Three cheers for our three students reps who are doing a better job on the board then our three senior members.

Well, Pasco, I’ve gotta say I’m encouraged. I’ve been viewing the board meetings and study sessions via YouTube (because, restraining order) ...

I know you really love me even though we have to remain apart!

and some things have changed tremendously for the better. 

Others... not so much.

I want to call you attention to a board meeting that was recently held to decide the content of our upcoming bond. I feel this board meeting perfectly illustrates the fabulous new things that are happening in board meeting as well as that something that is so very troubling.

The first awesome thing is, anyone can now watch board meetings and study sessions in the comfort of their own home and on their own schedule. Thanks PSD and board! 

Now my family never has to miss a moment of riveting PSD action!

To see the board meeting I will be talking about in its entirety please click here. Hint: A setting on YouTube will let you change the speed of play. See that little gear button on the bottom? Check it out. It’s much less time consuming and enjoyable to listen to these meetings at a higher speed. You’re welcome. :-) 

But for those of you who do not want to invest a few hours of your life watching a board meeting, please stick with me as I give you the Reader’s Digest version. 

A second awesome thing about this board meeting is how much dialogue there was. Both among some of the board members and the members of the community attending. 

It used to be that board meetings were dull and empty. There was little to no conversation or input from board members or meeting attendees. Like zombies, the board would go through the motions, sitting there like warm bodies, mindlessly voting unanimously on anything and everything thrown at them on the agenda.

Yeah, I'm looking at you...

But things are kinda different now. There is 100 times more discussion. After the board discusses things, but before the vote, Board President, Scott Lehrman, opens the floor to members of the audience for discussion. For reals!!!

Community involvement is super fun!

You can’t believe how happy it makes my heart to see true community participation. I can only guess these changes are due to the strike and election of Aaron Richardson to the board. The board is finally listening to the community. So well done, Pasco. Well done!
 

But as I mentioned before, there is something troubling going on here too. If we go to the video, you'll see what I'm talking about.

In the video they are trying to decide what to put on the bond. I almost feel sorry for the board. They appear to be conflicted and beside themselves with worry about what to put on the bond. Perhaps that is why they revisited this matter after already voting for it last spring. They know many people feel it is time for a new middle school. They are just worried a bond that includes one won’t pass, since the last bond that included a middle school failed. (I know, I don't get that logic either. Too many factors defy it.)

So, the board reopened this business and, for a while, it looked hopeful.

The student board members had awesomelicous advice that really should have been given more weight by the board since they were just in middle school a few short years ago.

These kids are my heroes!

Aaron and Amy listened to what people were telling them and led the charge for including a new middle school.

And, ya know, besides the obvious strain being felt at Mac due to gross overcrowding, putting a new west/north middle school on the bond would be a really strategic idea. If you look at voting record demographics, the people asking for this are the same people that overwhelmingly vote for school bonds and levies. Giving those voters a carrot could push the results to a sure win, which benefits ALL of Pasco.

But in the end, the motion fell flat and poor Aaron was left hanging.

Which was really disappointing, since Ms. Phillips actually spoke the most in favor of a new middle school. She understood how overcrowding at the middle school level impacts students at a crucial time of their growing up years. She pointed out how many kids can’t participate in extracurricular activities (which is a district goal) because of how many students attend Mac. She was a voice representing the people saying, even though she is fiscally conservative, she believed the community would support a bigger bond because they agreed the benefit of a new middle school outweighed the cost of a slightly higher bond. Sadly, in the end it appears she voted against her conscience. You gotta feel for her when you watch her vote, angrily flicking her microphone up and turning her head away with an upset look on her face. What our board needs to realize is it is not their job to present a united front. It is their job to be a voice for the people they represent. I think we need to pause, reflect, and be thankful for a moment. Making a motion and sitting in silence cannot be an easy thing to do, but Mr. Richardson did that for people he represents. He had the courage to stand alone. 

Dr. Richardson, you've got our respect.

So, a lot of good things happening: meetings broadcast; student reps giving insightful, intelligent comments; community input; board members speaking for those they represent…

But then there's that one big downer....
The bulk, no virtually all, of this conversation with the public about a new middle school was carried out by only two board members: Amy Phillips and Aaron Richardson. Pretty much the only thing said by Steve Christensen was an explanation about how Stevens will be built to hold more students and that will relieve some of the overcrowding at Mac by moving students from north Pasco to Stevens. He claims that would have the additional benefit of resolving the transportation and friend issues parents have expressed concern for that are caused by our current high school boundaries. 

