What's Wrong with Proposed Policy 2200
Every so often something comes along that exposes and epitomizes a wide range of problems. This week it is the proposed Policy 2200, Equitable Access to Programs and Services. This proposed revision to Board Policy C56.00 reveals and illustrates problems with the Board's procedures, the Board's practices, the staff, program placement, the allocation of authority, the factors that really drive decisions within Seattle Public Schools, and the whole concept of governance vs. management.
Where to begin?
The History
In 2006 Carla Santorno, the district's Chief Academic Officer under superintendent Raj Manhas, proposed splitting middle school APP between Washington and Hamilton. The APP community hated the idea but there was no resistance to it on the Board. The change was announced in December along with a number of other program placement changes for the coming year. The driving reason given for the split was overcrowding at Washington. District staff claimed that there was no room for neighborhood students at Washington as a result of the growth of APP there. Board Policy D12.00 precluded the creation of additional APP sites in the absence of
Where to begin?
The History
In 2006 Carla Santorno, the district's Chief Academic Officer under superintendent Raj Manhas, proposed splitting middle school APP between Washington and Hamilton. The APP community hated the idea but there was no resistance to it on the Board. The change was announced in December along with a number of other program placement changes for the coming year. The driving reason given for the split was overcrowding at Washington. District staff claimed that there was no room for neighborhood students at Washington as a result of the growth of APP there. Board Policy D12.00 precluded the creation of additional APP sites in the absence of