Submitted by John Arbeeny. During the CPSD Board workshop on 22 June 2022, Brian Gabele, Director Assessment and Program Evaluation, gave a presentation on Student Growth Potential (SGP) which is used by OSPI and CPSD to assess student improvement and thus school and district improvement relative to other peers in math and English Language Arts […]
Letter: Observations from 5/23/22 Clover Park School Board Working Meeting
Submitted by John Arbeeny. I attended the 23 May 2022 Clover Park School Board (CPSB) Working Meeting via ZOOM and came away with the following observations. The public is still awaiting minutes from the April 2022 Board meetings after over a month. This delay is unacceptable and unexplainable. For example, draft minutes of the Lakewood […]
Letter: Clover Park School District’s “Ministry of Propaganda Half truths”
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 […]
Letter: OSPI Superintendent Reykdal inserts himself into Supreme Court abortion issue
Submitted by John Arbeeny. In an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) statement dated 3 May 2022, Superintendent Chris Reykdal inserted himself into discussion of the leaked US Supreme Court majority opinion about Roe v. Wade. “As Washington state’s elected K–12 schools chief, it would be short-sighted for me to believe that my job […]
Letter: Cultural competence? Which one? How about USA cultural competence!
Submitted by John Arbeeny. I attended (via ZOOM) the Clover Park School District Board meeting on 28 March 2022 I was particularly interested in the presentation by Tim Garchow, Executive Director, Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) about their “Cultural Competency Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (CCDEI) program. CPSD’s discussion of this program was a prior Board […]
Letter: CPSD discipline policy. A recipe for chaos.
Submitted by John Arbeeny. “There are none so blind as those who will not see,” Jonathan Swift, 1738. I reviewed the 14 March 2022 Clover Park School District (CPSD) Board regular meeting and came away with observations on the most significant issue: District discipline policy. Agenda Item 22-102, Adoption of Policies, Policy 3241 “Student Discipline” […]
Letter: When Striving Mightily Isn’t Good Enough: Clover Park School District
Submitted by John Arbeeny. A drowning man strives mightily expending far more energy than an accomplished swimmer. The result of all that striving? A drowned man. So too it is with organizations; specifically Clover Park School District striving mightily but drowning academically. I reviewed the 28 February 2022 Clover Park School Board retreat on YouTube […]
Letter: School Board Meeting Valentine’s Day – A Night to Love Informed Debate
Submitted by John Arbeeny. Two prominent and important actions were taken at the Clover Park School Board meeting this past Valentine’s Day. The issue of District discipline (Policy 3241 “Student Discipline”) had been brought up in a previous Board meeting (10 January 2022) by Director David Anderson based upon some shocking numbers received in a […]
Letter: Discipline in Clover Park School District: 2017-2021
Submitted by John Arbeeny. At the 10 January 2022 Clover Park School Board meeting Director David Anderson made motion “that the school Board have on its regular agenda, as soon as time for relevant reports are prepared, the subject of school discipline.” The motion, seconded by Director Paul Wagemann, was passed unanimously by the Board. […]