Concerned Citizens of Bellingham Community Forum

Direct your questions/concerns directly to the “Listening Post” on the BSD Website

2010-01-27T15:48:20-08:00

Please see the following site to make your concerns known. Supposedly, the School Board will receive these emails/postings…although censorship might occur.

https://www.piersystem.com/go/survey/420/968/

Situational versus Sustainable Values

2010-01-27T10:53:25-08:00

This week marks the date of decision: What will the BSD do TO the community of Whatcom Middle School? Will they be willing to renegotiate in order to publicly and actively demonstrate their belief in equality for ALL children in the Bellingham School District—or will they continue to provide soundbites and hand down decisions which actually reinforce the notion that children in the South End of this community are entitled to more and greater privilege than the rest of the populace [read “vulgarians” if you are into Aristotle]?

In the NYT online, January 27th, Thomas Friedman nails the dilemma we are now facing within the Bellingham School District: “Dov Seidman, the C.E.O. of LRN, which helps companies build ethical cultures, likes to talk about two kinds of values: “situational values” and “sustainable values.” Leaders, companies or individuals guided by situational values do whatever the situation will allow, no matter the wider interests of their communities. A banker who writes a mortgage for someone he knows can’t make the payments over time is acting on situational values, saying: “I’ll be gone when the bill comes due.”

People inspired by sustainable values act just the opposite, saying: “I will never be gone. I will always be here. Therefore, I must behave in ways that sustain — my employees, my customers, my suppliers, my environment, my country and my future generations.” Lately, we’ve seen an explosion of situational thinking.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/opinion/27friedman.html

I would have to agree: Thank you Tom for once again spelling out this unethical phenomenon! What we have seen since November 5th, as performed by the BSD Central Office and the Bellingham School Board, are prime examples of Situational Values. Their rhetoric continually reinforces their notions that they can and will “do whatever the situation will allow, no matter the wider interests of their communities.”

But one does wonder: At what cost? Maybe our board members and Sherri Brown are banking on “I’ll [we’ll] be gone when the [REAL] bill[s] come due.” For don’t doubt for a minute that when you treat people with total disregard, when you insist that one sector of the population is somehow more deserving of having their ideals enacted—and at the expense of many others—there will be reverberations for years/decades to come. When people are able to vote with their pencils and their feet, those very real and authentic perceptions of hurt, anger, and distrust will be made known/evident at every opportunity. Be prepared for the blowback these decisions have instigated.

And for those who think: “This really doesn’t affect me”, beware. When Lowell Elementary reopens for under 200 students in the fall of 2010, look at the resultant costs. An initial price tag of .5 million dollars, a loss/rift of up to 30 teachers, increased class sizes, reduced resources, loss of program, and teachers who are already stretched to their seams…perhaps then, the thought: “This really doesn’t affect me” might ring hollow. If WMS is never rebuilt—and please don’t swallow the kool-aid of “We will relentlessly pursue the rebuilding of WMS”—watch the property values in your neighborhoods collapse.

This isn’t just about the redistribution of a few [if you can call 600 few] students; it is about a deeply divided sense of values and ethics.

And the rippling effect of this decision will be known for years to come.

Perhaps we need to SERIOUSLY re-examine what community really means. Maybe the South End of Bellingham needs to secede from the larger Bellingham community…and find their own way to pay for their kid’s privileges. And not on the backs of the rest of us.

What Happens Next? Contrary To How We Are Being Managed, We DO Have Agency

2010-01-13T12:04:21-08:00

Throughout this whole process, I have received an education in how a school board and school district administration can choose to interact with those they are elected and hired to represent. And perhaps my assumption that those that are leaders in our schools, district, and community would act with transparency, inclusivity, etc. before pushing and making decisions that impact all of us, perhaps that is my fault. But I have had to question whether they do actually represent their stakeholder’s interests and needs in action, and not just their “interpretations” or “understandings” (read personal agendas) as to what constitutes the community’s “best” interest.

I am NOT saying or claiming to know “the right way” to “manage” a district or objectively make decisions that impact huge numbers of people. However, I do know that as a member of this community, the way this situation has been handled does not sit right with me. I believe that there can and should be equitable collaboration and communication between parents/students, district officials, and school board members. Aren’t these the types of relationships and interactions we look for one-on-one with our student’s teachers and individual schools’ administration and staff? Why then, would we accept something different from others with more influence and power?