Why didn’t Steve, Scott, or Sheri, engage in the discussion? Why wouldn’t they unless they already knew how they were going to vote? Or worse, they knew how each other would vote and knew they already had the three required votes to pass their motion? If that is the case, they should be ashamed for putting on a facade and letting Amy, Aaron, the student reps, and the public believe their well thought out arguments mattered. 

Is this what's going on here? Are board members deciding outside of meetings how they will vote and then holding discussions just for show. If that is the case, it's despicable - and ILLEGAL. If it's not the case, then what is going on here? Why are these three sitting out of the discussion?

If I could give them some advice, it would be to put a little more effort into these meetings. Don’t remain silent. Don’t be afraid to go on record. At least pretend to be engaged. After all, that is what you were elected to do and not doing so leaves some serious questions about transparency.

I want a pony, a pretty pony, with long hair that never gets tangled, and I don't want my pony to poop or smell weird or ever have flies, and I want it to be easy to ride, but super fun and fast and jump high and win races and, and, and

Sad fact of life #2155
The ideal and the real do not always exist in the same world.

In a perfect world children would always do their homework and chores without being asked.


In a perfect world cars would run on happy thoughts and gummy bears would rain down from heaven.

In a perfect world I could eat cupcakes for breakfast and still wear skinny jeans.

Sadly the world is not perfect, and we don't always get what we want simply because what we want doesn't always exist.

One such example of this type of illusive unicorn is "The Perfect Curriculum."   We all want a curriculum that is fun and easy to teach, prepares students for state assessments AND real life,  is loved by students and teachers alike, is cutting edge but still user friendly and intuitive, and is affordable enough to appeal to our tax base. That'd be ideal right?

But let's get real.

Fourteen months ago you, the parents and teachers and community members, did something amazing. You forced the hand of a reluctant school district and got them to commit to purchasing new curriculum for ALL our students in ALL subject areas. That was amazing!

You got them to do something they hadn't done in decades. Congratulations!  So everything is perfect now right?  Teachers are all happy. They got what they wanted. Everything is sunshine and roses now. Our test scores are on the rise. The teacher shortage is over. And we never have to worry about anything ever again. Right?

Right?

Not exactly.

Okay.... this may come as a shock to you... but not everyone is 100% happy. 

The curriculum we purchased isn't perfect.  
I know that may be hard for some of you to hear. But it's the truth, and I think we need to talk about it.

First of all there is no such thing as perfect curriculum.  There's that pesky reality again. 

AKA: Zoloft

There are all different types of teachers and all different types of learners, so no curriculum is going to be an exact perfect fit for everyone. There is no silver bullet.  We are dealing with all types of monsters here, so we're going to need silver bullets, and wooden stakes, and garlic necklaces, and cups of water (ya know, for those aliens in Signs, with Mel Gibson, those were super scary). 

So let's start by accepting the fact that no one product will be loved by everyone. A teacher who has been at this game for 30+ years is going to have a lot different style than a teacher who is brand new and strait outta college.

The good news is, for those teachers who were happy making everything up all by themselves, they can still do that if they they really want to. But for those poor new teachers (of which we have hundreds) who were trying to teach without any materials and who have no teaching experience, having a curriculum to teach from is like receiving manna from heaven. So essentially we've given an amazing gift to some, without really hurting others.

Which brings us to our next epiphany. Not everyone is going to feel equally grateful for new curriculum because not everyone was equally hungry for it.  

If we had a thousand people in a room, and five hundred of them were starving (and had been starving for over twenty years), we could all agree that was a problem worth addressing. The district's solution to this problem was first to deny that anyone was starving at all. They then said EVERYONE was starving and it was too expensive to feed them all. Then they suggested we do a needs assessment to study the people for a year to find out who was and was not starving. The teachers refused to accept any of these options and said, the time for talking is over, let's just get these people fed!  So they hastily bought food for all one thousand people. 

I don't remember ordering broccoli!

 It is good food. It is nutritious food. But not everyone is going to enjoy the food the same way. Obviously the people who were starving will love finally getting to eat.  But some of the less hungry people may be saying to themselves,"I don't like this flavor. I liked my old food." 

