Submitted by John Arbeeny.
“The truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth”
When you’re sworn into court you say these words in an oath avowing to be completely honest in your answers. The same should be expected of our public institutions to include school districts. They owe the public “the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth.”
Yet this is not happening in press releases from Clover Park School District. What we are getting are half truths which are tantamount to propaganda to lull the public into complacency, thinking that everything is wonderful and great in the District when it is most decidedly not.
“Half-truth: a statement that conveys only part of the truth, especially one used deliberately in order to deceive someone.”
You’ll see these glowing articles weekly in the Suburban Times about one outstanding student or teacher, a scholarship granted or even a specific school’s special achievement. While well deserved, such commendations are anecdotal and don’t reveal the District’s true condition academically.
For instance, in a recent press release to the Suburban Times (30 April 2022; “Harrison Prep and Lakes Ranked Among Region’s Best Schools” and posted on the District’s website, Harrison Prep and Lakes High Schools were commended for their academic standing.
Certainly good news should be congratulated. However I have some issues with the numbers as compared to the OSPI Report Card and School Digger sites that show different data. The Board and Administration should not be so quick to pat themselves on the back until they, and we as the public, look at the CPSD’s performance across the board.
https://www.schooldigger.com/go/WA/district/01410/search.aspx
For instance Harrison is NOT #8 in the State for high schools. Actually it is #76 out of 455 state high schools: commendable but at the 83.3 percentile. Similarly Lakes is #210 out of 455 for a 55.8 percentile: middle of the pack. Missing is Clover Park High School which comes in at #428 out of 455 for a 5.9 percentile! This is nothing to brag about: the very bottom of all state high schools. Indeed the District itself is at 29 percentile: below the bottom 1/3rd of all school districts! Have you ever seen a CPSD article about this abject failure? No and you won’t. That leaves it up to independent sources to tell the public what the Clover Park School District chooses to ignore.
This is but the tip of the iceberg of academic incompetence. Take a look at Lochburn Middle School: #506 out of 529 state middle schools for 4.3 percentile. Almost unbelievably check out Tyee Park Elementary School at 1091 out of 1107 state elementary schools for 1.4 percentile……98.6 percent of state elementary schools are ranked superior to Tyee Elementary! Other schools have been mired for years in academic mediocrity while other fell precipitously in just 4 years.
That is a disgrace. If this occurred in the private sector the stockholders would have fired the Board and CEO for misfeasance and malfeasance. In the public sector we as the “stakeholders” should consider the same options. The enormous disparities in school performance have to be attributed to a dysfunctional Board, a largely incompetent administration save for those few school administrations who strove for academic success despite COVID and Board and administrative bungling. If those few school administrations managed to be successful then anyone should be able to do it. But that’s not going to happen until Board and administration start acknowledging and defining the problems.
There are many other schools in the District that are in serious trouble academically: high school, middle schools and elementary schools. Unless these schools improve you will find that academic failure merely steps up a grade every year until elementary students today become the middle and high schoolers over the next decade. Think of it as “negative compounding”. Failing Tyee Park students become failing Lockburn students who become failing Clover Park students where upon unbelievably 87% of them graduate.
This is the singular critical problem that Board, Superintendent and administration must take immediate action to address. Nothing else matters! What are you going to do to rescue these schools and their students, our children, from academic oblivion? There are only four months before the next term starts to address the District’s academic failure. I’d recommend the Board meet every week instead of their twice monthly meetings and have but one agenda item for each of these meetings: academic competence. To do anything less is to condemn our students to academic mediocrity as they regress from failing school to failing school and leave the District upon “graduation” unprepared for adult life.
Below is the “truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding the District’s academic performance for the District as a whole and individual high schools, middle schools and elementary schools.
CPSD and school rankings (in order) compared to all Washington State school districts and schools: 2018 and 2021 percentiles, improved or declined
| 2018 | 2021 | ||
| Clover Park School District | 33.2% | 29.3% | Declined |
| High Schools | |||
| Harrison Prep | 91.1% | 83.3% | Declined |
| Lakes | 43.2% | 55.8% | Improved |
| Clover Park | 9.5% | 5.9% | Declined |
| Middle Schools | |||
| Harrison Prep | 66.4% | 70.5% | Improved |
| Dr. Thomas | 36.4% | 35.2% | Declined |
| Hudtloff | 37.8% | 12.5% | Declined |
| Lochburn | 3.2% | 4.3% | Improved |
| Elementary Schools | |||
| Beachwood | 81.8% | 72.7% | Declined |
| Rainier | 62.6% | 65.9% | Improved |
| Meriwether | 49.5% | 62.0% | Improved |
| Oakbrook | 28.8% | 59.8% | Improved |
| Carter Lake | 37.0% | 59.3% | Improved |
| Dower | 21.5% | 35.8% | Improved |
| Idlewild | 45.9% | 35.6% | Declined |
| Hillside | 32.4% | 22.4% | Declined |
| Evergreen | 44.8% | 22.1% | Declined |
| Custer | 5.6% | 18.2% | Improved |
| Lake Louise | 43.3% | 16.4% | Declined |
| Tillicum | 10.0% | 10.3% | Improved |
| Lakeview | 20.9% | 8.3% | Declined |
| Four Heroes | 6.7% | 5.1% | Declined |
| Park Lodge | 10.6% | 2.4% | Declined |
| Tyee Park | 9.7% | 1.4% | Declined |
If CPSD is going to crow about its accomplishments it must honestly and truthfully address its failures. The first step in problem solving is to admit you have a problem. Until the Board, Superintendent and administration recognize they have a problem it will never get fixed. Unfortunately the students in failing elementary schools will wend their way through failing middle and high schools and leave graduation with a diploma that means nothing and a future in doubt as young adults.
