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Title : Superintendent Finalists Speak
link : Superintendent Finalists Speak
Superintendent Finalists Speak
Last night's event at JSCEE to introduce the finalists for the superintendent post certainly seemed to illuminate the differences among them. The finalists are Jeanice Swift, Andre Spencer and Denise Juneau. Swift and Juneau were, to me, the best of the three. I'll have a separate thread on my thoughts on who it should get the job and why but I'll devote this thread on what was said.The JSCEE auditorium had been enlarged with chairs set on the diagonal which was good because the room was nearly full. All the Board members were present with President Harris, when not doing the introductions, sat in the audience, and Director Geary decided to stand at one side. (She later told me that she had interviewed the candidates already and was interested to gauge the audience reaction. I was doing the exact same thing.) The rest of the Board sat in a front row. Keshia Scarlett, Exec. Dir. of Org Development and Equity, was the moderator and did a fine job (she joked that she was channeling Oprah but yet did not give out cars).
Dr. Swift, who was first up, did help out by asking who was in the room by a show of hands. There were parents (at least 30+), a few students, some staff, and community members. The largest minority group by far was African-American.
The candidates were all asked the same questions which were generated from email and in-room questions. There were to be about 15 questions in 45 minutes but not all the candidates got that far. Swift did the most but Spencer did the longest intro so I suspect that's where more time went.
President Harris got each candidate started by asking, "Why here and why now?" which I thought was a pretty good question but I note that only Swift answered the "why here?" portion of the question. and none answered the "why now?" portion of the question.
However, I was very disappointed with the questions for one big reason.
There was not a question to ask these candidates - all coming from much smaller districts - why they thought they had the abilities to be able to handle an urban district.
I'll do a quick overview of each candidate's demeanor and personality and then give the questions and each candidate's answers. They did all seem excited about Seattle and its work on equity. They were all effective and engaging speakers. I did not feel any candidate tried to pander to the crowd (except that they all three referenced the opening night Mariners baseball game which got a laugh each time).
All three went on school tours (to different schools) on and referenced those visits. I believe each went to an elementary, middle and high school.
Jeanice Swift - a dynamo, she stayed perched on her chair but still managed to radiate a big personality. By turns humble and confident, she did have the crowd, at times, laughing or nodding. Some might call her "perky" but I would not underestimate her determination. She said she had state legislators on "speed-dial" and I don't doubt it.
Intro: She was the only one who didn't talk about her backstory. She said that Seattle was diverse and vibrant and that she "resonated" with SPS' goals to get rid of disparities and provide a "rich and full" opportunity to learn for all students. She said, "When folks know me, they find my leadership is about connection, collaboration and community." She went on to say the best work comes when all voices are at the table.
Denise Juneau - where Swift is perky, calm. Juneau is a warm woman who speaks in measured tones. It may be her law degree training on speaking but she comes across as quietly effective. Like Swift, I think basing what you might think of her drive on her demeanor would be a mistake. Juneau preferred to speak standing up. She seems a thoughtful person.
Intro: Juneau said her story was one "from Head Start to Harvard." She mentioned being a teacher, then getting a law degree and then going back to education by running for state superintendent of instruction in Montana. She talked about how her family was deeply rooted in education; her grandmother a cook in a school, her father a bus driver and attendance officer, her mom worked on alternative education. Her father also served on a school board and her mother was a state legislator who worked on education issues.
She talked about working with a nearly $1B budget for her office and "working with communities and families on real needs." She said during her administration that they had increase graduation rates. She said that there were "exciting things" going in on SPS around equity and "moving the ball forward."
Andre Spencer - like Swift and Juneau before him, he's personable and confident. He was warm and you could feel the audience being comfortable with him. He not only stood the whole time but moved around a bit, smiling a lot. He did talk a lot about partnerships but did mention the word "business" over and over. He seems a genuine person.
Intro: He spoke of feeling "marginalized" growing up in inner city Baltimore. Spencer talked about the huge influence that his hard-working mother with six children had on his life and her telling him to study hard in order to move ahead. He also spoke of a science teacher, Mr. Clem, who he had for both 7th and 9th grades and how Clem referred to students as "scientists." it made him decide to become a science teacher as well. He said that teachers, bus drivers, kitchen staff, etc. "are the first touchpoint" for students. As for coming to Seattle, he said, "I want to listen and learn and work together."
Questions&Answers
(I did try to get the wording right but Scarlett did alter it slightly from person to person so I condensed the wording. Also, I think some questions may have been asked out of order for different candidates. )
1. There is a theme around family and community engagement from underserved communities. What would you do to include those families?
Swift - Hearing voice is key and critical; hearing all voices. She said, for example, this is a great crowd here tonight but she knows that in every gathering, there are some voices not heard or even able to be there. She said in her district, she goes out of her office because she wants to meet families "where they are."
She said face-to-face is good but offering online resources is also good and that she's working on social media as well.
Juneau - She stated that as superintendent, they created "Schools of Promise" and worked with schools that struggled with academic rigor. She said they met with communities and were "truthful about the data" but that there were also issues of deep, generational poverty issues to consider as well.
