Comments

1
Yay!! Some fucking substance. It's good to see you back, Goldy, even if it's brief.
2
great to see you shilling for the Zillionaires and fucking the working class over, you shit maggot
3
Sorry, but no. Neither are great, but 1B is decidedly less palatable for many reasons, including the proposed prescribed curriculum and data collection. "College and career readiness", to quote Arne Duncan, does not have to start at preschool. This did not have your usual fire, Goldy.

I do like to know the players, because yes, it does make a difference. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to want to know who benefits.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com…

If they are truly interested in early childhood, the City of Seattle needs to work together with all stakeholders and come up with one good plan. They need to take the time to do it right. Neither one is fits the bill.
4
2





whoops, make that 'you corpulent shit maggot'.



5
Holy shit, it's Goldy!



No, I am not "that" Griffin. I don't even live in the time zone. But I do like better educated and compensated teachers, and universal public preschool would be awesome where I live, too.
6
An equally as long but more thoughtful analysis by EOI concludes Prop 1A is the better alternative:

http://www.eoionline.org/blog/how-propos…
7
Also, the irony of you using the endorsement of the Seattle Times Editorial Board as part of your "for" argument cannot go unmentioned, Goldy.

It's more what you didn't say about 1B that concerns me most.
8
The Stranger should require Goldy to disclose that he works for Prop 1B contributor Hanauer who contributed $1.25 million to privatize our public schools (I-1240, Source: PDC).
9
Poor dumb fucking Goldy. Bought and sold by Hanauer now, he pimps for billionaires and bashes unions, just like his pathetic little mini-me, Josh Feit. Vote NO on both of these stupid measures and send the city and the unions back to the drawing board. And stick a fork in Goldy. He's done.
10
@1: Amen
11
bethany!! dominic!! COME BACK!!
12
I'm going to vote for the preK plan that Sawant proposes.
13
Goldy's op-ed repeats "high quality" like a mantra. The problem is that "high quality" as defined by the Gates Foundation and thus Prop 1B is actually damaging to the kids who need pre-k the most. More here. The NAACP is also deeply concerned about this. I'd feel a lot better about Prop 1B if any of their proponents would address those points, but they just ignore it, one reason I'm backing 1A instead.
14
Right or wrong, at least Goldy makes a point with analysis and substance, something that has vanished from Slog entirely.
15
I see "substance" is the new "civility" in some circles. Well, all the "substance" in the world won't put lipstick on this pig. I'm not in favor of 1A, but its backers at least aren't trying to fool anybody. They are out front that their proposal is about union jobs. The 1B backers, however, including poor dumb gullible Goldy, are pushing a plan that funds bureaucracy first (40 administrators at $100K-plus per year), while working its way up to only 2,000 kids after four whole years. Suits over seats. And where would these suits come from? The Gates Foundation, where else?





So when Goldy tells you "this is for the kids," he's lying. It's for the suits, who now pay Goldy's bills. Vote NO.
16
I voted for 1B. Whoop!
17
@14
You can speak for yourself not knowing analysis and substance from a glory hole in the ground. Several of us do quite fine skirting around your blither-blather.
18
@8 It is no secret that I work for Nick Hanauer. As I announced on HA:

I am writing this post from my new office on the 28th floor of the Russell Investments Center in downtown Seattle, where I have just started my first day of steady part-time work for America’s premier self-loathing plutocrat, Nick Hanauer. I have been hired to put my research, analysis, and writing skills to work advancing a broad range of public policy issues—obviously, income inequality and gun violence prevention, for example—but notably not education reform, because Nick is totally deluded about charter schools, so it’s not even worth the two of us having that conversation.


In fact, I went to Hanauer, unsolicited, and and vouched for 1B. My advocacy for a universal preschool program based largely on the guidelines developed by the state Early Learning Technical Workgroup (which is what guided 1B) goes back years. Totally on the record.

@9 I'm not union bashing. (And I didn't write the headline.) As is sometimes the case—like on the arena—labor is split on this issue, and in those cases I'm with some unions and opposed to others. More surprising is that I'm on the opposite side of an education issue from Melissa Westbrook; not sure that's ever happened before.

Honestly, had both 1A and 1B been on the ballot as separate measures—as they should have been—I likely would have voted for both. But our choice is between one or the other. And 1B is the one that creates universal preschool.
19
"And you know who endorses Prop 1B? Just about everybody else..."