We owe them more than that. Our school district owes them more than that.
What the hell is “SchoolDigger”?
It’s a site employed by Zillow,etc. to rate scoops for real estate listings….not to actually evaluate individual schools.
Darn,auto correct,I meant SCHOOLS not scoop !!
The best thing the author of this composition is to possibly run for the school board. And when if they get elected and are walking in the shoes he is critizing about, I would take better notice. It is easy to throw stones at a organization from a keyboard, than actually walk the talk.
Thank you for your service to CPSD. People serve the community in different ways. I was elected to Lakewood City Council and became Deputy Mayor. It’s not a matter of liking to see my name in print. Academic failure in the District is a real issue despite the best of intentions and volunteerism by people like you. But improvement isn’t going to happen when the Board is a rubber stamp, the Superintendent unresponsive and unaccountable, school administrators at a loss for direction, teachers quitting in frustration, parents rising up to assert their role in their child’s education and in the meantime students are dropped at the door step at graduation unprepared for adulthood. It sounds like we both would like to see improvement. You see yours one student at a time while I seek to change the system and affect 12000 children. Both are worthy pursuits.
It is not throwing stones if it’s the truth. You may not like bad news but burying your head in the sand doesn’t make it go away. I’ve been elected to non-partisan office: Lakewood city council and Deputy Mayor. I’ve served my time: have you? Indeed the problems faced by the city council and CP Board are very similar. Simply put, it is elected representatives deferring to the wishes of an employee (city manager or superintendent) rather than the people who elected them. Too often these elected officials identify more with the establishment’s rather than the public’s interest. By the way: I live in Director Pearson’s district and wouldn’t be eligible to run until I’m 78! Time for me to support younger candidates with my knowledge of campaigning and system analyses while I enjoy something of a retirement.
Here is a link to the Washinton Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction:
https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/100047
Individual schools can be accessed once you get into the Clover Park School District.
Don’t kill the messenger because you don’t like the message. There is data on schooldigger that is collated differently than on OPSI report card. But if you don’t think the schooldigger data is bad enough how about OSPI’s data for grade level competence?
CPHS: ELA-20.3% Math-5.4% Science-21.4%
Lochburn: ELA-21.0% Math-8.8% Science-28.3%
Tyee Park: ELA-12.6% Math-10.9% Science-not ranked
How are you with these numbers? If you don’t think this is a problem that needs immediate District attention then you are part of the problem.
The website of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for Washington State ranks state schools by “What percent of students met grade level standards?” The OSPI rankings of the schools mentioned in this article are listed below:
ELA (English & Language Arts): Clover Park High School 20.3 %
Lakes High School 44.2%
Harrison Preparatory School 52.4%
Lochburn Middle School 21.0%
Tyee Park Elementary 12.6%
Math: Clover Park High School 5.4%
Lakes High School 20.8%
Harrison Preparatory School 32.6%
Lochburn Middle School 8.8%
Tyee Park Elementary 10.9%
Science: Clover Park High School 21.4%
Lakes High School 51.8%
Harrison Preparatory School 65.3%
Lochburn Middle School 28.3%
Tyee Park Elementary No entry
School Digger rankings are based on how districts and schools compare to one another in the state . OSPI rankings measure grade level standards in three categories for each school in the state. No matter which rankings are used, each reinforces one another in revealing major concerns to be addressed.
Thank you, John Arbeeny, for telling it as it is with no “spin”.
