Harium Martin-Morris
Running for School Board District 3
What have you done or what would you do to ensure that adequate financial controls are in place at the district? How do you plan to ensure that the information you receive about financial issues and other SPS issues from SPS staff is accurate?
There have been 3 significant changes that I have supported and which have been implemented to improve board oversight with regard to financial controls. First, the internal audit staff has been increased from 1 person to 2. These staff members now report directly to the board through the Finance and Audit Committee and not to the senior management of the superintendent. In the second change, all major departments of the district come to the board on a scheduled basis for an oversight hearing. This is to ensure that both policy and financial controls are adhered to. And lastly, we established an independent ethics process to enable anyone who detects wrongdoing within the district to have these concerns conveyed to the board.
How will you shield children in the classroom from the impact of district budget cuts?
The classroom is my top priority. When constructing a district budget we should start with the school budgets first in order to insulate classrooms. As we set our budget priorities for funding, the classroom must always be number one on that list.
Do you support keeping Susan Enfield on as Superintendent? Should Seattle conduct a national search for a superintendent? Why or why not on both questions.
I strongly support Dr. Enfield as Superintendent. She has shown the ability to reach a wide audience and set a clear, easy to understand direction of where she wants to take the district. Dr. Enfield is also willing to listen to our various communities with a flexible viewpoint, balancing the needs of our students, teachers, parents, staff and community leaders.
I also see the value of (as well as the costs for) a national search for SPS Superintendent. Because I am well aware of the qualifications for such a position, and the pool of individuals available with these qualifications, I would advocate that Dr. Enfield is, indeed, the most qualified person nationally for this job. I am concerned that the time and cost of a national search would impair the ability of our district to maintain progress with our limited dollars. Dr. Enfield is the right person at the right time for our district.
How do you plan to reach out to parents who feel frustrated or unheard with the school board or SPS administration? What new ideas do you have about public engagement, particular with SPS parents?
There are a couple of ideas I have to make the work we do more visible and interactive.
First, I would change the format of our committee meetings to allow more direct input from the community. Committee meetings are where the majority of the real work is done. Then I would hold committee meetings in the community to enable more people to participate.
Additionally, I have begun reaching out to elders that represent various groups. There are many communities that rely on their elders for guidance and thus conversing with these leaders is the most effective way to communicate to their populations. Since elected to office I have maintained monthly community meetings to enable constituents to work directly with me on issues of concern and for me to communicate what I am doing as board member. Among current board members, my public meetings have been running the longest.
What is your opinion on the Teach for America teachers coming into SPS? Are there enough qualified teachers applying for SPS positions?
I do support Teach for America coming to SPS. TFA corps members are eager and energized to help students achieve. They are well-trained and supported to meet student needs. This is not about having "enough" teachers but having a variety of teachers that will meet the needs of our varied and diverse student populations. Each appointment in each school has specific desired qualifications. In order to meet the needs of our students, TFA will provide more depth to our teacher pool. This is just one more way to support our students.
Many of our schools have needed re-building, retrofitting and repair. What can be done to ensure that capital funds are used appropriately in the future to this end?
The capital budget is supported by the citizens of this city. It is pivotal that we balance the needs throughout the city with the dollars we have available.
To ensure that the dollars are used wisely there are several things I would do. First, we must develop a clear understanding of our capacity needs for the next 10 years. This will help us set the priorities for what capital projects are needed. The next step is to create a detail schedule of preventative maintenance programs for each building by major systems. It is more cost-effective to maintain systems than it is to repair and replace individual system components due to lack of maintenance. This needs to become a high priority item.
As we do the updating of our buildings we should be using the national building education specification. This will help us develop plans with a focus on efficiency rather than over-designing as we have previously done.
What changes (if any) do you think are needed in the district's new student assignment plan?
The foundation for the student assignment plan is very sound and is providing the predictability that our families demanded. As time goes on we will need to adjust boundaries as our populations shift. This is what we have been doing as the data guides us. We must maintain responsiveness to the needs of these shifting populations and individuals.
What do you think is the district's number one problem and how would you try to solve it?
There are 2 major problems facing Seattle Public Schools.
The first is a lack of adequate funding from the state. It is very difficult for the district to plan for and support our students in an environment of financial instability. As we have seen over the past 4 years, the state has not fulfilled its primary responsibility to "fully" fund public education, Kindergarten through college. To solve this I will work directly with our state legislators to educate them about our needs and their responsibilities.
The second major problem is closing the opportunity gap. The families in poverty need more opportunities to achieve academic success. This can best be done by focusing on Pre-K through 1st Grade. Quality pre-school is the most proven way to help low-income students arrive in kindergarten with the literacy skills that are needed to assure academic success. I will continue to work closely with the mayor's Education Department and the district's Early Learning Department to close the gap before students arrive in Kindergarten.
