Slog
News & ArtsThursday, January 29, 2009
City School Board Closes Buildings and Ends Programs, Security Removes Head of Local NAACP, Group Threatens Lawsuit for Discrimination
Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 8:45 PM
The crowd is screaming, four police are on hand, and the mood is volatile at the Seattle school-district headquarters in SoDo. Hundreds of people are chanting from the lobby into the open doors of the school-board chambers—“School board, just face it. These closures are racist.”—where the meeting continues. Board members’ discussion is almost inaudible over the screams calling for board members to resign after they just voted five-to-two to close five school buildings and reassign eight programs.
Citing an estimated $24-million budget shortfall, board members voted to close buildings and programs overwhelmingly located in the Central District and the south end of the city, which are attended disproportionately by minorities and students from lower-income families.
Buildings closing are: TT Minor, Old Hay, Mann, Van Asselt, and the Genessee Hill building. Programs that will terminate include Meany Middle School, Summit K-12, and—most contentiously—the African American Academy.
Lathanya Jack, 30, stood with her two children, both students at the African American Academy on Beacon Hill. She doesn’t know where they will go to school now. “The school district has put a stigma on us that makes it look like our children are not succeeding,” she says.
Fifteen minutes before the meeting started, the chambers had already overflowed its 250-person capacity. As superintendent Maria Gooodloe-Johnson made her introductory remarks, another hundred people stood in the lobby, hurling retorts at large-screen television. Inside, police and school security would remove outspoken audience members from the room. But then security removed James Bible, president of the local NAACP.
“I was [standing] in the back just listening,” says Bible. When security approached him and asked him to sit down, he says, “I explained that I had a really bad back and other people needed those seats.” Then, security summoned police officers who escorted him out of the room, he told the crowd.
Pegi McEvoy, a representative of the Seattle school district, says Bible was removed because, “We asked him to have a seat and he refused repeatedly.” Security wanted people to sit down to make sure the room wasn't over fire-code capacity. When she realized he had a sore back, she offered him to return to his seat—an offer Bible refused.
“It seems this school district is doesn’t want to hear from from people of color,” Bible told a crowd who surrounded him in the lobby. The closures, he boomed, "give privilege to kids in the north end at the expense of kids in the south end.”
Inside the chambers, as the board considered amendments, members of the crowd spat derisions. “Why don’t you vote to close the building you have here?” said one woman with a baby. The board repeatedly threatened to stop the meeting.
School board director Mary Bass was the populist star of the show. She had introduced an amendment to retain several of the schools in the Central District; however, her amendment lost two to five. “I do feel, with respect to my colleagues,” Bass said to the board, “that we could have found a solution." Only Bass and the other African American board member, Harium Martin-Morris, voted against the closures.
Jesse Hagopian, a teacher at Madison Middle School and a co-founder of Educators, Students and Parents for a Better Vision of the Seattle Schools, says “Our next step is to file a lawsuit.” Closing these central Seattle schools "is rooted in racial discrimination,” he says.
2
mary bass is up for election in the next round, she doesn't make any sense in the best of times, and i'm not sure whose routine is most bankrupt - hers, bible's or hagopian's. they're either not very bright, or they think the rest of us aren't.
and meanwhile, no one talks about the tens of thousands of families who are pretty ok with the superintendent, the board they elected and the decisions that both are making...of which i am one.
i say thanks to them -
and meanwhile, no one talks about the tens of thousands of families who are pretty ok with the superintendent, the board they elected and the decisions that both are making...of which i am one.
i say thanks to them -
4
Didn't they already close a lot of north end schools in the 1980s and 1990s?
People sure love their shitty schools.
People sure love their shitty schools.
5
$24 million? Why that's 90 minutes of spending on the Iraq war. Gotta get our future soldiers somewhere and it ain't gonna be from no fancy rich kid school. USA! USA! USA!
6
@1) The lady I spoke to said the school district wanted everyone in chairs to make sure the room wasn't over fire-code capacity. But Bible wouldn't sit down, she said.
And sorry for typos in the post. I had to write at top speed. They were trying to kick me out as soon as the meeting ended. Writing this from my iPhone.
And sorry for typos in the post. I had to write at top speed. They were trying to kick me out as soon as the meeting ended. Writing this from my iPhone.
7
"give privilege to kids in the north end at the expense of kids in the south end.”
blah, blah , blah, blah, blah. Roll out the professional angry people.
I thought we had White Privilege no matter what?
blah, blah , blah, blah, blah. Roll out the professional angry people.
I thought we had White Privilege no matter what?
