001[Music] do [Music] do [Music] note that this meeting is being recorded we would like to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the puget sound coast salish people for the record i'll call the role director harris i see you okay president hersey director rankin director of aerosmith present director sergio let me present gotcha director song i'll turn that on in a few minutes okay if you are not speaking please mute your phone okay i'll just go one more time through to see if i missed any directors uh president hersey are you on a president hersey is about to get on the plane so um director ranking and director song ritz okay this meeting is being held remote remotely consistent with the governor's proclamation on open public meetings the public is
002being provided access today via microsoft teams and phone today's meeting is being held to take public comment on the superintendent's search to facilitate this meeting please ensure you are muted and your cameras are off when you are not speaking staff will be working to administer the meeting and will be meeting participants to ensure we can hear from today's speakers the school board has opened a search for superintendent and has gauged an executive search firm that specializes in educational leadership with feedback from the community in support of the search form we're currently developing the profile of the leader we need and we appreciate hearing from you as we're developing that profile please meet your phone if you are not speaking and i do see you director song moritz has joined us thank you for your participation
003today for making time to be part of this process please limit your comments today to your perspectives on what our district needs and a superintendent specifically what are the strengths of the district that you wouldn't want to lose what are district needs that require sustained focus over the next few years or what characteristics or qualifications would most welcome would you most welcome in a superintendent i'm going to read those one more time and again remind folks that if they're not speaking to please turn off your [Music] cameras and make sure you're not you're muted so that we can focus on the person speaking so what we ask you to speak to what are the strengths of the district that you wouldn't want to lose what are district needs that require sustained focus over the next
004few years and or what characteristics or qualifications would you must welcome any superintendent we will be taking public comment from those who pre-registered for today's forum if you signed up to provide comments and are watching through sps tv please call in or join on microsoft teams now to ensure you are online when your name is called please remain muted and turn off your cameras until your name is called to provide comments there are 13 people on our public comment list which is posted to today's agenda you will have a two minute speaking time once your name is read please unmute in teams or by pressing star 6 on your phone you have the option to turn on your camera if joining with microsoft teams staff will begin a timer and a time will sound when
005your 2 minute speaking time is exhausted after your comments please mute again and turn off your camera only those who are called by name should unmute or turn on their camera and only one person should speak at a time if a speaker does not unmute to provide comments by phone or teams when their name is called the next speaker's name will be called staff will now call from the public comment list and so if we can get you carolyn you've still got one camera on if you're able to turn that camera off i know you got two things going there okay i'll turn it over to you ms wilson jones good afternoon um so just one more reminder for those who have joined us on on the phone um when i call your name please
006press star six to unmute on the conference line and then you'll also need to unmute on the device you're calling from the first speaker on today's list is janice white good afternoon i am here today representing the seattle special education ptsa the covet 19 pandemic has magnified many issues with the design and delivery of special education services and instruction but it did not create those issues they were already present in our schools it is important to keep this in mind as we consider the qualities we need in our next superintendent seattle excellence the district's strategic plan is missing a crucial component it fails to explicitly acknowledge the disproportionately high concentration of african-american male students in special education according to data on the district website 23 percent of all african american male students have ieps in
007yesterday's work session staff projected that by spring 2022 only 9.4 percent of third grade african-american male students with ieps will meet the strategic plan's reading goal 9.4 if seattle excellence is to meet its goal the next superintendent needs to have a laser focus on these students we know that far too many are in segregated special education classrooms we need a visionary leader who is willing to dismantle these classrooms and the current special education service models so that our children with disabilities are educated in inclusive general education classrooms and learn alongside their non-disabled peers we need a visionary leader who will direct staff to recognize the intersection of race and disability and who will embed both anti-racism and anti-ableism in the work of our schools this will require authentic community engagement with families community leaders staff
008and students we need a visionary leader who is willing to bring in outside experts with proven track records to overhaul special education systems for far too long we have all rung our hands and done little butt talk our children cannot continue to wait thank you very much thank you the next speaker is valentina fisher valentina fisher thank you a superintendent of a school district as large as seattle public schools will be successful in such an important position if they possess flexible thinking characteristics that allow an allocentric perspective and a macrocentric perspective an allocentric perspective is the ability to see another's point of view and macrocentric perspective is the ability to see the big picture and macrocentric perspective is not easily achieved it requires capacity to be part of the picture while simultaneously being able to
009step outside of it and see all the connecting elements another desirable trait for superintendent is the ability to see how their actions impact those around them and lastly the ability to have an eye on the sparrow such as the unique programs and small schools in the district that offer an educational experience specific to those students who are born to shine but cannot do it alone if we are indeed going to achieve supporting those students furthest away from educational justice so they graduate ready for college or careers we need a leader who can support all district staff to shape the future thank you very much thank you the next speaker is manuela's sleigh manuel is like good afternoon my name is manuela fly a parent of students long-time latino community advocate and immediate past president of
