We very much appreciate you taking the time to come down and to learn us up and to communicate with us public testimony in accordance with policy number 14 30 and corresponding procedure 14 30 board procedure.
These are the rules of engagement.
Please respect them so we don't have to harm the people behind you.
and they get their chance to speak as well.
One person speaks at a time.
Comments need to be addressed to the board.
Please adhere to the time limit on your testimony you have two minutes at one minute 30 the yellow light will flash and be consistent for the next 30 seconds.
Then you get the red light at minute two.
Please wrap up your comments.
The focus on of the comments should be on the issues and solutions.
And the majority of your time must be spent on the topic he or she you have indicated that you wish to speak about.
No racial slurs personal insults ridicule or threats will be allowed.
No comments regarding personnel matters.
All signs are subject to these same ground rules.
Ms Shek please read off the testimony.
She'll read three at a time.
So numbers two and three if you could line up behind Speaker 1 we can make this go a lot more smoothly.
Much appreciate.
First up for public testimony we have Lena Mawia followed by Natalina Shaga and then Chris Jackins.
My name is Perlina Mawea.
I'm a first year student at South Lake High School.
I'm basically here to tell you that South Lake High School is a very very good school.
Even though it's my first year attending.
It was very hard at first but.
South Lake is the only school that actually gave me hope and courage that I'm actually going to graduate and get through school.
Because I came from a different district.
I came from Kent School District.
And.
It.
They wasn't trying to help me out or anything.
But.
Southlake even though it's a small school as a whole school Southlake has the biggest heart.
Southlake has.
Teachers that actually genuinely care about the students.
I can't speak for other schools but I know Southlake not every school has.
Genuinely.
Caring teachers that will actually.
Sit with you after class or after school and actually work with you and to get your work done.
Or.
Not every school has a plan for you to even graduate or make it out.
Or not every school has.
A.
Principal that will check on you every single day and make sure you're OK or have a vice principal that will always walk by in the hallways and say hi and ask you how your day's going.
And not every school like South.
South Lake has.
Programs and resources that will actually help you get to where you need to be in order to graduate.
to get out of high school.
And they also have resources beyond high school like.
They help you with applying to colleges or they have a beyond high school plan.
Sorry I'm really nervous but.
Yeah.
South Lake has really helped me not only as a person but as like a student in school because where I came from I really wasn't doing good in school but ever since I came to.
The Seattle School District to South Lake High School I've been actually doing really good in school.
Thank you.
Natalina.
Chris Jackins.
After Chris Jackins we will have Vivian Van Gelder followed by Laura Langney and then Whitney Kahn.
My name is Chris Jackins.
Box 8 4 0 6 3 Seattle 9 8 1 2 4. On the North Queen Anne roof replacement.
The report states that the district chose the low bidder.
But there was only one bidder.
Please vote no.
On the Webster construction project this action would lift the lid on a previously guaranteed price.
Please vote no.
On the McGilvra PTA grant the grant would pay to hire extra staff.
Private funds cross a line when they are used to hire staff.
On the contracts for roofing at the African-American Academy and Olympic View.
Were there any bids by small women owned or minority owned companies.
On issues from the June 5th board work session.
Six points.
Number one the district.
May change the date of certain decisions from December or January.
To November.
So the current board decides rather than a newly elected board.
This was seen as more efficient.
It could also be seen as disenfranchising voters.
Number two.
The discussion included issues about Licton Springs K-8.
Number three the current Licton Springs.
Was formed as a forced merger of two very valuable but distinct school approaches.
Alternative schools and Indian heritage schools.
Number four district promises of locations and resources were crumbs offered in the context of proposals to destroy both schools.
Trying to find a way to honor such promises will not fix things.
Number five both schools wonderfully served certain students which other schools did not.
Number six both schools deserve to be restored.
Separately.
How nice to have the SEA here today.
Thank you.
My name is Vivian Van Galder.
I'm the parent of two children in Seattle Public Schools and I'd like to speak to you on the topic of PTA staffing grants and their effect on racial equity in our school district.
I'm using PTA for shorthand but I'm referring to all types of parent directed groups.
School board policy 6114 of August 2014 sets limits on the district's and school board's capacity to accept external grant funding.
That policy requires that SPS decline grant funding where it would conflict with certain principles including equity and funding.
It also requires the district to decline funding that carries quote conditions that would divert school or district efforts away from the district's primary mission quote of ensuring equitable access closing the opportunity gaps and excellence in education for every student.
It is clear that current practices around accepting PTSA staffing PTSA staffing grants without restriction transparency or oversight are inconsistent with policy 6114. PTA staffing grants are concentrated in schools located in mostly white relatively affluent communities.
These communities can raise private funds to fill gaps in public education funding and provide an enriched educational experience for their students.
At the same time schools in less affluent communities populated mostly by historically underserved students of color especially black Latinx and native children cannot do the same.
When district practices permit white children in affluent communities to have access to better resourced schools than historically underserved students of color, it is directly contributing to the widening of our already significant racial opportunity gap.
The practice of accepting staffing subsidies for schools in affluent majority white communities is also clearly in breach of school board policy 0030 of August 2012. ensuring educational and racial equity.
If this district is serious about working towards racially equitable education for all I would urge the board to implement its policies with fidelity which would require greatly restricting or abolishing this practice going forward.
The time is now.
Thank you.
My name is Laura Laney.
I'm an eighth grade social studies teacher at Washington Middle School and a member of the SEA bargaining team.
Today I would like to speak about the approval of the 2019 20 student rights and responsibilities document.
There appear to be two versions of the document.
In one version it reads Seattle Public Schools staff are committed to ensuring racial equity in our educational systems unapologetically addressing the needs of students of color who are furthest from educational justice.
These students are our priority and working to undo the legacies of racism in our educational system.
It appears that this language that specifically calls out that some of our students have historically and presently experienced racism seems to have been removed from the final version.
When language that calls out the past practices of white supremacy culture is removed that is dangerous.
It also upholds white supremacy culture.
If we are truly intending to undo white supremacy culture in Seattle Public Schools we must first acknowledge the white supremacy culture that is embedded in our organization.
This culture is powerful precisely because it is so present and at the same time so very difficult to name or identify because we all live in a white supremacy culture.
These characteristics show up in the attitudes and behaviors of all of us.
People of color.
And white people.
In the bargaining team we have committed to calling out white supremacy norms and committed to naming white supremacy culture when it shows up as tone policing or white comfort.
These commitments mean we have to stay vigilant.
Naming white supremacy culture is not a one time action.
Undoing white supremacy culture is not a one time action.
As a district we must continually address white supremacy culture and we must do that in a variety of ways.
It is important that the students rights and responsibilities are explicit about racism and are used as an action to protect students of color from racism by peers and adults with whom they interact.
In order to have integrity and racial equity work protecting students from racism is the top priority.
Explicit language against white supremacy culture provides them protection so they can stand up in the face of racism.
It holds schools accountable to be strong allies for them and is part of the necessary steps to providing safe and welcoming environments as our policy 0 0 3 0 affords them.
