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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Temperature Rising between SEA and District (and not because it's summer)

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Temperature Rising between SEA and District (and not because it's summer):

Finally! A New Downtown Playground at Seattle Center
From Goldy over at The Slog (I had been wondering about this myself):Two-and-a-half years after promising to build a million-dollar playground in exchange for replacing a beloved kiddie amusement park with a for-profit glass "museum," gift shop, and catering hall, Seattle Center director Robert Nellams announced today they will begin seeking proposals from local design teams to build the "Artists


Bad News on Charters and Private Schools
Yet another thing I missed on I-1240 (it's just the gift that keeps on giving) - I had thought you could not convert a private school to a charter but yes, you can. I know, I thought 1240 had prohibited this but, in my defense, I can only say that I had read so many other states' charter laws (and many do prohibit this) that I got confused.  I double-checked with my ace reader, Eric B, and nope, w

Temperature Rising between SEA and District (and not because it's summer)



Yet another KUOW report on the contract talks that makes it sound like they are pretty far apart.  There is still plenty of time to iron things out but yes, we are less than a month out from school.

Seattle Education Association President Jonathan Knapp says while there's been progress on smaller issues over the past week, large issues remain unresolved.

For Ballard High School science teacher and building union representative Noam Gundle, those big issues include smaller class sizes, especially for special education students.

I note that what I predicted from the first KUOW report is now confirmed:

District officials insist that bigger classes are a temporary solution to school capacity issues until new classrooms can be built. But the union says there are better alternatives. "Anybody who knows anything about education knows that more teacher attention means better progress for students, more support,"