Outgoing superintendent Raj Manhas, of whom I have been rather critical, has a guest column in the Seattle Times today defending Seattle Public Schools.
According to Manhas, scores have improved for seven straight years, and the district now outperforms the state average on standardized tests, matching or exceeding many of our neighboring districts. Over the past few years the district has also managed to turn a $34 million shortfall into a $20 million reserve. Hardly an argument for a state or city takeover.
Given all the talk about a district in crisis, I think many people would be surprised by the reality. Take a tour of the city’s elementary schools and you’ll mostly find well maintained, recently constructed or renovated buildings with orderly, well behaved classrooms and a dedicated teaching staff. These are not the inner city schools of Detroit or Philadelphia — many would be virtually indistinguishable from their nearby suburban counterparts. There’s a reason why communities fought so hard to save our local schools from closure… we love them.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems. Seattle is an urban district with all that entails, but the image propagated through hyperbolic editorials only makes matters worse. At least at the elementary school level I believe it is often a complete waste of money in Seattle to send your child to private schools, but way too many families now do exactly that. This removes from the district the children of many of our most affluent and best educated parents — the children who are typically the easiest and least expensive to teach — leaving behind a disproportionate number of students who face additional educational and life challenges.
As Manhas points out, our schools have these children for only six hours a day, nine months a year:
For us to make true strides in academic achievement, we need to pay much more attention to basic quality-of-life issues for our children. Research confirms what test scores also reveal: Childhood poverty and racism are the biggest factors keeping our kids down.
Yes, hands-on parental involvement is perhaps the most accurate indicator of academic success, but some of our parents are simply unwilling or unable to participate in their children’s education. You cannot blame an immigrant parent who works ten hours a day and who has no formal education nor competency with the English language, for not helping his children with their homework. And you cannot blame a child growing up in an unstable household for being unprepared to learn. What you can do is attempt to intervene as early as possible. Headstart, pre-school, and full day kindergarten are all solutions that are proven to work, and the only thing preventing us from implementing these programs for all our needy children is the political will.
It is critical to recognize that all that has occurred in Seattle Public Schools over the past decade — both the successes and the failures — has occurred in the context of systemic underfunding. Washington state’s public education funding now ranks in the bottom ten nationwide, and Seattle’s teachers are amongst the lowest paid of any major city when adjusted for local cost of living. To hear many of the district’s right-wing critics tell it, our schools already waste the resources they have, so any increase in spending would only be throwing good money after bad. But as Manhas poignantly asks, “How can we demand that our children reach for the stars when the grownups have them in the nation’s basement in terms of education funding?”
Of course money is not the only answer, but not a single educational reform being touted from the right or the left or anywhere in between can possibly have a hope of succeeding unless we adequately fund it. Our educators, editorialists, elected officials and yes, even us citizens have given way too much lip service to the ideal of educating all our children. Now it is time for us to put our money where our mouth is.
Everyone screams it is the schools failure. What everyone fails to see is that the failure belongs to all of us.
We must fund our schools. We must make the commitment to properly prepare our children for the future.
We won’t always be here to fuck it up for them. Maybe they can fix it.
Interesting post.
Since you bring up teacher pay, I’ll note something about that.
Teacher pay is set on a statewide basis. A teacher with 20 years seniority in Ephrata will make exactly the same amount as a teacher in Issaquah. The former will be one of the highest-paid people in the town (the local doctor and lawyer may make more, but no promises there), the latter will walk on the moon before he can buy a house in the community he lives in.
Breaking this arrangement is one step in moving the school system in the Puget Sound region forward and hiring top-quality teachers. It has been difficult to do because the WEA is one of the sacred cows of Democratic politics. The GOP could do it, but the radicals who control the party right now seem to be more interested in demolishing the public school system than reforming it.
How about we take the “1 or 2 billion extra” (in reality, it’ll be twice that at least, if Boston is any indication) the Mayor is willing to spend to get his Alaskan Way tunnel and drop that money into his schools instead – which do you think would be the better investment?
Ummm, did you even read your own post?
The reason educated parents do not, nor would they ever think of, sending their kids to Seattle public schools is simple.
