Seattle School Board Meeting May 5, 2021

This is Director Hampson.

I'm now calling the May 5th 2021 Regular Board Meeting to order at 330 p.m.

This meeting is being recorded.

I would like to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people.

I'd also take like to take this time to acknowledge that this is murdered Mississinni and Indigenous women and girls day Awareness Day and week.

And I'd like to take this time to make a few comments about that before we move on to the next items on our agenda.

Our American Indian Studies and Native Education Department have put together a set of resources on our on the American Indian Studies page.

And so I'd encourage folks to take a look at that.

There are.

You can take pictures of videos of your acknowledgement of May 5th which is today being murdered and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls Awareness Day.

Especially notable is to wear red in doing so and take pictures and video and send it to our American Indian Resource Librarian Rachel Kressel.

And you can go to our website and as well as the Indian Law Resource Center's 2021 Week of Action and the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center also has some tremendous resources.

One of the things that you'll see on our site thank you to Gail Morris and team for for putting that together is the proclamation from the the White House and I wanted to just read a couple of facts about why this is so important at this time related to the disproportionality of violence and sexual assault on of Indigenous women of Native women and and why this is such a critical critical date.

And it's a it's a heavy time to note this but it's also a time of important empowerment for our Native communities to take time To not let this this the disproportionality continue to go unnoticed to allow our people in our communities to continue to be erased.

And some of the the key notes over 80 percent of Native women have experienced violence.

Nearly 60 percent have experienced sexual assault.

And 96 percent of those assaults come at the hands of a non-Native perpetrator.

There's a there are resource guides as I said that are available through the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.

The Lakota People's Law Project and many of these resources are on our website.

And I'll just note that one of our fellow board member in Spokane Jenny Slagle whose family as many of ours have been directly impacted by this these structural issues that and systemic failures that have allowed these this disproportionality to go unremarked upon for for so many decades has given some has really been a torchbearer for this movement as a school director and as a proponent for Native women's health and On this at this time when we have the opportunity to to pay attention to how we educate our thanks to new state law on sex education we have the opportunity to broaden the scope of how we educate our student communities around sexual health and sexual assault which are critical components of how we can prevent these types of things from happening in our communities in our in our schools and particularly with the additional layer of race and ethnicity that has become really kind of a it is a daily conversation that we are dealing with.

If you look up Jenny Slagle and the work that she does she's a member of the Yakima tribe and board member in Spokane and she's done some incredible advocacy work and represented really effectively the ways in which this is a particularly impactful or particularly remarkable thing and not in a good way here in the state of Washington where the you know Native people represent you know some 2 percent of the population but 14 percent of the of the people that are that are missing.

So I'd like to invite Director DeWolf to say a few words as well if he would like to.

Yeah.

Thank you President Hampson.

I today is as President Hampson said today is a really important day.

to draw some awareness to the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women across our country and in our own communities.

And so I just wanted to share some statistics to really ground us and what this actually means to the people who are who experience this harm and the families and the communities that are dealing with the aftermath of these traumas.

So Indigenous women and girls are murdered at 10 times higher than all other races and ethnicities.

Murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women.

More than 4 out of 5 Indigenous women have experienced violence.

Around 84.3 percent.

More than half Indigenous women experience sexual violence.

Indigenous women are 1.7 times more likely to than Anglo-American women to experience violence.

The murder rate of Indigenous women is three times higher than Anglo-American women.

And I only share these because these numbers these statistics are not just dots on a page or a graph but these are real stories and lives of Native people across this country.

And a loss of one is too many and we feel the loss of one but As of 2016 the National Crime Information Center reported 5,712 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

That's a lot of people when you consider that we represent such a small proportion of the population across the whole country.

So I thank President Hampson for bringing this forward today.

This is a really important day for for this conversation.

I'm excited we can honor and observe and bring awareness to it.

And I know that we have some ideas and some plans in store for how to support the district in conversations around sexual assault sexual violence towards all of our students.

I look forward to bringing the experience and the wisdom from the MMIW movement into that to inform and strengthen that work moving forward.

So thank you for that.

And thanks for letting me speak.

Yeah and I just wanted to give one last note.

We have some we've had some incredible local work on the on the issue here and less people think that this is a something that happens nationally or something that happens outside of Seattle.

Seattle actually represents in a report that was that was done by the Urban Indian Health Institute that was put out here that's that's based here in Seattle.

Seattle has a disproportionate disproportionate number of is disproportionately high in terms of the number of missing murdered Indigenous women and girls cases that that occur.

And so it's something that is it's a it's a type of violence.

and a type of racism that is integral to kind of the origins of this country.

And it has resounding impacts on the dehumanization far beyond our Native communities in terms of how it is so easy for folks in this society to de- dehumanize not just Native women but to dehumanize Native people and then moreover to dehumanize to dehumanize our Black brothers and sisters as we are seeing every single day in in tragic ways.

And and so this is an opportunity and a time to really get very familiar with kind of some of that the origins of of this psychology and what it is that we can do to to push forward and show our our children that there is another way and to hold up our our sisters and our our children and promise them that that we will not allow them to become statistics that are that are so disproportionately represented in such tragic ways.

And you know violent death is the number one cause of death for Native youth in this state.

And and so we can't talk about the mental health of students and hold up the impact on Native students and then not pay attention to to those types of statistics.

So I'm so my gratitude to Jenny and everybody who was out there sharing their stories and the all of the advocates and activists that have have made this a national story because it is part of our national psyche and history and the healing the healing starts right here with us talking about it and learning about it.

So thank you for allowing me to take that executive privilege to bear some light on that.

And at 10 o'clock in the morning on Saturday if anybody wants to join me and some others that are running in honor of missing murdered Indigenous women and girls at Magnuson Park at 10 o'clock.

Some friends and I will be doing a little a little walk-run in coming together in solidarity in honor of this time of of raising awareness.

Okay so let me get back to the agenda.

And Ms. Wilson's will you do the roll call please.

Director DeWolf present.

Director Dury present.

Director Harris present.

Vice President Hersey here.

Director Rankin here.

Director Rivera-Smith present.

And President Hampson here.

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

As we begin this meeting I would also like to welcome Fartun Dharif who is joining us as the student representative from Chief Sealth International High School today.

We will we will be hearing from Fartun later in the meeting as well as fellow Chief Sealth student.

I'm going to try really hard to get this correct.

Ziara Holiday.

Did I get that right Ziara.

Who will.

Great.

Who will be leading off our testimony list.

This meeting is being held remotely consistent with the Governor's Proclamation on Open Public Meetings.

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

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

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

Okay.

Today we welcome Interim Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones back to Seattle Public Schools.

I know my fellow directors want to take a moment to welcome Dr. Jones and I will lead off with some comments.

I I feel a bit selfish in the amount of time and opportunity that I've had to speak about Dr. Jones.

His impact historically in Seattle Public Schools in community.

His commitment to Seattle Public Schools.

And I just want to take this time to say that I could not be more elated and enthusiastic about what the future holds for our students and the opportunity that comes with Dr. Jones in this critical moment.

His willingness to to come and help us create I should say recreate Seattle Public Schools as the learning organization that it needs to be.

We spoke last night at length about what it is that we need to do as board leaders and how we need to build a relationship with our executive office to ensure that we are modeling and behaving in the most appropriate way that that demonstrates and causes the organization to to learn how to solve the problems that our that our students and our families deal with in our buildings every day.

And I know he doesn't have a magic wand.

I'm sure that he wishes he did.

But what I know he does have is in bringing to that work is tremendous compassion dedication willingness to put in hard hard work.

Willingness to be fully in community with our families with our not just our students and our and our families But with our voters and you know the the the owners as we talked about last night in our in our meeting.

And I'm excited.

I'm just excited to be able to do this work.

And and I know that he is is building up a team that's going to get us back in in buildings in the fall with a level of excitement and commitment that that I hope is felt by by everyone and we'll know we're doing a good job if in fact it is felt by everyone throughout the system.

So I could I could go on forever and and talk about the ways in which I think that that he's the the right person for this job at this time.

But I will turn it over to Director Hersey to to see if he would like to say a few words next.

and then open it up to other directors for for for comments.

Director Hersey.

Yeah absolutely.

And so as a teacher I'm going to start this off with a story right.

And this story actually took place earlier today when Dr. Jones and I got to share some space on the State of Black Student Genius call that was organized by community queen Emijah Smith.

And we had the honor of sharing space with the brilliance of Dr. Mia Williams Dr. Scarlett Brother Delbert Richardson and many others from the community and from various education spaces.

And I got to tell you the energy that was just even on that Zoom call was magnetic.

It just lifted.

everybody up in a way that was really not only accessible for folks who were tuning in but also just really reassuring for everyone on the call that we that we it is not lost on us the opportunity in the moment that we are standing in.

We have the triangulation that's necessary I believe for the beginnings of really holding our system accountable and moving us to a direction to where we're going to be able to actually reach some pretty serious academic outcomes for our students and be able to measure that as well.

And so I will just say as a Black man as an educator as a person who has given the better part of their youth to supporting children.

It is an honor to watch Dr. Jones work and to be able to to look to him for leadership in so many various capacities.

And I think that what we as a system are really lucky to have in Dr. Jones is just clarity vision and understanding for what it is our students are going through.

the willingness to sit in community and to to really sink his teeth into the hard problems while not being out front and looking for for accolades in any real way.

And so what I I'll end with this.

I think that as we are heading back into our buildings in a more normal way as opposed to what we have been over the past year It brings me a lot of peace comfort and reassurance that we are going to be heading forward with a superintendent and board that are locked arms steadfast in the interest of getting getting it done for students.

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

I can't sing enough praises for Dr. Jones and I'm excited to continue the work and to to realize new goals for our children.

Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

I'll be brief.

I I'll just will say when I first joined the board at the end of 2017 Dr. Jones was one of the first people I got to connect with and we developed a really great working relationship really centered on some of the most important issues facing our district.

And so I think it is quite fitting that today we are having a vote on Policy 2190 and I'm I just look forward to a new era of Seattle Public Schools under the leadership of Dr. Brent Jones.

Dr. excuse me Director Hersey.

Someday Dr. Hersey and Vice and President Hampson can can certainly share many of the things around Dr. Brent Jones's vision.

And I know I'm excited to have him here but I think what's most exciting for me is his clear commitment to students and really centering the students that are furthest from educational justice and building the team and the structures to effectively operationalize that.

And I look forward to my last few months here on the board serving with Dr. Brent Jones.

I know he's going to be an incredible leader for us.

Leading us through some wild times but I am very excited to be a part of this time in South Public Schools story.

And just hands up to you Dr. Jones.

I'm looking forward to making some some good change and good impact on behalf of our students who need it the most.

I can go next.

Go ahead.

Yeah.

Thank you.

So for everybody watching if you were to look at board policy 1005 which outlines our responsibilities and authority of the board you're probably surprised how short it is.