Feel free to ignore the endorsements of the people doing the actual work, Goldy, but I'm voting YES/1A. The fact that the Murray/Rasmussen/Meinert block supports 1B is not a winning argument in my book.
20
Fuck you, Goldy, you're just another sellout now.
21
Goldy is really, really wrong.

Let's start with this:

"But our choice is between one or the other. And 1B is the one that creates universal preschool."

Both statements are false.

One, you do NOT have to vote for one or the other. That's the line 1A AND 1B want to put out there but no, you can say NO to both with the first question on this two-part ballot measure. Like the League of Women Voters, I say vote NO on both and then (as you also can do) vote for 1A.

Second, this measure is a pilot program and doesn't creat any universal preschool.

I'll just point out, again, that Goldy works for Hanauer. The campaign manager for 1B started Publicola. Publicola endorsed 1B. That same campaign manager used to work for The Stranger. The Stranger endorsed 1b. See a pattern?

Also, no one should act as though it's those greedy unions trying to get jobs for their workers. You can say EXACTLY the same thing about those who endorse 1B like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs and the King County Labor Council. THEY will all get work if 1B passes.

You cannot equate charter school support with the Families and Education support. But you can see a pattern of Bezos, Ballmer, et al and their support of ed reform and ed reform candidates (see Suzanne Dale Estey for Seattle School Board).

Prop 1A won't create preschool classrooms because their focus is birth to five childcare services. That's just the fact and not a ding to their campaign. Please.

Let's also get another number out there about the number of kids 1B will serve - under 7% of the 3 and 4-year olds in Seattle. That's not a lot of preschoolers.

Yes, 1B IS experimental because nowhere does it say they will follow what Boston, D.C., etc. are doing. They are going to create their own curriculum (ignoring established ones like Montessori and Waldorf).

And great on Dow Constantine for the early years help but truly, how many levies are we going to put out there?

And look, 1A gives subsidies and so does 1B. C'mon.

1B and 1A, no matter if one passes, will affect every preschool and childcare program in the city. Not one or the other, both.

The City brought us to this time and place on voting. The Council could have passed the Preschool for All (their name at the time for it) program as an ordinance. But they didn't. 1A would have been the only ballot measure.

But 1A and 1B could not find the common ground to get ONE prop and now we have two. Nope, vote NO and get them back to the table.

Goldy, I KNOW the pressure that the City has put on Seattle Schools. The number one "priority" (go read the documentation) is for the City to partner with SPS. Now why would that be? So the City can ask SPS to write the curriculum? No. It's because they want to be schools and brother, there is NO SPACE.

And some of those "existing preschools" ARE in SPS. No room. This is one place where you are absolutely wrong.

"And all the research shows that only high-quality programs produce lifelong results."

Yes and the research ALSO shows that you need a spectrum of students in the class to get those results. That means middle-class parents. Why would those parents go into an experimental classroom where their children's data will go into a massive state and federal database for P-age20? Where Montessori and Waldorf won't be allowed?

What's the marketing plan for that in order to get those best outcomes we all want?

And the money. The City Council can put in levies. 1A can't. Makes it easy to get money when you can create a revenue stream.

I hear your passion but you are wrong on 1B.

Vote NO on the first question and then vote your conscience on the second (if you want to - you don't have to vote for either).
22
Your headline says Prop 1A, your article screams and cries about Prop 1B. Could you please get this figured out before you start 'splaining stuff to us? Thanks.
23
Are we REALLY surprised?
Politics today are currently NEVER about altruism, they're ALWAYS about greed.
Unions are exactly the same (even though they START as a group interested in assisting workers, they always get power hungry and greedy. (The concept works on paper, just like communism does, but in practice the human factor screws it up.)
Replace the existing bureaucrats with some ACLU and Libertarian people, and only THEN will we see some true selfless acts on the part of politicians.

