Kate Martin is running against District 2 incumbent Sherry Carr in the  November 8, 2011 General Election. District 2 covers the Green Lake area and represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

Both candidates provided statements to us before the Primary Election. You can read their statements here.

Earlier today, Jesse Baumgartner sent us the following press release on behalf of Sherry Carr:

Kate Martin’s Record of Insults and Outbursts Would Be a Step Backward for Seattle School Board

Candidate has received police escorts from Roosevelt High, insulted Special Education, Advanced Placement and other students, raising questions about her fitness to govern the state’s largest school district

SEATTLE – After a string of campaign trail tirades by challenger Kate Martin, including insensitive remarks about special education, non-English speaking and other student populations burdening the overall student body in Seattle Schools, School Board Director Sherry Carr says her opponent has gone too far.  Carr today noted a pattern of divisive and angry behavior by Martin that she believes will be detrimental to a district in need of collaborative, civil leadership in challenging economic times.

“Enough is enough,” said Carr, a former Seattle PTSA President and longtime neighborhood schools leader who works at Boeing.  “These actions from Kate Martin during the past four years show an insensitivity to the needs of Seattle students and are completely out of line for someone running for our district’s school board.”

• This September, Martin sent a statement to a local Democratic group containing a very insensitive remark that “ELL, Special Ed, and an assortment of behavioral problems are mainstreamed on the backs of average students.”
 (PDF attached)

• Additionally, the Seattle Times reported in August that Martin had to be escorted by Seattle Police out of Roosevelt High School in 2009 because she became so adamant that the school assign her son a new math teacher. The school’s security “asked that Martin be permanently barred from the building.”
 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015801694_schoolboard03m.html

• In December 2007, Martin sent a letter to the Seattle Times calling Advanced Placement classes “another club for white, affluent families,” and also stating that “given that apparently everyone cannot be served, I’ll help the most vulnerable first and leave the affluent kids ‘behind.’ We all know they’ll do just fine.” 
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004069763_frilets14.html

• In 2010, Martin filed a recall against several Board members because she disagreed with a policy decision.  The effort cost the District tens of thousands of dollars in outside legal fees and was thrown out by King County Superior Court. Link to court case search King County Superior Court, Case No. 10-2-38755-2 (PDF of Martin statement also attached)

“Representing our city’s children requires a level head, an ability to look out for every student’s interest, and a willingness to create a welcoming environment for all students,” said Carr. “Serving on a School Board involves working with others even when you disagree on matters of policy. Throughout my time on the School Board, I’ve made a concerted effort to partner with organizations and individuals to make a positive impact for Seattle students.”

Shortly after the above email was sent, we received this statement from Kate Martin:

What you see is what you get from me. I’m not hiding anything, protecting anybody or corroborating cover ups behind the scenes. I’m honest.

To be clear to voters and to my incumbent opponent, the things she criticized me for today are things directly in my crosshairs at the district.

Those things include: principals that suck, the untenable conditions in the “general education” classrooms and the curriculum and contracting incompetence down at central.

I’m super proud of what I’ve learned and accomplished while navigating the education landscape with my sons. I’m going to take all of that with me to the John Stanford Center.

I’m not going to be more of the same. We need a reset.

The judge at the hearing where I tried to recall several directors said she could identify with the frustrations I communicated about Seattle Public Schools and suggested I focus my discontent into a run for school board. I’m doing just that.

Disclosure: Kate Martin for School Board is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, roosevelt high school, schools, wallingford

Photo courtesy Kate Martin

Kate Martin, a candidate for Seattle School Board District 2, is holding a Meet and Greet at Green Lake’s Urban Bakery (7850 East Green Lake Dr N) on Saturday October 15, 2011, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

District 2 represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

Kate Marin is running against District 2 incumbent Sherry Carr in the  November 8, 2011 General Election.

Both candidates provided statements to us before the Primary Election. You can read their statements here.

Disclosure update: As of Saturday, October 8, Kate Martin for School Board is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, schools, wallingford

King County is holding an all-mail Primary and Special Election on August 16, 2011. Ballots have now arrived at most Green Lake homes.

Green Lake residents will see School Board candidates on their ballots. The top two candidates in the Primary race will be on all Seattle ballots in November.

There are four contenders for Seattle School Director for District No. 2, which represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

The incumbent for School Board, District 2 is Sherry Carr. Her challengers are Jack Whelan, Kate Martin and Mark T. Webber. A fourth challenger, Terrence J. Menage, has suspended his campaign.

We asked for statements from the four candidates currently running in the Primary race for School District No. 2.

From Sherry Carr:

Four years ago, I ran successfully for School Board energized by the belief that quality schools change lives and transform communities.  That belief has driven my decision making on behalf of our city’s 47,000 students.  In every decision, I have leaned on valuable lessons learned from my years as President of the Daniel Bagley PTA – I have rolled up my sleeves and put what is best for students first.