But one of the most fundamental parts of that is our job of hiring a superintendent.

And I know that Dr. Jones is only said to be with us for one year but what a year it's going to be right.

This is going to be a very pivotal year and the work that he is charged with and the inevitable mark he will leave on our district will be felt throughout the system and for years to come.

So welcome home Dr. Jones Superintendent Jones and thank you on behalf of District 2 for stepping up to help fulfill that promise of a high quality world-class education that all of our students deserve.

Thank you.

I'm happy to go next President Hampson.

Absolutely.

Take it away Dr. Harris.

My pleasure.

Dr. Jones welcome back.

I promised you best efforts and best efforts you'll get from me.

And you owe me a walk around Green Lake.

Those that have been fortunate enough to serve with Dr. Jones knows that he's real.

That knows that he's smart.

That knows that he works from the heart and the head.

And I think one of the things I'm most impressed with is that he has hired a deputy which I think has been missing.

And the fact that his deputy used to be his boss at King County Metro and is willing to come work in partnership with him bodes very very well for us.

And I can't wait to meet Mr. Gannon as well.

Thank you.

Go ahead Director Rankin.

Okay I'll just keep it short.

Welcome.

Welcome back.

Welcome home Superintendent Jones.

That word thinking about home and belonging and the statement that you sent out to the community upon taking office is resonating with me in a whole bunch of different ways seeing that we are focusing as a district on warm and welcoming environments and schools.

And that we have spent all of us have spent spent the last 13 months 14 months in in our homes if we're fortunate enough to have homes to be in.

And I'm just thinking about a lot about what it means that your return to home and all of us being committed to giving students a sense of belonging and a sense of home when they walk into our buildings.

And the kind of quiet power that there is in that is that we don't we have a pretty a pretty direct mandate I feel from the community in the form of the strategic plan in the form of who's been elected to serve and represent the community in this board.

And and so we don't need a big bold new you know splashy vision or program we just need to really dig in and commit and work to make our students feel welcome and accepted that they find a place that they belong.

And you know I wouldn't have chosen any of the events of the past year but things are coming together in a way that is giving me some some calm.

And I'm just I'm really pleased to be part of welcoming you back home to Seattle Public Schools and hope that we can extend that sense of belonging and relief to every child and educator in our system.

So I'm really excited and thank you so much for being willing to jump in at this time for a short time.

Really really appreciate it and I'm really happy to be going forward with you.

Okay Director Dury go ahead.

Thank you.

Yeah I just wanted to say that I'm really excited to get working with you Dr. Jones.

I've really appreciated the few conversations we've had in my short time here as well and your vision and direction and dedication to the students and the community.

That was clear in every communication that I've seen from you and that I've had with you and I really look forward to doing the work and getting that reconstruction done and also ditto what the other directors have said.

So thank you for coming on and working with us and I look forward to see what we're doing what we're going to do.

Okay.

Well just one more time I want to say officially welcome Dr. Brent Jones back to as everyone has said I love that everybody's welcoming you back home to Seattle Public Schools.

And we're going to do everything that we can to support you and make this and show everyone that Seattle Public Schools can in fact and will have a successful board-superintendent relationship.

We're going to you and I are going to model that.

And then whoever's president next year will will be doing the same and all of us collectively as as board because you and I both know that we can we can do this.

So thank you.

Turn the gavel over to you to give us your superintendent comments.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate the comments.

I'm ready to serve.

Thank you again for really being focused as a board and supportive of the right things.

One of the reasons I came on board is because you all have taken very courageous yet informed stances.

You are united in your desire to improve the system for each and every student.

That makes it an opportune time to be here.

SPS is a place where long time ago as a student I was a part of a movement to desegregate schools and ultimately bring educational justice to this region.

And now we're actually national leaders on the forefront of racial equity and educational justice.

Our commitments our policy our strategic plan is is impressive by all standards.

To complement that we have really been intentional about creating welcoming environments.

It's another super attractive piece for us together working at SPS.

We are one of the first districts to implement targeted universalism and have an educational justice policy.

And we have a community-driven strategic plan to bring that all together.

Now we actually have a golden opportunity to really center on how we do our governance around student-focused outcomes.

This allows us to be specific and results-oriented around our key priorities.

Ultimately our goal is to build trust and accountability with our family and community.

This transformation is is very exciting.

So as we close out this year and bring back students in the fall I'm looking forward to continuing this tremendous work.

I am in this with you 100 percent and I look forward to carrying out the community vision and values that we've been talking about.

I have an experienced and talented senior cabinet team that knows how to get things done.

They keep us focused on matching our resources to our priorities.

They ensure our schools are ready to receive students.

They lead meaningful and relevant engagement.

They provide visionary instructional leadership that keeps us focused on what is possible.

And together we're creating the conditions to ensure our students' well-being.

And I'd be absolutely remiss in not mentioning my extreme appreciation for our dedicated unparalleled unsurpassed educators during this Teacher Appreciation Week.

Our educators have been key to our success.

And finally to our principals our principal corps Thank you for keeping our building safe welcoming and ready for students.

I'm ready to support all of you in meaningful ways to try to stay relevant at all times.

And with gratitude I accept this assignment to lead and be led by you.

So without further ado let's get to work and I want to show huge debt of gratitude to our board our staff our students and families and I'm just super super glad to be here.

Thank you so much.

Awesome.

And I'm going to take one more.

We're going to go next to our students and I'm going to take one more bit of executive privilege to acknowledge somebody who contributed heavily to our Native student population here in Seattle Public Schools.

And I just want to read something very quickly because we did have in our community a loss and it's really important to the Native community that we acknowledge this this loss.

Mark Smith-Groventra was the cultural leader for Native Education Culture Nights for the past 6 years.

He taught big drum pow wow and singing for the Native Ed Program and was a mentor for Native students in SPS.

Mark was also part of and one of the founders of Song Catchers White Eagle and Two Birds Big Drum.

Mark shared his gifts as a singer with students in SPS and the Native American East Side Program.

Mark was a beloved teacher and powwow singer loved by many nationwide and leader in our community as well.

He is survived by Michella Brianne Crow also a culture leader for the Native Ed program.

He will be sorely missed.

I know that that our students benefit from so many volunteers like him in our system and we never have enough time to recognize them and we And they really are as we recognize all of our teachers this week that we also take time to recognize those teachers that are from our communities and from our cultures because I know that they are critical to to us as well and they are in fact in that category of teachers.

So thank you for sharing that with me.

Gail Morris Director of Native Ed so that I could pay him appropriate tribute.

And now again to student comments I would like to welcome Chief Sealth International High School student Fartun Darif.

Fartun is a sophomore at Chief Sealth High School at school.

She's a member of the Associated Student Body and Black Student Union.

Good afternoon everyone.

I'm proud to be a part of this meeting and to be representing Chief Sealth International High School.

I'm currently a part of the Black Student Union and ASB here at South.

I joined ASB in order to grow as a leader and work with my peers to shed light on important issues within the community.

I also joined BSU in order to reflect on injustices that happen to people of color.

I'm generally proud to be a part of my school's community as all the staff and students are truly connected.

I am personally doing school remotely as it works better for me though I've talked to some of my peers and they they've mentioned that in-person school has been going okay for them.

As a student I feel like our voices should be heard since a lot of these changes are directly affecting us.

I find it important for our students inputs to be heard as well.

With COVID it has been difficult with the new adjustments to our learning environment.

The recent rescheduling has impacted a lot of us since it has been somewhat chaotic.

With the multiple changes it has been hard adapting to them.

However as a closed school community I strongly believe we can push through these hardships by listening to each other and taking feedback from everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you so very much for being here today and sharing your your thoughts with us.

And I hope you'll stay and please do raise your hand if you have would like to contribute at any point during the question session as we run as we go through the agenda.

We've now reached the consent portion of today's agenda.

May I have a motion for the consent agenda.

Yes indeed.

I move for approval of the consent agenda.

Second.

Approval of the consent agenda has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

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.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

The consent agenda has passed unanimously.

We have now we will now be taking public testimony by teleconference as stated on the agenda.

For any speakers watching through SPS-TV please call in now to ensure you are on the phone line when your name is called.

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

We'll summarize some important parts of this procedure.

First testimony testimony will be taken from those individuals called from our public testimony list and if applicable the waiting list which are included on today's agenda posting on the school board website.

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

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

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

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

If a speaker cedes time to a later speaker on the testimony list or waiting list the person to whom time was ceded will not be called to provide testimony again later in the meeting as there is only one speaking slot per person.

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

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

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

Thank you President Hampson.

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

When you hear your name called please be sure you have unmuted on your device and then also Press star-6 to unmute yourself on the conference call line.

Each speaker will have a 2-minute speaking time and a chime will sound when your time is exhausted.

The next speaker will then be called.

First on it in today's testimony list is Zariyara apologies if you could if I mispronounce her names it would be helpful too if you might want to correct it when you begin speaking.

Apologies I will try here.

Zariyara Holliday is our first speaker on today's list.

Good afternoon.

My name is Zyara Holiday and today the issue I wanted to speak about not necessarily issue but what I wanted to use this time to bring to your attention is the lack of resources I think for parents who have students that are being put in special ed programs.

I want to say that the resources for parents like we need more resources for parents because majority of them don't know like how to respond to schools when they request that students be tested for special ed or be placed in special ed and they don't know how they can support their kids at school as well as in the classroom.

And I think I want to specifically pay attention to kids that are placed in special ed under the label of like emotional disturbance and learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities because obviously if a child is blind you can tell if they're deaf you can tell if they have a speech impediment you can tell.

But and those issues are something that the parents can handle hands-on.

But I'm when it comes to like learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities sometimes it's not something you can see.

And it's only often acknowledged in the classroom and left unchecked outside of school because parents aren't given ways to support their children so it's consistent like in your home and at school which I believe would be more beneficial to the children.

And we need these resources for parents so they know how to respond when a school reaches out saying they want to test a kid for a reading disability or anything of that nature.

We need resources so parents can understand what their child is being tested for what the outcome will be how their school will how their school schedule will change et cetera and stuff like that.

And like parents should know beforehand what this will entail before we are just like placing these labels on these children because parents know their kids better than anyone.

And we should be consulting more like consult just the communication I feel needs to be better between the parents and the school so the children can have consistent and similar support within the school and their homes.

Thank you.

Thank you so very much.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next on today's testimony list is Madeline Jones.

Madeline Jones.

Hi.

Go ahead Madeline.

I will be speaking about the HCC program specifically the new policy number 2190. The HCC program needs to be abolished not reformed or restructured.

It needs to be abolished.

The program was built for White families and to this day still is still directed towards advancing White students.

Otherwise you would see more diversity in the program.

No policy will recognize the brilliance of all students regardless of race identity religion disability et cetera.

