A group of family support workers, who are all employees of the Seattle Public Schools and provide students with access to social services, called the school board’s proposal to cut their program “stupid.”
Family support workers act as case workers for poor and struggling students in the district, providing them with basic services and a much-needed lifeline. The group agreed to speak to me yesterday only on condition of anonymity because they don’t want to jeopardize any chance they might have to save their program. “We think it’s time people heard our side of the story,” they said. “Who will help students if our program is gone?”
The district’s Family Support Worker program—which has been around for 23 years and gets funding through the city’s Family and Education levy which is up for renewal next year—is in danger.The school board believes that the program is expendable because it is not helping poor and minority students improve academically to the extent it should. The board has recommended that the program’s funding be used to hire elementary and middle school counselors instead.
The group thinks it’s unfair that the board “is focused on one piece of data.” “They are not addressing the goals that we have surpassed,” one of them said. “Have the teachers met all their goals? Has the superintendent met all her goals? We have our finger on the pulse of every child, yet not once has the superintendent or the school board come to see what we do.”
More on family support workers after the jump
Each family support worker has a caseload of 35 to 40 students. “Most students come from single-family homes,” one of them said. “We are their mothers, brothers, sisters, dads—they trust us. We make sure they have food, uniforms, shelter, healthcare, and stabilization.”
Another support worker recalled the time she had helped a molestation victim escape from her step-father’s abuse by putting her in foster care. Today, the girl is on her way to college. “You are not going to find any person in the [school] building who do what we do,” she said. “We make students feel safe.”
The family support workers I met with were a diverse bunch. “We look like our students, which helps us to connect with them,” one of them said.
Ironically, access to wraparound services was mentioned quite a few times during a meeting between the City Council and educators yesterday to brainstorm ways to improve the goals of the Family and Education levy. District Superintendent Maria-Goodloe Johnson agreed that it was important to have on-site coordinators to make sure that students were getting proper access to medical, dental, and health services.
Which makes me wonder: why, then, does the district want to do away with the very people who are already helping students get these services?
Holly Miller, who heads the city’s Office of Education reconfirmed Monday that the levy oversight committee still supports the FSW program. The committee is expected to make its final recommendation to the council in March, she said.
The question is not whether some students would be helped by wrap-around support services, rather if the Seattle Public Schools is the best organization to provide those services. Arguably, Seattle’s array of human services organizations, who have in some cases over 100 years of experience working with the complex needs of families, and are used to solving housing, medical, behavioral and other problems, should be doing this job. And guess what – they are! Not only are they doing that out in the community, in many cases they are doing this in close coordination with Seattle’s schools. I personally know of one Seattle middle school that has 8 different partners, from specific cultural communities, offering case management-type services – most of them on site at the school. I really don’t think that SPS can compete with the history, range of services, and cultural competency of these community-based organizations. The district has great connections to these community partners – and the Office of Education funds many of them as does the City through several different funding streams. Why not let the experts help these kids, and keep the schools focused on getting better at academics? [God knows they need some improvement there.]
Another example of the district admins shooting the district in the foot – it’s like they want those kids to fail and drop out! Those services are meant to support students so they can actually focus on their academics. Without those services those students don’t even get to the point of being able to focus on their schoolwork. A child with a toothache for weeks on end doesn’t care about math. A child being abused at home doesn’t care about a reading test. A child who is starving doesn’t care about academics.
Yet because no test scores can be directly attached to this program, it is considered expendable? I’m sure there are quite a few district administrators who have less of an impact on a child’s life than these people. Those are the ones who are expendable – not this group of people who have a direct impact on the quality of a child’s life and the probability of their success in school.
As Einstein once said: “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”
In other words, fuck the test scores. Focus on what the kids actually need – food, a safe place to live, medical care – so that they can be ready to learn.
Silly family services support workers! Haven’t they heard the education message from Obama on down? The key to educational nirvana is to give Districts the ability to fire teachers and hire a bunch of inexperienced inexpensive untrained teachers. Miraculous benefits will automatically flow, SAT and reading tests will skyrocket, and graduation rates will hit 100%. No work or funding needed.
@3, and the very best part of Obama’s plan is to simply change the name of the raisin brain’s program of “No Child Left Behind” to be “Race to the Top”. Now poor rural school districts without the tax base to even attract any teachers let alone ones with talent can miraculously raise their test scores and once that happens get more federal funding!! It’s all just so wonderful!!!!
BTW, Bill Gates will help pick your child’s curriculum now too!! After all Corporate America knows just what children need to know!! (To make them more money!!) So don’t expect much in terms of critical thinking to be expected of our youngsters! And the ARTS?!? Only if it makes a better logo!!!
News Flash: Government workers believe the program that signs their paychecks is absolutely indespensible. Film at 11.
If you can’t connect the dots yet, allow me to assist you.
If you know any GOP/TP’ers, call them and ask if they are satisfied yet.
The answer will be “HELL NO!”
If you think cuts like this are “stupid,” just wait to see what these roving mobs of ghoulish, tax-cutting scum have in store next.
