School Board Meeting - July 8, 2020

Okay but we will be calling the board meeting to order in one moment.

So could we please just hold for a moment while SPSD — after a five second pause I will call us to order.

Oki ma'a pi'i sim.

Ni tisi nika son.

Welcome.

My name is Zachary DeWolf.

Thank you for being here.

I am now calling the July 8th 2020 Regular Board Meeting to order at 1 p.m.

We live and go to a school we live and go to school and serve in a city that is the ancestral homeland to the Duwamish people the Muckleshoot Nation and the 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.

We'll now move to the roll call.

Ms. Wilson-Jones roll call please.

Director Hampson here.

Director Harris here.

Director Hersey Director Hersey I think you may be muted still.

I'll come back around.

Director Mack.

Here.

Director Rankin.

Here.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Present.

Director Hersey.

Are you there yet.

I do see that Director Hersey has joined and I he had some feedback noise that I think was interfering but.

And then Director DeWolf.

Present.

Okay.

It looks like Director Hersey is maybe having a technical issue if you want to come back around once he rejoins.

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.

And I'll note that members of the public may also be joining via phone or online streaming through Teams.

I will not be asking members of the public to identify themselves other than when we move into public testimony.

But thank you to those joining us.

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 on Microsoft Teams will not be used for today's meeting.

Director Hersey have you have you joined.

Can you hear me now.

Yes we can.

Okay.

Okay cool.

Miss Wilson-Jones if you could just make sure that he's counted in our roll call.

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

Thank you President DeWolf and directors.

I just want to I'll make brief comments.

I just want to first thank our staff educators and families for supporting and helping our students learn during the COVID closure.

We learned a lot during the closure about teaching and learning I think across the city and just look forward to next steps beyond that.

But just want to make sure I give a specific shout out to our families who really stepped up and supported their children while we were in that era of remote learning.

I also want to thank all the educators who are stepping up to teach summer school.

We have a few numbers that we can share.

Our total students actually did turn out to be 14,997.

of our students are participating in summer school which is of course as you know about six times more than we usually do during summer school.

And I really just want to thank the staff who are helping out as well.

We have 250 elementary staff who are helping teach summer the summer of learning.

We have 50 middle school staff and 45 high school staff for a total of 345 staff.

who are teaching 14,997 students.

And so I think that's a significant lift for our district and just want to thank everybody who played a part in making sure that our center of learning is more robust than we've ever done before.

I also want to thank all the participants that were engaged in our back-to-school engagement teams for thinking through with us all of the complexities and providing a great base of values upon which to build our system as we look forward.

As you know we held a board work session last week and presented the potential plans for Seattle Public Schools.

At that time the board asked us to do more engagement particularly with African-American families and students.

And so I just want the board to know that engagement is being planned and will be held over the next few weeks.

We'll send you the plan once it's kind of put together.

And also there's a team that's starting to dig into the nitty gritty around space.

There was a team that visited and conducted a walkthrough at Wing Luke Elementary yesterday just to take a look and kind of get a feeling for how things might have to be configured going forward into the fall.

It's not as easy as just saying put a desk over there and put a desk over here.

There's just a lot of logistics to move through even just with our facilities.

many many many details to work out and so that work is starting in earnest as well because we know that we're going to have to pay attention to the health guidance and make sure that we are doing the social distancing within our school buildings as well.

We the results from our intent to enroll survey are now that that closed last Thursday and are being compiled so we'll soon have more information.

But the preliminary data seems to be holding as we presented at the work session with about 8 percent of our families wanting to stay in a 100 percent remote learning option.

And so while that's great that so many of our families want to make sure that their student is experiencing some sort of in-person learning that small percentage will impact our space capacity.

And you know at one point we thought we might be able to bring back are very early grades at maybe four times a week and we're not sure whether that will hold depending on the numbers as we still dig into the data about how we might be able to plan.

Our intent is still to have in-person instruction at least twice a week for everybody in the district and so that will remain our intent as we continue to get more detailed numbers and work through that process.

So we will plan to have a hybrid model that we're calling it that will have two times a week of in-person instruction and then of course hopefully working with our community-based organizations to find places for students in those off days.

And then of course a 100 percent remote option that will offer some flexibility for families who may not feel safe.

sending their students back to school at this point in time.

So just a lot more to go but that still remains our intent to make sure that we are providing those two options for our community.

So moving forward there's more engagement to do.

We're still digging into the numbers so that we can get more clear.

And again as you remember from the work session that we'll be following up with a survey in August to get again more clear on who's coming to school and who wants to stay home and do 100 percent remote learning.

And so we'll be very very clear by the time August rolls around and by the time school starts our buildings should be in pretty good shape as far as having the social distancing requirements and all the health and safety issues that need to be in place.

And so a lot of work could be done over the summer.

We I think have starting our negotiations with SEA and our union to make sure that we're all on the same page as far as what working conditions will need to be when we come back and the kind of health and safety that need to be in place.

We want to make sure that we are continuing to lead with science and the health guidance that's put out from the state.

And so hopefully those are fruitful and that we can find a place where we can all agree on these models going forward.

And as you know that the plan will come back to the board at least for final approval in August and I'm sure we'll have a lot more discussions in between now and then.

And I think that is due for August 12th.

So that's kind of just to update on where we are.

As far as fall planning it is important for people to know that we are moving forward with the hybrid model of at least two times a week in-person and the option with 100 percent remote learning.

It's important to remember that we have that in place as well in case you know if the virus keeps spiking as it is or if there are times that we need to pop out of we might have to close our buildings and pop back into in-person that we have that model.

And you know our plan of course that we are doing with our attuned partners as well will help us determine what kind of professional development and what what do we need and sort of provide a playbook for us about what what does that online model look like because we we know that we need to be better moving into the fall and our commitment is that those who those students those families who choose to stay at home with 100 percent remote learning will have a better experience than they did this year.

I also want to just thank Emijah Smith.

She continues to come back and host community meetings with Black families and the superintendent and it helps me to really hear and learn from African-American families about how we can be better and do better.

And so I appreciate her leadership in that effort.

And then also just want you to know that on July 1st I started my third year as Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools.

And as I began going into my third year I just really looked forward to continuing the work of implementing Seattle Excellence our strategic plan.

I know that we have a lot of work to do and we but I also know that we have a lot of great partners that are here to help us.

And so I am really grateful for their continuing efforts to work with us.

I just know that as we move into this next year and all my conversations with national superintendents and regional superintendents this is not easy work.

There are no easy decisions.

There is not a perfect outcome.

But I do believe that Seattle Public Schools will once again be a leader in this effort and that we're going to provide a quality education system for everybody who is involved with our system.

So just appreciate the work that.

We've done this far.

I want to thank staff again and just look forward to continuing our work with the board to make sure that we come up with a model that's going to work for a lot of our families in the system.

So thank you.

Thank you Superintendent Juneau.

Greatly appreciate the update and sharing some of the background and what our folks in our community can expect.

from the district and the board in the coming weeks and months as we look at the Fall 2020 learning reopening plan.

At this time we will now we have now reached the consent portion of today's agenda.

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

This is Director Hampson so moved.

Second Director Harris.

Thank you directors.

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

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

Hearing none.

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

Those opposed.

Those abstaining.

The consent agenda has passed unanimously.

We have now reached the public testimony portion of the excuse me we have not reached the public testimony agenda portion of our agenda as it is 113 and that begins at 130. So I would like to offer if directors would like to provide director comments at this time we can start director comments now.

prior to our 1.30 public comment portion.

So Director Hampson.

Sure.

I'd be happy to make use of the time that we have.

Hįnįkāri Giwįn.

This is Director Hampson.

A big sigh and big breath.

It's I.

believe been a pretty tough week a couple of weeks since we were last together and covered an immense amount of territory in terms of board action and introduction and we have a large amount of work to do today.

There are have been some really difficult things happening in our country in our community in our city.

In our in various communities all around the country it's it's enough that I'm pretty overwhelmed to even try to pinpoint any particular thing.

And I think one thing that that I tend to do I think we all have our coping mechanisms in these situations and I tend to one of the coping mechanisms I have is to try to stay focused on work that I feel that that we're we're making some progress.

And so I'm grateful for my fellow board members for continuing to push forward on the work that's encompassed in the resolution in support of our Black students.

And I'm excited about that work.

It continues to come up.

I'm glad that the community is engaged in that work.

And I'm excited to move into August digging deeper into the full spectrum of policies and procedures that impact the ways in which law enforcement comes into play in the lives of our of our students and our students' families and to do everything that we can to lessen and eventually eliminate that altogether because it isn't something that I believe should be part of the educational system.

I'm also really happy to report in terms of our Audit and Finance Committee that we we have a new hire that we're excited about that has a good a strong data background so hopefully folks will will begin to get to know him.

We're also everyone has been participating in our external audit or external review of internal audit with Moss Adams and my understanding is that work is going well.

And I'm excited about the opportunity that that presents for us to have a more comprehensive enterprise-wide approach to our our risk assessment and then our review and accountability as it pertains to our the function of internal audit.

I'm extremely grateful to Andrew Andrew Medina.

We've also been working on a racial equity tool that we want to roll out very soon.

that has been a long time coming and we've been revising that and looking forward to putting that into place as well.

So those are kind of my highlights but just to community out there that might be listening I appreciate every phone call and every email and the ways in which you're all helping us stay connected to what is happening in our in our communities and we and and my heart is with every person that is going through a lot in the most horrific ways with respect to death in our community but also trauma.

I know that that the the rates of trauma based on racism and other kinds of of affronts to to our humanity are are frequent in these days.

And and I hope everyone is able to take some time to to take a breath for themselves and focus on some self-healing because we do have to stay healthy and as healthy as we can and as collected as we can to to come back and keep pushing forward.

Thank you so much.

Pinakiki.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Harris.

I'd like to pass right now if I could please.

Thank you sir.

Of course.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

Sure.

First thank you to everyone around and when I say everyone I mean all of our folks in the community around all of the advocacy that has been happening in light of all of the atrocities that have been happening in our world over the past few months.

I think that as we head into whatever school looks like next year that we as a board I just want to say are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with the various student organizations community organizations and parents and families and PTAs and so many other groups that are really trying to make sense of how not only they fit into this world and to this city but how how can they help.

So just want to come from a place of gratitude not only for our community but also for our staff at John Stanford who have been working tremendously in terms of figuring out how do we not only continue to provide all the services that we traditionally have but how to do that in this in this scary context as we not only fight a pandemic but also racism within our own schools.

So again just thank you to all of the work that has been done.

Looking forward to the work that will continue and just hope everybody you know as we look into this last meeting quote unquote for the summer just making sure that everybody takes this opportunity to spend time with your family tell your kids that you love them and really just take some time for you.

Thank you Director Hersey.

Director Mack.

Yeah thank you.

I I recognize we have 10 minutes before public comment starts and I'd also like to potentially have the opportunity at the end of the meeting because I always like to hear the testimony and then we also speak to a lot of issues on the on the agenda so I'll be addressing various topics there but I'll I want to echo the recognition of the massive challenges going on in our community.

And I mean we're in a completely unprecedented time.

We don't know what the fall's going to look like.

And

I want to also extend gratitude and increased support for increased collaboration around all of this work and doing it with grace and in support of each other.

And so I appreciate all of that those efforts that have been going on.

I wanted to share with you all but I may not have shared with you all that as you know I'm sit on the legislative committee for WSSDA and we've had several of our meetings where we work through the position statements that will be presented to the full body for the legislative agenda for the organization and that that'll that meeting come up in a couple of months I believe I can't remember the date but I just wanted to let you know that you know these issues that we are facing across the country and that we've been discussing here are also being discussed and focused on and supported in that legislative agenda as well.

So I'm grateful to continue to be a part of that work and and look forward to I believe Director Hersey come the fall being there at the.

WSSDA conference which I think is going to be virtual like everything when that when that comes up.

And I'll go ahead and and pause there because I don't have anything else that's coming specifically to mind to address and allow others to speak.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Hi.

Good afternoon.

I kind of forgot that board comments is a thing so I'm not specifically prepared but I wanted to share something that I am like sitting with and thinking about a lot lately is the kind of constant state of tension that we're all in.

And for me personally I'm noticing you know I flip back and forth between like just total despair and frustration and then also feeling really hopeful And I just kind of wanted to say that out loud I guess as I'm sure people might be feeling the same way and that that in going forward specifically to school opening that there's the greater tension around all of it of kind of greater expectations for kids to be in school and the pressure being put on everybody right now to keep the economy in big quotes going.

And I I just want to give voice to the fact I guess that we all as a system and as as colleagues and as all of us working together I just kind of want to state the need for us to be really hyper-aware of the pressures that will cause us to cause different groups to turn against each other.

And just kind of note that like there's going to be a lot that's going to come up that's going to pit parents against teachers and you know forget about students and all of these different things and that that need for parents and families to be working and to preserve their livelihoods and their careers is is so critical.

But so is the need to protect the health and safety of our students and educators.

And you know the the best solution would be for somebody in higher levels of government to just pay everybody to stay home and let this virus you know run its get just just be done with it.

But that's not going to happen.

So I just kind of wanted to put that out there I guess.

And as a board director and as a parent and as a former educator I find myself sitting in those different spaces at different times and having feeling the tendency to be you know really mad at parents for demanding to be back in person and then being frustrated with teachers for not wanting to be in the classroom.

And and I kind of keep within myself switching around the roles and the point of view.

And I have to remind myself that that is all external forces.

trying to pit us against each other.

And I just want to I'm trying to remind myself and people I'm engaged with to just to be focused on doing what's best for the health and safety of our communities as a whole.

And that includes our students and our educators and families and parents and you know business owners and everybody else.

And it's it's hard because I think someone else I think the superintendent mentioned there's not any decision that's that's easy.