On top of that Santa Monica Schools still plans to use standardized testing to get into the H-E-C slash Advanced Learning Program.

No standardized test can determine who has potential and who doesn't.

Instead it caters to wealthy students who have resources to help them advance leaving students who come from working-class families not getting the treatment they need as well.

Instead of accounting the needs instead of accounting the needs of every student or no policy can change or erase the racist history of the program.

Students need to be catered to equally.

If Santa Fe School is going to claim to be anti-racist we need to see it happen by making more inclusive environment for all students and recognizing the brilliance of all students.

Thank you.

Thank you Ms Wilson-Jones.

Next is Clifford Meyer.

Clifford Meyer.

Thank you.

And hey welcome Superintendent Jones.

I am the parent of students at Washington Middle School and Garfield High School.

Go Bulldogs.

I'm here to speak about Board Policy 29 as well.

Members today you are seeking to start righting the past wrongs in the way students have been identified for highly capable services.

For so many years our district has ignored thousands of students of color who need the learning and support that are provided by authentic HC services.

However this new policy 2190 doesn't ensure that identified students will get the opportunities they deserve.

The proposed dispersal of HC students means 104 HC schools.

I see new requirements placed on teachers and buildings with virtually no new resources.

Will 104 schools handle these new responsibilities.

I don't know but I am happy to see that the board is seeking to strengthen the accountability that families hope to see in the new version of this program.

I do support strong and extensive evaluation that will enable the board and the district staff to really understand whether upcoming pilot programs and then perhaps permanent programs can replace the current system.

That reporting must not only come from numbers sent to district headquarters.

Please please be sure that the district also begins an annual demographically inclusive survey of families students teachers and principals to ensure that all voices are heard.

as the district moves forward with broader HC services.

Board members please let's not let down thousands more students.

Thank you very much.

Next for public testimony is Chris Jackins.

Chris Jackins.

My name is Chris Jackins.

Box 84063 Seattle 98124. On the personnel report.

Welcome back to new Superintendent Brent Jones and new Chief Human Resources Officer Noel Treat.

On the West Seattle Elementary parcel exchange.

Five points.

Number one the appraisal was to be made public by April 23rd.

Number two now the district is refusing to make the appraisal public until after the land swap is approved.

Number 3. This makes you look crooked.

Number 4. Who made this decision.

Number 5. Please reverse it.

On the Leschi project.

Two points.

Number 1. During environmental review the hearing examiner recommended investigating seismic safety issues at the site.

Number 2. The district rejected this recommendation.

Please reverse this decision.

On amending board policy 2190 highly capable services.

Four points.

Number 1. Superintendent Jones has reason to know that the district has routinely eliminated programs it felt incapable of improving.

Closing Meany Middle School Summit K-12 the African-American Academy and Indian Heritage High School.

Such actions don't solve the issues they hide them.

Number two statistics show that most Black and African-American students are excluded from the program.

Number three statistics also show that 87 percent of white students are excluded from the program.

Number four the board needs to face the public in-person and take an in-person vote.

Please vote no.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next next for testimony is Brian Terry.

Brian Terry.

Good evening and welcome Dr. Jones.

Please support the proposed changes to school board policy 2190. In our district today a White student is six times more likely than a Black student to be identified as highly capable.

We often place the mostly White classrooms if this creates next to mostly Black neighborhood classrooms propagating White supremacy culture and hurting all of our students.

Delivering advanced learning services to highly capable students constitutes a basic education.

By excluding almost all highly capable Black students from our program we are denying them a basic education.

We have spent many years and multiple task forces engaging families of highly capable students to determine the best way to expand the program.

The proposed changes to 2190 are the culmination of this work.

But serving a greater diversity of highly capable students will present new challenges.

We must hold the district accountable for identifying students equitably and for ensuring that all new service model that the new service model meets the academic and social emotional needs of all of our highly capable students especially those excluded from the program today.

And we must also hold the district accountable for delivering advanced learning services in a way that does not propagate White supremacy culture.

Please approve the proposed amendments to 2190 so we can start to deliver a basic education to all of our highly capable students.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Manuela Slye.

Manuela Slye.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Good afternoon.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you Manuela.

My name is Manuela Sly.

I'm a proud parent of a West Seattle High School student and athlete.

I'm also the current President of Seattle Council PTSA and I serve as a member of the Highly Capable and Racial Equity Services Advisory.

I'm here today to express my firm support to rename and amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs.

More importantly I fully support the amendment submitted yesterday by Director Rankin.

To fulfill the promise to continue to offer highly capable and advanced learning opportunities for all students at their neighborhood schools we can only leave it to chance or empty promises.

We need accountability.

We need to ensure there's a system and specific division accountable to deliver services to our children.

Whether it is curriculum and instruction or continued school improvement plan or whoever is designated accountability is key.

Thank you Director Rankin for your amendment.

Finally I want to take a moment to welcome Dr. Jones back to Seattle Public Schools.

There's a lot of work to do on behalf of our students and families.

and it will take collaboration to get the job done.

As president of the largest student and family advocacy organization in this district I am committed to work with you and your team.

I look forward to hosting Dr. Jones and our school communities tomorrow Thursday May 6th from 630 to 8 p.m.

for a lively conversation.

Meeting details and Zoom link can be found at our website www dot Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Michelle Graham.

Michelle Graham.

Michelle Graham.

Can you.

We could hear you for a moment there Michelle.

Michelle Graham.

If you're speaking we can't hear you.

You may need.

Oh we can hear you now.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you Michelle.

Sorry.

Hi I'm the parent of a 6th grader at Washington Middle School speaking on 2190. I want to express support for the work that SPS is doing to ensure that it stops upholding systemic and institutional racism.

I support eliminating the highly capable cohorts once there's a replacement set of systems and structures in place.

I support the proposed changes to Policy 2190 that will provide all students in need of highly capable services with equitable access to academically challenging and appropriate services in their neighborhood schools.

But I am here today to ask you why this is not happening now in the 6th grade at Washington Middle School In January 2020 the board approved the implementation of a blended service model for WMS as 2190 will in all schools.

The board approved the elimination of the cohort at Washington Middle School not the elimination of HC services as both Sherri Kokx and SPS Legal Counsel testified before you.

Eight months into this school year teachers admin and the Advanced Learning Office are unable to identify what the HC services being provided are at Washington Middle School.

There appears to be no service delivery framework in place.

There exists no means to hold the school accountable.

There is no MPSS for these students.

There is no continuum of service services.

There is no access to services for students who need them.

Prior to voting to approve the proposed changes to 2190 and embarking on your proactive messaging plan the district must confront and address the elimination of services in the 6th grade at Washington Middle School which was not approved and resolve these issues to regain family trust.

The proposal before you does not include an implementation plan or timeline for middle school.

Washington Middle School is your pilot program.

Will SPS commit to working to making Washington Middle School a successful for all model for all providing students with access to high quality engaging and differentiated learning.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next for testimony is Sabrina Burr.

Sabrina Burr.

Sabrina Burr.

It looks like you are unmuted on the conference call line.

Sabrina are you there.

Okay moving to the next speaker.

Jarrett Kishner.

Jarrett Kishner.

Or Garrett.

Garrett.

Garrett.

Apologies.

Are you there Garrett.

I don't see the phone number that Garrett provided so I'm moving to the next speaker Jeff Clark.

Jeff Clark.

And if I have called your name you may need to press star-6 to unmute.

Do we have with us Jeff Clark.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Yes.

Jeff Clark and Garrett Kishner are both principals in Seattle Public Schools so they could also just call it you could give them an alternative it'd be nice to give them a little extra support.

So they can take the opportunity.

We can come back to it too.

I will come back through at the end.

Next on our testimony list is Margaret J. Monseroff.

Margaret J. Monseroff.

We can hear you Margaret.

Hi.

Can you hear me now.

Yes.

Okay great.

Welcome Dr. Jones and thank you directors.

My name is Margaret Monstroff parent of two kids educated by Seattle Public Schools currently serving on the Highly Capable Racial Equity Services Advisory which followed up on the design of the Advanced Learning Task Force to create equitable advanced learning in the school.

I'm concerned today not with the changes to Policy 2190 which is part of a bold vision to transform Seattle Public Schools education into an environment where every learner has their specific needs met.

My concerns are that as this vision is moving very slowly toward an as-yet-undefined implementation design cognitively atypical kids of any race gender or ability are not having their needs met in the gap between old world and new.

As part of this committee and over 14 months of work There have been no concrete procedural or practice recommendations put forth for our vote which was our main task and only one policy 2190. Committee members struggled to get requests met in order to do our job.

Requests for things like more information more details complete data adequate time to review information in advance of meetings adequate time for discussion versus watching presentations or answers on how success will be measured.

We lack a clear delineation of the schedule for what supports have been discontinued and what will replace them even as we know that specific changes are already underway.

Individuals and whole school teams have disengaged from the committee dramatically over the last 14 months and especially in the last 4 to 5 months.

I know I feel distressed about the lack of transparency and arm's-length treatment of members.

As you go forward to oversee this and any other work claiming to have community engagement I urge you to ask for clear information on who and how many are engaged and how their feedback has been utilized and even how the health of the engagement is being monitored.

Thanks so much.

I want to go back to Sabrina Burr.

Is that Sabrina.

Yeah.

Can you hear me.

We can.

Go ahead Sabrina.

Good evening.

First of all I want to start off by welcoming Dr. Jones back home.

And I want to thank you for leaving a job that served you well for a job that served students in our community well.

So it's going to be a pleasure to work with you again and to get Seattle Public Schools back on track and to be the Seattle Public Schools family that you talk about so often in actualization.

I want to talk about Policy 2190 and I am for the amendments on it and I ask the board to vote yes.

Many generations of my family my oldest sister was a horseman student that got targeted when they found out she started school at 4 because she was an advanced learner.

She never made it in any high capable program.

It's the same for her daughter who went into school reading and a graduate of Garfield for 1993. But a teacher at Garfield said you're too smart and put her in the highly capable program.

She was a neighborhood girl that they didn't see her during the school time.

She has a daughter who's about to graduate from Grambling University next year.

She's a brilliant young person that never tested in that came into Seattle Public Schools as well reading chapter books.

She has three the same niece.

Has three daughters at South Shore.

Came into Dearborn Park.

Two of them 18 months apart reading chapter books.

Didn't test in.

But they're brilliant.

We have to stop this.

We have to make sure children can test in where they're brilliant.

I do a family engagement training and I ask people if you have an IEP that helped you to get the skills to be who you were created to be you would be amazed by the professional people who look at their education as a deficit because they weren't seen as their whole people.

The purpose of education is to see our children as whole people and to give them the tools to thrive in who they were created to be.

Thank you Dr. Petrozza and the committee for all this work.

But we need to get equity and this will do it for us.

Thank you so much for all the work on it.

But we have to make this an actualization for our students and families.

Thank you.

Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Next is Rahel Tesfahun.

Rahel Tesfahun.

Hello.

We can hear you.

Hello.

Yes.

This is Derek Kishner.

Oh perfect.

Oh.

Please go ahead and Rahel we'll come back to you after this.

Great.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

My name is Derek Kishner.

I'm the principal at Genesee Hill Elementary and Director's And I'm so happy to say Superintendent Jones I really appreciate this opportunity to share my perspective on Policy 2190. As a longtime administrator in Seattle Public Schools and as a teacher with 7 years of experience in the QUEST program in the Lake Washington School District I believe that 2190 gives a critical mandate to neighborhood attendance area schools to strengthen our practice to differentiate instruction and support every student.

Just like we have come so far from the days when Teachers told me they could not meet the needs of a student who is struggling to read.

So we need so we needed to test and needed to pull them out to a specialist.

We have also moved beyond the time when teachers would meet with parents and say your child is and I should say certain parents and say your child is so far ahead so bored and we can't serve her here she should get tested to see if she can go to that other school.

As long as that other school and barriers of testing exist that element of doubt will always exist in parents' minds and frankly teachers' resolve to differentiate and meet the needs of every student.

At Genesee Hill we have been very successful at recognizing the many different ways that students are advanced and rearranging schedules and flexible groupings to address their needs.

Our second grade team for example moves kids around every Friday to group students differently by need in both reading and math.

Our intermediate grade students learn math in a comprehensive walk-to-math program that drives instruction based on need and supplements advanced study in math in time to qualify a third of our 5th graders every year for Math 7 going into Madison.

Mostly our flexible small groupings of students at every grade gives us a structure for students teacher planning around differentiated curriculum and instruction not just the more work given to advanced students a generation ago.

With the mandate you can give today with 2190 we need to drive professional development in diverse instructional practice materials resources and flexibility that grows the skills of educators at each school for delivering advanced learning whenever a student needs it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Ms.

Wilson-Jones.

Next for testimony going back to Rahel Tesfahun.

Rahel Tesfahun.

Rahel if you're on the line you may need to press star-6 to unmute.

Moving to our next speaker Rose Bellini.

Rose Bellini.

Hello.

Go ahead Rose.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

Good afternoon.

Dr. Jones welcome.

I want to thank you for your statement this week indicating that you are planning for a full-time return to school this fall and your recognition that communication is essential.

SPS absolutely owes families a crystal clear communication around goals and intentions for the fall.

I am not alone in noticing that the words full-time were not paired with the words in-person.

Thus far we have not seen a board agenda that indicates there is planning underway.

Families have lost trust.

So I want to say to you as clearly as I can.

Anything short of five days all day of on-site in-person school with a teacher in the room this fall is unacceptable for my family and represents a continued failure visited on my child.

To the board.

I know that hashing out the specific details of a fall school plan is not your job.

But here's the thing.

It is your job to set vision elevate goals and track progress and deliverables.

Today I want to take issue with the board's apparent lack of curiosity.

for uttering the word no rather than how.

For not searching for what can be done rather than crossing off what you cannot.

For not seeking creative collaborative ways to get to yes.

Imagine this.

SPS and the board make a joint public statement.

It says we intend to reopen schools fully in-person in the fall and we are committed to bargaining for it.

Health and Safety Guidelines state we can open schools and we will.

The statement could acknowledge that students returning to classrooms is important to our entire city.

Employers need their employees at work.

The burden of school closures on women must end.

Children are struggling with mental health and SPS families have made great sacrifices on behalf of the greater community of Seattle.

But the statement could also make clear that partnership is needed to fulfill the commitment you are making.

Perhaps you ask for help solving the problems you perceive whether they are extra space different classroom furniture storage tents or whatever.

Is SPS and this board prepared to do this on behalf of our children.

And if not why not.

There is motivation across our city to be harnessed and I ask you to do what it takes to ensure a full-time in-person return to school in the fall.

I ask you to step up and lead.

The challenges in front of you are not insurmountable.

Thank you.

Next for testimony is Laura Pomernacki.

Laura Pomernacki.

Laura Pomernacki.

Laura Pomernacki you may need to press it looks like you were just unmuted and you may now be muted again.

If you could press star-6 now.

And then go ahead and make sure you're unmuted on your phone as well.

Hello.

We can hear you.

We can hear you.

Thank you.

Early in this pandemic Seattle Public Schools pledged to follow the science when it came to decision making regarding school safety.

And despite the fact that multiple studies have shown that schools are in fact safe our children are still not offered the opportunity for full-time in-person learning.

It is well-documented that for the majority of students remote learning is nowhere near comparable to the classroom setting.

For those who claim it has allowed them to circumvent uncomfortable situations on school grounds such as bullying anxiety and racism I would ask were it not for a global health emergency would remote learning really be our solution to these problems.

There is no denying that these concerns exist along with a myriad of other issues that plague our public education system.

But we would sell all of our children short by not addressing these problems directly.

In fact I would go so far as to say that even offering a remote option in the fall perpetuates the myth that schools are not safe undermines the effectiveness of vaccines and draws on already limited funding and resources.

It is my request that an official statement be issued about the intent to reopen all schools full-time in-person this fall.

This statement should not be contingent on union negotiations.

SPS has thus far offered our students the bare minimum as required.

It took the intervention of the governor to get there.

As the mother of a second grader I have spent a lot of time this past year helping complete home assignments.

Occasionally I would ask my son is this your absolute best effort.

Now I put this question to the board and the district.

11 hours a week of in-person instruction.

Is this really your best effort.

Thank you.

Next for testimony is Robin Reid.

Robin Reid.

Hello.

My name is Robin Reid and I'm the parent of an SPS 6th grader.

Superintendent Jones welcome.

I'm directing this to you to the district staff and to the board of directors.

I'm here to ask that the SPS make a clear statement committing to the goal of full-time in-person instruction for any student who wants it in September.

And I request that you begin the preparations to reopen fully now.

This isn't a demand to reopen no matter what the conditions on the ground are in September.

As a physician I understand it's possible that the state of the pandemic won't permit a safe full reopening.

Though with rising vaccination numbers and teams soon having access to the vaccine it does seem promising.

But it's important to articulate that full-time in-person education is the goal.

It's important for students and families who are trying to figure out how to plan for the coming school year.

For many it may mean the difference between whether they choose to attend SPS next year at all.

And articulating a goal of full-time in-person education is important for you because by committing to that goal you commit to the planning necessary to make it happen when conditions permit.

Make no mistake full-time in-person education should be your priority.

Although some students have thrived with distance learning this year many more have struggled whether with headaches from excess screen time frustration with learning in an inflexible developmentally inappropriate format or loneliness and alienation and inactivity.

This is not the best way for students to learn or for teachers to teach.

This is not the way forward.

I've heard the board express concerns about racial inequity and who has returned to partial in-person school this spring.

I urge you please be curious about why families made the decisions they did this year rather than making assumptions about their motivations.

Some factors are likely to change in the fall such as widespread vaccination of teachers families and youth access to buses and an all-day schedule that permits parents to work full-time.

I've heard from several of the directors that the governor's proclamation for in in March left too little time to plan the rollout of hybrid education in an equitable way.

Please don't let that happen with full-time in-person school.

The time to start planning to ensure equity access and safety is now.

Thank you.

Next for public testimony is Sonia Pitts.

Sonia Pitts.

Hi.

Can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

We could hear you for a moment Sonia.

Sonia we're not able to hear you right now if you're on the line speaking.

Hi can you hear me.

Yes we can hear you.

Okay great.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Two minutes isn't long so this may sound a bit blunt.

SPS have an immense responsibility to a generation of learners and you are failing.

You're allowing yourself to be held to ransom by unions and political agendas and you're bargaining with our children's futures.

Somewhere along the line you told yourselves that you were doing enough that remote learning was okay and that hybrid learning was even better.

Even when the evidence started stacking up that you were wrong.

Even when schools everywhere figured out a way SPS stayed resolute in its inaction.

Over the past year I have seen my 6th grade and his cohort lose the desire to learn.

They just about show up to Teams meetings but then tune out and sometimes fall asleep to the soporific sound of a disembodied voice through a laptop.

And that's when there aren't connectivity or laptop glitches that drop them from calls or apps or cause them to lose their work.

SPS's conduct during COVID would not be tolerated in any company anywhere in the world.

It would not be acceptable in any other essential service and make no mistake You may not be designated an essential service but in the eyes of the community you serve that is exactly what you are.

Your community has lost confidence and trust in SPS and SPS stands out in the state the country and frankly the world for your abandonment of duty to educate our children and serve our community.

Two weeks ago we heard from Superintendent Rake-Dowell the Washington State Department of Health and the Governor's Office that the plan and expectation for all schools is a return to full-time in-person learning in September.

with the resumption of pre-COVID instructional hours.

When you open schools fully in the fall they must be open for five full days every week.

Teachers must teach live rather than merely provide support.

And our children must leave their laptops at home so that they can start engaging again with their educators.

Enough is enough.

Thank you.

Next for testimony is Sharon Bronze.

Sharon Bronze.

Sharon Brauns.

Sharon we're not able to hear you.

We can yes.

Go ahead.

Okay great.

Thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify as the mother of a 6th grader.

It is past time for the board district and SEA to do right by the students they serve for the following reasons.

One both remote and hybrid models are core substitutes for in-person learning.

Data supports severe learning losses throughout all grade and socioeconomic levels.

Two increased screen time is detrimental to brain development and linked to obesity irregular sleep but behavioral problems loss of social skills and violence across all socioeconomic levels.

The current model far exceeds the recommended two hours per day recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics.

3. Specific to SPS the conversion of Wednesdays from synchronous with teacher contact in all classes to 100 percent asynchronous as of April 19th with no contact conflicts with the intent of the governor's order to return to school and increase in-person learning time this year.

It is precisely why I am home today from my job as an essential health care provider on what should be a school day.

4. The CDC has for months identified the classroom as a low-risk environment.

long before the availability of vaccines.

SPS was one of the first to close and the last to open.

And to be clear this required an emergency proclamation from the governor.

There is no risk-free environment.

Essential workers have worked throughout the pandemic including without masks and over a year without a vaccine.

SPS is oblivious to the evidence and the knowledge gained over the last year in terms of environmental safety.

In summary educators have a commitment and a duty to teach our children.

Dare I say they are essential.

We support public schools with our taxes bond initiatives and volunteer time.

In return we expect a good education system that prepares our children across all socioeconomic levels for the future.

The most equitable solution on the board the district and SEA can offer is a commitment to full-time in-person school in the fall.

and every effort to increase in-person teaching time for the remainder of this year in accordance with the governor's order.

With all due respect hoping is not a strategy.

Thoughtful and dedicated planning is.

Thank you.

Next is Sarah Glick.

Sarah Glick.

Hi can you hear.

