Seattle School Board Meeting - Big and Bulky
A fascinating, chock-a-block Board meeting to come this Wednesday night and I can only say, "Superintendent Banda, help us!" That said, this meeting will have it all so he will get a very good look at what's to come.
On the upside, Leo Pfeifer, the young Salmon Bay director, will show his award-winning short film, Who Owns Free Speech, from 5:45-5:55 pm. (Note to all; if you don't want to watch it, please do not stay in the room and talk. I've seen this many times with young performers and frankly, some of us DO like to watch the student presentations.)
Superintendent's comments - BEX IV update. Reading the agenda I suddenly remembered an issue that I am going to ask you all to consider writing the Board about because of the huge waste of money involved.
Dysfunction: A Case Study
You should make plans to come given the uncertainty of what the Transportation Plan is at this time. Both the Board and Banda should be able to see parents mean business.
To note: if you want to speak, sign-up starts at 8 am Monday morning, 252-0040 or boardagenda@seattleschools.org. You have two minutes so time that talk.
On the upside, Leo Pfeifer, the young Salmon Bay director, will show his award-winning short film, Who Owns Free Speech, from 5:45-5:55 pm. (Note to all; if you don't want to watch it, please do not stay in the room and talk. I've seen this many times with young performers and frankly, some of us DO like to watch the student presentations.)
Superintendent's comments - BEX IV update. Reading the agenda I suddenly remembered an issue that I am going to ask you all to consider writing the Board about because of the huge waste of money involved.
Dysfunction: A Case Study
As we piece together the history of the recent proposal to revise the Transportation Standards, it reveals a story of deception, misinformation, abdication of responsibility, and, more than anything else, hypocrisy.
The Board will vote on Wednesday evening on a revised set of Transportation Standards for 2012-2013. We can't say what those revised standards will be exactly - they have yet to release the final version. They will undoubtedly vote to approve - they always do. But what will they approve? Even they don't know. This comes after the Board already adopted transportation standards for the coming school year. How did we get here? It's an ugly, ugly story.
Last year, in February, Seattle Public Schools adopted new Transportation standards that significantly changed the way yellow buses brought students to school. The new standards included very different transportation zones, discontinued transportation for some, widespread use of community stops, larger walk zones around schools and greater walking distances to bus stops. It would put some additional burdens on families but, on the other hand, promised bus rides of no more than 25 minutes and savings of about $4 million.
The Transportation Department, to their credit, did a lot of community outreach to inform people about the
The Board will vote on Wednesday evening on a revised set of Transportation Standards for 2012-2013. We can't say what those revised standards will be exactly - they have yet to release the final version. They will undoubtedly vote to approve - they always do. But what will they approve? Even they don't know. This comes after the Board already adopted transportation standards for the coming school year. How did we get here? It's an ugly, ugly story.
Last year, in February, Seattle Public Schools adopted new Transportation standards that significantly changed the way yellow buses brought students to school. The new standards included very different transportation zones, discontinued transportation for some, widespread use of community stops, larger walk zones around schools and greater walking distances to bus stops. It would put some additional burdens on families but, on the other hand, promised bus rides of no more than 25 minutes and savings of about $4 million.
The Transportation Department, to their credit, did a lot of community outreach to inform people about the