So I would just to piggyback on what some of my colleagues have said already about collaboration and I guess I've just kind of taken this moment to to kind of exteperate.

But for us to remember that our our role here is to the educational system but that also the role that the public schools play in our greater society.

And just to throw in an extra thing about my concern is that in the in the the we've been getting a lot of emails about child care specifically and it is so important but that child care providers and child care workers are also not expendable and that their health and safety is absolutely critical.

So I know that we have so many thoughtful conversations and a lot of data going into all of this but I just want to put out that reminder that for us to be a healthy structure and system that we have to kind of be in it together.

And then on a more specific note the work around the policies connected to the resolution supporting our Black students and my amendments related to special education.

I am just really continuing to look forward to diving into the work around specifically the restraint and isolation policy and how it overlaps with special education.

And I've been having some great conversations with members of the community and child psychiatry specialists and experts and folks within SPS and I'm really excited about the direction that that we're going and appreciative of this continuing work.

And Director Hersey and I are going to have like a listening community session with a special education PTSA coming up.

And I think that that's more than enough for me at this point.

Thank you Director Rankin.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Yeah no with with less than a minute to go I'll just hold until later for my comments.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

I just want to quickly before we start the public comment portion my only comments today are I held a community meeting with LGBTQ students families and educators last night.

We had to cut it short because folks came into the meeting and were using very transphobic homophobic racist and sexist comments and songs on the Zoom meeting to make people feel unsafe.

So we ended up canceling the meeting and we will be rescheduling that.

But I think if if anything it just makes more clear that it is so important the resolution we pass as a board and I continue to thank and have gratitude for my board for taking such a an important and exciting step because obviously our students and families and educators are still feeling harm.

So with that it is 130 p.m.

We will next move to public testimony.

Board Procedure 1430BP provides the rules for providing testimony.

I ask that speakers are respectful of these rules which will be shown on the screen while I explain the process for public testimony today.

Public testimony will be taken remotely today with speakers participating by phone or through Microsoft Teams.

I thank you all for your patience and your grace with with our process for this.

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

Please remain muted until your name is called to provide testimony and when your name is called please ensure you are unmuted in Microsoft Teams and begin your testimony.

If you have joined by phone please be sure you have unmuted on the device you are calling from and also press star 6 to unmute yourself on the conference call line.

Each speaker will have a two minute speaking time and once your name is read staff will begin a timer which will be displayed on the screen in Microsoft Teams.

For both those participating in Microsoft Teams and by phone a chime will sound when your time is exhausted and the next speaker will be called.

Ms. Wilson-Jones will you read off the testimony speakers please.

for public testimony is Chris Jackins.

We are if you could hold for just a second we are currently loading our testimony timer.

Chris thank you for giving us a moment while we.

Ellie just let me know when you're ready to.

It looks it looks like we are are ready now.

Oh, never mind.

I apologize.

We are not ready.

We are ready.

First up for testimony we have Chris Jackins.

Jackins.

Okay.

Okay.

My name is Chris Jackins.

Box 8403 Seattle 9824. I think we're having a technical issue.

Can you go ahead and pause the time for a second.

Time is paused.

Can you stop sharing your system audio for some reason it's causing a problem.

Everything's getting doubly said.

Am I back on now.

One moment Mr. Jackins we are just one moment.

Okay.

Thank you.

Ellie do I share without the audio.

Yes please without share without the audio and I will go ahead and sound a tone when we get to the end of the testimony.

Thank you everybody for your flexibility.

Miss Wilson-Jones if you could just let Mr. Jenkins know when he can restart.

Tina could you please restart the time.

And Mr. Jenkins you can go ahead and start your testimony.

All right.

Thank you again.

My name is Chris Jackins.

Box 84063 Seattle 98124. On the amendments to board policy 1430 and board procedure 1430BP audience participation.

It appears that public speakers are no longer prohibited from addressing personnel matters.

Is this true.

On the budget.

As I noted in my comments in the budget hearing earlier today the board should vote no on the budget.

The board should delay action to consider public input from the state required hearing and generate budget analyses for some alternatives.

On the website contract three points.

Number one how much disruption to website access is anticipated.

Number two the board report discusses ADA accessibility and a previous lawsuit against the district.

It was not clear from the report whether the district specifically sought input from blind users.

Number three the plan includes 200 hours for migration.

Is this 200 hours of one staff person and is it enough.

On the board resolution opposing landmarking of Rainier Beach High School.

Five points.

Number one this resolution is an horrendous mistake.

Number two the history of Rainier Beach deserves respectful consideration as a city landmark.

Number three instead the district has hired a consultant to claim that Rainier Beach has no important history.

Number four the same consultant and the same district staff wrongly claimed Wilson Pacific had no important Native history.

Number five.

Please respect the history of Rainier Beach.

Please vote no.

Thank you very much.

Next up for public testimony will be Kelly Smith.

Can you hear me.

We can't hear you.

Thank you.

My name is Kelly Smith.

I'm a parent of three school-age children at Leschi Elementary, and along with many other members of my community, we demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Moland, our first-year principal at Leschi Elementary, a Black community member, mother of five, and grandparent of a child at Leschi.

Seattle Public Schools touted equity policy 0030 since 2012 where you commit to actively recruit hire support and retain employees including administrators who reflect the demographics of the students they serve.

SPS did recruit and hire Ms. Moland but your adherence to your own policy ends there.

We teach students that equity is not the same as equality.

When championing equity we differentiate to ensure everyone has what they need to thrive.

When our community asked district leaders how they specifically supported Ms. Moland at Leschi the response from leadership was that she received support commensurate with other principals.

This is not equity.

Leschi is a complex school serving a diverse population of students including many students who are experiencing homelessness.

students furthest from educational justice and students who most need long-term stable supportive leadership.

Ms. Moland hired by you for this position the very person a Black woman from the neighborhood who you purport to value and actively seek to hire deserves so much more than the hostile supervisor work environment and lack of support coaching respect and mentorship she received.

This is structural racism.

As you will hear from upcoming parents enough is enough.

We need real structural changes in the way Black administrators are supported and retained.

We want families and students to be part of this process and we want supervisors with a proven track record of working respectfully and thoughtfully with communities of color.

We want you to hire and retain principled supervisors who whose demographics also respect the communities they serve.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Chris Pearson.

Hi can you hear me.

We can't hear you.

Great.

Thank you.

My name is Chris Pearson.

I'm also the parent of two children at Leschi Elementary and I actually plan to yield my time to another Leschi parent Natalie Waseni.

Hi I'm Natalie Waseni a parent to a kindergarten at Leschi Elementary and I yield my time to Gerald Donaldson please.

Good afternoon.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Hello my name is Gerald Donaldson.

I yielded my time so do I have more time than I have.

I'm the family support worker at Leschi Elementary for the past 26 years.

We demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Moland.

It is not about me it's not about you it's about the children.

The process which Ms. Smith spoke about was terrible.

Let me get this right here.

Mr. Mr. Ruby's demeanor to our Black leadership team on a meeting on 5-1 in which he scheduled himself for 30 minutes to make a speech and did not answer questions has been demeaning disrespectful belittling and racist.

A meeting was scheduled for 30 minutes which was reduced to 5 minutes and Mr. Ruby left without answering any questions.

Educational research shows that Black leaders are excluded from leadership and removed quickly quickly than White leaders.

We see less coaching and mentoring and dealing with micro and the microaggressives associated with working in this public school system in Seattle Public Schools.

Policy 0300 I don't even know if that was met.

It's okay to have policies but we have so many policies and they're not practiced what good are they.

How much time do I have left because it's come on a yield I want to make sure I have my another couple of minutes.

Is that true.

Thank you.

I don't understand how more time time was yielded to me and I didn't get my two minutes and their two minutes.

Is that right.

Ms. Wilson-Jones do you want to explain that procedure here.

Yes.

When time is yielded it is the clock continues to run and so it is inclusive of all the speakers who may choose to speak during that time.

So at this point I would call the next speaker who is Kay Lelish.

Yeah.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Okay.

My name is Kay Lelish and I am the parent of one kindergartner at Leschi Elementary.

And I think Gerald Donaldson can speak more eloquently about this than I can so I'm going to give my time to him.

Can you pause the clock Ms. Wilson-Jones until he's unmuted.

Mr. Donaldson the time has been yielded to you.

If you'd like to take it please unmute yourself now by through Teams or pressing star-6.

Okay at this point I think either Kaye we will need to complete your time or.

Okay I can keep going then.

Thank you for your patience.

Yeah so yeah I didn't plan that.

I just really appreciate what Gerald Donaldson has said.

So I am a White woman and I realize that I have a lot of privilege and we've heard a lot of talk about supporting Black students and racial equity and it just seems like letting go of Miss Moland really flew in the face of all this stuff that we say is so important to us.

She is. a Black female principal in a majority-minority school.

And I was really excited to be a part of this community when I found out that this is the that's the kind of school I was going to go to where the people who are in charge actually look like the students at the school.

When she was let go with no explanation or warning I had no idea what was going on and I honestly thought she might have been getting I don't know getting an even better job because she was so amazing.

I heard that rumors later that she wasn't perfect but that seems perfectly normal for a first-year principal and I never had any issues with her.

This whole thing just feels really problematic and I just know that racism and unconscious bias is very real and you know I'm really disappointed that this is the way it went down at Leschi Elementary.

Thank you.

My computers.

Sorry for them.

I just got back online.

Next up for public testimony is Rebecca Kolodic.

Rebecca Kalotics apologies if I'm mispronouncing the last name.

K-O-L-A-D-Y-C-Z.

If you joined by phone you may need to press star-6 to unmute.

Rebecca.

I think we can move to the next.

Next up will be Elijah Moyer.

Hello my name is Elijah Moyer.

Can you hear me.

We can.

Yes.

My name is Elijah Moyer.

I'm a parent of a first grader at Leschi Elementary.

I am also an immigrant and obviously a person of color.

And I would like to begin by stating that we in the Leschi community demand accountability for the abrupt removal of Miss Moland.

But back to my point being an immigrant and a person of color in this country and this community at large we constantly deal with racism both overt and systemic.

So coming to Leschi and finding a school that was extremely diverse that was led by a woman of color that I could identify with that my child could identify with was very encouraging.

You can imagine the gut punch that it felt that felt like when I heard that she was simply just fired right in the middle of a pandemic right in the middle of a Black Lives Matter global movement.

This just felt like the good old days right.

The racism.

The you guys don't get to get a long leash You make a mistake, you're out.

I don't see the equity in this.

I don't see the accountability in this.

And I really, at this point, I'm very disappointed in the lack of adherence to policy and the lack of accountability.

And I yield the rest of my time to Mr. Donaldson.

Mr. Donaldson I think you're muted.

You might need to unmute Mr. Donaldson.

We can't hear you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Lusher Elementary School is a school situated in a historically Black neighborhood has already experienced at a removal of a Black principal.

This was followed by 10 years of White principals.

Lusher Elementary School has had a Black leader for less than one year as a principal due to COVID-19.

The community is wondering why this district is changing our administration during a worldwide pandemic with no explanation or communication.

Thank you Gerald.

Next up for public testimony is Kristen Lee.

Hi can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

Hello my name is Kristen Lee and I am a teacher of color at Olympic Hills Elementary School.

I wanted to speak upon the subject of racial equity curriculum in schools.

Specifically I wanted to advocate for the necessity of time to explicitly teach about race weekly in the school district and in schools.

The same way that we are required to teach reading writing math and science every day.

Along with another colleague of mine I was given the opportunity to be in the teacher leader cadre specifically for racial equity in our school Olympic Hills.

Our responsibility over the summer along with the curriculum committee and in our racial equity team is to find adopt or develop a year long curriculum or a scoping sequence that explicitly teaches about race racial injustices systemic racism being anti-racist ethnic studies Black Studies and so much more that I can name.

I name all these things while fully acknowledging that I and my colleagues have so much to learn as well and we are ready to do the work.

I strongly believe that you should mandate an allotted time for all educators to have these race conversations with students.

For example if I am required to teach CCC for about 100 to 120 minutes a day as a kindergarten teacher or if I'm supposed to teach the mood meter daily and SEL weekly then I should certainly be required to teach and facilitate conversations explicitly about race for at least 30 minutes to an hour per week as well minimum.

Director Hersey you wrote a beautiful piece in the South Seattle Emerald last month where you stated Mandate Black History and Ethnic Studies.

Develop a Black Studies curriculum.

That is what we want to do and that is our goal.

So thank you so much for calling out that need.

Along with that we also need the district to mandate for us an allotted time space and support for us to learn to teach it intentionally thoughtfully and reflectively.

Again please consider mandating an allotted time for teachers to have explicit race conversations on a weekly basis.

This is one way I believe that we can we can impact change and have done thoughtfully and urgently.

And this is how our students will be informed to impact racial equality.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Ben Wilder.

Hi can everyone hear me.

Yes.

Hi my name is Benson Wilder.

president at Leschi Elementary.

I was the co-president the previous year and president for the incoming year.

I think you've heard very clearly from my fellow family members and community members that we demand transparency and accountability regarding the dismissal of Ms. Moland.

I thought it would be helpful to to recount what we've tried to do so far to get a better understanding of the situation and to communicate.

We understand that these are challenging times and the district and the board are under a lot of pressure with the COVID response.

Nonetheless to build as other speakers were referring to in these particularly troubling times we can't have trust without communication.

And we've seen very little of that as when it comes to this situation.

So following Ms. Moland's dismissal there was a letter sent from the building leadership team and representatives from union at the school and we as a parent body sent forward a brief statement that I'll I'll share here.

It was signed by over 60 different family members.

As families of students who attended Leschi Elementary we share the concerns raised by our school's building leadership team racial equity team and SEA representatives regarding the abrupt dismissal of Principal Lisa Moland after less than one year of service to our community.

We're perplexed and dismayed by the way this process has been handled.

