Superintendent Raj Manhas' statement

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