The good news is we fed all the people!  Or in this case we acquired (or are in the process of acquiring) curriculum for all. Just because people have varying levels of enthusiasm about it doesn't mean they are unhappy with it or that it was a bad choice.  It just means they are still adjusting.

And they aren't just adjusting to new curriculum, they are adjusting to to a whole new style of teaching (AKA Common Core). We have never had common core aligned curriculum in Pasco before. That means as our kids have lined up to take the state assessments, they have never been properly prepared for them.  This new curriculum will hopefully change that. Hopefully the style of instruction and assessment will more closely mirror the assessments our students must pass in order to graduate. It's a lot less memorization of facts and a lot more critical thinking. That means more work for teachers and students alike. And like a plate of vegetables, it may not be easy to swallow, but in the long run it will be good for us.

Change is hard.  Even change we WANT to have happen is hard.  It just is. This is a year of growing pains. And next year will be too. That's not a sign that something is wrong, that's a sign a growth.  And if there is one thing we are familiar with here in Pasco, it's GROWTH!

So as you talk to your children and their teachers about how they are liking the new curriculum, remember it's not a magic pony that never poops and has tangle-free hair. It's just a set of books. 

And books aren't a lifetime commitment. This may be hard for us to understand in Pasco since we've had the same books for eternity here, but they are meant to be used and replaced. We aren't married to these books. We're just dating right now. In a couple of years if it doesn't work out, we can break up, and start dating a new curriculum. And with each new relationship we will get better at knowing ourselves and what we are looking for in a long term educational relationship.

Selecting curriculum is a skill we've never had the pleasure of practicing until now. With each new curriculum adoption, we'll get better. And our kids will be better off because of it.




P.S.If you need a quick laugh, check out one of our school board members suggesting we give all the librarians a round of applause for getting the new curriculum ready for all of our schools. The school board video is RIGHT HERE and it starts at about the 10:30 mark.  Now I'm not suggesting that librarians don't deserve a thank you. They sure do. But it's a strange sentiment from the same people who took legal action against the teachers who were fighting so hard to get that very same curriculum that we are now cheering about.

What else is there to say?

Hello my friends. It's been a long time. I've been quiet for a while waiting to see what you would do without me.

I like to think of myself as Aslan, and you can be the Pevensie kids!

I must say, you people do not disappoint. I have heard new voices speaking up and fresh faces stepping out into the light. You are doing amazing things.

Look! There you are!

Teachers are busting their butts to implement new curriculum.

Parents are showing up to board meetings and expressing concerns on everything from bonds to bullying.

The union is hard at work keeping the district in compliance with the law.

Our new superintendent is sticking to her word to try and change the culture inside our district.

School board members are engaging in lively discussions both with themselves and their constituents (I even heard that Ms. Lancoln spoke a full sentence for the first time ever in a board meeting!).

There are whispers and rumors of next year's school board elections and who might be interested in running.

Community members of all types have been attending meetings to discuss Reimagining High School, our Special Education services, Pre-K options, and more.

Cooks are cooking, coaches are coaching, clowns are clowning (what's up with that?), and everywhere you look Pasco schools are full of energy and enthusiasm.

Pasco, I'm really proud of you.  I've never been more optimistic about the future of Pasco schools, but...

You knew there had to be a "but" right? There's always a but.

Be honest, does this blog make my butt look bigger?

But we can do more. We MUST do more. 

We've been headed in the wrong direction for a very long time. Now we are finally turned around, but we are moving at the pace of a turtle... pulling a freight train. 

Look out! I'm coming for you! It may take a while, but I'm coming... still coming... any day now... I'll be there soon...

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we've turned this train around. But now is not the time to sit back and congratulate ourselves. We are finally pointed in the right direction, so now is the time to put all our energy into moving forward to make up for lost time.

We need more parents and teachers at board meetings.
We need more letters and phone calls to administrators.
We need more honest dialogue about what's working and what isn't.
We need more of you.

I can't vote (imaginary people are the most disenfranchised voting block ever).

But you can!



I can't call board members (restraining orders can be a real downer).

But you can!



I can't touch my toes (I love food too much!).

But you can!