In the email from Superintendent Juneau Juneau informing us a different principal would be placed at our school.

There wasn't so much as an acknowledgment of Ms. Mullin's tenure at Leschi and her service to our community.

We stand with the members of Leschi staff and expect clear transparent and respectful communication with all of our stakeholders so we can together ensure the best outcomes for all Leschi students.

We have after I sent that statement forward I received an inquiry from Director Hersey I appreciate that asking if there had been a response and we had the Pre-release previously scheduled chat with Mr. DeWolf was the following week and we had some follow-up with him.

Beyond that we've received zero response from anyone in SPS leadership and that and that was said to Superintendent Juneau Mr. Starosky and many other officials.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Lisa Lotus.

Lisa Lotus if you joined by phone can you press star-6 to unmute now.

Can you hear me.

We can hear you.

Hello.

Okay great.

Hi there.

I'm a parent of a incoming 5th grader this year at Leschi Elementary.

And my daughter is I'm a White woman.

My daughter is biracial presents as Black.

And I am wanting to demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of our principal Ms. Moland.

I will say that as you understand what's going on here it is a blatant display of of systemic racism by not adhering to the policies that you all have designed and approved but had yet to organizationalize is my understanding.

I wanted to tell you a little bit about the influence that Ms. Molan has had on our family directly.

There was I believe one of the only Black Lives Matter rally vigils at the at and you know outside of Leschi Elementary and Ms. Molan was there and she gave a talk about was she you know basically about her becoming a principal and how inspiring she was to other people.

She was how inspiring she she was inspiring to my daughter and to me because she was describing almost exactly the personality of my daughter.

And so to see a Black woman principal and a Black woman in a leadership position at her school this was this was monumental.

for our family and it really was a huge blow.

It felt like my arm got cut off to just get that that absolutely atrocious email or written correspondence in the mail from Superintendent Juneau.

It was unacceptable.

And that's it.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Sam McKagan.

Hi can you hear me.

We can.

Okay great.

I am the parent of a student at Leschi Elementary School and a student at Meany Middle School.

I was part of the equity team that worked to transition Leschi Elementary from a segregated school with two programs into an integrated school with a single blended program.

And I argued for that blended program before the school board five years ago.

This spring our black principal Lisa Moland was removed from her position and her first year as principal with no attempt to gather input from our community and no explanation to our community or to staff or even to her of why she was being removed.

We demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of principal Moland.

At the same time the waiver allowing Leschi Elementary to teach Montessori math instead of using the district curriculum which has been renewed every year for the last decade was denied along with directions from the district to dismantle our entire blended Montessori program which has been a defining feature of our school for many years.

This means that our teachers many of whom have invested substantial time as well as their own money into Montessori training are suddenly being told that their expertise is not valued And they must put it aside to learn to teach a whole new math curriculum along with teaching new subjects in the middle of a pandemic when they are also figuring out how to teach remotely.

This means that our students who were used to one way of learning now have to rapidly adjust to a new curriculum and structure of schooling in addition to adapting to the stress and uncertainty of a pandemic and remote learning.

We were told that the reason for dismantling the Montessori program was that no progress was being shown in student performance and the Montessori math wasn't illustrated in the needing positive results for students furthest from educational justice.

But there's no evidence that the problems of racial inequity in student performance would be improved with a standard math curriculum as inequity exists in many schools that use this curriculum.

Instead the disruption of rapidly changing our whole structure and curriculum is likely to exacerbate racial inequity rather than improvement.

Improving it.

If the district is serious about addressing racial inequity in student performance you should ask for input from our community about what support we need to improve performance using the research resources and expertise that already exist in our community rather than forcing us to adapt on the spot to an externally imposed program and principle.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Heather Wilde.

Hi my name is Heather Wilde and I'm a parent of a student of Leschi Elementary and our family also demands accountability and transparency with respect to the firing of Ms. Moland and I yield the rest of my time to Ms. Elma Horton.

Can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Are you able to?

Okay.

My name is Elma Horton.

I have been in the community over 50 years.

My children went to Leschi school.

My brother remodeled Leschi school.

I'm in Leschi school often.

I love that school.

One of the local churches has just decided to adopt the school.

And listening to all the testimonies, I'm really, really upset.

And my heart is heavy because I started to work for the schools in the 60s.

And during that time, we've gone back further or in as bad a shape as we was in the 60s because in 1969, a lot of people was recruited from the South to be in the schools, to balance the racial, problems with the black children that didn't have people look like them.

Over the years, it's dwindled and people have just been gradually retired, passed away, and dismissed.

But during those days, no principal was left, let go without the community knowing what was going on.

Because back in the 70s, we had a century of school council that observed and monitor the district to make sure that things was equally balanced as much as could possibly be.

Now the problems at Leschi didn't start.

They didn't start yesterday.

They've been going on for years and in all the schools they've been going on for years.

Black people have been treated different from white people and that is very disturbing.

It's more disturbing at a time when we've gone through COVID-19 when people are having so much trouble and stresses in their homes.

Children are stressed because they are so limited.

And this is a very very difficult time for them to have the changes at school.

The world is changing.

And I have faith in all of you that's volunteering.

I know that you knew.

I've been before the school board many times.

None of you I've ever met.

I've heard good things about the superintendent from one of my students from Garfield.

But I just know that this.

This has to be a mistake.

So I'm pleading to you to re-evaluate what you're doing.

Ms. Moland care about the children.

She's a hard worker, she live in the community and I'm hearing from the parents that they are pleased.

So I'm asking you to re-evaluate the situation.

I'm sorry Mr. Floyd had to die for white people to find out that black people are tied of being misused and I'm sad about all of that.

So please know that I come to you very sad today about the situation.

Thank you for listening.

Next up for public testimony is Kristen Tuttle.

That's Kristen Tuttle.

And Tina if you could work to put the timer back on our screen for our next speaker.

Hi my name is Kristen Tuttle and I was actually planning to also yield my time to Elma Horton if she'd like to continue.

Were you able to hear me.

We can hear you.

We don't.

I don't have Elma here.

I can't see her.

If you'd like to finish your time.

Sure, I'll just then I'll just say that we demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of principal Milan.

Um, and I'm like, several families here.

I think that I'm somewhat new to the community.

You've just been here 2 years.

And it meant a lot to me to be in this diverse neighborhood and to have not only a diverse school but diverse leadership and lots of people of color and Black people on staff and teach my kids.

And I just echo everyone else's statements that that we're seeing evidence of structural racism and a lack of accountability in the school.

And given the policies that have been created here so thoughtfully I'm really disappointed to see that.

So thank you very much.

Next up for public testimony is Chetty McAfee.

Thank you.

Hello.

My name is Chetty McAfee and I'm with CAY otherwise known as Central Area Youth Association.

We've been in the community for over 55 years and counting.

We too demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Moland.

I'm going to read from the certified letter that we sent out on June 12th and it reads as follows.

As partners of CPS we have a commitment an obligation to the BSK program and this removal of Ms. Moland is problematic.

Our work and the programs we have developed are currently being used within Leschi Elementary.

This work is being performed by three organizations PERS the Joseph Project and CAY.

Having said that we were concerned it came as a as a surprise when we informed that Lisa Mullan was removed from her position as principal of Leschi Elementary.

Even more surprising is when and how this decision was executed.

We consider it a great loss and a disruption to the significant progress we have made under her tenure.

It is during Ms. Moland's tenure that we have the most productive year.

Although it was only six months or so we made progress within that time frame that the entirety then the entirety of the previous year.

We had a true opportunity without roadblocks to develop relationships with the teachers in an effort to work together on the behalf of the young scholars and their families.

They are our community and the reason for our partnership.

Ms. Mollad's removal as principal of Leschi is an affirmation that something is broken within the governance of SPS and it needs to be identified and addressed so that the outcome is a reflection of what is best for our community.

This action is also disruptive as I mentioned earlier.

We need to understand your commitment your commitment to your own policy 003L and our community and its needs.

How does this decision of Mrs. Moland's removal promote a safe and welcoming environment according to your policy.

Black principles matter.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is David Posner.

David if you have joined by phone can you press star-6 to unmute.

I'm not hearing from David.

Next up for from public testimony is Robin N. Thompson.

Thank you.

Can you hear me.

We can.

Robin Thompson, I am a parent at Leschi Elementary.

I demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Molange.

And I do believe this is structural racism, how she was removed, and pretty overt.

And like Mr. Donaldson said, You really need to consider the kids here and what effect this has on them.

So in your own policy 0300 it says to ensure the promotion of racial equity.

Remember that word equity.

And C shall recruit employ and support and retain a workforce that includes racial gender and linguistic diversity supporting personnel with instructional and supervisional support.

This basically didn't happen.

You're not really even adhering to your own policy.

And it was like I said pretty overt.

It says you should provide professional development to strengthen and retain.

So I also see here it says you as superintendent is authorized to develop procedures to implement this policy including an action plan with clear accountability and metrics.

Now if we're talking about equity I think we all know and agree that black women are oppressed more often than even other people of color, even men.

So in order to achieve equity, this action plan would need to, it says it is authorized to include an action plan based on equity, meaning we would need to give, the district would need to give her more support, not the same support, not really bad support, from Mr. Ruby more support.

Okay so I'm curious to see this action plan and I would like to see the action plan and see it changed and have it be actually equitable.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony looks like we've already gone to Gerald Donaldson so next up would be Ty Velazquez.

Hi am I not able to yield my time to Mr. Donaldson.

If so I'm a Leschi parent I'd like to yield my time to Mr. Donaldson please.

Miss Wilson-Jones I think that's permitted correct.

Generally we each person would have one speaking opportunity during the meeting.

General Donaldson was next on our list.

However so I would defer to you on how to administer for today.

If folks would like to yield to whomever I'm I'm okay with that.

Thank you.

I'm yielding to Mr. Donaldson please.

Thank you.

Good afternoon again.

As my fellow lessor I mentioned it is a hard time for us in this time of COVID and racial unrest.

Relationships are core to education particularly in communities of color.

Relationships take time to develop and are built on trust and communication.

Building trusting relationships with students families and staff in order to achieve goals set for our district or core for our current strategic plan changing the entire admin team within a year of difficult difficult for family staff and community partners especially during a crisis such as COVID-19.

Knowing Ms. Moland this year and last year when she was the vice principal she brought a lot of great things into our building.

We like Ms. Chedding said we have a lot of community partners.

But this brings to me a systemic racism because we again have a Black principal who's removed from our building.

No no input from the community our families our students.

And and if you have a Black principal in our building Our children look up to her.

They see themselves.

We have future educators future principals future superintendents future board member presidents within our building.

And if they continue to see our people of color removed for no apparent reason and how they're treated by when we send letters downtown we don't get a response.

Mr. Ruby has been rude and arrogant and disrespectful to us numerous times.

And we just at one part we demand is that he is not our area director anymore for his treatment how he treated Ms. Moland and other staff members.

And that's that that really needs to be done.

And remember folks it's not about me it's not about you it's about the children.

And due to the smell of systemic racism that we continue to have in Seattle Public Schools I cannot breathe.

I cannot breathe with this anymore.

Black Lives Matter.

Let's get let's stick to our policy and do what our policy says we're going to do and treat Black folks with respect that we demand and deserve.

Thank you Carol.

Next up for public testimony is Dana Barnett.

Dana Barnett if you have joined by phone if you could press star-6 to unmute.

Ms. Wilson-Jones I think we skipped Ty and Natalie.

Ty ceded to Gerald Donaldson and unless you were hoping to call those two separately and Natalie Wassonee had Ty ceded to her earlier.

Understood.

Thank you.

Just just checking.

So next up would be Dana Barnett.

Hi I believe Ms. Barnett had to go for a work call and was willing to cede her time to Ms. Velazquez or to Mr. Donaldson.

Okay so next on the public testimony list would be James Lucid-Gearman.

James are you there.

You could press star — I am.

— 6 to unmute.

Oh thank you.

Yeah I am.

To the same end as as the earlier group I do demand transparency and accountability to the abrupt removal of Ms. Mullan from Leschi Elementary and would like to cede my time again to Gerald Donaldson.

Can I give my time to Ms. Velasquez please.

The remaining time so we can hear her speak.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Ty Velasquez.

I have a child that attends Leschi Elementary.

I'm also a product of Seattle Public Schools attending West Woodland Elementary in Ballard.

McClure Middle School on Queen Anne and Franklin High School in South Seattle.

Along with other Leschi parents and community members we are here to demand transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Moland.

Ms. Moland was removed from her role as a first-year principal in the middle of a pandemic.

A Black woman deeply rooted in the community she was hired to serve.

was removed after less than one year in the position.

What supports was she given.

Why was she removed.

Have other first-year principals been treated this way.

Why was the Leschi community informed of her removal via an email from the superintendent announcing the appointment of a new principal without even acknowledging Miss Moland's service.

This is Seattle Public Schools perpetuating institutional racism.

We have been told by several people at SPS that it is within the purview of the superintendent to remove and appoint principals.

Isn't that a fundamentally flawed approach.

A district that has an entire department related to family and community partnerships yet fails to see the critical nature of including families and community in decisions about a school principal.

That approach seems asinine.

Seattle Public Schools is in violation of policy number 0030. It is imperative that the messaging and action from SPS around equity are in both alignment and integrity.

The messaging is aligned.

The action is not.

Therefore SPS is out of integrity.

You have broken what little trust existed and damaged relationships with a school community.

Without specific action to demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability you are complicit in upholding and contributing to institutional racism.

We are watching you.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Lori sorry Laura Fuji.

Hello.

I am both a Leschi Elementary school parent and an educator within the Bellevue School District.

I want to agree with all that's been said before me regarding the abrupt removal of our principal Ms. Maland.

We demand accountability.

We demand an explanation.

We demand transparency.

