Submitted by Paul Wagemann.
My name is Paul Wagemann and I am a resident of Clover Park School District. I am writing because I care about our children and grandchildren. The performance of our students has steadily decreased over the years and while I served on this board the needle did not move in a positive direction. Insanity is repeating the same behavior over and over without seeing improved results. We all like to follow and support winners and if we continue to see more losses than wins we tend to lose interest and give up. We as a community need to see change and a plan for improvement. We continue to believe the Pied Pipers lie to give us more money so we will be better. If we withhold tax dollars we will force the district leadership to communicate a plan with measurable goals so we can see improvement in our students’ achievement and performance.
I would like to share three stories:
- In the movie “A Few Good Men”, Tom Cruise played a lawyer defending two young Marines for killing another Marine in a hazing event known as a Code Red. This movie was touching because it touched on doing your duty and the two young Marines’ defense was they were following orders. The verdict was not guilty on two counts but guilty of dereliction of duty and sentenced to dishonorable discharges. The junior Marine asked the senior Marine why since we were just doing our duty? The senior Marine responded that their duty was to take care of our fellow Marine.
- The Boys In The Boat movie shared the story of the 1936 Eight Man crew who won an Olympic Gold Medal in the Berlin Olympics. If you are familiar with history, the United States was still struggling with the great depression and many students were desperately trying to survive and get an education. Coach Ulbrickson was looking for the perfect combination for his 8 man crew. He was looking for young men from depression-wracked towns, mining camps and dairy farms. The movie showed young men wearing shoes with holes in their shoes and they used newspaper in their shoes to help keep their feet dry. He had many who were trying out but he told them I only need 8 men with dedication, perseverance and grit. Overcoming many challenges they finally made it to Germany and won the Olympic Gold Medal.
- In the Gospel of John Chapter 9 we see Jesus and His disciples walking in Jerusalem when one of the disciples asked why the man blind from birth was blind? Was it his parents fault or his fault? Neither, Jesus replied it was so the works of God could be displayed. Then Jesus spit in the dust and made some mud and placed it on the man’s eyes and told him to go to wash in the Pool of Siloam. After washing in the pool the man received his sight. The religious leaders of the time asked the man if Jesus broke the law. The man responded stating that I was blind but now I can see. At this the religious leaders threw the man out of the temple.
I have several questions for the board:
- What is your duty? The state constitution says the paramount duty of the state is to provide a basic education for our children. How will you reassure the citizens and taxpayers this is happening in the Clover Park School District?
- After you read the “Boy’s In The Boat” book or watch the movie please tell me what white privilege is. Are we teaching dedication, perseverance and grit to our children?
This is your mission statement
- All children are performing at or above grade level.
- Everyone is committed to creating unique solutions for student achievement.
- A spirit of collaboration and accountability thrives.
- A culture of district wide pride exists.
Is this happening?
Board Values
- Reputation
- Integrity
- Trust
- Shared Vision
- Love
- Respect
- Courage
- Empowerment
Should you add Dedication, Perseverance, and Grit?
Board Goals
- Student Growth/Student Achievement
- Parent and Community Engagement
- Communication with Stakeholders
- Supportive Learning Environment for Students
- Recruitment, Staff Retention, and Professional Development
- Fiscal Responsibilities
Show me data that these goals are being met.
Are we helping all of our children? The religious leaders walked by the blind man and didn’t do anything to help him. But after he received his sight those same religious leaders wanted him to testify against the healer but when he didn’t they cast him out of the temple. How are we going to treat our children with special needs?
I have several suggestions for the board:
- Hold the Superintendent accountable for improving academic achievement scores. Don’t be fooled by growth potential which is a great tool for evaluating our classroom teachers’ performance. Do you know what growth potential is? If not, find out and use it to improve the district’s academic achievement.
- Hold our State Legislators accountable for funding basic education (including Special Education) as they promised. Some of our Legislators were in our community recently saying we need to find things for our children to do because juvenile crime is increasing. I would suggest we ask the state to help us get our attendance rate up. Students learning in our classes will not be on the streets getting into trouble. When I was in High School I think I missed no more than two days per year. I learned from many teachers that they can’t teach unless the students are in class.
