Vote for change on school board

As parents of Sequim School District students and as a current school psychologist and math teacher in the district, we write this letter to thank Eric Pickens, the only incumbent school board member to vote against the elementary school reconfiguration. When he voted against the reconfiguration, he said he knew the majority of teachers are not on board with the change.

Mr. Pickens is up for reelection right now, but he has no challengers because he understands that it’s his job to represent the community, and thus he isn’t on the primary ballots mailed out today.

Notably, though, all other school board members up for reelection have challengers. We attribute this to their recent decision to reconfigure the elementary schools despite significant public opposition.

Along with many other parents and educators who have spoken against the reconfiguration, we believe this structural change will cause unnecessary turmoil to our community’s children.

School board members have a duty to speak for the people they represent, and we have yet to see evidence that this reconfiguration is what the people want.

Also, we’ve done the math and read the studies, and we see no way the reconfiguration will save money or increase academic achievement.

Please join us in supporting these challengers for school board when you receive your primary ballots this week: Jim Shepherd or John Graham (position 1), Dean Christian or Derek Huntington (position 4), Hunter Gilliam (position 5; note: Sandra Kellso has dropped out of the race).

David Updike and Joe Van de Weghe

Sequim

Support for reconfiguration

I am writing to express my wholehearted support for the recent decision by our esteemed board members to reconfigure our local schools. As a parent of a middle-schooler, a fifth-grader and a kindergartener, I firmly believe that the reconfiguration will have numerous positive outcomes for our community.

True leadership often requires making tough decisions that may initially upset some individuals but ultimately benefit a larger group in the long run. I commend our board members for their courage and vision in prioritizing the well-being and academic success of our students over short-term concerns.

This reconfiguration will create age-specific learning environments, tailored to the unique developmental needs of each group. Younger students will thrive in an environment designed to support their early learning, while older students will have the opportunity to foster independence and develop leadership skills.

By focusing resources and curriculum on specific age ranges, teachers will be better equipped to address the unique challenges and opportunities each group presents.

Additionally, consolidating resources will enhance efficiency and promote better allocation of staff and funding. I believe the reconfiguration will lead to improved collaboration among educators, creating a community of shared expertise and best practices.

I applaud the board members for their bold decision to reconfigure our schools. As a parent, I trust in their leadership and believe that this change will have a profoundly positive impact on our students and community as a whole.

Rachel Anderson

Sequim

New board needed to lead our schools

As a parent and professional who works to help recruit medical providers, I am concerned with the Sequim School Board and district leadership.

We’re facing a national shortage of healthcare workers and more providers are aging out of the workforce. Rural communities have more barriers to overcome than larger cities, much of which is beyond our control. Provider candidates often ask about our schools.

Unfortunately, for several years the Sequim School District has been in a tumultuous state with numerous employee lawsuits against the district. Administrators have been placed on leave, a school board director was accused of misconduct, and superintendents seem to last no more than a year.

Last August, the school board hired a new superintendent with the hope that she would steady the boat and focus on helping students recover from COVID-19. Instead, she introduced a plan to reconfigure our elementary schools, creating unnecessary and unwanted upheaval for students, teachers, and families.

This plan was approved by the board in a matter of weeks, despite overwhelming opposition from parents and teachers.

I’m keenly aware that one of the first things potential candidates will see if they Google “Sequim School District” is that parents are currently fed up with our district leadership. The quality of our schools is a key measure of the quality of our community.

If you want access to competent medical professionals, please vote in the upcoming school board elections. The current board has proven itself inept.

We need a new board that listens to parents and teachers.

Samantha Jacobson

Sequim

School board, decision deserves support

The main job of a school board is to hire and support a superintendent who has a passion for success for all students. The board did this when it hired Regan Nickels, a committed professional with the creativity and the courage to take a hard look at our schools and initiate the needed change.

The idea of re-configuring our elementary schools into one for grades pre K-2 and one for grades 3-5 has been discussed over several years. This configuration allows the district to focus on foundational reading and math skills at the earliest grades to prevent the development of an achievement gap in later grades.

It will also address the inequities that have long existed between Greywolf and Helen Haller and allow the students to grow through the schools as one cohort from kindergarten onward, rather than first being thrown together in the already-emotionally challenging middle school years.

Yes there will be challenges; no doubt, change always sparks resistance.

The easy course would have been to scrap the reconfiguration and go back to business as usual, where Helen Haller Elementary and Sequim Middle School are identified as under-performing schools requiring school improvement plans.

But this superintendent and this board, three of whom are in contested races for re-election — Larry Jeffreys, Maren Halvorsen and Michael Rocha — stayed the course; they chose to get out of the harbor, to face the challenges with courage and take the steps needed to improve the education opportunities for all our students. They have my support.

Jim Stoffer

Sequim

Editor’s note: Jim Stoffer is a former Sequim School board director. — MD

Board ignores parents, evidence in decision

As a nurse working in the ICU, I serve patients with life-threatening health challenges. The professionals I work with make high-stakes decisions, as patients’ treatment plans are designed and implemented.

Our patient care is evidence-based. We use all available scientific information to give patients the best chance of recovery. We never perform an experimental procedure, and in the hospitals that do, it is always done with the patient’s informed consent.

As the parent of two children in Sequim Schools, and coming from this background, I struggle to understand why the school board voted to reconfigure our elementary schools. Initially, the given reason for the reconfiguration was cost-savings, but when it was proved to the public that it wouldn’t save money, the board stated they felt this change would improve student outcomes.

However, the best available research indicates that additional school transitions cause learning loss, while the current configuration creates stronger school-family partnerships and improves children’s sense of security and self-esteem.

School district staff compiled a list of studies on this topic to share with the board and asked the board to drop the plan. Countless families have shared with the board how the reconfiguration will negatively impact their children.

The board has barreled ahead with their plan despite this information.

Imagine if nurses and doctors ignored the science, the patients and their families, and forced patients to receive care they did not want. They would deserve to be fired, which is exactly what should be done to our school board.

Jasmine Charon

Sequim