Stories to watch in 2016

With a new year in a growing district, there are a lot of things going on.  Two new schools are opening in September: Jane Addams Middle School in the northeast and Fairmount Park Elementary School in West Seattle. Here are five stories we expect to shape Seattle’s education scene in 2016.

  1. The City’s preschool plan. Last September, Seattle City Council unanimously endorsed a plan to provide pre-school spaces for all kids in Seattle, with fees on a sliding scale. This year, we can expect to see those plans take shape.
  2. More wrangling over Charter Schools. After the King County Superior Court judge’s ruling on Dec. 12, one thing is certain about the future of charter schools in the state: it’s heading for the state supreme court...
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Rainier Beach students ask for help with getting to school

At the last school board meeting, a group of Rainier Beach High School students, attended by one teacher, came to ask the board for a simple request: ORCA cards to help them travel to and from school.

The district responded by having a listening meeting with students in mid-December. Any news of solutions will have to wait until after the break.

At the school board meeting, one student describes how on his long walk to school, bus drivers will sometimes take pity on him and give him a lift, and sometimes they won’t, and that makes the difference between being late or on time.

Another said that the lack of help for transportation costs pushed her and other students into stark decisions.

“Students are having to choose between having money for food and money for transportation...

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