Statement by
Superintendent Raj Manhas on Revisions to the School Consolidation
and Student Assignment Plan
May 17,
2005
Last month I
presented a preliminary recommendation on school closure and
student assignment to the School Board and our community. The
purpose of this recommendation was to focus our available resources
on academic achievement and access to quality schools for every
student.
I am proud of
the public response that we have received. Through community
meetings, e-mails, phone calls and letters we have heard
Seattle’s voice, including the voices of our communities of
color and our bilingual communities. We heard how this community
cares deeply about our students and their education. We heard how
important our community schools are, and why; and we heard the
passion to keep schools open. Given this overwhelming sentiment, I
am removing school closures from my recommendation for balancing
the 2006-07 budget.
The community
also heard from us how serious our funding problems are. My driving
concern has been and continues to be the quality of our school
system and its long term sustainability. Because of my firm belief
in the value of the student/teacher relationship, my efforts to
close the budget gap have focused on minimizing the impact on
classrooms. As we look at balancing our 2006-07 budget without
school closures, we will have to make some equally difficult,
collective choices.
The community
has made it clear that they understand our funding crisis and they
are willing to roll up their sleeves and help. I am gratified by
the overwhelming number of people who have come forward and
volunteered their time, effort, and ideas for raising revenue and
gaining long-term financial stability. To capitalize on this
reservoir of energy and support, I am announcing the formation of a
committee of community leaders to work with me over the next
several months. The committee’s purpose will be to review our
funding challenges, help with the realignment of our budget to
better support the academic initiatives in our five-year plan, and
explore and provide assistance with revenue strategies at both the
state and local level.
With regard
to our need for additional state funding, I want to acknowledge the
progress made in the last legislative session. K-12 education
faired better than it has in the last several sessions, and I want
to thank the governor, the legislature including the Seattle
legislative delegation, and other supporters of K-12 funding. I
look forward to working in partnership with the governor and the
legislature on this critically important
issue.
Although
school closures are now off the table for 2006-2007, I will
continue working on a revised student assignment and transportation
plan for implementation in 2006-2007. It will likely include
reduced elementary and alternative school choice. However, in
response to the overwhelming public desire not to require
kindergarten through second grade students to leave their schools,
it will also include a provision for grandfathering all students to
their highest grade. This revised student assignment and
transportation plan will be brought forward with time for and a
commitment to extensive public comment before it is
finalized.
We have also
had the opportunity over the last month to hear significant public
input regarding our proposal to eliminate the automatic roll-up of
APP students to Garfield. While I continue to believe that we must
increase the academic rigor in all of our high schools, we need to
do more to put advanced placement programs in all of our high
schools before we proceed with this proposal.
Finally, I
want to thank the people of Seattle for their passion and
commitment to Seattle Public Schools. I am committed to building
upon the public enthusiasm and energy we have seen over the last
several months. Seattle and its children deserve and expect an
exceptional public school system. I know we can make it
happen.
Raj
Manhas
Superintendent
Seattle
Public Schools