What is the answer? I don’t know. I do know, though, that in the hiring of a new superintendent, and in the face of the challenges that our community and district will face due to budget issues, etc., we as community members have an opportunity. Though this situation, regrettably, has not represented, included, or accessed the wealth of resources that our community has (people, ideas/options, funds, support, etc.), I do believe that we have an opportunity to insist that our opinions count and should be reflected in district decisions. Because bottom line, those decisions affect OUR CHILDREN.

If schools exist to meet the needs of their students, shouldn’t that responsibility and right extend to all students, in all schools? My child shouldn’t be forced to “be adaptable” when the very situation that created that supposed need to be adaptable was outside of their control, their teachers’ control, their administrations’ control, and their school’s control. Where are the stories about what our children are feeling and experiencing—because those do have value and should be acknowledged. This tragedy is NOT something to put behind us, it is a part of all of us now—it is a part of my child’s experiences and identity—and that should mean something.

Again, I don’t have an answer. But I have to believe that a district/board members should remember that they represent and impact the lives of actual people. We are not, our students, teachers, and administration are not faceless numbers meant to help balance a budget.

Total Assimlation of WMS is Assimilation by ALL accounts, descriptions, and “choices”

2010-01-11T19:54:16-08:00

According to the new survey [which is posted for only 1 week and allows no space for the public to contribute to the most important option—the lease of an off-site space—as admitted by the BSD], the WMS staff and students are on a slippery path for total assimilation. Although the latest BSD survey claims that WMS staff and students will be relocated in teams, Sherri Brown has emphatically stated that these students will not function as WMS—but rather, they will be absorbed and administrated by the buildings they are embedded in. Also, it is important to note that all middle schools use teams—thus, the language or rhetoric of this “survey” promises the dissolution of the WMS teams. Who they will be teamed with, what they will be teaching, who they will be teaching, is deliberately not stated or promised. There is also no language or guarantee or promise that WMS staff will be teaching what they currently teach.

Here is a key lie embedded within the rhetoric of this new survey: “The district will not consider any option that costs the district money”—however, assimilation costs [transportation, portables [at the tune of $30,000-50,000 PER PORTABLE], new materials, new technology, furniture, etc. WILL COST MONEY!!! What the district is really saying is this: We want to SAVE money by dissolving WMS. The emphasis is placed on cost—but NO WHERE DOES THE BSD TALK ABOUT THE SAVINGS THEY WILL INCUR BY ASSIMILATION. WHERE ARE THOSE FIGURES??!

We must remember: Parents have been told to their faces by Sherri Brown that they do not possess the knowledge necessary to contribute to the decisions that will affect their children’s lives for the next 2-3 year—thus, they are not allowed at the table for critical discussions and decisions.

What might the “options” look like had the parents been allowed at the table? For one, the parents STRONGLY support another option that would embed WMS staff/students/administrators in two schools in relatively close proximity—such as Happy Valley and Fairhaven Middle School; however, Sherri Brown REFUSES to pursue such an option. The inevitable question is: WHY NOT? And why is Lowell Elementary being reopened at .5+ million dollars in spite of the dire economic forecast painted by the BSD?

The message is clear: South end children [less than 200] are more important and valuable that those who attend WMS [nearly 600]. The needs of an entire community of people INCLUDING CHILDREN who are writing weekly about their experience and loss, are being completely dismissed and disregarded. If this “process” were truly a process, then wouldn’t there be an articulated commitment to meet as many of the WMS needs as is reasonable? Without question: “Options” 2 and 3 DECIMATE the community and culture of WMS.

Explain how sending 8th graders to high school preserves their developmental RIGHTS that we will afford to every other eighth grader in our district? [At some point, the realities of embedding 8th graders in high schools—including electives and various courses have to be squarely named. For example: there is NO WAY most folks want their 8th grade daughters mixing with high school guys!] Explain how keeping 6th graders at a grade school acknowledges the distinct and important psychological, emotional, and physical, shifts that are the very reason we place them in a middle school, in the first place?

THESE “OPTIONS” ARE A TRAVESTY FOR THE FAMILIES/STUDENTS/TEACHERS, AND MAKE A MOCKERY OF SUPPOSED “EXPERTS” IN EDUCATION. Experts in the 21st century believe in collaborative decision-making; and experts crave the input and support of those they represent.

