Submitted by John Arbeeny.
Lakewood CARES is providing an academic-based response to schools highlighted in the Clover Park School District (CPSD) “#SuperSchoolShoutOut“articles in The Suburban Times. This is data you will not find elsewhere in CPSD community relations pieces, School Board meeting agendas or monthly “Inside Schools”. This week’s CPSD “beaming with pride” article covers Park Lodge Elementary which was featured in a Suburban Times article on 21 December 2024:
This CPSD article is devoid of any actual academic related information. Can you tell by reading it how things are academically at Park Lodge? No, I didn’t think so. While I commend reading interventionist Cassandra Bieker and fifth grader Erick Alcantara for their efforts, particularly in reading, this CPSD community relations article is anecdotal at best and deceptive at worst. Don’t be fooled by what you see in these CPSD articles; be wary of what you don’t see. CPSD puts out these articles in an effort to control parents and tax payers who would revolt if they knew the truth. Everything is not wonderful academically district wide and certainly not at Park Lodge but perhaps there is some hope.
Park Lodge’s statewide academic ranking is 7.9 percentile; 92.1 % of Washington’s elementary schools outperform Park Lodge academically. Park Lodge is ranked in 14th place academically out of 16 CPSD elementary schools. Only Tyee Park Elementary (#16 at 5.1 percentile) and Lakeview Hope Academy (#15 at 6.2 percentile) are ranked lower than Park Lodge. Compare Park Lodge’s academic ranking of 7.9 percentile with the average ranking for all CPSD elementary schools at 32.9 percentile. This has been a long-term trend back to 2016 with virtually no academic improvement. This Schooldigger.com graph displays Park Lodge academic rankings since 2016 to present:
Park Lodge Elementary School Academic Ranking
https://www.schooldigger.com/go/WA/schools/0141002581/school.aspx
The Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) data shown below on the next two slides of its “Report Card” website go into further detail about Park Lodge academics and related factors:
Park Lodge Elementary School academic performance, student population
NOTE: “Students on Track for College-level Learning Without Needing Remedial Classes Spring 2024” is the equivalent of previous “Students Meeting State Standards”. This is a confusing, unnecessary name change.
In 2024 the average percentage of Park Lodge students meeting State standards in ELA (29%), math (21.6%) and science (33.3%) is 28%: 72% of Park Lodge students don’t meet these State standards. In 2017/18 the percentage of Park Lodge students meeting State standards in ELA was (38.6%), math (34%) and science (26.6%) for an average of 33%. That gives you some idea of the low academic start point and steady decline of Park Lodge’s academic performance over the last seven years. What students fail to learn in elementary school follows them into middle school, high school, after graduation and into adult life.
Park Lodge Elementary School attendance, spending, teachers
Park Lodge’s regular attendance is only 63.8%, below the CPSD average attendance of 65.7%. This appears to be a common theme across the District: low attendance equals low academic performance. You can’t learn if you don’t attend class.
Class size is about 1 teacher to 10 students (1:10) which is significantly lower than the CPSD average ratio of 1:15. It was not that long ago when teacher-student ratios were between 1:20 -1:30. Despite this ratio reduction we are seeing lower academic achievement. Academically superior JBLM elementary schools have higher teacher-student ratios yet significantly outperform the rest of CPSD elementary schools. Thus teacher-student ratios may not necessarily be an indicator of academic success.
In 2019/20 the Park Lodge expenditure per student was $16,013. By 2022/23 (latest figures) it had ballooned to $22,341. That’s an annual increase of about 8.7%. Yet despite that increase in spending there is little to show for it in academic proficiency. This is a phenomenon seen across the CPSD: higher spending, lower academic achievement. Yet Superintendent Banner (Washington Association of School Administrators “Superintendent of the Year”) tried to make the case that more spending was necessary in a letter (26 December 2024) supporting a Seattle Times editorial (13 December 2024).