Educated parents are aware of the value of an education and that the Seattle Public schools is not the place to go. While their kids would be the easiest to teach (I agree with you there), their childrens education would take a back seat as the disruptions around them get the special treatment they need.
Additionally, the contacts you make during your elemetary and high school years often identifies what type of social contacts you will have in life.
Let’s face it Goldy, the only reason your kid is going to her school is:
1. You are too fucking cheap to pay for a private school.
2. You are a loud mouthed pain in the ass whose politics are in line the the school disctricts. So yes, your kid will get all the attention she needs at the expense of the other kids in her class. Why is that? becaiuse if she doesn’t you’ll be down throwing a temper tantrum and bullying the school board, pta, etc… until she does.
Se item #2 why educated, wealthy people don’t want their kids in the public school system.
“the contacts you make during your elemetary and high school years often identifies what type of social contacts you will have in life.”
So lord knows you wouldn’t want you child to interact with people of other races, socio-economic levels or national origin. Because then their well rounded future contacts might nake them epathetic, thoughtful, intelligent adults. That’s a recipe for a wasted life, right?
czechsaaz @5,
See how bitter and angry so-called “Reality check” is? That should tell you something, huh?
2 Let’s not overlook the fact that the 100,000 state employees who deliver public services considered essential enough to tax ourselves to pay for them are locked into the same statewide salary system. I know of one state agency that, a few years ago, considered closing their Seattle office because they couldn’t get anyone to work in Seattle, because people couldn’t afford to live in Seattle on that agency’s pay scale. In the end, they didn’t close the office, but they continue to live with extremely high turnover. People hire into that office to get the job and training, then transfer out of Seattle as soon as they can, because they literally can’t afford the cost of living here.
Whatever is done to address cost-of-living issues for teachers, must also be done for state employees.
I’ve never believed the solution to education problems is raising property taxes (on, say, senior citizens on fixed incomes who are struggling to pay their medical bills) in order to throw more money at teachers.
Entry level salaries for teachers are abysmally low and need to be raised. High-seniority teachers with the Seattle School District make more money than I ever did as a state lawyer. Two 25-year teachers married to each other are pulling down — what? — $120K a year? $140K? C’mon, people, these folks aren’t starving.
There will never be enough money to give teachers (and other public employees) what they deserve, let alone what they want. You don’t go into teaching or public service for the money. If you want to make lots of money, choose another career. There are too many other public services we need, like transportation and child abuse prevention and environmental protection and law enforcement and so on, and most of us taxpayers are already uncomfortably taxed and can’t readily afford to be taxed some more in order to give raises to senior teachers who make more than we do.
I’m particularly bothered by the cavalier attitude of some (not all) of the highest-paid teachers who, in contract negotiations, are perfectly willing to stick it to the youngest and lowest paid teachers in order to feather their own nests further.
And, of course, we have the pernicious system under which the Legislature takes money away from state employees (many of whom are paid less than teachers) as punishment for not striking in order to give it to teachers as a reward for striking. The fact teachers, for the last 30 years, have been robbing state employees of cost-of-living raises by extorting money from the Legislature that otherwise would have gone to underpaid state employees seems not to bother some of these $60K+ a year teachers in the slightest.
Am I pissed at the teachers? Yes and no. I’m pissed at a few of them, but mostly I sympathize with them. Problem is, as a retired taxpayer, I can’t afford their demands. I agree in principle with the argument that we should invest more per-pupil in K-12 education, and that we should also invest more in higher education, although here again I think the UW administration’s pious demands for more money lack the stamp of both reality and sensitivity to taxpayers of limited means and already-onerous tax obligations. This is a horse-and-cart deal. We have a segment of our state population that is severely undertaxed, and that is the 20% highest income households, who pay only 4% of their income in state and local taxes compared to 17% for the lowest 20% of households. We need an income tax, period, and you can’t talk about raising taxes in order to spend more money on education until the people with the most money who are paying the least taxes start paying their fair share. You can’t get their by hitting up the lower income groups or senior citizens for money we don’t have.
re 2: Each district sets its own salary schedule. Where did you get your information?
EFF, I’ll bet.
Each district has its salary schedule posted on their respective website. If you deride or challenge me on this point, I will print links to several disparate salary achedules and show everyone what an uninformed horse’s ass you are!
