I wanna take this moment to say as a trans educator, even when our federal government refuses to see you, I see you, we see you.
I am committed to working together to protect you in our community and our schools.
Thank you.
The next speaker is Sabrina Burr.
Good evening, Superintendent Jones and School Board Director.
I'm Sabrina Burr, co-president of Seattle Council of PTSA and an advocate for this district for over 20 years.
I am concerned about your goals and how low they are.
These are lives.
And what we are saying is we're willing to fail some students.
And we know what students those are.
Those are the black and brown students that I know in my lifetime you've been failing for 70 years.
What you may not know is I went back to school with my daughter.
My brother was murdered in the streets of downtown Seattle where a knife went into his heart.
His second trial 10 years later, I realized the first knife that went in his heart came from this institution.
When I went back to school with my daughter for 11 years in her building, I saw it happening to a bunch of people.
I have people from her graduating class with leaders from the city and this district that I know cannot read, write, and compute.
People from my generation that we used as athletes who used their body, they're all broke down if they did not get a job and a pension.
I'm asking you to see our children stop being about adults in this district.
In this time, this district has become more about adults.
We have a moral responsibility.
to produce students who can live with ease, to have all the tools to be who they were divinely created to be.
We know the science of reading.
I want to make sure that 10% is not what we're doing.
It is unacceptable.
And I also want to ask you, how are you holding the superintendent responsible for the guardrails because I don't see it happening.
What I want you to know is these are lives.
This is generational, and what's going on in this city has to do with failure of generations from this district.
It is too rich.
We should have too many partnerships.
Seattle promised We're graduating them out and they're not even getting to get the promise.
So what I want you to know is this is about life and death for students.
Let's get real and let's get some high standards and tell them they matter.
The next speaker is Caitlin Murdock.
Superintendent Jones and elected representatives, thank you for your delay on action for goals and guardrails and providing us this limited opportunity to speak.
You heard us and slowed the process down.
We hope that this is a sign of more robust community engagement moving forward.
While this was necessary, it is still not sufficient.
I urge you to delay once again your vote on guardrails.
Tomorrow, families will head to Olympia to ask our representatives to hold true to our vision of a fully funded public education.
We are hopeful.
In the face of devastating federal actions this week, our state lawmakers have stood up for our children.
Schools are moving forward that affirm our deepest values.
Green, gender-affirming schools with food and mental health supports, access to inclusionary special education services, evidence-based instruction, living wage salaries, and an affirmation of our right to teach the histories of the marginalized.
State lawmakers representing Seattle constituents have essentially established guardrails to their goal of providing a basic education to all.
I ask that you follow their governance leadership and rewrite our SPS guardrails.
In the SOFG model, goals and guardrails are the most foundational work.
From these, criteria are derived for all accountability, budgeting, board time, and the five-year strategic plan.
They are a guiding instrument by which you and district staff make all of your decisions.
They are the singular public statement of the values of the Seattle education community.
As presented today, they fall woefully short due to a rushed engagement strategy.
Many of the values from the spring are still missing, namely a commitment to social emotional learning, multilingual education, cross-cultural collaboration, neighborhood and community connections, personalized choices, options for schools and programs, student to teacher ratios, quality staff, transparency, fiscal management, and accountability.
these are what your constituents expressed as their most basic requirements from sps remarks and what you have an obligation to monitor closely and consistently delay a vote on guardrails until comprehensive collaborative community engagement can take place so that those of us headed to olympia tomorrow will not just stand behind our state legislators but will also stand behind you as we work towards a brighter future thank you the next speaker is chris jackins
I don't think anybody else has entered the room, but if they have, you can sign up the half of a piece of paper at the back of the room.
MY NAME IS CHRIS JACKSONS, BOX 84063, SEATTLE 98124. NINE POINTS.
NUMBER ONE, THE BOARD ACTION AND AMENDMENTS ARE TWEAKING TARGETS TO IMPROVE TEST SCORES BY A TOTAL OF 10 PERCENT OR 15 PERCENT OVER A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD.
NUMBER TWO, DISTRICT STAFF GAVE ESTIMATES OF COSTS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR EVERY FIVE PERCENT IMPROVEMENT.
Number three, these costs are based on using certain proposed approaches, some of which are tech heavy and uniform.
