Item Number:  7a_Motion 
Meeting Date:   December 10, 2019 

1                                                   MOTION 2019-15: 
2                                 A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
3 
4                           To  support   the  recommendations  of  the   Maritime
5                           Secondary  Education  Advisory  Group  that  call  for  the
6                           development  of  a  maritime  and  ocean  sciences  high
7                           school. 
8 
9                                                         PROPOSED 
10                                               FEBRUARY 25, 2020 
11 
12                                                 INTRODUCTION 
13 
14    Booming maritime industries in Washington State lack the qualified workers to meet the
15    region's needs and the inclusive work environments to support the industry long-term. The
16    average age of the state's maritime workforce is 54, the majority of whom are white males,
17    owing to structural inequities that have kept women and people of color on the sidelines. 
18 
19    A high percentage of maritime workers in the Puget Sound region will retire in the next ten
20    years. Recruiting young workers to replace them is essential to maintaining a vibrant maritime
21    economy in our region. With competitive pay and benefits and good prospects for long term
22    employment, maritime jobs should be highly coveted. However, many current and future
23    workers are unaware of or lack equitable access to the opportunities in the industry. 
24 
25    In July of 2019, the Port of Seattle entered into a contract for consulting services with Architects
26    of Achievement to create a strategic action plan, to generate stakeholder engagement, and to
27    produce a final case statement encapsulating the findings of that work. The case statement 
28    outlines the consensus of the advisory group formed from key participants. It calls for a public
29    secondary maritime education institution and programs in the Seattle area. This effort was
30    funded by a $150,000 appropriation approved by the Port Commission in 2019. 
31 
32    On February 11, 2020, the final case statement "A Changing Tide," was presented to the Port
33    Commission. 
34 
35                                              TEXT OF THE MOTION 
36 
37    The Commission hereby supports the recommendations of the Maritime Secondary Education
38    Advisory Group that calls for the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high school. 
39    The outcomes were presented to the Commission on February 11, 2020, and outlined in the
40    final case statement titled "A Changing Tide."

Motion 2020-XX: Maritime High School                                                              Page 1 of 2

41 
42    "A Changing Tide" was created by a diverse group of tribal, community, labor, education and
43    industry leaders from the Seattle area and calls for the development of this school to equip
44    students who are furthest from economic opportunity and climate-adaptive, new-economy
45    jobs in the Puget Sound region. 
46 
47    The Port of Seattle shall facilitate efforts to convene regional stakeholders, with an emphasis on 
48    South King County communities and school districts, maritime education non-profit
49    organizations, labor and industry, and aligned government agencies, in pursuit of the mission
50    and vision, and supported by the guiding principles identified in "A Changing Tide." 
51 
52 
53                                     STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION 
54 
55    The case statement recommends the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high
56    school and reflects the interest from the Duwamish Valley youth residents to locate the high
57    school in their community. This recommendation aligns with the Port's Duwamish Valley
58    Community Benefits Commitment Policy Directive. A goal of this policy is to support economic
59    prosperity in place with anti-displacement solutions in the Duwamish Valley Community that 
60    create equitable access to training, jobs, career pathways, and port-related economic
61    opportunities and requires the Port to: 
62 
63         Invest in youth workforce development programs that prepare youth in the community
64            for opportunities in port-related career pathways. 
65         Provide outreach and career building trainings to youth 
66         Identify opportunities for youth to participate in port- related trades and experiential
67            learning activities. 
68         Partner with educational programs that link youth to career connected learning
69            opportunities across all port-related industries. 
70 
71    The Seattle region has created more new wealth than most other metropolitan areas in the
72    country, while area schools offer few educational career pathways into maritime careers and
73    marginalized communities. Students of color make up more than 70% of students in the
74    residential areas, like the Duwamish Valley, closest to many of the region's maritime industries. 
75    Ideally, these populations should enjoy commensurate representation in the Port-related
76    workforce. Support for the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high school along
77    the Duwamish Waterway supports the Ports commitment to the Duwamish Valley Community. 




Motion 2020-XX: Maritime High School                                                              Page 2 of 2