Our School Board has laid a strong foundation for accomplishing our primary goal of improving academic outcomes for all students.  We implemented a new neighborhood-based student assignment plan in response to parent demand.  We secured landmark agreements with our teachers’ and principals’ unions that drive increased accountability for student achievement.  Major curriculum changes have been made to ensure that every student has more equitable access to a high quality education.  And our students are now benefiting from the first nearly complete purchase of new textbooks in decades.  These milestones benefit all students and are fundamental to closing the achievement gap.

As Audit & Finance Committee Chair, I provided key leadership aimed at driving significant structural change to our District.  This work included a major overhaul of Board policies, ethics program improvements, and stronger financial controls.  These changes will result in a strong governance structure for Seattle Public Schools.  Despite four consecutive years of budget gaps, we worked together to prioritize funding for our classrooms first, reducing central administration while investing in changes necessary to improve academic outcomes for students.

In the Green Lake neighborhood, McDonald School has re-opened at Lincoln and will move ‘home’ in fall 2012.  The 1913 building is currently undergoing a $15M renovation. This fall a language immersion program will be added including both Spanish and Japanese tracks.  Green Lake School continues to be a thriving school community with a new leader and a strong academic program.  Daniel Bagley School, once the repeated target of closure threats, has grown to nearly 400 students with waitlists for both Montessori and Contemporary programs.  Through it all, I have been responsive to families through email and in person to address their concerns.

I have lived in the Green Lake neighborhood for nearly 30 years with my husband, Bill and our two daughters both of whom attended Daniel Bagley.  At soccer games at Green Lake fields, Girl Scout troop meetings at the Hearthstone, or PTA meetings at Bagley, I have met my Green Lake neighbors.  I am honored to serve this community and feel a strong sense of accountability to its residents.  There is still work to do.

Student achievement must improve, and we must close the achievement gap.  We aren’t there yet – but we are moving aggressively forward.  I assure you that our progress, while sometimes challenging to achieve, is both steady and substantial.  I’m confident we are moving in the right direction; now is not the time to reverse course.  My sleeves are rolled up.  I ask for your vote in the August 16^th primary election.  Thank you!

From Jack Whelan:

My name is Jack Whelan, and I am running for School Board, District 2.  I have lived in the Green Lake neighborhood for twenty-three years in three houses: one on Canfield Place in the old Honey Bear days, then over in the Green Lake Elementary neighborhood near 65th, and since 2004 just north of Blanchet H.S. on Burke Ave.

My son, Luke, went to Green Lake Elementary where he graduated in 2002, and he graduated from Ingraham H.S. in 2009. My wife has taught in Seattle Public Schools since 1992, and taught one year at Green Lake Elementary.  I was the parent chess coordinator/coach at Green Lake Elementary from 1998 to 2002, and I was a Little League coach for the Roosevelt-University District-Greenlake (RUG) League Minors and Majors teams from 1999-2003. I was named All-Star coach for the Majors in 2003.

I have degrees from Boston College and Yale University, and I have been on the faculty of the UW’s Foster School where I have taught a strategic business communications since 1986. I am an educator married to an educator, and I understand that you can only be good at what you love to do, and you cannot learn if you do not love to learn. Everything in a school system has relevance only insofar as it supports the love of learning in our kids, teachers, and parents.

If elected, I will work hard to restore stability and good order to an otherwise dysfunctional school system. You cannot build stability from the top down, and you cannot build on a flawed foundation.  The district suffers from both problems.

I want a return to site-based collaborative management, in which parents have a role in choosing principals, where principals and parents evaluate teachers, and parents and teachers evaluate principals. I want to see the district structured in such a way that principals understand that their first responsibility is to serve the needs of their learning community, not a top-down agendas dictated by the people downtown.

I could go on, but please check out my campaign blog for more about my campaign and my ideas.

I am endorsed by King County Democrats, the 43rd District Democrats, and Where’s the Math.

From Mark T. Webber:

The change we need. The voice we deserve.

I grew up in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle and spent many days with my brothers and sisters swimming and playing at Greenlake.  We would walk to the lake for the 4th of July fireworks, and watch the outboard hydroplane race there during the summer.  The house I live in now is in Maple Leaf and I am able to look down the hill to the lake from my deck.  It is a view that brings back good and pleasant memories from my childhood.  I attended John Marshall when it was a Junior High School and graduated from Roosevelt High School.

As a practicing architect, contractor and business owner, I learned the importance of long-range planning, fiscal responsibility and integrity. I just completed my Masters of Arts in Education degree and I am overseeing the construction of the community garden at Harbor Church in Crown Hill.