8
“I was sitting in the back just listening,” says Bible. When security approached him and asked him to sit down, he says, “I explained that I had a really bad back and other people needed those seats.” Then, security summed police officers who escorted him out of the room, he told a crowd that had come to rally around him.
Pegi McEvoy, a representative of the Seattle school district, says he was removed because, “We asked him to have a seat and he refused repeatedly.” When she realized he had a sore back, she offered him to return to his seat—an offer Bible refused.
This makes no sense. Was he sitting when they approached him or standing?
Pegi McEvoy, a representative of the Seattle school district, says he was removed because, “We asked him to have a seat and he refused repeatedly.” When she realized he had a sore back, she offered him to return to his seat—an offer Bible refused.
This makes no sense. Was he sitting when they approached him or standing?
9
people who were screaming and heckling got multiple warnings from debell and very few were actually removed. bible wasn't causing any disruption, and was escorted out by police immediately. guess who they had their eye on? that whole meeting was a fucking joke.
10
“It seems this school district is doesn’t want to hear from from people of color,”
Huh? They have these white liberals by their guilt-ridden short and curlies. All you have to do is whisper 'racism' in their ears and they pee on the floor.
Huh? They have these white liberals by their guilt-ridden short and curlies. All you have to do is whisper 'racism' in their ears and they pee on the floor.
12
Then, security summed police officers who escorted him out of the room
1+1=2
1+2=3
1+3=4
summing is easy, see?
1+1=2
1+2=3
1+3=4
summing is easy, see?
13
Oh homegirl, do shut up. No one cares what a cocktail waitress turned trophy wife thinks.
Concentrate on the kegels baby - hubby ain't keeping you because you're smart.
Concentrate on the kegels baby - hubby ain't keeping you because you're smart.
15
"no one is listening."
Sound like products of SPS!
You angry, far lefties should be happy, now they're gonna bus all these gang bangers to the public schools on the Northside and f*ck up white peoples' lives.
Sound like products of SPS!
You angry, far lefties should be happy, now they're gonna bus all these gang bangers to the public schools on the Northside and f*ck up white peoples' lives.
17
Homegirl speaks from experience. The first time she got knocked up it was from a group of gang bangers. Thank god for the hanger on that one, eh Homegirl?
Luckily, her BFF in the cosmetology program at SCCC turned her on to the bar at Canlis. It's still the best way for a girl like her to get a quality meal ticket. Even better than becoming a stewardess for Alaska Airlines, like her mama...
Luckily, her BFF in the cosmetology program at SCCC turned her on to the bar at Canlis. It's still the best way for a girl like her to get a quality meal ticket. Even better than becoming a stewardess for Alaska Airlines, like her mama...
18
"what the fuck does this have to do with you?"
Sh*t, who do you think pays the taxes through the nose for this f*cked school district? It ain't the barista hipsters on cap hill. It's us property owners.
Sh*t, who do you think pays the taxes through the nose for this f*cked school district? It ain't the barista hipsters on cap hill. It's us property owners.
19
@ 8 & 12) I wrote this post in less than 15 minutes. Now that I'm home, I've gone back in and attempted to clean up typos. Sorry about that, but they were kicking me out, and I had to write as fast as possible.
20
I know how to solve it! Another round of reeducation on the evils of white privilege by the Department of Equity and Race Relations!
21
Oh Homegirl, let bygones be bygones. Forget about that Unfortunate Experience you had at Nova, and just get your GED already.
Maybe then you'll finally be able to forgive Seattle Public Schools, and feel better about yourself.
Maybe then you'll finally be able to forgive Seattle Public Schools, and feel better about yourself.
22
It doesn't take white administrators to create racist policy, Goodloe Johnson's proposals are a beautiful example of institutional racism-where decisions are made that profit the dominant white culture students over all the others. Dr. G J shut down Marshall alternative school and suspended its principal before she met him or entered the building. The mostly black kids in the 6 programs housed in that building had no wealthy white lobby group like Montlake school does, it didn't stand a chance...especially as it was undermined by hack job the Seattle Times did to the reputation of the school and its principal.
The Seattle Times was determined to remove the populist members of the last board and get them replaced by 4 elitist members who were supported and partnered with the Washington state elite. $440,000.00 was donated by mostly rich right wing real estate developers, investors and charter school supporters.
There is no place, except maybe the Stranger, where a populist or progressive voice can be seen in print in Seattle, especially since the Weekly was bought out by an LA firm and let its progressive writers go.
So we will lose our schools, the black and brown ones first, to be replaced by reale state deals and privately controlled charters. Close the schools, shrink the public investment and grow the private school market. That makes the Business Round Table happy, and the Seattle Times.
But our kids, who need choices, who succeed in their communities, they lose. The community, which could partner to use those underused buildings, could help keep them open and get resources in return.
