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Port Townsend, Washington

February 10, 2020

Dear Commissioners,

The aspiration to create a maritime high school in Seattle is as inspired and
necessary as it is timely. The need to inspire and recruit the next generation of
maritime workers is well documented and longstanding, but now with the Port of
Seattle acting as a catalyst, community organizations in place to mobilize a host
community, and the Northwest Maritime Center ready to lend its experience molding
the powerful experiences of the sea into public schools, it appears we might have the
critical mass of relationships, experience, public support, and chutzpah to malco it
happen.
Headquartered in Port Townsendbut with a satellite office in SAottfe, the Northwest
Maritime Center has been quietly breaking trail on school-based maritime learning in
our region for decades. For over 30 years we have been augmenting school
curriculum with maritime education, and for the past seven years we acted as
thought leaders and fundraisers to help our school district systemically re-tool and
create the nation's first place-based, maritime-themed K-12 system that makes
maritime-themed learning the organizing principle of the entire district; from
teaching students to swim in kindergarten, to immersive experiences in marine
science in middles school, to the state's first high school CTE program for Vessel
Operations. This year we added a half-day, maritime skills center that serves youth
from multiple districts and gives them the training, skills, certifications, and
connections to get their first job at sea or continue their training at community
college, state maritime academy, formal apprenticeship,job corps, etc
The results of our work are compelling. Student learning has improved district-wide,
and our test scores reflect that The effort has had a positive effect on recruiting
talented teachers and administrators, and enrollment has increased as families'
increased confidence in the public schools have led to them switching back from
private schools. The community has increased faith in the schools, and, following the
three failed attempts at a school levy that preceded this initiative, our last levy
passed with 73% of the voters in favor-highest in the state that year. Our community
is similarly batter informed about tho maritime industry, and last fall tho Port of Port
Townsand became the first port In tho state to pass a voter-approved Industrial
Development District. Thero wero many factors to that victory, but engaging students
who Informed their voting parents of tho importance of Port facilities certainly ployed
a role.
And yes, recruitment into the industry has gone up. This inaugural class of tho skills
centerprogram has 70% of its students indicating a desire to pursue a maritime
career after graduation.
Tho reason this has been successful is a courageous school district and willing nonprofit
partners. The Northwest Maritime Center was the catalyst and fundraiser for
the effort, and now there is a constellation of water-related non-profits that are
actively contributing to both the direct student experience as well as the feeder
programsthat drive enrollment.
With programs and events that stretch from Tacoma to Ketchikan, the Northwest
Maritime Center is a regionally serving organization, and we are ready to play a role
in translating the success we've created in our Port Townsend 'test lab" for the
students of King County. Thank you for your courage and vision in moving this
forward.

Sincerely,


ie
Executive Director



NORTHWEST MARITIMECENTER
431 Water Street, Port Townsend. WA 98)68
nwmant,me.org 1360 )85 3628