010seattle council ptsa thank you for your service members of the school board and for the opportunity to speak today seattle public school is the largest school district in our state and as such it serves a very diverse student population many of our students have been historically underserved and discriminated against at the very place they should feel safe and celebrated we need a leader that understands the inequities of the system and that unapologetically works to dismantle them we need a leader with not only the knowledge but also the vision of what we need to do in partnership with community educators and stakeholders to better serve our students we need a leader that honors our strategic plan seattle excellence as well as the high need of our students receiving special education services to be properly educated having
011worked with dr brent jones closely i am convinced that he has all the attributes needed to lead our district he's bright compassionate and has forged positive working relationships with students families and government agencies our district would be so lucky to have dr jones continue to be our superintendent so he can continue to do the work that he started as our interim superintendent last year thank you very much thank you the next speaker is laura marie rivera laura marie rivera did i get the unmute right yes we can hear you thank you my name is laura marie rivera and i am an educator and an artist and a parent to four seattle public school students ranging from second grade to eleventh grade and i want to thank you all for this opportunity to speak today and
012i would also like to acknowledge all the voices that are not able to participate today whether it is from a lack of awareness or interest or availability for a myriad of reasons there are a lot of other concerned stakeholders that will not be heard from today i recognize that our next superintendent will need to balance many issues as they manage the district as large as ours and even when our enrollment declines this is a very tall order my wish is that all students will be given a safe and welcoming environment and they'll be given the tools and the opportunity to reach their potential with this we really need to recognize that each of our over 100 schools is made up of individuals i would like to see the teachers and administrators celebrated for the talents
013that they bring to our community and what i really want to highlight is that each of our over 50 000 students is an individual they all have different strengths different challenges different interests and different needs whether we're talking about race gender orientation religion income zip code disabilities all abilities these are just some of the identities that make up our learning communities and we need to be sure to meet them where they are at each of them we need to offer the courses that get them excited about coming to school and staying in school and we need to make sure we're giving them the individualized education that will open the doors for their future opportunities we can't be cutting electives or advanced learning opportunities or funding or hours for special occasion special education we need awareness
014of what it takes to reach the different learners and how we're going to be communicating those opportunities with families we need a superintendent that's going to keep their eye on the big picture and take the time to notice each of the individual students that are reason they're the reason that we're doing this work it's a tall order and i appreciate you guys listening to us today thank you the next speaker is sabrina burr sabrina burr we could hear you sabrina can you hear me yes we can hear you great thank you um good evening and thank you for giving me the chance to say a few words um dr jones is the sixth superintendent that i've had the pleasure of working with for seattle public schools seattle public schools is a very diverse and complex
015district and we need somebody who really understands the district understands the division and instead of trying just to have focused schools make sure that what we do happens in all 104 of our schools and i think that the only person for seattle public schools is the interim superintendent that you have and i think it will behoove the board to do whatever they can to retain him because there is nobody better than before seattle public schools who understands the district who understands the history who has the integrity and adversity and discrimination against him stand tall and then be willing to come back to the district and lead with integrity so if i were the seven school board members i would be trying to negotiate and figure out what we need to do to retain him because
016the truth is there's nobody better for seattle public schools than brent jones and when i listen to the mayor's state of the city address and the plans for seattle public schools we would be stupid to have somebody else come in other than the superintendent who understands our weaknesses but have high high standards for everyone and integrity for every employee student and family that we serve so i really want to say that because all the characteristics that we're hearing that we're talking about those and so many more are in the man that we have as our interim superintendent and i think it's important for all of us to stand behind what he needs for support and try to see what we can do to keep him because there's nobody better thank you thank you the next
017speaker is jana damas jana damas is thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts on this matter i have i'm a parent of two children in seattle public schools my daughter's eight she's in second grade and my son is six and he's in kindergarten they both go to our neighborhood school at daniel bagley and as is the case for everyone and many parents these last two years have been extremely difficult for our family my daughter had just celebrated her 100th day in school ever when the school shut down and she went home and so for the past two years we've struggled as many of the parents have in this district but i want to note that the experience this past year was very different than those past two years and i and i want
018to just make that clear that this year has been a much better experience for us with our kids in school learning there so the strengths of the district not to lose the priority on doing what's best for the children's and students and i think i like the focus that has been the case over the last year the continuity and the good work that is taking place we the district needs to focus on investing upstream where the needs are greatest safety for students in all senses of that word and recovery from the pandemic and i think there's been some good traction this year on that characteristics welcomed in a superintendent good communication i've seen a lot of improvement in that this year ability to form good relationships with the community someone who understands the district a