Unless the rights of all and the betterment of the mind/education of all in general is first and foremost to them, politicians will always be driven by their own greed and that of interest groups with the deepest checkbook.
24
And, fuck, who DID write that headline? It's pulled right out of the Seattle Times Editorial Board's filing cabinet. Now The Stranger is demonizing Unions? I know you guys aren't unionized, but I thought you at least supported organized labor. Not I'm not so sure.
25
I miss the old Goldy.
26
I was going to write a rebuttal to Goldy but it turns out that westello (aka @21) already did a bang-up job.
27
@21's comments are the gold standard here. She's the best, most informed analyst of Seattle education issues in the city today, and her particular insights here are compelling. Goldy has been so focused on getting anything with the name "universal preschool" passed that he's blown right by huge warning signs that Prop 1B is a really, really bad idea. Listen to @21 on this.
28
Nick Hanauer is a lib-dem self funded Tim Eyman. His initiatives are cooked up by lawyers for his own benefit, and defeat the democratic process with cash.

Ballmer, Larson, and Gates' Prop 1B contributions are absolutely dwarfed by the two-plus million dollars combined they've donated to the pro-background checks Initiative 594. Which way are you voting on that, Sally?


There is a familiar blinded by cash narrative in this whole election, and the sheep who want their pet issues are jumping into bed with garbage.
29
Just to be clear, as Goldy signs his name, I will, too.
I'm @21.

I'm Melissa Westbrook. I've been a public education activist for over 15 years and write the most widely-read education blog in the state, Seattle Schools Community Forum blog.

I know Seattle Schools. I have read all the City documentation about what they need/want from SPS. 1B is going to hurt the district.

You can vote for 1B but the ramifications to this district will be real and apparent shortly after the election. This is a district already struggling with money AND space issues. (Have you followed the fight over a downtown school? Did you see the massive rally at Garfield High over the loss of just one teacher?)

Keep a couple of things in mind:
- if 1B passes, the City would be funding a longer school day for preschoolers than the State does for kindergarteners (they only fund a half-day). That seems rather backwards, no?

- I said this before but I'll call it out again - every single preschooler in the City's program will go into an already-existing database, both federal and state, of public school students, P-20. They will be tracked, across multiple threads, at three years old.

Do we really believe this is what needs to happen for "high quality" preschool?

I'm not for 1A either - there are issues with it as well.

That is why I am urging a NO on both issues.

I don't.
30
@22 Again, I did not write the headline. The headline I turned in was "There Is Only One Preschool Measure on Seattle’s Ballot: Proposition 1B"
31
@30 I was wrong. Eli informs me that I did not actually send him a headline. I composed the post in Wordpress so that I could send him fully formatted HTML, so of course when I copied and pasted that into an email it did not include the headline. My bad. So Eli constructed a headline based on his reading of my post.
32
Goldy, you are a paid flack and you are paid to back track. Sorry, you stepped in dog shit. Now wear it.
33
Melissa @21 and @29,

I hate to be on the opposite side of an education issue from you. You know I do. But your concerns about 1B are totally overblown, and the Sandeep Kaushik conspiracy angle is just silly. Hell, I had as much of a role in starting PubliCola as Sandeep did, and I certainly never had any influence on their editorial direction. And I've been on the opposite side of Sandeep on numerous campaigns (DelBene v. Burner, Murray v. McGinn, Taxi & TNC ordinance, etc), sometimes quite bitterly. So no, there is no pattern.

And the implication that I've somehow been bought by Hanauer is insulting. I have publicly made fun of him for his charter schools support, and I've been advocating for public preschool for years. In fact, my main comeback to the corporate ed reform agenda is that charter schools is an experiment whereas high-quality universal preschool is the one ed reform everybody agrees works. My support of 1B is 100 percent consistent with my extensive public record on the issue. And yeah, it's a little annoying that after a decade of sacrificing my peak earning years to unpaid/low-paid public advocacy, 1B opponents are so quick to question my integrity.

And finally, let's be clear, the curriculum has not been set. Prop 1B is about creating a dedicated revenue stream for ramping up a universal preschool program. The fight over the curriculum comes later. Gotta start somewhere. But nothing happens without the money.

Your recommendation to vote No on Prop 1 is a recommendation to send a message that Seattle voters are not willing to tax themselves to pay for universal preschool.
34
@33 you know that, in fact, everybody does NOT agree that "high quality" preschool works - this article from an early childhood expert explains that the academic drilling that "high quality" preschools offer is actually not very good for low income kids.

