School Board Meeting - August 26, 2020

Hello this is Director DeWolf.

Thank you for being here.

I am now calling the August 22nd 2020 regular board meeting to order at 3 p.m.

on Wednesday August 26th 2020. We live and go to school in a city that is the ancestral homeland to the Duwamish people Muckleshoot Nation and Suquamish Nation.

We acknowledge them as custodians of this land since time immemorial as guests and in many of our cases as settlers on this land We extend our deepest gratitude and respect to their ancestors and elders past present and future.

Miss Wilson Miss Wilson-Jones can you do the roll call please.

Director Hampson here.

Director Harris present.

Director Hersey here.

Director Mack here.

Director Mack.

Director Mack I'm not able to hear you yet.

I'll come go through and then come back.

Director Rankin.

I'm here.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Director Rivera-Smith is present.

Director DeWolf.

Present.

Director Rankin.

I'm sorry Director Mack.

I'm not able to hear Director Mack but I do see that she is on the line.

Okay thank you Ms.

Wilson-Jones we'll await Director Mack verbally confirming she's joining us.

Superintendent Juneau is also joining us for today's meeting and additional staff will be briefing the board as we move through the agenda.

This meeting is being held remotely per the governor's proclamation prohibiting meetings such as this one from being held in person.

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

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

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

The chat function in today's in Microsoft Teams today will not be used for today's meeting.

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

Superintendent Juneau.

President DeWolf I apologize I didn't respond.

This is Director Mack.

I was having an issue with my sound I couldn't hear you all but I can now so.

Awesome.

Understood.

We'll make sure it's on the record that you're here.

Thank you Director Mack.

Superintendent Juneau.

Okay.

Thank you so much everybody.

I know I just have like two quick things.

I know the top of mind for everybody right now is a lot a lot of people for their top of mind is just devices and so I just want to give a quick update on that.

All secondary grades 6-12 devices have arrived and are being distributed to schools and families this week.

This is of course in addition to thousands of laptops that were distributed last year.

Laptops for grades 3-5 will be at schools and ready for distribution next week.

And the plan is for most K-2 students to receive their iPads the week of September 8th through 11th.

These devices will be distributed at each school building and so schools will contact families directly to let students and families know when they can pick up a device and get help with Internet service or hotspots.

And so if families are not contacted by their school by September 1 they should please reach out to the principal or teacher And so there's just a lot of moving pieces around start of school right now.

But I do want to share some very very good news.

This is my second item.

Very very good news today about our Seattle Education Association and Seattle Public Schools negotiations.

And I just want to first thank the bargaining teams from both SPS and SEA.

They have put in so many hours and so many days to make sure we work toward a remote start of the school that's going to be good for students.

And so I'm just really appreciative of the endless hours that people put in and the back and forth and just the idea that we can all work together and have some good outcomes.

And so I'm really excited about the start of school.

But I also have a special guest.

to speak Miss Miss Jennifer Madder the President of SEA who is also here to share a special announcement.

Jennifer are you on.

I am.

Thank you Superintendent.

Yes.

My name is Jennifer Madder.

I am President of the Seattle Education Association representing over 6,000 members.

And I also am very relieved to announce that SEA and SPS have come to a tentative agreement on a memorandum of understanding on reopening schools this fall.

We also want to thank the bargaining team the SPS bargaining team as well as our own team members.

Many members working in collaboration with shared values through this unprecedented and complex negotiation.

SEA came to the table focused on health and safety equity and flexibility to create the best online learning possible for our students particularly students furthest from educational justice.

SEA respected and listened to families and aligned ourselves with their positions and we held the district to its aspirations for what they said in their strategic planning.

The resulting agreement is just the first step.

The hard work to serve our students and families comes next.

We will as a assembly or representative assembly be voting on finalizing this tentative agreement over the weekend.

That is to be scheduled.

Thank you.

Thank you Jennifer and board of directors.

I think this is just excellent news that we can you know we have a tentative agreement.

Super excited about it.

It's good for kids.

Good for our students and scholars and families and so Just super excited to make that announcement and I hope that's it.

President.

Thank you.

Thank you so much Superintendent Juneau and thank you Jennifer from SEA.

Really really great.

Grateful to hear that news and I know our our students and their families will also be grateful to hear that that this is the development we're sharing today.

So thank you.

We do have a few moments here before public comment begins at 315. So with that we do have some time and we've now reached the consent portion of today's agenda.

So may I have a motion for the consent agenda please.

Thank you for motion.

Thank you.

Approval of the consent agenda has been moved by Director Harris and seconded by Director Hersey.

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

Okay.

Hearing none.

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

All those opposed.

Any abstentions.

Okay.

This motion passes unanimously.

Thank you directors.

We have now reached the public testimony.

We will shortly be reaching the public testimony portion of the agenda and it is not yet 315. I would ask if any directors would like to give their comments now in lieu of taking a recess to keep the meeting going.

We will then begin testimony at 315 and we'll come back to director comments at the end of the meeting.

I will I will likely need to end just at probably around 313 or 314 to just share some of the housekeeping around public testimony.

If anybody is interested in sharing any public comments excuse me board director comments at this time.

I can go ahead and go.

Awesome.

Thank you Director Hersey.

Go ahead.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

Welcome back.

So thankful for all of the incredible work that has gone into bargaining.

Really excited to hear from President Moder and and just what an amazing testimony to all of the immense work that has gone to get this done.

So I'm super excited about this.

Really happy that we got here.

Welcome back everyone.

We have a lot of work ahead of us.

I know for us in District 7 we or excuse me I am meeting weekly with our PTA heads to do some real-time problem solving.

In addition I'll be having community meetings coming up here shortly as they are scheduled especially getting back into school.

But if you are a PTA person from your school and you would like to be included on the advocacy around those meetings we would love to have you.

There have been for the past 2 sessions on Tuesdays at 630. So you can either contact me directly at Brandon.Hersey at SeattleSchools.org Or you can contact the Seattle Council of PTSA to be a part.

We'd love to have you.

Other than that really excited getting started for my own school down in Federal Way for my second graders.

Been in 5 hours of training today and another 5 for the next 4 or 5 days.

So we'll be ready to get started and just thank you everybody for your time and looking forward to an amazing start to this very different school year.

Thank you Director Hersey.

Any other directors want to give a director comments at this time.

Hearing none.

I will also share too that A welcome back.

And again just want to say share my gratitude to the bargaining team and SEA and SPS for coming together and working on negotiations and The other thing I want to share is that on September 8th I'll be hosting the LGBTQ community meeting community call.

Information about that will be out shortly.

But this is a reschedule from our conversation in July.

And that's all I have to share today.

So with that Miss Wilson-Jones I'm going to start just slowly going over portions of the public testimony background and hopefully by that point it will be 315 and we can start right on time.

So just as background we are continuing to adapt our meeting processes as we seek to improve our remote meetings and today we will be taking public testimony by teleconference as stated on the agenda.

The testimony list for today's meeting is available on the school board website as part of the agenda posting for today.

And for information for our for our folks listening today you are always able to sign up for public testimony 8 a.m.

on Mondays before our regular meetings by phone or email to the board office.

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

I will summarize some important parts of this procedure which was updated since we last took public testimony.

First testimony will be taken today from those individuals called from our public testimony list and if applicable the waiting list.

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

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

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

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

If a speaker cedes time to a later speaker on the testimony list or waiting list the person to whom time was ceded will not be called to provide public testimony again later in the meeting.

as there is only one speaking slot per person.

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

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

At this time we will hold Ms. Wilson-Jones if there's anything you would like to to provide here as we set up for our 315 public testimony time.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

Just a couple of quick logistical notes.

If there's anybody who is on the testimony list who has not yet called in and is watching on YouTube please do go ahead and call in now so that you'll be ready on the line when we call your name.

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

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

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

I think we're just one minute or a little less shy of 315. So we might want to pause here before we move into testimony.

Oh it looks like it's now 315. Director DeWolf do you want me to go ahead now.

President DeWolf this is Director Mack.

I'm noticing that the interpreter isn't shown on the screen and I see some comments about that.

Thank you Director Mack.

I'm not sure why it's not showing up on some people's screens.

I will note that I believe the interpreters are visible in the YouTube broadcast.

So if anybody is having trouble having that visible through Teams they should be visible through the YouTube broadcast with the link provided on today's board meeting agenda.

I'm sorry this is Tina just going to quickly tell you that I have feedback saying that the the interpreter is now visible.

Okay.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones I think it is time for us to start public testimony.

Please start with Speaker Number 1. Thank you so much.

First up for public testimony is Rena Mateja sorry Rena Mateja Walker-Burr apologies for the pronunciation.

Rena if you're on the line if you could go ahead and unmute your device by pressing star-6.

Hi can everybody hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

Okay.

I'm sorry let me go.

Hi my name is Rena Mateja.

I'm a sophomore at or I'm going to be a junior by that at Cleveland High School.

Today we'll be talking about schools reopening.

We know we're not able to hear you at the moment.

Please you can go ahead and provide your testimony.

Okay.

Can you guys hear me now.

Yes.

Okay.

Oh sorry I hear the Zoom call.

Okay I'm lagging.

Okay so I'll start now.

As you reopen schools what real considerations have you made for students like me and who have you and who have you had at the table a discussion and decision.

Because we youth who come to to review policies work on ethnic studies or even put on the inaugural HPS Youth Summit was no one was nowhere at the table.

I sadly cannot name one of us.

Did you ask us what we need or what schools look like.

What was the best time to log on and what we need to be considered.

Your current reopening plan looks like business as usual in the middle of a pandemic.

I am one of those students who thrived within with an exception of math and understand I need to get with my teacher when the when the building is closed.

Except for being overloaded and swimming with work because teachers did not consider the workload with other teachers except for teachers not understanding or having an unrealistic view of what our time looks like.

We have an opportunity to reimagine what schools look like.

We have an opportunity to help teachers truly be our partners in how we learn and what we need to learn.

We have an opportunity to build connections to people place in the world around us.

Ethnic studies cross along buildings so we are not bound by demographics of the zip code in our school by our region or country or world.

What I miss most about school is friends and teachers I love.

and social connection.

For everything else Google is an awesome teacher that gives me trust for learning.

And I'm always amazed by what I do what I discover.

How we reimagine school to be more look like Google.

How can you truly see me.

How I learn and what I truly need to succeed in life beyond SPS.

Thank you.

Thank you Rena.

Next for public testimony is Manuela Slay.

Hello good afternoon.

My name is Manuela Sly President of Seattle Council PTSA.

I cede my time to Molly Mitchell Mitchell our co-Vice President of Seattle Council PTSA.

Thank you Manuela.

So my name is Molly Mitchell and I'm the parent and co-Vice President of Seattle Council PTSA.

And to date families teachers and principals have reported to us our council they are not ready and have not been given the necessary information about schedules tech devices internet access and support.

All of this is the result of a lack of true and authentic family engagement.

Superintendent Procedure 4129 was approved back in May 2019 with the following definition.

Family engagement refers to school family partnerships.

It's the collaborative interaction between educators and families in activities that promote student learning and positive child and youth development at home in school and in the community.

Furthermore the procedure reads each school and district shall develop a family engagement plan aligned with their academic goals and or school improvement plan and if applicable Title 1 services.

In actuality many families have not heard from their schools in a timely manner for the most pressing need.

And I will also add to that students who are homeless and students who are living in foster care currently do not have a plan for for engagement with those communities when we need it the most.

Our council is demanding a strong robust authentic family engagement plan is put into place.

We need you to engage with every single school and community to be ready.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Shraddha Shruti.

Hi.

Can you guys hear me.

Yeah.

I am a math teacher at Garfield High School and was in this past year a racial equity coach at the Center for Racial Equity and SEA and also part of the Ethnic Studies Advisory Board.

I am speaking because I was asked by a parent to do so today.

I want to speak very clearly.

to the school board and the school directors that this opportunity has not yet been squandered unless you continue with the plan that that is being shown to educators and principals and families right now.

I'm not sure what's being waited for.

You know these this pandemic has highlighted the inequities that have always been present in our education system and we have so many times been told wait.

What are we waiting for.

Are you waiting for the inequities to be very obvious.

Are you waiting for a way an opportunity where everything has to be gutted and restarted.

Are you waiting for a pandemic.

Because all of those things are happening right now.

So what are we waiting for.

Are you waiting for the legislature to change their laws.

Are you waiting for the the state the federal government the local governments to change or are you going to be the school district the school leaders and who who actually listen to our educators our families and our students lift up their voices not just by listening to them in these listening sessions and forcing us to share our trauma with you over and over again for you to feel inspired and encouraged only then to tell us it's just not possible or now is not the time.

Now is the time.

Change has to happen today.

And you have the opportunity right now to make those changes to stop responding to those racist to those racist situations that cause these laws that cause these inequities to persist.

Please actually listen and respond.

No more listening.

We need action.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Adele Kulisakawa or sorry Kulisawa.

Hello my name is Adele Kulisewa.

Thank you for giving me time.

My son is a 6th grader at Eckstein and has a 504. My daughter will be a 3rd grader at Bryant and is on an IEP.

I'm here to speak to you regarding special education students.

I'm advocating that SPED services be available in-person as needed by students and that all services and all minutes be administered per their IEPs.

The message I received during spring remote learning was that teachers would assess students when they returned and help them get back on track.

This will be true for my son and most kids typical or not typical but not true for all students.

My daughter is described as being a joy to have in the classroom excited to participate and socially and relationally mature.

I took a leave when and worked one-on-one with her when school went remote.

Her spring remote learning was regression of her knowledge skills mental and emotional health.

She returned to periods of time where she was non-verbal.

She would physically attack.

She would spend significant amounts of time hiding and crying.

