Seattle Public Schools is quietly eliminating specialized programs for newcomer students - recent immigrants with limited English skills who need intensive support. Teachers at Dunlap Elementary brought this story to our attention because they've been sitting in empty classrooms for four years while newcomer students struggle in overcrowded mainstream classrooms.

We speak with Tricia DeVille, a newcomer teacher with over 20 years of experience, and Nhi Nguyen, who was DeVille's student in the program back in 2008 and is now a kindergarten teacher at Dunlap herself. We explore how these programs used to work, why a 2008 audit recommended strengthening them, and what's being lost as the district chooses to scatter specialized teachers across multiple schools instead of maintaining dedicated newcomer classrooms.

This is accountability reporting on a policy decision that's affecting real kids, but happening largely out of public view.

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-- Christie Robertson & Cherylynne Crowther

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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, we dive into the Seattle Public Schools board’s May 21 special meeting. Hear the latest on the district’s 2025–26 budget proposal, which balances through one-time fixes and new state funding, but leaves the structural deficit unresolved. We also explore the ongoing development of interim guardrail metrics designed to hold the district accountable to its values of safety, equity, and community engagement. With the superintendent transition underway, the board debates how best to proceed with these metrics amid leadership changes. Plus, a note about the Rainy Day Recess podcast and ways you can get involved.

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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, Cherylynne Crowther takes the reins to discuss the ongoing exclusion of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) families in Seattle Public Schools. After a group of Deaf parents testified about enrollment barriers at the April 23 board meeting, many returned two weeks later to a district engagement event, only to find there were no interpreters. The district apologized, but the apology wasn’t interpreted either.

We explore the long history of inaccessibility in SPS along with the specific changes families are calling for now, including: enrollment at DHH schools for children of deaf adults (CODAs), consistent ASL interpretation, and a community-led DHH task force.

Are we on a better trajectory at last?

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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.

In this student-reported episode, Garfield High School sophomore Rafael Brewer takes us inside the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center, a space used for theater, music, assemblies, and community events. He shares the importance of the theater, how long-standing maintenance issues have impacted student learning, and the challenges of getting repairs addressed by Seattle Public Schools.

You can get tickets now for Garfield’s 2025 spring musical Footloose. (Please buy tickets! It helps support the theatre and we have worked really hard on this production!)

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In this final Big 3 Briefing of the 2025 legislative session, we walk through where things landed for education funding in Washington state. We cover what passed around special education, MSOC, and transportation, break down key budget numbers, and reflect on the progress made—and the gaps that remain. It’s our wrap-up of the session, and a look ahead to what comes next.

- Megan Larkin & Christie Robertson

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In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, we take a closer look at the Seattle Public Schools April 23 school board meeting, with the major focus on the Enrollment Planning presentation given at the end of the 6-hour meeting. Here is the result of our attempts to decipher meaning. For excellent background, you’ll want to watch this video episode by Dawson Nichols - Waitlists in Seattle.

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Key Concepts:

1. Stability vs. Choice
   The district says it supports both but also that it is a trade-off, especially when staffing is involved. More student movement (choice) can mean less predictability (stability) for schools, which affects staffing and budgets.
2. Assigned School Considerations
   A behind-the-scenes policy where your assigned school’s needs—like maintaining enrollment to avoid losing staff—can block your ability to transfer, even if you're high on the waitlist. Families rarely hear about this directly.
3. Phases of Enrollment
   The enrollment process happens in three key phases:
   • Initial Lottery Phase (February): Families apply by a set deadline. A lottery with tiebreakers (like sibling and geozone priority) determines assignments—but even early applicants may be blocked due to assigned school considerations (see above).
   • Late application phase (March–May): Families can still apply but are added to the end of the waitlist. Placement is much less likely unless unexpected space opens up.
   • Waitlist stays open phase (June–August): Waitlists remain open through August 31. Some families get last-minute assignments, but staffing is already locked in, so movement is limited—often creating confusion and anxiety.
4. Resources & Staffing
   While the district says "resources follow students," in practice, staffing levels appear to be determined by central staff before any student assignments are made, for the sake of stability. The goal seems to be to keep the same amount of staffing at attendance area schools from one year to the next.
5. Barriers for Students with Disabilities
   Students receiving special education services are placed on separate, tightly restricted waitlists. Because placements depend on program availability—not just school space—students with disabilities are effectively excluded from transferring to option schools.

--Jasmine Pulido & Christie Robertson

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This is a VIDEO.

This episode explores the questions surrounding school waitlists in Seattle Public Schools — particularly for option schools — including how they’re handled, why they often don’t move, and what the impacts are for students and families. Thanks for the many contributions from educators, students, and community members. including:

• Liza Rankin
• Shraddha Shirude
• Janeal Maurera
• Jessica Baxter
• Erin Combs
• Kaitlin Murdock
• Vivian Van Gelder / SESEC
• Leslie Harris
• Sue Peters
• All Together for Seattle Schools – ATSS
• Seattle School Options Coalition – SSOC

See more in our Show Notes.

-- by Dawson Nichols

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Podcast Co-hosts Christie and Jasmine discuss the April 9th, 2025 school board meeting where the board reviewed proposals from executive search firms and started the process of choosing who will help them hire the next superintendent.

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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.