Bryant PTSA Board Meeting Minutes – February 2016

Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Bryant Library

7:04

Attendees: Leeann Huntington, Julie Ohrazda, Lauren Abraham, Jennifer Mahlum, Rachel Schaw, Kim Love, Kim Larsen, Joan Crooks, Amy Shanafelt, Carleen Confer, Julie Pearson, Patricia Parker, Sam Fogg, Mary-Britt Love, Tiffany Morgan, Whitney Griesbach, Angela Kirk, Shiri Ourian, Andrea Cooney, Rachel Gleeson, Michelle Ireton, Natalya Yudkovsky

Approved January Board Minutes

Treasurer’s report

  • Not much have changed since last month
  • We do collect boxtops, $$ allotted for that will go in to the emergency preparedness fund. Used to buy some security blinds for the class room.
  • Looking for members to be part of the budgeting committee
  • Will need a co-treasurer for the 2017-2018. Great for those people to also be involved in the budgeting committee

Legislative update and reports

  • Natalia gave an report out of her trip to WSPTSA Focus day. For more information on priorities see website.
  • ParamountDuty.org is an organization started by NE Seattle Parents who are committed to going to Olympia on a regular basis to raise awareness and drive support for fully funding education.
  • Leann Huntington will reach out to Eastside King County PTSA Districts to see how we can partner together to get support from their representatives to fully fund education.
  • Walk-in on Thursday 2/18 @ 8:45. See Bryant PTSA Go Red for Edfor more information.

Seattle Public Schools Bell times task force

  • Doing an survey of Pre and Post School activities to understand what programs are impacted
  • Task force will do 2 surveys in early March
    1. Understand needs for afterschool care for our families
    2. Explore what vendors can do in terms of extended class times

New Business

  • Board voted to approve $419.87 to purchase checks & deposited (Lauren)
  • Update from Bryant Blast committee. Need an outdoor event activities coordinator. Blast will be May 14th, 2016 (Julie)
  • Preview March’s General Meeting

Meeting adjourned 8:35

Earn money for Bryant while you shop

Here are some small, convenient ways to support our school while you are shopping.

Use a Scrip card, with your credit card or instead of cash, and Bryant earns 5% of your purchases, every time you use it! Recharge the Scrip card (with the cashier or online) with your rewards credit card and both you and Bryant benefit. Pick up a preloaded $10 card by sending a check for $10 (made out to Bryant PTSA) to “Bryant Scrip” through KidMail.  Include your child’s name and teacher and you’ll receive the card through KidMail. Or you can contact Michelle Ireton to get a card.

As you gear up for spring, I want to remind you of the other ways you can raise money for Bryant while you shop.  If you are ordering from Amazon, you can use the link to Amazon on left navigation of the Bryant PTSA website and Bryant gets a percentage of your purchase. Other online shopping can raise money by going through the eScrip online mall, also on the Bryant PTSA website.

From Principal Sanger: LASER will remain at Bryant

2/4/16

Dear Bryant Families,

A decision was made by Seattle Public Schools Facilities and Operations and the Department of Early Learning that one of the 2 adjoining classrooms used by LASER will be repurposed for a use as a homeroom for our K-5 program. This decision is the result of increasing enrollment at Bryant and the effects of the McCLeary decision to reduce class sizes state wide.

LASER will remain at Bryant. The repurposing of one of the rooms presently occupied by LASER will occur over the summer in time for the start of school in the fall. This decision does not impact the other spaces currently used by LASER.

The school board recently made the decision to prioritize building use before and after school: K-12 instruction space is first, preschool is second, childcare third and student activities are fourth, all other groups that use school space before or after school are fifth.
We value our relationship with LASER childcare. LASER is part of our school community and they offer an important service for Bryant families by providing nurturing supports to students beyond the school day.

We also value our wonderful enrichment programs. We recognize the rich traditions and culture that has been established and the benefits gained by our students.

Bryant and LASER administration, parents and staff are addressing the issues around space that will occur. That may mean the way space is used may change and solutions may require flexibility. It’s also not permanent; what works now may not work next year if enrollment continues to climb.