What I can do is share information. 
Lots and lots of information. 
My rabbit hole inside the Booth building grows larger every day, and there is no end to the secrets the have begun spilling out.

So tell me what do you want to know?
What information do you need in order to make your case and fight the good fight?

My goal has always been to share truth with the masses, but at this point in time I have so much information to share I don't even know where to begin. So tell me what you want to know.

Want to know how the new curriculum is going?
Want to know who's whispering about running for school board?
Want to know the latest on the upcoming bond?
Want a play by play of the latest board meetings?
Want to know about PSD's legal woes?
Want to know what's going wrong and right with sports? music? special education?
Want to find out more about the community forums that have been going on this fall and how you can get involved?
Want to know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Tell me what you want to talk about, and let's talk.

Hidden Super Powers

Super Community Member to the Rescue!

Did you know you have a super power?




It's true. You probably don't know it, but you use it all the time. It's like your very own secret weapon, only it's not a secret and everyone knows you have it.  Everyone, that is, but you.

Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you.

It's a crazy idea, but it surprisingly accurate. You are the only one who doesn't realize the power you hold. You're the one who has a gift, a power, an ability that's so incredible, it's shocking you don't use it all the time.

Do you want to know what this amazing, incredible, life-altering and community shaping super power is?

VOICE

Perfect! Amazing! Excellent! Super-Powered!

Not "The Voice."

YOUR VOICE.

It's the most powerful thing you have, but most of you aren't using it. Most of you don't realize you even can.  Most of you don't realize how incredibly powerful you are. But you are SO powerful. You can change the world. You can!

You can bring pens to board meetings! Swords, not so much.

Something pretty incredible happened recently. A lot of you saw it happen, but probably didn't realize the miracle you were witnessing. First the school board met to discuss possible bond options. Then a couple weeks later they voted on what they would like to see put on next year's bond.  No biggee right?  Actually, YES BIGGEE!  If you weren't watching closely you probably missed the little something that happened in between those two events.

A voice.

One voice.

One voice spoke up and changed the course of the bond.

A letter was written to the board that dramatically changed what the school board proposed to put on the bond.

If you still aren't attending board meetings, you are missing some high quality entertainment (and possibly an ulcer).

On May 10, the school board held  a study session (which is a public meeting that anyone can attend, so check it out sometime) to discuss possible bond options. Here's the Video of the Study Session in case you missed it. In this video you will see the board discussing the needs of our schools in regards to overcrowding.  The board looks at multiple possible bond options. NONE of them include adding on to Chiawana High School.  In fact one board member passionately argues that there is absolutely NO overcrowding at the high school level.

On May 22, one teacher, Mrs. Marcie Stillwell, wrote a letter to the school board. We know the contents of that letter because she also posted it on the Parent's for Partnership Facebook page. Her letter was a clear, firsthand account of the overcrowding she has seen first hand at Chiawana High School and how it dramatically impacts the learning environment there.

It's pretty obvious from the address that Mrs. Stillwell is a math teacher, not an English teacher. 

On May 24 the board met again and voted on what they would like to see on the upcoming school bond (Check out that video here.).  Strangely enough, they weren't saying the same things they had said just two weeks previously. Instead they were passionately repeating the words of one teacher's letter. One teacher. One.

This number wrote a letter and then flew off into the sunset.

We all know that correlation and causation ain't identical spandex uniforms, and usually there is no way to know how much influence a single letter has. In this case, though, school board members specifically reference Mrs. Stillwell's letter when justifying the decision to add an extension to Chiawana high school. Previously, expansion of Chiawana wasn't even being considered. The board didn't even think it was crowded. Then they repeat the passionate words in that letter and it becomes pretty clear; this one letter changed their minds. One.

While I'm really happy that someone spoke up for what they felt they needed, and I'm REALLY happy that the board was open-minded and listened, I'm still kinda disappointed. I'm disappointed in you.

That look your mom gives you when you neglect civic
participation. 

Yes, I'm talking to you, Pasco. I'm talking to you because you're not using your superpower. You are not allowing your voice to be heard.  If one letter can be that powerful, why is there still just one?  Where are the others? Where are the parents and teachers at Pasco High? Why aren't they writing letters demanding better? Where are the letters from McLoughlin parents and teachers telling their stories of horrific overcrowding? Where are the parents and teachers from all our bursting elementary schools? We aren't just one. We are thousands. Thousands of voices that are currently silent.

