October 8, 2025
Regular School Board Meeting・Seattle Public Schools
Hello, this is Sebrena Burr.
I wanted to talk to a couple of things, but I want everyone to really think about their intentions because our intentions matter, and also it often manifests our actions.
We have to admit that we're not a district that's student-centered. We know we should be, and we need to look at what will it take for us to be.
We have to backwards map from what the students are saying & from what's happening in the classroom, what our teachers need, what our support staff needs, and what are building leaders need. We need our district leaders to really understand the workings of the day of the school and what's important to students.
Now, this whole lunch thing—it didn't have to happen, and you guys are trying to make it one day and you think that's sufficient, but you're actually asking kids to choose between clubs, and to choose a day.
Just last weekend, I had the fortune to be with student leaders of Seattle Public schools, and about 40 students of color—African-American, African, mostly males, and [some] females for a listening session. And one thing they all said was important was clubs, and safety. The ones—the 40—that you guys should be talking with, they have no interest in having a conversation with you because they have no faith based on your actions, and we need to change that.
The change that was made for Interagency going into Alan Sugiyama—which was a bad move—these decisions are being made without community, without the engagement that our policies and you as the school board said we must do.
Garfield has done that engagement, but it's being politicized. They've done everything that you said, and now you've made them wait. We need to start listening to the students in this district, and we need to make sure that adults in this district have the tools, the resources, and the knowledge they need for the job they have.
And if they have jobs and they don't have those skills, we need to go out and get those [that do]. Our district leaders are not ones who go to a conference and engage with other districts. Why is that?
So I really want to say, we're saying a whole lot. We've done some engagement. It hasn't been good. The black community has been disrespected in the whole engagement process. But, what I want you to really think about is—what are your intentions? Are they student-centered? Do they have to do with learning? And if they don't, I need you to ask yourself why? Because our kids aren't safe.
The room that I was in with the African-American and African kids—we have failed them career-wise, course-wise, academic wise, and we're not even talking to them. We need to stop being performative and using all the great words because the community doesn't believe your work because your actions do not align. We need alignment in this district that's really, really focused on the kids—and not the adults—for example, what's going on with lunch.
We need to be about safety. We have community partners here that we’re not utilizing. And, I can't say it in this time, but we have so many unsafe situations that have to do with enrollment and environment, and we need to get to the crux of it. And we need to start with our intentions and putting our students first.
Thank you.