She said she had never met a parent who didn't want a better life for their child and that comes thru education. She said, "We don't need a higher wall but a longer table" and to find those people who don't feel included and bring those strengths into the school.
Spencer - He said "you have to be a listener and learner." He said, "I'm coming to your neighborhood." He said his district had organized a group to go out on "a Harrison walk" and visit students who dropped out to try to ask what they need in order to return and get a diploma.
2. Issues of equity in PTA fundraising.
Swift - She said it was a timely question because the students she visited at Franklin brought it up. She said that her district had struggled with this as well and "frankly, none of the techniques that we tried hit it out of the park." She said it was important to set a floor for what schools need to serve children but also to provide them with after-school opportunities.
She said her example is that if you change transportation, that might be an "inconvenience" for better-off parents but it is "make or break" for low-income families.
Juneau - She said she had a conversation with Board members and had been reading about this issue. She said that in her state there were "foundations" that were school-based (as is the case in SPS as well). She said they had created, "Graduation Matters" and had 250 small businesses and foundation at the table and how "everyone has a role in public education." She spoke of what they did in Marin County in California. She said there might need to be a taskforce to move this work along.
Spencer - He said this was a concerning issue for him. He said he talked to businesses to ask, "How can public education benefit their business?" He said they had created VIP (Very Important Parent) group. He said they need to make sure that "folks know what the benefit is for them and then provide to the students."
3. How will you continue the work of the different district-based taskforces and committees in SPS?
Swift - She said she would "fall in with work" already done and that "I'm mindful that I'm entering but the work has already started"and to be respectful and learn from that. She referenced the noted education writer, Pedro Noguera, and his comment that inequality exists in our country so it can't be a surprise that it exists in our schools.
She feels that schools can be the ones to reverse that trend and it moves out into society.
Juneau - She said it was important to pull teachers together and do training about cultural differences and privilege. She said she understood that was happening in SPS at the school level. She again referenced the work on Graduation Matters and sharing successful practices.
Spencer - He said to "be out in the community." He spoke of a nonprofit in Colorado Springs that gives homeless students a place to sleep and then the district provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to all (so no stigma on who is getting it). He talked about helping students understand jobs and how to get there.
4. About workforce diversty - What are ways to address lack of diversity given stats for good outcomes for children of color as well as all children?
Swift - She said that in Michigan they have cold winters but are trying to convince people to come in. She said that the "grow within your own community" as SPS is doing is a great strategy and it might start with paraprofessionals who already have a commitment to school communities. She said a "teacher cadet" program in high schools might support and encourage students who might want to be teachers. She said that may sound like a long timeline but students are anchored in the community. She said that "kids should see themselves at all levels of the system."
Juneau -She said that in her tour of Cleveland there was one student who spoke about being a techers because of the teachers who reached out and helped him. She said 98% of Montana teachers are white and the idea of "growing your own" is important. She said there are student groups for all kinds of topics but why not students being teachers? (I note that we did have such a club when I was in high school.)
Spencer - He said he "100% believed" that all students benefit from teachers of color" and kids seeing those teachers "doing positive things." He said his district had set up a "Real Men Read" group for men of color to come in and read with kids as well as high school boys of color coming in and reading to kids.
He said he was the commissioner for the Alliance of Black School Educators and they talk about how to advertise to teachers of color. He got a big laugh from explaining that African-American teachers were not coming to Colorado to ski. He said it was things like talking about "where to get your hair taken care of" and making connections.
He said that students who have teachers of color in elementary school, particularly underserved schools, will graduate at a 10% higher rate than those who don't. He said no one asks these teachers why they don't stay.
5. Again, about teachers, how to support professional growth?
Swift - "I was blessed to be a teacher for 13 years from 6-12 grade. She said there had been a "drift" from respecting teachers. She said it was important to "value" teaching and learning and said students at Franklin had talked about teachers "opening doors for you."
She talked about peer-to-peer help for teachers and said it would be a "priority and commitment."
Juneau - She said that she was impressed with the numbers of Board-certified teachers in SPS and that she understood that to be the best professional growth. She said the first year of being a teacher was the hardest year she ever had despite training and it certainly taught her how important PD is.
She also spoke of teachers working with children experiencing trauma and the idea of "secondary trauma" and how they worked with teachers on "self-care."
Spencer - Ask teachers what should go into professional development as well as "incentivizing" them.
6. About school leaders and continuous improvement and what does that look and sound like?
Swift - We allow "for uniqueness of each campus and its ability to grow in its own way." She stated that John Maxwell said that "everything rises and falls on leadership."
She said school leaders are finding they have more kids with trauma and the school needs to address that but leaders need that support.
Juneau - She said that principals need to be supported to increase longevity at the building level.
Spencer - He said leaders are the first "touchpoint" and they need to engage their communities. He said he would have one-on-ones with those leaders and ask them to tell him about those communities and what they need. He said he had a situation with one high school in developing an IB program and creating a 5-year funding plan.