- Review the district policies. David and I made a motion two years ago which passed the board and from my perspective nothing has been accomplished.
- Read Vince Everett Ellison’s book, “25 Lies”. He makes compelling arguments why we should make changes in our educational system.
Mr. Wagemann,
At the January 8, 2024 school board meeting you read this same speech complete with movie and Bible stories, stated that you planned to vote “no” on the upcoming school levy you had already voted to support as a board member, and then just walked out! You did not stay to hear Harrison Prep’s school presentation given by their principal. You know first hand the importance of these school presentation/reports; testing data is presented as are the ways in which it is used to inform instruction. Also presented are specific ways in which individual schools address the very questions you now claim are not being asked or answered. After a decade of voters allowing you a seat on our school board, you have absolutely no excuse for acting so clueless or giving the impression that no one cares about academics. And, you are not the person to be reminding anyone about the ethical conduct expected of a school board member: Trust? Reputation? Integrity? Shared Vision?
Previously, at the November 13, 2023 school board meeting, you were educated in the differences in testing data. Principal Carla Estes of Lochburn attempted to help you understand the difference between a test that measures proficiency (SBA) and a test that measures growth percentile (STAR). We need to look at both measurements, especially in a district that serves a majority of low income students, high mobility of students, and many ELL students. However, you continue to misuse testing data and it is time for you to stop! It is clear that you do not fully comprehend how to read the data graphs or the multiple ways to assess student growth and achievement …or… do you reject what our District’s educational experts have to say and depend only on your own “experts”? It is a fact that your political organization, Lakewood Cares, actually advertises being a “mega brain” collection of experts. If they actively engage in trying to influence our schools, then these educational experts should be known to the public. Who are they? What are their credentials? Are you not the man who demands more transparency from others?
Your statement , “Don’t be fooled by growth potential” is confusing. Care to explain what you are talking about?
I encourage all readers to watch the November 13th school board video from time marker 1:04:45 to 1:15:30. It offers clarity about what tests do and do not tell us about student proficiency and growth; excellent information that helps see the bigger picture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leGPqD3AjCo
Thank you Paul. You are right on!!
I, like you would like to see better results from our students. I differ from you as to the cause. Schools are limited as to how much influence they have on a student’s performance. I am suggesting a given student’s performance is greatly influenced by their parent’s involvement. While overall performance may be lagging, some students still excel. Withholding funds while demanding improvements seems to be an alternate definition of insanity. I wish I knew how to encourage parents to get involved with their students, but I am certain that reducing school funding is not the answer.
Mr. Wagemann,
As stated in John 9
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
I read your Letters from time to time, and I can’t help but feel that you are looking for some kind of forgiveness for being a board member by tearing apart what you helped build.
I find it strange that you jumped sides. I have read, you have gone through hard times. But yourself indulging ridicule seems to go too far. As stated above you walking out on a meeting without hearing the final results, is like teaching your children you do not need to finish a test to pass.
JMHO
No, sometimes you just have to walk out so you don’t drown in the delusion.
This country is in crisis, and it is the past few generations of urban-raised “individuals” who are in charge.
I see more “individuals” in political leadership positions today, who have virtually no other life-accomplishments or greater career option to fall back on.
We need young people with a work ethic and common sense, not an agenda-driven indoctrination.
It doesn’t matter how many graphs and charts and excuses are brought to bear.
What matters is, who is going to keep things running when those who are doing so get too old.
Economics and physics don’t lie, just the “individuals” who manipulate the data.
Paul speaks his truth and is just trying to make things work.
The attackers speak for themselves.
The property owners who pay the taxes to support the Clover Park schools are getting cheated, robbed, screwed. Likewise so are the kids. When I moved to Lakewood in 1971 Clover Park School District was ranked among the best/highest in the nation. Now it is ranked as one of the lowest. We are paying a whale of of a lot of taxes for substandard results. The only winners are people like our superintendent who are paid exorbitant salaries. Our superintendent has a total compensation package of around $300,000.00 per year for very bad results. We are paying a lot of money to people who are not producing winning results. If this was a sports team would we keep a coach who doesn’t lead our team to victory and consistently produce high ranking results? Why do we do it with our kids education team?The school board and the superintendent hide behind expensive studies which can and are skewed to paint whatever picture they want and other malarkey pretending to do their job but in reality it is a pretense. We should focus on the bottom line which is how educated our kids are. Our school district is not producing wining results and that is the bottom line. This is a crisis and people like Cheri Arkell are ignoring it and contributing to it instead of getting back to educational basics and teaching like it appears to me, Paul Wagemann is talking about.
