By Pepper Fisher
SEQUIM – The Sequim School District, like many others, is facing a significant budget shortfall of $3.6 million for the next school year. One way to deal with that is a proposal to reconfigure their elementary schools by moving all pre-school through 2nd grade students into Greywolf Elementary School, moving all 3rd grade through 5th graders to Helen Haller Elementary, increasing attendance at Olympic Peninsula Academy, and eliminating K-5 online schooling at Dungeness Virtual School.
On Monday, the Sequim School Board voted to go forward with the plan for the next school year. Some teachers and parents are not happy with that decision.
We asked Sequim Education Association President Saralyn Pozernick about rumors of a teacher walkout. She responded with the following: “At this point Sequim Education Association is not planning a formal walk out but we are filing a demand to bargain the impacts of this decision with Sequim School District. We are disappointed with the 4 school board directors that voted to push the realignment of the elementary schools through next fall. The manner in which this decision was made did not take adequate consideration of community input.”
Lacy Thompson, a parent of three grade school students in Sequim, agrees with that statement. Her beef isn’t that she’ll have to send 3 kids to 3 different schools every morning, possibly with 3 different start times. Thompson thinks eliminating teachers and creating larger class sizes is the wrong place to make cuts.
“The numbers didn’t quite add up. They wanted to lay off like four to six teachers in the elementary school, create bigger class sizes, when our administration, they are making like six figures. And I just didn’t feel that laying off teachers who teach our kids is the right thing to do. I feel like they need to make cuts in the administration level versus the teaching level.”
To be fair, a statement from School Superintendent Regan Nickels says District Office departments are also facing proposed reductions in excess of $1 million. Unsatisfied with those proposed reductions, Thompson has joined hundreds of other parents and teachers on a social media forum called Sequim Community Against Realignment to share ideas, and a few proposals of their own.
“Yes, I’m part of a group on Facebook, Sequim Community Against the Realignment. Last I checked, there were 416 followers on this page, and every, it seems like, 10-15 minutes there’s somebody posting of what they’re doing and how they’re able to help. There’s one parent who’s taking this to the state level, trying to get the state involved. I mean, I’ve heard rumors of a teacher walk out, and I’m 100% for that. I will be there with them. Just, whatever we can do to get the school board to withdraw this approval.”
In her statement, Nickels said the reconfiguration compliments her already-held vision of uniquely designed centers of learning, which she believes will not only lead to positive outcomes for students, but will also save the district between $875,000-$1.2 million.
We’ll present a follow-up story on Friday which will include Board Vice President Patrice Johnston’s reasons for supporting the move to reconfigure the elementary schools.