Number four, but to make more significant progress, the board needs to direct the superintendent and district staff to look at other approaches.
Number five, the board vice president brought up the question of why not targets of 95% rather than 10% or 15%.
Number six, that seemed to be at least partly related to testimony from a decades-long teacher that every year all of his students made at least a year's reading progress.
Number seven, if you get other things right, so circumstances can produce 95 percent results, you don't need the targets.
Number eight schools are not widget factories.
You need human teachers.
You need alternative education.
Number nine.
I had a math teacher Lou Witt who taught at Ballard High School for decades.
Mr. Witt told me that when he first started teaching the school board director came and sat in the back of his class.
Perhaps Mr. Witt is sitting in the back of some room watching this meeting.
Thank you very much and I do have written information which I placed to the back.
I hope it's been distributed.
Thanks again.
The next speaker is Manuela Sly and after Manuela we will go to those who signed up to provide remote testimony.
Good afternoon, Superintendent Jones and school board.
My name is Manuela Slay, and I'm sorry if I'm unprepared for my testimony.
I spent my morning reaching out to those families that were part of the spring engagements.
So I do know and I hear other people and their disappointment at the way the engagement has happened, but I also want to acknowledge the work that was done and that I was a witness to.
And thank you, Director Rankin, for being that force behind it and for working in partnership.
Because you did come to people that otherwise don't have a voice.
And I'm including the Garifuna women in Seattle.
Many people don't even know what that means.
It's the indigenous and African people, mostly from Honduras, the people that engage with Seattle Public Schools over the last few months.
lake city collective a place where immigrant families and refugees find a safe haven because in north seattle there's a lot of um you know white communities that don't necessarily understand the lives and the the journey of people um that are served by lake city collective and also movimiento afro-latino that also just texted me that they couldn't be here but they have a message for you One of the things is that they're developing a program for youth, and it's a leadership program, and I'm happy to give that information to the board office.
But most importantly, after I got done with all this, I want to say that beyond thanking you, I want to hold you accountable to implement all these things that you have started a few months ago.
So this is not once and done.
My people and the people that I spoke to feel disengaged and feel disappointed and disrespected if all you did was to come and grab and harvest their thoughts, their feelings, and not do anything with it.
I just need five more seconds.
Please.
Make sure that all this wisdom that you gather is used to center our students.
We cannot afford for you not to do the work that has been started.
Do not do that to our communities.
Thank you.
WE'RE GOING DOWN TO THOSE WHO SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY REMOTELY.
THE FIRST SPEAKER ON THAT LIST IS SAM PAW.
AFTER SAM, WE HAVE JANICE WHITE, THEN JESSICA CHONG.
STARTING WITH SAM, THOUGH.
IF YOU'RE ON THE CONFERENCE LINE, PLEASE PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE.
I'm going to go to the next speaker and we can come back to Sam.
Janice White, are you on the line?
Janice, if you could press star six to unmute.
Looks like you've done that.
Hi, can you hear me?
We can hear you.
Great.
My name is Janice White.
I'm the parent of three SPS graduates and president of All Youth Belong, a new nonprofit.
According to the board action report, the vision and values of the school district are represented by the goals and guardrails you are going to adopt.
But the word disability is not mentioned in any of the goals and guardrails and also doesn't appear in the last strategic plan.
Why does this matter?
Aside from the obvious, the number of students with disabilities, It matters because in order to reduce the gaps and outcomes for specific groups of students, we have to take into account the intersection of student identities.
As examples, and this is not unique to Seattle, black boys are over-identified in special education categories that lead to them being segregated from their general education peers.
And at the same time, they're under-identified as having specific learning disabilities like dyslexia.
I've watched many presentations to the board about the important work to improve student outcomes, but those presentations have not addressed the intersection of disability and other student identities.
If black students are under identified as having specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, don't we have to address that first to see improved outcomes?
If black students are over identified and placed in self-contained special education classrooms where we know they are not likely to make as much progress, Don't we need to address that first to see improved outcomes?
It's imperative for the school board to give specific direction to the superintendent, whether it's in the goals and guardrails or the strategic plan, that the board expects our schools to use the disability justice framework developed by disabled activists of color that centers intersectionality.
