Seattle Hall Pass

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In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, hosts Christie, Jane, and Jasmine dive into the data-rich presentation on Seattle Public Schools' student outcomes, delivered by Dr. Ray Hart, Executive Director of the Council of Great City Schools, at the October 23rd special school board meeting. They break down the findings on student performance trends, equity gaps, and economic factors affecting achievement. The hosts also explore the subsequent board discussion, where school directors reviewed draft goals proposed by district staff for the upcoming strategic plan.See our Show NotesContact us

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, school board director Gina Topp discusses the school closure plans with co-hosts Christie and Jane. The three also discuss Seattle Public Schools’ $94 million budget gap, the upcoming legislative session, community engagement, and student outcomes-focused governance. See our Show NotesContact us

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we dive into Seattle Public Schools' proposal to close and consolidate four elementary schools: North Beach, Sacajawea, Stevens, and Sanislo. Christie, Jane, and Jasmine explore critical questions surrounding the district’s decision-making process, including the criteria used for selecting these schools, the potential impacts on special education services, and how transitions might affect students and staff. We discuss community concerns, staffing changes, and the broader implications for the SPS landscape.See our Show Notes.Contact us.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we sit down with former Seattle Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Stephen Nielsen to understand the implications of “binding conditions” and potential state oversight for Seattle Public Schools if it can’t close its budget gap. Nielsen shares his insights on what financial oversight might look like, the difficult cuts that could follow, and the complex history of Washington's education funding.See our Show NotesContact us: Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to [email protected]. Disclaimer: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. 

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we discuss school and student safety in Seattle Public Schools, featuring interviews with students, staff, and parents. We explore concerns about balancing physical safety measures with the need for mental health support, sharing perspectives on a $20 million initially promised from the city for mental health. Voices from the community highlight the role of telehealth, community organizations like Community Passageways, and the controversial possibility of the return of School Resource Officers (SROs). Interviewees offer suggestions for improving safety, including wellness rooms and better communication between students and administrators.Community voices featured in this episode include:Rafi Brewer, a sophomore at Garfield High SchoolFatra Hussein, a junior at Franklin High SchoolIsaiah Parker, a student at Ingraham High SchoolKaz Hill, a student at Ingraham High SchoolShraddha Shrudde, a math teacher at Cleveland High SchoolLexi Awdziejczyk, a counselor at Franklin High SchoolAlicia Spanswick, co-president of the PTSA at Garfield High SchoolKathleen Zagers, president of the parent organization at Ingraham High SchoolSee our Show NotesContact us: Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to [email protected]. Disclaimer: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. 

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, School Board Director Joe Mizrahi shares his perspective on Seattle Public Schools' plans for addressing declining enrollment and budget deficits. Director Mizrahi emphasizes the importance of minimizing impacts on students and families, focusing on a more thoughtful and community-centered approach to school closures. He touches as well on the role of state funding and community advocacy in shaping the future of Seattle's schools. We also discuss his thoughts on school board operations and dynamics.See our Show NotesContact Us

Christie, Jane, and Jasmine break down the October 9 Seattle School Board meeting, where the board passed a resolution to close up to five schools. We discuss the surprise executive session, held behind closed doors, and the newly imposed controls on board directors' questions and interactions with staff and the superintendent. Finally, we opine on where Student Outcomes Focused Governance is taking us.Show NotesContact us

In this first episode of our Option C series, we explore alternatives to Seattle Public Schools' closure plans, known as Options A and B, which initially proposed closing up to 21 schools. Our guest, Ben Gitenstein, an SPS parent and former school board candidate, introduces the idea of a school board recall as his "Option C" in response to what he sees as the school board's undemocratic and ideological actions. Our guests' opinions are their own.See our Show NotesContact us

In this episode, we discuss Seattle Public Schools' revised plan to close 5 schools instead of 17-21, and the renewal of Superintendent Jones' contract with modified evaluation metrics. We reflect on feedback from our previous episode and emphasize continued advocacy for education funding. See our Show Notes.Contact us.

This episode of Seattle Hall Pass focuses on three main stories converging in Seattle Public Schools:The Financial StoryThe Equity StoryThe Student Story... and how these competing priorities create a complex, seemingly impossible situation for the district to resolve satisfactorily.See our Show Notes.Contact us.