Making changes to the student rights and responsibilities is one action to address white supremacy culture.
Naming racial equity as a bargaining focus is another way to address white supremacy culture.
We need more action and more change undoing white supremacy culture in SPS should be at the forefront of our decisions and the directions of the district.
Director Harris.
Hi, I'm Whitney.
I'm a paraeducator sub.
And as a sub, you sort of see everything.
I've gone to over a dozen schools.
And I have to say this document, the students' rights and responsibilities document, it's not accurate.
It says in the beginning that the mission of SPS is committed to ensuring equitable access.
Closing opportunity gaps and excellence in education for every student.
Says equity five times.
And it says that it repeats that this is the issue of our time.
But what are the actions.
Of this district.
There are cuts coming this year to many support staff and many educators around this district.
And there are cuts at schools like Rainier Beach High School where there have been students and educators.
Doing protests there because they won't even be able to have four years of history as it currently stands.
So either the district you need to change your actions or you need to change your mission statement to be accurate and reflect what's going on.
Our education system just for a bit of history because we're sort of deprived of it with the way the budget is done.
Our education system comes out of radical reconstruction after the Civil War.
And white supremacy is the enemy of public education.
We have a white supremacist in the White House.
And it's no coincidence that we have a profiteer in chief in Betsy DeVos.
And I want to talk a little bit about now maybe you say well it's the legislature that's at fault.
But you define accomplices in this.
Document as anyone who aids or agrees to aid others.
In planning or committing the incident.
You're aiding the legislature in carrying forward this budget and you need to not do that.
If you actually stand for equity you need to not implement the cuts.
You need to restore all positions for next year.
You need to not displace any staff working with ethnic studies.
You need to demand that the legislature fully fund education by taxing billionaires.
You need to denounce white supremacy culture in words and actions and join us because this is the framework.
That makes any of these actions justifiable.
Next up for public testimony.
Next up for public testimony we have Christy Copeland followed by Emijah Smith and Mapenzi Kainaj.
I cede my time to.
Yvette Dynish.
Thank you very much.
I just got here as well.
Hello school board.
Couple of things I want to talk about I found out just last week.
And if I'm wrong please correct me.
That the Seattle Public Schools has an annual budget of one.
Billion dollars is that correct.
That's a lot of money and yet you can't find enough money to fund positions at Rainier Beach High School.
Quite frankly to me that smacks a little bit of elitism and quite frankly it's not racial justice.
OK I'm just keeping it real.
So figure out a way to quit dissing.
Rainier.
Beach.
High school.
Yes I get it that it's diverse yet I get that it's low income but you need to go by that school that's a very vibrant school that the community cares deeply about.
I live in Rainier Beach.
I volunteer at Rainier Beach.
I'm all over the place at Rainier Beach.
So I know what they're capable of.
So please rethink your philosophy and your attitude on Rainier Beach High School and fund the programs back.
And on a more positive note.
We're having a high-five Rainier Beach the last day of school, 8 o'clock in the morning.
Please do join us.
There will be coffee, pastries, and local luminaries, including you, I hope.
Okay, thank you so much.
Thank you.
Good evening.
My name is Emijah Smith and I'm here first wearing the hat that will never be taken off is as a mother of parents of children in Seattle Public Schools graduates of Seattle Public School.
I'm also here in the moment of this testimony to speak as a co-vice president of Seattle Council PTSA.
Let me just hand clap and finger snap the people who just came up.
I just meant to give you guys that shout out.
Thank you.
You guys have given me so much energy from this long hot day.
So basically I'm here to speak about the Seattle Council PTSA equity resolution and speaking to the fundraising with regard to our PTAs.
And I just want to highlight it's already been stated with regard to having a balanced the fundraising that happens in the schools that are benefiting our schools in North Seattle versus our schools that have historically oppressed and underserved communities.
And I just want to share that.
The why we focus on reducing scale with regards to the fundraising is the dynamics that it actually creates at the school.
It pits the families and staff against each other.
It.
Diminishes power that principals have in the school.
I've seen this firsthand.
I actually had it.
I was a parent at Lower Hearst and I experienced it firsthand to watch the power of what was raised there and what type of stress that put on the principal there an Asian-American principal.
And her having to maneuver that and that was my first introduction to PTA and the power of their funding.
And then being a parent over in South Seattle schools and seeing the.
The vibrancy the sweat equity the volunteerism what we bring to the schools.
But the funding that doesn't occur quite with it.
And just seeing that lack of power if you don't have the money the lack of power.
But also it's already been stated that you know it's illegal for.
To be staffing.
Our staffing positions that the school should be staffing.
So I just want to stand up here and just say from the council as a representative on the behalf of that that we do not support.
The inequities that are being perpetuated.
By this system.
Thank you.
Mackenzie Kainij.
Mackenzie.
Michael Tamayo.
After Michael we have Chandra Wu followed by Rebecca Winecoop and Liz Ebersole.
Sorry I didn't know I was coming up so soon.
Superintendent Juneau members of the Seattle School Board.
My name is Michael Tamayo and I'm an elementary educator currently serving as vice president of the Seattle Education Association and co-chair of the SEA bargaining team.
So as the agenda states I'm speaking in support of approving the 2019 2020 students rights and responsibilities.
This document serves as a district's commitment to the safety and security of all students.
This is much like the bargaining vision that SEA is sharing with you this afternoon.
How do you like that for a pivot.
It serves as our commitment to district leadership a vision of success for our students and for for our members.
As you can see delegations from every school and program have delivered sign boards sharing this vision based on the values we hold as public school educators.
I would introduce everyone but I only have two minutes but they could give a shout out from that from the back.
That'd be great.
Here's everybody.
Allow me to allow me to share out this vision for the record.
Seattle Public School students educators and administrators are at a critical juncture.
Seattle school employees and our students families are struggling to keep pace with the rising costs of living in Seattle.
The social emotional and economic needs of our students are increasing at a dramatic pace.
Our district's new strategic plan requires additional support and resources to be successful.
There's no doubt about that.
We must also continue to approach our work through a lens of racial equity for all students and staff.
As the Washington Constitution emphasizes providing all children with quality public education is our paramount duty.
The collective bargaining agreement between Seattle Public Schools Administration and the Seattle Education Association is an opportunity to collaboratively meet the interests of all who are involved.
In that interest based spirit and as equal partners with the Seattle School District Administration SEA members are emphasizing the following student centered values and interests for our 2019 contract negotiations.
Professional compensation and fair workloads.
Meeting the needs of the whole student.
Supporting the professional growth for all educators and centering a lens of racial equity across all we do.
SEA leadership is committed to reaching an agreement by August 21st so our staff and students can prepare for its start of school on time.
But stay tuned.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Michael.
My name is Chandra Wu.
This is my first time presenting to the board.
I'm here to talk about technology for students at Seattle World School.
I have been a teacher at Seattle World School for five years where many students experience great economic linguistic technological opportunity gaps.
For 10 years, while many American teenagers have been accessing the internet over their cell phones with increasingly high-capacity data plants, many students at our school today still are being educated in an information desert.
They rely on under-adequate Wi-Fi and experience network outages, too, this week alone.
and low technology access despite the fact that many also do not have access to a computer or Internet at home.
Our building is constructed in such a way that even many with data plans cannot access data from inside the building.
Please fund the student computing refreshment to provide additional opportunities for our students to pilot the district's new technology initiative in an effort to close this technology access gap.
I would like to cede the rest of my time to two people.
The first is an SPS student Mackenzie Kennedy who is a former Seattle World School student who is on the train here but late and was number nine.
I would like to cede the remainder of my time to Phyllis Campano.
Thank you.
Good evening school board.
Can I ask a question here.
Yes.
So are you going to fill the remaining two minutes.
Are you going to leave time for the student the former student that is on the train.
I just.
I need clarification here.
Yeah.
I will try and leave some time for the student.
Thank you.
That's more important than listening to me talk.
So I'm Phyllis Campano president of Seattle Education Association and special education educator.
We came to bring our petitions to state our purpose in getting the work done.
We do.
We have set a date for the 21st but as usual we will continue to work until we get a great contract for our students for our educators and for our community.
You have a policy 0 3 0 0 3 0. It's great on paper.
Let's put it in action and do it together.
I cede the rest of my time to the student.
It's been made.
It's been made apparent to me that she has her own spot on here for a full two minutes so you can fill out the rest of it.
OK.
Thank you for your time because I have three seconds left.
Hi my name is Rebecca Wynkoop I'm a librarian at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School.
As a 2 to 1 middle school I plan to share a list of tools that we have and how we use them to provide opportunities for students to learn and share their understanding.
But upon reflection I'd like to share a story about something that happened in my classroom just last week as I was working with an eighth grade class and we were using Padlet an online bulletin board tool to choose and post a book that would represent their legacy as they left Eagle Staff.
We use a tool often to share information sort ideas collaboratively and track our reading lives.
On this day a student chose to post Bill Cosby's fatherhood.
As a middle school teacher knowing and finding joy in the sense of humor of an adolescent is one thing I love about my job.
This example.
Has absolutely no humor.
We immediately stopped what we were doing and I asked my class why not who did this but why.
They told me how I should change the lesson to require a signature.
They should never be allowed to post anonymously.
They told me they should not be trusted in this environment.
They told me they should not be held accountable to their behavior.
As our conversation went down I was left with the realization.
That there was no ownership of the behavior.
For the lack of understanding that there's no humor in sexual assault and that we need to explicitly teach.
The use and power of technology in our classrooms consistently.
Continuously.
And with real world applications.
Limiting or restricting access to technology does not change behavior.
As teachers we need to ensure that all students have equitable access to technological resources so they can begin now.
Learning to use technology responsibly.
Learning to be a part of a digital community.
Building their own moral compass and leaning into integrity.
The principles of digital learning states with guidance and facilitation from an experienced teacher.
Students use technology to produce information rather than passively consume.
Teachers will ensure the effective and appropriate use of any resource.
Trust our teachers to create complex rewarding learning environments where students authentically create meaning and share their learning in rich.
Equitable technologically supported classrooms.
Thank you.
After Liz Ebersole we will have Catherine Berman followed by Joe Camacho and Meklit Tesfaye.
Hello and thank you for this time this afternoon.
I'm the librarian and technology lead at McClure Middle School and I serve on the Seattle Public Schools Instructional Technology Advisory Committee.
Mr. Burke you encouraged me to apply.
I'm also mom of second grader at Montlake Elementary School.
And I'm also approaching the dissertation phase of a doctoral degree in digital education leadership.
Throughout my learning and research about digital education leadership it's become clear that we as educators need to embrace technology so that we can be our students first teachers about how to use technology as a tool.
To be creators instead of only consumers.
As a technology lead at McClure Middle School it is my particular privilege to onboard our sixth graders to school technology.
Each year it is striking that I can tell which students have had learning tool experiences with technology in elementary school.
These students are confident in their technology skill set able to troubleshoot and ready to use technology as a learning tool.
Our students who have not had learning tool experiences with technology start in a state of learned helplessness.
And have a steeper learning curve with learning tool uses of technology.
This is not the fault of their teachers.
This is directly as a result to what I know is the access they have to technology.
At their schools.
As a librarian I help students to be savvy users of information technologies.
As with so many skills practice makes perfect.
Our students need more opportunities for practice.
At my school the teacher who is the most innovative user of technology just happens to be the teacher who got into the digital learning cohort and enjoys daily access to 16 laptops in her classroom.
We can't expect students and teachers to be innovative users of technology.
If we don't give them the tools.
The bottom line.
This is about equity.
There is the issue of whether our students have access to technology at home.
But there is the larger issue about whether they have access to learning about how to use technology as a tool for learning.
As their school we are positioned to do something about that.
Our students are behind kids and other districts in the state who have ample technology and technology instruction available to them.
And that's not OK.
I'm ceding my time to Linda Peters.
Hey I'm Linda Peters and I am a proud third grade elementary teacher at Graham Hill.
I'm here to talk.
I'm here to talk to you tonight a little bit about digital.
Digital literacy and also just.
About digital equity.
In our school we have one laptop cart that we share with the rest of the building.
One of our.
One of our teachers is proud and lucky enough to be part of the digital learning crew.
So she has her own 16. What I can tell you is that as a third grade teacher I work all year long to try to make my kids more literate and then also digitally literate because the first time my students have to write a three paragraph essay should not be during the SBA.
The academic lift that we expect from our students is directly hampered by the fact that they do not have access technology.
They are trying to figure out how to side scroll and drag and drop and then they're just even trying to like make any of that make sense while composing.
This morning I asked my students how many of you at home have a computer that has a QWERTY keyboard.
One student raised his hand and he is my only white student in my class.
What I can tell you is this.
My students have access to tablets and they have access to iPhones.
They do not have access to QWERTY keyboards and that is what they are tested on.
And I am smart and I have worked hard and every year I make sure that we have time with typing agent.
I schedule the time in the computer lab.
Right.
But I do not have access to the computers as often as I need them.
And this is what happened this year.
I watched.
Eight.
Eight of my students write their performance task for the SBA.
And when they wanted to go back and change it.
They erased the entire.
Thing.
Four paragraphs gone.
I'd come back ten sentences.
I'd come back again three sentences.
And they said I failed.
Those students thought they failed.
We have failed them.
Please help us.
Hey I'm Joe Camacho I teach eighth grade at Aki Kurose here to talk to you about laptops.
So.
So glad that we adopted a science curriculum that is totally computer based.
This year we have been working with laptop carts in my classroom.
I have 16 laptops and close to 30 students so.
Each of those students are sharing laptops with someone else.
I've been really lucky because I've been working with the DOTS team or with the technology team here at the district.
We're piloting something using Microsoft Teams with our.
Two eighth grade classes.
It's been going really great.
Each of the students now has access to their own laptops because we finagled some stuff with the.
