FOSB Advocacy Update - Nov. 12, 2024

What's New

Thank you to everyone that was able to attend Thursday’s “Re-Envisioning Public Education in Seattle” event! It was an inspiring evening with parents, and even grandparents, from a wide range of schools in Seattle.

We learned more about how SPS got to where we are today from a co-host of the Seattle Hall Pass podcast, Jasmine Pulido (listen to this episode for the full story), about the various advocacy organizations and current initiatives, and about Washington State’s "paramount duty" to amply fund education for all children, embedded within our state constitution. For the second half of the evening, we broke out into smaller groups to collectively workshop how we could re-envision public schools for the future.

The thoughtful conversations shared were impactful and left us feeling a renewed sense of hope.

We look forward to doing more evenings like this moving forward! 

Public Schools Community Teach-in @ Franklin High School

Save the date for Sunday, Nov. 17 from 2-4 p.m. This event will be a convening of many partners in the Seattle education space, including All Together for Seattle Schools, with the aim to come together, learn from each other, and build momentum toward no school closures and full state funding for education! Childcare, food, interpreters available.

Get ready for the Billion Dollar Bake Sale in Olympia

On Jan. 30, parents from across Washington will converge on Olympia to hold a Billion Dollar Bake Sale. This will be a fun way to build community and to make our demands clear to the legislature:

• Prevent devastating school district cuts for 2025-26
• Secure at least $4 billion per year of stable long-term funding for K-12 public education
• Commit to making Washington State a leader in public education.

In the meantime, if you'd like to get involved or receive more information, please visit their website and fill out their contact form.

Save the Date

• 👥 Wednesday, Nov, 13 at 4:30 p.m.: School Board Special Meeting. Join us from 3:45-4:15 p.m. for a rally outside the John Stanford building in support of our schools.
• 👥 Thursday, Nov 14 at 6:30 p.m.: District-Wide SPS Information Session (RSVP required to enter Zoom room; limited to 1,000 attendees; will be broadcast for all to watch)
• 🫖 Friday, Nov. 15: Join us for CommuniTea after Friday Sing
• 👥 Sunday, Nov 17 at 2 p.m.: Public Schools Community Teach-in (see above)
• 👥 Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 4:15 p.m.: School Board Regular Meeting
• 🥐 Thursday, Jan. 30: Billion Dollar Bake Sale in Olympia (see above)

Additional actions

• ✋ Tell your legislators to fully fund Washington education.
• 📝 Sign an updated letter to the school board to reject Dr. Jones’ proposal.
• 🍩 Check out this new initiative for statewide funding, Billion Dollar Bake Sale Washington: “Washington State has the 3rd highest GDP per capita of any state in the country, but spends the 2nd lowest percentage of its GDP on public education. We are a wealthy state that’s home to some of the most innovative and transformational companies in history. As parents, caregivers, and community members, we are here to demand change to ensure our state fully and amply funds public education!”
• 📱Social: Follow @alltogetherforseattleschools to stay updated on progress, events, and more.
• 📝 Complete our community survey. Please take 10-15 minutes to anonymously share why you chose Salmon Bay K-8, the services your student(s) receives, and how it may impact your household if you had to switch schools."
• 🗣 Contact our School Board members to let them know you (still) oppose the plan. These are the people who will be making the decision about the future of our schools - and now is the time to make our voices heard. You can use the School Board contact form, contact our District Director Sarah Clark, or any/all members of the school board.

Do you have questions or ideas to ask of our Advocacy Team? 

Email us: fosbadvocacy@gmail.com

Please share this email with your family, neighbors and community.

Anyone can advocate for our schools, whether they have kids currently in SPS or not.

This message is sent on behalf of FOSB. In-line with our bylaws and our commitment to support the needs of Salmon Bay K-8 students, families, staff, and community, we will be sending out updates and ways you can become involved in advocacy for our Salmon Bay community and contribute to the collective efforts to improve the education system in Seattle and the State of Washington.

SPS Safe Schools Hotline: 206-252-0510.

The Seattle School District Safety and Security Department is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.