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>>> JOINING US NOW THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.
THE WOMAN ON LEADING THE
STATES LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
SEATTLE SCHOOLS, THANK YOU FOR
COMING ON THE SHOW.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> EDUCATION IS DOMINATING THE
HEADLINES, WE WANTED TO HAVE
YOU WANT ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU
BEEN HERE ALMOST A YEAR.
AT THE HELM OF THIS LARGE
SCHOOL DISTRICT, GIVE US
INSIGHT INTO THE EDUCATION
ISSUES WE HAVE BEEN
DISCUSSING.
DISCUSSING. FIRST, YOU ARE ALMOST AT THE
ANNIVERSARY, WHAT HAS BEEN THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE SO FAR?
BUCK FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE HAS BEEN
WE WERE, IT HAS BEEN THE
BUDGET.
BUDGET.
BUDGET. WE JUST HAD THE LEGISLATURE
BACK A LITTLE BIT THAT WE NEED
GOING FORWARD.
GOING FORWARD. WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF
CUTTING TEACHERS, CUTTING
COUNSELORS, CUTTING SCHOOL
LIBRARIANS.
LIBRARIANS. NOW THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS
ACTING, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
LEVY A LITTLE BIT?
WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO
ACTUALLY REPLACE EVERY STORE
SOME OF THE STAFF MEMBERS AT
THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
REALLY I AM HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
THE CONTINUING CHALLENGE WITH
THE BUDGET IS AROUND SPECIAL
EDUCATION FUNDING.
EDUCATION FUNDING. THERE IS STILL A LOT OF WORK
THAT HAS TO BE DONE .
>> IT STILL WAS NOT ENOUGH
THAT YOU GOT?
BUCK RIGHT.
BUCK RIGHT. NOW.
NOW.
NOW. IT
NOW. IT WILL BE A STOPGAP COMING
FORWARD BUT WE ARE ALREADY
STARTING THE WORK WITH THE
CONVERSATION FOR NEXT.
I THINK AROUND THE ENTIRE
STATE THERE IS A NEED FOR
SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SPECIAL EDUCATION. >> RIGHT, THAT IS A YOU CARE
ABOUT, LOBBY OR STATE
LAWMAKERS ABOUT THE.
YOU SAID YOU DON'T HAVE TO LAY
OFF THE MEMBERS YOU ARE
THINKING BUT ARE YOU EXPECTING
SOME LAYOFFS?
SOME LAYOFFS? >> SOME.
>> SOME.
>> SOME. NOT JUST A TIGHT BUDGET BUT
ALSO IN ROMANS DECLINE IN THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO, AS A RESULT OF ENROLLMENT
DECLINE, AND SOME SCHOOLS YOU
DO NOT NEED AS MANY TEACHERS.
SO, THERE WILL STILL BE A FEW
AREAS MOVING STAFF AROUND WITH
THOSE TYPES OF ISSUES.
BUT JUST DECLINING ENROLLMENT
AND WE CANNOT AFFORD THE STAFF
WE CURRENTLY HAVE .
>> THAT IS PEOPLE AS I
CURRENTLY UNDERSTAND GOING TO
THE SUBURBS?
THE SUBURBS? >> YES, THERE HAS BEEN A
DECLINE IN ENROLLMENT FOR
EVERYBODY IN THE REGION EXCEPT
TACOMA THE SLASHER.
PEOPLE ARE MOVING SOUTH.
IT IS A CHANGING CITY, THE
DEMOGRAPHICS ARE CHANGING.
THE ECONOMIC INEQUALITY IS
HAPPENING IN THE CITY.
IT IS MOVING FAMILIES OUT OF
THE DISTRICT COME OUT OF OTHER
DISTRICTS AND MORE AND MORE
SOUTH.
SOUTH.
SOUTH. SO, JUST A LOT OF BALANCING
HAS TO BE DONE.
I THINK IT IS PART OF THE
BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT THE
DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE CITY,
TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, HOUSING
AFFORDABILITY, ALL OF THOSE
ISSUES AS THEY GET TALKED
ABOUT AT THE CITY LEVEL.
