Lakewood United announcement.
The public is invited to join us on Thursday, May 4th at 6:00 pm at Pierce College, Fort Steilacoom Campus, Olympic Bldg., Room 102.
Guest Speaker: Julie A Manley White Ph.D., Chancellor and CEO of Pierce College District
According to a recent economic impact study, each year Washington’s community and technical colleges, their students and their former students add $20.5 billion to the state’s economy. This translates into 321,549 jobs. Julie A. Manley White believes community colleges change lives. White is proud to advocate locally, statewide and nationally for resources and partnerships to support students and employees. Join us as we learn more about Pierce College and the positive impact it has on our community.
Lakewood United would like to thank our most recent presenter, Mr. Ron Banner, who serves as the Superintendent of the Clover Park School District which serves nearly 12,800 students and their families. Lakewood United members and community members in attendance were proud to hear about the quality initiatives that are taking place in the school district. Mr. Banner encouraged us to get involved by becoming District Ambassadors as we:
- Help tell the positive district story.
- Help build community as a way to build positive relationships and trust.
- Promote CPSD Pride by celebrating the hard work taking place in our local schools.
- Come together to serve our community in a variety of ways to support students.
Again thank you Mr. Banner! Your commitment to our community and the Clover Park School District is greatly appreciated.
Lakewood United News and Meeting Dates
- All meeting and events will also be on Zoom. Please email your request to: LakewoodUnited@gmail.com and a link will be sent to you. Zoom will be muted to all. Use “chat box” to talk.
- We have a new website so check it out! LakewoodUnited.org
- Evening meetings will be at Pierce College on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month starting in May. Morning meetings will be at Burs Restaurant on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. More information is coming.
- Signing-up for a yearly Membership in Lakewood United allows us to keep providing relevant information to our community. Please go to our website to join.
- Lakewood United’s 2023 Board “Thanks You” for your support!
I’m not sure that “Lakewood United members and community members in attendance were proud to hear about the quality initiatives that are taking place in the school district,” as the author hasn’t backed up that claim. It will be interesting to read the comments on the article.
I attended the meeting via Zoom, but there was no audio during Banner’s presentation, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of the author’s claim that Banner encouraged the community to do any of the actions listed. However, I DO encourage the community to:
* Tell positive stories celebrating whatever family-supportive hard work takes place in Clover Park schools. I encourage community members to publish such stories in local media such as The Suburban Times and The Tacoma News Tribune.
* Come together to build positive relationships and to serve our community in a variety of ways, including volunteering in community service organizations such as Caring for Kids and Lakewood’s Emergency Food Network and Litter Free 253.
As the President of Lakewood United, I can attest that Lakewood United members and community members present shared that they were proud to hear about initiatives happening in the district as they spoke with me about it directly. I also have been afforded the incredible opportunity to work first-hand with dedicated professionals from each building who are working hard to make a positive impact through many of the initiatives that were highlighted in the presentation.
I apologize for the technical difficulties experienced at our last meeting. Our team has put energy into making the adjustments to try to alleviate the problem for future meetings.
Thank you,
Lisa Boyd
Thank you, Ms. Boyd, for attending to the quality of virtual attendance.
CPSD doesn’t need more cheerleaders. Rather it requires more critical thinkers. Banner’s visit is public relations substituting for community engagement. In the mean time the District’s academics and discipline continue to decline. A recent poll on CPSD budget priorities confirmed this. Certainly praise success, even if it is anecdotal but don’t overlook the District’s problems which are many. Here an example of where our schools are academically:
Four categories of schools since 2016 percentile ranking:
Gained rank: Beachwood 74%, Carter Lake 68%, Merriwether 73%, Rainier 65%
Lost rank: Lakes 47%, Harrison 71%, Thomas 30%, Custer 24%, Hillside 30%, Idlewild 38%, Lake Louise 28%, Oakbrook 29%
Significant rank loss: Hudtloff 8%, Dower 20%, Evergreen 20%
Habitually low rank: CPHS 3%, Lochburn 2% Four Heroes 6%, Lakeview 16%, Park Lodge 6%, Tilllicum 7% Tyee Park 6%
This nothing to celebrate. Out of 22 schools only 5 are above average (50%+)? “Hard work” only has value relative to results in any system. A drowning person struggles mightily to survive but to what end? I am not criticizing staff. teachers, parents and students who do work hard but on a system that is not using that heroic effort to achieve results. Without a critical look at CPSD’s system design all that effort will have been wasted.