Respectfully, the work does not hinge on whether you adopt a goal for 10% or 15% improvement.
The work requires centering intersectionality and making changes to our special education system that will produce dramatic improvement in student outcomes.
Thank you.
The next speaker is Jessica Chong.
Can you hear me?
We can, yes.
Okay, thank you.
All right, so I wanted to thank the board for responding to community feedback and proposing a new goal for middle school progress.
I'm here now as a now adult child of two parents who are both English language learners and first-generation college students, and his family history is a testament to the power of public education to lift families out of the circumstances to which they were born.
In 2018, Seattle was cited as third among the nation's 200 largest districts for student achievement growth for grades 3 to 8, finding that on average white black Latino and Asian students all made a minimum of 5.4 years of academic growth over five years of school.
This was recognized as an encouraging sign at the time.
Today I'm echoing the community feedback collected through this meeting and asking the board to add a goal and guardrails so that SPS can continue to live up to our 2018 achievement.
We need to know if any and I mean any groups of students are not making or getting given the opportunity to make a year of academic growth annually.
For example, not only are the proposed goals not sensitive to subgroups of students who may be left behind because they're averaging across the district, the proposals also do not account for students who may have started out ahead but are falling behind.
For example, if a student enters fourth grade doing math at a sixth grade level and then learns nothing for the next three years, they would still count as being ready for seventh grade, but in reality, they would be wildly unprepared to start learning.
I suggest adding a goal that all students make at least one year of academic growth and progress for academic year and to measure the percent of students meeting this bar in every major identity grouping tracked by SDS, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, income, family income, academic needs, special education, ELL, MMO, and highly capable.
And I think it would actually be easy to modify Director Rankin's amendment to Gardmelt-Luns from the superintendent will not allow student school assignment, family income, race, ethnicity, deed, or identity to limit, instead of determine, access to high standards, high rigorous programming, high quality teaching and support and then add that would enable the student to make at least one year of academic growth per year.
Thank you.
I'm going to go back now to Sam Pa if you are on the line.
Sam, you'll need to press.
I understand that we have one additional person who has joined us online who I don't have on my list.
If there's a speaker who has not provided testimony yet, who is on the phone line, if you could press star six to unmute and we can take your name and then you can have two minutes of testimony.
Ms. Wilson Jones, do you want to repeat that one more time?
Yes.
On the line, we have somebody with a phone number of nine that ends in 463. Your phone number ends in 463. If you called in to provide testimony, you can press star six to unmute on the conference line.
Also unmute on your device, and we will take your testimony.
Unless our community member in the room has heard otherwise we may have just I believe that concludes today's public hearing then.
All right.
Thank you everyone that Miss Wilson Jones stated that concludes our public testimony for today.
I appreciate everyone coming out here and providing testimony.
I do want to send it over to Dr. Jones for a few brief comments.
Recent developments, directives coming from us from back east have really done what my colleagues in SCA have talked about, really tried to create division and discord and just an array of things that we need to chase.
We're trying to figure out what we need to react to immediately, what we need to take time to respond to, and what we need to just wait to settle to see what happens.
SPS as an as an organization has been committed to a safe and welcoming environment for several years and we want to embody that as we move forward more specifically we have recently provided guidance to our school leaders providing the protocols around immigration enforcement the the ice efforts we've sent a message to our community today from me recommitting to a safe and welcoming environment for a sense of belonging for both our immigrant and refugee communities as well as our LGBTQ+.
I wanted to make sure that we have affirmed those things that we've been about for the last several years.
We've adapted a procedure recently, 4310 superintendent procedure to speak specifically to the guidelines that we're providing to our school leaders and schools.
And we also are working on an FAQ as as things emerge so that we can stay current on our responses to the newest and latest developments.
And so my I accept the partnership from Gerard and Misha around us staying solid in solidarity around these issues.
We cannot be divided and confused about what our mission is.
We we must stay committed to supporting our students unequivocally.
And so I just wanted to give an update and I'll be providing more updates as we go along and as we learn more.
Thank you.
Thank you, Dr. Jones.
We are now going to move to the U tables for the remainder of our meeting.
Please take your microphones with you.
We're gonna take a quick five minute recess for folks.
So we will reconvene at 5.05.
All right, it is 5.05.
Let's come back together here.
