What is the Future of our Schools? Letter from a middle school teacher

A big thank you to Kent Ratekin for giving permission for Notes from the Island to publish his letter to the staff of the South Whidbey School District concerning the possible closure of the Langley Middle School, seen below. Our schools are an incredibly important part of the community and they are in many ways the heart of the island. To join in on the discussion of the future of our public schools checkout:
http://www.langleycommunityforum.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1623&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

Restructuring Our Schools & the Langley Middle School Closure
This letter was originally written by Kent Ratekin from the Langley Middle Staff to the staff in the other schools in our district.


Dear SWSD colleagues,

I have been asked by the LMS staff to communicate these thoughts to you. Thank you for taking the time to read the following.

After watching Fred McCarthy's video last Wednesday, our staff was in shock. There were lots of tears, lots of questions, lots of dazed and confused faces, and some anger. After the dust settled a bit these last few days, we have some insights we would like to share.

We feel we are being used and manipulated in a way that seeks to put many of us at odds with each other. Because we are having a natural reaction of dismay and discouragement at the decision to shut this site down, and are already feeling defensive about the history and beauty of this campus, we want to be careful not to overreact and be seen as a bunch of whiners who can't see reality and only want to save their own jobs and buildings at the expense of others.

We (the staff at the Middle School) know what a devastating blow our district is currently taking in the financial realm. It is absolutely imperative that changes are made. However, what we heard of the proposed changes for us as a middle-school program were shocking. The changes depicted by Dr. McCarthy totally dismantle the middle school as we knew/know it and rob us not only of our site but of the curriculum and programs we have cultivated and
come to love.

Upon listening carefully to Dr. McCarthy's plan and doing a little extra research it is coming to light that the closing of the middle school is more of a devastating smokescreen than any real attempt to save jobs or programs. What is insidiously wrapped in the bundle of positions lost, bus routes changed, middle school closed, etc. is the "vision" of Rich Parker to insert a new, latest-fad, cutting-edge "laptop academy" as the new curriculum for South Whidbey schools. This plan will eventually affect every student in this district. The curriculum will become the software used with this technology, and the cost will be in the millions.

Rich Parker steered us to the Kent School District, where this laptop program has already been implemented. Guess where Fred's mentor is? Guess how the Kent District got their program off the ground? Yes, with 6/7th-grade students in self-contained modules. Guess how fast this all has to happen? Soon, real soon. There is only a six-week window for new board-position applications to be filed for this November's election. The high school bond is over this February.

If we are to get any new moneys without going to ground zero, a new bond must be packaged and presented soon. In other words, for this new vision to be funded and implemented it must happen fast and be done by July/August. We are appealing to you as our colleagues to not be drawn into petty arguments, dissentions, or territorial disputes but to come together for the future of our district and our students in asking the following questions:

• Why would we use taxpayer dollars to fix up the middle school to rent out to the Langley community? Does this have anything to do with a plan Rich Parker co-wrote for the city of Langley, which portrays the middle school as a community center? Why did local real estate agents tell their clients over two years ago not to worry about the noise from the middle school as it would be closed soon? (This specifically in response to sales of the new cottages at the edge of the back parking lot.) What were the details surrounding the sale of that land in the first place?

• Why would we trade the middle school site ($30-50 million worth of educational and historic buildings, expansive fields, wood shop, library, kitchens, etc.) to house 6th and 7th graders in self-contained modules possessing few, if any, of these amenities?

• What exactly is the scope of the laptop project? How many grades and teachers will it ultimately affect? How many millions will it cost over the long haul? Why would we commit ourselves to such a long-range, all-encompassing program on such short notice? (Similar programs in other, larger districts have cost $20-50 million over a five-year span.) Rich Parker is a former middle-school teacher currently working on his Ph.D. He has stated that the middle-school model is "broken" and outdated. He is deeply embedded in the "tech will save the world" order. Who made him the master of the direction of education on South Whidbey? What about a discussion with those of us who are actually doing the work? I mean, all of us, not just middle-school teachers.

• Does this laptop academy require a change from Mac to PC? What do we do with our current tech?

• Why are the exact details of the new bond not known yet? It is true that we don't have the school reports back, but the gist of the new bond picture could be stated or a few variations given, depending on the scope of the necessary work.

• How will this year's tech levy be spent?

We as a staff had expected big changes. We have been open to the "Coupeville" model, where both middle school and high school are on the same campus but with enough facilities to run healthy programs for all students. This would take more time and money than the current McCarthy plan allows. We also believe a 3 school model of K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 which utilizes the 3 best sites for these programs would work. (By the way this latter was the recommendation from a year long facilities study that included parents, local building experts, board member and teachers and was presented to the board and accepted.)

What we didn't expect was to have our program dismantled. The flagrant disregard for the overall nurturing and health of our students is appalling. We urge you, our colleagues, to recognize that the entire student body of our district is under attack by the limited and narrow focus of a small group of leaders who are on the wrong road.

What this district needs to do is retain as many of the wonderful and talented teachers we have, as possible, and build the kind of programs that reflect the best of what South Whidbey Island has to offer, including programs in solid academics, vocal and instrumental music, art, theater, sustainable technology, healthy farm-to-lunchroom food, and thriving sports. This can be done with community support and enthusiasm from parents and teachers working together. The plan presented by Dr. McCarthy is not his plan; it is the "Fred-Rich-Fred" plan, (Fred McCarthy, Rich Parker, Fred O'neal). It is limited in scope, harmful to students, and represents overt conflict of interest. Please do not underestimate what these people are trying to do with your schools and your children.

Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kent Ratekin, teacher LMS
Langley Middle School