At 8 years old she was peeing herself daily.

Students who have significant differences disabilities and needs give everything they have on a daily basis to learn.

Even if parents sacrifice in order to or have the privilege to be present at home in remote learning they are not the specialists that their children need.

We seem to be focused on remote learning that will meet the needs of the most while leaving out those who need the most.

Those students that we are overlooking will not be able to be assessed and catched up.

By neglecting the needs of these students we are potentially leaving them behind permanently.

They may miss out on learnings that they will not ever be able to learn in the future.

We are leaving them behind in a way that will risk hospitalization potentially further their disability or even harm their life.

These students and others that are furthest from educational justice are the students that we should be focusing on first and foremost not neglecting and forgetting.

These students across the district should be having their needs and services met.

I understand that you may think that what I'm asking is impossible.

People with disabilities and their families are used to doing the impossible all the time.

I challenge you to think like someone with a disability and find a way to make this happen anyway.

I've also previously emailed this board regarding Bryant Elementary renting out their building and privatizing a public space for the benefit of those with the greatest resources and at the expense of those most vulnerable.

I ask you again to please intervene.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Sabrina Burr.

Hello can you hear me.

Yes we can.

My name is Sabrina Burr and I wear several hats.

Most important mother of a Cleveland High School student Rena Mateja who you heard earlier.

And I serve as the strategic advisor to the president for Seattle Council PTSA.

And what I see from Seattle Public Schools in this pandemic really hurts me.

So thank you Zachary DeWolf for your work in getting the trees planted for our seniors.

And thank you school board for the recent policies that you've put in place to allow us to do the work.

Those are some things to celebrate and so it brings me hope.

We are doing business as usual.

We are not we are not honoring policy 4129 our family engagement policy or policy 4110 having a a family engagement accountability group that serves the superintendent.

Instead we're sending out letters to community leaders in silo.

Siloing out family engagement work.

Asking community to do the work of district leaders and that must stop.

We must have a comprehensive family engagement.

Seattle Council PTSA put together a super presentation maybe four months back.

Asking for a break between family engagement anti-racism and equity through every area of Seattle Public Schools.

We say family engagement is everybody's responsibility but who's accountable for it.

How do we ensure that we have best practices for it.

So right now we are not doing the work and we've been trying to do this work for the past 15 years that I've been along your side.

And right now we must be in truth.

We must understand that families are our partners.

We're about to send cameras in homes.

What kind of Internet adequate are we doing.

80 percent of our teachers are White who have implicit bias.

How are we making sure CPS and the police are not now called at home.

Our students are traumatized.

How are we making sure when they go back into the buildings we take care of the emotional care that we cause for them.

Work with us.

We're here to be your partner but we must stand on truth and build on these policies that you guys have just signed off on.

Thank you.

Thank you Sabrina.

Next for public testimony is Chris Jackins.

Hello.

My name is Chris Jackins.

Box 84063 Seattle 98124. on the revised transportation service standards.

Three points.

Number one when Denny was built on the South Campus the city imposed a condition that required the start times to be staggered.

Number two the action as proposed last Friday would have made the start times the same violating the law.

Number three I pointed this out and the start times have now been changed.

Thank you.

On Resolution 2020-21-5 Racial Imbalance Analysis for Kim Kimball Elementary.

Last Friday the racial imbalance analysis was not attached to the report.

I pointed this out and the analysis has now been attached.

Thank you.

On the personnel report three points.

Number one Larry Dorsey manager of safety and security is retiring.

I wish to thank Larry Dorsey for his good work.

Number two Ted Howard is leaving his Garfield principal.

I wish to thank Ted Howard for his good work and also pass along regards to his father who served as Cleveland principal.

Number three my thanks to Mike Lamont excellent science teacher at Whitman Middle School who is leaving the district.

On the co-construction contract the original co-school was destroyed by fire when the district was doing construction work on it.

Please make sure that the new contract is not with the same company.

My best wishes to all of the public speakers lined up today.

And a special hello to one past president of the Rainier Community SSA.

We went to court together to appeal a prior board decision and we won.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Sarah Igawa.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Yes we can hear you.

Great.

Okay.

Hi my name is Sarah Igawa.

Mom to a first grader and a third grader at Maple Elementary.

My kids attend a global majority school in Southeast Seattle where the majority of families speak a home language other than English and I've seen firsthand the huge disparities that exist in families access and engagement with remote learning.

I'm closely connected to the Spanish-speaking families at Maple and they have been most impacted by lack of devices reliable internet tech literacy and severe isolation as well as bearing a heavy burden of the economic impact of COVID.

What does my community need right now.

They need information in a timely manner in a language they understand.

Just this week I have had two different Maple ELL parents ask me if kids are starting the year remotely or in person.

Obviously something is not working with communication.

These families need devices reliable internet and tech support in their home language.

Just giving a device to a family that has never had one is not enough.

They need someone to walk them through basic tech literacy.

One Maple family had a donated Chromebook sitting unopened at their house for weeks because they had no internet and didn't know how to set up the laptop.

They also need a clear consistent system set up for communication with schools and teachers.

Many parents are fearful of the learning their kids have missed out on since March and feel unprepared to support them this fall.

They need to be able to communicate with teachers regularly have a safe space to ask questions and know that caring adults from the school will be checking in on them.

This is more important than keeping up with curriculum or meeting standards.

Families need educators who are trained in anti-racism and anti-bias so that students and their families can be celebrated supported and lifted up during this time.

We need to see families and their home and their culture as an asset and something that we can build on while students are learning from home.

I know that you will be voting on the school calendar today and ask that you ensure that students furthest from educational justice are set up with the tools they need to fully participate in remote learning before we start the school year.

I ask that you live up to your promise to prioritize those furthest furthest from educational justice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Marina Gray.

Hello.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Okay.

Hi thanks.

This is Marina Gray and I'm a community advocate and I've been a parent of students in Seattle Public Schools over the past 15 years and have a current rising 7th grader.

Today I want to talk about how we are accommodating and centering the needs of our students who have not been historically seen honored or served in our public school system.

To this end right now I'd like to advocate that we are ensuring that asynchronous learning is available on all work and assignments through recordings and other sources for lessons.

This also better accommodates our educators who are parents who are also having to navigate all of this complexity at this time in addition to our families and students who are in situations where they may be needing to provide child care for younger siblings don't have parent support or have connectivity issues.

I'd also like to recommend that we provide small group instruction and support and in-person instruction where it's safe and appropriate because there are students who do not have access to education in non-in-person environments.

We also I would recommend we make connections and do check-ins with our students and families to build relationships.

Connections are most important right now at this time especially with all this isolation.

And then I also recommend that we would loop where possible to maintain existing relationships because kids starting off their new school year with brand new people is going to create an even larger barrier for them to connect and access their learning.

I'd also recommend that we don't force engagement on tech platforms at this time because we don't know what the students are going to have going on in their home environment.

We need to learn more about them to find out what's meaningful engagement for them and what barriers they may be experiencing and then help and empower and support them to overcome those barriers.

To that end I think we should also place family support workers or something similar like social workers and of course counselors in every building.

More than anything right now our students and families need to be supported in this time of challenge.

And lastly I'd like to ensure a flexible attendance policy and standards for online engagement Please don't penalize our students for their family circumstances.

Thank you for your time.

Next for public testimony is Carlina Brown Banks.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Okay great.

Thank you.

Thank you for this opportunity.

As a former parent of an alumni from Rainier Beach High School I would like to cede my space to a current parent Hodon Muhammad.

Please go ahead and provide provide your testimony.

If the person who had time ceded to them is on the line please go ahead.

Carlina Brown-Banks do you want to go ahead and provide testimony.

I'm not hearing from the person you had ceded time to.

I just had to unmute myself.

Thank you.

I'm sorry I was assuming that hold on like don't know I can't see if she's on the message or not.

I'm getting texts that she is.

I apologize.

Mainly I will just go ahead and make my comments that I really would like to see that the school board that the Seattle Public Schools would make more transformative transformation ways of your family engagement policies and practices.

I know that.

in relationship as a regional parent leader and now seen as a family engagement expert in our region is that the one and most important thing to do with family engagement policies and practices is to make them transparent and that both sides are seeing what is happening.

That when I mean by both sides that their internal structures within school buildings and districts as well as the external structures within families and communities.

I do believe that this is a point of contention within Seattle Public Schools but I would encourage you to be a little bit would encourage you to be transparent in those processes.

I think you apologize for our shortfall today.

Thank you.

No worries.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Shira Cole.

Shira Cole.

If you're on the line Shira Cole you may need to unmute either on your phone or by pressing star-6.

Moving to the next person on our public testimony list then.

Sabrina Slye.

Hi I'd like to cede my time to Zanita who is a student at Garfield High School.

Zanita you can go ahead.

Hi my name is Zanita Dargal.

I am a sophomore at Garfield High School and I would like to express my feelings on the matter of the schedule.

I dislike and feel uncomfortable with lack of urgency to create an actual plan to reassure students that this will be a successful year.

This has left me very flustered and unsure of what to expect of this new school year.

Also I would like to say that it's very irresponsible of you to allow kids to go through this stress and how it will affect their mental health due to your failure to make decisions.

Even I the so-called smartest student in the class was having a hard time due to the lack of structure and communication from the school and the teachers.

My classes weren't engaging.

I didn't feel I was learning anything.

I was only given assigned assignments with little info and direction.

My fear is we are going to repeat this.

And it seems that there is a lack of urgency to plan these things for students And that is unacceptable for me.

And if I may be so bold it is it is unacceptable for all of the students and families living in Seattle.

Thank you.

I need the rest of my time.

I need the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony.

Oh.

Next for public testimony is Emijah Smith.

Is this Emijah Smith.

Next on the list for public testimony is Emijah Smith.

Emijah Smith you may need to unmute unmute.

Moving then to the next on the testimony list.

Flora Ibarra.

Flora are you on the line.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Is this Flora.

Yes ma'am.

Great.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Flora Ibarra.

And I have 4 children graduating from Seattle Public Schools.

Now I am a grandmother.

Being being an ordinary parent I came to be in advocating for Latino parents for the Seattle Public Schools.

Parents who came to me on this COVID-19 time and asked me for help.

When we know that that that is your job to support every family and every student.

Superintendent Juneau.

We need a real and a good plan for our students.

We need an authentic family parent engagement because the one that you have is not working for us.

I have many Latino families very concerned about how we're going to go and support our students because we don't have any help from the district.

Parents we don't have a skill or the tool to support our students.

Our students don't have the device and access to the internet because our financial situation.

So what we want to do.

What do we want to do.

What do you want me to do to support those families.

My responsibility is serve my community.

But how can I do that when I don't have any resources or information to support them.

We are living in a very hard time.

Please listen to us.

We need to and we asking to be included and all the decision that you make.

We all parents deserve respect and all the information and we need to see the transparency about how you be be making all the decision for our students when there's concern about about reopening a school.

I am not the only parent who are concerned.

But how can we work together.

Because the end of the day todo lo que queremos es una buena educación para todos nuestros hijos.

Thank you.

Gracias.

Next up for public testimony is Iris Viveros.

Hello.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Iris Viveros.

Lecturer at the University of Washington and former Seattle Public Schools ELL employee.

During my time at Seattle Public Schools I witnessed the struggles facing the ELL community and the way racial hierarchies and institutional racism made it almost impossible for families to navigate the school system.

Ten years later and in the middle of a pandemic I realize not much has changed and that there is still work to be done.

As a community liaison through the City of Seattle I'm currently helping minoritized communities to stay afloat during this pandemic.

For those with school-age children one of the many barriers is the lack of communication and useful information about child care technology school plans et cetera.

On behalf of those I have the privilege to serve and work with I implore you immediately engage and prioritize those families ELL immigrants people of color and those who are quote unquote furthest from educational justice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Angela Griffin.

Angela Griffin.

Hi I am Angela Griffin the Executive Director of LAUNCH which is an organization that has been providing school-age child care solely in Seattle Public Schools for more than 43 years.

The reason this partnership has endured and deepened over the years is because we are united by a common goal which is to do whatever it takes to ensure that all students have the support they need for success in school and life.

According to a detailed child care industry assessment report released by the Washington State Department of Commerce this week before the pandemic over half a million children in Washington did not have access to licensed child care.

Lack of accessible affordable child care affects parents job prospects productivity and career decision with different impacts reported across incomes races ethnicities genders and areas of the state and nearly one in five parents surveyed turned down a job offer or promotion due to child care issues more often among Black and Native American parents.

I know you and the rest of the Seattle Public Schools staff understand that child care is so much more than just daycare or babysitting.

Child care providers are a key partner of schools and families.

Our programs include daily enrichment activities that complement what's learned during the school day social emotional skills development and homework support.

This partnership is even more vital during remote learning.

Not only do child care providers support families in desperate need of care so they can work and earn a living but providers also play a key role in ensuring student engagement and participation in district district or distance learning.

It is important the district recognize this vital partnership and continue to work with us to meet the needs of students and families.

In particular I want to acknowledge the email child care providers received on August 24th from the Office of the Superintendent and Department of School and Community Partnerships.

And that communication was recognized that inadequate public funding for child care is a national and local crisis.

There was also an offer from the district to partner with child care providers on advocating for more funding at local state and federal levels and look for and we look forward to the action being put behind your words.

Now is the time for us to work together to create public-private partnerships to find creative solutions that ensure families have access to affordable care and providers have the financial resources needed to provide high quality learning programs.

As a former school board member I hope that as you sit on your side of the table that you are really listening and taking notes and prepared to respond to all that has been shared with you today from all the people who have taken their time to address this board.

Thank you very much.

Next for public testimony is Janice White.

Janice White.

Hi I am the President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA.