How do we get a democracy when we have no free press, when the elite owns the press and the rest of us have no voice?
Seattle has great schools, especially the alternative schools, the decision to close these schools is unconscionable.
The board and adminstrators have done an effective job of dividing and conquering, of giving gifts to the most politically powerful and shutting out the rest, so that the community does not stand as one against the very real abuses of institutionalized racism.
Put campaign contribution limits on school board campaigns, or better yet, use publicly financed elections. Make the superintendent's position an elected position and somehow, give us a place to speak up against the monopoly voice of the Seattle Times.
More...
The Seattle Times was determined to remove the populist members of the last board and get them replaced by 4 elitist members who were supported and partnered with the Washington state elite. $440,000.00 was donated by mostly rich right wing real estate developers, investors and charter school supporters.
There is no place, except maybe the Stranger, where a populist or progressive voice can be seen in print in Seattle, especially since the Weekly was bought out by an LA firm and let its progressive writers go.
So we will lose our schools, the black and brown ones first, to be replaced by reale state deals and privately controlled charters. Close the schools, shrink the public investment and grow the private school market. That makes the Business Round Table happy, and the Seattle Times.
But our kids, who need choices, who succeed in their communities, they lose. The community, which could partner to use those underused buildings, could help keep them open and get resources in return.
How do we get a democracy when we have no free press, when the elite owns the press and the rest of us have no voice?
Seattle has great schools, especially the alternative schools, the decision to close these schools is unconscionable.
The board and adminstrators have done an effective job of dividing and conquering, of giving gifts to the most politically powerful and shutting out the rest, so that the community does not stand as one against the very real abuses of institutionalized racism.
Put campaign contribution limits on school board campaigns, or better yet, use publicly financed elections. Make the superintendent's position an elected position and somehow, give us a place to speak up against the monopoly voice of the Seattle Times.
23
Seattleschoolsmom, I hope you run for school board next round - you nailed it.
What we have right now is a mockery of a school board.
What we have right now is a mockery of a school board.
24
"There is no place, except maybe the Stranger, where a populist or progressive voice can be seen in print in Seattle"
And what a great and irrelevant place the market has found for that voice. Not only that, it's paid for by ads for hookers, and because it's free, makes a great lining my parrot's cage, the one I've trained to squeal:
"Look out whitey! White Privilege! Squaaaaarrrrk!"
Very angry parrot.
And what a great and irrelevant place the market has found for that voice. Not only that, it's paid for by ads for hookers, and because it's free, makes a great lining my parrot's cage, the one I've trained to squeal:
"Look out whitey! White Privilege! Squaaaaarrrrk!"
Very angry parrot.
25
You were able to retrain the parrot then, Homegirl? Good for you! You always were good with animals.
I remember when all it could say was "Goddammit! Wadda ya mean I got the clap again?"
I remember when all it could say was "Goddammit! Wadda ya mean I got the clap again?"
26
And Cooper - you forgot Cooper. It is a great school in West Seattle, and its program is being 'terminated' to make way for Pathfinder.
27
of course it's racist.
seattle doesn't care about minorities in any sense of the word.
i'm talking to you, mayor nickels.
seattle doesn't care about minorities in any sense of the word.
i'm talking to you, mayor nickels.
29
I do feel sometimes people are too quick to cry racism... but damn, all of these schools are in poor, non white areas. It stinks to high heaven. If I were a parent in the south end I would be pissed.
Also, Homegirl, thanks for embodying white liberal entitlement and bigotry. Sometimes I think black people are being paranoid about racism, and then I hear from someone like you.
Also, Homegirl, thanks for embodying white liberal entitlement and bigotry. Sometimes I think black people are being paranoid about racism, and then I hear from someone like you.
30
The sad thing is, that despite the overwhelming evidence of institutionalized racism, no one really cares.
31
Wow, it looks like the angry mob decamped to the SLOG comment board.
They need to close down Eckstein instead.
Oh, yeah, that would be great education policy. Close down the good school everyone is trying to get their kids into so that they all have to go the shitty schools everyone is trying get their kids out of. Way to exemplify your vision equality trummping quality!
They need to close down Eckstein instead.
Oh, yeah, that would be great education policy. Close down the good school everyone is trying to get their kids into so that they all have to go the shitty schools everyone is trying get their kids out of. Way to exemplify your vision equality trummping quality!
32
If you don't think that minority schools are always the ones that are hardest hit during times like this, you are clueless, in denial, or basically a stone racist.
There's nothing more fun than a watching bunch of my liberal Seattle brothers and sisters shit themselves when people of color show for a public process (which was carefully designed to be a bloodless perfunctory step toward adopting whatever the given pre-ordained corporate-friendly outcome of the day is) and actually get pissed off when they're being lied to and ignored.
