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Day: September 12, 2024

A Letter from the PTA Following SPS’ Well-Resourced Schools Update

Latest "Well-Resourced School" Updates

Recent Updates and Advocacy Calls to Action

September 12, 2024

Hello Incredible Whittier Community, 

Amidst the reveal of SPS’ Well-Resourced Schools update yesterday, we as a PTA wanted to reach out as fellow families navigating and processing these options. This ambiguity can be stressful and deeply upsetting–we feel it, too, and are here for you as an organization and as fellow members of your community.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the site and the proposed options, we want to provide a brief summary:

  • SPS has offered two plans (Option A and Option B). Both options close some schools in the district (21 in Option A and 17 in Option B) and redraw boundary lines for nearly all elementary schools, including Whittier. The selected option would go into effect next school year. Option A also closes option schools or changes them into neighborhood schools; Option B maintains one option school per region.
  • You can check your family’s boundary for Option A and Option B using SPS’ interactive map tool. Please note these tools have been overloaded by demand and are sometimes not available. If you’re having trouble loading the tools, try a different browser.
  • “Continuing Assignment” is SPS’ term for continuing at a school you’re already enrolled in/established at, even if it’s outside of your boundary. SPS School Board past policy was to always grant continuing assignments, even if a student moved or no longer lived in the boundary. This new plan does not confirm whether continuing assignments will be available for all rezoned students or what the process would be to request continued assignment.
  • This plan does not clarify if or how middle school or high school zoning may be impacted by these changes. Most elementary school cohorts are not currently divided between middle schools or high schools, so it’s unknown whether families will remain at their currently assigned middle school (which would divide elementary school cohorts) or will follow the middle school boundary for their rezoned elementary school.
  • Both options close a small portion (25-30%) of the estimated budget deficit and will require significant additional funding (likely from the state legislature) to close the remaining 70-75% budget deficit. These plans do not specifically address how the remaining shortfall will be solved.
  • The superintendent will present his recommendation to the School Board in “mid to late October” (so unlikely to be at the October 9th regular school board meeting). The School Board is slated to vote on Option A or Option B at the December 18th regular school board meeting. Between now and then, SPS has said they will hold an online information session on 9/24 and in-person meetings between 9/25-10/8, along with public hearings for each planned closed school in November. No specific details for these meetings and hearings have been publicly announced yet.

The definitive source for all confirmed information regarding these plans is on SPS’ Well-Resourced Schools site. The FAQ section might be particularly helpful (and a little easy to miss). It’s important to also understand that SPS is not allowing principals to communicate with families about this issue outside of formal, district-provided workstreams. 

As part of your community, we wanted to make something very clear: we’re all a part of a neighborhood community—not just a Whittier community—and nothing SPS does will change that.

If you’d like to share your voice about these plans, there are individual and coordinated advocacy opportunities available.

Individual Action

Coordinated Action

We have a great year planned supporting our Wildcat scholars and providing them with the greatest educational experience we can. To that end, we also want to quickly clarify that fundraising dollars (including Annual Give campaign donations) raised this year pay for this year’s programs and services (not next year’s), like March’s Massive Monkees residency and The Math Agency’s intervention and extension programs.

While we’re all learning this information at the same time, PTA Co-President Kate Scher is planning to be on the playground after pick-up today if you’d like to connect, ask questions, or just have someone to process this information with.

Thank you!

Your Whittier PTA

Asking Questions & Sharing Your Voice on the Well-Resourced Schools Plans

Asking Questions & Sharing Your Voice on the Well-Resourced Schools Plans

There are opportunities to ask questions and share your voice about the Well-Resourced Schools Plans. Learn more below:

Individual Action

Contact our local representatives and ask questions, share your concerns, and demand they advocate for your family. 

Click here for direct links with pre-populated or quick talking points. 

