PETITION TO SEATTLE Public Schools Board of Directors, Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield, and Principal Chris Kinsey

 

Provide additional teachers with classrooms at Chief Sealth International High School to promote student achievement

We, the staff, parents, students and concerned members of the Chief Sealth International High School community, are asking for portable classrooms to house the additional teaching staff being assigned to our school during this school year. Providing adequate resources, including classroom space, is essential for student learning and is a basic responsibility of the District.

The present proposal, with additional teachers and without additional classrooms, will not provide adequate space for our teachers to plan, teach, and meet with students and parents. The current plan is for some teachers (up to 5) to share classrooms with other teaching staff, moving from classrooms each period, without a room to call their own. These teachers-on-carts create a disruption in the ability of both the displaced and the floating teachers to prepare for their classes.

We informed the District as our remodel was being designed that the remodeled Sealth would have less space due to the removal of the portables. Our enrollment has increased by 400 students since that time and now we have even less space. Our capacity has been set at 1,200 students and we are now at 1,246. Our remodel did not include any planned work spaces.

The District has portables available and we hope these portables can be used now to help our students. Nowhere in the Short-term, Medium-term, or Long-term Capacity Plan options has the staff or the Board suggested or recommended that sharing classrooms is an option for capacity management. The only temporary solution has been portables and that is what we are requesting.

We understand that our building has recently been remodeled and while portables may not be in keeping with the BEX design, we hope that you will support a decision to support our students by providing their teachers with adequate space. We also expect the District to assume full financial responsibility for the installation of the portables.