We're going to go into our action items for this evening.
We will now go to action item of today's agenda, adoption of board policy number 0020, goals for the district, and 0025, guardrails for the district, an amendment to board policy number 1010, oversight and progress monitoring.
Can I get a motion for this item?
Is that is it this one.
Oh I thought that was for the vote.
Oh OK.
No I'm sorry.
I move that the school board adopt board policies number 0020 and 0025 setting new goals and guardrails for the district and amend board policy number 1010 as attached to the board action report.
Can I get a second.
SECOND.
THIS IEM HAS BEEN MOVED BY VICE PRESIDENT BRIGS AND SECONDED BY DIRECTOR MISERAHI.
WE WILL NOW CONSIDER OUR AMENDMENT.
SO FOLKS SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE AMENDMENT PACKET IN FRONT OF THEM AFTER Discussing and voting on these amendments, I'll ask then for a new motion for the underlying item as amended, if applicable.
There are five amendments that have been proposed, and we will take them up in numerical order, starting with Amendment 1. And I will begin each amendment by asking the sponsor to make a motion for the amendment.
Then I'll ask for a second.
and then the sponsor will be asked to read the proposed language into the record before we move into discussion so i'm going to read that one more time uh i'll i'll begin by asking each i'll begin each amendment by asking the sponsor to make a motion for the amendment then i'll ask for a second and then the sponsor will be asked to actually read the language proposed into the record before we move on to discussion
all right I'm seeing shaking heads like folks know where what we're doing here so we will begin with amendment one can I get a motion from the sponsor thank you I move that this I move that the school board approve amendment one to action item one to substitute the language posted to today to today's agenda for this amendment to replace the language provided for goal one in the underlying item Can I read the link?
Oh, no, we need a second.
I need a second first.
Can I get a second?
Second.
Second.
Perfect.
So this amendment has been moved by Director Rankin and seconded by Director Mizrahi.
just before we move into discussion I just want to let folks know that staff is here just to answer questions if we may have questions but we will so now I will ask the sponsor to read the proposed language into the record and then share brief remarks on the proposed change we will then move to a discussion and close out with a vote on the amendment staff are here to support this conversation and with us both our education staff and our board staff.
So I will now go to Director Rankin to for her brief remarks.
Great.
Thank you.
And I read the language first.
Yes.
Sorry.
All right.
So the proposed substitute language for this amendment is the percentage of students in second grade that meet or exceed key grade level standards for foundational literacy skills will increase from spring 2025 baseline data in June 2025 to plus 15 percentage points in June 2030. And as discussed at the last meeting my reasoning for that is through a really kind of simple analysis of looking at different groups that it would be possible to it would theoretically be possible to meet the 10 percent growth without impacting change to the magnitude of addressing the students for this from educational justice and so I propose that 15 percent we're able to look at, in order to achieve 15% or get close to 15% changes in delivery and resources would have to be made to make progress that would not allow for only groups of students who are already at or above to be the sole beneficiaries.
Looking now to board directors for discussion here.
I have a question for staff.
I understand that we don't have baseline data yet because it's too early in the year, but it's actually, I find it really challenging to evaluate this goal without any numbers.
Is there, can we have like a stand-in estimate type number here or something, you know, just as like a grounding kind of?
I THINK OUR BAR HAS STAND-IN NUMBERS WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY AT, IF WE COULD PROVIDE THOSE.
DR. ANDERSON, DO YOU HAVE A RESPONSE TO THAT?
WE'VE KIND OF WALKED THROUGH THESE, BUT PLEASE.
Yeah, I think, I'm pretty sure the numbers will match, but the number I have for the spring of 2024, last spring, on the second grade map, the percent of students, second graders who were projected to be efficient or above, was 56.5%.
Director Briggs, any further clarifying questions?
No, I don't think so.
So we're talking about, then, roughly getting up to a little over 70%, assuming that there's not a huge change.
OK.
Thank you.
Other questions?
All right.
Could staff please call the vote on this amendment?
Vice, oops, sorry, Director Clark.
I'm sorry, I was distracted for a second.
We're doing the 10 to 15 percent?
Yeah, Amendment 1, 10 to 15. Nay.
Director Hersey.
I'm thinking.
Aye.
Director Mizrahi.