That moment when you realize the only one stopping you from being heard is you.
Also, you used the last of the tape on your mouth and now have to go to the store and get more.

I know it seems like, in the past, our voices have been drowned out or ignored. And I know you guys have enough on your plates already without me nattering at you over writing letters to the school district's leadership. But if ONE voice can make this big of a difference, we have to ask ourselves, why wasn't that voice mine? Why didn't that letter come from me? I've got meaningful experience and an intelligent mind, so why didn't I let the board know what MY VOICE knows? More importantly, can you imagine the change we can affect with THOUSANDS of our powerful voices all put together?

When every one of these ants wrote a passionate letter stating their point of view,
the grasshopper board had no choice but to acknowledge their concerns and change
plans accordingly. 

The board isn't perfect but they are attempting to solve problems. Hard as that already is, I promise they can't fix what they don't know is broken. They need you. While it's magical and wonderful and powerful what one voice can do, it shouldn't be just one voice. It should be many voices. It should be your voice. We can do better. Our kids need us to do better.

Captain Planet recently replaced "Heart" with "Writing letters to local public officials to affect meaningful change". Heart was just too vague. 

So, the choice is yours. You can leave your superpower at home, keeping it in a box or only using it to complain to friends and neighbors that you don't really like the way things are going, or you can spend a few minutes, write a letter or email, and use that superpower to change our schools, lives and community for good. Because we've seen first hand what one voice can do.

What will you do with your voice?

Sardines: What over crowding really looks like

FACT:

Our schools are overcrowded.  Seriously, grossly, ridiculously overcrowded.

What does that mean in numbers? It means that a school that was built to house 500 children, actually has 800-900 children in it. This isn't  just happening at one school; it is happening at ALL our schools. It means we could build a new elementary every single year and still not have enough room in our elementary schools for all our children. It means that there are almost more children attending school in portable buildings than in actual school buildings. It means Chiawana is the largest high school in the state and Pasco High isn't that far behind.

We're talking about "bursting-at-the-seams-defying-the-laws-of-gravity" full!

But kids aren't numbers. They are tiny humans who must live and learn and interact.  So what does over crowding look and feel like?

Overcrowding is when six-year-olds only get eight minutes to eat their lunch because they have to get out to make room for the next bunch of  children coming in to eat.

No time to eat your carrots, just throw them away and keep the line moving!

Overcrowding is when 40 girls try out for a middle school softball team, so they have to take turns playing every other week.

Overcrowding is a high school where the average student has never even met the principal, let alone formed a relationship with him or her.

Overcrowding is a brand new art room filled with supplies that will never be used because the art room just got converted into a third grade classroom.

Overcrowding is children being marginalized as they become just a random face in a sea of students, feeling disenfranchised.

Dude? Who just touched my butt? This isn't a subway ya know.

Overcrowding is holding assemblies in waves because you will never ever fit all of your students together in one gym.

Overcrowding is precious children being reduced to the numbers they contribute to and a cog in the system that needs to be simply turned.

Overcrowding is a principal welcoming in over 125 new kindergartners a year, into a sea of nearly one thousand students.

Have you ridden a school bus to McLoughlin lately? Here's what you're missing.

Overcrowding is students who have to change teachers (and sometimes even schools!) weeks into the school year because there isn't enough room to stay in the class they were originally assigned to.

Overcrowding is an elementary student who only gets taught music once a week because that's all the time available to each of the forty different classes she has to teach.

Overcrowding is a place called Portable City, where your middle school student only enters the main building once a day for lunch at 10:20 because they have to eat in shifts in order to fit everyone in.

Overcrowding is high school teachers sharing classrooms because there aren't enough rooms to go around, some times as many as three teachers in one room.  English being taught in math rooms, and history taught in science labs. The visuals and extra learning tools we would expect to see as part of a world class learning environment are unavailable simply because of space.

I can totally scaffold these lesson plans to accommodate the needs of the 40 kids in my class, no problem, I'll get right on it just as soon as I can get back into my classroom after the band teacher is done using it.

Overcrowding is an elementary orchestra class that meets in another teachers classroom during their prep hour, depriving the students of a proper environment to practice and the teacher of a proper place to plan.

Overcrowding is kids who will never be able to play sports because there are already too many kids on the team.