I wanted to share that as an educator at a separate elementary school my own principal reached out to Miss Moland because of the equity efforts that were happening at Leschi Elementary.

A role model for another district has been removed with no explanation.

I would like to cede the rest of my time to Miss Velasquez if she has anything else she wants to say.

Ty you're muted.

Ty you're muted.

Thank you.

I would just like to say that we I agree with Mr. Donaldson that we as a Leschi community do not feel comfortable with Anthony Ruby as a supervisor for Leschi due to his poor treatment of both Miss Moland and other adults within the Leschi community.

Thank you.

I'm done.

Next up for public testimony is Aggie Brown.

Hi can you hear me okay.

We can.

Thank you.

I am a multiracial BIPOC identified woman with a multiracial child.

And we demand transparency and accountability accountability for the abrupt removal of Principal Milland.

I want to share that I specifically targeted and chose this school for my child and it means so much that she is seeing diverse faces.

specifically proud smart kind loving and I am extremely disappointed and infuriated about how Ms. Moland was treated.

And I echo Mr. Donaldson.

Velasquez and my other fellow and demand transparency about what is going on.

With no word at all being shared what.

How can we do but decide and see that this is systemic racism.

Anything that makes any sense coming from any of you.

And if there's any last words I'm from a Leschi parent I would like to see.

To be honest with you I'm so heated right now I can barely breathe.

I stand with our community and demand justice.

And demand.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up for public testimony is Carrie Goldenberg.

Hi.

Hold on I have to get my notes.

Hi my name is Carrie Goldenberg.

I'm a mom of an incoming 5th grader and a 2nd grader at Leschi Elementary.

I wanted to express my disappointment in the institutional racism perpetuated at the organizational level at Seattle Public Schools.

The removal of Lisa Milland was strikingly different from the experience we had last year when we were a family at the Gatzert School.

The principal there was problematic and she was scaffolded by the district.

There was on-site and visible mentorship that included both staff and community partners.

Restorative circles were encouraged by the district and the district stood behind this White principal throughout her departure, her voluntary departure.

None of this happened with the removal of Ms. Milland, a black woman.

There was no opportunity to listen to parent or the Leschi community and specifically the black community for feedback.

This dismissal was abrupt and did not include any stakeholders.

Removing a Black woman principal in her first year position without equitable mentorship is upholding institutional racism.

I am disappointed in the lack of metrics used in this administrative choice.

We demand transparency and accountability for her abrupt removal.

I'll yield my time to Mr. Donaldson if he has anything else to say.

Thank you.

That was well put.

And as everyone says we continue to.

have these same conversations over and over and over, yet nothing's being done.

And if we expect our children to grow, which we know they can, and they see Black people, women, particularly moved, how can we grow as a community?

It's blatant.

It's obviously there's some racism in there.

We have to stop it right now.

We need to stop it, especially look at this time we're going through right now.

We're moving to Black Prince, but not only a pandemic, but a racial pandemic going on for over 400 years needs to stop.

Next for public testimony is Eric Johnson.

Eric Johnson.

Oh we can hear you.

Thank you.

Yes we can hear you.

Great.

Thank you.

I just want to echo what the other parents have said recently.

We are demanding transparency and accountability for the abrupt removal of our principal in the land.

I'm the parent of a recent graduate 5th grade grad graduate from Leschi Elementary and an incoming 2nd grader at Leschi.

I am the product of Seattle Public Schools having attended T.T.

Minor Elementary School Washington Middle School and Garfield High School.

We moved back to Seattle.

We moved here to the central district where I had grown up and wanted to and wanted to attend Leschi for all the reasons that others have echoed spoken about.

And the way that the events of this past year have unfolded leading to the dismissal or the removal of Principal Moland under the situation that under the the lack of transparency situation has has left all of us as a community and as a school and as parents and as as teachers and staff and then ultimately as students feeling as if we've been left out of any conversation or any oversight.

And particularly in a time when there's a lack of communication that's been happening in terms of in-person contact during the pandemic.

And then leading up to the last two months and what's been unfolding in terms of the protest movements and the drive towards addressing systemic and institutional racism.

And I just want to echo what others have said in particular what Mr. Donaldson said and what Ms. Velasquez has said.

We feel that the district needs to do a better job and needs to listen to and communicate.

And I want to put that word communicate up front and center because This is a time when we need to have heightened states of communication between the district and between teachers and staff and parents.

So I appreciate you listening to us today.

Thank you very much.

Next for public testimony is Jessica Walker Beaumont.

I believe Miss Horton still has has the ability to speak is that not correct.

Time was earlier ceded to her so generally people would have one opportunity for public testimony under our rules.

What happened to my time.

I thought that the director had indicated he was willing to let that pass for this particular meeting based on the number of passings.

I had something else I wanted.

I had a suggestion for you that was very valuable.

If folks want to.

Can I quickly give it to you.

One moment please.

If folks want to cede their time to folks who've already chose who've already spoken that's what I was saying we could do today.

If folks wanted to cede their time to people who have already spoken not that they will have their chance again.

I just want one second.

Need to cede your time.

So Ms. Wilson-Jones the next speaker please.

The next speaker and the final speaker is Jessica Walker Beaumont.

Did you tell me I can have one second.

Not at this moment.

Just hold please.

Is Jessica Walker-Beaumont on the.

You'll need to press star 6 to unmute if you joined by phone.

Moving on then the next speaker would be Nina Yu.

Nina Yu are you on the line.

It looks like I can see Nina.

I believe I saw Nina has joined by Teams.

Yes.

Okay.

We can hear.

Hello.

My name is Nina Yu.

I teach second grade.

I am an educator of color.

I'm a byproduct of my parents' immigration.

I'm here to testify in support with my colleagues to speak on normalizing and including race and racial justice into our schools and classrooms.

Our Black Indigenous and other students of color need to be seen heard and supported.

They need to be represented through Black, Indigenous, and other educators and admin of color.

They need to be represented through the curriculum that we teach, our teaching practices, the books that we read to them, and the books that we have available to them.

As an educator of color I need to know that I can lead a topic on race and justice with the support of my staff and district.

As an educator of color I need to know that I can support our families in continuing to talk about race and justice at home.

As an educator of color I need to know that there will be a budget allocated to finance these resources into our classrooms and homes.

Our students will not be able to recognize what it means to be a member of their community if we do not teach them and also practice basic human rights and humanity.

Thank you.

I would also like to concede the rest of my time to Alma Horton.

Thank you.

Elma.

Please pause the timer.

Elma you'll need to press star 6.

Okay.

My last solution because I know I'm a I'm probably the oldest person in the room.

I believe in all of the school board members that volunteer their time.

I believe in the parents that their hearts are hurting.

Can you hear me.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can.

And we are all hurting at this time with the COVID-19.

So my suggestion is it's clear that communication has not been clear.

Transparency have not exist.

It's very clear and everybody in the world have made mistakes.

So I'm just saying to my district to the superintendent that's over our district.

And to our staff, if you will go back, rethink, investigate, rework all of this, and give Miss Melanne her school back with some help, like people got at other schools.

I know several principals was having trouble, and other principals was assigned to help them.

And this didn't happen at last year's school.

Now, saying that you care and showing it is different.

So that's my suggestion.

Because we have to believe in each other and we have to support each other.

Thank you.

That was our 20th speaker for public testimony today.

Thank you everyone.

That concludes our public testimony for today's meeting.

We will now move to the action item items on today's agenda.

As we move through these items and later the introduction items I will first call on committee chairs and then I'll call on the remaining directors alphabetically for questions and comments.

So we will now move to action item number one.

Directing Superintendent to enter into negotiations for a student and community workforce agreement.

May I have a motion for this item please.

Am I can am I unmuted.

We can hear you.

Okay great.

I move for the sorry I move that the school board authorize this is Director Hampson I move that the school board authorize the superintendent I'm sorry I need to get to the right.

That's okay Director Hampson we can pause.

What number is it.

Action number 1.

Sorry about that.

I move that the school board direct the superintendent to enter into negotiations for an SCWA Student Community Workforce Agreement with the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council consistent with the recommendations of the task force that were presented to the school board on June 17th 2020. Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

I second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you.

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

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

I will be briefing us shortly and then call on directors in alphabetical order before we move to the vote.

I just wanted to replay some of the background.

This item is coming before us after The progress that we've made.

We were so excited last year about a year ago from today to create the Student and Community Workforce Agreement Task Force with the express charge of coming to bringing recommendations to the board that would help us require more Black Brown POC women and other folks onto our construction jobs as part of our capital side of the Seattle Public Schools.

As you know this this BARB is legislation that follows two years of work and obviously we're really grateful for the work of the community student and community workforce agreement task force.

One of the really exciting things about community workforce agreements is that they promote access to construction for careers for community members women and people of color veterans and other folks with social and economic disadvantages.

DWAs are also intended to establish a spirit of harmony and stability between labor and management to ensure timely completion of projects.

We expressed a lot of this in the charter for the task force following the intent of the school board for SCWA to advance social equity increase workforce diversity create family wage opportunities to construction careers and support the district's goals for career and technical education.

Today we are one step closer to accomplishing that goal.

I'm also very proud of the task force that was very diverse And the recommendations almost were almost 100 percent adopted unanimously.

We had we have heard a substantive and excellent presentation by the district consultant Ms. Nancy Locke and task force members on June 17th.

And I thank all of my board directors for joining me on that special day.

This piece this BAR is an important piece of achieving our racial equity goals in alignment with our strategic plan and is part of our commitment to our our our community and making sure that we are putting our public tax dollars back into our community.

I just do want to thank before I move on to questions or comments from directors I want to thank Chief of Operations Fred Podesta Nancy Locke and all of the task force members and the representatives of our labor partners as well as representatives from the construction industry and also our career and technical education team here at Seattle Public Schools for their hard work and bold leadership towards the passage of those recommendations for the Student and Community Workforce Agreement.

The BAR before us and the Seattle the Student and Community Workforce Agreement once we consider that will help provide pathways out of poverty through economic opportunity in the construction industry.

I'm really excited about this.

I hope other directors are and now I will open it up to directors in alphabetic order starting with Director Hampson.

I don't have any questions today.

We've had some fantastic opportunities to discuss this at length and I've sincerely appreciated all of the work that has gone into this on behalf of yourself and the the task force and all of the individuals that have have put their time and energy behind this.

I think it's a It's a proud moment for the district and I look forward to seeing it operationalized in the in the years to come.

So very much support and thank you for all of this.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

Thousand percent behind us.

It took too long but could not be more pleased that I believe this will pass.

And I can't wait to hear a year from now how much progress we have made.

Getting our students trained in the family way job.

And special shout out to the task force members Monty Anderson and to Dale Bright.

And way to go President DeWolf.

Nicely done.

I appreciate you Director Harris and I've been grateful for your support throughout over the last couple of years.

Director Hersey.

None for me.

Let's get this done.

Thank you.

Director Mack.

Miss Hyde thank you.

I'm very supportive and grateful for all of the work on this.

Not the least of which is starting with the title being student that you know as we are an educational institution that ensuring that we are focusing on students in this work is so critical and I'm really grateful that that is there and that this is moving forward.

I was just trying to open the bar and it took the full time you were talking President DeWolf to actually get it to open because it's such a large document.

So what I was looking for and I found was that the fiscal impact that the negotiations of this agreement so having the superintendent start the work of doing the negotiation doesn't expect to have an impact but that potentially when the actual agreement comes before us there may be some impact at that time and we would learn about that.

So that was the question I was trying to ask and I answered it myself by finding it in the document.

So I don't actually have any direct questions at this time but thank you and I'll cede my time to the next director.

Thank you Director Mack.

Director Rankin.

No I just will echo the comments that came before me and and say thank you to everyone for the hard work on this.

It's really exciting.

Thank you.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Likewise just enormous thanks to all that were involved.

I know this has been a process that's been going on for a while now and just excited that we're going to be able to offer this to our students and our community.

And no other questions or comments.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

Director Harris.

Yes.

I think we also need a shout out to former board member Rick Burke on this one.

Yes.

We helped lift.

Thank you.

Yes.

Thank you to former Director Burke was really was really crucial in making sure we get this task force put together.

So I thank the former Executive Committee of Director Harris and Director Burke for that.

The only final thing I'll say is I think this continues to be in line with our recent resolution number 2019 slash 20-38 which is our affirming our commitment to our Black students.

But I think overall this is an this is a racial justice and economic justice initiative and I'm so grateful that the Seattle Public Schools will be a part of this historic moment.

And with that Miss Wilson-Jones roll call please.

Director Mack.

Aye.

Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye Director DeWolf.

Absolutely yes.

This motion has passed unanimously.

We will now move to Action Item Number 2. Amending Board Policy Number 1430 Audience Participation and Board Procedure Number 1430BP Audience Participation.

This came to the Executive Committee on June 10th for consideration.

May I have a motion for this item please.

This is Director Hampson.

I move that the school board amend policy number 1430 audience participation and board procedure 1430BP audience participation as attached to the board action report.

Second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you.

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

This item has been updated since introduction.

So Chief Legal Counsel Greg Narver could you please brief us on that update.

Yes, absolutely.

Good afternoon.

This BAR came to the board for introduction two weeks ago and there were some changes made to the wording of board procedure 1430BP that you would be approving today.

Specifically, there were three places where the board procedure used the phrase he or she to refer to the speaker.

These have been changed in one instance to quote the speaker and in two instances to they.

Those are the only changes that were made to anything in this packet since introduction.

Thank you.

Now we'll move to directors for any any comments or questions we have before the vote.

I'll start just as executive committee chair and we'll move alphabetically.

I just wanted to highlight this has been a lot of work and I appreciate Chief Counsel Greg Narver and I know the work of our former board and former executive committee have focused on this so I'm excited to see this come through to really tighten up and clean up this policy and I would look forward to bringing this back if directors have continued ideas to make this even stronger.

