The Washington State legislative session started on Monday, January 8th. Jane and Christie talk through some of what is happening in Olympia that pertains to education.

Some topics include: the governor's budget, district funding bills, student mental health, restraint and isolation, special education, and gun responsibility.

Show notes

Part III in our three-part series of on-the-ground stories from the "October shuffles" at SPS elementary schools, where teachers are moved between classes and buildings to match enrollment and class ratio requirements. In this episode, we interviewed: 

• Jessica Warner-Grant, a parent at Olympic Hills Elementary in Lake City
• Tyler Dupuis, a teacher at Orca K-8 in Columbia City 
• Kevin Litwack, a parent at Leschi Elementary in the Central District

Part I - Dunlap
Part II - Adams and Cedar Park

See our show notes.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we feature the second of a three-part series on the October shuffles at SPS elementary schools. Here, we interviewed parents at Sarah Nau at Cedar Park Elementary in Lake City and Cortny Helmink Adams Elementary in Ballard about how the upheaval affected their communities.

Part I - Dunlap

See our show notes.

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, we feature the first of a three-part series on the October shuffles at SPS elementary schools. We interview two parents (Nasirah Salaymane Craig and Alex Wakeman Rouse) and one teacher (Wil Depusoy) from  Dunlap Elementary school in Southeast Seattle about how the upheaval affected their community.

See our show notes. 

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane bring you a conversation with the President of the Edmonds School Board, Nancy Katims, and the President of the Edmonds Teachers Union, Andi Nofziger-Meadows. They organized a Multi-District Letter to State Legislators requesting that 44 percent of the $1.2 billion state budget surplus for 2024 be distributed to PK-12 education. The letter was co-signed by union leaders and school board presidents at a variety of other districts across the state.

See our show notes to see the letter and more primary sources of information. 

This week we’re reporting on the first meeting of the newly elected School Board, on December 13, 2023.

The Board elected a new President, Vice President, and Member at Large.  Also, the board voted on the Budget Resolution, in which they authorize the superintendent on the cost-saving measures he can “consider and research” to close the $105 million budget gap.

See our show notes. 

This episode of Seattle Hall Pass covers the Budget Resolution that will be voted on by the School Board on December 13. It provides a broad outline of mechanisms the district may explore to address the $105 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year. Jane and Christie touch briefly on the swearing in of the four School Board Directors who were elected on November 7. 

See our show notes.

Christie and Jane interview outgoing Seattle School Board Director Chandra Hampson at the end of her four-year term. The focus of our conversation is the Financial Policy, co-authored by Hampson, that the Seattle School Board recently passed.

We also talk about PTA funding, the belief gap, community engagement, special education spending, and a potential financial audit.

See our show notes.

In our latest Seattle Hall Pass episode, we're confronting a critical issue: the focus on kids furthest from educational justice is so far not bearing fruit. More kids than ever are falling below proficiency for math and reading - goals set by the Seattle School Board as part of Student Outcomes Focused Governance. Despite the concerning trends, there's a silver lining: the district and the school board are addressing these challenges with open dialogue.

See our show notes.

This episode of Seattle Hall Pass has some breaking news — we have a preview of the fiscal stabilization plan to be presented at the School Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 15, that was sent to us by an anonymous source. This plan maps how the superintendent is advising that the district should address the structural budget deficit for future years. 

DRAFT Fiscal Stabilization Plan - "Direction for 2024-25 & 2025-26 Fiscal Stabilization Plan to Create a System of Well-Resourced Schools"