As a volunteer, I taught under-represented youth entrepreneurship skills and have been a mentor for young men and women.  Since its inception, I have been active in Harbor Church in Crown Hill and supported its efforts to improve the quality of life in the Crown Hill neighborhood.

I believe short-sighted solutions are not the answer to our school district’s problems.

The Seattle Public Schools needs a ten-year plan to ensure that every school is striving to be a Twenty-first Century school. This means that students must attain high standards of knowledge through a balanced curriculum which encompasses the eight key learning areas with an emphasis on math and science:

The arts (including drama and music),
English,
health and physical education,
languages other than English,
mathematics,
science,
studies of society and environment,
technology.

Schools must fully develop the talents and capacities of all students including:

analytical, communication and organizational skills,
self-confidence and high self-esteem,
responsibility and decision-making skills,
employment-related skills,
the skills to confidently use new technologies.

In addition, students should have the skills to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They should have an understanding of the natural environment, and the knowledge to contribute to ecologically sustainable development.

Our schools didn’t get where they are overnight and positive change will not come overnight.  Short-sighted plans bring short-sighted and short-lived results.  We need to start looking down the road into the future.  We need to decide where we want our school system to be in ten years and start developing the plans and strategies necessary to get us there.  We need someone with the vision, courage, and the drive to make the Seattle Public Schools world-class schools again.

From Kate Martin:

Hello.  My name is Kate Martin and I am a candidate for School Board in District 2.

My husband, José Chavez, and our two sons, Emilio and Esteban (Steb), live in South Greenwood in the home that José and I have lived in since 1985.  We have just finished navigating our sons, 18 and 20, through Seattle Public Schools and I am ready to put that knowledge to work for other students and families.

All kids need and deserve to be challenged and inspired continuously. I believe that every single student needs the kind of attention in the classroom that celebrates and amplifies their gifts while recognizing and mitigating their deficits.  The “one-size-fits-all” approach to preK-12 public education in Seattle combined with endless ineffective strategies for addressing the achievement gap is leaving vast groups of students short of reaching their personal best.

Families must work in close continuous collaboration with schools to insure the full and complete educate of the students.  Academics, social skills and emotional competencies are the essential building blocks for a successful life, so a focus on all three is essential.  I will advocate for each student and family to work together with Success Coordinators to craft Personal Learning Plans with customized pathways for each of them to realize their goals.

I also believe that the role of a school board director is to oversee, not overlook.  We have been plagued by conflicts of interest, cronyism and corruption which have become a significant distraction that fails to focus on the task at hand which is serving students and families.   My tagline is “Kate does her homework” and I assure you that I will do just that.  The rubberstamping of bad ideas robs all of us, especially the students, of the resources needed for successful schools.  I believe Seattle can and should have the best schools in the country, but that takes diligence and research-based information, not ideas that don’t work from special interests.

I am a concerned parent and a professional planner ready to serve our schools.  Please contact me anytime to discuss your ideas or concerns about public education in Seattle.  I am on Facebook (search Kate Martin Seattle).  My website is katemartinforschoolboard.com.  You can find out more about my platform there.   I also have an on-line magazine, theseattlejournal.com where I have been writing and publishing articles by others about Seattle issues including many articles about education.  I have been endorsed by King County Democrats, The Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle and the Save Seattle Schools Community Blog and I would honored by your vote.    Don’t forget that ballots are due back by August 16.   Thank you.

Who are you voting for in the Primary election for School Board, District 2, and why? Leave your comments below.

The Primary and Special Election ballot also includes a question, Referendum 1, which relates to the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement. You can read about Referendum 1 as it relates to the Green Lake neighborhood here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, schools, wallingford

Green Lake resident Joshua Tufts reports seeing film production vehicles last Monday (May 16, 2011) on Bagley Ave N just north of East Green Lake Dr N.

Last Wednesday (May 18), Joshua’s son Brayden got these autographs from cast members Aubrey Plaza, who also plays April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, and Jeff Garlin, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm:

Photo courtesy Joshua Tufts

The Safety Not Guaranteed cast and crew can be found in Maple Leaf today (Wednesday, May 25 2011).

Our news partner Maple Leaf Life shared this information:

Scenes for “Safety Not Guaranteed,” an indie movie involving time travel and Kristen Bell (you haven’t been Forgetting Sarah Marshall, have you?) will be shot Wednesday afternoon at Wild Root, and we’re told the cast and crew will be lunching at the Ale House.

No, Kristen won’t be here. But co-star Jake Johnson will.

As to the movie…here’s the advance word fromThe New York Times:

Darius, a young magazine intern, is recruited to help a staff writer, Jeff, with a story about a bizarre young man who has advertised for a time-traveling partner. She, Jeff, and fellow intern, Arnau, travel to a small town to get information on the paranoid but strangely compelling young man. But Darius feels torn, underhanded and disloyal when she begins to have genuine feelings for her subject, who is clearly smitten by her as well.