So Director Hampson I will turn it over to you.

Thank you and thank you.

Chief Legal Counsel Narver for your work on this.

I know it was a huge point of commitment for you and I appreciate it immensely because I do believe that this is an area where it is actually a pretty major part of our community engagement and it's been a frustration for for many for some time.

And I know within the constraints of what we're allowed to do per our state laws That it's not everything that we that we would like it to be but it's a great start towards making some some pretty major improvements.

And I hope it will continue to be a living document that that we can adjust as time goes on as we have more flexibility to engage our community engage with our community around the issues that we consider in the most productive way possible.

So my gratitude and support for the for the BAR.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Harris.

Very pleased to see this come before us.

Other issues that I hope we discuss within the near term are setting aside some time to think about things like Policy 0030 White Supremacy moving the board meeting back to later times so that parents and community can get there and increasing the time limit.

But in any event I think thanks certainly are due to Chief Counsel Narver much appreciated but also to our board administrator Ms. Ellie Wilson-Jones.

Thank you so very much.

I will not feel like a fraud anymore with respect to the First Amendment.

Thank you Director Harris.

You have really strong advocacy around that.

I'm really grateful we could make this even stronger.

Director Hersey.

Sorry I was on mute.

I don't have any questions at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Mack.

Yes thank you.

Actually I do a question came up for me because of today's experience that we had with the number of instances where the the people that were testifying decided to cede their time and the difficulty with unmuting and and all of that.

And I'm curious to know is that actually written is that practice of seating time written into the board procedure or is that is that actually defined somewhere else.

I didn't find it as I was looking through and I'm wondering if that is if I'm wondering if that's something that needs clarity and support so that we can ensure that voices are heard.

Director Mack it is in the board procedure.

about ceding time.

Everyone was using the word yield and so if you did a search for yield you wouldn't find anything but it does talk about the people being permitted to cede their time and it provides in this instance the total amount of time allowed shall not exceed two minutes for the combined number of speakers.

You don't get to restart the clock if you cede your time.

There is a provision and this is discretionary.

It's not driven by a legal constraint.

It's it's how the board president chooses to supervise the public comment but the next provision of the board policy says in order to maximize opportunities for others to address the board each speaker is allowed only one speaking slot per meeting.

Today there were people wanting to cede repeatedly to the same speaker.

You would have the discretion to say under our procedure let's maximize the number of speakers and not hear just from one.

But again that's not a.

That's not a legal constraint it's something that the president could could restrict if if chosen to.

But to answer your question yes it is it is in the board policy.

Okay well I appreciate that.

And you know the challenges that we have with doing all of these meetings remotely and muting and finding documents etc.

It's just it's even more challenging and I know that we'll get better as time goes on.

So I just.

want to acknowledge that and appreciate all of the testimony that came out today.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Mack.

Director Rankin.

No I appreciate the clarification around the time being yielded because that was something that I was wondering just given experience actually testifying in other other other meetings about the two minutes.

So thank you for that.

And no further questions.

Thank you.

Finally Director Rivera-Smith.

I just want to start by my appreciation to Chief Narver for all his work on this and for the edits regarding the he or she references that I referenced at the last meeting about this.

And so I appreciate those being I'm questioning so it's something I mentioned in my email to the board after that meeting about this was also about in what is it section 6 of the procedure E 6E about how the board president can request the assistance of district security or law enforcement in the removal of a disorderly person who has previously been asked to leave and refused that request.

I still question whether or not we should strike law enforcement from that as we have been in talking so much about how much we want to move away from bringing the police into matters as just as we speak about racial justice and equity and how I mean we got them out of our schools already and I get that it's been this is not quite our school I know this is headquarters and these are more for the most part adult meetings but we do have students at them.

And I just I just question that.

I I I don't know if I should have a conversation here.

I'd definitely love to hear what some of the board members or Chief Narver feel about that one.

Two comments.

One it's you know I think most things would be handled with if there's disorder at the meeting through district security.

It really depends on the level of what's taking place.

If something more serious were taking place to have the option to call law enforcement might be something the board would want.

The other point I'll make is that I think we're contemplating a work session in August where a variety of policies.

I'm sorry am I echoing.

A variety of policies are going to be under review with the common theme of security and just what the role is going to be of security officers law enforcement things like that.

That would be a time also to maybe bring this up.

At this point it's only in there as an option.

It's not any presence of law enforcement isn't required.

The board president doesn't have any obligation to call on law enforcement but it is there as an option if if something actually rose to the level of that being necessary but it would all be within the discretion of the board president presiding over the meeting.

Does that answer your Director Rivera-Smith.

I'm sorry.

Can you hear me now.

I really appreciate that.

I feel like calling law enforcement is always an option.

The difference is that we're kind of enshrining it here that we do have we want to make it clear we have that option.

I don't know.

Again I'm not going to fight this too much.

I just I do see kind of a disconnect between other conversations we're having regarding law enforcement in this.

Again I welcome any other board members who are have any say have any opinion on that.

But I've said my piece.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Rivera-Smith do you want to make an amendment now at this time or.

Would you be okay coming back in August at that work session and discussing this more.

I don't know.

Like I said I guess.

Yeah.

Why don't I.

I'll make an amendment for it.

Just I feel like it's consistent with where we're going and what we're talking about.

If it doesn't hurt anything sure I will make that amendment to strike the law enforcement problem set for procedure number 6E.

I guess you'd have to clarify what you're what you're wanting to propose.

Yeah.

Okay.

So so from the let me get this name here.

Board Procedure 1430 in paragraph page 2 section 6 page 3 that point number 6 section E.

I propose a motion we remove the words law enforcement from that.

Greg does that satisfy the.

correct wording.

Yes I think actually the words you want to strike include or or law enforcement.

So that it would read 6e would now read request the assistance of district security in the removal of a disorderly person who has previously been asked to leave and refused the request.

So three words would be stricken or law enforcement.

So do I have a second.

I'll second this is Director Mack.

Okay.

Directors would you like any conversation about this.

Director Hampson.

Somebody needs to go on mute.

I'm not sure.

I guess I feel unprepared to speak to this right this moment because we have had some security concerns in the past.

And theoretically I agree with the amendment but I think part of the rationale for doing it as part of the work session is to look at the broader context.

And I mean I don't I don't think it hurts to take it out as being written explicitly.

It's just as you said Director Rivera-Smith it's about what expectation it sets and for the most part we're talking about adults and we've had adults that have had some really in this environment in particular have had some really racist and threatening behavior.

And because we're primarily speaking about adults I guess I figure I feel like it's a it's a slightly different discussion and don't feel prepared to have it today.

But I'm not vociferously against the amendment.

Theoretically it makes sense.

So that's all I have for the discussion.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

I have been in board meetings in the past where there have been attacks on board members where the police were in fact necessary to keep order.

Now we haven't seen that kind of behavior and we were able to lessen the number of security personnel that we were paying overtime to in the last three years with the concept that if it was ugly we call the police and or have them standing by.

And I recall very significantly Deputy Nielsen and then Assistant Superintendent Peggy McEvoy weighing in on that as well.

Our safety and the folks of the safety that we bring in I don't want to preclude calling the police.

Like I say it has been a very long time since we've had that kind of behavior but it has been there and it's troubling to me. that that we're doing an amendment.

I'd like to table that until after the work session frankly.

I'm done.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

I don't think I have anything to add at this point.

Thank you.

Director Mack.

I don't I can't decide if it's a definite yes or a definite no.

Actually I'm still debating it in my head because having it explicitly laid out does provide support for if there was an extreme situation which there has been in the past.

So on the other hand I'm not sure it needs to be stated.

I seconded it out of courtesy to have the conversation and it may be most useful to have this conversation in the context of the safety and security of conversation and the policies that are being reviewed.

So I'm not sure how I'll vote yet but those are my thoughts.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Yeah I'm having similar thoughts.

I don't know.

I understand the I understand the impulse to see law enforcement written there and want to remove it just based on the other work that we're doing.

But at the same time this is a really different context than what we're looking at with other work.

The other work that we're looking at is an over-reliance on police and policing of students to as a behavior intervention and as a school management tool in in in inappropriate and overly used ways and we we don't have that regarding this.

And as Director Harris said you know I can imagine a situation where there would be an emergency that is that is where you know law enforcement of some kind it becomes the only necessary response like we haven't faced that.

So I guess my my question would be if If removing it would be would mean that that is not an option which seems weird.

Or if we could just change change it to you know make appropriate appropriate response to support or I'm not contact appropriate authorities.

I don't even know how to how to phrase it but if the if the objection is Specifically the words law enforcement maybe we could just say it a different way.

But I agree with Director Harris and Director Mack that you know there's the potential for a need as rare as it as it might be.

Understood.

Thank you.

Director Rivera-Smith any final comments.

Yeah no thank you.

I'm happy that we began this conversation.

And I I I think as I said earlier I don't think anything ever precludes us from calling law enforcement for any reason.

Nothing we write can stop.

that we don't we don't need explicit right to do that.

That's always a right for anybody anywhere.

So I feel like having it in here you know I mean again I'm trying to be consistent with what our with what our goals are in our our our talk on law enforcement in general.

And because it's there you know it just makes a kind of a looming kind of foreboding feeling of this towards our speakers that you know making sure we say it very explicitly.

But I there or not we can still do it.

So I don't know that that's enough of a reason.

This is clearly just a judgment on how our board wants to present itself to potential speakers when we're inviting them in to take part.

So I will rest on that.

Thank you.

My my only concern here is just the not having enough time to sit with it or or be able to bring it up at our work session in August to really kind of examine that placement there.

So with that I will ask Ms. Wilson-Jones to do roll call on the amendment.

Director Hampson.

Nay.

Director Harris.

No.

Director Hersey.

Nay.

Director Mack.

Sorry.

Aye.

Director Rankin.

Nay.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Aye.

Director DeWolf Nay.

This motion has not passed by a vote of 2 yes to 5 no.

Thank you.

Okay so now we'll move to the vote on the underlying motion.

Miss Wilson-Jones will you do roll call again please.

Yes just a second.

Director Rankin.

Oh hi.

Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye Director Mack aye Director DeWolf aye.

This motion has passed unanimously.

Thank you.

And thank you for that rich discussion directors.

Next we will move to Item Number 3 Action Item Number 3 which is Resolution 201. Actually I'm sorry.

Would directors like to take a 10-minute recess right now.

I know we've been on for about two hours.

Would you.

Yes.

Thank you.

So we're we're going to actually recess for 10 minutes until 3 0 8 p.m.

Thank you.

Okay.

This is Director DeWolf bringing the meeting back to order at 3 0 8 p.m.

We will now move to Action Item Number 3. Resolution 2019-20-37 Fixing and Adopting the 2020-2021 Budget.

This came to the Audit and Finance Committee on June 8th for approval.

May I have a motion for this item please.

This is Director Hampson.

I move that the school board adopt Resolution 2019-20-37 as attached to the Board Action Report to fix and adopt the 2020-2021 budget the 4-year budget plan summary and the 4-year enrollment projections.

Do I have a second.

I'd be happy to second that.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

Okay.

So this item has been moved by Director Hampson and seconded by Director DeWolf.

We'll now move to directors for any comments or questions for Chief Financial Officer JoLynn Berge before we vote.

But actually.

Chief Berge I'm wondering if you could just provide some background again just about the process for listeners on the phone.

Kind of what the process looks like over the course of 12 months before we move to directors.

Sure.

We start in the fall.

We kind of in the fall we go over basic information other information about the budget where we're going what it looks like as far as what's known about the upcoming school year.

So we start that in the fall for the following school year's development.

So we started working on this budget really last September and we meet just about monthly to start talking about the process and what's going to be recommended.

So there's often items that the board members might want to see more information on.

This brings forward staff recommendations.

that we develop with our internal weighted staffing standards process and we bring that forward generally around December.

The board will look at it and we if the board wants to move forward we move forward.

Staffing rolls out based on those tentative numbers then in February.

We continue to refine the other parts of the budget that are more discretionary as far as other dollars that are available to be spent that are outside of maybe collective bargaining agreements and staffing at that point.

And we continue to work those issues all the way up really through May.

And then we come to the budget hearing in July.

This typically Seattle has run the budget hearing at the same time.

as the action item on the board agenda.

Thank you.

So Director Hampson as the Audit and Finance Committee Chair I'll turn it over to you first for any questions or comments for Chief Berge and the budget.

Yes.

Thank you.

I want to acknowledge we've had a flurry of emails around asking for some transparency around some particular budget items which I we were able to provide back to community around our security guard.

So I do want to address that we we have gotten some some detail that those increases only a very very small portion something around one hundred and I think twenty seven thousand has to do with additional security guards.

These that we're currently in collective bargaining with our security.

our 609 union that represents our security staff.

The 73 percent of whom are staff of color and 24 percent of whom are are Black.

And the questions had to do with whether or not we were ramping up our security because there was a budget increase.

And so I just want to make sure that for the benefit of those listening that we were able to get that additional information back out to community to satisfy that information.

The vast majority of it actually is for bus monitors that provides support for students with special education services.

And there's some other detail that if if Chief Berge wants to add on please feel free.

I know that it's a difficult time to to fathom approving a massive budget.

It is frequently the case That as a district we look at school districts over time they experience tremendous amounts of volatility.

And the the like any entity when we do budget approval we have to do it with the best information that we have.

And we are in a very fluid situation.

There's no question about it.

And I think that the the title is a little bit misleading.

It's not inaccurate when we say fixing.

The budget is fixed.

It is what the budget represents is our best projection of where we think we're going to be in the in this next fiscal year.

So I think that that's sort of where people can get a little bit caught up on it.

And we've had a number of sessions about it and really grappled with how we prioritize as a board Some really competing needs.

We had some great community feedback even in our sessions engagement around reopening of schools.

