Ugly politics and Richland School Board turmoil are overshadowing the good around us

When I got word Tuesday night that Kennewick School Board member Micah Valentine went to Richland to tell two veteran school board members that they should resign, I was taken aback.

Not because he was taking sides in the Richland School Board’s ongoing conflict — that didn’t surprise me.

What caught me off guard was his timing. I couldn’t help but think, “What’s Micah doing there when he could be here?”

That’s because I got the text about Valentine at the same time I was helping at the Kennewick School District’s student job fair. The event was a massive undertaking by a handful of staff members and volunteers, and we were all anxious to see how it would go.

For all intents and purposes, it was a hit.

About 200 students showed up to talk to employers and get career advice. It was a number that far exceeded expectations for this first-time effort.

Several students came prepared with resumes in hand, and it was easy to tell which teens were serious about finding work because they came dressed to impress.

With sons of my own, I admit the tie, slacks and tennis shoes combo always makes me smile.

“Come for the SWAG… leave with a JOB!” was the slogan used to entice graduating high school seniors to check out the job fair held at the newly rebuilt Kennewick High School.

The commons area was filled with rows of tables, banners and a few jaw-dropping displays from businesses that definitely got the teens’ attention. Free samples from Sub Zero Ice Cream were an added bonus.

While some students might not have found what they were looking for, there were several who appeared genuinely excited about their new prospects.

One young man was clearly stoked about a possible job at the Toyota Center. Another left seriously considering a job as a 911 dispatcher.

A young woman said she was thinking of getting a job in health care, and with representatives from Trios Health and Lourdes Health there, she received some helpful information.

Employers, too, seemed like they were having a ball. Even if they didn’t get to hire anyone on the spot, most appreciated the chance to share information and get kids thinking about different career possibilities.

All in all, it was an uplifting party-like atmosphere that for a couple hours bonded kids, parents, businesses, community groups and the Kennewick School District all together.

Valentine said he didn’t know about it, which is a shame.

He’s a sociable guy and would have been in his element. I imagine he would have thoroughly enjoyed offering encouraging words to high school students, meeting their parents and visiting with employers and military representatives.

School board members can’t possibly show up to every school district event on the calendar — no one expects that. And Valentine is no slacker in the volunteer department. He spends a lot of time attending school functions, as well as coaching youth soccer and volunteering at his church.

Valentine told me he cares about all the kids in the Tri-Cities and not just those in Kennewick, and that he has wanted to attend a Richland School Board meeting in person for some time. This past Tuesday night his schedule finally allowed him to fit it in.

He was there to offer his thoughts on the divide in the district.

Richland School Board members Audra Byrd, Kari Williams and Semi Bird are the target of a recall effort. The charges include violating the state Open Public Meetings Act and voting to defy the school mask mandate, despite warnings from legal counsel and WA state officials.

At the meeting, Valentine said it is long-time Richland School Board members Jill Oldson and Rick Jansons who need to go.

Oldson and Jansons were committed to following the rules and avoiding a potential loss of school funding. But Valentine said they should resign from office “because of their many crimes against the children of Richland.”

He said, “Audra and Semi ran on a platform … how awesome is it that we have people who ran on a platform, and then got elected and then are actually doing what they got elected to do. That is what they are doing … they are representing the voice of the parents.”

But it appears they didn’t represent the voice of parents in a legal manner — and that’s why there’s conflict.

The issue over masks in schools became a political lightning rod, and there’s a good chance the turmoil it caused in Richland will intensify with the summer campaign season prior to the August primary election.

With this job, I’ll be paying close attention to it. But I hope to find diversions — like I did by helping with the KSD student job fair — to remind me of how people in the Tri-Cities can work together to do something worthwhile and productive.

And I hope others in the community do the same. This wretched conflict in Richland, I fear, is threatening to overshadow the good around us.

This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 5:32 AM.