According to Internet lore, the movie started with a fake classified ad:

Update, Thursday May 26 - Film crews were in Laurelhurst earlier this month.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: celebrities, film, maple leaf

Have you seen Wyatt?

Matthew Tuche reports that Wyatt, a Siberian Husky, found his way out of his yard on Monday (April 11, 2011). He has white fur and a red collar.

“We have been getting updates via our flyers and foot work,” Matthew says. “The last person we spoke to reported that he was between Maple Leaf and Green Lake and was crossing the street headed in that direction. Green Lake is a typical walking area for us, so it is a likely destination.”

Wyatt is described as a very loving dog who is cautious of strangers. He gets nervous if humans try to lure him with food.

If you have information about Wyatt, please call (206) 229-5006 or (206) 353-1586.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: dogs, lost and found, maple leaf

At 12:30 a.m. this morning (Sunday, September 5, 2010), 14 units were sent on a “Rescue Heavy” call at NE 75th St at 8th Av NE.

Photo courtesy Maple Leaf Life

Maple Leaf Life reports that a vehicle being chased by police flipped on NE 75th St after striking a street light pole:

Police said the incident began with a pursuit southbound on Interstate 5 by Mountlake Terrace officers. When the vehicle they were chasing exited I-5 and continued south on Banner Way Northeast, it broadsided the guardrail at Eighth Avenue  Northeast and then struck the light pole, ending upside down in the 600 block of Northeast 75th Street.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to the scene and transported the male driver to Harborview Medical Center, with serious injuries.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: crime, maple leaf, traffic

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2010.

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Post tags: maple leaf, real estate, roosevelt

Sheriff’s deputies raid Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood and find moonshine on December 27, 1923.

On December 27, 1923, during Prohibition, a search warrant is issued to King County Sheriff’s Department to search 8023 14th Avenue NE in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood. Sheriff’s deputies find one 10-gallon still used to manufacture moonshine (whiskey), 12 gallons of moonshine, and 18 quarts of beer.

[ ... ]

8023 14th Ave NE today – we would consider this area to be Maple Leaf, but maybe before I-5 was constructed, the “Green Lake” neighborhood stretched this far northeast?

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2009.

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Post tags: 1920s, crime, historical, maple leaf

Local Politics:

Wallingford: The North End Candidate Debate, held at Lincoln High School on October 13, is now available online.

Wallingford: Wallyhood has created a handy Voter Guide Round-Up.

Queen Anne: Susan Hutchison, candidate for King County Executive, speaks about Boeing’s exit from Seattle.

Nearby events:

Wallingford: Ivar’s Fall Cider Celebration is on November 12th.

Greenwood: The “Aurora Elephant” will be raised at Aurora Rents around 8:30 or 9 on Monday morning.

Greenwood: The Greenwood Wing Dome will be donating a portion of their sales today, until 9 p.m., to the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund.

Lake City: The Seattle Mennonite Church is holding an international gift sale on November 13th and 14th to support Ten Thousand Villages.

Pinehurst: Everyone is welcome at Victory Creek on Sunday, November 8th.  Neighbors will be removing invasive plants, mulching, planting native species, and cleaning up the litter in the park.

Maple Leaf: Attend a presentation on Thornton Creek Watershed history on November 12th.

New and expanded businesses:

Wallingford: Izilla Toys, the well-known Capitol Hill toy shop, will be opening a “Holiday Annex” in Wallingford Center starting November 2nd.

Greenwood: Couth Buzzard Books is reopening at a new location: 8310 Greenwood Ave.

Greenwood: Discussion continues in the community about Fred Meyer’s plans to rebuild.

Northgate: New Japanese restaurant Setsuna has opened.

Closed business:

Queen Anne: Opal Bistro closed yesterday.

Bargain alerts:

Queen Anne: Free basketball referee clinics are being offered by Seattle Parks & Recreation the week of November 2 and December 7.  Trained students and adults can earn $20 per game, accrue high school community service hours and support youth basketball at Queen Anne Community Center.

Wedgewood: Visit Wedgwood Elementary this week for it’s annual used book sale.

Crime watch:

Wallingford: A bunch of oxycotin was stolen from Bartell Drugs by a guy in wrap-around sunglasses.

Wallingford: A dude in a bathrobe has been seen peering (that’s peering, not peeing) into houses.

Greenwood: The Seattle Fire Department has determined that the fire that took out four businesses on N 85th St was arson.

Maple Leaf: Three kids rob a man at gunpoint.

Kinda crazy:

Eastlake: A pizza shop owner apologizes to the Eastlake community for his role in importing Canadian marijuana into the U.S.

© for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2009.

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Post tags: greenwood, lake city, maple leaf, northgate, pinehurst, queen anne, wallingford, wedgwood