Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seattle schools superintendent lays out measurable goals; board debates where targets and authority should live
Summary
Superintendent Shuldiner presented revised board goals and guardrails — including moving the math benchmark to eighth grade and adding the Seal of Biliteracy to ‘graduation plus’ — prompting detailed discussion about numeric targets, equity, and the line between board policy and superintendent procedure.
Superintendent Shuldiner presented detailed drafts of board policy 0020 (goals) and 0025 (guardrails) and urged the board to adopt measurable targets that the district can use to guide instruction and accountability. He framed the proposals as five-year, ambitious targets intended to lift student outcomes, saying the district should “aim to be the best in America.”
The superintendent recommended shifting the math benchmark to eighth grade and adding the state Seal of Biliteracy to the district’s “graduation plus” measure. He suggested specific numerical lifts — for example, raising an 8th-grade math baseline toward a top-5 goal among comparable large districts — and pairing board-level goals with a superintendent procedure that holds the district to the numbers while allowing staff to manage granular implementation and reporting.
Several directors supported ambitious targets but raised procedural and equity concerns. Director Rankin cautioned against delegating too much authority outside board policy, saying the board must retain clear ownership of the high-level goals and the community’s right to understand what will be measured. “If we give that up, our only thing that we have control over is saying, try your best,” Rankin said, urging the board to keep target-setting public and explicit.
Vice President Briggs and others pressed for a long-term view beyond benchmark comparisons, asking where the district would go after reaching the proposed targets and whether the district could aim toward global best practices. Directors also asked for clearer links between goals and supports for specific student groups — especially students with disabilities — and for an enrollment and facilities plan that aligns with the goals.
Shuldiner responded that the superintendent procedure would contain the granular targets and that an attendance-data audit and revised CSIP (school improvement plan) alignment would follow to support measurement. The board directed the policy committee to work through where detailed numeric targets should live and asked staff to return with refinements before a July action vote.
Next steps: policy committee review and a likely board action item in July to adopt final language and targets.
