Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, November 23, 2012

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open Thread

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open Thread:


Friday Open Thread

A few updates:

One - with less than 8,000 votes to count statewide, I-1240 appears to have passed.  (I'm sure it's true but I'm not the Secretary of State and in a position to officially call it.)  The margin appears to be 1.36% of the vote which is just under 41,000 votes.  A win for sure but certainly no mandate.

Two - Thanks to SPS Leaks for some very illuminating reading.  To whit:

Lynne Varner gets it wrong in an Times editorial and SPS gently points this out to her.  I note that Varner says "sources" told her certain things about the departure of Superintendent Enfield.  So, as you see, journalists have sources and they don't reveal them (and sometimes not even by the order of a court) and that's how it goes.  (I, of course, still contend that I am not a journalist but I have sources.  I do get my hand slapped occasionally by readers demanding to know my source.  Not revealing them is how you keep your sources.)

Three, I think most of you know that the Board cannot meet privately, with each other or others, with more than two of them in attendance.  There are people up the food chain who know this and frequently invite one or two in to talk.  This is fine except when you see of pattern of who gets invited.  It would appear that Michael DeBell is quite chummy with those people.

I often wonder how much each Board member knows of the other Board members communications and meetings.  Like this one.  This is what Councilman Tim Burgess - who may be announcing for Mayor any day now according to Publicola - said to Enfield and DeBell.  (Italics mine.)

Susan and Michael, I want to provide a little update on our idea to convene a small group of 
individuals for a discussion about the downtown elementary school, Memorial Stadium and district headquarters.