Our PTSA is starting strong.

We're finishing a series of 15 webinars with presenters from OSPI the Arc of King County the Herring Center at UW Microsoft Education Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy the Down Syndrome Community of Puget Sound Seattle Parks and Recreation and more.

We will be posting materials and recordings on our website so the information will be available to those who are not able to attend live.

Our summer membership meetings have set attendance records and we are planning monthly meetings during the school year to support caregivers and teachers of the over 8,000 students receiving special education services.

We also want to thank you for your consideration of our letters raising questions and concerns.

As we face the start of school we hope to hear specific information about questions that we and families of students with disabilities have been raising including how will general and special educators collaborate to provide special education services and accommodations during online learning.

How will related services such as speech occupational and physical therapy be provided.

How will students with disabilities be assessed at the beginning of the year to determine their need for recovery services and how will those recovery services be provided.

Our next meeting is on September 15th.

We are inviting the directors of special education to a listening session so they can hear from families and teachers about how the first days of school have gone.

What has worked and what hasn't.

We welcome other district staff to attend to hear from our community.

Students who receive special education services are general education students first.

In all the challenges of this pandemic and online learning our students must not be left behind.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

Sorry.

Next for public testimony is Benson Wilder.

Hi my name is Benson Wilder.

I'm the PTA president of Leschi Elementary and I'm a member of our parent equity team.

At the July 8th SPS board meeting we had more than 20 family and community members from Leschi offer testimony regarding the reassignment of Principal Lisa Moland and the complete lack of communication from the district up to that point on this issue.

July 8th wasn't the first time you heard from us nor will today be the last.

In addition to what we see as unfair and inequitable treatment of Ms. Moland and as yet another example of enduring institutional racism we've pointed out that the actions leading up to and following this decision are not compatible with SPS policies among them 0030 on educational and racial equity and 4129 on family engagement as described by Ms. Mitchell earlier.

The superintendent and other senior district officials along with the board have received multiple letters to date from families community partners and the Leschi Community Council.

We appreciate the sympathetic ear that some of the board members have offered but note that to date we still haven't received any direct response or acknowledgement from anyone in SPS leadership.

We understand and appreciate that individual HR matters are confidential but there's a broader context here that must be addressed.

If this can happen in our school community what will prevent it from happening in another.

We also understand that these are trying times to say the least for SPS and every public school district around the country.

But it is also more important than ever to create and re-establish trust in our public institutions especially as we work as a society to dismantle systemic racism in all its forms.

That trust can only begin to be built with communication.

We appreciate the engagement of board members including Directors Hersey Hampson Rivera-Smith DeWolf Mack and Rankin.

If I can paraphrase Director Rankin from her comments at the end of last week last meeting we have to stop doing this to people.

And she also said it's not always what happened but how it happens.

We would argue that in this case it's both what happened and how it happened.

We look forward to meeting with the superintendent as we've requested and working with SPS leadership and the SPS board to ensure that the words in your own policies are translated to tangible action.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Lisa Lotus.

Lisa Lotus.

Lisa if you're on the line you may need to unmute.

Lisa Lotus.

Next then for public testimony is Rachel Oppenheim.

Rachel Oppenheim.

Rachel Oppenheim.

Moving down the list.

Michelle.

Oh sorry.

Apologies.

Go ahead Rachel.

Okay thank you.

Hello.

My name is Rachel Oppenheim and I'm a parent with two elementary aged kids in the Seattle Public Schools at Majorna Elementary and we're two working parents and our family has relied on child care providers to manage this summer.

I'm here to urge the school board and the district to work with child care providers such as the launch representative that we heard earlier.

to ensure that they have the space resources and support they need to serve all of the families that need care at this school year.

As you know remote learning will disproportionately affect certain families including those with caregivers who must work outside the home such as essential and frontline workers.

Child care providers offer an incredibly important service to those families and have been operating safely and effectively since the pandemic began.

However they need the support of the district in order to provide the wraparound care that families need.

The support needed from the school districts includes providing access to school buildings access to food and nutrition services access to technology and collaboration with academic services so that students are provided with the learning that they need.

I am urging you to collaborate with child care providers so that they are able to serve the families that will need care this school year.

Families that will otherwise be further marginalized by the realities of remote learning.

Thank you.

Next is Michelle Reese.

Michelle Reese.

Hi this is Benson from Leschi.

Miss Reese said she's not able to attend.

She's traveling right now.

Lisa Lotus is trying to get on.

She was having a technical issue but I'll let you proceed.

Lisa Lotus are you now on the line.

Moving on then to our waitlist.

Balvina Cortez.

Hello can you hear me.

Yes this is Balvina.

This is Balvina Cortez.

I have the privilege of being a stay-home mother to a kindergartner 9th 10th and 12th.

Pretty much got them all covered.

I'm bilingual.

I'm a college-educated and tech-savvy individual.

I started to use my privilege to make a difference and to serve as a bridge between the Spanish-speaking community and my and the school because I feel that the district you know prides itself from being into equity but it wasn't reaching this group of parents.

So when that group of parents reaches out to me with questions whether it's schedule or technical or how how does this platform work.

or where can I get this resource.

I'm confused and I don't know how to help them.

I don't know what's going on.

I don't know the answer because no one really knows the answer.

I'm dealing with my own struggles trying to navigate the IEP because my kindergartener possibly needs one.

I feel like I'm failing my community.

I'm failing those parents that look to me for guidance.

You have an agenda full of people telling you the needs of the community.

Don't just hear our struggles.

Really listen and continue engaging us.

I strongly agree with and second Sabrina Burr and Iris Viveros 100 percent.

Family engagement please.

That's the only way you truly will get feedback from all families and truly be prepared.

Also don't reinvent the wheel.

There's other districts that you can learn from and take the good and the bad and structure it.

Yes we have a large school district but we also have that many more resources.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Recole Johnson.

Recole Johnson.

Is Recole Johnson on the line.

Next then is Olivia.

Oh is this for Cole.

Who's.

Hello this is Lisa Lotus.

I'm actually on now.

I was supposed to be a person before.

Director DeWolf do you want to step back to Lisa Lotus.

Yep I think we should do that.

Thanks for joining us Lisa.

Ms. Wilson-Jones we'll we'll start the clock.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate your willing to hear me.

I am just calling to just reiterate the need for transparency around your policies 0030 and this upcoming 0040, which I understand 0030 was approved but never organizationalized in terms of recruiting, hiring, and retaining diverse and diverse leadership staff in terms of black and brown principals and administrators.

I'm a parent at Leschi Elementary and our principal first year principal was removed and I believe fairly rashly in terms of being able in terms of what the community knew about this situation in the middle of a pandemic.

Yes I know we've moved on.

Yes I know there's a new wonderful principal at the school and I'm also wanting to restate the fact that there are a lot of hurt feelings and we're still really sore as a parent community.

We have not I don't believe we've been very respected as a as a group of people that are stakeholders in Seattle Public Schools because our children are being educated by the district.

We were not we were we were not met with inquiry and to how you know I don't believe it was very respectful from the district or the board.

when we approached you all this last month.

I just.

Am I up.

Yes.

Thank you Lisa.

Okay.

Thank you.

Appreciate you.

Next for public testimony.

Recold Johnson.

Are you on the line now.

Moving on then.

Olivia Neal Howell.

Olivia Neal Howell.

Next then is Natasha Marsh.

Natasha Marsh.

Moving down.

Whitney Howe.

Whitney Howe.

Whitney Howell.

Moving next to Aseya Korbet sorry Korberay.

Aseya Korberay.

Who is this I'm sorry.

Sorry this is Aseya Korberay.

Thank you.

Go ahead with your testimony.

Thanks.

My name is Isaiah Corbray.

I'm a housing developer with a non-profit affordable housing developer the Low Income Housing Institute.

I just wanted to take just a few minutes today to point out a couple of potential opportunities for low-income families in the Seattle Public Schools with children in the Seattle Public Schools.

The first development I'd like to introduce is Sandpoint Cottage Community.

This is the development of 22 individual cottage units in Magnuson Park.

located at 6343 Northeast 65th Street.

Pre-leasing and completion and construction for this project is slated towards the end of 2021 towards December of 2021 and this will provide 22 units for individuals and families making at or below 40 percent of the area median income with estimated rent anywhere from $800 to $300.

And I will point out that these numbers are subject subject to change based on the year that the project enters service.

The next opportunity I wanted to present is New Hope Family Housing and this project will be going in for funding this fall.

If funded this project would start construction in October and provide Studio 1 2 and 3 bedroom units for families and individuals making less than 50 percent of the area median income.

You can look on lehi.org that's L-I-H-I.org for more information.

Thank you.

The final speaker on today's list is Kayla Epting.

Kayla Epting.

Hi I'm Kayla F. King and I am a parent at Garfield High School as well as the incoming PTSA president.

And just want to talk a little bit about what I feel is the lack of transparency with this actual technology rollout.

We are hearing time and time again that people don't have access to technology.

They don't have access to the Internet and we aren't seeing real numbers to quantify like what the district is actually providing where we are as we're heading into two weeks into school.

Like how many kids actually are ready for that first day of school.

And I think that that just isn't good enough that we've had 7 or 6 months to kind of get a handle on this.

And we have kids that are going into school and they're not going to be ready and they're not going to have the resources and the things that we need and that is absolutely unacceptable.

I also want to touch on all of these meetings that I feel like have been thoughtful with BIPOC families.

I think it's a wonderful idea but we are sitting and we are patiently waiting for real and meaningful change.

Like many on this call have said so far this has been business as usual for SPS which is these conversations and this us kind of you know pushing forth our trauma and putting it on display as communities of color to the district for them to just use it kind of as an ornament to say we listened and do nothing to move forward.

And so I just urge you to actively listen and be an active participant in really having some of our family the family engagement policy as well as the equity policy really come alive for folks BIPOC folks in our district.

Thank you so much for your time.

Have a wonderful day.

That was our final public testimony speaker.

Thank you Ms. Wilson-Jones.

That concludes our public testimony for the meeting.

Thank you to every one of you for joining us today and sharing your your public testimony with the board.

With that we will now move to items.

With that we'll now move to the action item on today's agenda.

As we move through these items and later the introduction items I will first call on committee chairs.

Then I'll call on the remaining directors alphabetically for questions and comments.

So with that we'll now move to.

This is Raquel Johnson.

Hi Raquel.

We we are actually we are we've actually moved on from public public testimony.

Yeah I wasn't able to get through.

I apologize.

Thank you Ricoll.

We will now move to Action Item Number 1 which is Approval of the Revised 2020-2021 Transportation Service Standards Ridership Eligibility and Approval of the Revised 2020-2021 School Year Calendar.

May I have a motion for this item please.

I'm this is Director Hampson.

I move that the school board approve the recommended transportation services standards for the 2020-21 school year by deleting Appendix B which lists transportation arrival and departure times and start end times for each school and authorize the superintendent to implement the standards of minor modifications as needed.

Approve the revised school start times and end times listed in the background section of this board action report and approve the recommended revised school year calendar for the 2020-21 school year by changing the first day of school to September 4th 2020. Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

Director Harris here.

Second the motion.

Thank you directors.

This item has been moved by Director Hampson and seconded by Director Harris.

This item did not go through committee and is on the agenda for introduction and action today.

And as background directors all directors participated on call yesterday to discuss this topic.

And so thank you to directors for being available yesterday to kind of go over this item.

As of now I will turn this over to Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Clover Codd as well as Chief Operating Officer Fred Podesta for additional an additional brief to the board.

Thank you.

Good afternoon everybody.

This is Clover Codd Chief Human Resource Officer.

So what you will see in this calendar should you approve it.

is two additional what we call waiver days that we would need to ask the state for a waiver to in order to provide our staff with two professional development days in addition to what's already been bargained at the start of the school year.

This would push the start of school to September 4th.

The last day of school remains June 18th 2021. The holiday breaks etc. remain the same.

And I will open it up to see if you have any questions.

Thank you Dr. Codd.

So we will start this in alphabetical order beginning with Director Hampson.

I guess I would just ask if we had a lot of questions yesterday and so I'd like to ask for any updates that you want to provide at this time for those that might not have things that either aren't weren't didn't show up in the BAR or just for the sake of the public hearing things that that were brought up and need to be clarified for today's motion.

Sure.

Director Hampson I'll see if I can try.

My colleagues might also need to chime in.

So one of the questions directors asked is so we know you can apply for waiver days as long as you can meet the minimum instructional hours the average of 1027. The question was well can you apply for a waiver of those instructional hours.

The answer to that question is no.

RCW doesn't allow for that at this time.

So I don't know if Chief Greg Narver or anybody from the legal department wants to add to that or if you have additional questions but that was one of the.

One of the main questions you had asked me you had also asked questions of the teaching and learning team about technology devices and when those will be deployed and what the plan is for students on September 4th should they not have a technology device.

And for that I would need to turn it over to my colleagues to answer those questions.

Superintendent Juneau or Sherri if you'd like to chime in here and I'll send questions to answers if you'd like to just elevate and clarify for Director Hampson.

High level background.

Sure.

Chief Berge this is Sherri Kokx Chief of Staff.

Chief Berge do you want to talk a little bit about the tech distribution plans that we shared with the Board of Directors but we can share here publicly.

Sure.

I don't have it right in front of me though.

So the tech distribution plan secondary schools so grades 6-12 have their devices in their schools.

There may be a little bit of shifting in the district as we reallocate computers from one school to the next but that's been happening this week and should be finished up.

Next week the laptops for grades 3-5 will be out at those schools able to be deployed by the schools.

And then we anticipate having devices for grades K-2 the week of September 8th.

I'll pause for any other questions.

Director DeWolf President DeWolf

Yes Director Harris sorry just trying to unmute myself.