Overcrowding is bullying and fighting because there are more than 2000 students in the halls at the same time and there is no way for administrators to properly supervise them.

Overcrowding is never having the option to change schools no matter what the hardship because no school has room for even one more child.

My school has a brand new art room, but I"ll never see it because it's being used for math.

Overcrowding is Art on a Cart. It sounds cuter than it is.  There are no rooms left for art or music to have their own space. Teachers must bring all their supplies from classroom to classroom limiting what  they are able to prepare and use with students.

Overcrowding is not having enough building administrators to cover the needs of all the children.

Overcrowding is students who have their opportunities to participate and excel in extra curricular programs limited because of sheer overwhelming numbers.

The more the merrier! I'm happy being "just one more!"

Overcrowding is when middle and high school teachers have to change rooms every hour because there aren't enough classrooms for them to have their own. They can't be at the door to greet students when they arrive because they are trapped themselves in the hall among the hundreds of students also making their way through the chaos. Teachers can't take a few minutes to answer questions after class because they are rushing out the door to get to their next room assignment.  Teachers are limited to the supplies and resources they can carry with them.

Overcrowding is spending 20 minutes of your 25 minute lunch time in line waiting for food that is likely to run out before you even get to the front of the line.

Overcrowding is when a school uses a closet for a special education classrooms because it is the only space left available.

If it's good enough for Harry, it's good enough for me!

Overcrowding is a small number of adults watching nearly a thousand children on a single playground before school every morning.

Overcrowding is decreased family involvement because it's not worth fighting the crowd of hundreds to get into the building on Monster Math night.

Wow. That's  a lot of kids.

Overcrowding is teachers not knowing the other teachers in their building.

Overcrowding is students not knowing the other students in their building.

Overcrowding is not forming relationships, not making connections, being lost, and not belonging.

Just keep packing them in like sardines.  It won't make a difference.

OPINION:

In my humble opinion, there is no such thing as a bad bond in Pasco right now.  We need more space. Seriously! WE NEED MORE SPACE!  It doesn't really matter where. The west side is the most crowded. The elementary and high schools are the most crowded.  Some schools are horribly overcrowded. Some are grossly overcrowded. A few are just extremely overcrowded.  But EVERYTHING is crowded.  So no matter what is on the upcoming bond, we NEED it. WE NEED IT! I don't know what we need most. But there is no such thing as a bad bond at this point. We need schools of all shapes and sizes and locations. We need more schools. Every kind of school!

Well....
all kinds of schools except not preschools.

The one thing we don't need to pay for right now is a preschool.

We are overcrowded. DUH!  Why would we bring in more kids when we don't even have room for the k-12 students we've got right now?  That's just crazy!

And while any bond is a good bond at this point, there are some that are better than others.  One new building is good. Two new buildings is better. Three new buildings would be awesome! Ten new buildings would be pefection.

But let's be realistic. We can't actually run a bond with ten new buildings on it.  But what we can do is run a bond (and run our mouths) as if we actually have a clear picture of how we are going to deal with how massively behind the growth curve we are right now.

The school board recently agreed on a bond option that includes one new elementary, rebuilding Stevens, and adding a couple of classes to CHS and Marie Currie.  Those are all great things. Those are all things we need. BUT REALLY? IS THAT THE BEST WE CAN DO?

The school board thinks the community won't vote for a bond that's too high. They also think the overcrowding isn't THAT bad. And they have said they don't want to have to run another bond for 5 or 6 years.  We are several thousand children over capacity today.  We will be several thousand more children over capacity in five years.  Is one new elementary going to be enough? Obviously not.  We need more.

I believe the community will vote big (you did for the levy *thanks*) and that we need more than just one new school and a couple of classrooms on the bond.

There isn't much time to change the boards mind, but if they hear enough from the community about what you are willing to support on a bond, they may overturn this week's vote in favor of a better plan.

CALL TO ACTION:

1. Let the school board and the bond committee know what you'd like to see on the next bond. Let them know you will support a big bond. Do it today!
2. Get involved with the bond committee and help raise awareness about the bond.
3. Tell your friends why you support Pasco schools.
4. Vote for school bonds (no matter what) and encourage your friends to do the same. Voting no on a bond only punishes kids.  The board does not EVER get the message you are trying to send.  They still think the last failed bond was because no one wanted a middle school.   ??? 

