Irene Stewart says she won't seek a second term on the Seattle School Board
And West Seattleite Steve Sundquist announces he'll run for that position.
Irene Stewart just announced she won't run for reelection to the Seattle School Board. A news release just e-mailed says the first-termer is "choosing instead to advocate for public schools from the community."
And just by chance, half an hour later, West Seattle businessman Steve Sundquist announced that he will run for her seat.
In an accompanying statement, Stewart says:
I have accomplished much of what I intended to achieve when I ran for the school board four years ago. At that time, there was little accountability for student, staff or administrative performance, no reserve fund, a bleak financial outlook, infrequent program evaluations, and little academic progress.
Now, the district's financial management systems are sound. We have restored $26 million in reserve funds. Student performance data guides decision-making. School-based teams interview prospective principals. Program evaluations are underway. And, last night, the board unanimously approved a contract with a new superintendent, an educator and leader who will provide rigorous academic programs and services to meet the needs of Seattle students.
I want to return to community advocacy for public education and generate resources for school programs, including arts education.
I fully support our new superintendent, Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, and look forward to working with her when she starts in July. Under Dr. Goodloe-Johnson's leadership, I have confidence that Seattle Public Schools will go from good to great.Stewart represents West Seattle and South Park. Her day job is director of the Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens. Sundquist, retired managing director of national accounts and former chief information officer for Russell Investment Group, says he's running because "parents and the public have increasingly lost confidence in the School Board and its leadership." Says his news release:
After a successful 21+ year career at Russell, Sundquist retired in 2005. Today, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Climate Solutions, Washington's leading global warming research and advocacy organization. He is also Director of ONE/Northwest, a non-profit that helps environmental organizations influence critical decisions through the strategic use of IT-based tools and strategies for communicating and building relationships.
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Comments:
Posted Sat, Apr 21, 2:57 p.m. Inappropriate
West Seattle has only one alternative school: Pathfinder. This school does a terrific job and has a fiercely loyal following, but the Distict can't (or won't) find a building for it. The New School gets a brand new $67 million building, but Pathfinder doesn't get squat.
West Seattle Spectrum students are horribly underserved. There is no elementary Spectrum program in West Seattle-South. This is the only elementary cluster in the city without a Spectrum school. Superintendent Manhas promised four years ago that there would be a Spectrum school in every cluster, but he didn't keep that promise to West Seattle-South. And before you presume otherwise, there are more than 80 Spectrum-eligible students in the cluster - more than enough to form a strong program.
The middle school Spectrum program for West Seattle is at Denny, but it has never drawn many students, the District doesn't support the program, and the school has little interest in continuing to offer it. There could be a strong program at Madison, but the principal at Madison doesn't want it. The principal's preferences outweigh the academic needs of the students, the preferences of the community, and the needs of the District.
Finally, the District ended the yellow bus service to Washington for West Seattle Spectrum students. This service didn't cost the District a dime - the Spectrum students ride to Washington on the APP bus. To tell the truth, the District didnt' really end the service - the Spectrum kids still ride the APP bus to Washington, but on a "space available" basis. No, ending this service was strictly symbolic - a symbolic slap in the face to West Seattle Spectrum families. The District did a survey before deciding on the change. All of the results of the survey were presented to the Board except the total result: 70% of the people who responded to the survey wanted the service to continue.
General education students in West Seattle aren't doing all that well. The District refused to take action on a serious mold problem at Arbor Heights until a teacher filed a Labor and Industries complaint against them. The teacher was soon after transferred - against his will - to another school. It was a clear case of retalitation.
The District leadership has not been a friend to Cooper school - they squeezed the school's reference area to restrict enrollment, then tried to close the school. They also tried to close Alki and Roxhill. The District DID close Fairmont Park. They say that they still want to close another West Seattle school.
West Seattle High School has a four period day that strictly limits students' opportunities to take a number of classes. Chief Sealth is a surprisingly good school with lots of challenging academic opportunities, now including IB, but it's a long way from Admiral and a short distance from White Center. Due to the distance tiebreaker, it is difficult for West Seattle students to gain entry to Garfield or Franklin and downright impossible for them to get into any other High School other than Cleveland or Beach.
The District has definitely been messing with West Seattle and without a lot of resistance from the Board. West Seattle needs an advocate on the School Board - now more than ever.
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