Petition updateUphold high quality inclusive kindergarten in SeattleSPS responds with a form letter
Fanny YangSeattle, WA, United States
Dec 12, 2015 — Update: Thank you all for the incredible response – we gathered over 800 signatures in 36 hours. Our next goal is 1000 signatures. Please continue to share this petition widely. Seattle Public Schools has responded to the community outrage with a form letter from Wyeth Jessee, Executive Director of Special Education. Some key statements: “the lottery process by which students are admitted precludes all Kindergarten students from accessing the particular services provided at the EEU” The admissions process for EEU kindergarten for students in special education is designed and implement by SPS. It is a tragedy that students must resign their educational fates to a lottery system, but that system is only necessary because there are no comparable programs available in the district. This system that "precludes all kindergarten students from accessing the particular services at the EEU" is Seattle Public School’s system. “the EEU program is not replicable in a traditional Kindergarten classroom” Of course the EEU program cannot be replicated in a traditional kindergarten classroom – traditional kindergarten programs are not inclusive. Inclusion is not a place, but a community, a continual practice of honoring diversity and standing in solidarity; it takes a transformation in culture and staff development that can’t happen when the district is committed to the traditional kindergarten model. The EEU provides innovative education that meets children where they are. The educators who receive their training at the EEU, many of whom are currently working in public schools, have seen how inclusion can work and strive every day to make it happen; they need SPS to make an equal commitment to inclusion by providing needed resources and supports. Budgeting should not be a justification for depriving children of the opportunity to be a full member of their communities. “The funding of the Kindergarten seats at the EEU was a noted area of concern [identified by the State Auditor’s Office] since we determined our use of special education funding for these 20 Kindergarten seats, which includes general education services, puts the district’s mandate to achieve significant compliance in special education at risk.” This is the new rationale given for pulling funding for EEU kindergarten. SPS contracts with the EEU to provide special education services and only pays for the special education portion of the per-pupil spending. To prove that inclusion is a priority, Seattle School District should have looked into solutions for this concern. Shouldn’t the onus be on SPS to figure out how to fix their accounting? Given the opportunity, the EEU would have worked to remedy any “fiduciary” concerns presented by the district. The audit in which this concern was voiced occurred two years ago – shouldn’t this issue have been addressed, and alternatives investigated, long ago? In any case, shouldn’t this be a bureaucratic issue rather than a programmatic one? SPS has only recently made sufficient improvements to begin receiving part of the $3 million federal IDEA funds, withheld since the 2013-2014 school year. Defunding a model program seems to put SPS more at risk rather than protect their interests. Here is Wyeth Jessee’s letter in full: In order to address concerns identified by the State Auditor’s Office related to the supplanting of general education services, beginning in the 2016-17 school years, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will no longer fund 20 Kindergarten seats at the University of Washington’s Experimental Education Unit (EEU). The funding of the Kindergarten seats at the EEU was a noted area of concern since we determined our use of special education funding for these 20 Kindergarten seats, which includes general education services, puts the district’s mandate to achieve significant compliance in special education at risk. Seattle Public Schools is dedicated to providing the best education for all students and we will continue to provide equitable access to students with special needs in schools and in communities. Inclusion and equity are important values we share with you and many others, as well as a fiduciary responsibility to comply with federal funding parameters. University of Washington’s EEU program provides a unique opportunity for children to develop cognitive, motor, communication and social interaction skills through specific educational and therapeutic interventions. However, the EEU program includes students with and without special needs and the lottery process by which students are admitted precludes all Kindergarten students from accessing the particular services provided at the EEU. SPS values our ongoing partnership with the University of Washington and recognizes the EEU’s mission of research, training and service. The EEU program is not replicable in a traditional Kindergarten classroom, and the district is not allowed, per the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), to use special education dollars to fund general education services. The University of Washington and SPS are continuing to work together to resolve this issue. Thank you for your interest and perspective as we work together to support all students equitably in the Seattle Public Schools. Regards, Wyeth Jessee Executive Director of Special Education Seattle Public Schools
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