Pros
Diverse, wonderful students and families; many dedicated long-time staff Proteach and NBCT support for teachers Professional development support for bilingual para educators Family Center is dedicated to serving community, provides excellent support for translation and interpretation for a multitude of languages- very helpful for conferences.
Cons
1. Incompetent, inept building admin (some with no real teaching experience) are “appointed” without interviews. 2. Teachers, even some district leaders, and other staff are fleeing the district– for a multitude of reasons. 3. The formerly friendly, warm staff environment has turned into a backstabby culture of fear and shady HR practices. 4. Despite what the district purports, there was a mass exodus in June 16. More teachers, people of color, and staff left Highline than usual, myself included. 5. The fact that Highline dismisses it as “usual number” shows what little regard they have come to have for teachers and loyal staff. The district has turned from a collegial atmosphere into an culture of fear, bullying, and glitzy brochures under the current superintendent. –Not all teachers did the “anonymous” exit survey out of fear of retaliation. 6. 20+ teachers left Highline High School. It’s not because of facilities. It's due to a lack of ethical leadership. 7. The zero suspension goal is laudable. However, district-wide discipline is chaotic and inconsistent because there is no real restorative justice in many schools. Not all staff get trained in it- and it only really works when everyone is trained and on board. I think some administration are hesitant to suspend for fear of retaliation from district higher-ups.