Seattle Public Schools‘ new superintendent Ben Shuldiner is officially on the job after School Board president Gina Topp administered his oath of office this morning at Mercer International Middle School on Beacon Hill.
It preceded a short media briefing, in which he answered questions about safety and spending. Here’s what happened:
District chief of staff Bev Redmond opened with a statement about the “deep loss” of two teens shot to death in South Seattle Friday and led a moment of silence; four schools in South Seattle are on modified schedules today as part of the response. She said police are still actively investigating. A bit later in the event, School Board president Topp echoed the sentiment.
“An important moment for Seattle Public Schools” is how Redmond then described the start of Shuldiner’s tenure as superintendent. Topp said the former Lansing, MI, superintendent would lead the Seattle district in improving “trust” and “outcomes.” She administered the oath of office to him.
He then took the microphone, starting by saying that last night he had visited the neighborhood where the deadly shootings happened. He then said he was asked about his hope for the year, and turned the question to, “what is OUR hope?” He repeated what he’d said during the interview process – he wants SPS to be the best urban public-school district in America. Safety is vital; so is “raising the bar,” because he believes students will rise to what’s expected of them. He did not speak for long, saying that he didn’t believe anyone really wanted “to hear me speak” – that educators, students, and families instead wanted to get on with the work of education. He said “the collective we” is what will “make this district terrific.”
Media Q&A followed. First question: How to make students safe? He said there are a variety of tactics such as cameras, “single point of entry,” but it’s also “about having a relationship with SPD” and family involvement. “We can do some gold-standard things inside the building” but then must work with the community on everything else.
Second question: Do they need community members watching bus stops, police at bus stops, to keep students safe? (Friday’s shootings happened at a bus stop.) Shuldiner said it’s important for everyone to “work together,” and that would lead to change. He said brainstorming with the community would be vital.
Third question was also about the district’s specific plans for helping students deal with the news of Friday’s shootings, and Shuldiner recapped the support the district was offering – bringing in counselors, giving students time to talk about it. Redmond said the district would offer those supports throughout the week.
Fourth question was about Shuldiner’s promises of transparency in communication. He said he would do his best and pointed to a message he had sent to families last night. If the community has a request and it becomes reality, for example, he said they would follow up and offer proof that it had happened (a photo of equipment installation, for example).
Fifth question recounted Shuldiner’s talk about budget review during interviews last year “to make sure everybody’s in the right place.” Will budgetary challenges result in layoffs? He replied, “There is a pot of money that we need to fill, what does that look like?”- they don’t yet know. Maybe positions will be eliminated through attrition (such as retirement), for example. “I don’t think initially you’re going to see any (changes/cuts) large-scale.”
Sixth question was about immigration-enforcement concerns on campuses. Shuldiner replied that the district has worked hard ‘to get information out” to communities. That’s important, but so is “the law … and understanding what we can and cannot do,” he said. “The school building … is probably the safest place for children to be,” not just because of physical security of schools but because there are administrators and (district) lawyers as resources that can be drawn on. “School is the safest place to be.”
Seventh question was about his communication plans. He will write a weekly letter to the community and is reviving a “roundtable” involving students, plus planning to visit schools. He also invited students and others to email him. “My job is to be a superintendent for all the people.”
The event was wrapped at 8:39 am, after a little more than half an hour.