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Title : Seattle Schools Cuts Teachers at Some Schools to Move to Other Schools
link : Seattle Schools Cuts Teachers at Some Schools to Move to Other Schools
Seattle Schools Cuts Teachers at Some Schools to Move to Other Schools
Today, a letter signed from Michael Tolley, Flip Herndon, JoLynn Berge, and Clover Codd went out saying, "Dear School Leaders...."The district has 775 fewer students than they thought they would. They say that they are only off by 1.4%. From the letter, it is unclear if that is growth they had expected (but not gotten) or students who have left the district or both. They claim that many nearby districts to the east and south have the same issues and put cost of housing up "as a likely reason."
They cannot cover all that revenue loss and so they are cutting teachers. My understanding is that they are NOT losing their jobs; they will move to new schools.
Principals are to ask for volunteers and if there are none, then the least senior person in the teaching corps is displaced. If there is not a "suitable vacancy," then those teachers will be "assigned as building-designated substitutes until a position becomes available."
The timeline was that principals were told yesterday and today the principals told their schools (starting "the displacement process"). Those teachers to be cut will be notified by next Monday. Those teachers moving will be told next Tuesday and Wednesday and move Friday, the 28th.
I urge you - whether your school is affected or not - to write to the Board and the Superintendent - you can reach them and senior staff at:
schoolboard@seattleschools.org
Why?
Because if there are this much needed movement of teachers, then there should be movement at JSCEE. Why are schools bearing all the reductions in revenue?
And, if it's just 1.4% off, it seems like a lot of movement.
(And I don't mean cut someone who works in food services at JSCEE; I mean that there should be someone else up the food chain. When you have this kind of action, the pain should be spread out.)
One very glaring issue is schools like Nova, World School and Interagency that serve many kids with challenges. It's LGBTQ kids, immigrant kids and kids who have not found a place where they feel safe. I can say that I know -for a fact - that Nova and Interagency save lives. And, those two schools, along with Middle College, always get more kids after the October count.
From the SPS website:
This year's count was 724 fewer students than projected, resulting in a shortfall of $7.5 million.
But they told the principals that it was 775. Hmm.
Staff applied a race and equity lens to support our schools with the highest need. While the need was greater than our available resources, we are able to stabilize staffing and minimize greater disruptions for some schools.
We know the changes will affect our teachers, students and families. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this process. If you have additional questions, please email staffing@seattleschools.org .
If you want to learn more about enrollment projections and staffing, please visit our Staffing Adjustments FAQ webpage.
From the FAQs:
In light of lower than projected enrollment, central office hiring has also been curtailed.
What that truly means is anyone's guess.
The letter to principals says:
As the instructional leader of your school, please help your school community understand these adjustments and the factors taken into consideration. We need your local leadership to make this process as smooth as possible."Problem is, I don't see a notation of the factors that influenced what schools are losing teachers. I see some fairly popular/full schools on the list like Roosvelt, Queen Anne, STEM K-8 so it's confusing to understand what schools were picked.
Schools gaining teachers:
Cedar Park, Emerson, Gatewood, Lafayette, Loyal Heights, Madrona K-5, North Beach, Olympic Hills, Eckstein, Chief Sealth and Rainier Beach.
I'm not so surprised at this list except for Madrona K-5 which had very low enrollment in previous years.
Schools losing teachers:
Arbor Heights, Cascadia, Bagley, Coe, Genesee Hill, Hay, Muir, Lawton, Leschi, Montlake, Queen Anne (2), Thurgood Marshall, View Ridge, Viewlands, Whittier, Broadview-Thomson, Blaine (2), Boren STEM, Salmon Bay, Meany*, Mercer, Franklin*, Garfield, Roosevelt (2), Interagency (2)*, Nova (2), World School.
*This has a notation of "vacancy" which I take to mean the school already had an empty spot.
Please note that staffing adjustments for Special Education and ELL will be determined and communicated by October 5, 2019.
From messaging out of Nova (not official):
Over the last two years the enrollment center has done things like not putting Nova on the list parents see of available high schools in the district, telling parents and students that Nova is already full, and moving back deadline dates for out of district students to apply to our school.
Between the three service schools I mentioned above, schools that support the most vulnerable students in the school district, five of the ten teachers are being cut.
The irony of all of this is that all the large high schools are holding onto all of their students until October 1st (when budgets are decided for schools) and then will release those kids who they deem are not appropriate for their schools to the service schools - Nova, Interagency, South Lakes, World School, and Middle College.
Our teachers work with students who are highly vulnerable to depression, anxiety, PTSD, other mental health disorders, ADHD, and having been bullied for being LGBTQ, autistic, or simply different from others. We provide a safe and stable place that some students have never experienced in their school years, and sometimes in their own homes. Suddenly putting our community into this kind of chaos only creates chaos for those students.Seattle Public Schools talks and talks and talks about equity and supporting students with challenges but when push comes to shove, they seem to always go after the schools that support those students. Please don't let them undercut the good work at Nova, World School and Interagency.
If SPS keeps this up, I suspect you will see the growth of private, online and charter schools. I'm not sure how the district thinks it won't happen.
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