But I do understand why Homegirl sends her kids to private school - public schools in big cities have to teach everyone, and in practice that means the real hard cases who have serious mental health, developmental, and behavioral challenges they were either born with or that were visited on them by dysfunctional families.
But that said, could you be less smug about how privileged you are and dismissive of anyone else who is less so? It's unbecoming, to say the least.
Thanks!
PS - you might want to also consider that this is the same school district that chose to piss off their middle class white neighbors by using a mature stand of trees for a building project instead of a surface parking lot. There might be a dot or two worth connecting, there...
There's nothing more fun than a watching bunch of my liberal Seattle brothers and sisters shit themselves when people of color show for a public process (which was carefully designed to be a bloodless perfunctory step toward adopting whatever the given pre-ordained corporate-friendly outcome of the day is) and actually get pissed off when they're being lied to and ignored.
But I do understand why Homegirl sends her kids to private school - public schools in big cities have to teach everyone, and in practice that means the real hard cases who have serious mental health, developmental, and behavioral challenges they were either born with or that were visited on them by dysfunctional families.
But that said, could you be less smug about how privileged you are and dismissive of anyone else who is less so? It's unbecoming, to say the least.
Thanks!
PS - you might want to also consider that this is the same school district that chose to piss off their middle class white neighbors by using a mature stand of trees for a building project instead of a surface parking lot. There might be a dot or two worth connecting, there...
33
Wow, never realized the demographics of Seattle changed so quickly after I left. Queen Anne (Old Hay), Capital Hill (Meany) and NorthEast of the U District (Summit) are all majority minority now? That's simply astounding. Call me jaded but when Ray Akers, a fucking angry white racist closeted nutbag, was the leader of those screaming racism over above the ground light rail in the Rainier Valley (where I lived), I lost my ability to see logic driven business decisions as racist.
34
It seems that an enlighten liberal utopia like Seattle would treat its poor black residents better.
37
You know, when white people opposed busing, they torched those buses which were to carry the minority students to their schools. Perhaps it is time to consider this as a precedent, rather than an atrocity. There is more than one path to equality, and more than one way to close a school.
38
It chaps my hide to see the white affluent politically connected homosexuals of Seattle abuse disadvantaged black children and families.
C H A P S M Y H I D E
C H A P S M Y H I D E
39
this whole "transparent" process was a joke from start to finish. unless by "transparent" they meant "invisible." the school board made their deals behind closed doors months ago (sundquist said last night they've been working on this plan for seven months- when did we hear about it? seven WEEKS ago??).
the way this went down for cooper was horrifying and sickening to watch. of all the schools, i’d say cooper was the one giving the school board the most pause. harium said it well in presenting his amendment: cooper is doing an incredible job with one of the most difficult and at-risk populations in seattle. and mary said it even better: IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
but steve sundquist, in all his WISDOM, put forth a sham of an amendment that does NOTHING for the cooper community, but gave the school board an out, gave them something to vote for so that they could feel better about closing the cooper program. “oh well, we HAD to close cooper because of the budget, but AT LEAST we sent those kids to LESS FAILING schools.”
sorry if i’m not bowing down in gratitude.
were it not for sundquist’s amendment, an amendment that he called SUPERIOR to the amendment to keep cooper open, i think cooper would be open today. given a choice between scrapping cooper and keeping cooper open- the school board would have kept cooper open.
IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
sundquist threw us under the bus, and when someone tried to pull us out of the road, he kicked us back under there. for what? to get pathfinder off his to-do list once and for all. to take advantage of a community in terror of this economic crisis, and toss cooper in the recycle bin while he had the chance.
i am so very stunned and angry. this is a BAD decision. west seattle needs to fight for a school board rep who believes in excellence for ALL of our kids.
More...
the way this went down for cooper was horrifying and sickening to watch. of all the schools, i’d say cooper was the one giving the school board the most pause. harium said it well in presenting his amendment: cooper is doing an incredible job with one of the most difficult and at-risk populations in seattle. and mary said it even better: IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
but steve sundquist, in all his WISDOM, put forth a sham of an amendment that does NOTHING for the cooper community, but gave the school board an out, gave them something to vote for so that they could feel better about closing the cooper program. “oh well, we HAD to close cooper because of the budget, but AT LEAST we sent those kids to LESS FAILING schools.”
sorry if i’m not bowing down in gratitude.
were it not for sundquist’s amendment, an amendment that he called SUPERIOR to the amendment to keep cooper open, i think cooper would be open today. given a choice between scrapping cooper and keeping cooper open- the school board would have kept cooper open.
IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
sundquist threw us under the bus, and when someone tried to pull us out of the road, he kicked us back under there. for what? to get pathfinder off his to-do list once and for all. to take advantage of a community in terror of this economic crisis, and toss cooper in the recycle bin while he had the chance.
i am so very stunned and angry. this is a BAD decision. west seattle needs to fight for a school board rep who believes in excellence for ALL of our kids.
40
THe SPS spends $12K per kid in the system. $12K! More than enough to pay for a private school education that will actually educate kids and demand some standards.
"Hey hey, ho ho, where's my $12K gonna go?!"
Problem with the entitlement crowd is that they think every kid should be able to grow up to be a lawyer/doctor/rapper/social worker. Time to bring back vocational schools.
"Hey hey, ho ho, where's my $12K gonna go?!"
Problem with the entitlement crowd is that they think every kid should be able to grow up to be a lawyer/doctor/rapper/social worker. Time to bring back vocational schools.
41
@22 Marshall alternative was a fucking warehouse. They didn't shut it down fast enough.
But I agree that it is suspect that only schools in the CD and south end are on the chopping block. While many people scream racism, I think they true culprit is poverty. Fuck the poor people, don't matter the color of their skin.
But I agree that it is suspect that only schools in the CD and south end are on the chopping block. While many people scream racism, I think they true culprit is poverty. Fuck the poor people, don't matter the color of their skin.
43
Homegirl should know from vocational schools. She almost made it through the cosmetology program at SCCC. If she hadn't been caught huffing, she would probably have her own chair in Burien by now.
44
@40. Nailed it. I've been a high school teacher in Renton for more than six years, and I say the same thing every day. Half my kids would be much better served spending their day learning a trade. But it will never happen.
45
"Fuck the poor people"
I agree! Their kids should be forced to go to shitty, underperforming schools! How dare they close them!
I agree! Their kids should be forced to go to shitty, underperforming schools! How dare they close them!
47
@ 29 - up through the 80's all of the school closures were north of downtown - and meanwhile, the k-12 population growth has been north, not south - and not by a little, by a lot.
other than martin luther king elementary, there hasn't been a closure in the central area in years - and there are 3 schools worth of elementary kids in 5 buildings.
and people who live there and might fill them are going to private schools.
people who want to make this about race or class are trying to drum up drama where there shouldn't be - it's all they've got, i think.
other than martin luther king elementary, there hasn't been a closure in the central area in years - and there are 3 schools worth of elementary kids in 5 buildings.
and people who live there and might fill them are going to private schools.
people who want to make this about race or class are trying to drum up drama where there shouldn't be - it's all they've got, i think.
48
I actually do agree with homegirl and rotten, at least regarding vocational schools. I think they got a bad reputation, and I think that's a real shame, as well as a danger to the economy: We'll always need electricians, mechanics, plumbers, hairdressers, and cooks, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with those professions.
And these aren't jobs for "stupid people", especially in WA state where everything requires certification (even flower arranging!) I took the pre-course for the electrical apprenticeship program at City Light - just for laughs of course - and the math requirement is formidable.
It takes four years to get through an electrical apprenticeship program and starting salaries are around 60k. There's no reason why you can't start training kids in high school - after all, the job has a very big physical component, and a line workers best years are his 20's and early 30's.
Of course, it requires strong unions, unless you are happy with industrial accidents and deaths (like a certain utility across the lake) and that costs money. Just like good schools.
And these aren't jobs for "stupid people", especially in WA state where everything requires certification (even flower arranging!) I took the pre-course for the electrical apprenticeship program at City Light - just for laughs of course - and the math requirement is formidable.
It takes four years to get through an electrical apprenticeship program and starting salaries are around 60k. There's no reason why you can't start training kids in high school - after all, the job has a very big physical component, and a line workers best years are his 20's and early 30's.
Of course, it requires strong unions, unless you are happy with industrial accidents and deaths (like a certain utility across the lake) and that costs money. Just like good schools.
49
I'm telling you - if these schools close, FOLLOW THE MONEY! How many times do we have to be duped into stupid real estate deals while we chirp away about racism?
Let's review, shall we?
The PacMed building (Schell leased to wright-rumstead for $1 per year for 100 years in the height of the real estate bubble. Do you think Amazon is paying a buck a year to Wright Rumstead?)
Key Tower (Rice bought it to help out an ailing real estate buddy, and the city had to invest millions in it to get it to be viable)
The City Light building, deemed "unsafe" and sold for a song to a company that reclad it and added several floors. In their haste, the city "forgot" about the Metro substation in the basement, and had to pay additional thousands to have it relocated.