With the building.
It's made it so much easier to manage laptops.
Each student knows what laptop they're using they have a number.
They log in before it would take so.
Long for students to get logged into laptops.
One student today literally told me Mr. Camacho I'm so happy it took 20 seconds to log in.
And they.
They should feel good about that should be normal.
That should be normal.
I can keep talking about my experience but I have two students here from Aki to tell you.
Their ideas about technology in the classroom.
So here they are.
Hello my name is Maria Fernandez.
I'm an Aki Kurose I'm at Aki Kurose Middle School.
I'm an eighth grade student.
In elementary the only technology that was available to available for me was a reading program that was considerably boring being that it was just text on a screen being read to me by this most monotone voice.
My middle school experience was great being that I was had access to a computer.
I don't have one at home so.
It was amazing.
Honestly I was able to learn the basics such as typing and searching the web.
Being that the science curriculum is computer based I was able to freely search deeper into the topics that interested me in this science curriculum.
My hopes for science Seattle Public Schools is for every student to have a computer so they are able to experience the wonderful things about it.
I hope my experience has shown you the importance of children overall having computers, not just in science.
Thank you.
Having accessibility to computers is a human right.
Some students don't have access to computers and that puts them behind the class and that's definitely a bad thing considering classes can be up to 30 in students and you don't want all your students being behind.
During middle school I learned about programs such as Microsoft Excel.
This was very beneficial because in the real world at a desk job you most definitely will use all sorts of programs like this.
Tech jobs are in demand.
Most jobs require you to be able to use basic programs like PowerPoint and Microsoft Word.
Considering the fact that school is supposed to prepare you for the real world we should definitely be using computers in classrooms.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Can you come back to the podium.
Tell us who you are so we can clap for you.
Oh.
I'm Hawa.
Ismael.
After Meklit Tesfaye we have Darren Hoop Tracy Castro Gill and then Sabrina Burr.
Hi my name is Megalit Tesfaye.
I'm a sophomore at Roosevelt High School.
I go to a school with almost 2000 students but less than 4 percent make up.
Black students.
I have to fight for my right to be heard.
People say they are listening but they're not actually hearing what I'm saying.
For example multiple times when my friends and I have reported incidents of racism at our administration we've heard not right now.
I have to go to a basketball game.
Let's wait and see if it happens again.
Don't bring drama onto yourself.
Speak to the Black Student Union.
The students that are dealing with this problem with these problems shouldn't have to solve them.
We need the adults at our school to stop pushing their problems to the side and stand up.
We need you to check up on what's happening on schools like Roosevelt and not just pop up at our diversity assembly.
We deserve the right to be heard.
I know you are trying but it's not enough.
Darren.
Hope I cede my time to Mark Epstein.
Thank you.
Good evening everyone.
It's nice to speak with you board members.
Ms. Patu.
We share in a way that we're stepping out at the same time.
My name is Mark Epstein and this is my 23rd year teaching at Rainier Beach High School.
And I didn't feel.
Thank you like I could come.
To the retirement celebration next week.
Where I'm going to just let us be joyful without.
A word here.
I did.
I want to salute the parts of the superintendent's strategic plan.
For 2019 24. Especially unapologetically address the needs of students of color.
And allocating resources of strategic.
Strategically through a racial equity framework.
It's the allocation of resources that will make the difference that courageous conversations.
Tried to start a dialogue about but said well we can't address programmatic needs.
That's a gap.
And the topic here on the performance.
Of the evaluation criteria here.
How do we measure that gap.
How do we measure programmatically that we are addressing racial equity.
Our students voices are calling for it.
We've been on we've shown the under projection of the last 10 years.
The last seven years where we're up to 100 students were cut positions.
That we cut the staff and then we get subs back in the fall.
This is we've seen the inequality and thank.
So much to the Roosevelt students for being here.
Between three point five million dollars.
That the Roosevelt PTSA is able to raise.
Versus right now we have 2000 in the RB PTSA bank.
Hold up the course catalog that Roosevelt can still offer.
Hold up the course catalog of Rainier Beach High School.
Where all we can do right now are graduation requirements.
And we've had to cut off.
Our fourth year of social studies.
It would make our students able to succeed in the IB program.
In 11th and 12th grade.
That we've cut the advanced math.
And are losing students to running start.
Why.
And.
Which school would you send your child to.
If you saw.
The different courses that were offered.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Hear the voices of our students.
Superintendent I apologize.
If we called media out there without informing you or if we.
You felt that we were doing something that wasn't trying to greet you.
We want that dialogue give us another chance.
Hear the voices.
Thank you.
Tracy.
I cede my time to David Simonton.
Good evening.
I'd like to address the board's proposed superintendent evaluation documents.
I appreciate the documents theoretical foundations.
And I applaud the board's intention to measure outcomes.
For literacy proficiency among African-American males.
But the evaluation criteria fail to hold the superintendent accountable in any way for identifying and disrupting.
The enduring patterns of white supremacy culture that perpetuate countless negative consequences for underserved populations in the school system.
I believe you can do better.
Last month.
A young boy named Keenan led Superintendent Juneau on a tour of his school.
And I'm happy to report that he's thriving at this school.
Being well served.
And I'm especially happy to report this because only last year.
That same boy.
In a different but nearby school.
Was being weaponized in retaliation against his mother and he was facing multiple suspensions.
And being recommended for programs that we know are associated with the school to prison pipeline.
The mother's supposed crime was being too outspoken about racialized incidents of bullying and harassment at this white dominant school.
That has not even one black teacher or administrator.
So I'm here to ask where is the accountability in your evaluation documents.
When you knowingly allow cultures like the one at that school to continue to do harm.
Keenan was lucky to be removed from that environment.
But the district had an opportunity to step in and make changes and failed to do so.
I am not questioning your motives or your intentions but I challenge you to do better.
Than to pay homage to the concept of equity in your evaluations.
It's not enough to measure basic standards and underserved populations.
You have to boldly disrupt the oppressive systems that have held them back.
This is all documented at cherry pie justice dot com.
I thank you very much for your time.
Next up after Sabrina Burr we will have John Greenberg followed by Christopher Kru and then Emily Ming Wang.
It's already starting.
Our beloved blackness you do not see.
You are blinded by your white superiority.
You sold your soul for cultural identity to claim man made concept of whiteness.
But what do you see.
Your whiteness is killing you and killing me.
Our children are dying because you teach them to not look within.
You place their value on what they can do with a pen.
We are spiritual vibrational beings.
So tell me by what vibration will you send.
The same that you do to our leaders of color.
Your anti blackness is choking us and we cannot breathe.
When will you see our beloved blackness the strength of our ancestors dream.
When will you tell the truth of our story that we were kings and queens and we are.
Who are you and what does your story of your ancestors bring.
Oh you do not know because you sold it out for whiteness that is seeping through our halls and littering our walls.
Your belief gap is astonishing.
But let me tell you this.
No longer will we sit.
No longer will we be silent because you are what you are doing to our children and staff is violent.