We could for a moment Sarah and it looks like you're muted now.

Can you press star-6 again.

Can you hear me.

We can hear you.

Can you hear me.

We can hear you Sarah.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Welcome Dr. Jones.

I am the proud parent of a third grader at Kimball Elementary School on Beacon Hill.

Today though I'm wearing my other hat.

I am also an infectious disease epidemiologist.

The CDC director has announced that schools should plan to be open in-person full-time this fall.

And to help achieve that goal I'm asking you to please convene a health advisory group to help guide and troubleshoot the decision-making process for the fall.

I suspect that most families assume this is already happening.

It may be but it's not at all transparent to the community.

This group could be comprised of experts in infectious disease pediatrics mental health disability occupational health screen time and include community-based health groups that reflect the diverse populations that SPS serves.

It's really important for families to see the health providers and the community members that they know and trust being part of the decision-making process.

And many SPS parents are already in these roles so please tap into this expertise.

This group is needed to interpret and communicate the most recent research related to COVID-19 to our decision makers and this will be really critical as vaccination among younger kids rolls out this summer and fall.

To that end this group could advise SPS and SCA on where to build in flexibility around public health recommendations and guidelines.

Our understanding of this virus changes frequently and guidelines that make sense right now might not be needed a few months from now.

This will be especially true in the fall as vaccination access expands And distancing rules probably will relax.

In a tweet last May SPS said that quote they will lead with science and public health in all of their deliberations.

So on behalf of my son and other SPS students I'm asking you to do just that.

Please lead with science.

Thank you.

Next for testimony is Janice White.

Janice White.

Janice White.

Janice it looks like you need.

Oh go ahead.

We can hear you.

Apologies.

We can hear you Janice.

Yes.

Great.

I am President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA.

Welcome Dr. Jones.

We are excited about working with you.

Today I want to talk a little bit about a group of students who are going to be affected by Policy 2190. They are known as 2E or twice exceptional.

Students who have high cognitive abilities and who also have disabilities.

I'm going to share some of my 2E son's story.

Today he is a student in the 10th grade at Ingram High School preparing to start the IB program next year.

He is autistic.

Earlier this year he wrote a personal memoir about his experience in 3rd and 4th grade when he was repeatedly isolated and restrained because of his violent behaviors.

He wrote things might have been different if I felt more engaged but the classes were usually so easy for me that I felt bored and couldn't pay attention.

He described two incidents in which he was dragged into the special education room by a security guard and pinned to the floor by the principal.

He wrote I had nightmares for quite a while after these incidents.

I refused to attend school for most of 4th grade because I felt physically weak from stress.

After my parents were able to get me into better schools with more challenging classes I've done much better since then.

What he didn't say is that it took us until 7th grade to change his placement and to this day he distrusts adults.

His is just one story of the damage that can be done to a child with this profile whose multiple needs are not addressed.

After reading Policy 2190 and the draft superintendent's procedure I do not know what the plan is for 2E students.

The procedure refers to students in Tier 3 being assigned to alternative placements without defining what those alternative placements are.

My fear is that if you pass the policy without knowing the plan for 2E students There will never be a plan and these students will continue not to be served well in our school.

Thank you very much.

Next for testimony is Paula Montgomery.

Paula Montgomery.

Paula Montgomery.

One more try.

Paula you may need to press star-6 to unmute.

Paula Montgomery.

Returning to names I called earlier Jeff Clark.

Jeff Clark.

Good afternoon school board directors.

Can you hear me okay.

We can hear you.

Fantastic.

Thank you for the opportunity.

My name is Jeff Clark.

I am a proud Seattle Public Schools parent and also a principal currently principal of Denny International Middle School.

Previously Principal of Salmon Bay and before that a teacher at Madison Middle School.

I'm here to speak tonight in strong support of 2190 regarding highly capable and advanced learning.

I want to applaud Dr. Pedroza for her fantastic leadership in helping us as a city think through some complex issues related to not only educational progress of all children but racial equity.

I'm very proud to be part of a district where our strategic plan states at Seattle Public Schools we are working to dramatically improve academic and life outcomes for students of color by disrupting the legacies of racism in our educational system.

I think the support of 2190 is an opportunity to do just that.

Disrupt a legacy of racism in educational system and truly center the needs of BIPOC children families and help us to strive quickly towards Black excellence.

I proudly tell you that all 880 children who attend Denny International Middle School are in fact highly capable and I believe that having neighborhood schools all neighborhood schools set up to truly serve all learners is the best choice in an alignment with our school board directives and mission.

We do this at schools by thoughtfully planning out differentiated learning opportunities within classrooms.

For example a reader's writer's workshop approach which kids are practicing skills that are taught at a wide range of reading levels simultaneously.

Of course we have specific plans for math and science.

Math based on allowing scholars to take the math level they're ready for.

in all schools and making sure all schools have access to those levels.

Other things to remember include world language dual language music and art all part of a thoughtful advanced learning plan.

In summary please take the time right now to step forward and act on the racial equity issue before us and move forward with Board Policy 2190. Thank you so much.

Before moving to the waitlist one last check for Rahel Tesfahun or Paula Montgomery.

Rahel Tesfahun or Paula Montgomery if you're on the line if you could unmute now.

Did we also miss was it Karen no Laura.

Did we miss Laura.

I believe we heard from Laura Pomeranke.

Oh okay.

Okay moving now to the waitlist.

Ronnie Davis.

Ronnie Davis.

Ronnie Davis.

If you're speaking we can't hear you so please press star-6 to unmute on the conference call line.

I see someone unmuted.

Is that one of our speakers.

You're muted again.

Oh we can hear you.

Hello.

Is this Ronnie.

Yes this is.

Okay please go ahead Ronnie.

Okay.

Good afternoon.

My name is Ron Davis and I work for the Seattle Public Schools and I am a member of the Teamsters 117. I work within a group of eight warehousers at the John Stanford Center.

where we provide core essential services to the district ensuring that students and staff have all the materials they need to teach learn and eat.

Since the pandemic began we have all continued to work in-person every single day.

During the Great Recession of 2008 our wages fell behind and the subsequent 13 years they have never recovered.

We are paid less than our our peers in neighboring school districts and have seen significantly smaller wage increases over the last decade than other district staff.

Now is the right time to honor our work hard work by providing a market adjustment that moves us employees closer to our peers.

We are currently in negotiations for a new contract We come here today asking for your help to encourage the negotiators for the district to come to us with a proposal that makes sure we don't continue to fall behind our peers.

We really love our jobs and want to feel supported by the district for whom we have always worked hard for over the years.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And the final speaker on today's list Skip Knox.

Skip Knox.

Skip I believe I can see your number so if you could press star-6 to unmute.

Unmuted.

Yep we can hear you Skip.

I just got a prompt that says I'm I'm I'm unmuted correct.

You are unmuted.

You can go ahead we can hear you.

Thank you.

I'd like to comment on the what's the word deficient plan and deficient care of the grounds of Olympic Hills Elementary.

For the first point I would like to bring attention to the blacktop walkway section on 130th where bamboo has grown underneath it is uplifting it and one of these nights some senior citizen in the dark or some person with a baby carriage is going to spill out the person that they are onto the sidewalk and we're going to have busted teeth and scraped up noses and faces and it can be prevented by putting in a barrier to keep that stuff from growing underneath and uplifting the blacktop.

And I would urge that the attorney the school district take that in advisement and we get it fixed pronto.

More to the point though is the general the horrible condition of the grounds.

We've got a forty five million dollar facility that's in the middle of a weed patch.

If you were to look at what I see right now it looks like it snowed last night because there are so many dandelion heads gone to seed which is now seeding the entire neighborhood for what the third fourth year in succession.

Through inept planning and ineffective action the weed situation has been an ongoing agony for I'm sure the school people and for those of us who live next door or have to walk through or drive through the neighborhood.

So somebody told me once if you've got a problem also bring me a solution.

I haven't heard today except with one oblique reference to the power of the community being harnessed to do stuff to support the schools.

And if I remember right it's like 1 in 10 families in the city has a person in the school system which means that there's 90 families out here who are potential Weed pullers and weed suffocators.

I'd be happy to work with anybody in the school district who would help to facilitate facilitate a criterion criterion meeting effort for volunteers to help de-weed the school system and I'd be happy to entertain anybody who would want to partner with me.

Thank you.

President Hampson that was the 20th speaker for today.

Thank you Ms. Wilson-Jones.

Okay that concludes our public testimony.

We have now come to the board committee report section of the agenda.

We'll hear briefly now from the chairs of each of the board's committees 4 committees that has met since our last board meeting.

will also return to general board comments at the end of the agenda.

Audit and Finance Committee.

I do not.

Have we met Director Hersey since.

We have not.

Our next meeting is actually next week.

Yeah.

Okay.

So both Exec and Audit are next week.

And so I believe Operations Committee.

Have you met Director DeWolf.

No President Hampson but we are meeting tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

I'm happy to share some of the things we'll be talking about if that's helpful.

Sure.

Okay.

Yeah I'll be brief.

Just so tomorrow at our May Operations Committee meeting we are in May now.

We'll be talking about some wireless wireless network upgrades for our secondary schools.

We'll be looking at a BAR on a playfield at West Seattle Elementary as well as four bars for BEX V projects ranging from Kimball Viewlands Northgate and Assault Rainier Beach and and then also looking at something for Green Lake Elementary for playgrounds.

So those are kind of our big bars that will be coming through and you'll see those again in obviously two weeks.

And that's probably the biggest update from our from our side.

Thank you Director DeWolf.

And then Student Services Curriculum and Instruction Committee Director Rankin.

Yeah we are meeting next week also.

Just trying to bring up the agenda.

We're meeting next week on Tuesday at 430 and probably the the most critical item that people might be interested in is a special attention item which is OSPI's Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plan which will come you know through the committee and then come to the full board.

And this is the template.

document from OSPI about planning for the ESSER III dollars to fund the return for students students in the fall in terms of academic and student well-being recovery.

So the state has some template requirements of all that has gone out to all districts.

And this will be the first opportunity for us to hear from staff which which of those which of those boxes we're checking how we're going to provide or plan to do some of these things through ESSER 3. And And then yeah then it will come before the full board.

There'll be other documents and supporting materials attached I'm sure.

We will also be updating getting an update on the policy 3246 restraint and isolation.

We have two community events coming up for feedback on that.

It's gone out in draft form to lots of stakeholders lots of groups around Seattle and King County and we have a student forum this week and a broader community forum next week.

And so anyone who's interested in that should check the SPS website for information on that.

Yeah those are the big-ticket items I would say.

Okay.

Thank you.

Did I hear.

And any directors who have attended other representative meetings or have anything to report from other levy committees oversight that kind of thing.

This would be the time where you can discuss in your comments.

We will now move to the action item on today's agenda which is Action Item Number 1. Rename and amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs.

