A Message from Ben Shuldiner

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. It is always an honor and privilege to write to you all. This week marks my first 50 days on the job. I can't believe I am almost two months into the position. It seems like just yesterday I took my oath of office but also feels like a lifetime ago.

During these first two months I have visited over 60 schools, held six community meetings, and met with countless students, staff, families and community members. I have been overwhelmed by the love and support exuded by almost everyone. To be an outsider, having to make some difficult and unwelcome decisions, I am so thankful for the continued help from you all. With hard work and a willingness to make hard choices, we will make Seattle Public Schools better for years to come.

What have I seen these first 50 days?

The good:

1. amazing and passionate educators working hard to care deeply about our students,
2. staff spending numerous hours trying to keep the district aloft in the throes of a $100 million deficit,
3. many classrooms with rigor and relevance, pushing kids toward high expectations and outcomes,
4. families and community members volunteering their time and donating money to help support the needs of our students,
5. amazing programs like our high school jazz bands—two of which I had the honor of seeing Friday night at Hot Java Cool Jazz. Big shout out to Garfield and Roosevelt. Amazing performances; great job students and staff!
6. a city that cares deeply and wants SPS to succeed.

The not-so-good:

1. brand new, beautiful school buildings half or even 2/3 empty,
2. old and dilapidated buildings close to capacity,
3. less opportunity for advanced learning than needed,
4. less time on task and too much screen time for students,
5. the “soft bigotry of low expectations” pervading some places, especially around our BIPOC and multilingual students,
6. accepting and excusing low performance rather than owning it and taking individual and collective responsibility for it.

All in all, what I have seen in my first 50 days gives me immense hope. On average, our schools are amazing places to learn. In aggregate, I would put most of our teachers, principals, and programs up against any in the country. But our systems and structures are not good.

To become a volunteer is a byzantine and Kafkaesque nightmare. The Highly Capable programs and its application process, though better this year than in years before, are still uneven and unclear. Our Special Education supports, processes, and placements are problematic. And most unnerving is our student enrollment, placements and overall plan.

I want to be clear: this is not because of the hard-working people throughout the district, but because of a lack of thoughtful and robust planning with an easy-to-understand playbook.

Over the next few months, it is my hope that we not only reorganize the district to better serve students and their families but also to streamline processes and programs so they are clear and cogent.

Thank you all for believing in SPS. With your help and hard work, this district truly will be the best urban public school system in the country.

Thank you for your support of Seattle Public Schools.

Ben