Today/tonight: School-assignment maps; job-hunter help

SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT MAPS: The next major step in Seattle Public Schools move to a neighborhood-based school-attendance plan (after years of focusing on “choice”) happens today, during a School Board work session, 4-8 pm: The proposed attendance-area boundaries for each school are scheduled to go public. We’re planning to cover the meeting, which is open to the public but does not have a scheduled public comment period (saveseattleschools.blogspot.com has a great breakdown of how this works), and will post “live” updates (unlike regular board meetings, these sessions usually are not shown live online or on cable TV). The district says the maps will be linked here after the meeting begins (we’ll include the links in our coverage too). Reminder, two meetings are planned in West Seattle next week (here’s the full citywide list) for feedback on the proposed boundaries.

JOB-HUNTER HELP: 6 pm tonight at the Delridge Community Center Computer Lab, check out a free workshop with resume-creation tips and online-job-search help. Just call 206-684-7423 to register.

7 Replies to "Today/tonight: School-assignment maps; job-hunter help"

  • Ex-Westwood Resident October 6, 2009 (7:03 am)

    It’s about time!!!!
    .
    The demise of Seattle schools and the education began with the forced busing in the late 70’s.
    .
    Parents and students forced to attend school MILES away and out of their neighborhoods. Most students spent time on the bus that could have been spent studying. Parents who wanted to get involved in their kids schools found themselves caught up in traveling miles through clogged streets during rush hour to get to parent/teacher meetings, PTA meetings…etc. How many kids at WHS live in other areas like Rainier Beach, Ballard, Queen Anne??? And visa-versa??? Try getting to/from Ballard at 5PM to get to a parent-teacher conference. After school activities, yes sports, plays a LARGE part of HS life. Maybe now there will be increase in the participation seeing as the kids don’t have far to go to get home after practice.
    .
    Now if school vouchers, which gives parents THE CHOICE to send their kids to a private school gets passed (a pipe dream, I know) we may actually see the education system in Seattle return to a high standard.
    .
    E-WR

  • pam October 6, 2009 (7:56 am)

    I do agree that the system in seattle has been a mess- costly, ineffective… but there are also families (like ours) who could be negatively impacted by the new boundaries.
    Our child currently attends her neigborhood reference school, but with the new maps, when her siblings reach school age, they may be forced to attend a different school. I am encouraging the school board to allow the grandfathering of reference school areas- meaning:

    A family who has a child or children who currently reside in and attend their CURRENT reference area school:

    If the new boundaries would move a child and his or her siblings to a different reference school and/or cluster, that child, and his or her siblings will be able to continue to attend the historic reference school and cluster; essentially the family would be “grandfathered” to the previous reference school.”

    We made a conscious effort to purchase a home within our neighborhood reference school area. I am so sad that the time, money and emotions that we have invested in our family home might be overlooked by the school board with a blanket no grandfathering policy.

    If you feel the way I do, please feel free to copy and paste the above and send it to the school board. Thanks.

  • Elle October 6, 2009 (10:57 am)

    Well said Pam. What is the best email address to reach the school board?

  • Ex-Westwood Resident October 6, 2009 (11:08 am)

    Pam,
    I see your point, but if that is allowed then what is the use of redrawing the maps?

  • WSB October 6, 2009 (11:13 am)

    Contact info here:
    http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/contact.xml
    .
    And DO show up at one of the meetings we mentioned above.

  • Kdg parent October 6, 2009 (2:50 pm)

    E-WR,
    The families who live on the borders of boundaries that may be moved and switch families to a new reference area and/or cluster AND who already attend their designated reference area school cannot be that large of a number of families. Also, a factor for creating a new SAP is to alleviate transportation costs. These families would not require extreme transportation situations. Seems logical to me. Great thinking, Pam!

  • k October 6, 2009 (8:15 pm)

    @E-WR
    Not everyone had a bad experience with “forced” bussing in the 70’s. My parents CHOSE for my brother and myself to be bussed because our local school (3 blocks away in North Seattle) was not quality education at the time. My parents took the time to look at many schools and were able to choose the one that was the best for us. It was NOT the local school. I was bussed K-12 and met people I never would have met if I hadn’t been bussed. Because our housing is more segregated, our schools will end up being so too. And that would be sad.

    Some people will not choose their reference school because it is not a good school. My children don’t go their WS reference school now– we found a better alternative and they can take the bus.

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