Seattle Hall Pass

Detailed Show Notes Contact us hello@seattlehallpass.org Leave a message speak.seattlehallpass.org Jane Tunks Demel and Christie Robertson talk with Joe Mizrahi, the newly elected Seattle School Board Director for Director District 4. Topics include: Community engagement The SPS budget crisis District/board/union relationships Special education and inclusion

In Episode 35, we cover the April 3 Seattle School Board meeting and the April 4 swearing-in of the new school board directors Sarah Clark (District 2) and Joe Mizrahi (District 4). We also discuss the budget work session, which included discussions around the 2024-25 school year and the 2025-26 school year. The scheduled progress monitoring session was canceled or postponed, and there was an unsc...

The 8 finalists for the Seattle School Board Director positions for Director Districts 2 and 4 participated in a candidate forum moderated by two students, Aayush Muthuswamy and Semai Hagos. The finalists for District 2 are: Carol Thompson Sarah Clark Danielle Gahl Shawn Sullivan The finalists for District 4 are: Rachelle Olden Joe Mizrahi Gabriella Gonzalez Laura Marie Rivera See our Show Notes C...

Re: School Board Community Engagement Work Session, March 13, 2024  See our Show Notes . Contact us at hello@seattlehallpass.org . Christie & Jane review and discuss major points from the March 13 community engagement work session. Topics covered: The 2024 Strategic Plan,  Part 2 of Well-Resourced Schools  Ongoing community engagement Thanks to AJ Crabill for permission to use clips from his a...

Show Notes Contact us: hello@seattlehallpass.org Christie & Jane  cover the Seattle School Board budget work session from March 20, 2024, where the Superintendent’s team outlined $111 million in budget cuts for the 2024-25 school year. School consolidations, bell times, and other changes for the 2025-26 school year will be previewed at the May 8 meeting.

See our Show Notes Email hello@seattlehallpass.org with questions, comments, or corrections. Christie and Jane talk with Chetan Soni, an 18-year-old student and activist who has been a strong advocate for youth voice. We discuss mental health, gun violence, climate concerns, college and career readiness, and more.

See our Show Notes . Send errata and other notes to hello@seattlehallpass.org At the March 13 Special School Board meeting, the 5 sitting directors narrowed down the finalists for Districts 2 and 4. The finalists will participate at a forum at Lincoln High School in Wallingford on March 27, start time TBD.

See our Show Notes for references. Email hello@seattlehallpass.org with suggestions or corrections. Christie and Jane cover the major topics of the March 6, 2024 school board meeting, including: 1) passionate public testimony about school funding allocations and difficulties at Rainier View Elementary 2) a work session in preparation for the March 13 special meeting to select the finalists for the...

See our Show Notes . Send errata and other notes to hello@seattlehallpass.org In Episode 28 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane talk about the 15 applicants vying for two vacant seats on the seven-person Seattle School Board. Christie and Jane also share audio statements from 12 of the 15 applicants, so listeners can hear from them directly.

See our Show Notes . Send errata and other notes to hello@seattlehallpass.org In Episode 27 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane talk to Seattle School Board Director Brandon Hersey about monitoring the progress of SPS students toward the goals of 3rd Grade Reading, 7th Grade Writing, and College and Career Readiness. We hope to have a Q&A session with Director Hersey in the future. Send a...

Please see our Show Notes . Please send errata or other feedback to hello@seattlehallpass.org Christie and Jane discuss the February 7, 2024 Seattle School Board meeting, focusing on the process to fill vacancies following the resignations of two board directors, district efforts related to Continuous School Improvement Plans, and an update on the legislative session.

In Episode 25 of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane interview Lisa Rivera, who served on the board for four years before she resigned on January 30, 2024. Check out the Show Notes .

In this Seattle Hall Pass episode, Christie and Jane interview Liza Rankin, discussing her roles as School Board President and Legislative Liaison. The conversation delves into legislative priorities, with President Rankin providing insights into the legislative process and the importance of community advocacy. CONTENT WARNING: There is NO discussion of board director resignations or vacancies in...

Episode 23 of Seattle Hall Pass discusses the sudden resignations of School Board directors Vivian Song and Lisa Rivera. The episode delves into the factors leading to their departure, and touches on the significant impact of their exit. The episode provides insights from various stakeholders, reflecting on the directors' contributions and the broader implications for governance and represent...

In this episode of Seattle Hall Pass, Christie and Jane delve into developments shaping K-12 education in the 2024 Washington State Legislative Session. Tune in for a breakdown of these legislative developments and a preview of what to expect in the coming week. Topics covered include special education, school lunch, and more. See our show notes for links to the committees, bills, and more. 

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 Litwa...

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 wa...

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...

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 - "Dir...