Thank you for those answers.

Director Harris to you.

Okay.

Well one of the questions that we had some fairly robust conversation about was the school start time for K-8.

And I'm contemplating making a motion to have K-8 schools start at 9 a.m.

Can we talk about whether or not the tentative agreement with SEA addressed that yesterday after our work session and where we are on that please.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

This is Clover Codd again.

So the tentative agreement with Seattle Education Association does not address bell start times.

Those are voted on by the board.

That's not in the TA.

And I believe that's the next topic on the agenda is to talk about the transportation standards and bell times.

This is Chief Kokx again.

Chief Jessee do you want to talk a little bit.

I don't know if you want to jump in here and talk a little bit about the conversations that you had had with our K-8 school leaders regarding start times.

Sure.

Hi.

Wyeth Jessee Chief of Schools and Continuous Improvement.

So we've been having ongoing conversations with our principals as we went into the summer This I had talked to yesterday's based on the conversation I just wanted to reiterate and come cycle back to them on that.

I had specifically talked about start times.

They had reiterated again yesterday that most of them had referred that we start at 830. Most of their students are elementary across our K-8's and so they wanted to be aligned and start that time with them.

And a couple of them just didn't really even have an opinion because 30 minutes was not something significant in their viewpoint.

And they're not hearing from their families.

Thank you.

Any additional questions Director Harris.

Well yes I I would ask why that information then wasn't reflected back to the board yesterday afternoon.

And I'm curious as to which schools were all of them contacted.

Chief Jessee.

Yes I worked through PASS and so yes yep there's a principal group they were met yesterday they were meeting anyway.

So that's why I followed up with all they did get all followed up with on that particular topic.

Yesterday I didn't I did not communicate all of that.

I'll take ownership of that but I unprecedented to jump into all that detail.

I didn't know where that was exactly going because I I just again unprecedented about the start times for getting into the differences on the amount of time for the 30 minutes.

So the consistency is what we did hear from the families and that's where I wanted to make sure that my comment was grounded.

Thank you President DeWolf.

No further questions.

But I must say I'm disappointed not to get real-time feedback given the amount of robust thoughtful conversation.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

Yeah I think Director Hampson actually had a couple of more questions so I'm going to cede my time to her because I do not have any additional questions on this.

Understood.

Director Hampson.

I'm sorry I didn't — can you skip over you.

Yes we can.

No no it's fine.

It's just hard to get like a five second delay to unmute on the phone.

And I apologize for the background noise.

Yeah I I just wanted to note given that kind of the level of feedback that we've heard there's a lot of contradictions in the information being provided.

We haven't heard from parents at all or their principals aren't hearing from their parents.

And then but then statements like we we have heard from families and they want you know they also they want consistency.

And I think there's some attribution of of spring on to fall.

There's a kind of an over-attribution of things that were of ideas that were from the survey in which we had a total of 26 African-American families participate.

And so in addition to kind of that mishmash of family feedback or quote unquote engagement And knowing for myself that families are really distressed about wanting to know what we are going to do.

When school is going to start.

What the schedule is going to look like.

And yet at the same time feeling as though the information is very inadequate in terms of the time frame during which it's been presented to us at the board.

I feel extremely inequipped.

to make an intelligent decision on this bar right now.

Not because I don't think that I don't have respect for what came out of the tentative agreement with respect to the fourth being the appropriate day.

Not because I don't have some sense of trust that the, you know, the schedules as they pertain to what would work as well for childcare providers who I think we're hearing pretty strongly that we really haven't been communicating with but it was brought up yesterday that that is where the signs come from.

We are all over the map and as a board I think we have just as with families have been pretty there's been an incredible lack of transparency and information provided.

despite our desperate attempts to get access to that in so many of these ways.

And so I'm really struggling with wanting to give a sense of certainty to families and yet not wanting to uphold this idea that we should all just be kind of you know real-worlded over because we're we're between a rock and a hard place right now.

And so that's you know where I'm coming from as a board member and I don't think I think this is about the worst that I've felt in terms of the level of information relative to the the scale of the decision.

And so you know if staff want to respond to that that would be that's up to them.

But that's kind of where my head is at right now.

And it's like Director Harris if I had the capacity between yesterday and today to make it possible for me to move this forward I would do that.

I honestly just.

It's not even a possibility at this point for me to state something intelligently that would allow me to provide an amendment that would make me feel comfortable making this big of a decision on this little bit of information.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Mack.

I had a question.

Excuse me.

Okay thanks Director Harris.

I'll circle back.

Director Mack.

Yeah.

Can you hear me okay.

Yes we can.

Okay good.

Thank you.

We had a pretty robust conversation around the K-8's and the bell times and all of this yesterday and there was conflicting information coming from staff that time.

And the BAR has been updated on and I know that the presentation on bell times is next and what we just got the presentation on is the calendar which is the last page of the BAR.

And one of the things that we didn't touch on or talk about that I I don't understand and I need clarity on.

Clover Codd did say that we cannot waive instructional hours but we can waive instructional days.

And on our calendar it doesn't indicate early release Wednesdays.

And So each day is not actually equal in our calendar already.

That's not something that's called out.

So the number of instructional hours that have to total up across the entire calendar for all students is a sum of Monday through Friday hours and the number of days that are provided.

And the question of the K-8's And their start time I'm sorry I'm rambling to get to my question but I feel it's actually important to provide the background.

The the K-8's have traditionally followed the instructional hours of the middle schools and high schools.

They have an additional half an hour in their day.

And so with this proposed switch that's been lost because now their bell schedule is a half an hour less.

And so that's one of my questions as to whether or not the math is still correct in alignment for the number of Hours in a day that students are supposed to be getting aligned with the number of hours that educators are expected to be teaching.

And especially with the K-8 that difference of a half an hour I just I want to make sure that the math hasn't been done wrong here.

Director Mack this is Clover Codd.

So the 75-minute early release is taken into account in when we do our calculation.

That is something that we bargained in 2015. We have not taken that out of our collective bargaining agreement.

So at that time we had added minutes to the school day so that we could actually take those 75 minutes each Wednesday for collaborative planning and professional development.

So I know those have been taken into account.

I would need somebody else to speak to the K-8 issue that you can that you raised.

Right so that that that there is a difference between what I and what I don't understand and I should know this history but the the middle schools and the high schools have an additional half an hour in their day and K-8's were aligned with that traditionally and now it's not.

So I don't I mean I guess the main question is why are elementary schools half an hour less than the middle schools and high schools.

And then similarly are we shortchanging the middle school students in K-8's now with this proposed schedule.

Is this specific to the calendar or the start times.

I you know if it if staff want to ponder and then get back after the presentation on chart times it's it's corollary on the calendar.

My specific question is why we don't indicate that Wednesdays are early release days on the calendar.

Because it's not that all the days are not the same.

I'm just curious why that doesn't exist on the calendar.

So this is Clover Codd again.

I will there there should be a notation on this calendar that says 75-minute early release so I will take responsibility for that and make sure that is corrected.

I do believe that somebody else could answer your question about the difference in high school instructional hours versus elementary instructional hours.

I know there's also a district-wide average but either Chief Jessee or Chief Berge could answer that specific question.

quickly so we can focus on questions for the calendar.

So Director Mack this is JoLynn Berge.

The requirement is just that we get to a district-wide average of 1,027.

So typically secondary do have a bit more time in their schedules.

That is tightened up with these two proposals a slight bit.

So there is a 20-minute differential I believe between K-8 and the other secondary schools that does exist.

But I think that I let Wyeth answer the specific questions about the amount of synchronous time.

I think that's fairly well aligned.

I have double I have done this calculation probably 25 times making sure making sure making sure.

We take into account all of the differences in start times and and have that calculation and we work as a team to check our work.

Yeah.

Hi this is Wyeth Jessee Chief of Schools and Continuous Improvement.

And so I really appreciate the question that Director Mack is asking.

Yes we have afforded in that schedule to meet the standards by the state so that we did align with that.

And so JoLynn and I have been working our calculators left and right to make sure that we are meeting the standards by the state.

And so we are well over a thousand hours for our K-8's.

I can send out in a Friday memo exactly the calculations if you would like.

I think that would be great.

Just for just for clarity.

Thank you.

And if you're well over just clarifying you're well over for the K-8's because it's an average are the elementary schools also on average as a whole or is it averaging.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yeah.

They're well it's one thousand the last I had is one thousand thirty seven thirty seven hours for that.

So but I'll put the exact number that's off the top of my head I'll put the exact number in the calculation for you again in the Friday memo Director Mack.

Thank you Director Mack.

Director Rankin.

Hi.

Sorry.

Just to clarify because it because we what exactly are you doing a round of comments for right now and then what other rounds will there be for this particular item.

Director Rankin this is for the calendar.

Just the calendar.

and speak about transportation because that's operations and then I'll do a second round.

Okay thank you.

The transportation service standards will be the start times.

Yes.

Okay thank you.

I don't have a question.

I I have concerns about and I know that some of it was due to bargaining but I think there's a lot of confusion out there about what the first day means.

And I don't think people are aware that the first week of school is not starting with starting instruction but is in fact starting with just kind of getting things going and what all of that means.

And with concerns about you know people finding childcare and trying to keep their knowing what they trying to figure out what they need to get you know kids online and as other directors have expressed.

I don't know how quickly we can we just we just need to communicate sooner even if we don't know the details just to say hey here's what's happening here's what we're working on just to give families something to depend on.

And I like Director Hampson mentioned I feel you know not not fully prepared that we have all the answers but at the same time I don't think that everything has to be perfect for us to share things out in that in this totally unprecedented and ambiguous time any sort of tether we can give families to hold on to is important even if it's not the full full idea.

So the dates.

Could I maybe ask Clover Codd to your question to share a little bit of background about the the strong start if that's helpful kind of to your point would that be helpful right now.

I would appreciate that.

Dr. Codd could you just hear about kind of the TA.

For folks listening yeah.

Yes absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So one of the things that we did hear as we engage students and families and community throughout the summer is that when we come back from you know the spring and COVID We come back in the fall that there has been a lot of trauma that our students and families have endured not just with because of the pandemic but because of the racism that we experienced and saw.

So some people talk about the dual pandemics if you will.

And that when we start school in the fall we should really focus in on the social emotional well-being of our students and families.

And that needs to be priority and take and be front and center.

before we just dive into academics.

Now academics are absolutely important.

As a former teacher and principal absolutely important.

So the idea behind September 4th through the 11th is something that we're calling a strong start.

And the strong start is placing social emotional well-being at the center.

and work and teachers will still be live with their students for at least two hours where they are doing culturally responsive community building making sure their student-to-student connections student-to-teacher connections and also making sure that our students have access to their tech devices making sure they know how to use them.

How do they access the different platforms.

Where will they find their.

their assignments each day.

So it's just kind of getting everybody ready with the new routines of being in a remote instructional model.

So we do this on the first week of school anyways pre-COVID in brick and mortar.

The first week of school is sort of a ramp up to the rest of the school year where you're getting your routines in place you're building community that focuses on the relationships.

And so we liked this idea.

We wanted to pay specific attention.

to the social emotional needs of our students as they come back from from the from the spring and into the fall.

Thank you Dr. Codd.

Any other questions or questions.

Director DeWolf.

Director DeWolf this is Chief Campbell.

Can I address the communication questions really quickly.

Go ahead please do.

Great.

Thank you.

So.

Your title.

So I'm the Chief Public Affairs Officer.

So yesterday we provided more information to school leaders about Strong Start as well as our staff.

We want to make sure they're well prepared to support our students and our families on September 4th.

And then tomorrow we will in our school beat so our weekly communication that we translate into our top 5 languages.

Send that information out as well as we'll be doing a translated phone call to families about devices Strong Start and any other information that we need to get out this week.

We'll also be reiterating at Facebook Live next week and then communicating throughout the week leading up to the start of school.

Thank you Chief Campbell.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Thank you.

Yes.

I actually wanted to get back to some of the information that was shared by Chief Berge at the beginning in response to Director Hampson's questions about the follow-up for the questions that we had.

Director Rivera-Smith we it kind of sounds like we're far away from the phone.

You might want to adjust your sound.

We can we can.

Harvey.

Hello.

Can you hear me.

That's better.

Thank you.

Okay sorry about that.

Again so I was saying that I wanted to actually follow up on the on the information that was shared by Chief Berge in response to Director Hampson's first question of the follow up from questions from yesterday.

So it's really confusing.

which some of those questions weren't specific to school calendar but they were shared at this point.

So I do want to circle back because I have just one important question regarding that.

Director Berge shared that about the device distribution.

And that part of that was that the K through 2nd grade tablets we would get them the week of the 8th.

So my question is is clearly on how those students will participate from the 4th on.

At least I mean I know K starts on the 8th but it sounds like I heard it too as the week of the 8th which means it could potentially be anywhere from 1 day that they miss out on to 5 days that they miss out on engagement and I know this is the strong start aka really soft start where they're not doing academics per se but it is important engagement time.

And how is that going to happen when if they potentially have no device for that first week.

This is Chief Berge so I'm going to start off and then I'll kick it over to my colleagues both Wyeth Jessee and Diane DeBacker.

So we're going to have you know we need to build a contingency plan.

So we'd have a contingency plan and.

One of the things that's happening is the teachers checking in with each and every family.

So there will be families who have devices.

There will be families who have Chromebooks.

9,000 of those were distributed that are able to participate.

So we will need to do individual check-in on which kids those are.

And so with that we're coordinating this with our C&I and school colleagues.

Wyeth or Diane do you want to chime in.

Yeah this is Diane DeBacker Chief Academic Officer.

And for those you know keep in mind that every teacher is going to have a classroom of students.

