Dive Brief:

• Hoping to untangle a currently complicated and ineffective system, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray wants to develop a new city-based Department of Education and Early Learning.  
• Murray's proposal will be considered as City Council drafts a new budget this month.  
• Currently, decisions on Seattle schools are dictated by different and disparate branches of government — a model that has been somewhat ineffective. Poor communication has reportedly derailed the city's special education program, and Murray points out an increasing achievement gap where only 56% of black students are at reading level, versus 90% of white students.  

Dive Insight:

According to Murray's office, the new department would oversee the city's annual education budget of $48.5 million and require 38 employees, nine of who would fill new positions. In total, the new program would require an additional $68,000 in general-fund revenue and $542,000 in tax revenues.

While this amount of money may be difficult to budget, ultimately the streamlining of currently disparate government agents sounds like a good idea. From The Seattle Times' article on special education in the city, it seems clear that whatever is currently happening is not working. Murray has stressed that his goal is not an attempt to assume mayoral control of the school system. Again, looking at how chaotic the system currently is, this feels believable.  

Adding to Seattle's difficulties is the fact that Washington state does not have a No Child Left Behind waiver. This means the state — and by default, the city — does not have as much autonomy in how federal education dollars are spent. This is probably why the new plan relies so much on tax dollars.  Of the city's $48.5 million budget, $30 million comes from Families and Education Levy funds.