We are here to work with you to change the environment the probation and the belief we will no longer be silent in grief.
Grief for our leaders our teachers and such.
What you are doing is too much.
I am here to put you on notice that if you mess.
With us.
Our beloved blackness we will reach.
We lost Dr. Jones because you did not see his beloved blackness.
And with Dr. Scarlett we have learned from your practice.
So we the community stand with her.
And if you do not honor her brilliance and beloved blackness.
Mobilization will be our practice.
We are starting next school board meeting and we'll give you ample.
Practice.
Strength.
Will be mighty and ample.
You say she reports to the superintendent and no one else.
We expect you to authentically respect her.
So here is your notice that we are watching authentically what you do.
What affects her and our leaders of color.
If you do not respect retain and retain African leaders and teachers.
Staff through creating environments that honor our past.
Beloved blackness.
Lives within.
We are one and Dr. Scarlett is our kin because of our beautiful melanin.
We are here to be a part of the solution.
But we will no longer take.
Your toxic.
Solution.
Thank you.
John Greenberg.
Following the lead of the NEA WA and SEA directors we ask that you publicly acknowledge the white supremacy culture of our district.
Imagine a heart attack striking someone dining at the next table.
EMTs arrive at the scene but lose their patient.
They explain.
Well the automated external defibrillator training wasn't required.
That is an apt metaphor for how this district has tackled racism in my 18 years in Seattle Public Schools.
Yes the district provides valuable trainings on racial equity.
But they are not mandatory.
Yes the district offers racial racial equity teams but they are not mandatory.
In fact this past year you rejected more schools 16 than you accepted.
Yes your landmark policy 0 0 3 0 mandates the use of a racial equity analysis tool.
But that tool sure as heck does not seem mandatory to anybody.
Yes this.
Body unanimously passed a resolution in support of ethnic studies but ethnic studies classes still are not mandatory.
Superintendent I have heard you identify teachers as the primary barrier to ethnic studies.
But I'd like to introduce a more compelling narrative.
Administrators are a far bigger barrier.
Not just to ethnic studies but to racial equity in general.
Educators endorse ethnic studies before y'all did.
Educators started the Black Lives Matter at school movement for three years straight.
The principal association has refused to endorse it.
Educators are the primary ones showing up for all these great trainings.
Rarely is there an admin in the audience.
I have watched you again and again move not remove but move administrators who are utterly illiterate when it comes to racial equity sending the problem to a new building to a new executive director.
Three years later the center school is still recovering from a former prison a principal like this.
Please consider.
When you ask us to fight racism in the district.
Who do you think you're asking us to challenge.
Who represents the power structures that maintain white supremacy in Seattle Public Schools.
The answer is you.
It's them.
It's.
Our principals our bosses.
In many ways you are asking us to oppose our own bosses so please do more than acknowledge white supremacy culture.
Please make fighting it mandatory for everyone including administrators.
And please actually support us when we do.
Thank you.
Director Harris.
Christopher.
Christopher Crew.
Is Christopher here.
Emily.
After Emily we have Lauren.
Lauren Graham.
I'm speaking as a parent for a kindergartner at Dearborn Park.
Dearborn Park's enrollment issues affect school support systems for all students.
But tonight I'm speaking specifically to the Mandarin program because of my family's cultural heritage.
And experience.
I'm the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and I've never been able to speak with my parents in Mandarin or Taiwanese.
The languages they are most comfortable in because they wanted me to assimilate with white white culture.
I remember being with my family while my grandmother told stories or talked about food or medicinal herbs which she loved to talk about and I could only catch glimpses of what she said.
I couldn't even have a conversation with her or ask her questions because we did not speak the same languages and I grieve for that loss.
For my family the Mandarin immersion program at Dearborn Park is not just some boutique program built for families with privilege.
It is a direct tie to our cultural heritage.
My partner and I are both lifelong teachers and know that the measure of a school is not in its state test scores but rather in the richness and cultural responsiveness of both official and unspoken curriculum.
My kindergartner's experience at Dearborn Park thus far has shown that the school is supporting him academically but more importantly supports his cultural identities.
When he Skypes with my parents they speak together in Mandarin.
Although the district has communicated that there is work in progress with the boundary changes group we have heard no actual commitment to improving our enrollment situation and even if changes do occur it may not be soon enough to save the dual immersion programs.
By the time my daughter is old enough to attend Dearborn Park the dual immersion program may be gone and I cannot emphasize.
Enough how great an impact this would be on her.
We adopted my daughter at age 19 months from northern China last year.
She is a Mandarin heritage speaker within the China adoption community.
There are countless stories from adult adoptees who talk about dealing.
Still with the trauma of family separation along with the trauma of culture loss.
Due to language loss.
Please support my daughter and her connection to her first language and culture.
Please continue to call on the district to reexamine and move the waitlist.
Please help us find a solution for our school.
Thank you.
Jose Bargas.
Paul Huber.
Isabella Poole.
Hi I'm Issa Poole.
I am a student at Hamilton International Middle School and I will be entering ninth grade at Lincoln High School this fall.
Lincoln is not offering choir as an elective.
This is a problem for two reasons.
Equity and promises from the school board.
Lincoln High School is starting up but it must be recognized that the neighborhoods of Wallingford Queen Anne half of Green Lake and the entire HCC program.
For North Seattle are feeding into it.
I checked and accepting small specialty schools like Seattle World School.
Every high school in the district has choir.
Often several choirs.
Concert.
Trouble in jazz.
Are we to be the only high school with nothing.
What would the outcry be like if instrumental music failed to be on offer.
The music program at Hamilton Middle School is stellar and the choir sequence positions the students for a continuation at the high school level.
This fact was clearly recognized as all three choir options were originally listed in the ninth grade course offerings.
So now what.
Lincoln is going to drop the choir students off a cliff.
About a week ago the choir teacher from McClure Middle School offered to hold a sort of choir club before school.
Recognizing many students have been upset.
School decided to offer a partial course credit for it.
The before school idea is not a replacement to a choir course.
It is better than nothing.
But that said many students have issues attending before or after school activities making access to this option inherently unequal.
Low attendance could result in the appearance of a lack of interest in choir which is not the case.
I'd like to hand the rest of my time to my current choir director Angela Pence.
I'm Angela Pence I've been teaching choir at Hamilton for six years.
Freshmen and sophomore students attending Lincoln who have not participated in a band or choir will not have equitable access to performing arts classes during the school day.
Performing arts is the main focus of music education in the Seattle School District with choir being offered as a class during the school day at every other non specialty high school.
Choral performance classes allow all students to participate in a low cost course that teaches lifelong musicianship.
Intro to guitar and intro to piano classes currently offered at Lincoln next year are excellent supplementary choices that students can make later in their high school career.
If choral performance is not supported and offered now as a class during the school day it will be very challenging to start in later years.
It is the responsibility of the district to make sure that all students have the opportunity to perform and collaborate with other student musicians in enriching music performance classes.
Thank you.
This concludes public testimony this evening.
Again.
Thank you.
