Congratulations to Mike Spence for his re-election to the school board. Although saddened and discouraged by an election loss, I am also encouraged at the same time. 43% in favor of his opponent Dale Perry sends a clear message to the school board that islanders are watching, paying attention, and looking for the board to step up. I am proud we were the ones to take the high road on the campaign and thank the 2,333 islanders that felt the same way and supported Dale Perry in his courageous race.
Being the first to contest a school board seat in twelve years was a brave leap into the unknown, and I am pleased to see the conversation that started as a result. Contrary to some, there was no agenda, axe, or other such claims, just some very smart and well articulated ideas. In the 14 years I have been on Bainbridge, this is the first time I have seen such a large number of parents, grandparents, and community members come together and be deeply involved in the discussion of education. This can only be great for everyone. As a result I am beginning to see improvements such as the increased effort the district is making in communications and an increased awareness of the importance of public input. Last year the board publicly chastised parents for speaking out; let’s step up and welcome the dialogue.
I wish the board the best of luck and challenge them to perhaps look at some of the benchmarks created by the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) to help them on a path to becoming a “School Board of Distinction.” The terms for the island’s north and south end (School Board Director District 1 and 4) expire in 2015 and I would encourage others to consider giving of their time and talent in running for such a role. It would be great to see us join our neighboring districts in having choices and expanding the breadth of background and experiences on the board. To help in this process the district could host School Director information sessions as done by other districts. The WSSDA also has many training and leadership development programs and conferences for existing or potential school directors as well as their annual conference coming up November 21-24. Their website is http://www.wssda.org/. But for now, I thank the school board members for their service and wish this term of school directors the very best.
—Bernadette Witty
