WHEREAS, providing equal access to a quality education is a cornerstone of our democracy, which thrives on an engaged and educated citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Seattle is a dynamic city, with a strong arts and literature community, and enjoys a strong economic base with a variety of industries and a skilled and educated workforce; and

WHEREAS, in order to maintain its competitiveness, keep existing employers and attract new family-wage jobs and economically viable industries, Seattle needs to provide a well educated and trained workforce with the advanced skills and abilities needed to compete in the 21st century; and

WHEREAS, it is incumbent upon the Seattle Public School District ("School District") and the community at large to ensure all children within Seattle have the opportunity to attain the skills and education needed to participate in their community, be effective civic actors, and contribute to a strong Seattle economy; and

WHEREAS, while the School District is directly responsible for promoting academic excellence in our schools and classrooms, the support and assistance of family, businesses, non-profit and community organizations and the City is also needed to help children realize their full academic potential; and

WHEREAS, because the School District alone cannot address all barriers to academic achievement, and because residents support the economic and political well-being of Seattle, supplemental funding provided through the City's Families and Education Levies is a legitimate City purpose; and

WHEREAS, since 1990, Seattle voters have generously approved three successive seven-year Families and Education Levies, in 1990, 1997 and 2004, to support and improve student academic achievement within the City; and

WHEREAS, proceeds from the Families and Education Levies are supplemental to the basic education financed by the State of Washington and the Seattle School District Levies and do not displace nor reduce State or School District funding for Seattle Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, the 2004 Families and Education Levy ("current Levy"), focuses on programs and services intended to advance getting children ready for kindergarten, improving academic achievement, closing the achievement gap, and increasing high school graduation rates; and

WHEREAS, the collection of taxes from the current Levy will end in 2011; and

WHEREAS, as part of the development of a 2011 Families and Education Levy, it is necessary to review the effectiveness of current Levy-funded programs in achieving academic outcomes to ensure future investments will build on previous successes and to determine whether new programs and strategies should be funded; and

WHEREAS, the Levy Oversight Committee, which oversees the implementation of the current Levy and is comprised of representatives from the Mayor's Office, the City Council, the School District, the Board of Directors of Seattle Public Schools (School Board), and citizens, is expected to serve a significant and central role in developing a 2011 Families and Education Levy; and

WHEREAS, the City recognizes the need to engage all stakeholders when developing the 2011 Families and Education Levy, including parents, students, teachers, the School District, government agencies, and business and community groups; and

WHEREAS, in the spring of 2010, the Mayor is holding a series of community meetings, small group discussions and a congress concerning youth and families, including discussions about a 2011 Families and Education Levy; and

WHEREAS, these forums, also known as the "Youth and Families Initiative," will provide opportunities for the public to share thoughts, concerns and suggestions about education and other topics related to youth and families; and

WHEREAS, the City Council intends to consider a possible renewal of the Levy; NOW THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. Findings and Declarations. The City of Seattle finds and declares as follows:

A. Seattle's children are its future and the quality of that future depends on providing all students a high quality education.

B. Seattle needs an educated population that is actively engaged in its civic life and contributes to the economic and social well-being of the city.

C. Graduating from high school and completing college or post-secondary training in a skilled trade improves an individual's earning potential and economic self-sufficiency.

D. Approximately 602,000 people live in Seattle, of whom 46,000 are Seattle Public School students.

E. The Seattle Public School Board has adopted a new student assignment plan that emphasizes enrollment in neighborhood schools.

F. Some children attending Seattle Public Schools have language, health, economic and other barriers that hinder school readiness and impede academic achievement; many of these children are clustered in certain schools that lag behind the statewide average in educational attainment by more than 20 percentage points.

G. According to the Washington State Report Card, of the 46,000 students enrolled in the School District in the 2008-2009 academic year, 41% qualified for the free and reduced lunch program, 14% qualified for special education services, 11% qualified for the transitional bilingual program and 0.6% qualified for migrant student services.

H. For the 2007-2008 academic year, the Washington State Report Card states that only 63% of Seattle public high school students graduated on time.

I. The School District is directly responsible for providing a quality education for all students. However, government, business, community, and family together can provide a safe and healthy school environment and help ensure students are ready to learn when they enter the classroom.

J. Family support, involvement, and engagement in education are critical elements of successful schools.

K. A continuum of services from birth through college is needed to address barriers to academic achievement. Services need to be consistent and provide appropriate support for children through each developmental stage and through key school transition years.

L. A 2009 study by Sarah Cusworth Walker and others found School-Based Health Centers improve student health and emotional well-being, which in turn aid academic performance by increasing attendance rates and student Grade Point Averages over time.

M. A Seattle School District 2006 cohort study by Mary Beth Celio stressed the importance of identifying key "early warning indicators" for students at risk of dropping out of school. These include a high rate of unexcused absences; very low WASL scores in 7th and 10th grades; a GPA below 1.5 in middle school; more than one out-of-school suspension during middle or high school; and earning one or more failing grades in any one year during 6th through 10th grades. Tracking these indicators allows the School District to deliver extra support to students in need.

Section 2. Purpose. The Mayor, City Council, School District and School Board, with assistance from a Families and Education Levy Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee), shall work collaboratively to develop a ballot proposal for a 2011-2017 Families and Education Levy.