Nay.
Director Rankin.
Aye.
Director Sarju.
Abstain.
Face President Briggs.
Abstain.
President Top.
Nay.
This motion has not passed by a vote of two yes to three no and two abstentions.
Thank you, Ms. Wilson-Jones.
We're going to move on to, I believe, Amendment 2. Again, can I get a motion for Amendment 2 from the sponsor, Director Rankin?
I have a clarifying question.
I believe that we have to vote on the underlying item.
So we're going to consider each of the amendments first and then afterwards we're going to vote on the underlying item as described in the procedure.
So we'll go through each of the amendments and then we will vote on the underlying item.
Yes.
Oh, because it's the policy, not the, yes, not the, I was thinking of the items as the goals, but they're the same policy, got it, thank you.
All right, amendment two.
I move that the school board approve amendment two to action item one to substitute the language posted to today's agenda for this amendment to replace the language provided for goal two in the underlying item.
Can I get a second?
Second.
Okay.
This amendment has been moved by Director Rankin and seconded by Director Mizrahi.
We will now go to the sponsor to read the proposed language into the record and for brief remarks, Director Rankin.
Thank you.
For the record, the substitute language is as follows.
The percentage of students that graduate having completed Washington State graduation requirements as consistent with their individual high school and beyond plan, and having completed one of the following, dual credit work in ELA, world language, the arts, social studies, STEM or CTE, or a formal work-based learning experience.
FAFSA and WASFA applications, applications to one or more college work-based program or other post-secondary program will increase from, to be determined pending available baseline data in June 25 to pending baseline data June 2030. So since last week and in the process of our, as we've traveled along this journey of getting to this place, I've engaged with a number of people in the State Board of Education and in trades and some of our CTE teachers.
And I wanted to just read one of the comments.
Oh, and I will say from the State Board of Ed, very overwhelming support that using the high school and beyond plan is what they would like to see us do and a lot of the priorities that our community reflected are aligned with their portrait of a graduate and the support that they're providing through this tool.
And they are excited about seeing us use this thing that they've worked so hard to develop to support student success.
And so then I got a longer email, which I'm happy to share with anybody, but just briefly from one of our incredible CTE teachers in SPS.
He said, I am excited about these goals.
I love working with students as their plans come together and connecting students with talented tradespeople through our school community workforce agreement.
And then he goes on to say that he likes the flexibility also, that students learn about 19 different trades in the pre-apprenticeships, and they all change their mind with every unit.
The one that they're doing is the one that they like.
which is so awesome.
And he's glad that it was broad because if they offered one and tracked students to the one they chose, we would end up with a lot of graduates who only learned that they're not as sure about what they wanted to do as they thought they were.
And after each unit, they fill out a worker profile for the trade and think about whether that is a profile that makes sense for them or not.
And there's a lot of really exciting collaboration with local entities and bringing in guest guest professionals from the field and so he and some others in building trades are really excited to see CTE specifically called out in the graduation goal as are many others to have both the not just graduate but have developed with the support of teachers and our school system a plan for their future success and then take a step to get to it.
And also, because some of these are new things we haven't collected before, we can't use last year's baseline because we don't know how many students filled out WAFSA applications, for example.
And that's totally great and fine.
I don't know if staff want to provide more about what we would expect to hear along the way in terms of a baseline, because we don't want to just say, oh, we don't know.
So how would you recommend we provide baseline data as we can?
They gave me a paragraph to read about that, but I defer to staff who will know better than my paragraph that I'm supposed to read.
And Dr. Perkins, part of that response, can you talk about how well we've been filling out FAFSA forms and WAFSA and kind of how we're leading the state perhaps in that effort?
Thank you.
Yes, sir.
I hope I match the paragraph.
But I think the basic gist is that there are effectively four or five different components that we're going to need to look at, some of which we have a reasonable certainty about what they're going to look like.
So for example, it's about 73% of the class of 2024 graduated without state waivers and therefore That's what we're, since the state waivers are going away, the two major ones at least.
So that's, you know, the ballpark for graduation.
High school and beyond planning is currently, I think that's more in the TBD camp.
It's still, you know, high percentage, but that's mainly from a compliance perspective and we're trying to get to something a bit higher for the state's conversation.