May I have a motion for this item.

Yes indeed.

Let's see.

Hold on one second.

There we go.

I move that the school board approve Amendment 1 to Board Action Report titled Rename and Amend School Board Policy 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs and substitute Board Policy Number 2190 as attached to the amendment.

To the next to the extent of the attached substitute policy conflicts with the information presented in the underlying board action report titled Rename and Amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs.

The substitute policy shall control excuse me the substitute policy shall control.

Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

President Hampson this is Greg Narver Chief Legal Counsel.

I think we need the motion first for the underlying.

Oh sorry.

Okay.

That makes sense.

Then once that's on the table then the amendment would be in order at that point.

Got it.

Okay.

So the actual motion is I move that the Seattle School Board rename and amend School Board Policy Number 2190 as attached to the School Board Action Report.

Second.

This item has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

This item has been updated since introduction and there's also an amendment being offered today.

Let's see I'll Go first to Chief of Student Support Services Dr. Concie Pedroza to brief us on the updates since introduction and then we will move to the amendment and direct our discussion of both the underlying item and the amendment.

Hi everybody.

Thanks for having me here.

I'm Chief Concie Pedroza overseeing the Chief of Student Support Services.

And I just wanted to remind everyone the purpose of the amendment in I mean the excuse me the renaming and amending the school board policy 2190 in front of you.

And just to kind of give some highlights.

Again this is about for the community renaming.

We're here to rename the policy to read and I apologize highly capable services redesigning identification assessment and selection practices to ensure equitable access.

I'm going to take a moment to cough just a moment.

I don't know where that came from.

Anyway and then also to designing and delivery of array of services within a tiered service model.

In addition identifying and selecting practices of delivery of services that prioritize the learning needs of our historically underserved children of color and students furthest from educational justice.

And finally the remaining purpose is to sunset the AL eligibility to align with the state identification processes.

Just to remind everyone in the community this was done over this work has been done over a year and a half.

Lots of work has gone into this engagement work.

Practitioners work group work.

A lot of work desiloing working with the C&I department.

Working with school leaders.

Working with educators.

And I want to thank everyone regardless of what happened.

I want to thank everyone.

for all of their work and efforts to and to get us to this place.

And now it's about really implementation and accountability and then just reminding the community that that's what we're trying to do is really target that and do the work of anti-racist education in our system.

And I will pass this on for questions or any questions.

Okay.

So there is an amendment being offered to this item.

Director Rankin could you please move Amendment Number 1.

Yeah I wasn't prepared to be the mover.

I don't have the language.

I I move I move that we consider an amendment.

to the action item.

We yeah sorry we have to do the actual language so let me pass it back over to Director Hersey.

Yeah I got you.

I move that the school board approve Amendment 1 to the Board Action Report titled Rename Amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs and Substitute Board Policy 2190 as attached to the amendment.

Do the extent of the attached substitute policy conflicts with the information presented in the underlying board action report titled Rename and Amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs.

The substitute policy shall control.

Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

Is there a second for Amendment Number 1. I'll second it.

Okay.

This Amendment 1 has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rankin.

And we will first go to Director Rankin for comments on the amendment and then to the remaining directors for any comments or questions on the amendment and the underlying item before we move to the votes on the amendment and then on the underlying item.

Director Rankin.

Thank you.

Yeah.

The amendment was was made to really address concerns that came from community from families within whose kids are in HCC now and family particularly families of color whose students have been identified and are in served by HCC now and are concerned about you know the what this means for their kids and if it could mean a loss of services.

And so I wanted to respond to those concerns and address a little bit more clearly what what the board expects and what we should be looking for and particularly as this this proposal is a phase over 5 years.

And so 5 years from now there will be a different superintendent different board.

And you know to to make good on this commitment and this shift that we're making.

I want those people 5 years from now to be able to request and see the demographic data and how who's being identified and who's being served and to know that it's that it's worked if it's worked.

And and to for us also to be able to support this big transition with with having the right having the right data and reporting to be able to know if there needs to be correction.

correction or different different tactic made.

But but mostly I you know as as the school board it's not to us to say how this all happens but to to sort of state very clearly what our expectation is.

And I wanted to make sure that the policy wasn't just a sort of lofty promise that we actually had some language in there to say and here here's how we'll show that we can do this and that we are going to do this because you know we and this you know it initially came from as Dr. Pedroza mentioned at introduction there was this concern from the Racial Equity Advisory I can't remember the acronym Highly Capable Advisory Group that are parents of color who were concerned about about just sort of having to take a leap of of trust in a system that has not traditionally served their their children serve their children well.

And so I'm just sort of wanted to add that acknowledgement that we don't want to we don't want to congratulate ourselves for desegregating a program and end up creating a different segregated program.

We want to really be able to say That made a difference.

We are serving students and and we can show you how.

So really and I and I also want the additional commitment of the superintendent for schools to very specifically say what they're doing.

And that could be different.

You know it could be different in a lot of schools.

What Principal Kirshner was describing with flexible grouping is it sounds really awesome.

You know things might look different at different schools depending on the needs of their community and how they want to do it.

You know it could be things as simple as you know access for every child to literacy material at their level of interest and ability via a school librarian.

It could be you know any number of things and that like I said that's not up to us as a board to say but in the past the the OSPI report to the state to say yes we provide services because I just want to acknowledge the student speaker Madeline.

She she was saying and I just was really one of the things I miss the most about Not being in person is not being able to see people who come to public testimony.

But her sentiment that you know it can't be remade it just needs to go away which I understand that that sense of feeling in that way.

It is though a state requirement.

So highly capable is a it's required by the state that we identify and serve highly capable students.

And so What we need to be able to say is just how that's how that's happening and and hopefully by bringing by bringing things back to neighborhood schools the intent is to it doesn't need to be limited.

It doesn't need to be limited and compartmentalized.

All of our students can benefit from access to challenging challenging work whether or not they are identified.

But but it's also it's state law that we do identify and serve.

So I lost my train of thought a little bit there.

But oh yes so the report to OSPI has historically been you know a checklist for compliance and it's pretty broad and the state doesn't require reporting in terms of demographic data and that deeper look that I would like our board and the district to to look out for and and take into account.

And so hopefully that is what this amendment serves to do.

Lots more to come I'm sure in the procedure and as the as the process rolls out.

But hopefully you know the intent of the amendment is to add in some benchmarks for us all to look at together.

Okay we'll go to questions comments concerns to first to Director Hersey.

I don't have any serious comments or concerns.

We can move to the next director.

Director Dury.

Thank you.

I don't have any questions.

I am excited to see this in front of us to address the racism that's inherent in the in the HC cohorts and the advanced learning programs that we've had.

And I look forward to and I really appreciate Director Rankin your amendment and commitment to looking at to following the implementation and ensuring that the impact is how the intent was there and aligning those things.

So thank you for that.

Thank you everyone for your work on this.

Okay and then we go to Director Harris.

Okay.

I do have concerns and I don't feel comfortable voting for this or the amendment because frankly I do not believe that it goes far enough.

I absolutely acknowledge the inherent racism in the way that we deliver advanced learning services to our students and it's abhorrent.

I thank Director Rankin for her amendments.

They're good.

They don't go far enough from my perspective.

I thank from the bottom of my heart Chief Pedroza and Dini Berry for the huge leap that they have made over the last 18 months.

I I find it ironic that four years ago we had an outside educrat university review of AL.

We've gotten better since then but the professors that came to speak to us at a work session did not appreciate there was no there there in the highly capable curriculum.

It was just accelerated teaching.

I find it ironic that we just talked about and Director Rankin I couldn't agree with you more that all of our students need access to literacy materials vis-a-vis their librarian but we only fund half-time librarians.

I'm not satisfied with the superintendent procedures.

I'm not satisfied by the lack of definition of alternative placements.

I'm not satisfied with the lack of definition for twice exceptional students.

And most importantly and I feel like a broken record here I'm beyond unsatisfied with the fact that we do not fund professional development and guard that in our budget scenarios.

In order to do differentiation in all 105 of 108 of our sites I'm kind of confused I've heard anything from 104 to 108 lately we need to be teaching our teachers how to address that differentiation in increasingly larger classrooms.

You know Advanced Learning Horizon etc. was dismantled school by school without board authority and then somehow we were surprised that that the request to be an HCC happened.

We've got the right staff in Chief Pedroza and I'm sorry that Chief Pedroza is not the new superintendent of Shoreline but I am beyond thrilled that we get hopefully knock on wood to keep her here to continue this great work.

If we were to put money where our mouths are and guard that money in terms of professional development for differentiation If we were to define what alternative placement means if we were to make promises that we are willing to keep over the next several years as we roll this out I'd be more than happy to vote for it because what we're doing now obviously does not work.

My last comment is I'm a little distressed frankly that one of our chiefs has recruited principals to testify on behalf of this resolution.

That sets up an appearance of a conflict of interest to me that I'm uncomfortable with.

And the irony is is that these are two principals in my district who I could not be more proud of.

And Walk to Math was one of the differentiation strategies in a high-functioning well-organized school.

And I wish that I could say that all of our schools were high-functioning and well-organized but that frankly is not the case.

And walk to math has been dismantled school by school over the last several years as well.

It guts me that I cannot vote for this.

Thank you.

Director Rivera-Smith.

I want to give Chief Pedroza a chance to respond to any of that if she wanted to.

I was going to ask if I could respond.

So I will say a couple of things.

One is so around professional development that is in the plan to support and support teachers ongoing.

Part of the the we while we may remain this is budget neutral I will share a lot of the advanced learning department's money and resources goes to testing and qualifying students.

Much and much and much of that money.

And part of the plan that we have embedded into this proceed into our outline is to reallocate those monies and not only support differentiation culture responsive practices and actually how to really provide services to students I will share that additionally it's really important to stress that one of the things that's also in the plan if you look at that is actually eventually a stipend at schools to support and continue to coach because it's not as I have learned as the former Director of Racial Equity Advancement because we all know this professional development one time only one and done is not enough.

I have supported and trained many many of the school board members as well in critical race theory and anti-racist and we all know a one-and-done training is not enough to really really go deep into really inequities in our system and really go deep in our own personal awareness.

So I'll share that.

It's not it has to be coaching.

There has to be embedded coaching.

So I'll address that piece and the budget piece.

And so it is a commitment.

The second thing I want to share is actually I have been working with the principals for the last two years.

Principals reached out to me and asked me you know when this was coming.

They wanted to know I just wanted to address that in this space because I you know my integrity as as as as a leader is is being questioned right now.

And I'm going to take and state that for the record those are principals that asked me I want to testify.

I want to do this.

And so all that I was provided to them was the website on how to do that.

Like right.

And so and I've been in this district a long time.

I know the school leader so I just want to state that up front.

And then in regards to other things I will just say that I heard a lot of people testify that this is great.

This is a good start.

This doesn't go far enough.

