Richland school board may be heading for another shakeup
The Richland School Board may be headed for another shakeup after last week’s decision led to schools closing for two days.
One of the items on the agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting was a “board discussion on change in board leadership” just two months after the leaders were picked.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. and people can watch it on Zoom.
School district officials were not able to provide any more information on who asked for the item to be placed on the agenda.
School Board President Jill Oldson wasn’t available to explain what the item was about.
Oldson has been the target of attacks from people upset about COVID mandates since she was voted in as the board president at the beginning of the year.
She won the spot of board president in November against newly-elected board member Semi Bird in a 3-2 vote.
Longtime board President Rick Jansons decided not to seek the spot despite winning re-election to the board.
In recent meetings, Oldson has faced complaints about how she has handled people not wearing masks during school board meetings. Some complained that she was rude.
Oldson has explained while she doesn’t like the rules, that is the current state law, and if the board allows people to not wear masks any decision could face challenges for not being held in a legal meeting.
Board member Kari Williams is the board’s vice president and Semi Bird is the board’s legislative representative.
Williams, Bird and member Audra Byrd voted 3-2 against Oldson and Jansons to make masks optional immediately in school buildings in defiance of state rules.
As a result, schools were closed for two days last week, drawing sharp criticism from parents on both sides.
School closing
The discussion highlights what is likely a division in the school board between the three members who voted last week to make masks optional and the other two members.
Bird and Byrd rode a wave of anti-COVID requirement sentiment onto the school board. They joined Williams, who already had strongly opposed keeping schools closed and other COVID requirements.
While Byrd had been the the most strident voice against continuing masking requirements, the two others joined her for a surprise vote last week at a special board meeting that did not list that item on the agenda.
The decision immediately raised concerns that it could lead to the state withholding Richland’s school funding, the district’s insurance getting pulled and potential problems with the state Department of Labor and Industries.
Superintendent Shelley Redinger said she wasn’t left with any other choice than to shut down schools for two days.
In a pair of closed-door meetings with the district’s attorney, board members were apparently told they either could return to distance learning or they could wait until March 21 to make masks optional.
March 21 is the date Gov. Jay Inslee has said is when the indoor mask requirement will be lifted if new cases continue to fall.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 12:58 PM.