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Parents and teachers urge staffing‑allocation changes after midyear teacher losses; director asks for forensic audit
Summary
Multiple public commenters — mostly parents and volunteers from Title I schools — told the board that the district's use of the October enrollment count and a '2 FTE' rule caused midyear teacher losses and class overcrowding at John Rogers and several other schools. Director Rankin asked the board to consider hiring a forensic accountant and an "
Parents, volunteers and staff during public testimony on June 4 gave detailed accounts of how the district’s current enrollment and staffing policies affected several Title I schools, requesting changes to the staffing timeline and allocation rules.
John Rogers Elementary parents described substantial under‑projection in fall 2023 and spring 2024 that resulted, they said, in teacher losses and midyear class reshuffling. Brian Massey and other John Rogers volunteers told the board the school lost about 70 students during a temporary move and later rebounded, but that staffing decisions made on the October count left classes overcrowded and teachers reassigned midyear.
Rebecca Binns, a former district teacher speaking on data for Southeast Seattle schools, said using the October count to allocate staffing “hurts high poverty schools who often have fluctuating student populations.” She and other speakers asked the board to revise the staffing timeline, adopt a needs‑based allocation for support staff, eliminate the two‑FTE rule that delays staffing adjustments, and adjust wait‑list deadlines so staffing is accurate at the start of the school year.
Several option and neighborhood school speakers asked the district to restore full‑time assistant principal support where it will be reduced next year; Caitlin Murdoch and Joanna Areza Taylor said part‑time AP allocations would harm schools with high special‑education populations.
In board comments earlier in the meeting, Director Rankin formally requested the board consider directing the superintendent to hire a forensic accounting auditor to report directly to the board. Rankin told colleagues the district lacks the level of information needed for financial oversight and that repeated requests for better budget clarity have not been met. She also asked for an independent investigation into staff behavior and alleged policy violations in central office, with any investigator reporting directly to the board.
Board members and staff acknowledged the public testimony and requested that staffing‑allocation rules and the October count issues be reviewed at the retreat and in follow‑up briefings. Staff said some staffing adjustments occur after the October count but that the district’s weighted staffing model ties allocations — including assistant principal allocations — to teacher counts and thresholds built into the model.
No formal board action was taken the evening of June 4 on either the staffing rules or Director Rankin’s requests; Rankin asked for a special meeting to consider both items for formal introduction ahead of the July 1 meeting.