What we are failing to recognize is that the child (children) has many teachers in life. First of all is the care the child received in the womb. Did mom drink alcohol, take illegal drugs or even smoke? These habits all effected the development of the child. Once born the child’s first teacher is the parents, family (if there is an extended version). Then we proceed to caregivers prior to the time that a child enters school. If this child has extended extra experiences (music,dance,gymnastics,etc), is taken to social events and taught how to behave in different areas of one’s life then the child will have a successful school career. This will only happen if they have parental support from the home. This can be provided by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, guardians etc. The community also plays and important part of a child’s life. Did the child have volunteers in their classrooms? If so was the child allowed to interact with this person? It was either as someone who would read with him/her, talk about the child’s interests, mentor a child in middle school, work as a math tutor, a counselor who would pull children of different groups to work on life skills , and or a principal who takes an interest in helping a child one on one. This list is endless. In other words children need a village to help mold, reinforce, and support the child. Then let’s talk about the love factor in the child’s life. We’re they wanted or not, it shows. All of these factors are just part of the success of the child.
In CPSD we have a superintendent who wants to be here. Most of them move in a few years to bigger,more successful districts. Mr. Banner is an easy person to talk to concerning the children, school problems etc. Is he perfect? Probably not but he has been here doing the best job in a very difficult situation. Most of the time we do not appreciate what he has tried to do for Clover Park Schools. Some of it is state mandated which he has no control. For example when Covid hit the schools closed down. This sent the entire country into a state of shock. Did the district do the very best to serve your child.? Of course they did. Could they monitor the child’s work as if they were in person learning? Of course not. The children that were successful were monitored by someone at home! How many parents could afford this? Or knew how to do this? Very few. Articles were written to the letters of the editors stating that parents couldn’t make their own children do the work. How they admired and appreciated the job that teachers and administrators were doing!! We forget what we have all just been through. Now is not a time to beat up scores, now is the time to say what can be done to help children! The theme in these articles has forgotten that the reason schools exist is for the children!
Don’t blame COVID for failing schools: many were failing before COVID which made things worse for those schools already struggling. Yet we have numerous examples of schools, high, middle and elementary that bucked the trend. Who’s looking at those examples as models for all schools? Not this Board or Superintendent (he largely controls the Board’s agenda). You have the solution to right in front of you! Have the Principles at Harrison, Lakes, Thomas, Beachwood, Rainier, Merewether, Oakbrook, Carter Lake, Dower, Custer ever been assembled before the Board and Superintendent to lay out their recipe for success? Never happened. You want solutions? How about building on their success instead of concealing and making excuses for failure.
“Principals”……spell check did it again.
Those stated above are facts, not excuses! Children are not robots. They come to school with a variety of problems. Teaching, and learning doesn’t take place in isolation. A child is like a sponge that takes in whatever she/she is exposed to. We as educators can’t control their environments but we can help. By beating up the school board every few weeks does no good at all. Let’s help to support them by allowing them to try new and different strategies to help improve these scores. There is no book of right or wrong strategies. They have to be tried over time to see if different results occur. The community has a huge impact on a child’s life. If the community is involved it makes a big difference. I taught for 30 plus years for the Clover Park Schools. After retiring I job shared, gave the state mandated reading tests, substituted, and volunteered for 14 years. The jobs are rewarding, but very exhausting. Long days with a lot of wonderful moments. School Employees don’t get the recognition they deserve! Low test scores is a community problem. Let’s support those that are willing to help improve it with positive words, acts and letters to the editor. Thank you Clover Park School Board!!
Facts perhaps but so are the numbers I’ve shown. So far I haven’t heard a single remark stating that Tyee Park Elementary (or any other under performing school) needs immediate triage to stem the academic bleeding.
Elementary students below grade standard become middle and high school below standard students falling even further behind. This is a systemic problem that even the best intentioned one-on-one tutoring isn’t going to solve.
We can point to any number of things that might be relevant to the current situation but the real question is “what is the District NOW going to do about it?” First the District must admit there is a problem yet you’ll never hear it mentioned in a Board meeting.
You can explain all the potential reasons for an auto accident (weather, darkness, speeding, distraction, asleep at the wheel, etc.) and they may all be facts. However they are also irrelevant at the accident site: the immediate need is to render first aid to the victim. So it is with Tyee Park and other failing schools.
You appear to be a one trick pony John. Enough already. Move on.
Don’t like hearing the truth? I don’t move on until I see some serious change. Aren’t the lives of about 12000 children worth it? Or are you so complacent that all you can come up with is “one trick pony”? I scanned 120+ Board meeting minutes back to 2017 and not once saw anything related to the District’s falling, failing academics. What have you done? This isn’t just a local phenomenon: it’s state and nation wide if you pay attention to the news. The public and parents in particular have taken notice that their children’s schools are failing academically and are increasingly become leftist indoctrination camps. To do nothing is to condemn those children to lives that may be far less than they deserve.
Unlike some people who prefer to see themselves in print, I have preferred to work behind the scenes in the Clover Park Schools over the past 25 years trying to make a difference by volunteering to test students for sight and hearing issues, reading to elementary school students, and being a DECA judge and speaker in DECA classes on how to be successful in business and in life.
My reply to you is above in responses: it was misplaced. Thank you for volunteering.