And so You know oftentimes we think about it as that we have 54,000 students here in Seattle and think about it in those big numbers.

But with the individual classroom a teacher may have 25 30 students and so they will be working as as JoLynn talked about with those families in the first couple of days just making sure that they have what they need.

And if the technology is not there then the individual teachers will be working with those students on on different ways to still get the same information.

Now they won't obviously be able to help them in terms of how you Log on to Seesaw or to Schoology but there's many other things that we'll be covering that week in terms of social emotional development and and other items.

So it will be very inconvenient for sure for the teacher and it will be very frustrating for the students and the families.

But you know we are hoping that you know we're as I say we're keeping everything cross that we possibly can.

Fingers toes eyes.

that these devices come in in time.

Thank you.

I just Jesse Chief of Schools and Communities I would just like to add also just to what Chief Berge and Chief DeBacker mentioned is just really about for us to connect with our families.

So we are putting out directly all the educators interact with the families and the students specifically to their tech needs so that we have a common way of assessing that across the district.

We also have tech resources sites set up.

We have 3 open now and then we'll be expanding that out to 8 sites across the district.

We've been working with the Seattle Council of PTSA on the sites.

And so just making sure that we can answer also questions once they do have the device.

It's also about accessibility and understanding the platforms that we have here in the district.

Thank you.

Any final questions Director Rivera-Smith before I move to Director Harris.

So that that we hear plan a lot.

We hear about the plan the plan and I believe that a lot of work has gone into these things.

So who can play this out for me that day one a child doesn't have a device.

What happens.

Because they clearly don't show up on these whatever you know teams or Schoology interactive.

I'm just trying to get.

And or the transportation standards when we get to that.

Do not disagree that's an important topic.

I want to focus on calendar and the service standards.

So do you have any more on the calendar.

Okay sure.

Yeah I will.

I mean getting back to the calendar I just I will just reiterate other directors comments about the just the lack of communication and engagement.

I also feel very just really sad when I hear parents come in and say that there has been such a void of communication and responsiveness.

And I know you guys work hard.

I'm not at all saying that our staff doesn't work hard.

I'm I'm looking at the pages you provided now that that outline the community engagement that was done and I see dates and names I don't really see the data per se.

So I don't know if I mean clearly we're voting today if we do and and that's you know it's not going to be here before that.

But you know just going forward again like just having the data that we can actually see Because I know you guys do the work.

I mean no doubt about that.

But you know seeing that data so that we can feel we have you know informed we can make informed votes.

I mean I hate to feel like we're rubber stamping stuff because we're at the deadline and we've we've kind of hit the end of the road.

But we really you know again like I really look forward to having the future just going forward just that data when we need it.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

I just want to reiterate I'm not here to rubber stamp.

Director Harris do you have anything to add a final question on calendar.

Yes I do.

And some of the questions were answered subsequent to my last question.

But I have a question here.

Yesterday during the very robust and thoughtful conversation with the board Chief Jessee talked about this distribution of paper materials if those iPads were not in.

And if he could reiterate that.

The second question that I have is would there be any harm in distributing on our website Chief Jesse's email to school leaders yesterday.

I think it would alleviate a great deal of anxiety and it would also address what parents and community can expect from their principal.

Thank you.

Yeah I watch as the chief of schools continues to prove it.

I'll answer the first part Director Harris.

I think the second part we can most certainly do around building out the comms and helping other people understand.

I know that Chief Campbell can answer that.

For us around the paper yes paper products so they're the the mirroring of the activities that are planned for Strong Start would be something that we will distribute out and have available for our families as it would be a push and not just having them having to come to us.

We most certainly get that in their hands so that they can most certainly have those activities and the things that we want to have for all our students and their experience.

Director Harris this is Carrie Campbell Chief Public Affairs Officer again.

I want to make sure I understand your request.

So it was the timeline of communication from the school.

So including the the school schedules to be produced next week is that what you're requesting.

Chief Jessee sent out and copied the board to school leaders yesterday in terms of all the things that need to be done before a start of school.

directives if you will to show accountability in what parents can expect.

Is there any problem with sharing that system-wide.

I don't think so.

And I think a lot of that actually will be captured in our communication through School Beat and School Beat connects to information that's directly either on the website or going to be lift up lifted up on the website tomorrow.

So I'll go back through that and see if there's anything that we haven't already drafted out and that needs to be added.

And if we could do it in a punch list fashion I would be forever grateful.

Yep we're trying to move toward towards more bulleted lists.

And this this board is getting more and more questions and anxiety as well as on social media.

So whatever we can do to be clear and proactive in our communications ASAP is so appreciated.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Harris.

Okay.

I just want to pause momentarily.

I know we have an announcement from Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Ms. Wilson-Jones quickly share an update I think you have for us.

Yes I've been asked by IT if we could briefly have our two ASL interpreters unmute yourself and just kind of say something to check in so we can have your video stream featured.

That may help to have your videos be more prominent for those utilizing interpreters.

Okay.

We have one interpreter.

This is the other interpreter.

Thank you.

And do you both have your videos turned on.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay thank you.

Hopefully that will help.

And sorry for the interruption.

James are you able to advise on whether they need to be unmuted.

Well, I needed a little more talking, I think, because teams will recognize who is talking and then throw their picture up on there.

Right now, the people who are doing the majority of the talking are the ones that are showing up in the grid.

So if we could just have them maybe say more than just a few words, just to see if we can get at least one of them to show up, I think that would be, that would at least prove that the pinning does work off of the video stream as opposed to just trying to pick, choose it from the participant list.

So if possible could somebody just maybe introduce themselves and maybe a sentence about themselves.

My name is Yorah.

I'm a sign language interpreter.

I'm just trying to work through all the technical issues.

There he is.

Pinned.

I would love to win the interpreter but it seems as if our deaf participants are an issue.

Pinned us.

They are they're not able to see us.

Thank you.

I think we are able to see you now.

And Joel could you do the same.

Sure.

Hi I'm the other interpreter and also trying to work through the technical difficulties and hopefully this will help so that finally they can see us.

Yay.

Okay.

I was able to pin both of them.

Joel I am not getting a video stream from you.

Okay I can see Joel from my on my screen that's interesting.

Should I add him in.

Should I add him in my screen.

Well whoever's talking is pretty warbly so if at that I'm guessing you're probably dealing with a pretty latent connection.

I think we are able to see them both now on our YouTube streams.

It looks like the videos are showing up.

So thank you both and again apologies to the board for the interruption.

Yes thank you.

No worries.

Thank you.

Happy to make sure that this is working for our community.

Chief Podesta I wanted to make sure we could give you some space to do any any additional briefing to the board.

Had some conversation yesterday at the special briefing slash work session.

So any final briefing before I do another round of questions and comments from directors.

Thank you.

This is Fred Podesta Chief Operations Officer.

I think just for those who may be listening to the meeting that aren't acquainted with the Transportation Service Standards because it's a little opaque how they relate to this the real subject at hand.

The Transportation Service Standards are adopted by the Board of Directors annually to describe when and where school transportation is offered.

But it's also the document that the board approves that lists the start and end times of all our schools.

And it's normally somewhat complicated because it we are accommodating trans a big transportation system and really calling for staggered arrivals and departures from schools which are known as tiers.

And as we as Seattle Public Schools got into the implementation of the start of school for the 2021 school year we've got questions from families and school leaders and community-based organizations that offer childcare.

Since this year with remote learning we're unconstrained by the needs of having to manage transportation.

Could we have a simpler and more consistent system for start and end times for schools.

And that's what this action is really about even though it's labeled transportation.

And so I do appreciate the robust discussion we had with directors yesterday.

We there are some revisions in the BAR that are self-evident that clarify what this action is and revise the start and end times by class of school so that's a little bit clearer and I we've added some information about some of the engagement that was in place around the entire reopening plan which this is a piece of.

So I just wanted to lay that background because for someone that's just joining the conversation now my the the name Transportation Service Standard is a bit opaque to the discussion that we're really having is about a standardized start and end time for schools that is a little bit simpler than our staggered 755 855 740 and we have different times for all schools and this is just something to make things simpler and more consistent.

President DeWolf this is Director Mack.

I'm wondering if we could have that section of the BAR put up here that just puts the on the screen so that we could all see it as we're having this discussion that lists the exact start and end times.

Is that possible Martina.

If we can we can do that yes.

Thank you.

As folks are potentially trying to figure that out thanks for the suggestion Director Mack I want to start with Director Hampson on any comments or questions on transportation service standards.

One of the things that came up yesterday that I found a bit troubling was the idea that we are that our schedules are based on what would allow us to go back into a physical environment most readily.

And I I have some pretty major issues with that in terms of the general unlikelihood of that being the case and that we would not be in a mode to plan in the best way possible for the situation that we have for this year and really commit to that which I don't think we're doing.

I do agree that we are attempting to do business as usual.

We are attempting to put a square peg into of the brick-and-mortar into a round hole of remote.

And so what.

Please turn off one moment Director Hampson and see the screen Tina if.

If you'd like to change the screen currently.

Thank you for that.

Director Hampson continue I'm sorry.

No that's fine.

So yeah I have concerns about that.

And then also and as I said I do understand the need to provide consistent times for for CBO's but I don't know the extent to which it the going back to physical school really doesn't play well for me in terms of what families needs are right now and how desperate this situation is.

I and when you say that Director Hampson are you referring to the proposed revised start and end times or the pre-existing ones that you know in broad strokes these aren't wildly different from them but If we were trying to get back to a significant amount of in-person education and we're providing transportation we would probably need a schedule more like the one that the board adopted in March.

I think these times you know are a variation on what we've normally done and trying to be streamlined and consistent and simple.

But to my knowledge There there wasn't a strong eye towards a physical presence at schools to to come up with these simpler bell times.

And I Wyeth or if anyone else would care to add to that I'd appreciate that but.

Can you attest then to the extent to which there was When and where did the CBO engagement happen that led to their communication.

Given how many CBO's we've heard from specifically child care providers kind of lamenting the lack of collaboration communication when did that engagement happen that led to their input.

Our partnership team has regular meetings with leaders of CBO's and and again this This feedback started as this planning was starting that frankly I think had assumed a little bit more business as usual since Belltown had already been established.

And I think we heard from those community partners that well if if there are students that they are trying to support in partnership with us for remote learning and you have students in the same grade level with starting with different bell times and trying to in a kind of mixed environment in a partner's program that that would just complicate things.

And so I think this was something that was heard and again was somewhat unsolicited but heard in those regular meetings that Dr. Scarlett's folks have with our CBO partners.

And it was just an observation that I and I think school leaders and families made the same observation is this is something you can decouple yourself from since you're not providing transportation you don't have to make this so complicated.

And I think this was we acknowledge that and this was our attempt to try to make life simpler.

I'd like to also share about the CBO conversations particularly child care providers.

Just to also reverberate what Chief Podesta shared around our weekly conversations.

We also have individual conversations.

All throughout the summer we have been in contact with our CBO's multiple times of the week.

And even when our remote learning playbook was send out to principals just days after that I met with some larger more prominent child care provider directors just to share parts of that the learning playbook and to ask them what are the blind spots that we're missing for for our community-based providers.

So we are constantly in communication.

with our CBO providers.

I can't sort of quantify all the different people necessarily that said different things about different start times but we are really working hard.

Director Bush and our team and school community partnerships work really hard and keeping the lines of communication with our child care providers.

So I just want to also share that as well.

I think given that we have 56 sites at least and possibly up to 64-65 it's possible that this is a really strong data point.

It makes a lot of sense.

There's a lot of logic to it and which is why it makes it frustrating for me to not feel like I can just full-heartedly support it because it does seem like it would be a pretty straightforward data point to get to in terms of you know X number of

the number of child care providers that will be in our buildings have said that this is of tremendous interest and benefit to them.

And so it makes me sad that we don't actually have that that data to look at.

And I'll let other directors weigh in from here.

Thanks.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Harris.

remain frustrated and distressed about the K-8 issue.

And I would also suggest that when we plan to go back to school we start planning for that now and we share information and I appreciate now we have a weekly work session for implementation and I'm very grateful for that.

And I'll put on the record yet again The loss of the Spokane Street Bridge and the traffic cluster on the 1st Avenue Street Bridge where our first student bus barn is will decimate both the South Park and the Georgetown community and requires some extraordinary first student busing.

And as well if we're going to be busing special needs students to in-person sites that has to be addressed as opposed to yeah I heard you quote unquote.

It's a real problem.

I drive it every day.

The traffic is getting exponentially more and the commute times are becoming exponentially more.

I also have an issue with if we don't have IPAD to K-3 but the teachers are supposed to reach out to each of their students.

How are they supposed to do that.

And you know the teachers my understanding are not supposed to be using their personal cell phones.

So I want to know how we work around that.

Thank you.

Sure.

This is Chief Berge.

So there's directions for how to text or how to call a phone on Teams or with your email.

Any other responses for Director Harris.

My question is about the bus barn south of 1st Avenue.

It will impact our special needs children and this is absolutely about transportation standards.

Thank you.

Chief Podesta if you want to jump in here that would be helpful or somebody that can that can start.

I mean we're we're working with the special ed department to up schedule transportation as needed and we're working with First Student who has been serving meals all summer from that bus barn.

So it has where we were running 40 routes.

We've had some experience with travel on the and unlike our meal service we're allowed to use the lower bridge when we're transporting students.

So special ed route.

by definition are fairly custom-tailored and once we have the roster of students we'll be serving and what locations and what the scheduled time is.

This is will have to be a custom-tailored solution to start the routes early enough to deal with the bottleneck that'll approach to that area.

And this will be you know as Not we just come back to school but as the world comes back to work and you know we see more congestion we may need to lean on other the other lot and stage buses at different times a day to deal with this.