The bottom line is that we will continue to work together as a community to support each other. We appreciate your wisdom as we address the capacity challenges. We will be asking for your input. At Bryant we remain committed to maintaining our childcare and enrichment programs.

Thank you for your patience,
Dan Sanger
Principal, Bryant Elementary

From the District: Laser Childcare Update

February 3, 2016

Dear Bryant Families,

Seattle is growing, and Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is running out of classroom space due to increased enrollment and state mandated reductions in class size (which require more classrooms).  We deeply appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through the complexities associated with the capacity management challenges we face as a community and their potential impact on childcare, preschool providers and families. Last year, the School Board prioritized space based on our constitutional obligation to provide K-12 education first, our commitment to preschool second, and childcare third. School and community partnerships which support children outside the school day are an important element to K-12 education, and our goal is to sustain such relationships whenever possible.

In October 2015, the district sent a letter to all district partners including your child’s childcare and/or preschool provider, alerting them of potential impacts to the provider’s dedicated space (space used during school hours) for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. We also communicated that if they were to be impacted, partners would receive notification as quickly as possible. In order to ensure we are working with the most accurate data, our space analysis and capacity management recommendations are provided after our February 1st preliminary enrollment projections are completed.

Today, on February 3rd, we informed school principals and your child’s childcare/preschool provider that they need to make alternative plans for the upcoming school year. The dedicated space they have been using is needed for a K-5 classroom in 2016-2017. We anticipate that all providers notified today will need to move from their dedicated space by July 1, 2016.

Over the next few weeks the district will be working with the school site, principal, and providers to review any possible space in the school that will work for before and after school care. Our intent is to preserve onsite childcare whenever possible. We are hopeful that we may be able to find multiuse space (e.g. gyms and cafeterias) within our buildings that is licensable and will work for our childcare providers. Preschool requires dedicated space during the school day so our solutions are very limited, but we will work closely with the City Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) to support providers as they transition services into any potential community sites.

We are very sensitive to the impact any uncertainty could have on you, your child and family, regardless of the outcome. In the days ahead, we recommend families communicate directly with their providers to receive the most up to date information about the status of their program for the 2016-2017 school year.

In closing, I want to express my appreciation for your concern over capacity challenges and potential loss of childcare and or preschool services at your child’s school. How providers and partners serve our families, in or out of our schools, will need to evolve in the near future and we look forward to working with you and others to find opportunities that support students, families and the full community.

Sincerely,
Flip Herndon
Associate Superintendent
Facilities & Operations

Next Steps

We will continue to revise our enrollment projections based on open enrollment (which is the opportunity for families to select schools outside their assigned attendance area) and again after school opens in the fall. While our projections are historically very accurate (about 99%), we cannot predict our exact classroom needs with 100% predictability in advance of the school year.

Meanwhile, there are ways families can participate in finding positive solutions. We have been inspired by the collaboration and mutual commitment of providers, partners and families in looking for viable options. The following are some things families may consider:

  • Offer assistance to your childcare and or preschool provider to help identify possible solutions within the school building or community which may be an option. In the next few months providers will be meeting with facility and school staff to audit the school spaces and determine if there are viable solutions onsite.
  • Help share information with other families about the potential loss of childcare and preschool services at the school site to ensure all of the school community is aware of these changes. Your help is critical in this effort.
  • Provide a positive climate for shared ideas and solutions. Our capacity management challenges are a community challenge; not simply a district challenge. Having community discussions which are solution based is a positive way to facilitate dialogue and positive actions Updates will continue to be posted on the district website as more information becomes available.

Please visit www.seattleschools.org

Thanks for supporting education!

Thanks for showing up at Thursday’s Walk-in Come join us and wear red to express your support for adequate school funding and sharing your vision for our public schools. Bryant students, families and teachers joined schools supporters around the country this week to send the message to legislators that education should be our highest priority. See some images and video from the walk-in on the PTSA Facebook page.

Go Red for Ed!

Please join Bryant staff, students and families for a “Walk In” on Thursday, February 18, beginning at 8:45 in front of Bryant.

Funding for education is an issue across the nation. On February 17 and 18, educators, parents, students, and supporters will “walk in” at over 20 major cities across the U.S., including Chicago and LA. Parents, educators, and students gather in front of the school before school starts and “walk in” together. Read more