Key November Election

This November Seattleites will be asked to make decisions that will powerfully impact public education.

Approve 4204 - Simple Majority for Our Schools!

Why can Washington communities approve things like stadiums and jails with a simple majority vote, while school levies require a 60% vote? The 60% rule just isn't fair to kids. Approve 4204 this November, and you can help change that rule.

Local levies provide schools with fundamental needs like textbooks, smaller class size, and teacher training. On average local levies account for 16% of school budgets. In Seattle, that figure is 24%. 4204 will allow levies to pass with a simple majority (50% + 1).

Learn more, contribute to the campaign, or contact Kerry Clayman about volunteering for the Alliance's phone bank.

School Board Elections

Seattle voters will have a big say about the Seattle School Board this year, with four of the seven school board seats up for election. Two incumbents, Darlene Flynn and Sally Soriano, face challenges to their seats; in the two other races, incumbents chose not to run. In the November election, voters will get to have a say in all four races, regardless of the director district in which you live. The races are:

District 1 - Peter Maier vs. Sally Soriano
District 2 - Sherry Carr vs. Darlene Flynn
District 3 - David Blomstrom vs. Harium Martin-Morris
District 6 - Maria Ramirez vs. Steve Sundquist

Get educated on school board members! You will vote on all of them. Go to their Web sites and read your local papers for school board coverage.

WASL Results In

Statewide WASL scores were released last week, and the story for Seattle is mixed. On the positive side, the percentage of students passing in grades third through eighth remained steady or increased over last year, with the exception of eighth grade reading, which echoed a statewide drop in passage rates. While these numbers give reason to celebrate, tenth grade data--and data when broken out by ethnicity--give reason for deep concern. Reading and math passage rates for 10th graders dropped this year over last (from 82% to 78% in reading and from 55% to 50% in math), while the writing passage rate increased slightly (from 79% to 81%). And while strides have been made in narrowing the achievement gap in reading, the data for math is startling: the math gap has widened between white students and students of color at almost all grade levels.

Complete WASL data can be found on the OSPI Web site.

Local news coverage details what some Seattle schools (including Madrona K-8 and Rainier Beach) have done to impact WASL results, giving more depth to the numbers.

Seattle P-I WASL Coverage
Seattle Times WASL Coverage

Black & Orange Ball

The Alliance auction team-led by Auction Chairs Jim and Jeannie Morris and Procurement Chairs Victor and Ellen Fung-has been hard at work procuring fantastic items for the Alliance's Black & Orange Ball on October 27th. Partygoers are already eyeing trips to London, New York, Palm Springs, Vail, Suncadia, Sun River, Sonoma, and Manzanita, just to name a few of our auction items!

Please join us for the thrilling bidding, a five star dinner, and an all around smashing evening.

More info

Spanish Literacy Pamphlet

Question: What's the most powerful thing you can do to make sure your child succeeds in school? Answer: "Read aloud with your child 20 minutes every day." That's the core message behind the Alliance's Every Child a Reader brochure, a pamphlet designed for parents and caregivers of young children. The pamphlet goes on to give detailed tips about making reading an enjoyable and meaningful experience.

View the pamphlet (PDF)

The pamphlet was carefully crafted in 2006 by the Alliance and ten key partners, including Child Care Resources, Seattle Public Library and Seattle Public Schools, and was widely distributed to schools, preschools, and child care providers throughout the community. A second printing is being made possible by donations from the Rotary Club of Seattle and Russell Investments, as is a new version of the brochure in Spanish. A Chinese version is being finalized, with Vietnamese to follow.

View the Spanish version (PDF)

For information about how you can get the brochure, please contact Alliance Senior Partnership Manager Suzanne Erickson.