019strong compelling consistent vision for the district and the ability to move towards that vision and a personal commitment to the students and families within the district i personally am very happy with the leadership and stability that's been provided over the past year and like to see that continue with the leadership team going forward i want to express my strong support for interim superintendent brent jones and i think it would be a shame to look elsewhere when we have this strong leader in place thank you for your time thank you the next speaker is patrick brady patrick brady mr brady muted uh is it is it available now you're good go ahead go ahead thank you school board members for this opportunity to give my input on today's topic your upcoming search for a permanent superintendent
020a little about myself i'm a 22-year resident of north ballard and the parent of twins who attended north beach whitman and later graduated from the center school the other thing you should know is that during these 22 years i have voted in every school board election and endorsed and voted yes on every education related ballot measure put forward to the electorate like everyone attending this meeting i believe strong schools paves the way for our children to be successful in our community to thrive personally i made lifelong friends with some of my fellow pta parents and during my son's middle and high school years we became very proficient at the parents best friend something you call the source i speak to endorse dr brent jones as the very best choice to be our permanent superintendent a
021large part of the reason my family and our neighbors are school supporters is that this district has been able to focus on the immediate needs and challenges of the last two years but without losing the focus on your long-term health and trajectory our support for seattle public schools has proven to be well placed during the period of covid with the quiet leadership demonstrated by dr jones the investments you have already made in this leader starting with his days as a student at franklin are significant he has previously held key positions within sps for over a 10-year period for you at the conclusion of your search to reaffirm your confidence in dr jones will demonstrate that you value a leader with quote lived experience in our district i don't need to tell you that there will
022be dividends from this con continuity of leadership and you as board members can focus more fully on your the important work you have of guiding our schools and serving our youth thank you thank you the next speaker is christina eau claire christina eau claire good afternoon thank you so much for welcoming me into the space thank you for taking the time and i really appreciate the commitment that you all are putting into being really thoughtful about the selection of a leader a leader so important as the superintendent of seattle public schools my name is christina eau claire and i'm fortunate to have two children at seattle public schools i'm fortunate also to be a committed public servant i work for king county metro i oversee the mobility division i first want to talk about seattle
023public schools and how important it is to our community next talk about dr jones's commitment and how and third to talk about how continuity of leadership in public sector is so important number one i strongly believe in seattle public schools as i believe that it is the pivotal point in changing our society and where we're going um with the future of who we are and future of our children and what we're going to do and believe in as a community we need to invest in public schools and we need to invest in stable leadership that is committed to the values of equity and safety within our populations i've known dr jones for many years i had the opportunity of working alongside him at king county metro as a fellow colleague he personally challenged me as
024an individual to become a better leader he was honest and he didn't always agree with me but he led with his values and he cared for me as a leader he nurtured the people around him and he really believed in public value of really improving the quality of life in king county i know that he started at franklin high school i know that he's been committed often on to seattle public schools he invested his life into education as he has a phd and he also made sure that his daughter defended it is important to know that it is his mission to make sure that we improve the education for all of our students and that he really dives to deliver his leadership where needs are greatest and really understanding how we can elevate those who
025are underserved he does that through his commitment to the leaders around him to the teachers to the administration and most importantly to the students i strongly believe that we should continue to keep dr jones in his leadership position and that we should keep the values that he is demonstrating so that we can have continuity as we move forward in this pivotal time period as we're coming out of covid and as we're reckoning with some of the real discrimination that is facing our community dr jones is the leader to do that and he has surrounded himself by fellow leaders in order to continue with those values thank you so much for your time today thank you the next speaker is heidi james heidi james hi thank you for letting me speak today i'm a parent to
026two students in seattle public schools both in middle school a sixth grade son and an eighth grade daughter as we are working towards identifying candidates for the superintendent position i want to share my thoughts i think it is important that we have continuity in the leadership that we have someone that has a clear and transparent communication style and someone that's willing to engage directly in the community and i believe that all of these qualities are present in the strong leadership of dr jones as of others have said he is not only a former student of sbs but also served in previous leadership positions and this is a perspective that i think will be difficult to find in another candidate i believe that he understands the district and that he provides excellent and clear communication out
027to families which has been vitally important during the pandemic i have appreciated that he and his leadership team spend regular time in the schools which helps them to see both the successes as well as the needs that uh that have to be addressed i believe that he has managed well the health and safety of our students while also keeping school kids in directly in our schools to learn in person which i think has been very important for academic improvement as well as the improvement of many of our children's mental health i believe that our children need his continued leadership to maintain this consistency as the pandemic pandemic continues on and his work and his leadership teams work on building and improving our schools thank you the next speaker is kristen gordon maclean kristin gordon maclean