But it really comes down to the individual routes and designing them and building enough lead time to deal with this traffic hazard.

As we've had to with others when the Viaduct came down or other things that it really takes planning on a route by route basis which is why we have route planners that do that individually and they're they're watching this issue closely.

And once we have actual students names and locations and understand the demand we'll be able to explain in more detail about how we solve the problem.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

Director Hersey.

Yeah just very quickly since we're on the topic excuse me since we're on the topic of devices and preparing for the eventual delivery one of the big questions that has come from parents especially in District 7 is around what ways are we making sure that we're supporting our families where English is the second language for tech support.

I haven't really heard too much about that quite yet and I would really like some clarity on what services our families with various languages can count on to help better support them.

This is Chief Berge and then I'm going to ask Carrie Campbell to jump on and help me.

So we have a few different tools that are available for us.

When we stand at the resource centers that will be one time where we do have staff that are using Linguistica to be able to to provide some translated support.

We also have translations happening in our training videos or our videos about how to use the source or Schoology those types of things.

And then we're also getting another software system called Talking Points and that's where I'll ask Carrie to help me.

Thank you Chief Berge.

Before we move on before we move on really quickly what languages are we translating our videos into.

Do we have insight on what our families can expect Yep.

Carrie can tell you.

Thank you.

Thank you Chief Berge.

This is Chief Campbell.

So we translate always into our top five languages.

We will translate into our top I think it's nine languages for the training videos.

Just today we met with staff from Aki Kurose who's partnering with us to create a Teams family-focused student-focused video and then we're in contact with Seesaw to also create a explainer video on how to use a technology from the family side.

Talking points.

That is something that's going to be coming a little bit later.

We're working with DOTS right now on the integration of our systems and getting a contract signed.

But that is a text-based platform.

We heard from a lot of our EL families that translated phone calls and translated text if we can't meet in person are the best ways to engage.

And so it's a two-way communication platform and we are working to roll that out at the beginning of October.

And Carrie Chief Campbell if you could just quickly in addition to this can you just share what the top 5 or the top 9 are for the audience.

Let's see if I can remember off the top of my head.

Simplified Chinese Somali Spanish Amharic and Vietnamese.

Really quickly.

So I just wanted to clarify.

Did you say that these translated resources aren't going to ship out until the beginning of October or did I misunderstand.

Oh no.

The training videos will be available next week.

But this new talking points this new two-way texting platform that we're adopting for one year as part of our response to school buildings being closed to see how it works.

We have to do some integration with DOTS.

That will become available October 1. And I think it translates into over a hundred.

Director Hersey in Power School you have indicated that your home language is Spanish.

I will be able to send you a text in English and it will automatically translate to Spanish using machine translation with human support to make sure that it's accurate.

And you'll be able to text back to me and it will translate back into English.

It works in a very similar fashion to Let's Talk which has been very successful for our customer service team.

Great.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you Director Hersey.

Director Mack.

Yes hi.

I appreciate Director Hersey asking for the additional information around what exactly we're doing.

One of the things that was mentioned and I don't think it's been clearly shared out so that families know that this is a resource that will be happening is that those are there are tech resource centers Three that and my understanding is we'll this was sent to us an email yesterday and was kind of buried.

And as a parent I haven't seen any district-wide communication about it.

So I think pushing that out is going to be really really important so that families know that they can go to these tech resource centers they can set up an appointment and that they're they're they're there are three different sorry.

Yeah I just I just wanted to elevate that part that Director Hersey raised and and and ask that that be pushed out along with what Director Harris was asking for additional information to be going out.

On the transportation service standards in specific and the vote that we're taking here about bell times.

What I just wanted to clarify publicly that my understanding is that if we were to return to in-person school we would need to re-adopt transportation service standards again because this would not stand and we'd have to come back and revisit that.

That's correct right Mr. Podesta.

That's likely.

I mean it depends on how we would return to school.

You know certainly.

If we return to normal a tiered system like we used to have would be needed.

The the hybrid model that we had discussed earlier in the summer was a bit different or if we came back in some sort of phased approach it it all depends on what coming back means and how many students and when.

But certainly If let's say fall of next year we were operating the way we were operating in the fall of 2019 we would need to go back to tiers.

Okay great.

Thank you for that clarity.

And then and then two more things.

One is that the clarity of the fact that we will not be transporting students to child care sites that are at our buildings.

We are not providing transportation for child care for the students that are in child care that are in our buildings that is not going to be district-provided transportation.

That that's not part of these transportation service standards or something we're planning to do at this time.

Of course we're looking for supports.

for child care and you know there's discussion about a perhaps a more broad reimbursement model for transportation but we're not yet planning for that.

Okay great.

And then the other thing the last thing is the K-8 question and both question and thoughts.

Historically a good few years ago K-8's were actually at 830. So in debating whether or not a 9 a.m.

start for K-8's or a 830 in the most recent years 9 a.m.

is where most of them have been.

But prior to that 830 was consistent.

We did the flip a good few years ago to make secondary schools later for the health of our students.

And I was considering offering up an amendment to switch that so that the K-8's aligned with the middle school schedule instead because of that.

And I also don't know that I want to throw that monkey wrench into this conversation at this point because it it seems that 830 is probably just fine.

And so that's where I'm at on that.

But I appreciate the clarity around the instructional hours and why there's a difference in actual amount of time.

And just additionally want to make sure to get the note on the calendar that Wednesdays are early release days.

So I don't I don't actually have any question.

That's all my thoughts.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Mack.

Okay Director Rankin and Director Rivera-Smith we've hit an hour and five on this topic so I just want to do a time check.

So if you have any final questions or comments on the transportation standards start and end times over to Director Rankin.

Thank you.

I don't have new specific questions that haven't been addressed that are specific to start and end times and the calendar.

However.

And I'm sure there are people that I can't see right now probably rolling their eyes.

But I just wanted to state that I think you're we're getting a lot of questions right now related to what seems like a straightforward calendar that's been you know tentative agreement with SEA hours that seem like fine.

Why you're getting so many questions and that is because For me anyway as a board director I feel like we have been put in a position where we are being informed at the end of a process and expected to okay it and that it's an irritation and an annoyance when we have questions.

And that this is our opportunity to ask some of these questions and my fear is by voting yes on this Am I saying that I'm okay with the process that has led to this point.

And I'm not okay with it because we have not engaged families.

There has not been transparency about you know what CBO's were asked about this what decision making went into this and quite frankly start dates and bell times are something that we could have proposed you know probably back in June just as a guess just as a place to start.

So as a board director being put in the position where You know I am a jerk and slowing things down if I don't want to put something forward.

But I also feel like I'm not being given the opportunity for appropriate oversight because there's a lot of questions and as you heard in testimony families are feeling the same way you know.

And as somebody said something that I said in a different meeting was it's not the what it's the how.

Like the what of this is pretty clear and I appreciate you know work that's been done by Mr. Podesta.

and others to look into this but it this feels very much like we're just being asked to just okay it and so we can all move on.

And I think families and educators and building leaders you know deserve to have this structure and to know what's happening.

But everything that comes to us like I mean 24 hours ago is when we had the opportunity to ask questions and in fact we had asked a lot of questions ahead of time expecting them to be answered yesterday.

And they weren't.

So I just I don't know.

I just don't like this and I don't like it.

Understood.

Thank you Director Rankin.

Director Rivera-Smith final questions.

Thank you.

I don't need to repeat things that were already shared.

I think we covered a lot there.

I do though want to be fair and walk back my earlier comment about the engagement information we were given.

I made the rookie mistake of printing it out and not realizing that that A there are links in there with the data.

So I apologize to Dr. Scarlett for the implication that there was no data in there because there is data in there.

Thank you for that.

I'm sorry that my printout is black and white and I did not look at the actual PDF.

I've seen it now.

I especially love the information from the Zoom community meeting with Mike Smith and there's there's a lot of data in there.

Thank you.

And then there's you know I'm but to be fair I don't there isn't also the one about at the bottom of it regarding the child care providers.

I don't see the data for that one and we're talking a lot about that right now and that is a huge concern with our community right now.

And you know this we know this.

So I feel like my fellow directors in this situation of not feeling true that we got we had the process go the way it was supposed to.

And this is this has been hard on everybody.

I'm not trying to place blame directly on anybody but it's kind of we all share it I think.

And I'll hold my cot to rest for now.

Thank you.

Eric Smith.

This is Dr. Scarlett.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate the acknowledgement about the data.

A couple of things.

I just want to sort of reiterate that when we had the June 30th board session we got some feedback that we hadn't done enough engagement with our students furthest from educational justice particularly the African-American males and their families.

And so at the same time my team have been working And this was after we did our remote learning survey to families where you know the preponderance of the survey results we got were from White families.

And so so we set off and we still continue to work on focus groups with families.

But one of the things that we're challenged with the system is how do we rapidly get qualitative data which are the voices of families and students.

And the reason why many systems across the country, and while we're actually leading the edge in some ways, and some systems, they rely solely on survey data because it's quick.

You know, we can get the information fast, but we found out that it's inequitable because of the ways that we actually work to ensure that families, or maybe even filling out that survey, we do have evidence that families of color may not, lean toward filling out surveys and it's inequitable for even our EL families as well.

So the things that we can do is work our best to take advantage of the opportunities.

So we have made shifts in our listening learning sessions to just not listening and learning and sort of being there for just listening to folks but thinking about how can we enter in those spaces in some ways where we're trying our best to do quick data polls.

So Director Hampson made a comment about 26 respondents.

So we dropped a data poll link into a Zoom chat That was how many people sort of responded to a really quick poll which was about whether people want it.

you know preferred the 100 percent remote learning versus you know a hybrid model.

So we have been trying different types of ways to be responsive and to show up in responsive and accountable ways in our community meetings before having note takers there to be able to collect notes.

Having focus groups with families.

And so while that you may have smaller sample sizes of qualitative data but these are the voices of people and families.

And I'm not trying to insinuate that these folks are sort of representative of the entire sort of Black community but the information that we got the 45 phone calls that community leaders from the Somali community made to families and then translated that information back across different questions.

Those are all valid responses that are ways that we would not be able to engage with these same families.

if we solely use surveys to do that.

So I just want to challenge our system to sort of rethink about community engagement and to move beyond sort of the quick sort of survey into thinking about the qualitative voices and the qualitative data we get through the voices in which we engage in different spaces.

And so if I am paying attention and writing down notes and listening to what our providers are saying in our CBO meetings And we're taking notes of that and looking through that and seeing the things that come through.

If we're being responsive when tools come out like the remote playbook and immediately getting on the phone with different child care providers and those leaders in order for them to give feedback.

I think that those are all really important data points for us to be able to include in this as well.

Thank you.

Thank you Dr. Scarlett.

Just to clarify the 26 is actually the number of African-American families that were represented in the spring survey.

That's what I was quoting.

Not any other 26 number.

And I think anything that's actually provided to us in a timely fashion is helpful.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Ms. Wilson-Jones roll call vote please.

Director Mack aye Director Rankin.

Can you come back to me.

Can I abstain.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Abstain.

Director Hampson nay Director Harris abstain Director Hersey nay Director DeWolf aye.

This motion has not passed by a vote of 2 to 2 to 3.

Okay.

Well it is our job to come and make decisions and sadly we did not do that today.

So next we will move to Introduction Items.

Next is Introduction Item Number 1. Approval of name change of South Lake High School to Allen T. Sugiyama High School at South Lake.

This came to the Operations Committee on August 13th for approval.

Chief Operations Officer Fred Podesta I believe you'll be briefing us on this item.

Yes.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

This action as said changes the name of Southlake High School to a well-known activist leader and product of Seattle Public Schools Al Sugiyama who is also a director of the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors.

And I'd like to invite Principal Davis-Brown and Assistant Principal Powell who joined us at the Operations Committee and are here today I believe to describe their work with the community to garner support for this name change.

Thank you for for that Chief Fred Podesta.

I am so appreciative to have the opportunity to come to you and talk about about how honored we are that Representative Sharon Sant — Tomiko Santos and Bob Watt who was the Deputy Mayor for the City of Seattle brought this to us and allowed us to participate in honoring Al Sugiyama.

It was something that we were looking forward to doing in the final rebranding of Southlake.

And it was it was one of the things that we thought was just extremely important to do to honor someone who spent his life trying to support disenfranchised youth and adults and having the opportunity to have a to to reach their full potential.

This process was spearheaded by Dr. Dr. Powell who's the assistant principal here at Southlake.

And so I would really like to give him the opportunity to bring this motion to you all.

So Dr. Powell.

All right.

Thank you Ms. Brown.

And I do want to thank the board again for hearing us today.

And I also want to thank Superintendent Juneau as well for her continued support.

What I want to do is I just want to back up and kind of tell you a little bit about when this process started because when we say that it has been a long journey we actually started this conversation back on June 7th of 2019. And that was just ending Ms. Brown and I that was our third year our ending the last third year of our work together and June 7th of 2019. And so from that point on we had a conversation like Ms. Brown stated with Bob Watt and Sharon Tomiko Santos.

And one question that I had during that meeting was why Southlake.

You know that was really important to me.

I wanted to know you know of all the schools you know why Southlake.

And when Sharon Tomiko Sato said to me Al told me I think I was you know I was convinced that it needed to happen because those are very strong words.

And it was clear to me that this was destined to happen.

From June 7th of 2019 you know we started the process and I do want to thank several of the district people who were very supportive which was amazing because of what's currently happening within our district and for them to still be so supportive.

You know it started with the the action report that had to be completed with the support of Sarah Marabueno Trina Sterk Sharon Miata as well as Ms. Wilson-Jones.