Dexter Horton. The Arctic Club. Same stories....
These schools are no different. View properties that can be sold to developer friends in lean times for little or no money (with the city paying remediation fees, of course) and "luxury townhomes" going up in their place.
They're happy to have people throw up the smokescreen of racism, because it allows them to do their dirty work with no one looking at it.
The issue of city real estate needs a lot more light and a lot less heat.
Let's review, shall we?
The PacMed building (Schell leased to wright-rumstead for $1 per year for 100 years in the height of the real estate bubble. Do you think Amazon is paying a buck a year to Wright Rumstead?)
Key Tower (Rice bought it to help out an ailing real estate buddy, and the city had to invest millions in it to get it to be viable)
The City Light building, deemed "unsafe" and sold for a song to a company that reclad it and added several floors. In their haste, the city "forgot" about the Metro substation in the basement, and had to pay additional thousands to have it relocated.
Dexter Horton. The Arctic Club. Same stories....
These schools are no different. View properties that can be sold to developer friends in lean times for little or no money (with the city paying remediation fees, of course) and "luxury townhomes" going up in their place.
They're happy to have people throw up the smokescreen of racism, because it allows them to do their dirty work with no one looking at it.
The issue of city real estate needs a lot more light and a lot less heat.
50
oh, and dominic, mary bass might have been good for some teary sound-bites last night, but her amendment that would have closed nothing in her district was pure politicking - did you happen to ask her why she didn't come up with any proposals or solutions before the 11th hour?
she presents herself as the saviour of the poor and non-white, and little do they know she does nothing except posture at board meetings.
go to these board meetings on a regular basis, go to the board committee meetings, listen to what she says and watch what she does. i bet you'll think again about giving air time to her empty words.
though the stranger seems to be a sucker for the saviours - josh feit and your editorial board swallowed darlene flynn hook line and sinker.
she presents herself as the saviour of the poor and non-white, and little do they know she does nothing except posture at board meetings.
go to these board meetings on a regular basis, go to the board committee meetings, listen to what she says and watch what she does. i bet you'll think again about giving air time to her empty words.
though the stranger seems to be a sucker for the saviours - josh feit and your editorial board swallowed darlene flynn hook line and sinker.
52
Homegirl is a failed cosmetology student who found a sugar-daddy in the bar at Canlis, and was smart enough to get a ring and squeeze out a few kids. But she's still a White Center girl at heart.
Her opinion counts about as much as 51's. At least she knew how to work her sexuality to further her position in life. 51 just uses his to give the truckers a warm place to dump their load.
Her opinion counts about as much as 51's. At least she knew how to work her sexuality to further her position in life. 51 just uses his to give the truckers a warm place to dump their load.
53
"We'll always need electricians, mechanics, plumbers, hairdressers, and cooks, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with those professions. "
Yes, but little Johnny Gangbanger neeeds self esteem and white privilege classes so he can get the education he'll need to be a school administrator, make $100K a year and blame everything on whitey.
And how will he identify the racists? they'll be anybody who disagrees with him/her.
Yes, but little Johnny Gangbanger neeeds self esteem and white privilege classes so he can get the education he'll need to be a school administrator, make $100K a year and blame everything on whitey.
And how will he identify the racists? they'll be anybody who disagrees with him/her.
54
The schools in the north end are not wildly under-enrolled. These ones are. How hard is that to understand?
55
Oh Homegirl, poor homegirl. So simple, so sad, so deluded.... If you actually knew someone who works for a living, like you used to (remember that summer at the Dairy Queen on 16th SW?) you might understand people a little better.
No wonder none of the other wives want to have coffee with you. Between your worldview, and the fact that your ass is getting so big, they don't want to be seen with you. Plus, haven't you noticed that no one else in Madrona smokes? Doesn't that make you feel weird?
And really - you've got all the credit in the world. Why don't you run down to Nordstrom and buy a new track suit? Your legs look like sausages, and the crotch is wearing out.
No wonder none of the other wives want to have coffee with you. Between your worldview, and the fact that your ass is getting so big, they don't want to be seen with you. Plus, haven't you noticed that no one else in Madrona smokes? Doesn't that make you feel weird?
And really - you've got all the credit in the world. Why don't you run down to Nordstrom and buy a new track suit? Your legs look like sausages, and the crotch is wearing out.
56
Was it 2 or 3 years ago that the severely underpopulated Daniel Bagley Elementary School in Greenlake was slated for closure, then taken off the list when (rich, politically important, UW professor, attorney, etc) parent brought similar protest?
the argument was that the school "worked" and so shouldn't be disturbed. Well duh, those upper-middleclass kids would thrive if they were schooled by apes in a dumpster.
