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Seattle School District No. 1 board schedules EdTech study session and launches policy review after special meeting
Summary
At a June 24 special meeting, the Seattle School District No. 1 board reviewed a draft calendar for the school year, agreed to schedule an instructional study session on educational technology in the coming quarter, and directed a prioritized review of out-of-date board policies, including work on tribal consultation and native education policy.
President Topp called the Seattle School District No. 1 special meeting to order June 24 and, after a scheduled executive session, led a short discussion to refine the board’s calendar of study sessions and meeting dates for the coming year.
The board recessed into executive session at the start of the meeting to consult with legal counsel on litigation and to review the performance of a public employee under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) and (g). The session had been scheduled for 90 minutes; the board reconvened at 6:08 p.m. and resumed discussion of the draft weekly forecast and larger-ticket agenda items.
“This is not a final document,” Topp said of the draft calendar, which staff and members described as a living weekly forecast that will be updated as committees and staff confirm dates. Topp said the draft includes placeholders for regular and special meetings, informational study sessions and the superintendent’s timeline.
Director Rankin pressed the board to add governance items the board itself must complete, notably the superintendent evaluation and routine progress monitoring. “Some of them are alarmingly out of date,” Rankin said, arguing the policy committee should take an early pass at specific policies that no longer reflect current practice.
Vice President Briggs and other members pushed to schedule an instructional study session (ISS) focused on the district’s use of educational technology. Briggs said the topic is a frequent community request and that the board should understand current classroom practice before proposing policy changes. “I’ve been asking for an update on our technology use across the district,” Briggs said. Board staff and the superintendent’s office agreed to coordinate timing; staff suggested a Q1 ISS with possible options in September or October.
Ben, a member of board staff, described how the ISS could inform later policy work: “If the ISS has been done well and thoughtfully, it would help inform the board policy committee to then make some recommendations or some changes,” he said.
Directors also asked for focused work on tribal consultation and native education policy. Rankin said the board needs training and a package of policy proposals addressing native students and tribal consultation. Briggs noted drafts shared with Shanna Brown, the district’s curriculum specialist in native education, “needed to be totally rewritten,” and emphasized the need to build formal relationships with treaty tribes and to co-write policy with them.
On academics and progress monitoring, staff said placeholders are intended to provide twice-yearly updates tied to district goals and superintendent objectives — with an October session to review early-year metrics (attendance, graduation projections, state assessments) and a May session for later-year measures such as MAP scores.
Board members also requested a schedule for community engagement and asked that the calendar item be revisited at the July 8 meeting. Members asked for an update on collective bargaining to appear on the calendar, with staff to advise the board about format and timing depending on bargaining developments.
No votes or formal motions were taken on policy or calendar items during the special meeting. With no further business, President Topp adjourned the special meeting at 6:32 p.m.