Dual credit, you just heard about last time, is at 80% in terms of 80% of students complete at least one dual credit class when they graduate.
We, to Dr. Jones's point, we are, as a state, we are not doing so well on FAFSA.
We as a district are actually well above average in about 80 percent.
Seattle Promise has helped a lot in that.
So you notice I'm saying 80 percent a number of times, 70 to 80 percent.
The question is then how do you bring those all together to have a baseline that has graduation, high school beyond plan, and one of these.
And so what we will be able to do with some of these very quickly is be able to give that percentage by this spring.
I think the things we're going to have to work on is application to one or more college work-based program.
I'm really excited about that.
That's going to take a little bit of time to make sure we don't have lagging data, because right now it's hard to get that data from the tools we have.
But the state is helping us with the school links transition.
I hope that helps.
And so after that data becomes available, we'll be able to establish those baselines and targets and be able to amend this as needed.
But other directors for discussion?
All right, then could staff please call the vote on this amendment?
Director Hersey.
Aye.
Director Mizrahi?
Aye.
Director Rankin?
Aye.
Director Sarju?
Abstain.
Vice President Briggs?
Aye.
Director Clark?
Aye.
President Taup?
Aye.
This motion has passed by a vote of six yes with one abstention.
Thank you.
We will now move on to amendment number three.
Can I get a motion for amendment three from the sponsor?
I move that the school board approve amendment three to action item one to insert an additional goal as posted to today's agenda to the version of board policy number 0020 proposed in the underlying item.
And a second.
second okay this this amendment has been moved by director clark and seconded by director miserahi we will now go to the sponsor to read the proposed language into record and for brief remarks all right i'll read the additional goal into the record the percentage of sixth graders prepared to succeed in grade level coursework in
7th grade as measured by the 6th grade SBA will increase from TBD spring 2025 SBA data for baseline in June 2025 to plus 10 percentage points in June 2030. And so we as we kind of chatted about last week we we really heard strongly from the community that there was a desire for a math goal specifically a middle school math goal and Last week we had some great discussion around should we be targeting students that are younger, maybe in fourth grade or fifth grade.
But in reviewing the data that we have from the needs assessment and also from our progress monitoring, we can see that the decline in SBA scores happens most significantly in sixth grade.
And so I thought using the sixth grade SBA as a measure would allow us to better prepare students to take higher level math courses if they choose later in their in later grades.
You know we live in a city with tons of innovation in tech and health sciences and You know I really feel like it's our responsibility to prepare all of our students to take advantage of these opportunities in their own backyard.
Jobs in these sectors would be life changing for a lot of students and families.
So I think I'll stop there see if.
Looking to other directors for comments.
Director Rankin?
I have a question, which is probably for staff.
Our math path so I would maybe posit that the decline in sixth grade comes from inconsistent preparation in elementary school but I don't know.
And this is very anecdotal because this is just my experience as parents with one of my kids in particular was that his his.
he was able to be reasonably accommodated for different math abilities in a neighborhood elementary school by his classroom teachers who encouraged and supported that.
And it was the transition to sixth grade that kind of halted that.
And so you're a sixth grader, you take sixth grade math because that's the school that you came from.
And really was the, to be quite honest, the start of really hating school.
And so I wonder if we're looking at the sixth grade measure, and again, this is my own child, so I don't have data other than that, except for knowing that our math pathway requires everybody to take math six if they didn't come from a cohort school.
This may be a bigger conversation about the pathways and whatnot, but I'm wondering how the goal being in sixth grade could either hinder or support a little more flexibility as kids enter middle school?
Yeah, my curiosity is that.
If we're saying, well, after sixth grade, then we'll think about what you could do, is that limiting?
So if Dr. Anderson, you talk about just sixth grade in general, what happens at sixth grade.
And then Dr. Perkins, if you can talk about the pathway aspect that Director Rankin spoke to.
I assume you mean the results, assessment results.
Yes.
One thing we did take a look at, we looked at sort of the year over year comparisons, what happens as kids progress over time.
And where we actually see the biggest drop off in the last three years of the pandemic is between fifth and sixth grade.
And that is a larger drop off for African-American males or students of color.
In fact, there's a 10% decline in the proficiency rates in sixth grade for African-American boys compared to fifth grade.
And so there is some evidence.