In that case a couple of south end schools were added to the list when Bagley was taken off it.
Why isn't the still severely underpopulated Bagley school on the current list of closures? (hint: rich, politically important, UW professor, attorney, etc)
the argument was that the school "worked" and so shouldn't be disturbed. Well duh, those upper-middleclass kids would thrive if they were schooled by apes in a dumpster.
In that case a couple of south end schools were added to the list when Bagley was taken off it.
Why isn't the still severely underpopulated Bagley school on the current list of closures? (hint: rich, politically important, UW professor, attorney, etc)
58
Oh, you flatter Homegirl, ouchie. It doesn't matter if she doesn't like the public schools. She still has to pay for them - rather, her husband has to pay for them, since she doesn't work.
And let's face it: Her kids will need that little "leg up" that a private school gives. Coming from that gene pool, they're destined to be the glue eater types that need extra help getting into college - isn't that what the private schools are for?
I just hope they can continue to afford it, the way the economy is. Without money, that family really doesn't have much. Homegirl can always move back in with Mama I suppose. She's got a dandy trailer in that park over by Lake City.
And let's face it: Her kids will need that little "leg up" that a private school gives. Coming from that gene pool, they're destined to be the glue eater types that need extra help getting into college - isn't that what the private schools are for?
I just hope they can continue to afford it, the way the economy is. Without money, that family really doesn't have much. Homegirl can always move back in with Mama I suppose. She's got a dandy trailer in that park over by Lake City.
59
52 58
Someone is jealous,
green isn't a good color for you.
You're angry you can't squeeze out a couple of kids for that chickenhawk with bad breath you call a meal ticket- without a little job security you're going to be dumped on your used up ass for someone a little younger and fresher and tighter.
Someone is jealous,
green isn't a good color for you.
You're angry you can't squeeze out a couple of kids for that chickenhawk with bad breath you call a meal ticket- without a little job security you're going to be dumped on your used up ass for someone a little younger and fresher and tighter.
60
I think you've got the wrong person Homegirl. I had my uterus taken out YEARS ago!
And I'm just trying to help when I suggest the kegels dear. A girl can't live the life you've lived without some maintenance down there, if you know what I mean. I thnk it's a real shame you gave your husband Chlamydia, but let's look to the future, instead of dwelling on the past. And if you want a rosy future, you better tighten things up. Remember, hubby sees loads of pretty young things everyday. One of these days he's gonna wake up and realize you've let yourself get sloppy.
And I'm just trying to help when I suggest the kegels dear. A girl can't live the life you've lived without some maintenance down there, if you know what I mean. I thnk it's a real shame you gave your husband Chlamydia, but let's look to the future, instead of dwelling on the past. And if you want a rosy future, you better tighten things up. Remember, hubby sees loads of pretty young things everyday. One of these days he's gonna wake up and realize you've let yourself get sloppy.
61
gotta love greg nickels' seattle. build $200 million jails to replace the $90 million in schools you tear down. you know, i always thought i would be a more productive member of society if i spent a third of my life in lockup.
62
"a little younger and fresher and tighter."
Since Homegirl is a boy, I can only assume you're taking about yourself again.
Since Homegirl is a boy, I can only assume you're taking about yourself again.
63
@33: I know Ray Akers, and he's everything you stated (except for closeted!) Was he really against the light rail?
64
The closures are a response to the fact that people with kids have been fleeing to the northern clusters. In the north part of the city some clusters have 25% more kindergarten apps., while in the southern cluster some schools are at 50% capacity or less. (The capacity planning worksheets are public docs. and are posted on the SPS website.) The teachers' contracts have a hard limit on the # of students per classroom (I think 28) and there's no money to hire additional teachers. The only rational response is load balancing.
Playing the race card is BS. And the lawsuits will get tossed, because the numbers don't lie.
Playing the race card is BS. And the lawsuits will get tossed, because the numbers don't lie.
65
I have a few problems with the way the closures were handled.
For one schools were closed without having a student assignment plan in place. Shutting buildings when you don't know where you will be sending kids long-term seems stupid.
In the same vein, to a large extent schools were closed without an eye to future demographics. Due to the TT Minor and Mann closure along with discontinuing Meany the central reference area is going to have a crowding problem similar to NE Seattle in a few years. In particular TT Minor is in an excellent location for a neighborhood school and the nearby school age population is due to grow in the next few years.
Summit shouldn't have been closed. If the district really needed the building the kids should have been moved to Marshall or another building with room for the program.
In theory the closures were based on building condition and program performance. However this is largely due to long-term neglect by the district.