In closing, I think the superintendent should be fired and a winning one found to replace him. Likewise I think the entire school board should be fired, in the interim the district would be run by Martial law until a winning superintendent and a school board made up of people who independently vote for sticking to the basics, aren’t just “yes” people and getting Clover Park School District back to having the highest/best in the nation ratings. The kids, our kids and grandkids and great grandkids’ educational quality should be the focus. The tax payer/voter/parents should demand the the highest quality educational achievements possible. We are paying for this and we should not accept less. I also don’t think the job of Superintendent should be paid should be paid so much money. I think the tax payer can find a better deal.
Mr. Mason,
I do not know you, nor do you know me. However, I can infer that you like to live in the past based on your wish to return to 1971 educational standards. You equate teaching with coaching a sports team where the coach is able to choose which players get to be on his or her team; a deeply flawed comparison. You want to see “winning results” and you base your entire argument on a national ranking of schools; most likely using real estate sites like schooldigger.com that simply use the OSPI test scores out of context. This is the same debunked low-level source Paul Wagemann and John Arbeeny like to use as they claim to be members of an educational “mega brain”. Lakewood Cares has been very active in their political efforts to attack our superintendent and nonpartisan school board members with the same arguments you make. Like them, I will assume you lack any recent history of actually working in our schools as an employee or on a volunteer basis. If I have this wrong, please share the work you have done. The reason this is important is that those who actually work with students and their families are more educated in what our students need in order to achieve. I hold their opinions higher than those who simply spout opinions and/or political rhetoric.
Since you chose to name me as a cause of educational issues, I’d like to correct/challenge a few of your claims and assumptions. I was born and raised in Lakewood. I am a graduate of the Clover Park school system, taught in this school district and sent my child through this system. I currently have a grandchild in this district. If anyone is still comparing the community of Lakewood to what it was in 1971, they are sadly misinformed. The demographic changes impacting all aspects of our community are easy to look up. There would be no excuse for a businessman worried about taxes not know this after all the years you have resided in our community.
I respectfully suggest you do at least minimal research to become better informed. I’m sure you’re a huge advocate of expecting students to “do their homework!” The same can be expected of you.
1. Provide the 1971 academic test results in ELA and Math for Washington school districts in grades 3 to 10 .to show the comparison between our district and others.
2. Provide the 1971 academic test results in ELA and Math for the nation in grades 3 to 10 to show the comparison between our district and the national average.
3. Once you discover that there was no accountability for school districts in the “glory days” of your youth, you can stop pretending there was. Standardized testing was basically used as part of acceptance into college and not done to measure academic proficiency of all students. NCLB (No Child Left Behind) was implemented in 2001 with good intentions, but even colleges are now seeing that it has serious flaws. Employers want smart, well-rounded employees with a strong work ethic and collaboration skills. Students and parents want more pathways to a meaningful diploma that are not based solely on SBA testing.
You claim that only a test score is a valuable indicator of student learning and success.
I believe you might want to volunteer to take the 10th grade SBA in Math and Language Arts in spring and share your experience. Let us all know the rigor involved and how you did. According to you, it should be easy. Then, ask yourself what would be obstacles our population of students may face? Those challenges are exactly why the 10th grade test is used to measure the additional academic help struggling students may need and receive before they graduate. Why do you assume our students are failing? Those state test scores end at 10th grade. Did you know this? Seniors do not take a test in order to graduate! Did you?
