School Board to Vote on Capacity Management Plan on January 31

-From SPS

The School Board is expected to vote on the Short Term Capacity Management Plan during a special meeting at 5pm on Thursday, January 31 at the auditorium of the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence.

The Board on January 23 decided to delay the vote by a week to review 2013-14 enrollment projections, which are expected the week of January 28. District staff will review the options to address our growing enrollment for next year with this additional data. 

Enrollment is projected to grow by 7,000 students over the next 10 years. The Capacity Management Plan addresses immediate capacity needs. If approved by voters on February 12, renewal of the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) Capital Levy would provide capital funding for long-term growth.

Even though public testimony was heard on the Short Term Capacity Management Plan on January 9 and 23, 10 public testimony slots, two minutes each, will be available at the January 31 meeting.

People who wish to provide testimony at the Board meeting should follow the standard sign-up procedure by calling 206-252-0040 or emailing the School Board office at boardagenda@seattleschools.org starting at 8am on Monday, January 28. People should give their legal name, telephone number and email address when requesting to speak. Since there is only one item on the agenda, speakers must address capacity management.

Any updated information on the Short Term Capacity Management Plan will be posted online Wednesday late afternoon at www.seattleschools.org/schoolboard.

More information on capacity management. Families can continue to voice their opinions at schoolboard@seattleschools.org and capacity@seattleschools.org.

Link to SPS Transportation Standards 

Region 6 PTA Training

-From Region 6

We have a Mid-winter conference coming up on Thursday, January 31 at Ingraham High School (North Seattle). Remember that all officers must attend PTA approved training during the year. This is your opportunity to network, receive training, and have some fun. Please let me know if you have any questions.

More information

Region 6 training: 5:30-8:45pm

Session 1 Classes:

• Money matters
• Nominating Committee
• Awards
• Advocacy - Take 5 for Kids

Session 2 Classes:

• Financial Review
• Board Development
• Attracting, Retaining and Rewarding Volunteers
• Outreach - hosted by Washington State PTA's Outreach Director, J Marie Johnson-Kola. Please encourage your council and local unit outreach chairs to attend so that we can meet and network. If they are not able to attend, please ask them to contact me so that we can share ideas and questions. Also, encourage them to join the outreach listserv. Iris Okimoto Nielsen, Region 6 Outreach Chair.  

Sarah DuCette 

Region 6 Director  

ptareg6@wastatepta.org  

PTA Support is Essential to Successfully Renew Seattle Public School Levy Funding.  Get Involved Today!

The phrase "It takes a village" is never more relevant than when it comes to renewing our public school levies. Continuing our levies will ensure that the basic educational needs of Seattle Public Schools' nearly 50,000 students are met, especially as the school population is set to grow.

The campaign and our students need every PTA to help get out the vote by endorsing, donating and signing-up for a phone bank TODAY.  Ballots have arrived in voter mailboxes!  

Phone calls are one of most effective ways to remind voters to support our schools and students!  Contact Kerry Cooley-Stroum for more information or to sign-up for a phone bank. You can endorse our levies and contribute at www.schoolsfirstseattle.org.

As a reminder, these levies are not new taxes, but renewals of two critically important funding sources.  

OPERATIONS LEVY: Accounts for more than 25% of operating funds including day-to-day basic needs such as ELL and Special Ed programs, as well as teaching, and 6^th period for high schools.

CAPITAL LEVY (BEX IV):  Provides essential funding to maintain and improve our existing schools, such as earthquake safety upgrades at 37 schools, wireless in every school and other technology improvements, plus renovating and expanding schools to meet Seattle Public Schools' growing student population.

Questions, contact Heidi Bennett, School's First Board Member and PTA Region 6 Legislative Chair, or contact Kerry Cooley-Stroum to help get out the vote for our school levies today!  

February 14: Early Dismissal for Students 

-From the Office of Public Affairs 

On Thursday, February 14, Seattle Public Schools will dismiss students three hours early due to a scheduled furlough for Seattle Education Association-represented employees.

• Schools will adjust their schedules to accommodate the serving of both breakfast and lunch.
• Students who receive District transportation will be picked up from school three hours earlier than on a regular school day.
• Athletic and extra-curricular events will continue as scheduled and will not be canceled because of the furlough.
• Please check with your after school care providers for their schedule on February 14.

If you have questions about your school's specific schedule on February 14, please contact your school directly.

This furlough �-day on February 14 is one in a series of furloughs aimed at offsetting reductions in state education funding. This will be the only occurrence of furlough time taken during the regular school day for the 2012-13 school year.

In an effort to minimize disruption to instructional time, the 2012-13 academic calendar also included the following revisions:

• Mid-Winter Break: Friday, February 15 - Monday, February 18 Mid-winter break was shortened from a full week to a 4-day weekend.
• Memorial Day Holiday: Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27 The Memorial Day holiday was extended to a 4-day weekend.

Other important dates are available through the District's online calendar.

Thank you,
Office of Public Affairs   

State Board of Education and OSPI Survey

-From SPS 

The State Board of Education and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction want your opinion on how to identify successful K-12 public schools.

For example, would you view these two schools as equally successful?

• A school with a lot of students passing tests.
• A school where a lot of students are progressing faster than average (regardless of how they do on tests).

The survey contains several questions about what you value in your public schools. The final selection of values will lead to a better tool for evaluating school performance for the sake of statewide K-12 accountability.

Please take a minute to share your thoughts on this important issue. The survey will be open until February 15. The results of the survey will be available on the State Board of Education website by March 12.