The Bellingham School Board needs to hear from this community. What a shame if many of these parents pull their kids out of the BSD because of the disenfranchisement they’ve been treated to. What kind of financial problems will we have then?

Upcoming January 2010 BSD Board Meetings

2010-01-07T22:28:59-08:00

Upcoming BSD School Board Meetings: January 14th and January 28th, 2010

It seems that due to fast-approaching deadlines for decisions concerning Whatcom Middle School [deadlines acting Superintendent Sheri Brown has instituted], that the time for the larger Bellingham community to once again attempt to provide input, is SOON.

Despite repeated [and respectful] requests to be included at the decision-making and discussion table, parents and community members continue to be shut out. The Bellingham Herald has repeatedly stated that a few members of the WMS community will be allowed at the table; however, the articles/blogs also state that the BSD Central Office Administration will also be present. This begs the question: How many folks representing WMS are at the table—and how many “others” are at the table? Why might this be significant? Because if the token WMS representatives allowed at the table are simply present to appease the masses, how much influence are these folks likely to have ? As has been mentioned before, this shut-out of folks most directly affected by the impending decisions, is in direct opposition to the BSD’s strategic plan which clearly articulates the value of diverse and inclusive input from families and the larger Bellingham community.

This question still needs an answer: Why are ALL stakeholders not represented at the table?

One answer that the Bellingham Herald provides are claims that the decisions now to be made are so technical, that people not in educational circles are not capable of participating in said discussions. Curiously, there are large numbers of educators, as well as other knowledgeable professionals, within the WMS parent ranks. According to the Bellingham Herald and the BSD website, a few options, culled from the District survey and further reduced by these closed room discussions, are soon to be presented to the residents of Bellingham, for limited view and input. A final 2-year decision for the WMS students, families, and community, is scheduled to be nailed out/decided by the end of January.

Unfortunately, as the generation and selection of said options is limited to the few folks allowed into the room for the deliberation of WMS’s future, the only apparent opportunity for input are now the two January School Board meetings.

Critical questions need to be asked and answered SOON: 1) What exactly is the insurance payout amount—and where is it coming from? According to insurance representatives within the Bellingham community, standard practice would indicate that the BSD’s insurance coverage will initially shell out funds—and the BSD’s insurance company will in turn use litigation to recover their monies from any parties deemed responsible for the fire.

In other words: The amount or figures of coverage are available.

And as we are talking about public funds, this information qualifies for all public disclosure requirements. As taxpayers, we have the right and responsibility to ask for and receive full and accurate financial information. 2) If off-site locations for housing WMS for two years are to be thoughtfully and intelligently considered, figures for all costs need to be carefully calculated and made public as well. For anyone running budgets of businesses or even households, we all understand that you do not attempt to make financial decisions without thorough, accurate, and current financial figures/estimates. Further, if assimilation or ‘embedding’ WMS students is to be considered, the money necessary to do so needs to also be carefully examined and articulated. The assumption that assimilation [and all attendant costs of portables, utilities, transportation, extra facilities costs, etc.] will ‘automatically’ be cheaper than some of the off-site options [or non-existent, if some promoters are to be believed]—may well be an erroneous assumption. With competent and dedicated accountants and lawyers within in the WMS parent group, surely this information can be verified and substantiated—if made public as law supports.

The message: The hope is that the BSD and attendant representatives utilize the rich and valuable resources represented by this school population. Please let us remember that we need to encourage and cultivate public confidence in our elected and public-servant/service representatives. This process can be successful and community-building—versus divisive and damaging—if both sides simply remember to treat one another with the respect and trust that ought to be the starting point of any [high-stakes] negotiation. Missteps can be costly for years to come.

If it truly takes a village to raise a child—then let us acknowledge the villagers.

Our children are our greatest resource. Surely, they ALL deserve the best that we can collectively and creatively provide.

The Bellingham School District’s Charge to Family and Community

2009-12-28T11:25:51-08:00

Bellingham School District Strategic Plan includes the following:

Goal 3: Engage families and community in student learning.

Vision of Success: The Bellingham School District collaborates with community members and all families to build mutually supportive home and school cultures that enhance each student’s achievement.

