Kennewick School Board holds a not-so-special meeting | Opinion
Last week, four of the five Kennewick School Board members demonstrated their contempt for the public. They held a hurriedly arranged special meeting to voice their opposition to two bills pending in the Washington state Legislature.
There was nothing special about the topic nor a compelling reason to hurry. But in doing so, they severely restricted the public’s opportunity to participate.
The Kennewick School District has struggled to pass a funding levy. Some of its schools are falling behind. Where’s the special meeting focused on the real issues schools are facing? Addressing low test scores, behavioral issues and anemic graduation rates is far more critical to ensure the success of young people than board members shouting impotently at Olympia.
If House Bill 2331 becomes law, school boards could not reject books and other educational material because they relate to a protected class. In other words, schools couldn’t ban textbooks or lesson plans just because they highlight the place of the LGBTQ community in history or discuss Black Americans’ lived experience.
Districts that don’t comply could lose funding or face other sanctions. The bill also would prevent anyone except parents and legal guardians from lodging a complaint about content.
Senate Bill 5462 would require that schools include LGBTQ history based on consultation with the Washington State LGBTQ Commission. Other groups, including Native Americans, Hispanic Americans and people of different faiths, also would be incorporated into lesson plans.
Democrats in the House and Senate passed their respective bills earlier this month without any Republican support. Now each bill is pending in the other chamber. School board members said they needed to act quickly so they could voice their formal opposition before the bills pass. It’s unlikely that Democrats in Olympia will care.
Besides, if speed was of the essence, why did the board wait until now? Legislators introduced the bills in January, and the school board had two regular meetings since then. It could have discussed a resolution at either and given the public a real chance to weigh in.
Instead, board President Gabe Galbraith, Vice President Micah Valentine and members Josh Miller and Brittany Gledhill chose duplicity. On the Friday before a long holiday weekend, they announced a 9 a.m. Tuesday special meeting. At that hour, no students, working parents or teachers could attend. Almost all of the 20 who did make it on short notice and testified opposed the resolution. On a 4-0 vote the resolutions passed.
Complex issues deserve thorough public debate, but the board made sure that couldn’t happen. Both sides retreated to their corners and refused to concede the other side might have a good point or two. The school board was branded Nazis and book burners. The board’s critics were seen as sycophants in the thrall of progressive activism. Residents threatened meritless lawsuits and recall efforts; school board members put on an unconvincing show of pretending they cared what people had to say.
Reasonable people can disagree about the issues raised by these bills. Whether they go too far usurping local control is a legitimate question. So is the provision that would deny most taxpayers the right to petition school boards about content. Never mind that all taxpayers support schools, benefit from schools and elect the school board. They have a stake, too.
Meanwhile, there is a compelling case to be made that school districts must work harder to welcome historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and include their history and culture in curricula. If they are unwilling, some push from the state might be appropriate. After all, the state funds public education.
There was zero chance that a rushed meeting with little time to prepare would be an environment in which people of good faith could explore those issues honestly and with open minds.
Only one board member, Mike Connors, comported himself well. Unable to attend in person, like so many people, he castigated his fellows for their “complete disregard for our community.” He left the meeting before the vote angrily declaring, “This is a waste of my time, a waste of the board’s time and a waste of staff’s time. I am pissed.”
He had every right to be.