They were just amazing because again you know we know that right now we're all dealing with some of the immediate priorities for the district but for them to still be available and supportive during this process I just wanted to acknowledge that because they are part of the extended community.

But what we did from the conversation after the conversation on June the 7th we actually in accordance with the board policies 6 9 7 0 we wanted to definitely respond to this request that we consider from our community.

And from there we had approximately five community meetings around this name change.

We had the privilege of meeting with spending a good amount of time during our site visit that was done by Al's two daughters which was just amazing to hear some of the stories and hear how Southlake was part of a discussion even from as they were growing up.

So that told me that this this process had to occur.

From there you know we of course included our building leadership team our staff other communities as well as community members as well as student representatives.

We reviewed the initiative.

We published a plan of the initiative and it was we unanimously unanimously excuse me move forward with you know wanting the school the school renaming process to happen.

You know again it was a lot of time and effort that went into just preparing the report.

But again thank you to those individuals who I named regarding the support that they provided us.

But another piece that was you know on my heart to say to this today was when you know you talk about you hear so much about community engagement.

But in my opinion when you talk about renaming and honoring an individual as Al Sugiyama that's truly what I consider representing what it truly means to engage with our community because we heard our community and for this to happen it communicates that we've heard we listened and this should definitely move forward.

The other piece of it.

that's really really important has to do with at our last board session on August the 13th I was really strong and strongly advocating and adamant about hearing from some of the voices of our community and for them to be heard.

So today what I would like to do is have one of the powerful voices of our community I would love for us to hear from and for her to be heard and that person is Sharon Tomiko Santos who's online.

But before I turn it over to her I just wanted to also say another powerful thing to keep in mind and that was brought to me just recently by Bob Watt is that September the 10th is Al Sugiyama's birthday.

September the 10th.

So what powerful way to celebrate and acknowledge him because I do understand that after this today's meeting September it has to go for the final approval on September the 9th.

So I just wanted to put that out there and just speak to how powerful and how meaningful and in my opinion this is something that has to happen.

So thank you for hearing me.

And right now I will turn it over to Sharon Tomiko Santos.

Thank you.

Thank you very much Dr. Powell and good evening members of the Seattle Public School Board.

For the record my name is Sharon Tomiko Santos.

I serve currently as the state representative from the 37th Legislative District and am very proud to have South Lake High School soon to be named with your support.

the Alan T. Sugiyama High School at Southlake in my district.

I would like to spend just a few moments of your time identifying why this is such an important issue to both me personally but also to our community as a whole.

Many of you may know that Al Sugiyama and I will hereafter refer to him as Uncle Al because as many of you know in our Asian-Pacific American communities.

The designation of Uncle is an honorific bestowed with great love and affection.

Uncle Al was a civil rights icon here in the city of Seattle as well as a champion of education for youth.

He was a graduate of the Seattle Public Schools.

The fact that he graduated from Garfield High School is not a fact that I will hold against him.

He was again a leading civil rights organizer from the time that he was a youth.

Beginning with his organization of the Oriental Student Union at Seattle Central Community College where he agitated to ensure that Asian studies were represented and that Asian-American faculty and staff were hired.

He also agitated to ensure that the Seattle Community College District promised or made good on their promise for fair contracting opportunities spreading economic opportunities throughout the city for underrepresented economic communities.

He was a forever advocate and champion of youth voice.

And I would encourage any of you who are interested to hear Uncle Al's story in his own words by looking at the Civil Rights and Labor History Project at the University of Washington website.

I would, however, like to spend most of my time talking about the education that Uncle Al devoted himself to.

I've already indicated he was himself a graduate but he was also the first Asian-Pacific American board member for the Seattle Public Schools being elected in 1989. That really stemmed from his passion for working with youth and particularly youth who are so often alienated and marginalized and frankly discarded.

by institutions who run our public education system.

It stemmed from his work as the founder and the executive director of CCA the Center for Career Alternatives where Uncle Al made a life vocation of working with students who are what we would call today furthest from educational justice.

He worked with them to help with credit retrieval opportunities.

He provided an alternative learning environment.

He prepared them for jobs beyond CCA's doors.

Most of all what Uncle Al provided was a caring adult for students who were lost and or otherwise challenged by what life threw at them.

Providing them with services allowing them to earn a general education diploma and or a credential with a new lease and new hope on their future.

When we talked about the opportunity to name a school in the Seattle Public Schools after Uncle Al it was indeed Providence as Dr. Powell indicated that brought us to work with the leadership at South Lake High School Principal Laura Davis-Brown and Dr. Joe Powell.

I cannot think of a more suitable institution to affix the honored and venerated and radical name of Alan T. Sugiyama than at Southlake.

He was after all the kind of man that brought community together.

Some of you may recall the very difficult decision that the school board had to make when the proposal to rename the former Sharpless Junior High School after Aki Kurose a beloved science teacher in the Seattle Public Schools.

That was an effort that Al helped champion and spearhead.

In the end that renaming opportunity is what brought community to consistently come to the doors of Aki Kurose and ensure that when the students came back to school every September they knew that the community had been there beautifying their grounds knowing that the environment helps create a positive incentive for good learning.

And that is what the community wants to do in partnership with the leadership at Southlake to surround them with caring adults in the name of Alan T. Sugiyama.

And with that I urge this board to unanimously approve the changing of the name of Southlake High School to the Alan T. Sugiyama High School at Southlake.

Thank you.

Thank you so much Representative Santos and for all of our community speaking.

Chief Podesta is there anybody else you'd like to speak before I do any final comments or questions to directors and then I would like to take a recess.

No I think the the school staff and I thank Representative Tomiko Santos for sharing all the great work that's done into proposing this name change.

And we're happy to take any questions the directors may have.

Okay we'll quickly go through questions here I know folks are interested in a recess and I know we're excited to vote on this in the future I would imagine.

So I'll start with Director Hampson.

Any comments or questions for Director Chief Podesta.

No no questions I think.

Well I guess my only question would be this has clearly been a historic process in terms of the community the coming together and then so grateful for the work that's been done for this coming forward and the the how critical it is that we then learn so much more about our history in this city by virtue of doing something like a name change and I and I hope it's one of many to come.

And and as part of that I think my only other question is are we documenting this so that we can utilize it not only just in terms of policy but also for other buildings that are looking to do this same work.

And thank you so much to everybody who spoke.

Yes this and our recent change at Rising Star I think we're all the staff that support these name changes have developed a good file about how to proceed with these processes.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

Yeah.

I am beyond in favor of this and I want to express some thoughts to go with that.

First of all Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos thank you for your heavy lifting in Olympia in support of equity in the Seattle Public School.

Al Sugiyama was a friend of mine and I He's one of my heroes just flat out.

And and I might add Uncle Al is also one of my heroes with Uncle Bobby who is the late husband of Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos.

And if you don't know who Uncle Bobby is he was one of the four civil rights leaders.

And there's a lot written about him and I hope we name a school after him soon.

But I will say.

that we have heard over the last two three years about how expensive it is to run a school like South Lake High School and that the enrollment is low.

And if we have any intention whatsoever and out of transparency Superintendent Juneau and I have had several conversations about this.

If we are not intent on supporting and growing Hopefully Allen T. Sugiyama High School then don't do it because it would be dishonest frankly if we don't figure out a way to support now Southlake High School hopefully Allen T. Sugiyama High School and grow the enrollment and make it the extraordinarily special place that it is. that I personally as the board director do not feel we have given the resources and the attention that it deserves.

I hope that we address the underlying issues.

If we're going to rename this then let's do it right and build it robustly.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

I'm in 100 percent support.

Thank you for the amazing lift and huge huge thanks to Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos for all of your work around this issue.

Looking forward to it.

No further questions.

I I'm having a hard time pulling words together because I'm incredibly moved by your words Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos and also Director Harris and the the the deep work the ongoing work in Olympia that you've done and this incredible important act we need to take to name this school in his honor and As Director Harris indicated we also need to put resources behind it.

And so I'm fully in support and really grateful to see you today and look forward to voting on this in a few weeks.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Director Rankin.

Okay hearing none I will move to Director Rivera-Smith.

I am here to do this them so just in all of the work that that Alan Darbar-Ongwami so I didn't know him personally so I feel we're calling him that but you guys I'll call him that so that he did.

I have one question.

Why why are we calling it Alan T. Sugiyama High School at Southlake and not just Alan T. Sugiyama High School.

Is the Southlake like legally have to be there.

This is Dr. Powell.

I can speak to that.

So when I earlier stated when we started this work this partnership we had just ended our third year of rebranding so we were in the process of rebranding South Lake before we joined as family with Sharon Tomiko Santos and Bob Watt.

So we had so if you look back June 7th was the third ending our third year together so Ms. Brown and I just came to South Lake together three years prior to this conversation that we had.

And so we had already started a rebranding process a new vision for the school.

And so going into our fourth year that's when we were going in with this whole renaming And so it's like bringing this vision that we started into existence under Al Sugiyama's name.

So it's kind of a perfect marriage that came together at the right time.

And so the Alan T. Sugiyama High School at Southlake still acknowledges the rebranding work that took place prior to us coming together with our new family.

Thank you.

No that makes a lot of sense.

I appreciate that.

No further questions or comments.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

I hear Director Rankin is back.

If you have any final questions or comments before we move on.

No just quickly.

Thank you so much.

And it was so great to hear from from all of you also in the Ops Committee.

And I'm excited about the opportunity to talk about Uncle Al as Rep Tomiko Santos said.

And also to have this opportunity to elevate the work that all of you are doing at South Lake High School.

I think it's a bit of a hidden gem and I hope that this allows us to elevate your work more broadly to the public and and share what's going on in your community and also hopefully reach more students that might find a good place for themselves at South Lake that might not heard about it otherwise.

So thank you very very much.

Thank you Director Rankin.

And I just want to express my gratitude again to you Dr. Powell and Representative Tomiko Santos for your support and your work on this.

I am really excited and absolutely supportive.

And we will see you back here in a couple of weeks as we vote on that at our next regular board meeting.

So with that.

Yes of course of course.

So with that I need to call a recess.

and give folks both a chance to take a brief pause as well as we will likely be re-breaking into a closed session.

And so I'm waiting for Chief Counsel Narver to give me any indication.

If you want to do that verbally here Chief Narver that would be helpful.

Yes this is Greg Narver Chief Legal Counsel.

You can at this point declare the meeting In recess my understanding is that there was an invite going out from the school board office that I believe just arrived for a closed session at this point to discuss the matter of labor negotiations.

But it is for you to declare the meeting in recess as board president.

Thank you Chief Counsel Narver.

With that I will declare us in recess at 546 and we will move to closed session.

So directors if you could please end your participation in this specific call.

Please join the closed session invitation that you should have received and I just received it myself so I know you did as well.

And I will see you on that call but please make sure you're logged off to this call.

And for the audience we will be back after closed session.

Thank you.

Director Harris present.

Director Hersey here.

Director Mack here.

Director Rankin present.

Director Rivera-Smith present.

I would like to be recognized for a motion.

Director Rivera-Smith I will recognize Director Rivera-Smith Excuse me.

This is Director DeWolf and I'll recognize Director Rivera-Smith for a motion.

I would like to make a motion for reiteration of our previous vote on the transportation standards.

Thank you for moving this motion Director Rivera-Smith and thank you for the second Director Harris.

I will open it up to directors for any final comments or questions and I'll start with you Director Rivera-Smith.

Thank you.

I I think there was a lot we didn't have a chance to talk about and I think that we definitely have a lot of unanswered questions in this process.

I appreciate the work that has been done by staff to get us this far.

I think that we just need another opportunity to to just reflect on this what's gone into it.

The missed opportunities.

The people who we still hear when you know we're going to we're going to rise since I really want to come down to.

I don't want to leave anyone out of this process especially I know you know our families furthest from educational justice who are deeply in need of our support and our ears and being having that seat at the table.

That's that's who we represent ultimately all our families as board members.

And if we're if we don't feel listened to they don't feel listened to and and And that's going to happen.

We're you know there's a lot of work being done.

And I know that staff has felt a lot of pressure on that and we want to acknowledge what they have done and how much you know blood sweat tears have gone into that.

So I don't want us to walk away without having really closed this loop here on this motion before us and figured out you know what what we need to do to make this happen for families and for our teachers.

Because this this this is monumental right now for everybody in their lives.

And again I want to hear more from our directors and staff.

Thank you.

President DeWolf I have a question about procedure at this stage for clarification.

So is the motion on the table just a motion to reconsider it or is it the actual motion.

Do we need to take two votes.

First a motion on reconsideration and then if that passes then there's another the the motion is brought back and that's debated.

Is that correct.

Director Mack this is Greg Narver Chief Legal Counsel.

This can be one this can be one vote.

By moving to reconsider this is basically teeing up the assuming there's a second this is teeing up the original motion again for a vote.

Okay.

So the original motion is what we are considering here not whether or not we're reconsidering.

Okay great.

Thank you for that clarification.

And I did hear that Director Harris did second it so.

Yep she did.

Yes I was just going to clarify a motion for reconsideration is the vehicle under Robert Krull's order to bring up a matter that was previously voted on at at this meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Sorry I was sorry.

Can you come back to me.

Yes Director Rankin and if I forget just remind Director Mack if you had anything else to say.

No I to speaking to the motion that's on the table in the previous round I voted in the affirmative and appreciate this being brought back for consideration.

I think the unintended consequences of the vote.

I don't think that folks maybe realize the impact of what it meant that it would mean starting school on the 2nd and not adopting the bell times and reverting to the old schedule.

And so I appreciate I appreciate being brought back.

Thank you.

Thanks Director Mack.

Director Hersey.

I have no additional comments or questions at this time.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

With extraordinary respect to Director Mack I think the colleagues did understand what would happen if it was reverted to.