Thank you thank you for showing up.
And telling us your truths.
It's really appreciated.
And I think it's a.
Valuable.
Way.
To communicate to the greater world out there on Channel 26 and on YouTube.
when it's rebroadcast.
We have now meet reached the point of the agenda where we are at the consent agenda.
We have reached the consent agenda.
May I have a motion for said consent agenda.
Director Burke I move approval of the consent agenda.
Director Harris Okay.
If anyone would like to remove something excuse me the second second please for the consent agenda.
Thank you.
If anyone would like to remove any items from said consent agenda speak now please.
Director Mack and then Director DeWolf.
I'd like to remove item number 4 BTA IV approval of student computer refresh to support teaching and learning and equitable access for each student district wide.
So removed and that will become number one on the action item.
Director DeWolf.
Yes I'd like to remove number 22 BEX V award construction contract K 5 1 0 9 to Wayne's Roofing.
Could you speak up please sir.
I would like to move the number 22 BEX V award construction contract K 5 1 0 9 to Wayne's Roofing Inc for the Van Asselt Elementary School at the African-American Academy roof replacement project.
OK that will be action item number two then.
Do I have a motion to move the consent agenda as amended with numbers 4 and 22 removed.
So moved as amended.
All those in favor of the consent agenda as amended please signify by saying aye.
Aye.
Aye.
OK.
We are at board comments.
Who would like to go first.
Director DeWolf then Director Mack.
Thank you.
Thank you President Harris.
First as a citizen of the Chippewa Cree Nation of Rocky Mountain Montana I want to recognize that we are on stolen indigenous land.
I'm honored to live serve and work in these Coast Salish territories the traditional land of the Muckleshoot Suquamish and the Duwamish.
I also want to thank all of the folks that came out for public comment greatly appreciate you calling us in as a district.
We we just had our.
Racial equity retreat for the board last weekend and we talked a lot about structural racism institutional racism but also about how white supremacy does show up in work culture but as well as in institutions like our Seattle Public Schools.
So thank you for calling us in and continuing to challenge us to do better.
I want to just elevate the fact that I'm still feeling very elated.
After our last month's success.
To update our.
Almost 30 year old science curriculum.
You know.
Where I work at all home we one of our theories of change is to center the people most affected by the issue and the solutions and so when we center teachers and educators.
In the solution.
The choice was easy to adopt that new science curriculum so really really grateful we had.
The success last month.
Really grateful to my colleagues Director Mack and Burke and President Harris for your incredibly insightful and hard work to bring student student and community workforce agreement task force to the executive committee this morning and for bringing it forward for approval at one of our future meetings and so thank you also to our friends at the building trades for your continued advocacy and passion for this work.
I also wanted to share some gratitude for Lisa Love and Superintendent Juneau and our student representative for.
The exciting moment we had getting to raise the trans and.
Trans pride and pride flag and recognition of LGBTQ month.
A couple of weeks ago.
You know it wasn't long ago that when I was in public schools that having a welcoming and inclusive school of.
At least.
A district like this would have been just a dream.
So thank you.
To Seattle Public Schools and the folks that organize that for making me as an LGBTQ person feel seen and visible but also for our students and our teachers and our staff and particularly.
Some of us on the board and.
Maybe a superintendent.
And I just do want to elevate again.
We had the second installment of our racial equity retreat and it was deeply moving and frankly one of the things I sat with through throughout the time together was just.
Challenging us to get comfortable being uncomfortable was deeply important to us and one of our kind of norms and so it really helped us examine our privilege and it continued refining our racial equity analysis.
But.
I think particularly as people with privilege we need to continue to spend that for good and for equity.
I'm looking forward to this Friday's Garfield High School graduation.
It's definitely one of my favorite times of year.
Last year there was a sing along on stage.
I don't know if we'll do that this year but it was.
Awesome.
And then also next week I'll be at Nova High School graduation and Seattle World School graduation.
And before I end I'm going to follow tradition here and read a poem from one of our students and part of the book is called Tomorrow I Will Whisper Your Name.
This is from a student named Ryan.
At TOPS K through 8 fifth grader and so in light of graduation season I wanted to read this and thank you for always entertaining my interest in reading these poems President Harris even though you're looking at me like you're not sucked.
Okay this one's called dreams.
Dreams are like sailboats floating in a lake waiting to catch the wind to get to grasp with strong hands an idea.
To make the dream come to life to catch the wind.
Some boats don't stop they continue to sail forward endlessly.
Some dreams don't start they fade away.
The boat I am following the dream I am following is not in reach yet but I am gaining.
Poetry is my wind.
Hope is my wind.
Empathy is my wind.
My wind is a good idea.
Hate.
Anger.
There are rocks in front of you slowing you down.
Rocks will always be there stopping people from following their dreams.
Most people stop and give up.
But some.
They persist.
They continue.
They create a new reality.
Their dream came to life.
They reached their dream.
They caught the wind.
So thank you to Ryan from TOPS K through 8 for writing that and for all of our graduates.
Congratulations.
Director Mack.
Many thanks to folks that come out and speak to us that take the time to put together.
Your thoughts because you're.
You're raising issues that we may not have thought of or we may have been thinking of and you help confirm them.
Am I not on.
Am I talking too softly.
That's not normal that I talk softly.
So my apologies.
OK good thanks.
Systemic racism is very real.
And that's one of the things that we as a board have some.
Ability to try to work on is to actually look at the structures that are in place around budgeting and all of these different things so I.
I appreciate elevating the conversation to that level.
I also want to say a big thank you for.
The.
Various.
What might seem like minor points that were brought forward on the.
Equity of technology but I actually think they're pretty big.
And I really appreciate those coming forward including.
The reality around having typing agents and teaching kids to type at an early age and how important that is if we're teaching if we're testing them.
The 20 seconds to log into the computers.
That's an issue if we don't have if we take so much time we're losing learning time.
Whether or not the Wi-Fi.
Is.
Going in and out.
That's another.
Structural problem we need to focus on.
And I especially like the Microsoft Excel comment from the student of how important it is to actually learn how to use Excel.
So.
Thank you for bringing those what seem like relatively minor points forward but I.
I think they're actually those are.
Definitely equity issues that we need to make sure get incorporated into how we roll out our programs.
I also want to thank the.
Continued advocacy around dual language and heritage speakers.
And the importance the cultural relevance of that.
And continued support for supporting those programs and continuing that forward.
I do not have.
I don't have a meeting scheduled.
It's been way too busy for me to manage to get one scheduled.
My email is always available.
We're moving into the summertime here.
Yay graduation yay end of school few more weeks.
I know my kids are like getting ready.
But we're almost done with this school year but we're not done with the work.
We'll be continuing to work over the summer on lots of good things and moving forward to next year and I'll save comments on other thoughts to the actual items.
Director Harris.
I will.
I will start by thanking the West Seattle Elementary leaders.
For.
For reminding us about the criticality of after school programs.
I can say that my kids.
My students benefited from that.
It's an it's a great experience.
I think we want to provide.