Seattle Public School Board President Liza Rankin, Student Outcomes Focused Governance coach AJ Crabill, and public school advocate Robert Cruickshank are interviewed about the governance model used by the SPS School Board. Thanks to Dawson Nichols for producing this episode.This is a video! Watch the video here. See our Show Notes.Note: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. Contact us with any corrections, suggestions, or other thoughts at [email protected]

Seattle Public Schools has finally released potential lists of schools to close. We attempt to sort through some of the information.See our show notes.Contact us: Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to [email protected]. Send us a voice memo at speak.seattlehallpass.orgDisclaimer: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. 

We review major topics from the school board meeting on August 28. Topics include: school closures and state fundingdual-language immersion principals’ union contracthighly capable servicesSee our Show NotesContact us at [email protected]

Christie, Jasmine, and Jane discuss new safety measures being implemented for the upcoming school year.  The total investment of $14.55 million by the city and school district includes mental health support, violence intervention, and increased police presence around schools. Show NotesContact us at [email protected]

Christie Robertson and intern Jasmine Pulido look back at Season One of Seattle Hall Pass, which spanned the 2023-24 school year at Seattle Public Schools. They reference Hall Pass episodes on the district’s budget woes, postponed school closures, school board director resignations and appointments, the state legislature, and student outcomes progress monitoring.See our Show Notes.Email us at [email protected]

Jane and Christie cover the June 26, 2024 school board meeting with help from our new intern, Jasmine Pulido. Topics include the postponement of releasing a list of schools to be closed in 2025, the 2024-25 budget introduction and hearing, and the reduction in school board meetings scheduled for the 2024-25 school year.Contact us: Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to [email protected]. Disclaimer: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. 

This is a new segment called "What Do Other Districts Do?" In this episode, we discuss how other districts handle school closures and how often other districts have school board meetings.See our Show NotesContact us at [email protected]

This is a video! See the video here!In 2005, Seattle Public Schools was projecting falling enrollment, and over the ensuing years, 11 schools were closed. But it turned out that the projections were wrong, and SPS needed to reopen most of the buildings. New Seattle Hall Pass contributor Dawson Nichols spoke to four people who were there - Kay Smith-Blum, Leslie Harris, Sue Peters, and Dora Taylor. Note that these interviews were recorded before the June 10 school board meeting had been moved to June 26.See our very extensive Show Notes for lots more information.Disclaimer: Seattle Hall Pass features a variety of voices. Each person’s opinions are their own. Contact us: Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to [email protected] or speak.seattlehallpass.org. 

See our Show NotesContact us [email protected] Closure Community Engagement Meetings, May 28 - June 1. In this episode of the Seattle Hall Pass podcast, Christie Robertson and Jane Tunks Demel discuss the recent community meetings held by Seattle Public Schools regarding the proposed closure of 20 out of 73 elementary schools by the 2025-26 school year. They report on the first meeting at Roosevelt High School, which was poorly received due to lack of information and engagement, and then discuss the subsequent meetings at Garfield and Chief Sealth High Schools, where the district provided more details and answered questions from the community. The hosts share key information from the meetings, including estimated cost savings, enrollment projections, and the district's rationale for the closures, while also highlighting some of the community's concerns and unanswered questions.

Seattle School Board Meeting of May 22, 2024. Guardrails on school discipline and welcoming environments will not be met, but this is not discussed. Testimony dominates the meetings, focused on tensions with the administration at Pathfinder K-8, and fears of looming school closures.See our Show NotesContact us [email protected]

Christie Robertson & Jane Tunks Demel discuss the Seattle School Board Meeting of May 8, 2024, wherein the board agreed to entertain a plan to close 20 elementary schools. The list is coming June 10, 2024.Disclaimer: Each person's opinion is their ownSee our extensive Show NotesContact us at [email protected]

Show NotesContact UsSchool Board President Liza Rankin shares the Seattle School Board’s immediate plans for community engagement to help inform the district's new Strategic Plan.