Are we prioritizing health and safety or are we prioritizing education.

And that is something that we continue to grapple with as our as our society doesn't necessarily meet the needs of our families and our students with respect to other supports other social supports and safety nets.

that much of that often falls to our school systems even as much as we are our primary purpose is the provision of education.

So in looking at the budget for next year I know that even beliefs that that I had you know two months ago about what should be prioritized feels like it might look different you know a month from now as things evolve in our economy and in our in our state with respect to the coronavirus.

So I appreciate all the work that has gone into this and the desire to provide additional information.

I do want to say that I have asked for that as we go into next year we have some of the same detail around departmental budgets that was in the prior year budget and Chief Berge has committed to getting that to us for August so that we have that detail and that it's available publicly.

The generation of this budget was done during a particularly intense time which was the transition of our school system the pivot to 100 percent online in in March.

So but but I do think we need to remain committed to that transparency and I'm always happy to work with Chief Berge and make sure that that gets out to to community.

So I do believe that in terms of where we are.

This is where we have landed in terms of priority of curriculum versus versus other pieces.

And I look forward to hearing what other directors have to say about how they're feeling about it.

But I think it's really important that we're able to to settle on on a budget and move forward so that we can can keep moving ahead.

And then we'll need as a as a board to pay very close attention work very closely with staff to make adjustments as they as they will surely arise for us with funding and expense shifts that will occur because of coronavirus.

So I'll pass it on then to the next director.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Harris.

First of all big props to our staff.

And particularly to Chief Berge she answers questions when asked.

She is candid.

Don't always agree but hugely appreciate the candidness.

My concerns are several and most of them have to do with COVID-19 and our enrollment projection.

And what the additional costs for COVID-19 will be and whatever cuts will come from the legislature because I do believe they will cut it.

I'm wondering whether or not we can roll this forward when we have a better idea of what our enrollment projections are and our student revenue because each child comes with a substantial amount of money.

And when hopefully our impact bargaining is more clear.

The other concerns that I have that I've stated before and nothing is not consistent.

The weighted staffing standards WSS is not in policy.

It's a practice.

It's not as transparent as some of us would like to see and hear a fair amount of pushback from our school community that make it hard to plan.

And I'd like to see us in our efforts and transparency with the valued leadership of Chair of A&S Hampson we we address that as well.

Frankly at this point in time I believe I'll be abstaining on the budget and for clarity and transparency purposes I am embarrassed to admit that I did not appreciate we would not be voting on the operations budget and the capital budget at the same time.

And thought parliamentary legal direction from Chief Counsel Narver who tells me that's not possible which I'm disappointed in but that's the way it is.

I'm done.

Chief Berge did you want to respond to any of those questions or concerns.

Well I would speak to rolling the budget forward.

We won't know what any of the we won't know what our enrollment is until we get to the second week of school.

So the budget by law has to be passed by August.

So we can't we would not know anything more.

I do not believe we'll know anything more than what we know today.

I think that our intent to enroll gave us good confidence that our The majority of our families want to come back to in-person instruction not not just to SPS but in-person instruction.

And as far as what the legislature might do they have now there doesn't look like there's going to be a special session so that gives me hope that there is no mid-year cuts for 2021. And we will likely not know what the legislature might do until the very end of our next budget development cycle likely in April or May.

So from in my opinion my professional opinion rolling the budget forward we're just not able to do it because of the legislative requirement and the RCW requirement in law.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

Hi.

Thank you for all the work that's gone into this.

I just wanted to again touch on the advocacy that has been done by WABLOC Seattle and Black and Brown Lives Matter.

Really thank you so much JoLynn for providing that context.

It was greatly appreciated.

And I just want to.

highlight the fact that our budget process for including community sometimes is very slow especially during this moment of where it's a challenge for us to be interconnected.

And as we saw from our budget hearing earlier I know it conflicted with one that was going on at the city but we have one participant.

So as we're moving forward and as we get more especially student groups who are engaging with us in budget conversations I want to challenge us and charge us to think about how we are reinventing and reimagining our processes to make these opportunities for comment and advocacy more accessible especially to the young folks in our community.

So again thank you for our work.

Thank you to the advocacy for all of those who sent in e-mails it is greatly appreciated.

And yeah I will rest and pass on.

Thank you Director Hersey.

And I obviously Director Hampson's on this call and she's the chair of A&F so I think that many of these comments about ideas for next year are greatly appreciated.

I know that it will be our first chance as this board as us seven to engage in that in that conversation from the very beginning in the fall.

So thank you for that idea.

Director Mack.

Yes hi thank you.

I appreciate Director Hersey's request to improve the community engagement.

Maybe we even need to move to some more participatory budgeting type work.

And I I'm rather concerned that we are not set up effectively

for the current crisis and what it's going to actually do come the fall.

And I you know I'm looking at the numbers I'm trying to think about how you know these things pivot.

We have a lot of unknowns.

And you know the budget development process started in February and the numbers we're working on are from February.

And it it causes me some concern that we will really be far off in terms of costs and that they're not actually that the budget isn't really reflecting our needs for student safety.

And you know also how we have to pivot in our buildings specifically that the enrollment is going to be very different if we have an A and B schedule.

The capacity of our buildings the amount of associated with that the additional costs associated with the time for ensuring that students are healthy.

There's just there's a lot of unknowns and I'm I'm really nervous about whether or not the budget actually reflects that.

On page 15 of the budget book it talks about the impacts of COVID but it only talks about the revenue side.

And so some Big questions that come up for me is whether or not we are adequately budgeting for the needs in our buildings and in our with our schools and with our students and for remote learning.

And when I look at page 8 I'm forgive me for being a little confused on this but page 8 is a summary of direct services and support services that's pulled out separate from the general fund information later on in the book.

And when I look at these different numbers I'm just kind of curious why they're broken out this way.

For example printed materials sent to student homes for remote learning.

There's a $500,000 line item for that but I don't I don't recall that ever being in the budget before so I'm wondering is it JoLynn can you call out the places in the budget that have been modified for expenses in response to our current situation in COVID.

What where where have we recognized that we actually are going to have additional costs and that we're going to put the dollars there.

I think we heard about custodial services before.

If I can finish if I get right if I could just finish my question really quick.

Custodial services is one.

Director Hampson please.

The other question I have is about training for our safety and security personnel.

I see training is called out for for school personnel and others but I don't see it called out for our safety personnel.

And so I am curious to know where in the budget it's been adjusted for for COVID and these things that we know we know we're going to need to spend money on.

Ms. Berge do you mind.

See I I appreciate that I'm kind of putting you on the spot and I didn't pose this question prior.

Nope.

I'm good.

Just for your reference Director Mack this is information that was provided in some specific tables in our work session that we had asked from.

So if you want to pull that up that might be helpful in your comprehension of it but go ahead Chief Berge.

Yeah so we've talked about it a couple different times.

At the last budget work session we talked about really the areas of flexibility and we had identified probably close to 15 million dollars or I'm sorry probably closer to 25 million dollars or so of choices that we could make.

And the board wanted had chosen to prioritize curriculum so that's moving forward.

But there were a few other places that the board was able you know we have set aside money for but we don't really we can use those as a place to flex and that's what we talked about.

So we talked about using the fall enrollment bucket of money.

We talked about not increasing the Economic Stabilization Fund as another way to flex if needed.

So there were two or three places.

There was the infrastructure dollars we were flexing on those dollars as well as needed.

and reducing the amount that we are going to spend on infrastructure.

Setting aside the $500,000 that the board asked for for the HR work.

So there's that.

As well as in combination with and we talked about this both during the work session and the work session about reopening there was that list of costs that are really the health and safety costs that we've delineated and outlined.

That was about $15 million.

So between the underspend that we expect in 19-20 The CARES Act funding of 10 million dollars.

We feel like we are in a good position as good as it gets in these circumstances because there are a lot of unknowns Director Mack and I totally agree with that.

But we have flexibility built into our budget.

We have identified pots of money that we're going to flex as needed.

The training for security there's money built into people's budgets for security or for training.

There's money built in for professional development.

I know Director Harris had asked that question a couple of times as well.

So those are all of the ways that we're flexing.

Again kind of talked about at the work session and at the reopening work session a couple of weeks or maybe it was just last week.

So those were ways that we had identified as being able to move the budget.

The enrollment count hasn't changed.

When we did the check-in in June we were 60 students different than we were in February.

So there there weren't any telling signs that we needed to make any adjustments at that point in time.

And then as I stated earlier our intent to enroll says most of our families want to come back to Seattle almost all of them and most of them want to come in person based on that those survey results that we received on that intent to enroll.

So I think that we're in a good position.

There always are things that we need to prepare for and I think that we have a budget that does that.

I'd just like to reiterate something that Director Hampson talked about earlier.

It's not about fixing and adopting the budget as a line item.

Really for school districts and we've talked about this before the school board is giving authority to spend.

So they're approving an expenditure amount and a cap for how much we can spend during the year.

Everything underneath that can flex and move as as needed.

I would pause there.

I appreciate that.

And then the flex and move as needed is one question I haven't I think I'll ask my other question first just just for clarity that this budget budget does not include or expect that we will be providing a nurse in every building.

Not a full-time one.

Correct.

That's correct.

We had discussed that during the work session.

I think that the board had talked about continuing curriculum as a priority.

Okay.

If I can just make a really clear statement about that because I was one of the only dissenting maybe the only dissenting voice on curriculum.

It's something that Director Rankin and I have talked about extensively.

that I would prefer to see that money go go elsewhere.

But they are very hard choices because of those that that question are we about health and safety and wellness or are we about education.

So I would as in as Chief Berge stated if that's something that the board wants to take a look at I think it's important that we do have those considerations because they're they are very difficult choices to make.

Well and that gets to my second question.

So thank you Chandra for that.

Because my second question is the question mark is flex is needed.

I mean having sat on this board these these questions don't come back to us.

We passed this budget and the flex is needed.

There's there's not a conversation with the board as to what will happen as the year goes on.

We were talking about the next budget.

We're not talking about the current year budget.

And so what we are adopting today is you know is this matching.

And I have a question about how so my so Chandra my question is specifically this how do we flex as needed and what what is our forward process in order to actually have that intersection going forward.

Our board processes that we approve every expenditure above $250,000 currently as well as significant other like curriculum adoption for example.

So.

We don't approve.

We don't approve like the decision to say we don't we're approving right now the plan on the school budgets all of them and however many staff they're going to have and nursing.

So there it's not going to come back to us as a question.

As to whether or not we really need to have a full-time nurse in every building.

That's not going to come back because that doesn't that's not a 250 that it's just not going to come back.

So I don't understand the intersection with the board.

We as a board have the capacity to make decisions around major spending items.

If if we as a board decide in the future that we do not want to do curriculum adoption Which is what is that how many millions is that for 6th to 8th grade.

JoLynn.

Not doing curriculum.

It's an it isn't actually it's a false choice whether or not we do curriculum adoption.

There's underspend in the budget.

There's actually dollars in places that can be considered and we're never looking at it as a whole picture.

So my question I guess back to you as A&F Chair is what's our intersection on large items if we're fixing this budget now.

were to potentially influence those in the future.

It's it's not fixed in as much as it's it's a budget.

It's a projection.

And it depend there you're conflating individual building staff assignments with budgeting and and then ultimate placement of we're still in collective bargaining.

So then the ultimate placement of staff and the resulting budgets.

So we don't school districts don't unfortunately look back to actuals but they look much different than budgeted.

So even when we get to September individual building budgets are going to look different than they did.

Certain things are determined in as much as we can know them right now but it is there is a lot of fluidity in this and a lot of decision points.

To Director Harris's point have we described as a board what the school funding model should look like in this from the standpoint of say a superintendent procedure.

No we haven't directed the superintendent to do that yet and I believe that we should.

However this is the system that we have now and there are many decision points if we choose to use them to work with staff collaboratively to make the adjustments that we're going to need to make as the fall comes.

My my my my statement back to you is that there isn't an actual effective board process in place at this moment for us to intersect on that.

And I'm asking for having something because.

Okay.

So I don't particularly like the current process myself and I'm looking forward to working on it per Director Hersey's comments and that's always been one of my comments.

But we came in in the middle of a process.

So I think — I was asking for the future Director Hampson.

I'm just stating it as I think it's really something that needs to be looked at.

So I appreciate your — I don't want to get into the whole you know history thing but I think that that it's something that we that it doesn't necessarily make it a reason to not follow through on the process that we're required to complete so that we can actually fund our schools.

Yeah I you know I appreciate that.

I'm just I'm concerned that the budget hasn't been adjusted appropriately to what we already currently know.

So that's where I'm sitting as a as a as a director with my fiduciary responsibility.

I'm I'm nervous about whether or not this budget actually reflects what we already know and whether or not it has enough flexibility.

And that is still a question mark in my mind.

your commitment to helping move in the future the process in a positive direction in terms of having the intersection of decision making around changes and the flexing as needed quote.

And at this point I'll go ahead and rest.

Thank you.

Director Mack I'd just like to add one other thing.

If there's something that we haven't responded to when asked I would like to know You know what that is.

I feel like we're generally responsive and that anything that we're asked to do by the board or present as far as the budget process that we do that and respond to that.

So if this is a new request or an additional request you know I'm happy to work with Director Hampson on that.

But I do feel like we have responded and provided the board with whatever information that we've been had requested of us during the work sessions.

And I understand your concerns about flexibility of the budget.

But I also have you know I feel like we have developed a budget that does provide that flexibility.

And this is a pandemic and we don't know what we don't know but we are in as good a position as we could possibly be at this time.

And I would stand behind.

Thank you.

You know Ms. Berge I want to be clear that there's there's not a question of whether or not staff has done their job or been responsive.

So I just I don't I don't want that to what my comments and concerns to actually be heard as a personal question of whether or not staff has been professional responsive.