And I just want to ask everyone so when do we start.

And that's my final response to that.

Thank you for that.

One of the other things that Director Harris mentioned that I was actually going to ask too was how do we how are we defining the alternative placements that's mentioned in there.

Yeah I actually have program manager Dini Berry here.

She can answer that question.

Thank you Dr. Pedroza.

I'm happy to do that.

If you remember from our slides and our presentation part of the structure of designing from the from the framework right.

We've got components of the framework and we have practitioner work groups that are designing all of the pieces within the components.

And as those design pieces come to to at least like three quarters done then we're going to be taking them to our highly capable racial equity advisory committee.

And then they look at it through a racial equity lens give us advice and feedback.

And I'm so excited to see the communication loop that we're committing to with the board so that you can ask us ongoing questions and we can provide you with you know up-to-the-moment design that is happening that you will then see within within the procedures the super superintendent procedures.

They are intentionally very high level right now.

because the design process is not complete.

Thank you.

And I and I I acknowledge that we don't approve the superintendent procedures that that's I like that it's in here so that we can see that.

I know a lot of work went into that.

But that's still something where you know we want to know how that's going to play out obviously.

So —

Director Rivera-Smith that the procedures just like for example the student assignment plan right when we go through that every year you know there is an expectation that those get revised right as more of these items are fleshed out and designed and implemented.

So that is that expectation that it's not a one-and-done but that eventually another set of procedures will be brought forward to this board.

And I'm sorry to interrupt you but I'll let you go forward with your questions.

I'm commenting on both the amendment and the entire and the original motion correct.

President Hampson.

Yes.

So I guess specific to the amendment though I I support the amendment.

I I really appreciate page 1 the bottom of that paragraph there where it says District processes for identification will be equitably and culturally competent and will not result in under-identification for highly capable services of students of color students who receive special education services or students who receive language supports.

I'm actually surprised I wasn't already in the draft because that seems to be the key element of so much of this this work to get this policy revised.

I think that's what we've been trying to get to.

So thank you for that Director Rankin.

I really appreciate your thought putting into this amendment.

I I know that you've been in communication with a lot of community about this so a lot has gone into this.

I I think I have one question that's probably so it's not and I did ask this and I didn't get a response so I'm asking now here on page 2 of the original draft policy.

It says that consistent with state law once served once services are started a continuum of services will be provided to the student from grades K-12.

Do we offer services for K.

No.

You know currently we do well no right now but we do offer early entrance kindergarten as one of our services that we currently have.

But in terms of that's the that's the accelerated service that we've offered in the past is early entrance kindergarten.

But most students are identified in kindergarten.

We do identification processes in kindergarten for the majority of our students.

I don't know if there's ever been an exception like for example if a student has entered from a private school or has that identification.

I'm not sure.

I don't know what that history on that is.

But that's usually how that that's we've done one through is what we've typically done in this historically in the system.

But I think the important.

The important part in that that's from the state statute is that once once services start they will continue.

So it doesn't actually it doesn't say when you have to start it.

But if once it starts for any student in K-12 it will it will continue.

There will be a continuum of services.

Yeah I wondered if that's how it how it can be read.

Otherwise I would say consistent with state law when services are started.

a continuum of services should be provided from the point at which it starts 12. I don't know.

I mean this is I'm just saying it now.

I know it doesn't really have any huge bearing on this policy adjustment per se.

I just wanted to get it on the record now that that question has been raised so that we can figure out where we are on that because I want to make sure that we are in compliance.

So again just trying to.

daylight that part right there.

Again I really appreciate what has been done here.

I hear community and the the fear that this is not going to play out well in our classrooms simply because of the demands of the teachers and the demands on the students to learn together like that with so many different tiers being in one classroom.

And really I mean I I think best case scenario is this that HE services is best in all classrooms because we get to keep students in the neighborhoods.

We get to keep students together learning together where they should be.

And but because we acknowledge that racism exists in all of our schools doing H-U services in all our schools isn't going to eliminate that.

I know that work continues separately.

So I think we just have to double down.

Obviously our commitment that we have that we already are working towards to create an anti-racist institution.

to actually have this be a success.

So thank you again for all the work.

Thank you for any more questions.

Okay that takes us to Director DeWolf.

Thank you so much President Hampson.

Just first want to share my gratitude to Director Rankin.

I think we lost you there.

Maybe try it without your video.

Yeah that does seem to help.

Can you hear me now.

Yep.

Okay I'll start I'll go there.

So I want to start.

Thank you again Director Rankin for your work on the amendment.

I really appreciate it.

Looking forward to supporting it.

I want to just read one line from the equity analysis.

The request for the language change from the highly capable Racial Equity Advisory Committee who have deep who have been deep into professional learning on anti-racism and reviewed the policy update and changes.

They were the ones that made the request.

After reviewing the final policy update this was their request to prioritize students centering students furthest from educational justice and the design of procedures and annual review of said procedures.

So first just thank you for listening to community.

Thank you for centering community in that.

Director Rankin my hands up to you on that.

The second thing I want to bring forward is can you is my video working okay.

This is Azure.

This work we're doing it's dedicated to students like Azure.

I want to read something from Azure's book I've never felt that my school has supported me wanted me to succeed or cared about my presence in the room.

The suffocation I feel while attending has made me lose interest in my education and I've been so close to giving up so many times.

But I know that it's not an option for me to let the system take away my future.

Everyone needs to really take a step back and comprehend the meaning and the importance of the experiences we've had People like Azure and many of the students captured within that book is who Azure is speaking of.

Something must change.

Students need to have more power in an institution that is meant to serve us.

Our input stories and requests need to be taken seriously because while we are in it school is a huge part of our lives and it continues to affect our lives for years.

In this book Azure talks about the trauma and the experiences of being an HCC program here in Seattle Public Schools.

I got to see Azure at a book reading for this exact book and so I just want to again raise my hands up to Azure for this book and really putting this mirror in front of Seattle Public Schools and our board to do something about this issue.

I also want to respond to some directors who keep describing a there.

This this this this somewhat fictional or fantasy place where these directors believe we need to be without naming the there there.

And they continue to say there's a gap or we're missing the mark but never identifying the mark.

And it makes me just feel like it is nowhere to be found and they are just against this for the reason to be against this.

I think the other thing I want to elevate is I appreciate you speaking up Dr. Pedroza.

You should never have had to speak up.

I trust your character.

I think the fact that somebody uses conflict of interest without any evidence or an ability to prove that is frustrating and it was frustrating that was on the record and I apologize you had to endure and experience that.

You deserve better from us.

The last thing I want to say is I think there's a lot of fear.

People are very scared of change.

I totally get it.

And I just want to say it is okay to have that.

But we cannot live in fear.

We cannot live in scarcity.

The only way this is going to work is if we all show up.

If we all participate.

It would be easy for it to fail if we all say this sucks we don't like it we're not going to support it.

Boo.

What we need from people is for all of us to participate.

Board.

Staff.

Students.

Families.

School communities.

All of us need to work together to make sure this works.

It is only going to fail or not meet the mark if we just say it's bad and we don't engage with it.

I am so grateful to the work of Dr. Pedroza and Ms. Berry for listening to community for being thoughtful in the approach for laying out a very long timeline to transition us to this so that it is not an abrupt change for students and families.

And the last thing I want to say is now that the concerns that people have raised directors on this call that they have raised have been answered and you address them and there's a response and those issues technically are resolved.

Will their vote change.

I'm concerned no.

And so I wonder is it really about this program or is there something else here.

And I am excited to support this.

I know we've been talking about this for years and it's even like I said earlier how beautiful of a day to do this on the day we get to welcome Dr. Brent Jones.

Thank you.

Okay let's see.

Have we heard from I think we heard from everyone except for me.

As as to the amendment I am I definitely understand and appreciate the the rationale and I'll just share that I In the name of Student Outcomes Focus Governance and I appreciate the nod the specific nod to that.

I think that this will be among the many measures of accountability that we have written into policy that we need to take a holistic look at to make sure that they are in fact all consistent with our ultimate goals and outcomes because probably this these are The amendment speaks to something that is in between the that is somewhere along the way that is is closer to guardrail a guardrail or an interim goal or or outcome or an interim an output.

And so I don't know the answer to that but I just want to call that out because I am going to you know am taking up the charge obviously of trying to make sure that we we stay on this path and and that we don't continue to add you know what's the minute random act that this isn't a random act of governance.

And this is not a random act of governance.

Not the responsiveness to centering the equity in this approach.

And it's certainly not a random act of governance to correct a historic wrong that has been created through this program.

We we have a number of for lack of a better term kind of institutions in Seattle Public Schools and and culture is one of them.

Culture and dysfunction are two of those those things.

And as our opportunities for families to to kind of opt out of a more integrated education program and therefore remove opportunity for a much broader base of students getting access to those same sets of programs.

And And that is something that we absolutely have so much disparity in terms of the participation in in programs like the cohort.

And and disparity even in how within that we I think we'll need to be careful about as this gets rolled out and how those as this is built how things are staffed for example like even in a integrated middle school or high school you can have you know the best teachers teaching the highest level math classes which in one level at one level makes a ton of sense as long as well no at one level it makes a ton of sense at another level it makes absolutely no sense in that our our you know sort of highest rated or most effective teachers would be would be staffing the kind of lowest needs in some respects highest sort of achievement-oriented programs.

And so I think there are things like that that are that we're going to need to to make sure that are that we're really thoughtful about.

But again it's not that that design is not really That's that's part of the procedure.

That's the how.

It's not the what.

The what is that advanced learning needs to be equitably accessible.

That's that's the the actual what.

And it has been a long long long time coming.

I could not be more grateful to you Dr. Pedroza for putting this together.

As Director DeWolf said in such a kind of plodding way over many years there's there's no rush to this.

And I'm not I'm not sure in terms of as a board when it's on us to approve the what how we kind of get stuck in this loop of you know we don't have it We don't have we're not far enough into the weeds kind of to be able to say that the that the what makes sense and that's a conversation that we need to have when when do we how do we build up that trust as Superintendent Jones talked about at the beginning that we do we know that we need to build up trust we need to build up trust throughout and we need to show trust.

We need to model that and show trust in staff that They do know as the subject matter expertise or experts just as teachers do know how to how to do these things that that we have to insist that that is the most likely place for success is with this the educator is with the school building is with our our staff that know how to design and build these programs and that we will measure that based on the outcomes that are produced on the actual student outcomes that are produced period.

And so you know we need to keep heading down that line of thinking as we take on these really large you know dismantling of these of these things and make sure that we demonstrate a level of trust in our staff to show us how they're going to produce those outcomes and to actually produce them and hold them accountable to focus on the accountability factor of producing those outcomes and not whether or not they have provided a deep deep deep detailed level of analysis to us that in a perfect world says you know that that we will.

I mean you can't you got to tear down the old house before you build the new one.