See our Show NotesContact us [email protected]

In this special episode of the Seattle Schools Pass podcast, guests discuss the role of the Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance's (SESSFA) annual Move-a-Thon in supporting 17 of our chronically underfunded schools. The Move-a-Thon raises essential funds for basic needs and educational experiences while also building community. Support the cause by donating online at sessfa.org or via mobile by texting D7MOVES to 44-321.contact us: [email protected]

Detailed Show NotesContact us [email protected] a message speak.seattlehallpass.orgJane Tunks Demel and Christie Robertson talk with Joe Mizrahi, the newly elected Seattle School Board Director for Director District 4. Topics include:Community engagementThe SPS budget crisisDistrict/board/union relationshipsSpecial education and inclusion

In Episode 35, we cover the April 3 Seattle School Board meeting and the April 4 swearing-in of the new school board directors Sarah Clark (District 2) and Joe Mizrahi (District 4). We also discuss the budget work session, which included discussions around the 2024-25 school year and the 2025-26 school year. The scheduled progress monitoring session was canceled or postponed, and there was an unscheduled session outlining short-term and long-term community engagement plans. Look for school board directors to be coming to engage with you soon! Tune in on May 8 for the mostly-baked 2025-26 school consolidation and budget-cutting plan.Show NotesEmail us at [email protected] us a voice message at speak.seattlehallpass.orgDiscuss this episode on Substack

The 8 finalists for the Seattle School Board Director positions for Director Districts 2 and 4 participated in a candidate forum moderated by two students, Aayush Muthuswamy and Semai Hagos.The finalists for District 2 are:Carol ThompsonSarah ClarkDanielle GahlShawn SullivanThe finalists for District 4 are:Rachelle OldenJoe MizrahiGabriella GonzalezLaura Marie RiveraSee our Show NotesContact us - [email protected] a voice message - speak.seattlehallpass.org

Re: School Board Community Engagement Work Session, March 13, 2024 See our Show Notes.Contact us at [email protected] & Jane review and discuss major points from the March 13 community engagement work session. Topics covered:The 2024 Strategic Plan, Part 2 of Well-Resourced Schools Ongoing community engagementThanks to AJ Crabill for permission to use clips from his audiobook, Great on Their Behalf.

Show NotesContact us: [email protected] & Jane  cover the Seattle School Board budget work session from March 20, 2024, where the Superintendent’s team outlined $111 million in budget cuts for the 2024-25 school year. School consolidations, bell times, and other changes for the 2025-26 school year will be previewed at the May 8 meeting.

See our Show NotesEmail [email protected] with questions, comments, or corrections.Christie and Jane talk with Chetan Soni, an 18-year-old student and activist who has been a strong advocate for youth voice. We discuss mental health, gun violence, climate concerns, college and career readiness, and more.

See our Show Notes. Send errata and other notes to [email protected] the March 13 Special School Board meeting, the 5 sitting directors narrowed down the finalists for Districts 2 and 4. The finalists will participate at a forum at Lincoln High School in Wallingford on March 27, start time TBD.

See our Show Notes for references.Email [email protected] with suggestions or corrections.Christie and Jane cover the major topics of the March 6, 2024 school board meeting, including: 1) passionate public testimony about school funding allocations and difficulties at Rainier View Elementary 2) a work session in preparation for the March 13 special meeting to select the finalists for the School Board Director positions.3) a State Auditor's Office audit "entrance meeting" 

See our Show Notes.Send errata and other notes to [email protected] Episode 28 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane talk about the 15 applicants vying for two vacant seats on the seven-person Seattle School Board. Christie and Jane also share audio statements from 12 of the 15 applicants, so listeners can hear from them directly.

See our Show Notes.Send errata and other notes to [email protected] Episode 27 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane talk to Seattle School Board Director Brandon Hersey about monitoring the progress of SPS students toward the goals of 3rd Grade Reading, 7th Grade Writing, and College and Career Readiness. We hope to have a Q&A session with Director Hersey in the future. Send a short voice memo or typed question to  [email protected].  Please include how you would like to be identified.Correction: The “Profile of a Graduate” is from the State Board of Education, not the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), as stated in the audio.

Please see our Show Notes.Please send errata or other feedback to [email protected] and Jane discuss the February 7, 2024 Seattle School Board meeting, focusing on the process to fill vacancies following the resignations of two board directors, district efforts related to Continuous School Improvement Plans, and an update on the legislative session.

In Episode 25 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane interview Lisa Rivera, who served on the board for four years before she resigned on January 30, 2024. Check out the Show Notes.