“Washington’s K-12 public schools face a financial emergency that could undermine the education of over 1 million students…A delay will jeopardize the future of our students and weaken the foundation of our school communities. Over the past year, school districts across Washington have been forced to grapple with unprecedented budget shortfalls. Essential programs have been cut, dedicated educators and staff have been laid off and basic resources have been stretched to the breaking point.”
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-public-schools-need-help-from-the-legislature-stat
It’s hard to plead “poverty” when in 2023 CPSD reported 356 employees making more than $100,000 per year; the average salary was $73,142 (excluding benefits) in a City where the per capita income is $40,711. The highest reported pay and benefits for CPSD was $340,796 for Superintendent Ron Banner. One has to wonder if there ever will be enough funding according to educators when it is clear that academic performance is not contingent on more money (more than a college education), people (low teacher/student ratios) or “stuff” (new buildings, technology, programs) but rather on how the education industry operates systemically.
https://openpayrolls.com/rank/highest-paid-employees/washington-clover-park
To rephrase Parkinson’s Law: “Spending expands so as to fill the funds available for its completion”. Perhaps the Washington Education Association (WEA) and Clover Park Education Association (CPEA) teacher unions, with CPSD School Board approval, have had a role in elevating costs, as Washington is now the 4th highest state for teacher salaries ($86,804) behind California, New York and Massachusetts. Washington is also #1 nationwide for school administration salaries ($148,750). Combine high teacher and administrator salaries, low teacher/student ratios and high expenditure per student and you have a recipe for costs spiraling upwards at the same time academic achievement is spiraling downwards.
The Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) data shown below on their “Report Card” website goes into further detail about Park Lodge Student Growth Percentile (SGP):
Park Lodge Elementary School “Student Growth Percentile” (SGP)
Park Lodge’s Student Growth Percentile (SGP) is an apparent bright spot which seems to indicate that academic improvement is imminent. SGP is based upon a school’s relative academic growth compared to peer-group schools statewide. However, SGP has its limitations. Although it is the metric preferred by teachers and CPSD administration SGP doesn’t tell you anything about academic proficiency, start or end points with which most parents and tax payers are interested. It remains to be seen whether this increase in Park Lodge’s SGP portends an actual increase in their academic proficiency. This bias towards SGP versus academic proficiency was stated as an “accomplishment” in the CPSD’s Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) “School Board of Distinction” 2024 award submission:
“Shifted toward monitoring and measuring student growth percentile (SGP) instead of focusing only on proficiency, with a target of SGP of 55 percentile or greater for all students.”
https://wssda.app.box.com/v/CloverParkSD11-19-2024/file/1717735384495
One has to question whether the emphasis on “growth” over “proficiency” leads to a diminution of proficiency despite glowing SGP numbers. An average 50% score in SGP is required just to stay even with peer groups academically. The Park Lodge 2024 SGP is 57% in ELA and 51% in math, but disparities exist especially in math although Black students did especially well in math. Park Lodge has a lot of academic ground to make up, and I suspect its SGP will have to be significantly higher to accomplish that feat in the near future.
https://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/102217
CPSD’s lack of transparency on academic performance in these CPSD community relations puff pieces has systemic impacts, especially on parents. They have been lulled into apathy with respect to the school’s and District’s academic performance. Why fret? Everything is fine; only it isn’t! Then when parents don’t get involved the District blames them for lack of involvement: a self-fulfilling prophecy!
If you have a student who attends Park Lodge, or any other CPSD school, and want a change in academic performance, then you’re going to have to get involved! You deserve more in return for your hard-earned tax dollars. It’s the future of your children! Find out how your school is performing academically and what it is going to take to improve that performance.
School Board members are your elected representatives, not just rubber stamps for hired CPSD employees. Contact them and hold them accountable. Wondering who your CPSD Board representative is? Try contacting the Board’s President, Alyssa Anderson Pearson, via email form at:
https://www.cloverpark.k12.wa.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=236158&pageId=61380455
I’m sure she’ll welcome the opportunity to answer all your questions.
My parents moved our family from Tacoma to Lakewood during the summer before I reached the Fifth Grade at Park Lodge. I loved that the library was in the basement of the school and was an easy walk from the fifth grade classroom to the play ground. In school I felt out of place. The teacher treated me like an idiot when we talked about math. I had no idea what was being talked about and I had been in a fourth/fifth grade class room the previous year at Stanley Elementary. What has stayed with me all these years was seeing President Dwight D. Eisenhower just a few feet away from where I stood. Also, during that year my parents bought me an alto Saxophone to play in the band. I practiced piano and played solos in two different competitions. I wasn’t enamored with the ancient instrument. In the ninth grade I was asked to play the Baritone Saxophone. I switched and loved the Baritone. I played it through my senior year with accolades. I also enjoyed playing basketball, which like math I had no back ground history on. I think we only won one basketball game and that was the game I scored in. My mother, like me, loved to read and enjoyed visiting the library.
John,
As a former CPSD board member, I appreciate your research and exhaustive report on Park Lodge Elementary School.
From the front pages of today’s news: META (parent company of Facebook) end corporate DEI programs.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/meta-ends-corporate-dei-programs
“In June 2023, the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 in a decision that significantly changed the way colleges and universities used affirmative action in their admissions. The targets of the lawsuit were Harvard University and University of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination in admissions.” By inference, DEI hiring is also unconstitutional.
This ruling spells the “death knell” for DEI. 2025 will be the year DEI died. I just wonder how long it will take CPSD specifically and Washington State generally to get the message. When they finally do we can get back to hiring the most competent among us rather than using this preoccupation with race.
I wonder how any testing can determine if a first grader is on track for college without remedial work? Or at any elementary grade level. So I don’t get the significance of the percentages in ELA, Math etc. listed for Park Lodge. Your comment associating resources spent on DEI programs with the causes of low academic performance in CPSD certainly casts a requirement of caution in evaluating your other claims. Which is unfortunate as CPSD has problems as you have pointed out. DEI programs are designed to eliminate white skin color as the defining part of MOST competent.
“I wonder how any testing can determine if a first grader is on track for college without remedial work? Or at any elementary grade level”
You are absolutely correct: it can’t! This was an OSPI pre-election 2024 sleight-of-hand that replaced the previous easy to understand and relevant “Students meeting State standards” with something else totally divorced from academic achievement at elementary and middle school. This was done quietly by OSPI and without public knowledge. You’ll notice my “NOTE” to that effect. Indeed in 2024 the average percentage of Park Lodge students meeting State standards in ELA (29%), math (21.6%) and science (33.3%) is 28%: 72% of Park Lodge students don’t meet these State standards. That’s the reality. The rest is politically motivated gibberish to deflect attention away from that reality.
It’s not just the obvious dollar cost of DEI in hiring teachers and staff (there is a CPSD priority for hiring minorities) but also its pervasive impact on all aspects of CPSD performance. “Cultural responsive teaching”, “social emotional learning (SEL)”, race based discipline, “whole child education”, increasing segregation, “Student Growth Percentile” all deflect from what should be CPSD’s primary mission: academic excellence. These DEI/CRT related efforts to affect “culture change” cost the tax payer millions for activities that compete and conflict with that primary mission.
What I have laid out are the facts, primarily from OSPI itself based upon the data provided them by CPSD. I may have drawn conclusions and observations from these facts which you are welcome to dispute. Yes CPSD has serious academic problems that are the result of systemic flaws such as the promotion of DEI over academics. DEI programs are not about eliminating “…white skin color as the defining part of MOST competent.” Rather they are about eliminating the need for competency in favor of promoting minorities specifically based upon their skin color or other physical/mental characteristics rather than competence.