The GOP/TP will move rapidly from tax-cutting to euthanasia for low-income people.
If you think I’m exaggerating, you’re wrong, and you can plant a big, sloppy kiss on my especially stinky anal sphincter (Only symbolically, of course… I wouldn’t let a right winger get close enough to me to touch me; some of their insanity and inanity might rub off on me!)
“News Flash: Government workers believe the program that signs their paychecks is absolutely indespensible. Film at 11.”[sic]
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I get sick of trying to read comments posted by fucking right wingers. Not only because I heartily disagree with their imbecilic content, but also because the compositions are barely readable. They butcher grammar, spelling and “The Rules of Style” so badly it’s like listening to someone scratch their fingernails on a blackboard.
SCCCRRRREEEECCCCHHH! Here comes another right winger’s comments!
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Here’s the thing – the district seems to get rid of the very things it says it wants.
Early childhood education – thriving Montessori pre-school at Ballard High (in a space specifically built for pre-school) with high school students working with the pre-schoolers AND earning credit (both college and high school). Got booted out.
Wrap-around services – Family Support Workers in SPS for 23 years doing really important work to keep kids (and their families) grounded so the kid can concentrate on school (rather than family troubles). Juggling multiple city groups that do these services isn’t as good as having people right on staff.
College-ready high school students – SPS got rid of their college counselors 2 years ago. Sure, all those first-generation kids can just figure it out on their own.
It seems like if Dr. Goodloe-Johnson didn’t invent the program or service, then she doesn’t want it until it has her stamp on it.
@1 community partner organizations aren’t going to have the same consistent availability inside the school that school district employees have. They’re an important piece of the solution, but Family Support Workers are needed.
This program might not improve test scores, but can we see some other statistics? Does it reduce drop out rate, affect pregnancy/STD stats, lower violence or crime in the school? Maybe some other kid’s test scores will improve because a kid working with a FSW didn’t beat them up.
How can programs with dedicated funding be cut and still comply with the terms of the funding?
My only issue with Support Services is that their attitude (yes, I’ve had to bat a few of them down off their pedestals) of being my kids’ mother, brother, sister, etc., is that they know how to raise my kid better than I do.
My kid decides not to wear socks to school. I let her see how that feels so she can learn that maybe that doesn’t work out so well mid-winter. (Natural consequences are good teachers.)
Family Support Worker gives her socks and acts like I don’t care for my kid. THANKS, but my kid has parents, a brother, etc., and doesn’t need you to make assumptions because you think you’re “helping.” My kid proceeded to milk them for everything they would give her, despite my objections and demands that she return everything (because we make WAY too much money for her to be taking things from kids who actually need it).
Add that to several years of the same types of cocky attitude and behavior on their part, and I now have NO PROBLEM with the district getting rid of these people. Perhaps if everyone else would stop trying to raise my kid for me, and without my permission, I wouldn’t have my authority constantly undermined. Acting like a fill-in parent is NOT helpful all the time.
If the district would do MORE to get off my toes as a parent, I would be happy to support such plans.
memo to boss:
canning my job is STUPID
Welcome to GOP/TP America.
MGJ has, since day one, worked to gut any program that helps disadvantaged youth. She spent her first year doing everything she could to destroy alternative schools in Seattle. So it is not in the least bit surprising that she is now attacking programs that target and help the most vulnerable students. She wants those funds to help finance her plan to crush the teacher’s union. MGJ is a disaster for education.
As a concerned parent of sps I need to come to the aid and support of the Family Support Worker Program. I have 2 children in SPS and we were served by the family support worker and without her I don’t know what we would have done. I read this article and I feel it was poorly written and not clear as to what the familiy support workers really do.
I came into the school in tears and the secretary referred me to the family support worker I was recently divorced, now a single-parent with challenged children, suicidal and on the verge of being homeless. Immediately she took me and started providing services that my children and I needed. Social services and academic as well. She kept up with us and is continueing to follow up with me monthly and there was not a time that she didn’t come through for us without the services they provide children and families are at a loss. Due to her support I am now functioning, employed, have a place to stay,my children are doing well in school, I feel good about volunteering at school and I’m loving life.
One thing need to be clear SPS population is not all “poor and minority.” I’m white and was doing well until my divorce. Family Support worker serve all kids and families that need help.
Counselors nor Nurses can do what FSW do. They don’t have the repore with families and community based resources. This is very important and not being judgemental is key to struggling families. I dare to say that the school board or superintendant know anything about that. Talk to parents and families and hear their success stories due to relationships with family support workers. You’re talking about 23 years of success! an intervention program that really works! and because of a hand full of individuals misconceptions about the program want it dispanded. This program is the only program with wrap around services for SPS families if you would visit and talk with them you would know what they do. Ask any school board member or superintendent what they do and not one could tell you because they never visit the schools and talk to them about their families or the services they offer.. I doubt they even know what fsw go through on a day to day basis..
Dispanding this program is the worst thing they could ever do they need to expand it to middle and high schools those kids and their families need family support. A kid can’t be successful unless all his/her needs are met.
A concerned Parent