In this Seattle Hall Pass episode, Christie and Jane interview Liza Rankin, discussing her roles as School Board President and Legislative Liaison. The conversation delves into legislative priorities, with President Rankin providing insights into the legislative process and the importance of community advocacy.CONTENT WARNING: There is NO discussion of board director resignations or vacancies in this episode, as it was recorded in early January, 2024. See our show notes for sources and much more information.

Episode 23 of Seattle Hall Pass discusses the sudden resignations of School Board directors Vivian Song and Lisa Rivera. The episode delves into the factors leading to their departure, and touches on the significant impact of their exit. The episode provides insights from various stakeholders, reflecting on the directors' contributions and the broader implications for governance and representation in the Seattle Public Schools system.See our show notes for sources and much more information.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane delve into developments shaping K-12 education in the 2024 Washington State Legislative Session. Tune in for a breakdown of these legislative developments and a preview of what to expect in the coming week. Topics covered include special education, school lunch, and more. See our show notes for links to the committees, bills, and more. 

The Washington State legislative session started on Monday, January 8th. Jane and Christie talk through some of what is happening in Olympia that pertains to education.Some topics include: the governor's budget, district funding bills, student mental health, restraint and isolation, special education, and gun responsibility.Show notes

Part III in our three-part series of on-the-ground stories from the "October shuffles" at SPS elementary schools, where teachers are moved between classes and buildings to match enrollment and class ratio requirements. In this episode, we interviewed: Jessica Warner-Grant, a parent at Olympic Hills Elementary in Lake CityTyler Dupuis, a teacher at Orca K-8 in Columbia City Kevin Litwack, a parent at Leschi Elementary in the Central DistrictPart I - DunlapPart II - Adams and Cedar ParkSee our show notes.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we feature the second of a three-part series on the October shuffles at SPS elementary schools. Here, we interviewed parents at Sarah Nau at Cedar Park Elementary in Lake City and Cortny Helmink Adams Elementary in Ballard about how the upheaval affected their communities.Part I - DunlapSee our show notes.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we feature the first of a three-part series on the October shuffles at SPS elementary schools. We interview two parents (Nasirah Salaymane Craig and Alex Wakeman Rouse) and one teacher (Wil Depusoy) from  Dunlap Elementary school in Southeast Seattle about how the upheaval affected their community.See our show notes. 

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane bring you a conversation with the President of the Edmonds School Board, Nancy Katims, and the President of the Edmonds Teachers Union, Andi Nofziger-Meadows. They organized a Multi-District Letter to State Legislators requesting that 44 percent of the $1.2 billion state budget surplus for 2024 be distributed to PK-12 education. The letter was co-signed by union leaders and school board presidents at a variety of other districts across the state.See our show notes to see the letter and more primary sources of information. 

This week we’re reporting on the first meeting of the newly elected School Board, on December 13, 2023.The Board elected a new President, Vice President, and Member at Large.  Also, the board voted on the Budget Resolution, in which they authorize the superintendent on the cost-saving measures he can “consider and research” to close the $105 million budget gap. See our show notes. 

This episode of Seattle Hall Pass covers the Budget Resolution that will be voted on by the School Board on December 13. It provides a broad outline of mechanisms the district may explore to address the $105 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year. Jane and Christie touch briefly on the swearing in of the four School Board Directors who were elected on November 7. See our show notes.

Christie and Jane interview outgoing Seattle School Board Director Chandra Hampson at the end of her four-year term. The focus of our conversation is the Financial Policy, co-authored by Hampson, that the Seattle School Board recently passed. We also talk about PTA funding, the belief gap, community engagement, special education spending, and a potential financial audit. See our show notes.

In our latest Seattle Hall Pass episode, we're confronting a critical issue: the focus on kids furthest from educational justice is so far not bearing fruit. More kids than ever are falling below proficiency for math and reading - goals set by the Seattle School Board as part of Student Outcomes Focused Governance. Despite the concerning trends, there's a silver lining: the district and the school board are addressing these challenges with open dialogue.See our show notes.

This episode of Seattle Hall Pass has some breaking news — we have a preview of the fiscal stabilization plan to be presented at the School Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 15, that was sent to us by an anonymous source. This plan maps how the superintendent is advising that the district should address the structural budget deficit for future years. DRAFT Fiscal Stabilization Plan - "Direction for 2024-25 & 2025-26 Fiscal Stabilization Plan to Create a System of Well-Resourced Schools"