The curriculum fight is here and now. We learned that with NCLB - 13 years later we're still trying to undo the damage it did to curriculum. But more importantly, Prop 1B lays out a set of rules and guidelines that ensures the chosen curriculum will be of the "academic drilling" kind that experts agree is a bad idea for 4 year olds. That's why so many preschool teachers and providers in Seattle are lining up against 1B - they know what it means for classrooms and they don't like it.

Nobody will interpret a no vote on 1B as an unwillingness of Seattle voters to fund pre-k. That's not part of the messaging and all the polls show voters are quite willing to fund it. This is a question of how, not if. It's like Roads and Transit - we voted it down in 2007 because it was bad policy, and the next year we got a transit-only ST2 measure.
35
Let's fact check Goldy's claim that Prop 1B will "phase in 2,000 fully subsidized high-quality preschool slots serving families earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line—currently $71,550 for a family of four"


That's just not true. The city's implementation plan, page 21, reveals that only a few of those slots (and they won't say how many) are for low income families. They are counting on $7 million in tuition payments from higher income families. Ask Tim Burgess exactly how many low income kids will Prop 1B really help? And how many of those are already in existing publicly funded preschools that could use the money to increase quality for all kids?
36
Maybe your buddy Chris Hansen can kick in 20k, just like he did to buy off the local Neolibs for another year.
37
@34: I was with you until "We voted down Roads and Transit in 2007 because it was bad policy." Voting that down was the dumbest, most short-sighted move in recent local history, and in no small measure, McGinn's defeat was our revenge. But I'm with you on 1B. The fight over curriculum is, indeed, right now.
38
Oh Goldy, you are funny.

First, I noted some connections. That's not a conspiracy theory (although it is interested that on the same day both Publicola and The Stranger run 1B pushes).

Second, I never said the curriculum was set. I said that we have NO idea what is, just that it will be "high quality" and would not include any highly-regarded programs like Montessori or Waldorf.

Third, how incredibly dishonorable to say voting against 1B means voters are against funding preschool. I mean you are wrong outright because guess what? Seattle voters ARE already funding preschool services. We are paying out $61M over seven years via the Families and Education Levy (and that's just this levy cycle). And Seattle Schools already has more than 35+ preschool classrooms.

Voting no means that voters are not satisfied with what is put before them. Voting no means they want the dollars to go to the most needy kids (and that's not 1B).

Don't give us that "it's for the kids" stuff. Voters are allowed to examine every measure, no matter who it is for.

I AM voting NO to the first question but I will vote for 1A in the second question.

Why? Because I believe that it will deliver the most benefit to the most low-income Seattle tots in the fastest time possible. Bottom line, that's where I want MY tax dollars going.
39


I'm hearing that Goldy is working for NICK HANAUER!



I'm not buying the argument that the same individual that are funding 1B have supported progressive issues. The same individuals that funded charter schools and other controversial intiatives are funding 1B and I'm confident that their educational issues haven't changed.



1B is nothing more than to provide funding for the city to hire an enormous administrative staff and create a Department of Education. Assertions that administrative funding will be determined by combining the Health and Housing staff is a distortion. Prek documents reveal that the city wants 42 positions for prek...which is really prek-FIFTH GRADE.



1B has been silent on P20. P20 is Gate's research project whch will be conducted on TODDLERS and will run for the next 20 years.



Why hasn't Burgess been funding his upcoming campaign? Perhaps, we can expect to see the same individuals contributing to 1B and Burgess's campaign.



Follow the money.



http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com…
40
Dominic leaves and The Stranger goes to hell.



I'm more than disappointed in Goldy. It appears he has been bought.
41
1B wouldn't want Gate's money because it would look too suspicious.



However that didn't stop the Gates Foundation from offering SPS/city a $750K grant to fund 3 years of prek-FIFTH grade at a elementary school.
42
This is journalism?
43
I've already filled in my ballot with a 1-No thanks to arguments by Westbrook and others. I've also filled in 1B as the plan because, if it does pass, I don't want the current unions to control who is qualified to teach preK classes (1A) when they could be state-certified early childhood education instructors (1B). That's the "quality" in high quality and pushes further along the path to make the preK teachers able to be real educators at higher grades too.

Yes, Goldy is currently funded by the guy who wrote 594 and Dom is headed to NY for a national gig.

FWIW, at the end of the City Inside/Out show Dom talks about NY and in the program it's funny to hear Dom talk about holding the tunnel-pushers accountable when the Stranger worked so hard to push Conlin out.
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/vid…
44
What #19 said.





"And you know who endorses Prop 1B? Just about everybody else..."





Goldy spews the rhetoric from the top down 1B campaign whichis funded by the cities wealthies individuals.





Thousands of individuals put their signatures onto the union backed initiative-1A.





Goldy is more than a disappointment. He is a sell-out.



45
Lastly, 1A is not unfunded. There is $60M in the Family and education Levy. Why didn't you report on this..Goldy??
46
"Batshit crazy"?

Goldy, I'd look in the mirror if I were you before tossing out such juvenile blather.

Look, the reason for all of those organizations you list as supporters of this initiative is because of the bottomless pit of money from the Privatization Elite that needs to find a backdoor into our public schools once they realized their full frontal assault was not going to work.

You mentioned you have a new gig, Goldy? Is it directly or indirectly coming from a pro 1B supporter? It would come as no surprise to me. What the fuck happened to you?

47
Goldy, I agree with you. It finally happened!
48
It's ludicrous that the politicos in our city have managed to squeeze these two initiatives, which Goldy shows clearly to not be about the same thing, into a single question.

I'm confused by the talk of student tracking. What exactly is tracked which is different from now?
49
In what world is having a pilot program (fully funded by the way) not a good thing? Why are there so many misguided comments and/or conspiracy theories here? Goldy, I'm with you on the issue of 1B. It's been maligned in ways that don't even make sense (Thanks, Melissa Westbrook [why does anyone read her blog?] and others!).



Plain and simple, Prop 1B gives us a chance to test out what does and doesn't work and where the greatest need is- that's the point of a pilot program. 4 years from now, if we decide that it works or needs modification we can vote it in permanently. The reasons for voting no to both don't make any sense and the aims of 1A are achieved via 1B except that 1B gives Seattle voters flexibility when it comes back to a vote. I'm voting 1B.
50
I agree with others that the headline confuses the argument from the get-go.



My prediction, not that anyone should care, is that these will both lose. When there's confusion on the ballot, the easiest thing is to vote NO.
51
I really want to get behind this, and it seems like you have your head screwed on straight, Goldy, but I don't really get your format. It's a good rebuttal in a debate if that is what you're going for, but as a stand-alone piece it just seems argumentative and lacks nuts and bolts information about the different propositions.
52
This really goes to prove that there isn't even ONE big government, tax-and-spend initiative that Goldy won't support, even utter trash like 1B.

I'm voting no on both. I'll take some good old-fashioned Seattle process on an issue this big.
53
Welcome back, Goldy. I'm stunned by the idiocy on this one. 1B provides $58 million to fund preschool and 1A provides nothing. Nothing. It provides nothing. Sure, it requires that the wages of preschool teachers be increased, but who's going to pay for that? The same poor families who can't afford preschool in the first place.

I mean, I get that 1A would be lovely if it were funded, but given the choice between paying for preschool (1B) and NOT paying for preschool (1A), the delusion of Sloggers simply escapes me. (And I'm ususually pretty good about deciphering the kernel of rationality in the ocean of delusion that prevails in Slog comments.)

Also, Soriano lied about the stance of the League of Women Voters, who opposed both measures. Lying about the LWV is the kind of thing that leads to eternal, fiery-lake damnation.
54
Hmmm. Better check your thermometer @53. League of Women Voters prefers Prop 1A: "On question 2: "Regardless of whether you voted yes or no above, if one of these measures is enacted, which one should it be? The League prefers 1A." http://seattlelwv.org/advocacy


55
Melissa: "If 1B passes, the City would be funding a longer school day for preschoolers than the State does for kindergarteners (they only fund a half-day). That seems rather backwards, no? "

But so what? Is there a priority list of funding? If someone is number 17 on the list, then we have to refuse funding for number 18 until number 17 is fully funded? The second daughter can't be married until the first daughter has a husband? What kind of crappy argument is that? We can wait for eternity until the State funds basic education (and hopefully the Supreme Court orders the Legislature to jail). But that's the whole reason why we're willing to kick in and do what we can at the local level.

Can we PLEASE get some more money into preschool? How the hell did it come to this? I mean, I get that the unions screwed up by thinking they could jam their agenda onto the ballot when they failed to get what they wanted through the legislative process (and I support what they wanted to get), but fucking over poor children (when you could probably get what you want if you just keep working it) is NOT cool.
56
@48 are you talking about data tracking or tracking by ability?



@49 - Here's what will happen in 4 years if 1B passes (no matter the outcomes) "it would be heartbreaking to take away these preschool seats and we just need more time." Guarantee it.



I can back up the majority of my statements with documentation. I'm at sss.westbrook@gmail.com. Send me your questions. 1B won't do that.



@50 you are a good example of why The Stranger has smart readers. That's exactly what is likely to happen when voters are confused - they just say NO (and rightly so).



@51 - your comment is EXACTLY what voters in every single forum I spoke at said - I don't understand what these are, why are they different topics (preschool versus childcare) and who will serve the most low-income kids in our City?



1A (which I am against, by the way) provides more oversight, more training, and, with a higher wage, a more stable workforce.



To note, there is a $30M pot of money in the Families and Education levy for projects to come. If 1A passes, there's the money. It may not be how the CITY wants to spend it but that's not their choice if the voters say yes.



No, the LWV said NO to both but YES to 1A because even if you say NO to the first question, you can still say yes to one or the other.
57
@54: This one is not even up for debate. LWV opposes both measures. Period. The weirdo ballot laws in this state permits voters to state a preference even if they oppose both competing measures. Saying that you'd rather have your child tortured rather than murdered (which may be true) does not mean that you support child torture. Fucking idiot.
58
@55, I may not have explained. It is not really developmentally appropriate for preschoolers to be in a longer school day than kindergarteners (although SPS and SPS parents pay for the other K-half day). Research has shown social delays by preschoolers from low-income families in LONGER preschool days.

And, by the way, what do working parents do with a 6-hour "academic day" for their children if there are no childcare services? Is that in 1B? No.

No one is trying to hurt children and that kind of statement sounds political, not heartfelt.

We, as voters, ARE supporting preschool right now. But we also, as voters, have the right to question any and all spending, whether for children or not.
59
The state, city, and federal government already provide free preschool. Why not improve those existing programs :





http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/chi…





http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/cm…





http://www.freepreschools.org/city/wa-se…
60
Wtf-doesn't 1a create no positions and raise no new taxes to support child care whereas 1b does both? Why is this even a debate? Sure 15 bucks an hour is great but it's going to happen anyways so why destroy 1b to get faster?

Ah fuck it, just vote no. Us non children raising property tax payers want to support child care but fuck it if your gonna fight amongst yourselves. Let's us know when you guys get your shit together.
61
Also Goldy does nick what's his face live in Seattle? We really should require residency for people to give money to these things (maybe we do? Never voted here, can't)
62
Suggestion, wanna pay for child care, have the city pass a luxury apartment tax, and also a tax on cash house purchases. You'd stabilize the housing market a bit and get much needed money from the top earners in the city.
63
Yes, Goldy is right about Gates, he didn't directly put money into 1B but he has played this game long enough to know that he needs front groups to push his agenda.

See The Proposition 1B “Preschool for All” Wheel of Fortune: Same players, new game, http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com….
64
The argument of funding or not funding is bogus. According to 1B's campaign manager at the Squire Park community meeting, 1B is underfunded by $18M and they think they can get that amount from a state or Federal grant.

There are many props that have passed without definitively describing a way of funding. That's nothing new or shocking. However means 1B was to receive funding which is throurgh the levy, 1A would be funded.
65
Wow Goldy. I heard you were better than this.
66
"I'm confused by the talk of student tracking. What exactly is tracked which is different from now?"

Check out CCER, the Road Map Project and the loss of student privacy, https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.co….

Gates wants to take private information about children and their families, particularly low income and English Language Learner students, and track them through his idea of what public education should look like.

If this is what Gates wants to do, he needs to come out and say it and pay familiars who give their permission for personal information to be tracked instead of using families as unknowing lab rats for his experiments.

There is more to come on that with his preK program on Seattle Education this weekend.
67
Sorry, wrong link. This is the correct link, https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.co….

68
Conspiracy theories are just that but when they are founded in fact, it is reality, The Proposition 1B “Preschool for All” Wheel of Fortune: Same players, new game, http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com….
69
On one hand we have unions. On the other hand we have corporatists. This should be a no-brainer. When Gates, Ballmer, and the Seattle Times all support a thing, you know full well there is not a single good reason to support it. But just to be sure, can anyone tell me what the Downtown Seattle Association thinks of 1b?
70
I had to read this piece twice. After the first time, I couldn't recall what Goldy was for. Reading it a second time, I realized it was because he spent the first half of the piece fisking the 1A side's fisking of 1B. So self-congratulatory on Goldy's part and so, so very unhelpful. Now that I've re-read it and read some of the commentary, I'm just confused and on the verge of thinking both are pointless and stupid wrangling over bureaucratic shit that doesn't matter.



I'm going to try to ignore all this, choke down my rising cynicism and bile, and figure which one is a better plan.



So fuck everyone for contributing to more they said v. they said journalism and Internet commentary. This is everything wrong with america today.
71
I believe number 63 is correct and Goldy has been warned.



What is Goldy's thought about Murray's promise to make educational changes "like Seattle has never seen before"?



When will Goldy realize that the city's Department of Education has enough staff to run Seattle Public Schools?



Does Goldy realize that Murray, while in the Senate, drafted legislation for appointed school boards?



Does Goldy realize that the city has been working with the district and inter-twining systems beyond K?



Does Goldy think it a coincidence that Don Nielsen is talking about appointing school boards...at the same time the city announces a Department of Education?



The funders of 1B are the same individuals that support city control of public education and appointed school boards. It is time for Goldy to put the pieces of the puzzle together and wake up.
72
@70, I appreciate that this sounds like arguing over "bureaucratic shit." Thing is that some of that is about where the money will come from, how it is spent and who/which children will get the greatest benefit.

Boiled down:
1A is not about preschool (by design) but about birth to age five caregivers having more regulations, better training and higher wages to create better conditions for children in their care. This was created by unions that represent those workers.

1B is about a structured preschool system with a single curriculum created over a couple of years of research located throughout the city to ready 3 and 4 year olds for kindergarten. This was created by the City Council.

Where is the money for 1A? How come just the unions would provide the additional training for these caregivers?

Who decides who gets into the schools run by 1B? Where will all these preschools be located if it's a citywide program?

These are just two of the vital questions left unanswered by these vague propositions.

Which will bring better outcomes for our littlest citizens and who really knows for certain? No one.

That's why I say vote NO on both and get them back to the table to bring us one unified proposition for 3-and-4 year olds in our city.
73
@72 To be clear, 1B does not mandate a single curriculum. It will approve multiple curricula, probably three at first, from which providers may choose. There is nothing to prevent, for example, say, a Montessori curriculum from being approved, assuming it produces results.

As for who gets in? Children from families earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line. Where will they be? Presumably scattered throughout the city as preschools are now.

I simply don't understand the argument that we shouldn't put something before voters until every last detail determined. This is a pilot program. Surely, some procedures and policies will be changed over the four years as we learn from experience. You gotta start somewhere, and you can't start anything without a dedicated revenue stream.
74
Do more research, Goldy. And check out the proposed curriculums, which include Pearson products. You can begin by looking at the BERK report. Do not go by the city's document.



The city wants to align prek-5th grade. That means Common Core for preschoolers. Do the research. Then, look at New York ...you will find algebra embedded into prek Common Core.



The Gates grant indicates that preschools will be required to use preapproved curriculums. They will NOT be given a waiver until sufficient "growth" has been shown.



You have made a big mistake. I hope you do the research and reconsider.
75
Here is the Gate's grant:



http://mysps.seattleschools.org/modules/…



Diane Ravitch on prek and Common Core:



http://dianeravitch.net/2012/08/17/pre-k…



Now, get the BERK report and do your homework.
76
"Only a conspiracy theorist could see something nefarious in that kind of broad bipartisan support."



LOL! Goldy, are you now taking a page from the Dick Cheney/Karl Rove Election Playbook?



You know, the one that takes any contention, any allegation, or any comments by anyone, suggesting that something doesn't look right, or smell right, or feel right, and that maybe it requires a closer look, or even a formal investigation, and the Bush Administration, and soon the entire Republican Party would try to personally discredit you and nullify your entire point by screaming "CONSPIRACY THEORIST!"



And often it worked.



