seattle school board members seattle school board members

So, the actual people who actually do the job clearly like it and want to keep doing it.Mas argued theres a better solution to the fact that the job can be demanding, a solution that doesnt involve paying board members.They dont need to be paid themselves, they need some paid staff to answer those emails, to do some independent data gathering, he said. Three seats on the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington were up for general election on November 2, 2021. The only somewhat meaningful reporting on this complaint came from the Seattle Times. 1st Grade Class Rep - Lauren McAlister. Apr 2013 - Jan 20162 years 10 months. They inexplicably chose not to embed the actual investigation, nor did they examine who made the complaints. The tension came to a head during an Aug. 28, 2020, phone call between Hampson, DeWolf, the complainants, and SPS staff. MFR submitted the report to Seattle Schools in early August. Map of the seven director districts. Then Hampson started to berate the staff members and [one of] the complainants with accusations. The witness said that Hampson was lying about some of the allegations made against the complainant. During a board meeting Sept. 9, the board voted to take action based on the findings of the investigation. All rights reserved. The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. The School Board student member positions were created in response to student advocacy about the need to uplift and increase BIPOC student voices within Seattle Public Schools, to work toward a student-centered educational system, and to help students understand the educational system around them and share their perspectives with district leadership. Geary did not file to run for re-election in 2019. It is widely acknowledged that the Seattle Public School district (with 53,000 students, the largest in Washington) is riddled with weak leadership, overly powerful unions, poor academics and deep structural problems. Seattle University School of Law. Student board members are appointed for one year, following the academic calendar. Hampson, on the other hand, is in office until 2023 and its unclear if shell run for re-election. The district was also to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to board members as needed. For details see Revised Code of Washington 29A.56.110. The seven . The two district employees, both of whom are women still working for Seattle Schools, alleged an orchestrated campaign of harassment, intimidation, bullying based on race and gender in response to their work on the anti-racism policy, according to the investigation by the MFR Law Group PLLC, a law firm focused on employment law and human resource services in the Pacific Northwest. The remaining seats will open up in 2025. Seattle reporter Jason Rantz noted that, in leaked emails, the school district actually refused to request the mayor's office sweep the camps for illegal activity. He made these comments several times. The investigative report was submitted last August and concluded that Director Hampson used her position and authority to the detriment of [staff] in violation of [the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy], according to court documents. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. I found out about this a week or so before my vacation, thanks to a listener tip. Approval of the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Seattle School District No. That meeting was the focus of the investigation and what triggered the accusations against Hampson and DeWolf. One witness called it worst meeting she had ever experienced., Another witness said that DeWolf began raising his voice and accused [the complainants] of being dishonest about their collaboration on the policy. She said that it seemed he felt the need to put them in their place., When one of the complainants wondered if a miscommunication could have led to the belief that they were working independent of the school board members, the witness said, DeWolf was relentless in his negative admonishing and chastising tone, which set the stage for a terrible conversation., DeWolf told MFR investigators, according to the report, that he was not scolding [the complainant], because he does not like conflict, and he was trying to be super-intentional and gentle with his language.. School Board student members will also attend the regular meetings of the School Board of Directors on a roughly once-per-month rotation and will have an opportunity to report on the work of their committee, offer opinions on the motions and resolutions before the board, and communicate other topics of student interest or concern. Arizona school board member says district should reject hiring teachers with Christian values: 'Not.safe' https://lnkd.in/gsiKn_qu Explore the Fox News An unnamed board director who worked closely with DeWolf in 2020 declined an interview. Student board members can expect to spend approximately four (4) hours a month on additional work, including reviewing meeting materials, meeting with peers, and meeting with support staff and board mentor. But they are also fringe partisans who set up their complaint to fail when they claimed concern over the process not being able to weed out implicit bias. 1250, School Board Student Members. Its not considered harassment when an elected board member reprimands staff for failing to follow board directives, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. Founded in 1856, St. Paul's School is a fully residential independent high school located in Concord, N.H. She is passionate about high-quality education for all Washington students and for an equitable education system to help fully equip achievers for tomorrow. Last month, the school board voted to repeal the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy for adults (a student policy still exists) and replace it with civility procedures, citing the extraneous resources it took to go through complaints that often didnt meet the threshold of the policy and prevented more serious complaints from being addressed. 