I mean, there is a downward trend.
There has historically also been a drop in fifth grade, although we are seeing some indications that that drop from fourth to fifth grade isn't quite as pronounced.
But it's too early to say of how strong that pattern is post-pandemic.
Yeah, and I'll just share that I really appreciate the board's conversation in flagging Dr. Hersey and Dr. Clark about what's going on in elementary grade.
And so, I mean, the good news on just from the data front, it looks like the high water mark is fourth grade, and then there's this decline.
And I think you're bringing up another hypothesis, Director Rankin, that focusing on this goal would help us unpack, which is, is it that some students aren't being challenged, so they tune out?
There's other kind of just pedagogical reasons, the fact that they're needing to develop a certain level of fluency in sixth grade in order to be able to succeed in seven and eight.
I think it's a much longer conversation about how much we differentiate math six within math six, which I think is a healthy one.
But we should be measured by whether we're making that transition from fifth to sixth grade.
Right now we're not supporting it well, and I think it's helpful that the school board is shining a light on that.
um director clark oh sorry thank you um does um just for the academic team do you guys feel that um the way that this amendment the um the math goal is worded will allow us to focus on that transition from fifth to sixth
Yes, and I'll say even more specifically that we have, noting that you still have to vote, and this is your call, this has already sparked conversations about how we would do a better job of looking at the feeder schools, the elementary schools going into the middle school.
And I think what Dr. Jones was alluding to in this ultimately is the foundational block for success in later in middle school and high school.
So yes absolutely this means that we're going to have to shift some of our work to elementary and be more focused there on that.
Thanks for clarifying.
And I would just add in the development of the interims we would take that dually into consideration as we construct that.
So it's not just sixth grade.
We might say, what do we need as a precursor?
How do we avoid that drop off between fourth and fifth and sixth?
So just wanted to add that piece.
Can I ask a quick question?
Yeah.
I'm just going to ask the same question I asked about the literacy.
Can we get standard numbers?
I actually don't see them in the bar unless they're buried in here somewhere.
56% I believe is.
Okay.
Baseline.
55 to 56% is the sixth grade math SBA.
Okay.
Thank you.
Any others?
Okay.
Then could staff please call the vote on this amendment.
Director Mizrahi?
Aye.
Director Rankin?
Aye.
Director Sarju?
Abstain.
Vice President Briggs.
Abstain.
Director Clark.
Aye.
Director Hersey.
Aye.
President Taup?
Aye.
This motion is passed with a vote of five yes and two abstentions.
Two versions of this amendment were posted.
Amendment three with a 10% increase and amendment four with a 15% increase.
I want to confirm with the sponsor that it is amendment three with the 10% that you wish to put before us and we can move on without taking the alternative version up.
that is correct president top thank you then that then we will move to amendment number five can i get a motion for amendment number five from the sponsor director rincon okay sorry this is a technical question because this is for the other policy
Oh, but the motion is for both of them.
I got it.
I got it.
Motion is for both policies.
I'm with it.
Thank you.
I move that the school board approve Amendment 5 to Action Item 1 to substitute the language posted to today's agenda for this amendment to replace the language provided for guardrail 1 in the underlying item.
And a second.
Second.
This amendment has been moved by Director Rankin and seconded by Director Mizrahi.
I will now go to the sponsor to read the proposed language into the records and for brief remarks.
Director Rankin.
Thank you.
For the record, the substitute language is as follows.
The superintendent will not allow a student's school assignment, family income, race or ethnicity, need or identity, determine access to high standards, rigorous programming, high quality teaching and supports.
And this proposal was in response to concerns from directors and community members that the draft that we had introduced in December could inadvertently lead to, if everybody doesn't have it, nobody has it, as opposed to working for access for every child.
And I do like the suggestion made to switch determined to limit.
However, that's not what is on here.
And also I would...
I feel like when we get interim measures proposed from the superintendent, that would be an additional opportunity for us to determine based on the interpretation provided by the superintendent might let us know if we needed to go back and revisit that or not.
Yeah.
Other discussion?
Director Clark.
Just a quick clarifying question.
Maybe I'm reading this wrong on my handouts, but the amendment looks the same to me as the, I'm trying to find out, is this what was before and we're changing it to this?
Okay.
