WORKING WITH OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS

I have kept in close touch with schools and families in District One (north Seattle) and advocated for those schools and for schools all across the city. My efforts have included:

• Every year for the past three years visited each of the 13 schools in District One at least once, and attended many PTSA and community meetings at these schools.  Also participated in many school auctions and fund raising events.
• Visited many schools and PTSAs in schools across the city, north and south, east and west.
• At Ingraham HS worked with District to make sure the much needed replacement math wing (now near completion) was built.
• Helped develop the APP program option at Ingraham that began in Fall 2011.
• At Nathan Hale HS worked with the District to ensure the building project went forward, including the replacement greenhouse that Nathan Hale HS shares with Jane Addams K-8. This project was completed on time and within budget.
• Helped bring the replacement and major remodels of Denny MS and Chief Sealth HS to completion.
• Worked hard on the February 2010 BTA III levy that funded the remodeling of Viewlands Elementary, Rainier View Elementary, and Queen Anne Elementary that opened in September 2011.
• Worked with teachers and parents at Van Asselt Elementary to ensure bus transportation for low income families.
• At Northgate Elementary, came up with the idea and worked with the new Principal and members of the Bitter Lake community to establish and fund a new Powerful Schools tutoring program.  This program began in Spring 2011 and is the first time Powerful Schools has worked in a school in north of the Ship Canal.
• Helped bring a new STEM program to Cleveland HS.
• Taught a social studies class at  Ballard HS, a math class at McClure MS, and an undergraduate education class at the University of Washington.
• During  student assignment plan discussions, advocated for keeping the Ingraham/Ballard HS boundary at 85^th St.  Created a plan for Yellow bus service to Ingraham for students living in the SW portion of the Ingraham attendance area.
• Held monthly community meetings and sent a periodic newsletter to parents and community members.
• Each year spoke at commencement ceremonies at Nathan Hale HS and Ingraham HS.

PRIORITIES FOR YEARS AHEAD

Oversee District Management to Make Sure Programs Are Efficient and Effective

Unfortunately, reduced levels of State funding are likely to continue for the next two years. That will put even more pressure on the District to use its resources wisely and efficiently to achieve the Board’s primary goal of supporting teachers and students in the classroom.  To ensure these priorities and efficiencies and to search for new ways to save resources, the Board needs to closely oversee the Superintendent and District staff.  For example, MAP testing has been reduced in frequency, and the Strategic Plan must be revised to take into account lessons learned and reduced funding.

Another important priority for the next year must be on implementing the SEA teacher and PASS principal contracts, which hold much promise for improving educational outcomes for our students.

Continue to Attack the Achievement Gap to Provide Opportunities for All Students

Far too many of our students are not reaching their educational potential; for example, roughly 30% of SPS high school students fail to graduate.  Graduation rates are especially low for students of color and those from low-income families. This is unacceptable. To attack both the dropout problems and the achievement gap we need to strengthen our schools, particularly those with a large number of low achieving students.

Schools such as Mercer Middle School, Chief Sealth High School, Maple Elementary, and recently West Seattle Elementary, show us that achievement for low-income students can be attained.  We need to replicate these schools’ successes. It is clear that strong building leadership is a key ingredient, as is an unwavering focus on student achievement.   Some students need wrap around community services as are provided by the Family and Education Levy and by Federal SIG grants at West Seattle Elementary, Cleveland High and Hawthorne Elementary, and by the New School  program at South Shore K-8. The District should continue to build these community-based support systems.

Provide Quality Building Spaces for an Expected Surge in Student Enrollment

Over next five or so years an estimated 5,000 additional students will enroll in Seattle Public Schools.  This enrollment surge is good news for our city, but poses challenges for the District to provide quality building spaces for all these new students — which we must do. Plans are under way to determine which buildings we need to expand or open in the next two years. This mid-term process will help the Board plan the scope and size of the BEX IV capital levy that will be presented  to Seattle voters in February 2013. Preliminary demographic information makes it likely we will need an additional North end middle school as well as increased capacity in elementary schools in the South end and all across the District.

Advocate for Public Education in Olympia and Washington D.C.

As the Board’s Legislative Representative I will continue to advocate in Olympia for increased funding for K-12 education and for pre-school preparation for our students.  The McCleary lawsuit now under consideration  by the State Supreme Court offers a possible avenue for long-term funding solutions, but in the meantime the Legislature needs to step up to its responsibility to fund our schools adequately. On the national level, Congress should repeal or greatly modify NCLB: its punitive requirements are counter-productive

Encourage Innovation in Our Schools and Expand Programs for Advanced Learning, Language Immersion, Science/Technology and Career/Technical

The new SEA teacher contract that I helped design creates a process for individual schools to apply for “ innovation school” status to provide broad exceptions to current SEA and District policies.  I will push for the launch  of “innovation schools”. Newly opened school buildings will provide opportunities for innovation. for example by piloting an alternative text books for  math.  The District should also continue to build programs for language immersion, science and technology (STEM), and career and technical education.

Improve Outcomes in Mathematics

Effective instruction is a necessary ingredient for students to obtain strong skills in mathematics.  One way to use limited resources is to allow the strongest teachers in math to focus their time on teaching math. The “walk to math” programs now used in 13 elementary schools can help achieve this outcome, and should be expanded.