4. Research the demographics of unincorporated Lakewood in 1971 with the current demographics based on the latest census. Any resident who has lived in our community since 1971 who thinks these changes have not affected our schools and the issues that seriously impact student learning best not lecture anyone on how our schools should be run. Do you drive through Lakewood and recognize any changes? Have you talked with our police, community centers, health professionals, food banks, and other groups who have a bigger picture of Lakewood than you might have? Do you know about Community in Schools?
5. Volunteer in a school and see what our teachers, administrators and support staff do.. Make sure you sit in the school’s front office and see how the secretary and administrator deal with the reality of today’s complex issues that were never created from inside the school system but that affect every classroom.
6. Do you still use a rotary phone? If not, why not? If you want to roll back time, get rid of the technology you now use and see how that works out for you and your business. Going backwards is not a “winning” strategy in 2024! Name a few other professions that have successfully gone back to 1971 practices. If not, why not?
Mr. Mason, you have stated that every Clover Park school board member should be fired and replaced by military rule. This is a perfect example of the utter nonsense our school board and board members across the country have had to endure. You also want to fire our superintendent because he isn’t “winning” based on your limited understanding of what success looks like. You believe children are nothing more than X’s and O”s on a game plan. Please stick to second guessing football coaches from your sofa if this is all you have to offer.
Those in the trenches helping our students are my heroes!
Cheri; C.P. Class of 1966
Ms Cheri: CARES isn’t the problem. You and other apologists for CPSD’s academic failure are, along with a Superintendent, Board and administration, unwilling to deal with the facts. Rather than “..x’s amd o’s on a game plan” you (and they) seem to see students based upon race, ethnicity, mobility, language deficits, economic status as the reasons CPSD is failing academically. It doesn’t appear there is a coherent effective plan to reverse this trend. Lot’s of “word salad” at these school briefings with little objective evidence of progress past, present or future.
What’s your “expert” source that allegedly debunked “low level” sources such as Schooldigger and many other sources that point out the same academic failure? How is citing OSPI report card statistics “…taken out of context”? You’re starting to sound like the recently disgraced President of Harvard! It’s not about context: it’s about facts that you and others find inconvenient.
Say what you will about 1971 but I’d bet that the students graduating then had a far better grasp of English, math and science that those in CPSD today despite all the new age education concepts and latest tech marvels. You only have to go to OSPI to see the general downward academic trend over the last 10 years.
LakewoodCARES.org
So let’s talk about Harrison Prep’s school presentation on 8 January 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAxs-RRvqg8
The academic graphic slides for ELA and math between 2019 and 2023 show that Harrison Prep’s academic performance fell and hasn’t recovered over that period. Additionally the slides portraying performance vs. growth (2022-2023) show that Harrison Prep is low performance and low growth for ELA and math.
Take a look at the OSPI report card for Harrison Prep: https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/104144
In 2019 69.2% of students met State ELA standards: only 51% did in 2023
In 2019 48.7% of students met State math standards: only 31.8% did in 2023
In 2019 the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) in ELA was 53%: only 25% in 2023
In 2019 the SGP in math was 47%: only 24.1% in 2023.
Note that SGP median of 50% is required just to stay even academically with peer groups. When a school falls as Harrison Prep has in SGP it means that they are falling further and further behind peers academically. Indeed 2023 SGP ratings are NOT “high growth” as deceptively labeled by the OSPI report card but rather “low growth”.
One thing that did catch my eye was the slides on Race/Ethnicity and Characteristics. 72.1% of students are minorities, or as the DEI program likes to claim are “marginalized”. 67.2% are “low income” with sizable populations of military (18.1%), mobile (4.2%) and multilingual (7.8%) students.
Does this not destroy the oft parroted assertion that CPSD’s excuse for failing is the fault of “…low income students, high mobility of students, and many ELL students.”? Yet these same students attend one of the best schools in the district. How is that possible and if possible in Harrison Prep why not all the District’s schools?
Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which is part of the CPSD DEI agenda, attempts among other things to have students learn to take responsibility for their actions. Yet the Board, Superintendent, administration and staff routinely blame students for the race, ethnicity, mobility, language deficits, economic status for the reasons CPSD is failing academically. Perhaps they should take responsibility for their own actions and inactions. It’s the first step in “seeing” reality and making a change in the District.
There are none so blind who will not see.
