Program Development
and Placement
It
is the policy of the Seattle School Board that programs be placed
in support of district-wide academic goals that address systemic
needs and support quality education for all students. School Board
Policy F21.00 delegates to the Superintendent the authority to make
all program placement decisions. It is the policy of the Seattle
School Board that programs be developed, replicated, and placed in
support of district-wide academic goals that address systemic needs
and support quality education for all students. This process
addresses the development of new programs, the replication of
existing programs, as well as the closing and/or relocation of
existing programs throughout the district. (Reference: School Board Policy, Program
Development and Placement, C56.00)
In
making program placement decisions, the Superintendent should
endeavor to:
- Place programs in
support of district-wide academic goals
- Place programs
equitably across the district,
- Place programs where
students reside,
- Consider input from
stakeholders in the decision making process,
- Utilize physical space
effectively to assure that space needs are met across the
district,
- Ensure that fiscal
resources are taken into consideration, and
- Fully analyze the
impact of any decision before it is made by using data, research
and best practice.
Description of the
Process
A
cross-departmental committee, overseen by the Chief Academic
Officer, reviews and analyzes program requests and proposals. The
committee is guided in its work by the aforementioned principles
and makes recommendations to the Superintendent about these
requests and proposals. Anyone, including principals, managers,
teachers, students and parents can make a program placement
request, in the manner set forth in these administrative
procedures.
Requests must be
submitted by completing the request forms in the fall of the year
prior to implementation. The information provided in the form
assists the Superintendent and senior management in making
decisions about the requests. The final list of recommendations is
prepared in December for the Superintendent’s approval. All
changes are incorporated in the Enrollment Guides that are
distributed to families in January/February.
This
process is to be used for requests that have an impact on one or
more of the following: school or District enrollment/capacity; the
change in use or modification of a facility; the assignment plan;
transportation; labor relations; or other issues that may have a
District-wide impact.