RSS
Home
More than 75 turn out for Queen Anne public school open forum
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Photo from McClure Middle School Website.
More than 75 parents and teachers of Queen Anne gathered this evening at McClure Middle School with state and local officials to participate in an open forum about the future of Queen Anne schools.
State Representative Reuven Carlyle (D-Queen Anne) and Seattle School Board President Michael DeBell were fielding most of the questions posed by parents. Topics of discussion were budget cuts, teacher layoffs, and overcrowding, all of which have been major points of local news recently.
With the recent $35 million budget cut to the Seattle Public School District brought on layoffs to some local QA teachers. Some parents feel teachers with amazing passion for their students that excel at their jobs were let go leaving some long-term teachers with less than stellar performance still with their jobs. Parents continue to ask, why isn’t the school district laying off teachers with poor performance? It can’t. Current legislation favors longevity with the school district over performance.
Parents tonight wanted to know how they can influence change to this legislation. One mother asked, “We have seen some fabulous teachers laid off and some not so fabulous teachers still here. How do we change these policies? Everyone says it is someone else’s problem. Who will step up to change it and what can parents do to support that change?” This statement was followed by applause from the entire room.
DeBell responded by saying Washington State is behind on evaluating teachers based on performance as compared to other states. “We need a culture change that says just because you have been in the classroom doesn’t mean you deserve your position and high pay,” he said. Addressing this legislation will start with a long conversation with everyone involved. Teachers need to know they are supported, principals will need to be empowered to terminate on cause, and everyone will need to be accountable, DeBell added.
Reuvan and Seattle Council of Parent, Teacher and Student Associations President Ramona Hattendorf told forum attendants that the more impactful way to bring change to this legislation is to be involved in parent activist groups like the PTA. By voicing your opinions through activist channels, these groups will take action on your behalf. “When you can say 14,000 people we want this or 150,000 people want this, that then empowers our public officials to act on our behalf,” Hattendorf said.
The school district and the state both have direct roles in changing this legislation. Officials made it clear tonight that the parents need to be the driving force by sharing feedback and becoming involved to impact the district and state to take action.
Overcrowding is another large concern for Queen Anne. One mother asked, “I have a kindergartner going into Hay next year and I’m concerned he will be in a classroom with potentially 31 children. Are there any plans to address these class sizes?”
“We are in a transition right now where we are trying to address overcrowding in places in the city,” DeBell said. The district has contractual obligations for instructional aides in larger classrooms which will be followed. He also said the new Student Assignment Plan will assist with this concern.
He said a new motion will be shared at the school board meeting on Wednesday, June 17 that looks at re-opening several schools in Seattle including the Old Hay building in Queen Anne as a K-5. The proposal will be voted on July 1.
Additional Resources
Share Your Thoughts: Did you attend the open forum? What are your thoughts on recent happenings in the Queen Anne schools? Comment below.
Related Articles:
Comments