Okay, thank you.
Perfect.
Other discussion?
Okay, seeing none, could staff please call the vote on this amendment.
And I'm going to call the vote on this with an understanding and hopeful head nod from our legal counsel that I can correct a typographical error in the current language that's on the screen.
The word two is missing and will be added either by whatever power you grant me here or as an administrative update per 1310. Calling the vote.
Director Starju.
Sorry, I didn't catch that.
Was that an I this time?
Or is it?
No, what you really mean is you was expecting something different.
I was.
I said I.
It was an I, though.
OK.
Vice President Brakes.
Aye.
Director Clark.
Aye.
Director Hersey.
Aye.
Aye.
Director Mizrahi.
Aye.
Director Rankin.
Aye.
President Topp.
Aye.
This motion is passed unanimously.
Great.
We have now reached consideration of the underlying item.
Director Rankin, you've been waiting for this moment.
I will ask now for our new motion for the underlying item as amended by tonight's adopted amendments.
Can I get a revised motion for this item?
Yeah, thanks, Ellie.
I understand why you thought maybe I didn't, though.
Is this right?
two two three and five four okay so no one didn't pass before you go on your own okay okay okay we got this we got this okay thank you yeah okay um i move that the school board approve action item one as amended by amendments two three and five To the extent the adopted amendments to action, item one, conflict with the information presented in the underlying board action report, the adopted amendments shall control.
Can I, in a second.
Second.
Okay, this item has been moved by Vice President Briggs and seconded by Director Mizrahi.
Could staff please call the vote on the motion?
Pause for a second.
I think there's confusion around what we're actually voting on right now.
Can we just have clarification, are we voting to adopt the full package of goals and guardrails?
Yes, the full package of goals and guardrails as amended.
with amendments two, three, and five.
Perfect.
Thank you, Director Briggs.
Oh, discussion, yes, sorry, Director Rankin.
Yeah, before we go to the vote, I just want to take a minute to appreciate the time and effort that a team has put into getting to this point.
When I think back on last year, in April, we had a board of five, two of whom had just been elected in December.
And starting in May, we embarked on a hit the ground running engagement campaign to try to get to this point.
Adopting goals and guardrails that we can point to and lead us and align a budget to is huge.
And so I just wanted to kind of acknowledge that in spite of all of the other things going on last year that took a lot of time and attention, in spite of all of the things happening right now that are putting in a lot of uncertainty and taking a lot of time and attention and causing a lot of stress.
We stuck to this process and we're here through a, you know, every process isn't perfect.
There's always ways we could have done it better, but we're here today before the end of the month of January to hopefully set us forward to be able to get some really good things done for kids and continue to go through the budget process aligned with investing in the pieces that will be necessary for us to achieve these goals.
And we're gonna be able, should this pass, we will be able to have conversations about budgets, staffing, our operations as a district in a way connected to these that is what it will change.
outcomes for our kids even though we want more progress we want everybody to read we want everybody to graduate.
But this will give us the tools to have the conversations with ourselves and with our community about how the district is doing how we're doing our work and provide additional transparency to the to the budget and resource allocation process that And this moment in time is really, really important because we don't know what the legislature is going to do and we have to be prepared to meet the needs of kids whether we get the resources we need or whether we don't.
So I just wanted to say thank you and just appreciate that we all went through this process and are still here.
Other directors discussion?
Okay, now, Ms. Wilson-Jones, will you please call the vote.
Vice President Briggs?
No.
Director Clark?
Aye.
Director Hersey?
Aye.
Director Mizrahi?
Aye.
Director Rankin?
Aye.
Director Sarju?
No.
President Topp?
Aye.
This motion has passed with a vote of five to two.
Thank you, everyone.
And this concludes the business action items on today's agenda.
We are now going to move into executive session for the remainder of this meeting.
There you go.
So I do have one more little paragraph to read.
The board is now immediately recessing the special meeting into executive session to review the performance of a public employee per RCW 4230-1101G.
The session is scheduled for 45 minutes with an anticipated end time of 6.30.
The executive session to review the performance of a public employee was originally scheduled for 45 minutes.
We are running long and the session is now expected to go an additional 10 minutes with an anticipated end time of 640. There being no further business to come before the board, the executive session is now adjourned at 645.