I do I do underscore what you just said because yes that is absolutely true.

My question is around.

the overall process of the budget development and the intersection with the board around the flexibility as needed and whether or not there could be improvements made in that process.

It's not about staff responsiveness and I do appreciate you have been.

So thank you.

Thank you Director Mack.

Director Rankin.

Hello.

I think that I would reiterate I mean I have I have something that has troubled me in general is that because of time constraints and because of necessary requirements and everything you know we we don't we don't ever get the and this is not a criticism this is just a general reality.

We don't ever get the opportunity to sort of like take a step back and say okay you know what are our you know top you know top priorities.

We don't get to start fresh.

We can't start fresh because the processes are always you know overlapping and continuing.

But I want to also I guess re-emphasize what Director Hampson said is that a budget is a projection and a best guess as to the information that we have at the time and it's not set in stone.

And that it is our responsibility to you know when different things come before the board to approve or not as as we think fit according to our values as a board and our priorities.

So I don't necessarily I don't have specific questions about this right now today.

But the curriculum the curriculum discussion I think is important for us to continue.

Because it is a big chunk of money but I also agree with Director Mack that it's a bit of a it's a false choice to say you know that is that it's a trade-off between curriculum or other things.

And so I guess I would just hope that we can continue these conversations and also move forward in the way that we need to to fund our buildings.

Thank you Director Rankin.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Hi.

Yeah.

I have actually a few questions here so I'm going to just start with kind of an easy one probably.

Chief Berge do we fund a full-time counselor at every school in this budget.

No we do not.

We provided a schedule of that to the board during one of the work sessions that talked about which elementary schools are still not funded and what that looks like as we phase in additional counselors.

Okay no I appreciate that.

I and I start with that only because in recognizing how long this has been in the works I know that this is I think Director Mack said February but this is you know with this budget's been at least publicly working in the works since last October with the first work session that a few of us were not a part of because we were not on the board yet.

But still it has been a long process and I appreciate that.

It's been.

that long brewing but I do remember that when we did come on this board whenever in December I think it was a work session and a lot of us did localize you know our our priorities towards having counselors at every school.

So and it's not to say that it magically happens because I get we come in dreamy eyed we come in you know on fire in front of things that we know we want to fight for in these budgets and things we want to correct and then sort of the I guess for lack of a better word the reality sets in of what you can do with only so much money.

But it but those those aspirations don't go away.

So just definitely want to keep it keep us true to our aspirations and not let us move too far from that because our community are depending on us for those.

Likewise I know that so going back to last fall because I tried to go back and look at what we've said and what we've done and what we asked.

I see that last fall you shared that the new budget language allows for more general fund items to be charged to capital.

I'm just wondering did we do any of that in this budget.

We did not.

That was something that was brought up a couple different times but I.

Go ahead.

I think you have an echo.

Oh sorry.

So that was something that was brought up as an option.

The board did not provide staff direction to move in that direction.

That is still an option.

It remains an option for us.

That is another place for flexibility I guess I would say.

If I could just.

I don't want to cut you off Director Rivera-Smith.

I just want to clarify that.

Over time I would be more than happy to spend time with with directors to help you get more familiar with GASB and and how school funding works there.

In any given point in time there's a limited number of flexible dollars because most of our dollars come with significant requirements in terms of how they're they're spent.

So that's that's a large part of what Chief Berge is talking about is what do we actually have the capacity what do we actually have control over versus what is required to go directly into buildings and even then for certain purposes right.

Because that's how how our funding models I mean even our grants that we get.

So there's only a certain number of flexible dollars.

So when we're making those very hard choices even if it's to fund something that we all agree we need like counselors but that the state hasn't funded us for then we have to use our flexible dollars to fund that which means we have to make a choice between that and something else.

So so that I hope that's helpful in terms of how you consider those things and how we consider them going forward in the coming months.

Yeah no I I'm very very aware of of dollars that are committed to you know that that we can't move and I'm very aware that I actually didn't even mean to imply by having that question follow my earlier comment that we would move anything for counselors.

I'm sorry if it looked that way.

That's actually.

I didn't realize that's how that would look.

So yes thank you for that again.

I was just again I'm going back through this whole year's process and trying to follow up and close ends on things that have come up or been asked or talked about.

So my next question which actually fast forwards to just I think the last work session or sometime recently we talked about this was about the one-on-one for elementary schools.

We had discussed what we were going to purchase for that.

Was it decided where we go in what laptop type or iPads.

What did that get.

Did that loop get closed.

Chief Berge.

It did.

I sent an email following up on that to all board directors.

After I sent the email I did not receive any other feedback.

So basically the plan is we will use our capital levy dollars in technology to purchase iPads for K-2 and we will be purchasing other Chromebook laptop devices for grades 3-5.

Thank you.

Yeah I don't.

And let me see.

And then lastly I think lastly I hope I'm not Either way so I think this is probably this is just touches on a bit of what Director Mack was concerned with about how the the budget isn't necessarily reflective of things we currently have numbers on.

For example would be enrollment which is a big one right.

I think by your own admission last year's enrollment projections or at least the funding for them was very conservative and we had a lot of classrooms.

We had a shortage of teachers in some schools that was was definitely harmful to the way to start the school year.

But I mean you admitted I remember that that was a very conservative budget last year.

So going forward as we look again I look at the budget book and I look at the enrollment projections that Ashley Davies shared with us for June.

And in every high school the enrollment projections are over what's budgeted for them.

And I know we talked about this you and I in a call recently and I'm just so I'm not here to torpedo this budget because for that reason but I do want to understand what do we consider a safe number to be off on those projections to be off on the funding versus projection because remember there's a margin of error where like some of them you know it's it's not detrimental that we're off by like you know 40 students but at Garfield High School we're off by 195. Which is their.

Can you just repeat the question again.

Yeah so my question is what's the margin of error that's safe to you.

Again we're off by up to 195 students at Garfield where they're projected to have a certain number but our budget is only for less than it's for less than they're projected to have.

So I'm just wondering this is going to happen because again this is a flexible document I get that or that you know but what is what is the margin of error that's okay.

Like is there a number you could say where we miss it by a certain amount that's probably okay.

Chief Berge.

Yes.

So in our fall adjustment flexibility number that we roll with right that we talked about during the work session that's what that number represents.

It's our enrollment uncertainty number where we have money that we can add or replace if enrollment doesn't show up.

So I think that we have about six million dollars sitting in that line item.

Yep.

So that's a plan every year.

We always have fall adjustment.

dollars that are sitting there to be deployed as needed.

Okay.

I mean I guess that sort of that answers how we adjust for that.

So thank you.

I'm looking through my list here I'm sure I didn't forget anything but I think that is all my questions for now.

Thank you so much.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

Chief Berge my question is only about I think one thing that came up during Director Hampson's comments just around our flexibility.

Given the board's prior consensus around prioritizing curriculum.

Given I think what we see down the line and certainly wanting to have more social-emotional supports at our schools and potentially even just increasing capacity of our Bikini Bento department for example is is today too late to talk about the curriculum priority and any potential movements to actually putting more social emotional supports as well as opposed to prioritizing curriculum.

No I don't believe so.

I don't believe we haven't entered into any contractual arrangements.

The curriculum work really is about when we when we commit those dollars it's really when we've gone out for an RFP and have entered into a contract that would come to the board separately.

Otherwise it's about you know starting the internal meetings and things like that.

Okay thank you.

Director Hampson do you want to close us out with any final comments or concerns.

Yeah I just you know everyone's comments questions and concerns are well-founded and appreciated and I think it's a matter of trying to get us all on the same timing in terms of when we have these considerations and then also gaining a better understanding of our role in terms of fiscal decision-making as time goes throughout the year and as adjustments are made.

I mean as an indication with the curricular piece you know we every year major shifts are made in terms of spending.

And you know I have I think a slightly different sort of or slightly stronger leaning towards health priorities right now than than curricular but that's just me you know personally.

And so I would hope that that folks would consider wanting to have those conversations with me and with Chief Berge on a regular basis.

We tend to get contacted I don't get contacted at all or Chief Berge gets contact separately and so it's not it doesn't become kind of a there's not an opportunity for it to be a committee discussion.

And I think that that that also makes the process difficult because then you have information going out just sort of in little pockets.

So to the extent that we can we can bring those those collective you know even the the questions that I hadn't noticed the the piece that the Wablock students brought up around the increase in that particular line item and was glad to have the opportunity to to gain that understanding.

So it's just a matter of the process that we that we utilize for it.

And I think it's going to be really important that we continue to ask these questions of ourselves and of staff as we look at how to adapt and in many cases turn on a dime.

So it's not for.

lack of appreciation for the critical eye.

It's just a matter of getting in a better rhythm with one another and with staff so that we can kind of start the process out a little bit earlier and a little bit more on the same page next year.

Thank you.

Okay.

Miss Wilson-Jones roll call please.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Director Hampson aye Director Harris abstain not personal Director Hersey aye Director Mack abstain Director Rankin aye Director DeWolf aye

This motion has passed with a vote of 4 yes to 0 no to 3 abstentions.

Thank you Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Thank you Director Hampson and Chief Berge.

We'll now move to item action at number 4. Approval of the 2020-2021 Student Rights and Responsibilities at or referred to as SR&R.

This came to the Curriculum and Instruction Instruction Policy Committee on June 9th for consideration.

May I have a motion for this item please.

Sorry about that.

Forgot to take myself off mute.

I move that the school board approve the 2020-2021 Student Rights and Responsibilities document as attached to the board action report.

Second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you.

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

This item has been updated since introduction so Chief of Schools and Continuous Improvement Wyeth Jessee could you please brief us on that update.

I'm not familiar with any update to this particular document Director DeWolf.

I think he means generally.

Chief Jessee if you'd like to not comment I can move on now.

So now — The agenda states that there was updates since introduction I think is why you're calling that out.

So I'm curious to know what those are.

Chief Jessee if you're not prepared to answer that could you please provide somebody that can answer that question please.

Yeah I'll go ahead and call on the head of our behavioral response team.

Can Erin Romanek go ahead and comment on this.

Hi good afternoon.

Erin Romanek Student Support Services Supervisor.

The only thing that we added was a small paragraph to the BAR just stating our commitment to continue to look at this document.

I know there's a lot of discussion last time about approving this to have this ready for the school year but there was some concern about needing to strengthen some of the anti-racist language and the commitments that we have as a district.

And so the only thing that was added was a paragraph to the BAR just saying that we commit to doing that in the fall with continued work with the school board.

Thank you.

Thank you for being prepared to answer that.

Okay now we will move to directors for any comments or questions before we move to the vote.

We'll start with Director Rankin as our Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee Chair.

Hi.

Thank you.

I don't well.

I'll just say I appreciate Mr. Monick calling out the the added language for to re-examine it because as we as we did discuss at the last the last time this came up was that we agreed that the whole review process should start sooner.

So that will start in December I think.

And that also we wanted to have the opportunity to strengthen some of the language in this based on some of the other policies.

I'm there's also you know updates that are important for the coming year.

And so I'm just no I don't know.

I'm just going to say I am grateful for the work that everyone's been doing and for the collaborative process and responsiveness on our concerns.

And I feel good that they've been addressed.

Thanks Director Rankin.

My only other question is if you wanted to provide any context for why it was consideration versus approval when you brought it to the full board.

I think the same the same considerations we were we were thinking about the same things with regards to restraint and isolation and discipline and some other policies knowing that those were that was work that was ongoing and we wanted to make sure that this would reflect it.

Understood.

Thank you.

Director Hampson.

Yes thank you.

I yeah I would just want to concur that I do think this will need some additional work in conjunction with our work session around our resolution in support of Black students as well as it pertains to interactions with law enforcement and disproportionality in discipline and our anti-racist policy But I think that the the current amendments are warranted and that it's better to see these as living documents that we come back to and so I'm comfortable moving forward with this knowing that we'll be coming back to it sooner rather than than later and in conjunction with a larger context.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up is Director Harris.

Thanks very much Erin and your whole team.

Thanks also for addressing the concerns about how we get pinch-pointed every year in June that we have to go to press etc.

I'd like to start earlier.

I'd like to finish earlier so we're not not jammed up.

But thanks again.

Thank you Director Harris.

Director Hersey.

No questions for me at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director Mack.

Yes thank you.

I I really do appreciate that added paragraph to the BAR to clarify that there's additional work that will be going forward.

And just to clarify for the public and that three myself and two other colleagues made a Work requests that there would be a review of the policies and associated procedures that ensure student safety in regard to and prevention of and response to harm to students and direct alignment with the resolution that we recently passed as well as some other previous directives.

And that this this handbook is part of that review as well as another I don't know 10 11 different policies and that's the reference that Director Hampson was just making about the work session in August.

So appreciate the conversation and the ongoing work and look forward to approving this as it is knowing that we are going to continue revising and working on it being better in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rankin.

I started us off.

Hi yes.

No I I agree that it's important to get this passed now so that we're because the default is the previous Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook which we all agree was not adequate.

So I appreciate that.

We are committing to furthering the work as we go on.

No other questions or comments.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

And again I appreciate the addition of that paragraph and just for clarity the resolution that Directors Hampson Hersey and I wrote one of the parts of that was putting on a work session to talk about the policies that would be implicated by that resolution.

And I understand our legal counsel has a list of about 12 and I think we have a work session potentially scheduled for the 12th and so please be on the lookout for that.

So as of that.

Ms. Wilson-Jones roll call please.

Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye aye Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith

Director DeWolf aye.

This motion has passed unanimously.

Thank you Miss Wilson-Jones.

Next item is item Action Item Number 5. Approval of the new board policy number 3211 Gender Inclusive Schools Transgender and Gender Expansive Student Rights and Supports.

This came to the Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee on June 9th for approval.

May I have a motion for this item please.

This is Director Hampson.

One moment.