Then there is the whole Pathfinder/Arbor Heights/Cooper mess which was badly handled and a clear case of vocal white parents getting a minority program swapped for "their" school. Again the West Seattle North cluster is going to have crowding problems trying to fit all of the Cooper kids in. The West Seattle South Cluster is the one with the excess capacity.
For one schools were closed without having a student assignment plan in place. Shutting buildings when you don't know where you will be sending kids long-term seems stupid.
In the same vein, to a large extent schools were closed without an eye to future demographics. Due to the TT Minor and Mann closure along with discontinuing Meany the central reference area is going to have a crowding problem similar to NE Seattle in a few years. In particular TT Minor is in an excellent location for a neighborhood school and the nearby school age population is due to grow in the next few years.
Summit shouldn't have been closed. If the district really needed the building the kids should have been moved to Marshall or another building with room for the program.
In theory the closures were based on building condition and program performance. However this is largely due to long-term neglect by the district.
Then there is the whole Pathfinder/Arbor Heights/Cooper mess which was badly handled and a clear case of vocal white parents getting a minority program swapped for "their" school. Again the West Seattle North cluster is going to have crowding problems trying to fit all of the Cooper kids in. The West Seattle South Cluster is the one with the excess capacity.
66
@ Homegirl
"And how will he identify the racists?"
Comment 37:
"You angry, far lefties should be happy, now they're gonna bus all these gang bangers to the public schools on the Northside and f*ck up white peoples' lives"
By the racist shit they say.
"And how will he identify the racists?"
Comment 37:
"You angry, far lefties should be happy, now they're gonna bus all these gang bangers to the public schools on the Northside and f*ck up white peoples' lives"
By the racist shit they say.
67
For crying out loud-
I would think the godless heathens at The Stranger would be thrilled to see Bible out of public education...
I would think the godless heathens at The Stranger would be thrilled to see Bible out of public education...
68
@56 money talks - huh?
bagley elementary hasn't been under-enrolled for almost a decade and is in fact packed to the gills with 330+ kids.
check your facts - it was on the closure list in 2005 because it's an old building the district would like not to renovate and had nothing to do with enrollment.
and no other schools were closed in 2005 - whether in bagley's place or any other.
bagley elementary hasn't been under-enrolled for almost a decade and is in fact packed to the gills with 330+ kids.
check your facts - it was on the closure list in 2005 because it's an old building the district would like not to renovate and had nothing to do with enrollment.
and no other schools were closed in 2005 - whether in bagley's place or any other.
69
EVERYTHING that white people do is "racist" to Seattle-style liberals and blacks, even the way white people breathe.
70
Okay, at what point in the breathless reporting of this story are we going to ackinowledge that the so-called "racist" school closures were recommended to the board by our new BLACK Seattle school superintendent Maria Gooodloe-Johnson???
(Or does that little bit of factual detail detract too much from the potentally newsworthy hysterial of race cardplay?)
(Or does that little bit of factual detail detract too much from the potentally newsworthy hysterial of race cardplay?)
71
@ 70, look earlier in the comments regarding working w/in situations where racism is institutionalized (Don't remember right off what number it is, sorry.).
My parents wanted to send me to a private religious school for middle school, *which was at least a 30 min drive one way* and away from potential friends who lived closer. After a whole summer of saying no, they finally relented and let me go to the public school my neighborhood was zoned for. Middle school was middle school. At least I was not stuck in a car with my father for an hour every day and I had the option of taking a school bus.
This may not be an important detail amid all the financial and racial aspects, but I just think it would suck to be a 6 or 10 yo kid having to spend at least an hour on a bus (school or Metro?) just to get to school. (And possibly having to wake up extra early to do so.)
What happened to good public schools for all, in a close by neighborhood/area? Will there be buses? Or will their parent(s) have to take them? How much will busing (sp? sorry) cost?
My parents wanted to send me to a private religious school for middle school, *which was at least a 30 min drive one way* and away from potential friends who lived closer. After a whole summer of saying no, they finally relented and let me go to the public school my neighborhood was zoned for. Middle school was middle school. At least I was not stuck in a car with my father for an hour every day and I had the option of taking a school bus.
This may not be an important detail amid all the financial and racial aspects, but I just think it would suck to be a 6 or 10 yo kid having to spend at least an hour on a bus (school or Metro?) just to get to school. (And possibly having to wake up extra early to do so.)
What happened to good public schools for all, in a close by neighborhood/area? Will there be buses? Or will their parent(s) have to take them? How much will busing (sp? sorry) cost?
72
Um, I did not knowingly or intentionally do this, but my above comment seems to have been italicized. (This comment might be as well.) I apologize.
76
During the Renaissance italic was used as a book setting face because it was easier to read but the effect is lost in a san serif font.
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