Housekeeping: Buy the fall #NerdFarmReads Book, We Gon Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

Kent is a school district located south of Seattle that serves 26,000 students and employs 3,400 people. Layoffs were announced this spring and teachers are fleeing in droves. It may be summertime, but we decided to get to the bottom of the sitch in Kent.

Guests: KNKX Youth and Education Reporter, Ashley Gross and 2018 Puget Sound Regional Teacher of the Year and 15-year teaching veteran, 6th Grade Teacher, Denisha Saucedo

5:00 Nate kicks off the show with an anecdote he’s heard about the laying-off of Kent’s entire I.T. department

10:00 What is the McCleary Decision? What is a Title I School? And what do they have to do with all of this?

19:00 Kent’s finances are especially messy. Ashley Gross explained, how unusual is it to borrow from the Capital budget and/or the Rainy Day fund?

23:00 Denisha discusses the impact of the budget situation on her students, especially her level of access to technology.

28:00 Denisha and Ashley bat around their perspectives on the level of culpability of the School Board versus the Superintendent

32:00 **Nate conflict of interest disclaimer** re: The Broad Foundation

34:00 What’s the “Geographic Footprint of Kent Schools”?

38:00 What are some solutions (spoiler: there aren’t many)?

41:00 Who should the audience follow if they want to know more about what’s happening in Kent?

The 2:

1. Denisha: Where is that necklace from?

2. Ashley: Favorite Pho Joint? (Mekong Bar, 4th & Vine)

Denisha's Necklace

The Socials

Ashley Gross Twitter

Denisha Saucedo Twitter

Going Further

Channel 253 Memberships

Broad Foundation

Paige Cornwell, Seattle Times