11% of the management team is Black or African American. If you feel you are being discriminated against, you need to prove it with the highest level of scrutiny., According to the investigation, both DeWolf and Hampson felt it important to move forward with an investigation so that it was clear they were not being held to a different standard or process than other SPS staff.. Juneau spoke with students and parents of students in the district, staff, principals, and the Seattle Council PTSA, and gathered feedback from Latinx and Black community members before making the . In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. She is the second School Board director in recent memory to resign. The Stranger, normally interested in amplifying claims of racism, offered the bare minimum in covering the story, only to link to the Seattle Times. It was dated Sept. 18, 2020. Emails and meeting notes appear to back this claim. November 2, 2021. The company, which has offices in the Pacific Northwest and New England, created various maps based on legal requirements, community and board member input. At a meeting earlier this month, Seattle Public Schools board member Liza Rankin pointed out that the upcoming legislative session is a budget year, and called for the state to start paying for . Part of the reason that I personally chose not to run is that it is such a huge commitment, particularly for someone who has a full-time job, and we have three board members who have full-time jobs.Smith-Blum said that there are good quality candidates who dont ever run because of the fact that its so overwhelming, with no compensation.But others doubt that board pay is a panacea.I dont think we are going to get a better corps of board candidates for that level of pay, and I dont think anybody who is doing it is doing it for the pay, said Charlie Mas who writes for the Save Seattle Schools website. Contact us with questions about applying to be a School Board Student Member. She coordinated with DeWolf in an attempt to limit the complainants from speaking about their work on the policy and from offering input. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. Raymond Delos Reyes is a first-generation Filipino American, born in Seattle and a native of the Rainier Valley neighborhood, where he continues to reside. But the investigation said her treatment of Scarlett and Al-ansi was not based on race or gender, as alleged. Staff involvement was a privilege, not a right, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. Thats quite clearly the opposite of being an anti-racist. While serving, School Board student members must be enrolled in courses that ensure normal progress towards graduation and maintain the number of credits necessary for advancement to the next grade level. Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return to classrooms. The Seattle school board voted unanimously Wednesday to fire Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson over a $1.8 million financial scandal involving a district business development program. Two Seattle School Board members violated a board policy against harassing, intimidating and bullying staff members last year when they were working on an anti-racism policy with two Black district employees, an outside investigation has found. The district has improperly employed [the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy] to rebalance the power between elected directors and staff., Board members are elected to advise and approve policies, Talmadge said. School Board student members are charged with engaging students and student groups for feedback and with carrying forward the diverse perspectives of Seattle Public Schools students. The findings note that four of the 13 witnesses they interviewed opined that Dir. And why havent local TV stations picked the story up in any meaningful way? A list of School Board Members and Superintendents. Hes no longer in office, with Nov. 17, 2021, being his last day serving on the school board. Ghislaine Maxwell has appealed the conviction and 20-year prison sentence she received for trafficking girls to Jeffrey Epstein for sex, with her . School Board student members will hold non-voting advisory positions. The controversy began about two years ago, when SPS hired a law firm focused on employment law and human-resource services in the Pacific Northwest to investigate claims that Hampson and DeWolf violated a board policy during meetings that took place in August and September 2020. Hampson recused herself from voting. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. August 3, 2021. Carlyle's plan would pay board members, starting in the biggest, most complex district in Seattle, a salary in-line with state legislators, which is $42,000 per year. The student-led Selection Committee will support the Board's selection of three (3) students for the 2023-24 . The events that took place between the Seattle Public Schools employees and board members Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf happened in August and September 2020 during meetings and discussions about a draft of the districts anti-racism policy. Where were they? Board of Trustees - Seattle Preparatory School. The School Board has not yet voted on the policy. It only requested Hampson and DeWolf review the policy the investigation said they violated. School Board Student Member Application. Although the report didnt find clear evidence that Hampson and DeWolf discriminated against the two staffers because of their race or gender, it did conclude that both board members violated board policy 5207, which prohibits harassment, intimidation and bullying. The current policy doesnt codify any punishment for HIB conduct, so neither Hampson nor DeWolf were punished. 2023 Washington Policy Center All Rights Reserved Terms of Use, Closer look at Superintendent Reykdal's dig at WPC has me missing "Better call Saul", Washington state students to get less classroom time under new Dem-backed plan, Proposed WA bill would cut student's classtime by 4 hours a week, Tutoring bill to help students with school-shutdown learning loss blocked in Senate Ways and Means Committee, Bill reducing WA classroom learning by four hours a week working its way through Senate. It still has not been posted on the boards website. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, the chairman of a school board in northwest Oregon, has received death threats. Kirby has served as Board Chair at Special Olympics of Washington, where he helped bring the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games to Seattle. If youre retired or getting ready to retire and looking for new ways to stay active, becoming a SHIBA volunteer could be for you! She was elected in 2019 to represent District 3, which encompasses Northeast Seattle, including Sand Point, View Ridge and Bryant. The board did, however, vote to take action on the investigation. The two SPS employees believed board members were silencing, undermining, discrediting and discriminating against them based on gender and race, court documents say. It doesnt help that theyre insufferably rude, either. During law school, I served as a Board Member on the Black Law Students Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Board, Academic Conduct Board, and Seattle Journal for Social Justice. They expressed concerns about the expected Public Records Act disclosures after the investigation concluded., The report also notes that some witnesses asked MFR not to take notes during parts of their interviews.. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Washington Democrats are trying to force employers to hire or retain potheads with new legislation. District 1 - Liza Rankin. Food, Drink, and Coastal Christmas Anacortes has it all. Redistricting is required by law. Kindergarten Class Rep - Whitney Qualls. This is my Executive Committee meeting if you could please wrap up your remarks, he said, according to minutes printed in the investigation. Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office could arrest or civilly commit conservatives for uttering mainstream positions under a terrifying and illegal plan. Multiple school board members say . Codd, Superintendent Denise Juneau, School Board President Zachary DeWolf and Hersey heard from community members at a Thursday evening meeting on the issue at Garfield High School. By Chris B. Bennett Co-publisher/Editor Two weeks ago, The Seattle School Board had a decision to make - who will be the next board member representing District 7, which encompasses Southeast Seattle. City officials and school board members have declined to meet with the group of neighbors, parents and employees who are . District 5 now stretches from the Central Area all the way to the Montlake Cut, and includes Madison Park, Montlake, Eastlake and all of Capitol Hill. The two staffers attempted to present the policy during the meeting in September but were cut off by board members. But given the events of a recent school board meeting, this shouldnt come as a shock. The investigation is damning both for the directors who misbehaved and the complainants who use their wokeness to prove any investigation into anti-Blackness would be futile. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Seattle . A school board candidate must: Be a registered voter. 'Time for an intervention:' Seattle School Board member resigns, cites 'dysfunctional culture Jan 07, 2021 at 7:22 pm Winner of President's Cabinet for top performance in 2006 and 2008. Have at least a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency. Hampson and DeWolf are no strangers to controversy. Please fill out this form by April 3, 2023 if you would like to join the School Board Student Member Selection Committee. In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. The six officials parents are seeking to recall are Chandra Hampson, President, Brandon Hersey, Vice-President, Zachary DeWolf, Liza Rankin, Leslie Harris, and Lisa Rivera-Smith. Harris is a mother and foster parent who works as a litigation paralegal for Campiche Arnold PLLC. District 7 - Brandon K. Hersey. Bier on the Pier takes place on October 7th and 8th and features local ciders, food trucks and live music - not to mention the beautiful views of the Guemes Channel and backdrop of downtown Anacortes. The investigation itself was extensive. Al-ansi noted that DeWolf was pushing for a HIB investigation because he is familiar with the law and the level of scrutiny that is required around a racial claim., She calls it an institutional tactic where DeWolf is trying to find a different way to discredit their named experiences., The choice to move forward with an investigation is the most institutionally racist way you can do it, Al-ansi wrote, according to the investigation. MFR investigators said DeWolf repeatedly and persistently mistreated the two complainants, violating the HIB policy. Board members also believe students possess valuable insight and should have a voice in the education received from the district and the decisions made by the board. The board voted to withhold the information from online publication in an apparent move to keep the adverse findings from the public spotlight. Paralegal. Other indicators of failure are Seattles extraordinarily high private school attendance rate, dangerous homeless encampments adjacent to school grounds, the persistent learning gap for black, Hispanic and Native American children, and the fact that hundreds of families have left the system since March of last year. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions (NUR) seeks to improve access to educational opportunities in . By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. These meetings are held Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It was an attempt to limit Scarletts contributions to the meeting. WA to end masking requirement in health care, correctional facilities, Fire on Lake City Way in Seattle raises smoke, flooding concerns, One Seattle business is taking a stand against tipping mania, Chef Ethan Stowell buys a historic Seattle dive bar, Amazon shutters some convenience stores, including 2 in Seattle, at least three days before public meetings. Mary Fertakis, Kevin Wang, Patty Wood - At-Large Positions The districts decades-long record of failure helps explain why three Seattle mothers, Emily Bramwell Cherkin, Jennifer Rebecca Olson Crow, and Beverely Diann Goodman are leading a broad coalition of concerned parents asking voters to recall six out of seven Seattle school board members. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. Believe me, I know. Greater Giving Administrator - Kelsey Fish. There was also confusion among board members and staff about the timeline of the anti-racist policy, the emails show. When not harassing Black, female staff, they fought to keep dangerous homeless encampments on school property, including one that housed a sex offender. Seattle Prep. School Board student members will have the opportunity to participate in district policy development processes and counsel board directors on the impacts of potential district actions on students. As soon as the call began, DeWolf raised his voice at the two women who made the allegations and accused both of them of being dishonest about their collaboration on the anti-racist policy, according to the report. Hampson did acknowledge the group phone call was terrible, the report said, but denied violating harassment, intimidation and bullying board policies. The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-7pm on KTTH. But some witnesses and school board directors got in the way. And in a district like Seattle, a $1 billion annual enterprise, its a big job for someone who isnt getting paid.Dont we deserve a higher quality education system for our 50,000 kids, asked Carlyle.Carlyle argues that many of Seattles problems, and many problems in other districts, including the achievement gap, low graduation rates, and high turnover, can be tied to the fact that board members are volunteers, arent up to the job, and dont have much time for it.Carlyles plan would pay board members, starting in the biggest, most complex district in Seattle, a salary in-line with state legislators, which is $42,000 per year.It is unreasonable to expect people to have all of that knowledge and then be full-time volunteers on top, said Carlyle. Every 10 years, in accordance with the U.S. census count, Seattle Public Schools board members have the task of approving a new district election map. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 Self-interested unions, insider political interests and entrenched school officials decide what happens in public schools, not parents. School Board student members will be provided agendas and other materials in preparation for meetings and are also encouraged to attend board work sessions and other special meetings of the board. Yes, they get reimbursed a little for expenses such as gas and supplies but certainly not for their time. The attorneys representing the district, Pacific Law Group LLC, referred to the district for comment. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents district 3, and Leslie Harris represents district 6. Board members were under pressure to bring the resolution to the board quickly because many other board policies that were in the works hinged on this document, and district staff was pushing back on the urgency. Embattled Seattle School Board President Chandra Hampson deleted critical comments from her Facebook page. With just a week before the Seattle School Board is scheduled to vote on a plan for instruction this school year, which begins Sept. 2, some members including Chandra Hampson say the district's . School Board student members will contribute to discussion by providing student insight and perspective, advocating their positions on district issues or needs, and serving as liaisons between the board and students. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents . This case highlights that particular problem and ultimately can bring affirmation to the board and the superintendent they hire.. There was another meeting between the board directors and the complainants on Sept. 16, 2020. March 7 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, Posting documents for regular Board meetings at least 3 days in advance of the meeting to allow for public review, Maintaining accurate and timely information on the School Board?s website, Noticing all Board meetings on the District?s website in a timely manner, Responding to and tracking constituent communication, Complying with requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), Providing administrative support to Board members (e.g., travel arrangements, expense reimbursements, and document preparation). And thats not an unbiased source of data.Carlyle is working to get legislative support for his idea before lawmakers reconvene in Olympia in January. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open soon please continue to check this webpage and district social media for updates. Hampsons attorneys are seeking to overturn the finding that their client violated the districts harassment, intimidation and bullying policy and say the district has not explained how events that led to the investigation meet the threshold of causing substantial harm to staffers under the policy. RT @mrandystevens: We need to replace the activists school board members with parents whose only agenda is to ensure a good education for our kids. MFR investigators interviewed 20 witnesses and reviewed over 5,600 documents. Lake Washington Windows and Doors is a local window dealer offering the exclusive Leak Armor installation. A district that I know ardently strives to be a safe, welcoming and anti-racist institution. I have been doing this for 30+ years, and I dont need to hear your qualifications. Melissa Westbrooks local blog which I just discovered actually covered this story back in October. Is there a reason you telling me this? Theyre not against racism; they want to favor one racial group over others. The School Board Student Member Selection Committee is a student-led committee that will recommend three (3) Student Members to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors for selection. 11% of Seattle Public Schools management is Hispanic or Latino. I dont know what youre getting at by sharing yours, Hampson added, according to the witness. District 6 - Leslie S. Harris. Lets remember, six of the last seven people who had the job ran for re-election. The report noted that it seemed [DeWolf] felt the need to put them in their place. One of the accusers tried to raise that there must have been a misunderstanding, but DeWolf was relentless in his negative admonishing and chastising tone, which set the stage for a terrible conversation., Hampson berated staffers, the investigation said, and the conversation became very heated and spiraled out of control.. GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. Seattle school board directors Zachary DeWolf (L) and Chandra Hampson (R). She repeatedly said she was elected to do this work and appeared upset that her authority and duty were questioned. SEATTLE, WA- Massive homeless encampments have taken over several school grounds in Seattle.Instead of demanding that the growing tent communities be removed, the Seattle School Board president and one of its directors have reportedly urged Mayor Jenny Durkan to not clear them out.. Best believe anywhere else, there would be zero homeless camps outside a school.