‘Free’ Seattle Parks programs on school-closure day Tuesday not free for all: Preschool families lose a day, no refund/makeup

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After the city announced Tuesday that Seattle Parks would offer “free” drop-in programs for school-age kids during Seattle Public Schools‘ teacher-walkout closure day next Tuesday, one group of Parks clients learned it will come with a cost to them:

Families with children in Parks-facilities preschools have been told their programs are canceled for that day, and that there will be no refund and no makeup date.

At first, Parks said everyone in programs affected by the May 19th changes would get a refund if their program was canceled that day. That’s what Parks’ communications manager David Takami told us in response to our inquiry on Tuesday; we published his response in the comment discussion following our story.

Then we were contacted by a reader who forwarded a letter they said was distributed to preschool families Tuesday evening. The letter, attributed to Parks manager Kelly Guy, told them the preschool programs were canceled for the day and that there would be no refund because it was considered an “emergency circumstance” – like, for example, a snow closure.

Takami confirmed that to WSB, saying he wasn’t aware of it until after his original response to our question. He said the Preschool Family Handbook provided to all participating families says:

“Preschool Program days cancelled by the Department for any reason will be refunded with the following exception: Programs closed due to weather or emergency circumstances will be credited to the customer account after the first two cancelled days. No credit will be provided for the first two cancelled days over the course of a school year.”

We consider the teacher walk-out as one of those “emergency circumstances.” … Fees for non-preschool programs that are cancelled will be refunded as previously stated.

We asked our tipster about the cost of the preschool program; at the numbers cited, one day means about $26 (prepaid) lost, plus whatever the affected family might have to pay for replacement child care.

Seattle Public Schools is making up the walkout date by extending the school year one day, to June 16th. This is one of many districts around the state where teachers are staging one-day walkouts to protest circumstances including the Legislature’s court-rebuked education-funding failure; here’s the Seattle Education Association FAQ explaining the walkout. (Teachers in the school district immediately south of here, Highline, are walking out on May 21.)

Diane May 15, 2015 (2:32 pm)

people, write to CM Tim Burgess, who keeps touting “free preschools for all” (not really) as big part of his campaign to be re-elected
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this is terrible; THANK YOU for this very important story TR

flimflam May 15, 2015 (3:46 pm)

wow – that is pretty terrible. weaseling out of giving a (well deserved) refund is really deplorable.

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not very impressed with the teachers “negotiating style” here to begin with, less so after seeing the further consequences.

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what would happen if I told my employer that I wasn’t coming to work next Tuesday to protest my low pay?????

Oakley34 May 15, 2015 (4:26 pm)

Just to clarify flimflam (I am not an edu professional, nor am i 100% on board with their action…but it bears saying:) they are not walking out because of low pay- it is due primarily to the state leg’s failure to fully fund education as per state constitution and also to raise awareness to other challenges facing educators in WA.

I was unaware the city parks dept has preschool programs

Bill May 15, 2015 (4:49 pm)

The preschool teachers have been reassigned to watch the kids at the rec centers.
The preschool teacher are not walking out.
I think it is interesting that the city calls this an “emergency” in order to not refund the money. This isnt a earthquake, flood, or natural disaster. That is a pretty shady.

AEWhit May 15, 2015 (5:25 pm)

This walkout is important! I’m sorry families are impacted, but isn’t that part of the point? Write your legislators, this issue was passed by voters with no outcome!

flimflam May 15, 2015 (5:32 pm)

Oakley34 (in honor of Charles Oakley? if so, pretty awesome..) I realize the teachers say its not about their pay, I just don’t believe them.

J May 15, 2015 (6:15 pm)

Those preschoolers stand to benefit in the near future, with smaller elementary school class sizes, if this walkout is successful.

Oakley34 May 15, 2015 (7:17 pm)

Yes for Charles Oak. as for the ’emergency’ designation my understanding is that those are basically unused snow days? (or at least I think that is how SPS is designating the day).

AEWhit May 15, 2015 (8:14 pm)

@Flimflam..yes this includes pay! Really people KNOW the facts before posting!!!!

Fred May 15, 2015 (11:06 pm)

This is story is about the parks department closing the preschools in order to watch the k-8 kids for free. The preschool teachers are not walking out. They are not part of the walk out.
The preschool teachers want to teach their normal classes. The Parks Dept. has ordered them to cancel their classes for the day. The parks dept cancelled the day to the objections of the teaching staffs. The teachers are being forced to do day care work for the day instead of teaching their students. Their students are not permitted on the property during this time.

N May 16, 2015 (1:02 pm)

@Flimflam. They are not hiding what this is about
It’s been eight years since the courts ruled against the Legislature, in the McCleary case in 2007, that the state has systematically failed to adequately fund public schools.
It’s been six years since the state has given teachers a raise, even though voters required the Legislature to provide annual adjustments for inflation with an initiative that was voted into law in 2000.
Even when the state Supreme Court affirmed earlier court rulings and ordered the state in 2009 to adequately fund public education, now, six years later, not one of the budget proposals by the House, Senate or Governor satisfies the progress ordered by the court. Current legislative proposals fall more than $2,000 per student per year short of the $11,345 per student that the Legislature itself pledged it would spend toward meeting McCleary. That means Washington’s 1 million public school students, teachers and specialists are being told to do without … again.
It’s been less than a year since voters passed a law requiring smaller class sizes and caseloads for students at all grades, K-12. And yet legislators are already making plans for how they might ignore state law and the will of the voters by reducing class sizes only in grades K-3, and actually increasing class sizes in all other grades above what is required in the law. All students, grades K-12, deserve lower class sizes.
In each of those years and all of the ones in between, we’ve attempted to get the attention of the Legislature about the error of their ways. Across the state, we’ve sent hundreds of thousands of emails, post cards, and messages; made countless phone calls; and held hundreds of meetings, rallies, and public forums.
Most recently, more than 4,000 educators staged a massive rally in Olympia on April 25 — a Saturday so as not to disrupt classes, and the day the legislative session was scheduled to end. Our legislators’ reaction? They cancelled the last day of the session, leaving town a day early so they wouldn’t have to face our concerns.
So, why take this next step of closing schools? Because the stakes are too high for us not to take action. Our Legislature has failed to do what is right, to do what is required by law, to do what is needed so our students get the education they deserve. Our Legislature is failing to FULLY FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION!

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