By Amber Campbell, RVP Editor/Publisher
On Wednesday, thanks to a gift from the Gates Foundation, all King County Starbucks stores are handing out free $10 DonorsChoose.org gift cards that anyone can use to make a donation toward a classroom project posted on the online charity site.
This is great news for any school in need, but especially high-poverty schools like those in southeast Seattle, where teachers like Mrs. Gerdes at Aki Kurose Middle School are asking for $529 to purchase 30 copies of “A Young People’s History” because, as she says in her ad, “We have no regular textbook.”
Or South Shore School in Rainier Beach where Ms. Tyler’s science classroom needs $619 for basic lab equipment.
Or Orca K-8 in Columbia City where Mrs. Hall wants $325 to buy one new graphing calculator for her Algebra class.
These are just a few examples among dozens of Rainier Valley requests – many of which are asking for nothing more than books. More interesting books, books to engage reluctant readers, library books, classroom books, books of varied reading levels.
Books.
When offered their heart’s desires, our teachers are asking for books and other basic supplies.
Instead, Mayor Mike McGinn and Interim Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield are offering pizza, ice cream and celebrity wake-up calls, which they say will “raise awareness and improve academic achievement by improving citywide school attendance.”
The “Be Here Get There” campaign announced earlier this week – a joint initiative of the City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, the Alliance for Education and Get Schooled – promises to “help improve academic achievement, boost overall student success and cultivate a lifelong passion for learning.”
But research shows that effective, high-quality teachers – and their relationships with their students – matter more to student achievement than any other factor.
So why are we forcing those teachers to beg in the public square for the tools necessary to simply do their jobs?
“We listened to the community when they said they wanted to improve educational outcomes for Seattle students,” says Mayor McGinn’s press release. It also says, “We can and must do better for our students.”
Yes, we certainly can do better. The question is: Will we?
Because the heartbreaking lists found at DonorsChoose.org seem to indicate otherwise.
In fact, the gifts and gimmicks that are being offered to Seattle students – when compared to what our teachers are asking for and our students need most – seem to indicate either a fundamental lack of listening at best or a colossal lack of will at worst.
The Mayor’s press release goes on to say that the pizza parties, ice cream contests and celebrity wake-up calls are “something that we can do right now.”
Frankly, as a parent of two kids in south-end schools where – according to the district – not a single school can be considered high-performing, I’m wondering why we can’t scare up some text books or basic science equipment right now.
For instance, did anyone ask the generous local sponsors contributing to the “Be Here Get There” campaign if they would consider providing what our schools actually need?
Because the Mayor and Dr. Enfield are absolutely right when they say that “with commitment, collaboration and a community-wide approach we can succeed in getting more students in the classroom.”
Sadly, this week’s grandstanding political display is anything but.
LAKEWOOD/SEWARD PARK – Seattle City Councilman Bruce Harrell says he and the command staff of Seattle Police Department will attend Monday’s public safety meeting in the Rainier Valley.
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