Mr. Arbeeny,
You just lost your claim of being a “mega brain” by wanting to wager a bet on something on which there is zero possibility of proving. There were no standards in grading or standardized testing until NCLB. Grading was totally subjective and you know it. A teacher could raise or lower grades based on a student’s behavior or whether they liked a student. Teachers were allowed to be flexible in their grading practices and had total control over their lessons and how individual skills would be taught. I had a Spanish teacher who based our final grade on how much our assigned report on Mexico actually weighed! School districts across the country were exposed for inflating grades in order to claim they had a higher level of academic expectations. We had a neighboring district accused of this very thing! You now are willing to “bet” that students in 1971 exited at a higher skill level and with more knowledge than students in 2024. Where is your proof? Perhaps you personally benefited from the inflated grades and like that old system?
You, Wagemann and Anderson got caught fudging on OSPI data. You like to manipulate data to fit your end goal. You actually put out your own fake grading system on campaign fliers in order to get votes during Anderson’s election to the school board. Sadly, you and your fellow CARES members will do anything and say anything to win; even at the expense of your own Lakewood CARES candidates.
Let’s examine how damaging your lack of honesty about our schools is to those who actually still believe your spin about Clover Park being a “failing” district. You advertise yourself as being an expert in helping politically approved candidates win local elections. You personally mentored Noa Bunting and you set him up to fail by telling him to use the “diploma mill” strategy with voters. Poor Bunting trusted you and went out into the public repeating your pure garbage about how our students were receiving unearned diplomas. At a public meeting held in Tillicum, Bunting continued repeating your Lakewood Cares “diploma mill” claim. Your candidate actually thought the SBA state tests were “exit tests” required of 12th grade students and that the scores of 10th grade tests were actually the scores of seniors! This is what you have been selling the public since 2021. Bunting knew nothing about how tests are used to actually create the academic interventions needed for those 10th graders long before they graduate. The audience corrected a very dumbfounded looking Bunting; he owes it all to you and the entire Lakewood Cares club of political extremists who are now pointing fingers at each other as to who in their group is to blame for their political failures. A mirror might help.
How are my OSPI statistics “out of context”? Explain…but you never do. Instead you go on a CARES rampage which has nothing to do with the subject at hand.
You wrote: “I had a Spanish teacher who based our final grade on how much our assigned report on Mexico actually weighed! School districts across the country were exposed for inflating grades in order to claim they had a higher level of academic expectations.”
Just like now in CPSD only now it’s more likely based upon student “diversity” and “cultural competence”.
CPHS students meeting state standards in ELA (41%), math (9.9%) and science (16.6%) with 44.5% regular attendance achieving a 88.6% graduation rate is most definitely a diploma mill.
Compare this with another local school, Peninsula High School with ELA (70%) and math (41%) and science (51%) with 72.6% regular attendance achieving a 93.3% graduation rate. That less than a 5% graduation rate difference.
All OSPI statistics.
Which diploma means more? What school would you send your child to if you had that choice? Why shouldn’t CPSD meet the high expectations and achievement of surrounding districts unless of course you’re going to blame diversity. Yet all I hear from DEI is “diversity is our strength”. So which is it?
I graduated in 1964 from New York City schools so I can attest to the difference in the education I received and that of my children, friends and acquaintances from CPSD. NY was way ahead of Washington when it comes to State testing. The State Regents were given every year in high school (9-12) in English, math, science, history and certain electives. It didn’t matter what your classroom grade was, you only advanced when you passed the regents. If not, that meant summer school or repeat a grade.
We could read, write, do mathematics, progress from earth science, biology, chemistry and physics, knew our history and Constitution, and often were proficient in another language (to include Latin…mine was Spanish). We even could write in cursive and knew the difference between men and women. Our teachers looked and acted like teachers (instead of students) and discipline was enforced.
Ask yourself why employers are reluctant to hire Gen Zers? It has much to do with our current education systems which fail to prepare them for real life. It’s not just book knowledge; it’s about work ethic skills that are not instilled in our schools. Go Google “employers reluctance to hire gen z employees” and educate yourself. Just because it’s new doesn’t make it better.
