Seattle Schools Community Forum: Blanford Slams the Board and the District at TFA Event

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Blanford Slams the Board and the District at TFA Event:

Blanford Slams the Board and the District at TFA Event

Dear Directors,

I am tracking the school board elections and I attended two events last night.

One was at the NAACP where they hosted the national education director who was speaking on ESSA and how states will be enacting those regulations.  I was unable to stay for the full program as I had planned to go to another event and the NAACP program started late.

The other program was at a group called General Assembly and it was sponsored by Teach for America.  They allegedly invited all the candidates (but I heard from at least one who only got the reminder, not the invite) but only two came and, of course, were both former TFA members.  That would be Oscar Vasquez in the 5th and Chelsea Byers in the 7th.  

The moderator for the evening was Director Blanford who had been asked - at the last minute - to come and fill in the group (of about 40 people) about the Seattle School Board.  What he said about the Board and the district, I found appalling.  Keep in mind, he knew I was there and taking notes.  I'm only going to speak to what he said about the Board and district and not all his speaking points about running for school board.

Oddly, he started by saying that "hopefully, I can speak without being negative" and then proceeded to do exactly that. 

He also noted - and this is the first time I have heard any Board member say this in public - that the next Board "will likely be engaged in a superintendent search."  I'm not sure that was appropriate to say but he said that.

He then said that he had traveled a lot to conferences, both in state and nationally, and such and that Seattle's school district and board does not have a good reputation "it's not positive."  He said that the the reputation of the Board is that it "frequently oversteps its bounds" and "is not appropriate in its Seattle Schools Community Forum: Blanford Slams the Board and the District at TFA Event: