CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Preschool Program; amending Ordinances 124509 and 124749, by amending the action plan and the implementation plan; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
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WHEREAS, by Ordinance 124509, The City of Seattle (City) placed before voters a proposition to authorize the City to levy regular property taxes for up to four years in excess of the 101 percent limitation and any other limitations on levies in chapter 84.55 RCW for the purpose of providing City services, including a demonstration of preschool for certain three-year-old children and all four-year-old children; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 124509 also approved an Action Plan that spelled out the broad contours of the Seattle Preschool Program, but provided in Section 1.B. that the Action Plan may be amended through future council ordinance; and
WHEREAS, on November 4, 2014, the City’s voters approved that proposition; and
WHEREAS, a major focus of the Action Plan is to narrow the opportunity and achievement gap that is present in Seattle’s educational system, and the Action Plan recognizes that on average, children from low-income families and children of color have fewer opportunities to become appropriately prepared for the social and academic challenges of the K-12 system than their peers; and
WHEREAS, in Seattle Public Schools, students of color meet third grade reading standards at a rate 31 percent lower than white students; they are suspended or expelled at three times the rate of their white peers in grades six through 12; and they graduate on-time at a rate 24 percent lower than white students; and
WHEREAS, as the City continues to refine the Seattle Preschool Program to meet the needs of the community and its children, narrowing the achievement gap should remain an essential outcome of the program; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor is proposing to amend the requirement that all children in a Seattle Preschool Program be Seattle residents; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor is also proposing to accelerate the timeline for adopting an alternative curriculum approval process; and
WHEREAS, Section 8 of Ordinance 124509 states that the Implementation Plan shall be approved by future ordinance prior to implementation; and
WHEREAS, Section 8 of Ordinance 124509 also states that the ordinance that adopts the initial Implementation Plan shall identify when the City Council will be required to approve changes by ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Section 2 of Ordinance 124749 states that changes to the Implementation Plan must be approved by the City Council via ordinance when the Mayor proposes expanding or restricting eligibility for access; and
WHEREAS, the Implementation Plan adopted by Ordinance 124749 further states on page 5 that changes to the Seattle Preschool Program Implementation Plan will require approval by the City Council via ordinance when the Mayor proposes to reorder or modify the priorities for student selection and enrollment; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor is proposing to modify the student selection and enrollment provisions of the Implementation Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Ordinance 124509 is amended by amending Attachment A to Ordinance 124509, the Seattle Preschool Program Action Plan (Action Plan), as shown by Attachment A to this ordinance. Attachment B to this ordinance shows the full text of the amended Action Plan.
Section 2. Ordinance 124749 is amended by amending Attachment A to Ordinance 124749, the Seattle Preschool Program Implementation Plan (Implementation Plan), as shown by Attachment C to this ordinance. Attachment D to this ordinance shows the full text of the amended Implementation Plan.
Section 3. The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) shall submit a report to the City Council upon the conclusion of the Seattle Preschool Program enrollment process each year containing the demographic information for the children who were enrolled. The report shall include demographic information for each of the following groups: children grandfathered into the program, provider agency-selected children, and DEEL-enrolled children.
Section 4. Any act consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
Section 5. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ____ day of ________________________, 2016, and
signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this
_____ day of ___________________, 2016.
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President __________of the City Council
Approved by me this ____ day of _____________________, 2016.
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Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Filed by me this ____ day of __________________________, 2016.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Amendments to the Seattle Preschool Program Action Plan
Attachment B - Amended Seattle Preschool Program Action Plan
Attachment C - Amendments to the Seattle Preschool Program Implementation Plan
Attachment D - Amended Seattle Preschool Program Implementation Plan