IMPORTANT! Please advocate TODAY for the
alignment of the JAMS and Nathan Hale bell times!
Background:
The Transportation Service Standards, up for School Board approval, have
JAMS in bussing tier 1 (7:35 arrival time), and Nathan Hale HS in bussing tier
2 (8:25 arrival time). Principals
Montgomery (JAMS) and Hudson (Nathan Hale) endorse an alignment of the bell
times for JAMS and Hale, with JAMS’ bell
time 15 minutes prior to that of Hale.
There are a myriad of reasons why this would be beneficial to both
schools. For example:
1. High school students would be able to
walk their middle school-aged siblings to school.
2. 8th grade JAMS students
could more easily “Walk to Hale” for advanced classes (i.e. Math, Science,
Music, and World Language).
3. It would allow for easier
coordination of shared instructors between the campuses.
4. Crossing guards/security presence can
be maximized during similar times.
5. Hale students can smoothly
tutor/assistant/coach teach at JAMS.
6. Coordinated bell times would be
attractive to prospective families, and will help make JAMS a success story
from the start. This is important, since
JAMS is the first new comprehensive secondary school to be opened by SPS in
perhaps 50 years, and the first of four new secondary schools to be opened by
SPS in the next 5 years.
With
intentionally-staggered bell times and the sharing of resources between the two
schools, JAMS implementation costs should be reduced, while educational equity
is improved. This is not a novel
strategy. The E-STEM K-8 program
currently in the Jane Addams building has “Walk to Hale for Math,” and Nathan
Hale students mentor afterschool programming for the K-8, such as Robotics.
The pushback
to aligning the bell times appears to be costs, though in looking at the Big
Picture, it would seem as though any additional transportation costs would be
outweighed the cost and educational benefits of coordination between JAMS and
Nathan Hale.
Bottom
line: Education, not transportation, should drive the bell times, and,
the educators responsible have an intentional strategy to meet the needs of
students that is best served by the 15 minute – staggered bell time
approach.
At last
week’s School Board meeting, the Superintendent requested that action on the
Transportation Service Standards be delayed until the February 5th
School Board meeting. The School Board
directors approved of this delay. The
delay allows SPS Staff time to do more analysis. The JAMS/Hale bell time alignment should be
part of this analysis. An updated
Transportation Service Standards document should be included in the Friday Post
of the School Board meeting agenda. That
leaves only a few days for prospective JAMS families to advocate for the
alignment of JAMS and Hale bell times.
If you haven’t done so already,
please send an email requesting that the transportation schedule for JAMS be shifted
later, so that it would allow for the JAMS bell time to be 15 minutes prior
to Nathan Hale’s established bell time.
The
alignment of bell times is a critical first step toward establishing a
long-term, mutually-beneficial educational partnership between the two school
communities; one which will better serve our children, one which will help get
JAMS off to a strong start – right out of the gate, and one which will reap
benefits for many years to come.
Thank you!
Kim McCormick
Parent, John Rogers Elementary
Email addresses for advocacy letters (please send emails to all the addresses listed below, with the subject line of “JAMS Bell Times – Please align with Nathan Hale’s”
Superintendent Banda: superintendent@seattleschools.
SPS Assistant Superintendent of Operations (Pegi McEvoy): pmcevoy@seattleschools.org
SPS Transportation Dept: transdept@seattleschools.org
SPS Arrival/Departure Time Feedback: arrivaltimes@seattleschools.
Seattle School Board: sharon.peaslee@seattleschools.
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