Amazing educational opportunities during the school day.
And bookending that with even more.
Is really cool.
So I. Want to thank them publicly for that.
Looking backwards some of the things that have happened since the last.
Board meeting.
I had the pleasure of joining Director Mack.
At an event which was essentially a professional development seminar around technology in schools.
That was hosted by.
The living computers.
Formerly museum now living computers.
Want to say more.
Really great conversation around.
Technology and how it how students.
Exposure and expectations are shifting.
I will say I was hoping to hear more about some of the challenges or the the risks around it.
I'll save that conversation for.
The.
The bar on that.
But I really appreciate the.
The education that we got there.
We had.
Race and equity training round 2 part 2 was really great as well.
Unfortunately I had to leave a little bit early but it was really challenging to tear myself away because it was really great.
Unfortunately we had lunch.
So that was sort of my.
My exit.
But it really helps us understand and identify.
And unpack.
The structural and institutional racism that we hear from you at as our as our imperative so know that that work is happening and keep holding us accountable for it.
I had a great meeting earlier today with our internal auditor team.
Around our work plan next year and since I'm not on.
Audit and finance.
I'm not as.
Aware of the work that's going on and I always enjoy.
That you know the great work that they do and the fact that.
We really like our employee.
Superintendent Juneau and it's nice to have another one in internal audit.
Director DeWolf mentioned our community workforce agreement conversation which we have rather than being.
Cookie cutter.
And adopting what we would consider to be a workforce agreement for the city or for the port or for the county.
We're recognizing that our role is around students and putting students first in students and community workforce agreement.
I think that conversation will continue.
We look forward to hearing from staff on how to make that successful as well.
I always want to thank our public testimony speakers.
They take their time out of their day they come here and they share their truths with us and sometimes they're painful for us.
Sometimes they're painful for you to share.
But those conversations are really critical when we really think about what we're trying to do for our kids and finding the places where we have deficiencies in our classroom.
Or our systems.
In closing I just scheduled a community meeting.
It's not confirmed yet but I have a high likelihood that it will be Green Lake Library Saturday June 22nd 330 to 5 p.m.
Other directors would be welcome if they would like to join.
And once that's confirmed I'll get that posted on the calendar.
Saturday June 22nd.
Week and a half from now.
It's in the afternoon.
Director Geary or Patu would you like to go next.
Director Geary thank you.
Thank you everybody for coming out and providing testimony.
I appreciate it all.
I.
Since our last board meeting which was I found.
Astonishingly draining.
The fight over getting curriculum for our students.
It still shocks me.
That it.
ended up to be such a battle to do something that seems so fundamental to what our role is.
I after that and I think I mentioned this in my last meeting is then I went and I visited the black prisoners caucus in Monroe and had the pleasure of sharing our strategic plan with them.
And.
It is always it's just such a powerful experience.
To be in a group of men who are so thoughtful.
About how we can make changes.
How we need to make changes.
So that.
Young black men do not end up in prison as they are.
And.
All of that thoughtfulness and eloquence.
Being unavailable.
For the most part.
And yet they work so hard to make themselves available for the improvement of our education.
So it's an incredibly powerful thing it does continue to center me around the idea of.
Having to dismantle the racism and that's why.
As I said before I think it is important that Seattle Public Schools has.
An anti-racism policy.
Something beyond the aspirational.
Words of 0 0 3 0 2. Create equity.
That is also good.
But.
We need something.
That helps us.
To systemically.
Identify and address racism when it happens.
And so.
The words of Mr. Greenberg are very powerful to me because he says this teachers are doing this work.
And that is so true.
And the principles.
Have been identified as.
Some type of a barrier.
And yet I had an experience this week where.
There are there are more barriers to the work and especially in District 3 where sometimes.
It is public schools and all kids come into our public schools and they bring with them.
Belief systems.
That are probably not shared by many of our teachers.
Some of our students.
And my daughter was confronted with somebody who unabashedly wanted to share his belief systems that she found to be.
Incredibly.
Upsetting.
Offensive.
And also you know she reported that to me and I reported it back around.
But reaching into.
To that student and into.
That family situation.
We don't have.
Guidance.
On how to do that throughout our system.
So we have many many principals.
Who when confronted with something like that have to come up with a way to instruct the teachers.
To instruct the students to talk to the families.
That's a.
Big lift.
It was it was a really.
It.
It.
Was very very challenging.
How do you tell somebody.
I can't.
Change your.
Beliefs necessarily.
But they're not welcome to be shared here because it creates unsafe.
Situation for our students.
So that's a huge lift for all of us to figure out how we create training how we create the words of policy.
To help.
With.
Administration treating.
Everybody the families the teachers the students in a way that feels respectful and keeps the community together and doesn't.
You know cause cause problems that we don't want.
For better words.
So I hear you all I hear all of the testimony trying to balance.
That.
With what we have.
The resources we have to do this work when.
The resources we are given is as if though every student shows up into a classroom in neat packages of.
Twenty three.
Ready to learn with teachers who are well trained with lots of resources ready to go.
That's how we are funded.
And so.
Anytime we are trying to ameliorate one situation or bolster it.
We have to figure out.
What of that basic education.
Where can it give.
Where can the basic the most fundamentally basic education.
Give.
So that we can boost where we see.
Somebody needs a boost.
And so.
I think it's appalling we don't have a choir teacher.
At Lincoln.
That's.
But where.
Where does that money come from.
Is that an equity issue.
Is that a fairness issue.
Is that a resource allocation issue.
So.
I appreciate everybody coming and saying you can do better you have to do better.
But then we all want to clap for the choir teacher at Lincoln High School.
We all want to clap for the family social worker.
We.
All want to do that.
It is so hard.
I share that.
But I don't give up.
It's super important.
And I hear you all and I support you all and we have to support each other more than anything.
In this work.
Because it is.
It is the support.
And the smiles and the hugs that we give ourselves and our students.
That really is going to.
Make the difference for all of us being here and doing this work.
My meetings continue to be Tuesday mornings at Soka behind the university village.
It's a group from it from 8 to 9 30. Very casual group.
People come people go.
Please come if you want to stop by and have a cup of coffee chat with a group of people who really care about education.
I invite you to do so.
Thank you.
Director Patu please.
Good evening.
As I was sitting here I'm actually.
Trying to reminisce.
All the times that I've been on this board and.
I've realized we've come a long way.
There's so many positive things.
That has been happening.
Since been on this board and.
Just enjoy the hearts and the dedication of the board directors that actually are part of this board.
Right now which is.
A really a great.
Benefit and a change since I've been on this board forever.
So when I say that I really mean what I said.
It's been a pleasure to actually to have a bunch of people up here who actually really cares.
About the kids.
And really our doers.
Who's moving things forward to make sure that our kids.
Get the best that they can for the education that they deserve.
As as I.
Think about.
The day that I'm going to be stepping down I kept saying to myself OK what am I going to do next.
And I've really realized that been on this board all those years has been.
Probably.
One of the most.
Wonderful things that I actually had did mainly for the fact because.