Good luck my friends.

The Real Face of the Evil Union

In one form or another, most people have pretty strong opinions about unions. They either love them or hate them.

Behold, the evil UNION!

The Union: guardian of the little people.

As soon as contract negotiations caught the public's attention this summer, people (and by "people" I mean PSD and their ever forth coming Q & A  messages) began shouting these warnings:



"We don't want the union taking over our schools."

"The union wants to decide what books your children read."

"The union is using scare tactics to stir up public anger against the district."

"There is no problem with curriculum. The union has tricked the teachers into striking."

"The union is trying to make an example of PSD as part of a national power grab."

"The union has taken over Pasco."

"The union ate my baby."

Eventually things settled down. The district agreed to resolve the curriculum issue, and teachers went back to work. That should have been the end of it.

But it wasn't.

Strangely enough, there are still board members bemoaning the evils of the union. Still.  Now it'd be one thing if an average uninformed citizen was spouting off about how unions are the devil. But a board member isn't just anybody. They are elected to represent the public and inform decision making at the highest level of the school district. So when board members (yes, more than one) talk about he union like it's some type of evil boogie man, that is something worth noticing.

Is the union the root of all evil in Pasco? Has the union been sent by the devil himself to stir up contention and unrest? I decided to take a closer look at see exactly what kind of devil we are up against here in Pasco.

Behold, the face of EVIL!

The evil union in all it's might!

Ahhhhh!!!!

Pretty hideous right? I mean could anything be more frightening than a smiling, young woman wearing mittens and a mid-calf length skirt, spending her free time out on the street corner encouraging voters to support a school levy?  GROSS!

What about these monsters?

Wow, showing up to work and pretending to be happy. What Creeps!

Attending a community prayer meeting and praying with school board members.
Where does this kind of scum even come from? Seriously!

Oh gross! Not more levy supporters. These monsters just don't know when to quit.

So are unions really evil? The fulfillment of prophecy sent to usher in the apocalypses?

?????

Here's the thing about things: they are just things.
Things aren't good or evil, they just are. A blanket isn't inherently good or evil. It can do good things, like warm you up when you are cold. It can do bad things, like transmit disease to susceptible populations. A blanket is just a blanket. It's what you do with it that matters.

A union is just a union. They aren't inherently bad or good. The people in them may do bad or good things. But the thing itself is just a thing.

So let's not talk anymore about whether unions are good or bad (let the politicians duke that one out). Instead let's talk about whether PAE (the Pasco Association of Educators) is good or bad.  Let's judge it by who is in it and what they do.

Well, we all know who is in it. Teachers. These loving, smiling, amazing people who take care of our children every day, and who even take time outside of the classroom to fight for what's best for our kids (even if it's so cold you need mittens).

And what has PAE done? I mean besides come to work every day ready to do their best to love and teach our children and prepare them for the world ahead of them?

• They participated in a number of activities including a state-wide walk out in hopes of persuading our legislator to fully fund our schools and stop over-testing our children.
• They shed a giant spotlight on Pasco's atrocious lack of curriculum forcing the district to finally take action on an issue they've been avoiding and denying for more than a decade. Although the district continued to try and persuade teachers with money, the union held strong and refused to return to work until the district agreed to a contract that included books for all children, in all grades, in all subjects.
• They worked side by side with parents to help pass a much needed levy.
• They demanded (and are getting) much needed repairs to schools such as New Horizon's High School, as well as getting hot water back on in the bathrooms at Pasco High.
• They fought to keep the heater running in the winter and the air conditioner running in the spring in classrooms where children were being forced to learn in nearly uninhabitable classrooms (yeah, that really happened).
• They have been strong advocates fighting for safe and age appropriate playgrounds for students.
• They are continuing to fight the district on a number of issues including using our children for guinea pigs to line the pockets of researchers (Literacy Squared) and to fight illegal hiring practices that can lead to huge disparity in quality between schools (like when administrators narrowly tailor job listing in order to hire their unqualified friends instead of hiring actual teachers with job appropriate qualifications).

So the next time you find yourself face to face with that awful scary evil union, be sure to thank them.  After you, they are your child's greatest advocate. They are our partners in educating our community. 

So to all my friends in PAE, thank you.