This is what we mean by the way conservatives always “spin” (lie about) reality.
But then, the income tax argument goes nowhere the minute you start talking about “raising taxes.” For decades, the income tax argument has gone nowhere anyway, but if there is ever to be any hope of getting any traction with voters for scrapping our Rube Goldberg tax system, you have to talk about a revenue-neutral, flat-rate tax and nothing else. There is no hope for raising taxes under a fairer tax system, because that keeps you from getting a fairer tax system. On the other hand, it’s all to easy to raise taxes under the existing unfair tax system on those least able to afford it. But then you get tax revolts and the rise of demagogues like Eyman. Do I think it’s hopeless? No, I think you can get more money for education by GROWING THE ECONOMY and RAISING THE STANDARD OF LIVING of Washington residents by expanding the base of high paying jobs in this state. It’ll be harder than hell, but easier than trying to pass an income tax that raises taxes, or trying to squeeze more taxes out of the existing tax system by raising taxes on people who can’t afford more taxes.
erratum
“too easy” not “to easy”
Why aren’t the wingnuts who slammed Kerry for his bungled “stuck in Iraq” joke criticizing Bush for his insulting “boy” comment about a soldier in Iraq? Seems pretty fucking selective to me. I don’t think these folks (wingnuts) really support the troops. They only pretend to, in order to peddle their warmonger agenda.
No matter where my kids go to school I know they are going to get a good eductation because I am involved in their lives and school work. I’m tired of folks putting everything on the school districts. Parents need to step up!!
What do you get when you give Liberals more money to ‘educate’ children?
Expensive failure.
It’s just like Liberals to implement socialism in their unions and then complain that there’s no pay differential.
You can’t have it both ways people. When you understand that teachers’ unions are part of the problem, then you can begin fixing it.
14 Why don’t you come back here and post something intelligent when you think of something to say besides the same old tired wingnut cliches we’ve heard a million times before. Otherwise, please don’t waste our time with your drivel.
Breaking this arrangement is one step in moving the school system in the Puget Sound region forward and hiring top-quality teachers. It has been difficult to do because the WEA is one of the sacred cows of Democratic politics. The GOP could do it, but the radicals who control the party right now seem to be more interested in demolishing the public school system than reforming it.
I wonder why you think the GOP could do it when it is the Republican areas/school districts that have the highest pay now. Do you really think the GOP could talk those districts into sharing the wealth? Your thinking eludes me.
why educated, wealthy people don’t want their kids in the public school system.
Seattle has an advanced learning program that caters very much to the elite in Seattle. If you don’t know that, you don’t know much about the Seattle School District and you should shut up.
Entry level salaries for teachers are abysmally low and need to be raised. High-seniority teachers with the Seattle School District make more money than I ever did as a state lawyer. Two 25-year teachers married to each other are pulling down — what? — $120K a year? $140K? C’mon, people, these folks aren’t starving.
Yes, entry level salaries still sort of low but not abysmally low. They were raised last contract. Senior teachers have waited a very long time for a significant raise. Of course, I was caught in the middle. I worked two jobs my first five years because of such a low salary. Whe I reached my 12 year mark, the new teachers got a significant raise and my salary has increased 1-2% a year and now I’m done. And, dear Roger who chose security over amibition and worked for the State, you’re making what you’re probably worth. Same can be said for me except that I know I’m worth a whole lot more than I’m paid. I, too, am a single householder who has Seattle prop taxes to pay. And anybody making $60 thousand plus is a PhD . . . so get real, please. That’s why you’re a State employee, obviously.
I worked for the City – that’s the place to get good pay. Good retirement, good pay and pretty good medical. The State sucks. They do not manage money well.
You are bitter. A lot of us are bitter. But the problem is that the pie is only so big and a huge slice of it is continues to go back to the elite. The trickle down effects leave a bitter taste in all our mouths.
ROGER@15 Otherwise, please don’t waste our time with your drivel.
Um, apparently all the meth & comment flooding you do has blocked your ability to comprehend, or maybe you are just the product of a
Liberal Indoctrination FactoryPublic School. This whole site is a shrine to drivel.