LakewoodCARES.org
Mr. Arbeeny,
I believe enough evidence has been collected, viewed, shared and documented to support everything I have claimed. I notice that you didn’t touch your failure to prepare a school board candidate with accurate facts and sent him out to repeat your phony “diploma mill” story. It was terrible advice. You own it.
Public records requests from a current sitting school board member and a former board member show exactly how involved you and other people inside and outside Lakewood have been in trying to demean, distort and plot against our school district. All of this is just a game. These legally obtained documents show the inner workings of your organization and how dependent two board members were on you to prepare what came out of their mouths at board meeting; the agendas were sent to you ahead of time. It was your “diploma mill” claim that gave you away when Wagemann simple copied your words.
What has been collected is a stunning account of how desperate people who want political power become and what they will do to get it. Ethics and integrity mean absolutely nothing. The Lakewood citizens who do still care have figured it out. You and the same folks on those emails will be right out there spreading the same baseless claims because of the upcoming levy. You’ve already started with Wagemann leading the charge. Predictable!
“I believe…”: accepting as truth without evidence. More appropriate for a religion than factual discussion.
“…has been collected, viewed, shared and documented to support everything I have claimed.” Yet not once have you dealt with the facts presented just as you haven’t done now. An empty claim. Innuendo, vitriol, emotional outbursts, deflection, pejoratives, transference and projection are poor excuses for a rational discussion.
CARES did not run Noa Bunting’s campaign. He established his own platform and ran his own campaign. His campaign is not the subject of this discussion. Try to stay on track.
Cheri it is apparent that you have way too much invested in your teaching career in a failing school district to let go of it. You and this district’s administration will never be convinced and thus never improve without a critical examination and systemic changes.
LakewoodCARES .org
Mr. Arbeeny,
Keep talking; it has been the gift that keeps on giving as you continue to expose LakewoodCARES’ true purpose. It is not a surprise that your ego is unable to accept that you totally failed to prepare a school board candidate. Isn’t that what you advertise as your specialty?
Please share what wonderful things LakewoodCares has done to support the youth in this community. I believe you have been asked this before and there was just silence. Perhaps you have just been too modest to take claim for the good you do in our community?
When was the last time you volunteered in our schools or mentored students? How many hours of volunteer time have your members put into this community that actually involves helping students? What money has CARES raised and given to our Lakewood organizations that help our students?
With those records requests came names. Do you all just talk politics and how to advance your political agenda? Is this how you spend your meeting time for the good of our community? Is Andy Cilly, the book banning expert from Bonney Lake, still your CARES legislative representative?
Can anyone attend your meetings? Can I come and bring a few Lakewood friends so we can decide if we want to join? Are you still meeting at the Pierce County Republican Office on Bridgeport?
Transparency has to be at the top of your list of organizational values as you demand it of others.
CARES derangement syndrome.
Our schools play a vital role in providing essential education beyond what state funds cover. Withholding funds from schools could have far-reaching consequences, impacting the quality of education and the ability of our educators to excel in their roles. As a long-standing member of the school board, I trust you understand that the students will be the ones most affected if we choose to discontinue our support.
Having served as a Principal for many years, I have witnessed firsthand the unwavering dedication of our teachers, para educators, nurses, librarians, safety and security personnel, coaches, mentors, psychologists, special education providers, bus drivers, and more. These individuals contribute significantly to our students’ holistic development, and withholding our support could have monumental negative consequences.
Additionally, our community’s support extends beyond personnel to critical aspects like technology, curriculum resources, building upgrades, maintenance, and other essentials. These resources are integral to meeting the diverse needs of our students. Depriving our schools of these resources would undoubtedly hinder their ability to provide a well-rounded education.
I encourage you to consider that, above all, students are the focal point of our educational system. While personal disagreements may exist, our commitment to the well-being of our students and the dedicated staff who serve them should take precedence. It is through a united effort that we can ensure our schools continue to thrive, providing a nurturing environment for both learning and personal growth.
As a former board member, you are aware that the district has a board-approved strategic plan and board vision, mission, and goals that it oversees the superintendent in implementing. This includes an annual accountability plan reviewed with the board during the year.