Section 3. Families and Education Levy Advisory Committee.

A. Committee Established. The City hereby establishes an Advisory Committee that shall develop a proposal for renewal of the Families and Education Levy, to be considered by the City Council for the 2011 ballot.

B. Committee Appointment and Membership. The Advisory Committee shall include members of the current Levy Oversight Committee (LOC), plus 12 citizen members with six of the 12 appointed by the City Council and six appointed by the Mayor, with the Mayoral appointments subject to confirmation by the City Council. The City Council and the Mayor will jointly appoint by letter filed with the Clerk of the Council two cochairs of the Committee from its membership. The 12 appointed citizen members will represent a broad cross section of the community and have expertise in the potential strategic areas of investment. Advisory Committee members who are removed or resign shall be replaced by the appointing authority.

C. Committee Staffing. The Advisory Committee shall be staffed by the Office for Education.

D. Committee Duration. The Advisory Committee shall sunset on April 30, 2011, unless its continued existence is authorized by future resolution.

Section 4. Advisory Committee Authority. The Advisory Committee shall have the authority to establish a meeting schedule, establish subcommittees, conduct votes, and otherwise establish those procedures necessary to perform its functions. The Advisory Committee shall have the authority to remove any member who is absent without excuse from two or more meetings.

Section 5. Advisory Committee Responsibilities. The Advisory Committee shall be responsible for making a final recommendation to the Mayor and City Council for a 2011 Families and Education Levy ballot proposal, per the schedule outlined in Section 7. In developing goals, strategies and programs to recommend, the Advisory Committee shall consider a wide variety of approaches that promote academic excellence. The Advisory Committee shall also consider public input gathered during the Mayor's Youth and Families Initiative. The Advisory Committee shall propose at least one Levy renewal alternative at the current Levy funding level, plus inflation, and two other alternative proposals.

Section 6. Investment Priorities. The Advisory Committee's recommendations to the Mayor and City Council shall prioritize investments that promote educational reform, promise high impact, and are responsive to and in accord with the critical considerations listed below. The recommendations for the Levy proposal shall:

a. Align with the goals outlined in the School District's current fiveyear Excellence for All strategic plan, as well as future strategic plan goals,

b. Support potential School District's reforms such as CORE 24, skill centers, pre-school to third grade programs, teacher quality incentives, and remediation strategies for students performing below grade level.

c. Contain intentional strategies to increase kindergarten readiness, improve academic achievement, reduce the academic achievement gap, and increase high school graduation rates.

d. Provide a continuum of services that are systemically oriented to address a range of issues and potential barriers to academic achievement, including health conditions.

e. Leverage multi-year partnerships that contribute to the support of specific strategies.

f. Target critical transition points from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation, such as ensuring children are ready for kindergarten, reading at grade level in 3rd grade, and completing middle school without any failing grades in core subjects and without unexcused absences.

g. Provide safe environments including classrooms, schools and school campuses to better support student learning.

h. Reflect evidence-based best practices that have been shown to measurably improve academic success.

i. Include outcomes that can be routinely measured to evaluate the ability of programs and services to improve academic achievement and allow course corrections to be made that maximize effectiveness.

j. Provide sufficient flexibility to invest in innovative strategies, allowing for creative restructuring of services to more rapidly achieve significant results and contribute to long term improvements.

k. Focus on serving high needs students in schools throughout the City.

l. Incorporate geographically-targeted strategies that combine services and deploy resources in ways that provide the greatest opportunity for students in struggling schools to succeed. Such strategies may include modifying school schedules and methods of service delivery, contract schools, and improvements to instruction to better meet the needs of students and families within their communities.

Section 7. Schedule for Developing 2011 Families and Education Levy. The following schedule identifies major milestones and decision points for developing a 2011 Families and Education Levy for the November 8, 2011 ballot. The timeline below may be subject to change but the process and order of decisions should not deviate significantly from what is outlined below.

Section 8. Levy Partnership Agreement Endorsed. The City Council hereby endorses and reaffirms the City of Seattle/Seattle School District Levy Partnership Agreement as originally approved by Resolution 30768, and amended by Resolution 31069 in which the City of Seattle and the School District committed to significantly increasing the number of children ready for school, achieving academically while in school, and staying in school through graduation. The Agreement was entered into with the shared belief that these gains can be made only if the City and the School District collaborate, meaning that both the School District and the City will work in good faith to align their programs to achieve the identified results. The Agreement affirmed the collaboration not just at the level of governance but in our neighborhoods and schools. As noted in the Agreement, the core academic offerings in every school must be of the highest quality, as must any student support services, health or afterschool programs. All must be held to the highest standard of effectiveness, for what is at stake is the well being of Seattle's children and our city's future.

Section 9. City Expectations. It is the City's expectation that any Levy investments that may be made will support outcomes of school readiness, academic achievement and reduction of the achievement gap and improvement of the graduation rate, with outcomes monitored by the City through a data-sharing agreement with the School District, and with the understanding that Seattle Public Schools will provide the instructional quality that best leverages Levy-funded services.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2010, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day

of ______________________, 2010.

_________________________________

President ___________of the City Council

THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

_________________________________

Michael McGinn, Mayor

Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2010.

____________________________________

City Clerk

(Seal)

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2011 Families & Ed Levy Process

April 14, 2010

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