As someone who actually have worked in the district and seen a lot in equity.
Being on this board was really a.
Move forward for me because now when.
I look at all the things that are going on.
That there is.
A lot of equity going on because of the people that sits up here who really care.
About what happens to our children.
And when you see that happening it actually.
Makes.
Life a lot easier and make sitting on the board.
Great to be on because you have colleagues that actually.
Who really want to see great education for every student in Seattle Public School.
So.
I really am.
Sad.
When I think about stepping down.
But sometimes.
You can only do things for so long.
And let someone else take the course and.
Take you know and be able to come in and do what they can do best.
But I really appreciated the time that I've been on this board.
The support.
And just watching.
Great progress take place within the district.
Which is.
A lot more than I can say because when you work for the district for a long time and then now you're sitting on the other side.
You see progress.
And you see things change.
In a way that you've never really thought about because.
You get to see from both sides.
So I'm.
Really not only.
Pretty sad that I'm stepping down but I'm also very happy.
In other words.
That I can actually be able to.
As my granddaughter would say grandma you can finally get a life.
And be able to really.
To see.
What all the progress has been made.
I appreciate all my colleagues up here because they're all hard worker and their hearts are always in.
For the kids.
We all want to see.
Wonderful things for our children here at Seattle Public Schools.
So I want to say thank you for all your support.
I really am.
Not pretty sad and happy at the same time as I step down.
But I know you're in good hand because the people that sit up here really have the hearts and wants to make sure that all our kids at Seattle Public Schools get the best education.
So thank you for the opportunity and.
Hopefully.
Continue to see great things here at Seattle Public Schools.
Welcome.
Last but not least.
My community meeting is this Saturday.
3 to 5. The Southwest library.
As 35th and Henderson where I spent a good bit of my childhood before they tore it down and rebuilt it.
Was the only place that I could.
Cross 35th with impunity.
And the only place that I could go without having to ask and the.
Librarian.
Was very good to me and.
My mother with six kids paid one heck of a lot of fines.
And every month would go through the house.
Pick up all the books.
Get them back there and pay the fines and she figured that was just cheap rent for.
Lifelong learning.
It's lasagna day.
So come on down.
I didn't have the opportunity to make lasagna for the first two out of the three so.
I'm stuck.
My pleasure.
It's good.
It's worth coming.
And I've been lucky enough to have others of my colleagues join us.
Just tell me so that I can push somebody back if we have more than two showing up because of the open public meetings act and we have community members that bring treats and coffee as well to every meeting and I'm really proud of that because they're rowdy they're fun and you get to eat the next meeting after that is July 20th.
That's back to one in three chance of lasagna that'll be at the West Seattle library again third Saturday of the month from 3 to 5. That's in the Admiral District and the Admiral library is one of the old Carnegie original libraries that's been redone and it's it's really quite lovely.
Now the room we meet in is kind of a dank basement but still it's the company we keep.
Superintendent Juneau met mentioned that that I was able to join the superintendent's cabinet group for lunch and and their parents and unfortunately I had another engagement so I couldn't stay to watch their projects and I'm hoping that we can build some time in come fall to get some of those projects here in a board setting.
You know whether we do it by lottery or willingness or what all to share that good work because because they worked hard and and I so love the student voice because it reminds you of why you do this.
And this is a big lift and nobody's whining about the big lift but you need that shot in the arm to keep you going for another six months much like the West Seattle Elementary District 6 Principal Washington And I wasn't joking about sending the video clips to the president Congress the legislature and my friend Betsy and I'll do that one on my own dime.
My pleasure.
Congrats as well to District 6 Denny International Middle School girls volleyball team are the champs in the city.
Way to go.
Congratulations ditto that the superintendent Read out as far as our athletic.
Standard barriers and champions.
Athletics are a big part of my life.
Believe it or not I know it doesn't look like now but.
Certainly was.
Not dead yet.
Going back there.
Eventually.
But but I guess a couple of things strike me.
That we still have yet to figure out how to put unified teams.
Into our budgets.
And if we want to talk about equity we need to talk about unified.
And differently abled folks.
We also need to talk about the WAIA.
Power structure in this state.
Where we concentrate on things like football basketball baseball.
But one of the more inclusive sports club sports unified.
It is not part of the.
Part of the system.
So again I think we need to change the system.
It's a question of will.
It's a question of bandwidth.
It's a question of lobbying.
And right now.
We're making promises our wallets can't keep and we've got to find the money to do a better job.
So all ideas are welcome.
Please keep us posted.
Jolinda at South Lake High School.
Her testimony tonight.
Extraordinarily heartfelt.
I know a lot of young people who were in smaller schools because of fit issues and I am convinced we save lives every day.
In some of our smaller schools.
But I say that at the same time.
That smaller schools are more expensive to run.
And and you we.
We have to balance a budget.
And with all due respect it sucks.
There's just no nice way to say it.
We have to make very very ugly cuts.
We have to recognize that smaller schools oftentimes are far more expensive and we have to figure out how do we weight that and where is the line item that said we saved.
A child's life.
or we change the trajectory of that child's life.
Middle College High School.
Huge passion of mine.
Interagency.
Huge passion of mine.
And.
We need to have a really fulsome conversation about that.
And it's hard to do in budget meetings when everybody's pecking at you that they've got to have it.
And balancing.
Those extraordinary needs.
I.
I don't know how to get there from here.
I honestly don't.
Listening.
You know.
Send us those emails.
Show up at the board.
Work sessions.
Learn the gold book.
It's online.
Learn the purple book.
It's online.
And I might add that in most districts.
In this state and in this country.
That information is not readily accessible.
And we take hits about not being transparent but we're doing a much better job than we used to and I want props for that and for our staff that does that.
I think that's really critically important.
Washington Middle School.
Technology Access Foundation.
It is not a done deal.
Take a breath please.
This is about 2020. We are starting community engagement now.
You will be contacted you will be asked for your voice.
You will be asked for your input.
But please slow down and quit spreading rumors.
And if we haven't packaged the information in a way that is readily.
Accessible.
We'll do better.
But please slow down.
I don't want.
A terrific idea killed because of rumors and innuendo.
And it's really critical because there's great people working on this.
And again.
We need to do things differently in this district.
Last I am beyond excited and thrilled about graduations.
They're capstones.
But I'm also heartbroken.
I'm heartbroken about the people that will not be walking.
Think about that for a second.
The folks that didn't get there.
How did we lose them.
Why did we lose them.
And also let's think about.
Whether or not in the future.
It is appropriate for principals to use not walking in graduation as punitive measures.
And whether or not we need a board resolution.
Changing those practices.
I find it.
Morally repugnant.
That we are treating some of our students in that fashion.
And if I am.
Lucky enough to be here this time next year.
It will be with a resolution that takes that power out of the principal's hands.
I hope and you know with 24 credits and no funding unfunded mandate from the legislature folks it's only going to get worse.
We have extraordinary work to do.
So when we talk about equity let's put stories behind it.
Thanks, and we'll take a 15-minute break.