THEY AFFECT THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT. >> WRITES, LET'S HAVE THAT'S
TOUGH CONVERSATION.
TOUGH CONVERSATION. TALKING ABOUT ECONOMIC
INEQUALITY.
INEQUALITY. IT IS A TIME VERSACE AND WE
HAVE HAD ON THE SHOW.
CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY,
CERTAINLY CANNOT RAISE AS MUCH
IN THE PTA FUNDS, DURING
ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS.
ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS. HOW DO THEY RESPOND TO THAT?
>> ACTUALLY AS PART OF THE
BUDGETING PROCESS WE HAVE
EQUITY FUNDS THAT GO TO
SCHOOLS THAT CANNOT RAISE AS
MUCH MONEY.
MUCH MONEY. THERE IS A SORT OF EQUITY
FUNDING WE LOOK AT ANY
BUDGETING PROCESS.
BUDGETING PROCESS. PROBABLY ONE OF THE FEW
DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY THAT
HAS THE PEACE.
EVEN DEALING WITH FACILITIES
WE ARE LOOKING AT EQUITY.
TRYING TO THINK ABOUT WHERE
ARE THE NEEDS TO MAKE SURE WE
ARE SUPPORTING EVERY STUDENT
PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT CANNOT
HAVE THE ENRICHMENT OTHER
AREAS OF THE CITY.
WE HAVE PIECES OF IT, WE HAVE
WORK TO DO, YES.
BUT ALSO WE HAVE A NEW
STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUSING ON
ITS, IT NAMES OUT AND CALLS
OUT THE NEED TO FOCUS ON
STUDENTS OF COLOR FOR
EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE.
EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE. WE ARE MOVING FORWARD TRYING
TO BE BOLD IN OUR EFFORTS IT
REALLY MAKE SURE WE ARE
FOCUSING ON THE RIGHT ISSUES
SO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IS
AVAILABLE TO EVERY STUDENT IN
THE CITY.
THE CITY.
THE CITY. >> OKAY, MY PRODUCER SING WE
ARE OUT OF TIME AND I WANT TO
MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW UP ON
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. HAVING PERSONALLY INTERVIEWED
STUDENTS IN SEEING CERTAIN
SCHOOLS HAVE CERTAIN PROGRAMS
THAT EVERY OTHER SCHOOL IN THE
CITY HAS AND YOU WANT TO SEE
EVERY KID HAVE THE SAME
OPPORTUNITIES, I AM
INTERESTED.
INTERESTED. I THINK WE ALL ARE, MAKING
SURE KIDS HAVE THE ACCESS.
I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. AS
THAT. AS YOU GO, I WANT TO MENTION,
YOU ARE THE FIRST AMERICAN
INDIAN TO SERVE IN THIS ROLE.
YOU TALK ABOUT HEAD STARTS TO
HARVARD, WHAT IS THE MESSAGE
YOU WANT TO SEND WITH THAT?
BUT I THINK IT IS THAT YOU CAN
START OUT WITH VERY BEGINNINGS
AND GET WHEREVER YOU ARE IF
YOU HAVE SUPPORT.
WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE
BEHIND YOU.
BEHIND YOU. CHEERING YOU ON.
AS I, THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE
EXPERIENCE, I HAVE HAD
CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE AND
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A
CHILD CAN HAVE IS A CARING
ADULT IN THE CORNER.
TO CHALLENGE THEM AND SUPPORT
THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE
ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS AND
BEING SUPPORTED.
BEING SUPPORTED. MENTORING PROGRAMS ARE SUPER
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE
SURE AS ADULTS IN THE CITY WE
ARE SUPPORTING ALL OF OUR
STUDENTS, EVERY STUDENT IN THE
CITY IS VITALLY IMPORTANT.
THAT IS THE MESSAGE I ALWAYS
CARRY IS THAT WHEN YOU GET TO
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, YOU
GET THAT DIPLOMA, IT OPENS A
SONY MORE DOORS.
WHERE YOU COME FROM, THAT CAN
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. >> YOU ARE