The Olympia School District (OSD) Board held a public hearing about the possible closing of McKenny Elementary School last Thursday, February 29.
More than 100 schoolchildren, parents, and community members attended the five-hour meeting, where the community sang the McKenny Tree Song as a gesture of solidarity, with Principal Michael Havens leading.
Several parents commented on the adverse impacts of closing a community school to the community, especially the children.
Melody, a parent, said that the board doesn’t discuss school closures at board meetings when the 90-day timer is ticking away.
“You are elected officials, and you’re here to represent us. You say that you’re willing to work with us, but your actions were speaking louder than your empty words,” said Melody.
“It's not too late to change your mind and stop the school closures. We're going to remember all of your names if you do close the school,” Melody added. "Negatively, we will not forget what you did to our children.”
Marissa Smith emphasized the importance of holding a hearing and hearing out the students, teachers, staff, parents, and community.
“You are showing us that you value quantity over quality when you use a process that makes community involvement feel like an afterthought or a box to check,” said Smith. “When you ignore the will of the community, our trust in you crumbles.”
One parent referenced the research report by the University of Chicago, which investigated the effects of closing on the academic performance of students.
In May 2013, the Chicago Board of Education reported a $1 billion deficit and mass closed 50 schools— 49 elementary schools and one high school program in an elementary. This resulted in 12,000 displaced students.
It was found that students affected by school closures experienced negative learning effects, long-term negative impacts on their math test scores, and slightly lower and shorter-term effects on reading test scores.
“The reality of this closure decision is significantly more complex than I think you're prepared to admit,” a commenter said. You can't even tell us with certainty where our children will go, let alone what facilities and educational offerings will be available once they get there.
“You seem oblivious to the emotional damage you will need to repair as we move forward,” they added.
The Thurston County Superior Court is set to hold an appeal hearing on Friday, March 8, from 9 to 12 noon, after four parents filed a legal appeal against the board’s alleged illegal action when they started the 90-day public comment period.
The parents believe that the December 14 vote that OSD Director Scott Clifthorne initiated was illegal.
According to RCW 28A.335.020, the school board is supposed to “adopt a policy regarding school closures which provides for citizen involvement before the school district board of directors considers the closure of any school for instructional purposes.”
The policy must also contain a written analysis of the closure effects, and the board shall conduct public hearings for ninety days before a school district's final decision upon any school closure.
Also, the policy adopted shall provide reasonable notice to the residents affected by the proposed school closure.
OSD opened the 90-day public comment on December 14. Before this, the board worked with a Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) called the School Facility Efficiency Review Committee, which worked with demographer Shannon Bingham on possible scenarios to mitigate budget issues.
However, according to OSD For All’s press release for its Solutions Report, CAC members were allegedly keen on not closing any schools.
“During the CAC process, we were presented with 50 school closure scenarios. Repeatedly, we stated that we did not want to close any schools, that we wanted to explore other options such as district reboundary, expense reductions, and alternative options for revenue. Those calls went unanswered,” said Kelcy Shaffer, parent of Jefferson Middle School student and CAC member.
This Thursday, March 7, the board has scheduled a work session and allowed interested individuals to bring up solutions other than closures.
This is an unusual exception the board has made because work sessions typically do not allow public input.
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Southsoundguy
Buy it, take it private.
Thursday, March 7 Report this