I move that the school board approve Board Policy Number 3211 Gender-Inclusive Schools Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Rights and Supports as attached to the Board Action Report.

Second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you.

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

We'll now move to directors for any comments or questions for Mr. Jesse before we vote when we will begin with Director Rankin who is our Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee Chair.

Hi.

I don't I don't have any additional information I don't think.

We've had pretty good conversations around this and it was very unanimously supported.

There wasn't a lot of controversy or discussion about what should or shouldn't be included.

And it's it's really critical and I'm really pleased that we're bringing it forward.

Thank you.

Director Hampson.

No question.

Really happy to be supporting this.

Thank you.

Director Harris.

Ditto on that.

Most definitely in support.

Thank you Director Harris.

Director Hersey.

None for me.

Thank you.

Let's get it done.

Thank you.

Director Mack.

No questions or comments.

Excited to go ahead and vote.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

You already.

I started.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Yeah no questions.

Deep appreciation and excited.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

And I would like to just ask Senior Legal Counsel Ronald Boy if he wanted to provide any additional last-minute comments.

I know that he worked a lot on this and this does have an intersection with the LGBTQ resolution we passed on June 10th.

So this does correspond and this is one of the policies that we listed as one that should follow that resolution so.

just want to make sure that our community sees that through resolution here's a policy that we've we've brought forward.

So if Ronald Boy is on the line and wanted to share just any background or any other final comments before we move to the vote.

Thank you President DeWolf.

I would just like to say that I'm just so happy that we're here today.

Over the past almost decade now we've had really expansive student rights and support and student rights and supports for transgender students.

And I'm just so happy to see that this is this policy will give those rights and supports a lot more visibility and just really send a strong message to our families and our students that Seattle Public Schools are a welcoming place for all.

Thank you very much.

Miss Wilson-Jones roll call please.

Director Harris.

Director Harris aye Director Hersey aye Director Mack aye Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Hampson aye Director DeWolf aye.

This motion is passed unanimously.

Okay we will now move to item number 6. Amendment Board Policy Number 3207 Prohibition of Harassment Intimidation and Bullying.

This came through the Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee on June 9th for consideration.

May I have a motion for this item please.

This is Director Hampson.

I move that the school board authorize the superintendent to execute a contract with Northwest Education Association in the amount of $425,000.

for 2020-21.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Sorry.

I move that the school board amend board policy number 3207 Prohibition of Harassment Intimidation and Bullying as attached to this school board action report.

Second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you.

Director Hamp thank you for moving the item Director Hampson and for seconding Director Harris.

This item has been updated since introduction so Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Clover Codd will you please provide us a brief update on that.

Yes thank you.

Good afternoon.

Just for your reference we did add the current superintendent procedure to 3207 and the WSSDA model procedure for 3207 in the new or revised policy that you're voting on today the superintendent is directed to develop procedures or edit procedures to be in line with the policy.

And so we just wanted to put those there for your reference.

Understood.

Thank you.

Now I will move to directors for any comments or questions before we move to the vote.

Beginning with Director Rankin who is our Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee Chair.

Thank you.

And thank you Dr. Codd for the the highlighting what was added.

I really appreciated that.

Reading through this again yesterday the inclusion of of those accompanying documents.

This this policy came through C&I and and we had considerable discussion around it.

Some some to clarify some language some to you know make sure that it was in line with other policies and centering students that you know we were trying to focus on.

And so a lot of that was was feedback was received and incorporated.

So thank you very much.

And to all who contributed that to those discussions as well.

Similar with the students rights and responsibilities piece this was another policy that will be considered under the work session to look at you know several policies that involve discipline and safety.

And so you know knowing that it's as with the students rights and responsibilities there are some important updates and and And then some further review and possibly strengthening of languages but of language.

But I just thank you all for the thoughtful work around this because it did it did kind of go back and forth and have new iterations and new feedback and stuff.

So yeah it's an important important document important policy.

Thank you Director Rankin.

Director Hampson.

Yeah so it's kind of the same concern when we when it was brought for intro.

I definitely had concerns because of the potential for this to to negatively or at least not positively impact our the ability of our students to have which is specific.

We do have this same policy as it pertains to adults.

This is the student the student policy and I'm As we are looking at our very important commitment to lessen the disproportionality in discipline and the impact of discrimination and racism on our on our students in our buildings.

This is a critical policy.

and is something that I look forward to considering during the work session.

But that being said I think the it's actually works out well timing wise to have this come forward with a directive around the procedure such that then the procedure can be developing in concert with our work around the the the work session associated with all with the resolution and all the policies that we need to consider.

For that reason I'm supporting this moving forward.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Hampson.

Director Harris.

I'm conflicted about this.

I do appreciate the procedures being attached to it for clarity but I'd really like to see the proposed procedures to go with it.

And if we're having a work session on this I guess I'd like to see this.

more fleshed out if you will with both coming at the same time.

We have several frankly embarrassing and heartbreaking issues where our policies have not been that effective in exiting folks because they're so wonderfully vague.

I think I'm probably going to abstain but I'm more than happy to listen to the rest of my colleagues.

Thank you.

Director Hersey.

Yeah so we've talked about this extensively and I think that this current version has gotten to the changes that were requested originally in committee.

So I think we are prepared to move forward.

Thank you.

Director Hersey Director Mack.

Yes thank you.

This is one of the policies that is on that list of review.

And I really appreciate the adjustments that have been made in response and that that these amendments that are currently in here I think are important to codify at this stage.

And I You know reviewing this and go and looking at the WSSDA model policy and our and their model procedure and our procedure and what's in policy and what's not.

There's there's still in my opinion some pretty significant gaps that I look forward to discussing about how we may want to resolve them.

One of the things that causes me concern is around the investigations piece and how those are done and whether or not they're impartial.

Presently the procedure designates in our procedure it designates the building leader.

But in the WSSDA procedure it says or district designee.

And I think this is something that we may want to consider from a policy perspective that the investigation should be independent of HR and independent of even the building leader in order to be really responsive.

So I'm throwing that out there as a concept and one of the things that I see is a policy gap that I'd like to have further conversation on in the future.

The other piece that is and this has come up that you know a lot of this isn't isn't even You know it's directed in RCW around school resources officers that they need to have a certain amount of training.

But it's it isn't required.

There isn't specific requirements for training for various personnel around things that I think we need to require to ensure that our our staff are well-versed in de-escalation techniques and implicit bias and those are all the conversations that I know we're going to be having.

But I think that's another opportunity for this policy in the future to consider.

And those are my kind of two main points that I look forward to having further conversation about whether or not the policy needs to be strengthened to do that or if the procedures can can be written in such a way that they're responsive to those concerns.

So at this point I'll be supporting this today because the amendments are are actually really really important to get codified now and I look forward to the continued work.

And thank you to staff for the conversation and continuing to to do this work.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Mack.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Hi.

Can you hear me okay.

I.

Sure can.

Okay I'm just not using a headset anymore.

No.

Likewise I appreciate that we're going to continue diving into policies such as these as we as we get more information and have more discussions regarding the threat assessment policy that's being worked on and how it relates to so many other of our policies that we that are interconnected.

I have a question just for clarification.

So I'm looking and I understood I heard that the superintendent procedures were included and but I I'm confused I only see the old 2018 one.

Was there a new one I should be seeing that I'm not seeing.

Or was that were you just saying you've added the current one.

Director Rivera-Smith no the the this is the current one.

This is not revised but we added them just for your reference so you could see what was in our current procedure and what's in current WSSDA model procedure with the understanding that there's going to be much more discussion as we move into editing our procedure for this as we become more and more in alignment with the school board's resolution in support of our Black students.

All right great.

I just want to make sure that was what I was seeing too.

So okay.

Yes.

No further questions.

Thank you.

Thank you Director Rivera-Smith.

And I have no further questions at this time.

Thank you for that update and that clarity Dr. Codd.

With that Ms. Wilson-Jones please call please roll call please.

Director Hersey aye Director Mack aye

Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Hampson aye Director Harris aye y'all convinced me.

Director DeWolf aye.

This motion has passed unanimously.

Thank you Miss Wilson-Jones.

We'll now move to Action Item Number 7. Approval of contract with Northwest Education Association to increase measures of academic progress math testing and professional development.

This came through Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee on June 9th for approval.

May I have a motion for this item please.

I move that the school board authorize the superintendent to execute a contract with Northwest Education Association in the amount of $425,000 for 2020-21 in the form of the draft agreement and attached to the school board action report with any minor additions deletions and modifications deemed necessary by the superintendent and to take any necessary actions to implement the contract.

Second the motion.

Director Harris.

Thank you directors.

This item was moved by Director Hampson and seconded by Director Harris.

We will now move to directors for any comments or questions for Chief Academic Officer Dr. Diane DeBacker before we vote.

Again we'll start with Director Rankin as our Curriculum and Instruction Policy Committee Chair.

Thank you.

This.

This item is earlier I was talking about tension between opposing opposing sentiments and opposing forces and that's how I feel about about this item.

I am really grateful to Audrey Roach Head of Assessments for taking the time to have a meeting with me and with Dr. DeBacker at the beginning of this process when it was on its way to C&I.

And I so in general I am not not supportive of standardized testing especially as it has historically been used to be a punitive measure and it used to be tied to teacher assessment which thank goodness that's not where we're at anymore.

But so my conflict with this item lies in that sort of you know historical issues with standardized testing and my own feelings about participation in them.

And with the paired tension of needing needing a data point to you know everything that we do is attached to to data and I mean I am wondering about dispersal of resources and funding that goes you know that is targeted to students that most in need and how are we highlighting where the need is if we don't have any data points to go on.

And we don't have SBAC and SBAC I you know can as far as I'm concerned we can never see again.

But we don't have that we don't have any data from this spring.

And so.

And in discussing with Ms. Roach about you know this being low stakes and it's a small time commitment and you know in the BAR as I hope everyone read the full packet it specifically notes some discussion that we had which was really ensuring that professional development and training for the test administration of the test was in place to ensure that you know kids are not being tested on their disability or you know comprehension of English language if they're an English language learner that we that we have those supports in place to ensure that you know we're getting accurate accurate assessment.

So those are my conflicts and I know a lot of my my the other members of the committee have We have expressed similar similar conflicts and concern but generally agree that we need a data point and this may not be perfect but that this is the kind of the option that we have.

So one question that I do have that I would like to ask Dr. DeBacker that I didn't don't have any answer to yet leading up to this was that the it's not an insignificant piece you know chunk of money.

And you know going dealing with a crisis and all these other unknowns you know I take that very seriously.

And so my question is as of right now my understanding is that the map is administered in-person.

So were are were we to approve this and then were should testing in-person not be possible.

Is that money gone forever or is there a take back clause or something if we aren't able to administer the test in person.

And then a second question would be is there a percentage of student that we feel like we would need to ensure in-person testing to make the results So say for example if if we can get in-person but it's only 75 percent of students is that still worth it.

Thank you.

This is Diane DeBacker.

In response to your question Director Rankin about if we are not in-person I'll address I think a larger question around we do not anticipate nor do we support giving this assessment remotely.

So if by chance we do not have the opportunity to give this this assessment in person we will choose not to do it remotely.

I am not aware that we have anything within our contract at this point that that we would be able to either get that money back or move it to maybe the next school year.

I have not looked at the contract in that manner and I've not asked Chief Counsel Greg Narver to look at that either.

Okay.

I guess then a follow up to that would be what would be would there be an opportunity to.

bring this item back closer to the point at which we know if we're able to administer it in-person or not.

Or is it.

The assumption is that we will have students in-person in-school at the beginning of this school year.

So the next opportunity that we could bring this would be in your August board meeting or even at the end of August.

But I I'm not sure that that would make much of a difference at this point.

Well the well so if it wouldn't I would ask or suggest that if there is not a serious negative consequence to us not voting on this today and waiting waiting to know if we can get money back if we enter it into a contract.

and it's not administered or waiting till we know more certainly if we will or will not have students in person then I guess I would ask us to not make this decision today.

I'd happily second that motion.

Director Harris.

I think there's some feedback.

I'd happily second that motion.

Director Harris.

Hi, this is Audrey Roach.

I'm the assessment program development program manager.

Like Diane says, we can talk to the contract person that we work with pretty closely.

I just texted her because I just heard your question.

And she gets back to me pretty quickly.

But we are up against a little bit of just a time frame as far as setting up time for PD.

So there's there's not much time from here on out to get to get the teachers and the leaders.

Just to be aware I just want you to be aware that where we are right now I have about a month and a half before school picks up and we will not be able to provide teachers professional development in September.

So I've had to push this to an August date.

So I just need you to be like this is all going to be happening all at once.

I want you to be aware of that.

As far as getting money back from the contract I asked this person now technically they usually parse out the cost of the students that you how many licenses are used during the school year.

Does that make sense.

So if if we get to the place where we contract out for all the students in K I'm sorry in K-8 and we have some students who don't test then the question is do we get money back for those students.

And I want to say yes but again I'm going to text her and email her and ask her that question.

I just want to impress upon the board the time frame that we're in.

And this is this is and this is just where we are.

It's an exceptional situation.

And The more up in the air we are and the more we don't have certainty around this is teachers are asking me and leaders are asking me for this.

And I just need you to understand where I'm coming from and where the department's coming from in support of staff and schools.

And obviously I'm happy to do whatever the board decides.

I mean no doubt.

But we are in a time crunch right now and I and it's hard for me to plan for this the more we wait.

President DeWolf we if you would like we could move this item to the end of the agenda while we wait to see if our contractor gets back in touch with us.

If you would like us to do that.

I would I would yield to our chair of C&I if that.

I I would say that at this point right now without answers to that question that I would have to vote no.

So if we want to wait and see what that information is if that means waiting till the end of this meeting then let's do that.

Okay.

Myself and Ms. Roach will we'll do some work in the interim.

Thank you.

Sorry.