028hi good afternoon thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today i am the parent of a second grader at pathfinder k-8 in west seattle and i recently enrolled our younger son to be a rising kindergartner there i want to echo what many other parents have already said about dr jones's leadership in this academic school year it absolutely resonates with our family our family is still recovering from the academic and social emotional effects of the year of remote learning it was very hard on our family i attended many school board meetings the year remote instruction was happening because i was deeply concerned about the leadership of the superintendent and the school board and how you were managing instruction during covid last spring we even enrolled our son in a local catholic school as a
029contingency plan although we are committed to our sudden school we could not continue remote instruction any longer since this school year has started i have not attended one meeting the reason is things are fine and they are back on track the school has been open all year my son is well he's back in the classroom he's learning how to be in the class again he's following the rules he's interacting with his classmates he plays soccer at recess every day and he loves his on-site after school program despite being exposed to kovid at his after-school care he has not contracted covert this year my husband and i greatly appreciate the efforts to keep the doors open to keep students in classrooms and our sps communities safe through vaccination clinic and testing services parents and teachers are
030tired bringing in a new leader would add more uncertainty and disruption i strongly advise the school board to stay the course with our current leader and think that we should keep dr jones in his role i cannot see what would be gained by bringing in someone new when our current leader is doing such a strong job thank you thank you the next speaker is alicia ginsberg alicia ginsberg hi can you hear me yes we can hear you thank you good afternoon my name is alicia ginsberg thank you for creating this forum and for all the work you do on the school board i'm a parent of a kindergartner and a second grader at my neighborhood school and i previously worked closely with the district leadership of chicago public schools i currently work as a racial
031equity leadership advisor i am grateful to have had an excellent experience within seattle public schools so far and especially during dr jones's time as interim leader and i'd like to speak to the categories in the context of his leadership for strengths not to lose the clear coherent concise and proactive communication regarding the covid response and other learning priorities that he has managed to communicate during this time as well the focus on the students furthest from educational justice and in particular black male students and the continued emphasis on social emotional learning and the ruler curriculum even during the challenging time of returning to full-time school in person for the distinct areas of focus or to continue focus continuing that emphasis on equity and especially those black male students and continuing that focus on social emotional learning
032as students educators and staff recover from the trauma of the coveted experience as we settle back in hopefully soon for characteristics of a leader collaboration prioritization and the ability to hold the tension that can sometimes exist across those which dr jones has already demonstrated being able to bring in experience from other sectors on that foundation of educational experience and then having lived experience to apply to this conversation on equity dr jones brings all of you in this role seattle public schools would be lucky and well served to have him for the long term thank you for your time thank you the next speaker is nehemiah trice if you are on the phone please press star six now to unmute not seeing the speaker's name or call-in information i'm gonna move to the next speaker and
033then we can circle back and try again alicia teal alicia teo hello thank you um all right let me make sure i've got my camera on and operating lobbies recently passed by the voters as the board and the search firm proceed with the search process for a permanent superintendent i'm here to share the chamber's strong encouragement that the board explore an approach that prioritizes both continuity and leadership and meaningful community engagement we believe that stable leadership and continuity at the top will transform seattle public schools and is a key ingredient in a school system that does better by its students over the past two years the district has continuously navigated volatility from the pandemic and the accompanying operating uncertainties as well as a leadership transition and onboarding and transitioning in a new superintendent can in
034and of itself be a very disruptive process that risk is further magnified when the organization is already under enormous stress caused by high turnover staff vacancies and coveted related health impacts over the course of the last year we've been impressed by dr brent jones study leadership to navigate the school district through this pandemic we see his commitment and focus to achieve equitable outcomes we appreciate his outreach and engagement with the broader community and he has assembled a strong and highly accomplished leadership team dr jones has capably led the charge and we have no reason to believe he could not continue to do so on a permanent basis leading our state's largest district is no easy task and so if retaining dr jones is among the options the board would like to explore and we would
035encourage you to do so we strongly urge a process that respects the work he has done to date in addition to you and in tandem with robust open and meaningful engagement with the community and this is not to exclude other applicants or to ask for a process that is anything less than transparent rather it is to emphasize that we believe this district has a capable leader [Music] thank you circling back to uh nehemiah trace nehemiah trice if you are on the phone please press star 6 to unmute vice president hampson i believe that concludes today's testimony list okay and you didn't see a phone number for nehemiah i didn't i did not it's not one of the phone numbers that we have here in the meeting so far okay okay um if we do hear
036back from them maybe we can have them submit their comments and writing to the board directly yes and i'll follow up with them to share the um details for joining in our next comment session as well okay um well that was certainly interesting and i really appreciate folks taking the time uh and as there's no further business on the agenda this meeting now stands adjourned at 7 34 p.m the opportunities to continue to receive input on superintendent search will will continue so we will see you at the next one thank you all so much have a good evening thanks all you