Target Objective 1: Develop strategies for authentic family engagement and joint accountability that result in successful and complementary learning at home and at school.

Target Objective 2: Keep parents/guardians continuously engaged so each student experiences a successful transition from elementary to middle to high school and beyond.

Target Objective 3: Create structures to support families and students whose primary language is not English.

Target Objective 4: Provide a variety of opportunities for every family to access and use current and accurate student data.

Target Objective 5: Build community partnerships to raise adequate resources to support high achievement of all students.

Target Objective 6: Create partnerships with community members to support students in meeting the graduation requirement of completing a culminating project

http://www.bham.wednet.edu/district/strategic-engage.htm

It is interesting to look at the terms and phrases embedded in this BSD charge: Engage parents and community, provide opportunities for parental and community involvement, provide access, build/create partnerships with community members and families, to name but a few.

Considering the fact that the current BSD [Bellingham School District] strategic plan names and actively publishes this key charge [1 of only 3] as a mechanism to guide all decision-making, the Bellingham community really must ask the question: Why are there not parents or community members at the decision-making table for the future of Whatcom Middle School—and to represent the potential impact of the WMS situation on every other school system within the BSD? The 2-year WMS plan and decision-making meeting(s) are to be held in the week of January 4th-8th at the Roeder Bldg. Who determined the stake-holders—and why are the families and the community not at the table when our district website clearly articulates the value and importance of parental and community input?

In other words: Despite repeated requests, WHO is deliberately shutting/shooing the parents and community members out of the dialogue—and importantly, WHY?

When is the Bellingham School Board and the District office going to stand up for the vital premises they claim to uphold and promote? When are we going to bring ALL stake-holders to the table, even if it requires greater and potentially longer dialogue and engagement? If the BSD were to use their own “Vision of Success” as a guiding principal, who knows what we might collectively create?

Vision of Success: The Bellingham School District collaborates with community members and ALL [emphasis added] families to build mutually supportive home and school cultures that enhance each student’s achievement.

Lets hope that this is not another case of “do what I say…and not as I do.” Its time for the BSD community to sync their words AND their actions.

Issues of Representation

2009-12-20T12:45:09-08:00

The amazing thing about a tragedy such as WMS burning, is that such circumstances can actually bring to light many things that are positive aspects of community—and conversely, bring to light things that may need re-examining.

One thing that may need closer examination and might initiate present and future talks is the issue of clear and equal representation.

Many folks in the greater Bellingham area erroneously assumed that the Bellingham School Board has current members representing the multiple neighborhoods of our school system. For example, in most school districts, the board must have members from distinct areas of a community. Within Bellingham, this might look something like a representative from the north end, another person from mid-town, another from Sudden Valley or the Whatcom lake area, another from the south end, and perhaps a member at large. As well, if a member resigns, a new member from that specific boundary area must be found.

Instead, we have discovered that the majority of our school board resides in the south end of Bellingham.

What does this mean? Well, for one, our present school board is most familiar with the area they live in. And if many of them live in the same area, their collective knowledge is fairly specific—and perhaps fairly limited.

For another, the very pathways these members tread, does not include equal representation of neighborhood walks, forums, and associations. How can a member of the south end really understand the neighborhood concerns of areas they rarely spend time in—and make decisions for real people that they do not even know, even in a limited capacity? As we all know, it is often through neighborhood associations that citizens get to know one another, share information, and truly understand the demographics, concerns, challenges, and unique aspects of a given area. As we currently see, our school board is then dependent on being fed ‘information’ about parent groups, community groups, teacher groups, student groups, etc. Which of course begs the question: Where do they get their information?

The “adopt a school” routine is nice in theory; however, rarely do the school board members [if ever?] purposely call meetings where they actively solicit information from various community neighborhoods/groups. Face to face contact is limited or non-existent is many cases. As Lowell has so eloquently expressed, their desire for a community school is based on the very pathways their parents and children tread. And as we can all certainly understand, this is true not only for the Lowell community, but for ALL schools which lie in our boundary areas. [By the way, the misinformation about Lowell being a school that children only walk to is wrong. They in fact do bus children to Lowell elementary—and they deal with the challenges that were raised by supporters of WMS perhaps utilizing the site, by having students get on the busses on one block-and get off the busses on another block—all within easy distance of the actual school].