7. There's a huge push from SEA to work for equity on teams. What are your thoughts?
Swift - She said "this is the work of this generation" and there is urgency to it. She said next Wednesday is the anniversary of MLK, Jr.'s assassination and "those of us that call ourselves white allies in the work can see we are not where we hoped to be by now."
She said that Noguera says that superintendents are the Chief Equity Officer in their districts (but she said she thought SPS had someone actually named in that role and she's right). She said the foundation needs to be laid with a plan in mind but that there is then the reality of schools. She said it would be "my work to jump in and lead and champion that cause."
Juneau - She said this is what public education is about and they needed to find out "root causes" She said being in the Native American community that she knows about injustice. She said that her mother used to say the pledge of allegiance and that, at the end when she got to the words "and justice for all," she would add, "someday."
Spencer - He spoke about working on the change at different levels of students and that there is not "one cookie-cutter approach."
8. How to ensure arts equity?
Swift - She said arts are "transformational" and that some kids get private lessons early on that others don't. She said her district had created a community partnership where students can get private lessons and there are instruments for all at no cost. She said they also have a partnership with their symphony.
Juneau - She said she went to an SPS elementary and they did a great poetry slam with a poet leading the work. She said that it was important that arts reach all schools. She said "the budget is about values and that's usually where the money goes."
Spencer - He said to talk to students and ask them what they want. He said one student at West Seattle High said she wanted more arts and then, when pressed, just said more theater. He said it might be great to bring in a professional dancer to show students interested in that.
He said that adults sometimes don't have an answer on how to make it happen but students think, "I can make it happen."
9. Students in issues around education
Swift - She said she meets regularly with students around her district. She said pizza (healthy) always brings out a crowd of students and that it's just as much as them talking to each other as to her about issues.
She said when she was in Colorado Springs working, they had capacity issues and had a student lunch and one student brought forth an idea that became the basis for the solution they used.
Juneau - My notes do not reflect that Ms. Juneau was asked this question.
Spencer - My notes do not reflect that Dr. Spencer was asked this question.
10. Some students achievement is invisible especially for Native American or Pacific-Islander groups; what is your experience with alternative education to reach more students?
Swift - She said they may be invisible in charts and graphs but she directed her team to always put "each" in front of students so that no student is forgotten.
Juneau - She spoke of her mother working on alternative education and that it was about finding a caring adult for each child. She referred again to her program, "Graduation Matters" and that they had a superintendent and student advisory board. "Their voice gave us good information." She said kids have "a good BS meter." They also had kids - if they wanted to - take a "pledge to graduate" and share it with other students.
Spencer - He said they need to get resources to marginalized population and that there are "no throwaway students." He talked about students seeing their lives in curriculum and pathways for students to find their own way and again, providing resources.
11. Budget shortfalls and what to do
Swift - She said she would not rest until we get a new attitude about funding education on the backs of children. She said she had her state legislators on "speed-dial" and they should hear from all of those who care about public education. She said districts get reductions and learn to live with that new normal until there are then more reductions and the bottom falls out.
She said state constitutions require the spending but districts can't rest on "adequate" funding. "What is a child's life worth?" She said she hears that "money isn't the whole answer" but that her answer is "but we can't do much without it."
She said that she was sure that SPS, like many districts, combs thru looking for money but one thing her district did is look at revenue streams and they sold off a cell tower.
She said that districts have to tell the story about shortfalls and their impact.
Juneau - She spoke of doing this work as superintendent and that her state has similar legal action against the legislature (with the districts winning). She said that elections matter to legislators and that more public education advocates had to be elected to office.
She said (again), that "Budget follows values." She said she had read about the additional property taxes in Washington State to fund public education but that it frames public education in a negative way. She said her role would be to work with the Board on a vision, with families for priorities and being the top cheerleader and advocate.
She said that the "Graduation Matters" program saw successes and that some communities that hadn't been passing levies started to do so.
Spencer - He talking about finding grants to fill holes. He said shortfalls were another part of having a 5-year plan for spending.
12. School discipline and equity
Swift - She said school discipline is a fundamental lever for equity and to look at the data, it mirrors achievement. She said she had seen the recommendations from SPS' AA Male Advisory Committee especially around attendance. She said teams in schools could help with coping mechanisms.
Juneau - She talked about MTSS and that the way to make it work is to bring in community and find the strengths of neighborhoods. She said they didn't just "plop" it in but students drove that rule-making.
Spencer - My notes reflect that he was not asked this question.
13. We are more effective when we know a purpose; what do you think Seattle's is?
Swift - It is a collective purpose to support children. She said someone once said, "Kids are a postcard we send for a day we will not see" and so "we are working together to send postcards to the future."
She spoke of a staffer at Franklin who said he had been thru SPS and was a proud graduate and he expected both of his children to be as well. She said there is no better testimony than a parent believing their child will get the good education that he/she received.
Juneau - She said it's a quality education with all students learning and "raising all boats." She said that the "Graduation Matters" program was an umbrella program for talking about college/career. She spoke of "putting the public back in public education."
She noted that it's about finding community and said that this room showed that.
Spencer - He said SPS is on track to be the best urban school district in the country and that SPS is "not paying lip service to the work."
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