Do you think it's possible that certain elite individuals, with access to unimaginable gobs of cash, might have a constantly flowing stream of money, and the ability to start organizations that do certain things the money people desire? And do you think that these money people might also have the cash to effectively silence opposition, divert adversaries, convince those who disagree with them to at least remain silent for a certain period?



You list all of the groups supporting Proposition 1B, and I will agree that it is remarkable at how long the list is and how many seemingly different organizations comprise that list. In fact, it's more than remarkable; it's downright puzzling...as in, it makes no sense. There must be something else going on here. What COULD be uniting all of these disparate groups?



The common link is MONEY. Each one of these groups has, directly or indirectly, been the beneficiary of Gates money, and/or the money from other vastly wealthy folks, and who expect to profit further if they can get Proposition 1B to pass.



Are you that naive these days that you can't imagine an agreement about all of this, based on perceived self-interest?



Here's a little visual aid that might help you, Goldy: http://po.st/JlOvXA



Enjoy! http://po.st/JlOvXA
77
As I suspected, Goldy's "new gig" is working for one of pro-privatization billionaires who apparently think they know better when it comes to our public schools, as opposed to the people who actually use them and pay for them!

THAT'S the reason for this Hatchet Job and for Goldy's bizarre affection for something the Seattle Times and the Chamber of Commerce is lusting for.

It's not too complicated, folks: Goldy is a Sellout.

78
@77 et al,

Blah, blah, blah. Please continue with the personal attacks. It just highlights how little substance there is to back up your 1B critique... and, well, it also makes you look more than a little bit crazy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to the work that Nick actually pays me to do instead of the work that you uncharitably imagine he pays me to do.
79
"There is nothing to prevent, for example, say, a Montessori curriculum from being approved, assuming it produces results."

Not going to happen. One because Montessori preschools - real ones - are not going to fall in line with the exacting details of the plan. Two, you are NOT going to get most middle-class parents to have their little ones in a federal and state database that tracks them.

"Who gets in?" You have zero way of knowing who will get in. Go ask Sandeep or Tim Burgess because, at this point, there's no way of knowing. You know that.

Details like who is served and where are pretty big details, Goldy. I'm not talking about what color the classroom is.
80
@18, 30, 33, 33, 73, 78 @nauseam - All right I voted, and I voted for your stupid 1B. Not *because* of but *despite* you. This guest editorial did nothing to sway me. It revealed the petty bickering behind this prop. The exchange between you and Westello was all about you two. The kids were beside the point. Despite all that, I voted for it anyway. You would have been better off just keeping your trap shut if you weren't able to argue the issues and forget about who's right and who's wrong. I, the voter, could not give two squirts of shit who was more wrong on this proposition.



And unlike others here, I don't believe you're for 1B because you work for Hanauer, but the fact that you work for him confirms for me that you're nothing more than a partisan hack. You're not helping - you're hurting. I may agree with Hanauer's politics, but at the end of the day, a lapdog can only fetch the rich man's slippers. Whatever legislation you might pass, the policy you install is that the rich get to decide. The day Hanauer, Gates et. al start pushing for things like campaign finance reform or public involvement in politics or the re-establishment of the CCC - the moment they make people the subject of their philanthropy, instead of making us the object, instead of asking for the fawning adoration and dependence of the impoverished and sick masses of the world, THAT'S the day I won't think it's selling out to work for them on "policy issues."
81
"The exchange between you and Westello was all about you two. The kids were beside the point."



What did you read? Goldy and I said nothing about each other. It is about kids but it's also about money and doing it right. Fine if you considered all the issues and voted 1B.



But Goldy and I had little to say (except I did call him funny). That would make him good around kids.
82
Wow Westello is paranoid. And arguing all stops, damn the distortions. Weird to see someone make Goldy seem pragmatic.
83
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com…



Hedgefund managers jump into 1B. Paranoid? You decide.
84
Goldie gets fired from the Stanger, but is invited back to write a hit piece.





Goldie writes an inflammatory title, blames someone else for writing it, denies he wrote it, then admits he did write it after all.





Goldie is on charter school supporter Nick Hanauer's payroll. But Goldie tell us that he is Nick's boss on charter Pre-K, not the other way around.





Who the hell is Goldie?



85
@84 You're an idiot. Reread the thread. I did not write the headline.

Please wait...

and remember to be decent to everyone
all of the time.

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.