Motion 2020-XX: Maritime High School Page 1 of 2
MOTION 2019-15:
1
A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
2
3
To support the recommendations of the Maritime
4
Secondary Education Advisory Group that call for the
5
development of a maritime and ocean sciences high
6
school.
7
8
PROPOSED
9
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
10
11
INTRODUCTION
12
13
Booming maritime industries in Washington State lack the qualified workers to meet the
14
region’s needs and the inclusive work environments to support the industry long-term. The
15
average age of the state’s maritime workforce is 54, the majority of whom are white males,
16
owing to structural inequities that have kept women and people of color on the sidelines.
17
18
A high percentage of maritime workers in the Puget Sound region will retire in the next ten
19
years. Recruiting young workers to replace them is essential to maintaining a vibrant maritime
20
economy in our region. With competitive pay and benefits and good prospects for long term
21
employment, maritime jobs should be highly coveted. However, many current and future
22
workers are unaware of or lack equitable access to the opportunities in the industry.
23
24
In July of 2019, the Port of Seattle entered into a contract for consulting services with Architects
25
of Achievement to create a strategic action plan, to generate stakeholder engagement, and to
26
produce a final case statement encapsulating the findings of that work. The case statement
27
outlines the consensus of the advisory group formed from key participants. It calls for a public
28
secondary maritime education institution and programs in the Seattle area. This effort was
29
funded by a $150,000 appropriation approved by the Port Commission in 2019.
30
31
On February 11, 2020, the final case statement “A Changing Tide,” was presented to the Port
32
Commission.
33
34
TEXT OF THE MOTION
35
36
The Commission hereby supports the recommendations of the Maritime Secondary Education
37
Advisory Group that calls for the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high school.
38
The outcomes were presented to the Commission on February 11, 2020, and outlined in the
39
final case statement titled “A Changing Tide.”
40
Item Number: 7a_Motion
Meeting Date: December 10, 2019
Motion 2020-XX: Maritime High School Page 2 of 2
41
“A Changing Tide” was created by a diverse group of tribal, community, labor, education and
42
industry leaders from the Seattle area and calls for the development of this school to equip
43
students who are furthest from economic opportunity and climate-adaptive, new-economy
44
jobs in the Puget Sound region.
45
46
The Port of Seattle shall facilitate efforts to convene regional stakeholders, with an emphasis on
47
South King County communities and school districts, maritime education non-profit
48
organizations, labor and industry, and aligned government agencies, in pursuit of the mission
49
and vision, and supported by the guiding principles identified in “A Changing Tide.”
50
51
52
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION
53
54
The case statement recommends the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high
55
school and reflects the interest from the Duwamish Valley youth residents to locate the high
56
school in their community. This recommendation aligns with the Port’s Duwamish Valley
57
Community Benefits Commitment Policy Directive. A goal of this policy is to support economic
58
prosperity in place with anti-displacement solutions in the Duwamish Valley Community that
59
create equitable access to training, jobs, career pathways, and port-related economic
60
opportunities and requires the Port to:
61
62
• Invest in youth workforce development programs that prepare youth in the community
63
for opportunities in port-related career pathways.
64
• Provide outreach and career building trainings to youth
65
• Identify opportunities for youth to participate in port- related trades and experiential
66
learning activities.
67
• Partner with educational programs that link youth to career connected learning
68
opportunities across all port-related industries.
69
70
The Seattle region has created more new wealth than most other metropolitan areas in the
71
country, while area schools offer few educational career pathways into maritime careers and
72
marginalized communities. Students of color make up more than 70% of students in the
73
residential areas, like the Duwamish Valley, closest to many of the region’s maritime industries.
74
Ideally, these populations should enjoy commensurate representation in the Port-related
75
workforce. Support for the development of a maritime and ocean sciences high school along
76
the Duwamish Waterway supports the Ports commitment to the Duwamish Valley Community.
77