As decisions are being made not only for WMS, but for all schools that may be impacted by these decisions, we must ask the question: How much accurate information does the school board really have—and where are they getting it from?

In such extraordinary times/circumstances, it might be wise to initiate small ‘town-hall type gatherings’ where school board members who do not live in the affected areas, purposefully sit down with real people and listen to real conversations. They might find out such things like: the number of college professors, practicing k-12 teachers, and the many current stay-at-home moms holding teaching certs within the Columbia neighborhood is unbelievably large. It might even be the largest concentration of educators within the city of Bellingham. This says nothing of the independent business owners, doctors, lawyers, and other professional people married to or associated with these educators. It is not that the Columbia neighborhood is somehow special and different; but rather, this example is being used to illustrate the particular demographics of just ONE area of Bellingham.

Why might this be important? Because when decisions are being made for people who are largely invisible, and the decision-makers are operating on assumptions, misinformation, rumor, speculation, etc., true harm may ensue. Our elected and “representative” leaders have an obligation to gather information as close to the source as possible. When special meetings are being called within neighborhoods to deal with questions/concerns concerning various schools within the BSD, it stands to reason that some member of our school board should be present.

Perhaps it is time to review our school board selection/election processes, and ensure in the future that our school board truly represents the diversity and wholeness of the entire BSD.

Issues of Budget, Finance, Resource, and ongoing Donations for WMS

2009-12-16T12:02:45-08:00

In a time of budget talks, it seems important that a few things are brought forth for public examination and understanding. Perhaps it is best presented in terms of questions/comments:

1) As WMS students are now embedded in 3 existing schools, who is receiving the FTE for these students? It would stand to reason that the host schools are [or will be] the recipients of [some portion of] these monies. Therefore, although WMS students are guests in their host schools, they are in fact paying their way, in some fashion or another [e.g. new technology, books, furniture, etc]. As negotiations for replacement materials for WMS students and faculty continue to play out for the rest of this school year, it is important to remember that if WMS is to reopen in the future, materials that are purchased for WMS need to be clearly identified as such. Otherwise, when the decision to reopen WMS returns to the table, talks of the expenses to re-outfit a new building need to reflect the materials and resources ALREADY purchased or embedded within current host schools. In other words, to imply that ALL things will necessarily have to be purchased would not be entirely accurate.

2) In light of this idea, it seems it would be wise for the BSD to keep highly accurate records beginning now and extending to the reopening of WMS, of donated monies, supplies, purchased items from insurance monies, etc., in order to facilitate transparent and accurate dissemination of information and resource. The reason this issue is being raised is that community folks and businesses who have donated money or items are beginning to ask questions as to who and where these items are being given. If for example, people buy books or supplies to replace teacher classroom collections, they expect to see/hear that their donations have found their intended homes.

Without question, these extraordinary times are challenging. But if plans to integrate and assimilate are already being acted upon in terms of money and resource [e.g. resource is already being embedded in some host schools], the discussions get murky really fast. If this situation was facing any other school in the district, surely they would have similar concerns. It is not only about identity, but as has been demonstrated in recent talks, it is about resource. WMS represents resource in many ways: student FTE, allocations for improved technology/curriculum, professional development funds, talented staff and resource folks, to name a few. The challenge is how to respectfully ensure that the host schools receive their fair due—but that ultimately, the resources represented by WMS are cataloged or kept track of in such a way so as to be transferred to a new WMS at a future date.

Again, if a task-force of stakeholders can commence soon, many of these sticky issues can be understood and explained to the larger community in tangible ways. Issues of resource in such challenging economic times will continue to be an issue of discussion and concern; transparency is critical for public confidence and understanding.

WMS as a budget balancer for the Bellingham School District

2009-12-15T11:22:04-08:00

http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/schools/?p=750

I already posted this notification from Kira Cox’s blog but upon reading the recent postings in the comments section, I thought I’d bring it to people’s attention again.

Provide your input to the Bellingham School District

2009-12-14T20:40:00-08:00

1. Send your comments and concerns to the Bellingham School District Board of Directors
2. 2010-11 Budget Savings Ideas Survey
3. Join a School District Committee or Task Force
4. Serve on the 2010-11 Bellingham School District Budget Advisory Committee

If you have any more links for new school district surveys, task forces, etc. please post them here.