It's just you can't you know.

You try to build it on top of it it's it's it's not going to work.

And so I see that as what's happening here and yet you're only actually tearing it down one section at a time.

So so so I'm I'm incredibly grateful that we're at this place and in time and And then I know that there's much work ahead of us and hope that we will be able to demonstrate our ongoing support and making and holding your Superintendent to outcomes that are going to make sure that this is successful because that's our job.

So I will leave it at that.

And then so with that we need to call I'm going to call for a vote on the underlying amendment.

Amendment Number 1.

We vote on we vote on the amendment and then.

Yes.

Okay.

Calling the roll then on Amendment Number 1.

Director Rankin aye Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Dury oh sorry Director DeWolf aye Director Dury aye

Director Harris no Vice President Hersey aye President Hampson aye.

This motion has passed by a vote of 6 yes to 1 no.

Okay we will now move to the original sorry sorry sorry wrong one.

So we need do we need it.

We need a new motion don't we.

As amended.

Correct President Hampson.

You need a new motion.

Director Hersey could you please offer a new motion as amended.

Sure.

I move that Seattle School Board rename and amend School Board Policy Number 2190 as attached to the School Board Action Report as amended.

Or wait no here's the proper motion.

I move approval of the underlying Board Action Report titled Rename and Amend School Board Policy Number 2190 Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs as amendment by amended or excuse me as amended by Amendment 1.

Okay this has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

Ms. Wilson-Jones call for the vote.

Calling the vote on Action Item 1 as amended by Amendment 1. Director Rivera-Smith.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Director DeWolf aye.

Director Dury aye.

Director Harris no.

Vice President Hersey aye.

Director Rankin aye.

President Hampson aye.

This motion has passed by a vote of 6 yes to 1 no.

Okay we've now come to the board comments section of the agenda and we will start with Director Hersey.

I will keep my comments fairly brief.

As we are heading into not only the final stretch of the school year but also an immense effort that's going to need to happen for us to reopen our buildings at a more full capacity in the fall.

I just want to thank our educators.

It is no secret that it is Teacher and Educator Appreciation Week.

And as a son of an educator and the grandson and great-grandson and brother of an educator this week has a special meaning for my family particularly.

For those of you who don't know who might be listening I'm not from Seattle.

I grew up in Hattiesburg Mississippi.

And for me having Black educators was no it wasn't uncommon.

The vast majority of my teachers growing up were African-American.

And it wasn't until I moved to Washington and began teaching that I realized that there was such a stark difference in how growing up with educators that look and speak and and come from the same places as you do the impact that that has on our students right.

And even for our educators that might not share the same lived experiences as our students the the work that you put into making sure that our students have the resources and the touch points necessary for them to be able to matriculate our school systems is that that work is unmeasurable and we could never pay you for what you are worth.

And I just want to be very clear even though you deserve it.

And so as we have these conversations and as I look back over the past year and especially over the past few months where folks have really let out their true opinions about the teachers in our system and how our system is standing up remote learning right now I want to on behalf of our entire system apologize to our educators who have been bearing the brunt of that feedback as they not only pivot from having to switch their entire career to being online and then demanded to switch from that working environment back to a completely new landscape.

What we put teachers and educators through in this country and specifically in this city is is is abhorrent.

And so during this week if you have not taken the time to thank your child's teacher for everything that they have been doing and even if you know a teacher even if you don't have children if you know a teacher in your life this year has been especially taxing on all of us.

And I do not want to minimize the impact that remote learning has had on the mental health of many of our students.

But we also need to be taking care and checking for our educators as well.

Because there is a finite amount that we as human beings have to give.

And after a year of unprecedented loss and uncertainty I can guarantee you that many of our educators are at the breaking point just trying to make it to June.

So please I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart show your educators that you care.

Give them the gratitude and credit that they deserve especially during this time.

And thank you so much.

I am super excited for Dr. Jones to be here and we Have so much work in front of us so I'm not going to take any more time.

I'm going to go ahead and pass it to the next director.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week and to my mother rest in power.

You have been the inspiration that has kept me going through these incredibly challenging times.

Thank you Director Hersey.

And now we go to you Director Dury.

No comments.

Thank you.

And Director Harris.

Again it's an honor and a privilege to serve with such extraordinary people.

We may not always agree but I do believe and I sincerely hope we have mutual respect.

Dr. Jones.

I promised you my best efforts.

Let's set the time for the Green Lake Walk.

I suspect you're in better shape than I am and you'll be walking faster but you'll have to slow down for me.

One of the things that I have advocated for the last five years is librarians and in large part because my mother's sister is a high school librarian in the Cincinnati school system and has been my rock to use an edu-cret phrase that I have learned over the last 5 years and I've learned how to speak like y'all which shocks and surprised me greatly.

She has been my North Star.

She died in her sleep at 99 years old yesterday.

And she she mattered.

librarians matter.

We have chosen not to make them matter in terms of budget allocations.

And I think that's a great and devastating issue for our school district and for school districts throughout the country.

Because these are the resource folks that teach children how to learn.

and to learn the love of reading and to self-educate.

And I will go to my grave advocating for librarians and for the resources to where they are employed to the best and optimal uses.

We're in a heck of a place right now.

I believe firmly that if we do in fact gather together And we put our very best efforts together collaboratively and we take conflict as an opportunity to collaborate and speak from our hearts that we can in fact get all 53,000 of our children back in school in fall.

I would like far better communication of our efforts because I know full well that staff is working their backsides off to make that happen.

But if we're not putting it out of the John Stanford Center with benchmarks with deadlines with work plans then one can't blame the community and other political entities like the good governor and the good Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington State for kneecapping us like they've been doing for several months.

Unfortunately I had another work committee commitment at the last board meeting.

And I intended to say that then and will say so now.

We have an extraordinary shortage of drivers of our buses to get our schoolchildren to their schools.

And I would suggest that perhaps the Governor and the OSPI Superintendent can call out the National Guard who have already passed their security checks and they can drive our buses.

We can make it happen if in fact we have the will.

And I think will is an important thing.

And I sense a new chapter in Seattle Public Schools and I'm very excited about it and I embrace it.

Thank you very much.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Hi thank you.

I also don't want to take too much more time.

Tonight has been a big day.

Welcome again.

Welcome home.

Superintendent Jones it's so great to have you with us.

Just for the next I guess like I said it's going to be a big year and it's going to fly by.

So I know we're all going to be working hard and I'm very happy to get a chance to work with you.

And clearly it's a big day week month.

We have Teacher Appreciation Week.

It's Also want to give a nod to Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

And then of course Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Awareness Day.

I guess and I feel almost obligated to give a nod to Cinco de Mayo although I think it's well known for reasons it shouldn't be.

As an Mexican-American it's something I actually struggle with a bit because I think it's important for ways a lot of people don't think about.

But if you are celebrating please do so respectfully.

But again I think that we can have time better spent probably giving our attention again to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Awareness Day and AAPI Heritage Month and Teachers Awareness Teacher Appreciation Week.

So thank you all for being here tonight.

I'll pass now.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

I'm going to for once in my life say I'm going to keep it brief and actually keep it brief.

Just huge huge thank you to educators everywhere.

And yeah I'm going to leave it at that.

Barely got my timer going Director Rankin Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

I also just want to raise my hands up to our educators across the district.

Thank you so much.

We really appreciate you.

I cannot say it any better than Vice President Hersey so I will not attempt to but do want to just appreciate our our educators across the district.

And I will see folks at the operations committee committee meeting tomorrow morning 8 a.m.

if the public would like to listen in.

Thank you very much.

Thank you directors.

My turn.

I just want to couple of reminders.

One you got homework due on Friday.

So don't forget about that in your as you're going forward tomorrow.

I know there's the Operations Committee meeting tomorrow morning and then I believe Monday morning is our Audit and Finance Committee meeting.

Avoid random acts of governing while while you're out there doing all that.

And instead practice random acts of kindness.

And yes you're going to have to keep hearing me say that because I love it so much.

I'm not currently doing my community walks right now but I will resume those soon.

As I feel comfortable getting my social media presence back up and running because those are things that I look forward to meeting with constituents in person.

Again those are generally Thursdays at 11 but I will start those back up probably some next week.

In terms of I want to say thank you to Director Hersey who is managing to be a Vice President of our School Board Chair of Audit and Finance and a school teacher all at the same time.

And thank you to him and thank you to his family for letting us have take advantage of his wisdom and his insights and your presence as a as a teacher on this board to me has been just absolutely tremendous and invaluable in the way that that you bring that perspective to the table in a really truly balanced way is I just couldn't be happier.

So thank you to the prior board for selecting you as our District 7 representative and that that I get to have this experience with you and work alongside somebody so dedicated to their craft who is so and I've seen you with kids and I know how much you care about them and how into them and who they are that you are.

It's infectious and and I've got teachers throughout all of my family including my mother really touched by those those thoughts about teachers and and have done some things for my kids teachers but we'll we'll be doing more this week and they're just always front of mind for me because of how How what how many gifts they give our kids.

You know when it when it doesn't go well and that's much of what we end up focused on as school board members is sort of the trauma of when it doesn't go well with teachers.

But when it does go well it is such an incredible gift.

It's so uplifting to kids and they remember those things forever.

And they are so impactful.

And so to all of you teachers out there in every capacity that you're teaching and all of our former teachers who are now administrators who've spent those hours and hours and hours grading the grading.

Oh my goodness.

I can't believe the pressure that we put on our on our teachers right now to get things graded and uploaded and you know so that the kids can be can know whether they got credit for something.

And I hope that in the future we will be doing more to support them and empower them because those those technological solutions are great benefits but also can come at great costs and time sucks if they're not done done properly.

So I think you know I what I would say to where we are with getting back to In person I am I'm giving Dr. Jones more more than 3 days before before we start demanding a really broad scope of communications.

But suffice it to say that it is top of mind for for both of us in terms of what that communication is going to look like.

And do note that that we were very intentional about putting in his contract that that we would consult with one another on communication so that I'm not out there saying stuff that that he's not aware of and vice versa and that that we're collaborative and that's the approach that we're going to take.

And so I appreciate that.

And we know we have a long way to go with respect to trust and communication.

We're not going to we're not going to change it in accountability.

We're not going to change it overnight.

We're we'll try to pick the low-hanging fruit and the high-impact things.

And that a lot but that don't distract from our focus.

So with that I'm going to give everyone back their evening and tell you to please go and enjoy it and go thank a teacher and put on a red shirt sometime today tomorrow or the next day.

If you want to support Missy Morton and Indigenous Women go go donate to one of the resource centers.

Thank our Native American Ed Department for putting together those resources for us and do some some learning about why it is that that this is a day of of awareness.

And we will see you the next time.

Pįnagigi.

There being no further business on the agenda this meeting stands adjourned at 6 0 6 p.m.

Take care everyone.

Thank you all.