Submitted by Lisa Boyd.
Dear Community Members,
As a recently retired principal from local school districts, I am honored to periodically step in as a short-term substitute principal in K-12 schools of all levels. Through these experiences, I’m reminded of the increasing importance of collaborative capacity building that comes from community and family support. The success of our schools and students depends on our combined efforts.
I stand on the shoulders of many educators who have shaped my life. This includes my mother, who devoted over forty years to education. Her contributions positively impacted thousands of lives, and she leaves behind a legacy, with one of the schools in the area being named in her honor. She, along with many other educators whom I’ve learned from over the years, undoubtedly played a major role in any success I achieved during my career.
Reflecting on my journey, I recall teachers who not only nurtured my academic growth but also supported my emotional well-being. Conversely, there were a few who hindered my confidence, prompting me to question my self-worth. Amidst these experiences, one truth remains evident: positive educators and other caring adults wield immense influence over our students who will be our future adults making positive contributions to our communities.
As members of our community, I urge you to consider how you can support educators and schools within our midst. Whether through mentoring, volunteering, or backing initiatives aimed at bolstering our educational institutions and students, your involvement is paramount. Their future hinges on the presence of positive role models who are willing to champion and uplift their endeavors. By engaging with teachers and understanding their needs, we can collectively foster an environment conducive to growth and learning.
I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge a teacher who profoundly impacted my life: Mrs. Olsen, whom I met at Mann Jr. High and Lakes High Schools. Her genuine care and unwavering dedication left an indelible mark on me and hundreds of other students. Through her compassionate and firm guidance, she instilled within us a sense of responsibility, confidence, and respect.
In every school I visit, I encounter teachers like Mrs. Olsen who epitomize dedication and excellence. It falls upon us, as members of the community, parents, and volunteers, to rally behind their efforts. Let us unite with tangible efforts to support our schools, our students, and local programs that inspire our youth to flourish. There is no greater reward than witnessing the transformative power of education unfold before our eyes.
With gratitude and warm regards,
Lisa Boyd – Proud Educator and Student Advocate for Student Success!
We’ve all had teachers that made a difference in our lives. However that’s not where the problem of academic failure lies: it’s systemic. Here’s what the OSPI Spring 2023 Report Card scores represent for Washington State students meeting state standards in English Language Arts (ELA), math and science. This is not just a State problem, it is especially a local district problem despite the best efforts by teachers.
Washington State: ELA 51%, math 39%, science 43%
As poor as this statewide performance is it is eclipsed by that of Clover Park School District
Clover Park School district: ELA 39.4%; math 26.5% and science 32.3%.
Take into consideration how poorly one of CPSD’s high schools performs.
Clover Park High School: ELA 41%, math 9.9% and science 16.6% yet graduation rate of 88.6%!
How can you (board and superintendent) blithely overlook these disastrous academic numbers and while extolling the heroic efforts by teachers within an educational system that broken? Something doesn’t jive and please don’t tell me it’s all about money. We already spend almost $20,000 per student and the job isn’t getting done.
Parents, who are the primary stakeholders in their children’s education, demand alternatives that will deliver to their children what they consider an academic education promoting unity, individualism and equality. Want to do something “for the kids” and teachers? Fix the damn education system!
LakewoodCARES.org
Thank you Lisa! Your words are inspiring and encouraging. Please do not let the negative noise affect your message. It’s an effort to undermine all of us as educators and our public school system. Block it out and move on as we all are doing day in and day out. We are continually attacked by those who have no clue and have never walked in our shoes but pretend to have done so.
I’m curious what you are doing Mr Arbeeny, to help fix the education system, which I agree needs to be improved.
Everyone serves in their own way. Those who spend time as tutors or volunteers at the student level serve in one way and I appreciate that. Those who spend time supporting changes at the systems level also serve and I hope you appreciate that. You’re reading my response to this article is a way I personally and Lakewood Citizens for Accountability, Service and Education (CARES) organizationally serve: it’s part of the E in Education.
Over the last nearly 3 years our Citizens have focused on systemic issues with weekly membership meetings, presentations before the Board, over 160 articles and responses in various media, generated candidates to serve on the Board, over 7500 emails, 168 FOIA requests and queries, analysis and research in a wide range of education related subjects you won’t see anywhere else, support/opposition to proposed legislation affecting education, have a website and presented numerous briefings on education issues. We have demanded Accountability from the District which has been a difficult task: transparency isn’t their strong suit. We do this as Service to our community with our time, dedication and money: it’s a significant investment.
Think about this. If teachers are competent why is the District failing academically? Class size is typically under 17 students with all kinds of technology to make things interesting: so it can’t be class size. $20,000 is spent per student, pretty much the same in schools that succeed and those that fail: so it can’t be the money. Might it be something in the design of the District’s system at the Board, Superintendent, staff and administration that is causing the failure? Has anyone really looked at how this system functions? Or are you going to take the easy way out and blame the students’ race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or parents?
I might ask what have you done to improve the District’s academic performance? You can spend your time with individual teachers and students. CARES aims higher at improving the system in which they have to work. Both services are worthy of respect. Ask yourself what benefit is there to filling your car tires with air if the gas tank is empty? Both have to be addressed before you can go anywhere.
LakewoodCARES
Mr. Arbeeny,
This is interesting. Are you now claiming or implying LakewoodCARES as an organization has made formal presentations to our school board? If so, please give us the dates and subject of those “presentations” so citizens can view them.
Or, did you simply have your CARES members just stand up and give personal comments during the public speaking time at school board meetings using your talking points? If so, when your CARES members stood up to speak, did you make sure they publically stated they represented your political nonprofit? I do not recall speakers wanting to be publically associated with your group. Was that intentionally kept quiet based on your group’s political reputation?
I’m looking at public records that show you had an active hand in crafting what came out of the mouths of board members Paul Wagemann and David Anderson. Are you now saying those were actually Lakewood CARES “presentations” prepared by your organization for them to share? If so, I do not recall Wagemann or Anderson giving you the credit you so want and deserve. The public needs to know this. Please list all of these “presentations” of which you are so proud.
I agree you have been very active in trying to elect school board directors. However, your last candidate, who you personally trained and who listed your home address when registering, actually denied working with you or LakewoodCARES when point blanked asked at a school board meeting. That does not speak well for your organization.
Thank goodness for hundreds of public record requests of documents and all those emails you brag about…a crystal clear paper trail. They tell the real story.