7 groups, 110 members have 10 ideas for BI school closures

The heat is on as the Bainbridge Island School district works toward a solution for a $4.5 million deficit in the budget, but all 60-plus attendees of the Jan. 25 school board meeting kept their cool in the face of massive potential changes to their education.

Acting superintendent Amii Thompson has instituted a heart-first, transparent approach that has resonated with many parents. But sacrifices will have still to be made.

“We’re not here in a vacuum. We understand this is a massive disruption to the school that is trying to nurture your child,” board member Evan Saint Clair said. “But this is an opportunity for growth. We’re moving into a situation where we have to find compromise. Ask yourself, ‘What is important to your kids’ success?’”

The meeting at the BI high school library was presentation-heavy, with several check-ins on various ongoing projects: updates to facilities, the future of school buildings and the WIAA classification, or sports division reassignment.

Not all the presentations were district-related. Two students from Woodward Middle School, Gina Hasagawa and Simone Newman, introduced their new publication, the Woodward Gazette. Hasagawa, editor-in-chief, said she founded the Gazette in honor of the Woodwards and their stance against Japanese internment in the Bainbridge Island Review.

However, the inaugural presentation by the School Consolidation Advisory Committee drew the most engagement by far at the meeting.

The SCAC has about 110 members — including parents, teachers, administrators and about 10 students — and is subdivided into seven groups, each with a different micro-focus, like budget and teacher wellbeing. The first meeting established the SCAC’s priorities and caught many committee members up to speed on school budgets and education-related jargon.

It also produced 10 new school closure solutions, all combinations of scenarios A and B, with mixed reception. Nearly every speaker, mostly parents and SCAC members, were against the scenario that the SCAC presented to the audience, AB4. The plan would integrate the multi-age Odyssey program into Ordway Elementary.

“My fear is Odyssey will be a square peg in a round hole, and this attractive alternative could be chiseled down,” Odyssey parent Joanna Sanderson said.

Torin Larsen, another Odyssey parent, seconded that sentiment; previously, he sent his children to private school, but chose Odyssey because of its unique learning environment. Adding it to Ordway would change the school dynamic, he told the board, and if it’s no longer Odyssey, “There are families who would consider going to other schools outside the district.”

On the other hand, as several Ordway parents pointed out, the centrally located traditional K-5 public school serves a much higher percentage of students of color than other schools in the district. Studies show that transitions are unilaterally bad for learning, parents emphasized, and Ordway kids deserve better treatment.

“The district is espousing equity all the time, but this is a chance to make it happen,” Ordway parent Mike Reicher said.

Other speakers pushed for voter support for the upcoming levies in February, and some voiced their support for the initial Scenario A in the school realignment. But even as their children’s futures were placed on the line, speakers expressed gratitude for the SCAC and the board.

“Doing this kind of work in public is awesome, but it’s messy,” Thompson said. “Just know that what we suggest today is the start, and not the ending place.”