If you’d rather draft your own message, use this contact information to reach leaders, legislators, and decision makers in our region:

EXAMPLE LANGUAGE

Introducing Yourself

“As a member of the Whittier Elementary community and D2 family, I want to share…”

Continuing Assignments
  • “School board policy provides continuing assignments for all established students. In the Well-Resourced schools FAQs, it appears SPS is suggesting this policy won’t necessarily be followed. Will SPS update the proposals shortly to confirm the structure for continuing assignments for established elementary students? For example, will an individual student’s continuing assignment be made on a case-by-case basis or will there be an applied standard? Will siblings be kept at the same school if only one sibling is allowed a continuing assignment? Will continuing assignment decisions be made using the open enrollment process or an alternate process? Who is part of the decision-making team for changing the established board policy regarding continuing assignments? Will this policy change be voted on during a school board meeting?”
  • “Our students have endured incredible uncertainty during and after Covid. It is vital we don’t ask children and families to wait to know whether they’ll be able to continue with their friends and community at their established school.”
  • “If families are asked to use the open enrollment process to request continuing assignments, families won’t know their enrollment decision until April or May. Please advocate for an alternative process that will facilitate confirmation for continuing assignments as soon as possible.”
  • “SPS stated that continuing assignments are impacted depending on the selected plan. Can’t continuing assignment policies be drafted for Option A and Option B? Isn’t there existing significant enrollment data to support completing this essential part of the Option plans and provide comfort and certainty to area families?”
Middle & High School Boundary Changes
  •  “Will SPS be providing clarity on how elementary school boundary changes could impact middle and high school boundaries?”
  • “Traditionally, elementary schools fed into one middle school and one high school. Will middle and high school boundaries remain unchanged (meaning elementary schools will be split across multiple upper education schools)? Or will families follow the traditional pathway of their newly zoned elementary school?”
  • “Our 5th grade families cannot wait until next year to start preparing their children for their transition to middle school. We need clarity now for both Option A and Option B scenarios.”
  • “Will current middle school students be asked to change schools if their elementary school school boundary has changed? For example, if a current Whitman 7th grader’s boundary changes from Whittier to West Woodland, will they have to move to Hamilton next year?”
  • “If next year’s incoming 5th graders receive a continuing assignment, will they have to attend the middle school that aligns with their revised elementary school boundary? Or will they be guaranteed the opportunity to stay with their community through middle school (the original argument for aligning middle school assignments with elementary schools vs. geozones)?”
After Care, Before Care, and School Break Care Programs
  • “With many schools closing, it eliminates the aftercare provided out of those buildings and decreases the already limited aftercare that is available in our city. What is SPS’ plan to confirm childcare options will be available either plan?”
  • “Many families do not have the option or flexibility to pick their children up from school. This issue will disproportionally impact more vulnerable families who rely on those services. How is SPS going to ensure their equity analysis addresses the needs of vulnerable, working families?”
  • “Many families concerned about these changes have already contacted aftercare providers in their proposed new schools; these providers have confirmed they will not be able to support the immense need they anticipate next year.”
  • “SPS informed families last year that they plan to also move the district to three bells next year, with elementary schools shifting to 7:25am or 9:25am start times. Partnering this change with either plan will create an even greater deficit of childcare options. Newly 9:25am start schools will require before care; 7:25am start schools will likely need more after care spots than are needed today as many working families can’t leave work 30 minutes earlier.”
Option-specific Advocacy
  • “My family and community feel you need to vote for Option [X] in December, regardless of Superintendent Jones’ recommendation. This option is essential for my family because…”
  • “My family and community feel you need to reject Option [X] in December, regardless of Superintendent Jones’ recommendation. This option harms my family because…”
Requests for Info Sessions or Meetings at Whittier
  • For all: “I am hoping you’d be interested to meet the families you represent in our neighborhood and get to know our priorities and concerns. Our PTA meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month and can be attended in-person or virtually. Alternatively, you can contact our PTA to schedule a special session or meeting around your availability to facilitate a connection with you.”
  • For Sarah Clark: “You are our only voice on the Seattle School Board and we hope your commitment to our school community is as strong as ours is.”
  • For Seattle Council PTSA: “Our school community is a part of your membership; getting to know us will mean you can represent us this school year.”
  • For SPS: “Please consider a specific information session at Whittier Elementary to allow families to ask questions and get the clarity they so need.”

Coordinated Action

There are several area groups putting together a variety of opportunities for advocacy:

Attend Meetings to Learn More and Share Your Voice

Do you have an advocacy idea?

Please let us know by emailing advocacy@whittierptaseattle.org.