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Dear Families and Friends
We are asking for your support to keep siblings in the
same school.
If you support keeping families together select this link and sign our
petition now.
SIGN the Petition to Keep Our Kids Together Here!
KeepOurKidsTogether.org 2009
Next Steps
On Wednesday, June 17, 2009 the new Student Assignment Plan (SAP) was
approved. An amendment was passed with the plan to revisit the
possibility of grandfathering siblings in the late fall of 2009.
We need your help to keep the Sibling Grandfathering topic in view and
not forgotten. We will continue to collect signatures for the petition
so please keep spreading the word.
If you can, attend a meeting here and there to keep Siblings and
Families “In sight and In mind.”
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Upcoming Events
Please tell them you are there on behalf of Siblings and Families!
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Wednesday, June 24
School Board Workshop on Boundary Planning
4 – 8 p.m.
John Stanford Center
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Saturday, June 27th
Director Michael DeBell Community Meeting
9 – 11 a.m.
Caffe Appasionato
4001 21st Ave. W.
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Wednesday, July 1
School Board Meeting
6 – 9 p.m.
John Stanford Center
To testify call 206.252.0040, beginning at 8 am on Monday June 29
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Saturday, July 11
Director Harium Martin-Morris Community Meeting
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Diva Espresso
Lake City Way & 80th NE
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Friday, July 24th
Director Mary Bass Community Meeting
6 – 9 p.m.
Location TBD
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Newly Posted Numbers on Siblings
Our observations were correct. The majority of siblings come from
within a schools reference area. Our request would not displace assignment area
children, nor cause a delay in the implementation. There is no need to split
apart families for the new SAP to succeed.
www.seattleschools.org/area/newassign/Siblings_Data_Summary.pdf
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Our Request
We ask for predictability for our families during the
phase-in period for the new Student Assignment Plan.
Essentially, we are requesting that current families be ‘grandfathered’
to allow all of a family’s younger siblings to attend the school
currently attended by older siblings through the highest grade level
available at that school.
This will provide predictability in assignment for families who have
children enrolled in Seattle Public Schools under both the current
“choice” system of student assignment in use through the 2009-2010
academic year AND the New Student Assignment Plan to be used beginning
in 2010-2011.
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Background
A new Student Assignment Plan (SAP) is being crafted and is due to go into effect for students beginning with the 2010-2011 school year. Overall, we believe the new SAP to be a very fair and thoughtful plan to provide predictability in school assignments. The plan would also reduce operation costs (primarily transportation) to focus monies and energies towards making all schools within Seattle Public Schools (SPS) excellent for all.
In converting to the new plan there will be a phase-in period. As school boundaries are redrawn, it would not be uncommon for families with children already enrolled under the current “choice” system to find that they are attending a school that is no longer their attendance area school, as defined by the New Student Assignment Plan.
Students of these families will be assigned to their
current school and will be allowed to stay at the school through the
highest grade it offers. However, there is no guarantee younger siblings
not yet enrolled will be able to join them at the same school.
A younger sibling may be able to join their siblings at the school via the choice process. However, there is no guarantee – especially in highly subscribed areas – that any choice seats will even be available for application.
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Students from families with above-median parental involvement showed success rates 30% higher than those from families with below-median parental involvement, as measured by GPAs; test scores in math, science, reading, and social studies; and promotion, retention and teacher ratings.
A summary of selected research compiled by Dr. John H. Wherry, President,
The Parent Institute, P.O. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA
22039-7474, U.S.A.
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To Communities & Parents for Public Schools of Seattle (CPPS) for inviting us to speak at the their annual meeting, for including an article and link to our petition in their latest newsletter, and for promoting our cause at their media day.
To the Seattle Council PTSA for helping to promote our petition by including the link to our petition in their most current newsletter.
To learn more about either of these great student focused and family based organizations please visit their websites:
cppsofseattle.org
www.seattlecouncilptsa.org
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