And I am distressed that the OPMA does not allow us to talk about what we just talked about in closed session.

I think that communication to and from the staff and the board needs to be clearer.

Needs to be more robust.

Needs to be more timely.

And I think that the staff appreciates that this board fiduciary duties elected citywide are not expected to be rubber stamped at late date and that we need to be more timely and more proactive.

I cannot say with enough emphasis that none of my votes ever have been personal and that I have extreme respect for our staff.

Additionally I think that we need to get our act together for family engagement and communicate what that family engagement means and what the responses of family engagement means.

I am happy to vote in the affirmative on reconsideration so that we have paid PD for our staff.

And so that we can alleviate some of the anxiety and previous several hours ago our community knows that there are Plan B's and C's in place.

They just haven't been communicated to you yet and we're assured that they will be.

I asked Superintendent Juneau whether she would comment on this and she advised no.

I hope she reconsiders that.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Harris.

Director Hampson.

Thank you.

Yeah I want to be clear that this was not about not supporting PD.

I think most of us on this board would provide more if we were if we had the option to to waive additional instructional hours and would give teachers even more time to prepare staff even more time to prepare.

So it is not about that.

It's not about necessarily the start times.

It is about the lack of family engagement.

The lack of robust racial equity analysis going into this that puts us in the position of having to make a very concrete decision with very limited information.

And so as such I would like to ask if I can offer an amendment at this time.

Chief Legal Counsel Narver is that appropriate.

Sorry unmuting there.

The chair the president can recognize you to offer an amendment.

If it is seconded then it's on the table for consideration.

This is Director DeWolf I recognize Director Hampson for a motion.

So my motion would simply state whereas community engagement is listed as in form and therefore not substantive nor was family engagement.

We have the following qualitative and quantitative data to present under the racial equity analysis.

I'll second it for discussion purposes.

Thank you.

I'm sorry this is Chief Legal Counsel Narver again.

So that is an amendment to the BAR that is before the board to add language to the racial equity analysis section is that am I is that correct.

Correct if that's the appropriate location for it.

Well no it's your amendment.

It's.

Yes.

Yes.

Confirming with the whereas that the community that that community engagement was checked as in form and there was no substantive community or family engagement.

We just always want to be clear on what precise amendment is being offered to the BAR so that the language that you just quoted would be added into the BAR in that section of it.

That's correct.

Yes.

Is it possible for staff to bring it up and type it into so we can see it on the screen.

I mean I can put it in the chat as well.

And I I'm assuming — racial equity analysis tool completed as well.

I just want for the record to state that there was no substantive community or family engagement or extensive racial equity analysis for this particular BAR.

Okay great.

Please advise here because we'd like to start a discussion so I can move on from this item.

Yes I'm looking I'm looking at the BAR under the equity analysis section.

Just needs to be clear exactly what language is going where in it.

I don't I'm looking at my own copy.

I don't know I don't believe it's up on the screen in Teams.

Director Hampson do you have a copy of the BAR in front of you to see.

Okay.

Please indicate where under Section 7 equity analysis you would like that language to read or to go and maybe repeat it for the record just so it's clear exactly what change would need to be made to the BAR if the amendment was adopted.

Here we go.

And staff correct me if I'm wrong but there's not a completed racial equity analysis.

Simply what's provided here.

Correct.

With all the links and the data via the links.

So the question is there was.

I'm sorry this is Tina.

This is what I am seeing in the BAR.

I have pulled up the latest version.

Okay Director Scarlett please.

I'm sorry this is Dr. Scarlett Chief of Equity Partnerships and Engagement.

Just to clarify Director Hampson about this equity analysis section.

You are speaking about that there was no equity analysis done for this BAR is that the question that you're asking.

No whether or not the racial equity analysis tool in particular was was utilized.

for specifically for bail times that's what you're asking about.

For this BAR yeah.

We actually took the equity analysis section from sort of the entire reopening plan and then I did make some adaptations to share about sort of the ongoing data collection that is really connected to the comments that you made in the work session about you know the more visible signs of engagement.

And although that we did mark at the first tier of informing which is really one-way communication it's not necessarily the higher levels of two-way or you know deeper levels of focus groups.

I did want you to be able to see in this other evidence of how we've had ongoing engagement throughout the reopening process.

If you were to look at the engagement groups that we had across the 4 engagement groups that was a real live in in-person over time 20-hour racial equity analysis process throughout that.

So that's why I include that information in there.

And then the other additional information as qualitative data of hearing about the priorities of our students and families furthest from educational justice particularly our Black families.

So here's what I have stated and I put it in the chat even though I know we're not supposed to use that.

Whereas community engagement is checked as informed and no substantive family or community engagement was done nor was a formal racial equity analysis tool completed on start date or bell times we present the following data for consideration.

Again Chief Counsel Narver this so the the amendment offered is to place that language at the very beginning of Section 7 Equity Analysis to amend the BAR to add that language.

Maybe Director Harris could confirm that that since there's been clarity on the motion that she is seconding that motion.

I am seconding the motion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

So Ms. Loffelman.

If you could add that just so folks can see that.

Director Hampson has moved this.

Director Harris has seconded.

So I will start with the final comments questions quickly here from Director Hampson as we move through directors.

And sorry to interrupt just a second.

Tina if you could take down that screen I'll go ahead and share the amendment language on the screen.

I'm good.

Thank you.

Done.

Director Hampson any final comments or questions Director Harris.

Which one of us.

Director Hampson or Harris.

Harris.

Director Hampson said she's good and moved on.

I'm now to you.

Fair enough.

Thank you very much.

I think those are good amendments.

And again I hope we move forward and we've learned a great deal from these conversations to do better in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

Any comments or questions.

Sorry no questions on the recording.

Okay.

I know.

Director Mack.

No questions at this point.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Nope.

I feel like I've said the same thing a lot of times.

So I'm good.

I agree with Director Rivera-Smith.

No questions for now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

So.

I think if we want to just do Chief Counsel Narver correct me if I'm wrong do we need to do a vote on the amendment then move to the underlying motion.

Correct.

Correct.

Okay so Miss Miss Wilson-Jones if you could do roll call on the amendment that would be great.

Thank you.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Aye.

Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye Director Mack aye Director Rankin aye Director DeWolf aye.

The motion for the amendment passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Director Hampson was the last director to speak so we can now move to the vote on the underlying motion as amended.

Do we need a new motion for that.

Greg.

Yes it should be a motion for to approve the well I guess now that it's the motion for reconsideration brought it back on the table.

Now it's been amended so now there should be a new motion to approve the BAR as amended.

I motion to approve the by-law as amended.

Director Director Harris has moved and Director Rivera-Smith second.

Second.

And Director Rivera-Smith has seconded.

So now we can move to the vote on the underlying motion as amended with Director Hampson's additional language that we just voted on.

So if we could do roll call vote on the underlying motion as amended.

Please do that now Ms.

And just to confirm with Greg this is the motion for reconsideration on the motion the underlying motion as amended.

Well I think the motion for reconsideration is what brought the BAR back before the board as a as an action matter.

Now that it's been amended I think it's properly no longer a motion for reconsideration but rather a motion to approve this BAR as amended.

Thank you so I will not be calling roll on the original motion this time.

Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye and sorry for my dog.

Director Mack aye Director Rankin That's International Dog Day.

Aye.

Director Rivera-Smith aye Director DeWolf aye.

This motion has passed unanimously.

Thank you Chief Counsel for all of your help there and your flexibility as well as Miss Wilson-Jones from our board office for all of your help with this lift.

And thank you to the board directors.

I you know while we certainly added some some an hour to our time.

I was really grateful to to to this exercise.

We will now move to introduction item number 2. We have remaining I think it's 11 to go so I will move to item number 2. Apologies for getting my notes here.

This is approval for contract amendment with school data solutions for school-based implementation of MTSS student data portal RFP 09615. This came to the Audit and Finance Committee on August 17th for consideration.

Chief of Schools and Continuous Improvement Wyeth Jessee I believe you will be briefing us.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

Yes.

For us I am here to present our contract because we are in our third we would be going into our third full year in using this particular product it's commonly referred to as Homeroom.

I I think for us we this is one of the critical things that we've used in working with our schools of promise we gave presentation to the school board in a work session this last spring regarding our work out at those particular 25 schools over the last three years and then 30's 30's we added about 37 this last year and then we're going to now 104 schools.

This upcoming school year the reason I mention that is because central to our work with schools and monitoring their their progress towards the goal on their CSIP which nest underneath the district strategic plan.

We do look at a number of data points and those data points are held in this particular product homeroom.

We have across the span many data points anywhere from our traditional academic data points that we collect Anywhere from Smarter Balanced assessment interims to the map to honest canal to our miss instructional log which is a more progressive way of getting ahead so that we don't have to do more district-based discipline.

But then also just really about what are the formative assessments teachers are using.

So they upload this information and that's one of the features that will be.

using this next year with Homeroom is now that we have to take a pivot and a lot of the traditional assessments that we have used in the past no longer can be applied in a remote learning platform.

So then we can use the ones that the board that are adopted by the district that are that are in the hands of teachers that they have their assessments integrated in these particular adopted curricula.

So that we can upload that it would be the priority standards that are in the playbook that was sent to the board and then we can monitor progress for our students in addition to the other data points.

Those other data points including engagement, attendance, and also for us around any other additional supports that may students need.

So the real main features about this product that we don't have in other places is our ability to upload curricular based assessment information ability to have fluid groups which is something that we were able to talk to the Audit and Finance Committee last last week and that I sent this the Friday memo was specifically like who are the students who's getting grouped.

4,540 different type of student groups because we can fluidly group students and see where that and that shared data across for all staff.

And then already for this upcoming school year which we have not already started we have 3,918 student groups.

Truly is this part of the transformative work.

Research and evaluation along with us have put in ability to see how our schools again using data developing procedures to best respond to the needs of students and adapting their instruction to meet their needs.

So with that so we we know that again that's attached to the BAR that that for those schools that use data as part of their and including the formative pieces misconstruction log That has had a significant impact for those students and again I presented that to the school board in the spring.

Key data points like 8 points higher for our African-American boys for 3rd through 8th grade on the Smarter Balanced assessment for example compared to same student populations for non-schools of promise here in Seattle.

So those are things for us that it is connected to our strategic plan.

We really do need the features of this particular product and in addition to for us to monitor encasement where we have different fluid grouping of students and their needs because we know all our students needs can move fluidly throughout the school year and just want to make sure that responsive to those needs especially in this particular remote learning platform where we're going to we are going to rely on again more formative assessments.

So with that I'd be happy to take questions.

Thank you Chief Jessee.

We'll start with our Audit and Finance Committee Chairperson Director Hampson and if you could Director Hampson just share a little bit with the board why it was for consideration and not approved.

Thanks.

There was some additional information that we had asked for with respect to the usage of this tool.

And so if Chief Jessee if you could speak to that speak to Kind of the expectations around the utilization of this and I'm happy to have either of my fellow committee members remind us as well the things that that we felt needed to be attached in terms of the data with respect to the utilization of this how effective it is and and then what our expectations are during COVID.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Yeah there was there was a robust conversation.

I really appreciate the questions.

Familiarity with this tool we've presented to previous school boards.

This is we gave a snapshot of what the data looks like.

Coyote Cribs again there's really neat features because the priority standards that we do hold it gives a straight visual for our teachers.

It gives directly here's the priority standards.

How are your students doing.

And you can put it and log it right in and you can monitor again across like a professional learning community at a grade level or department for us to have the professional learning communities make decisions based on those pieces of information again around priority standards and other again other data points we always like to think of that as the student story strength and need.

The other things were what are the expectations.

So all elementary classroom teachers had to upload FAUNA And now this coming school year Chief DeBacker and I have been having ongoing conversations of what does it look like for us to put additional information in there.

So that would be things like engagement.

What are the pieces who's engaging completing work.

What's what is it for folks who not just that completing the work but are we consistently logging in.

Are they participating.

That information can be literally uploaded in the homeroom.

And so another feature was who are the students who are participating or who are targeted using this particular tool.

And so again that was the data that I had quoted earlier.

Again for us that we already have 3,918 separate student groups created and supported as we come up.

So the things that we were looking.

and forward to this year is really not only have an expectation that hey yeah we're not going to be able to upload Fauna Spinella but we are going to have to upload the formative assessments that we have so that we continue can continue to monitor not just at the school site but also with central office as we partner with our schools through our learning support teams towards our goals that are listed in the strategic plan.

Third grade reading.

Seventh grade math.

Ninth graders on track to graduate with credits.

So those are the pieces that we can have and we can also split out by our different demographic groups was one of the other questions.

And so there will be accountability to upload that data across all our grade levels as we monitor that and any fluid grouping of students based on need of those particular data points.

Well I'm sorry last point training.

I know that was one of the last things that was mentioned.

We do already have constructed videos.

Those videos are have been put out that will be part of the ongoing training with our school-based staff since that is now not only it was a feature that we had built out prior to COVID-19 but now is a really nice feature since that is what we're relying on to train our staff.

Thank you.

Any any final comments Director Hampson.

No I think you know.

In order for us to continue I appreciate the additional data for us to continue understanding the efficacy that we'll want to be looking at the extent to which this is demonstrated ability to to improve outcomes for students and what does that look like.

It's a difficult time to talk about that because of you know we're we're historically based assessment-based and at the same time I appreciate the idea and would love to hear in the future again from testimonials from staff who utilize this tool to help themselves in organizing their support for students.

But it does seem like it has some some potential but that detail will allow us to continue supporting moving forward.

And I'll leave it to the rest of the directors.

Thank you.

Hi there.

The reason we put it into consideration is because some of us weren't satisfied with the data that was provided.