An Open Letter to the LWSD Leadership in Response to the LWSD Board Meeting 3/2/2021
March 2, 2021
Jon, Matt, Barbara, Mike, Sally, Dale, Joy, Eric, Mark, Cassandra, Chris, and Siri -
I am writing an open letter to you in response to the LWSD Board Meeting on 3/1/2021. I will not mince words.
As superintendents and board members, it is your responsibility to "Strengthen the educational achievements of all students" so that they can "achieve personal academic success" [RCW 28A.150.210]. You are failing at your responsibility. You know how important this is. You are all very smart people. I’m not going to waste time talking about infection rates, or RCW codes, or job descriptions, or CDC recommendations, or Governor mandates, or IEPs, or equity gaps. You already know the hurt, pain, and isolation you are inflicting on children by your inability to act. Yesterday you saw only a small taste of the anger and resolve by the overwhelming majority of those you collect a paycheck serving.
Dr. Holman, your plan will not work. You have tried hard this year to negotiate provisions with the teacher's union (LWEA), but you are not getting from them what you need, so you come back to the parents and students at Lake Washington School District with an unacceptable solution. You are a bright individual. You know that your plan, as hard as you tried, is doomed to failure. What happens when you hear from 90% of the students that they are emotionally impacted and need to come back? How are you possibly going to satisfy those requests? How are you even going to process the requests?
Eric, Mark, Cassandra, Chris, and Siri - you also well know that Dr. Holman’s plan is not acceptable. As a board, it is your responsibility to admit that this plan does not work. Your responsibility is to demand a new plan. Dr. Holman was hired by you, and you work for us. You are good, decent, and intelligent people. You campaigned to join the board because truly believed you could enrich the lives of children. You were voted to your positions because we believed that you would always put our kids first. You are a board of directors. You need to Direct. You need to tell Jon and Matt in no uncertain terms that the plan is not acceptable. You need to tell them they need to pivot immediately. The sooner you tell them this, the sooner we move forward in the right direction.
Last night, Mike outlined how the different alternative approaches were less than perfect, and rightly so. Any alternative to 100% in-class learning is not going to be perfect, and we all recognize that. But there is one approach which was glossed over as "imperfect" which is widely recognized as the best viable approach: A teacher (either in class or remote themselves) teaching simultaneously to students in class and online. Concurrent teaching, hybrid approach, whatever you want to call it. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it satisfies the following requirements:
It allows any student and teacher that choose to do so to stay remote
It gets all students that choose in class an opportunity for 2 days/week
It does not change any schedules
It can be implemented with great speed
There are no conflicts with AP Tests or any other Spring Activities (students that wish to stay remote may stay remote)
It allows for <50% capacity in all your schools and classrooms, allowing you to adhere to the 6-foot requirement in likely 90+% of your classrooms
It allows for <50% capacity for all busses and other transportation resources
It is the first step in bringing back 100% in-class instruction
This is an approach that is being used successfully across the nation and within our own county. The solution is not perfect, but it’s the best option that you have. If Jon’s plan was acceptable, you would not have seen hundreds of people last night. If Jon’s plan was viable, you would see other school districts doing the same thing with success. Instead, you see school districts implementing the hybrid approach outlined here. There’s a reason for that. You know in your heart that this is the only viable solution to get kids back now.
You have an army of motivated parents available to help you move now. You have Google and Microsoft in your backyard. You have brand new buildings and the best technologies. Working together, we can get this done. To demonstrate how, I am going to offer you in detail an example timeline. Obviously, I’m not privy to all the procedures and circumstances required to make this work. This is for illustrative purposes to demonstrate that it can be done:
March 2, 2021:
Board meets in a special session, unequivocally rejects Jon’s proposal, instructs him to pursue with great haste a hybrid solution which allows for 50% capacity to be implemented before April 1, 2021.
March 3, 2021:
Jon Holman reaches out to the community and messages that we are changing course and will implement a hybrid approach in our secondary schools before April 1, 2021.
Jon Holman goes to the LWEA and explains the pivot. He explains to the union that teachers are free to choose returning to their classrooms or staying at home and continuing to teach remote. From this point on, all negotiations, discussions, and provisions between the union and Jon Holman are completely transparent. Whatever the union says, Jon reports back to the Board of Directors and the community.
Dale Cote sends a survey to all students to determine who will participate in class, and who wishes to remain remote.
Joy Ross sends a survey to all secondary teachers to find out who is willing to come back in to teach hybrid and who will be staying home and continuing to teach remotely, stressing there is no mandate to come back at this time.
Matt Gillingham assembles Lake Washington District Parent Task Force (LWDPTF). This is a task force made up of 12-18 highly motivated parents that have already established themselves as community organizers. This task force will work with the school district to offer support in any way necessary. LWDPTF to self-organize and identify areas of ownership, with a pledge to make their highest priority to assist the district in any way that they can.
March 4, 2021:
Sally works with Middle/High school leadership teams and reaches out to LWDPTF to address the technology gap (if there is one) to house all secondary classrooms with video conferencing capabilities. LWDPTF puts together a task force of dedicated, motivated, and highly specialized professionals from Microsoft to assist her in any way necessary to procure loaner equipment and set it up inside the classrooms.
Jon reports back to the community on the union’s response (and every day following).
March 5-12:
Sally continues to work with her task force. LWDPTF to work non-stop until all Middle/High Schools are property equipped.
Joy and Dale report back on students and teachers that will participate in-class
District leadership team assesses transportation issues. Works with King County Metro and LWDPTF to identify gaps and solutions.
March 13-19:
Middle/High school leadership identifies Cohorts (A and B groups), established based on feedback from student surveys. This is to split the students that wish to remain remote equally between the two groups to minimize the number of students in-class. Matt reaches out to LWDPTF as necessary to assist.
Middle/High school leadership teams communicate A/B groups with students and teachers. [A] group to attend in person (as they choose) Mon/Thu, and [B] group to attend Tue/Fri, with Wednesday to remain an asynchronous day.
Joy to report back on teachers that choose to remain remote and those that wish to teach in person (or some combination thereof).
Joy/Matt to work with school staff and LWDPTF to identify needs for in-class TA volunteers for teachers that choose to teach remotely. Volunteers screened and chosen.
March 20-26:
Dry Run: In-Class teachers teach one day from an empty classroom. Report back. Technical challenges addressed immediately by LWDPTF and Microsoft professionals.
LWDPTF to organize and work with Middle/High School leadership to help identify 6 feet distancing in classrooms, tape off unused desks, tape on hallway floors to designate lanes, signage to promote distancing, etc.
Middle/High School leadership to identify any gaps in sanitation/hygiene concerns, including temperature checks classroom clean-up, etc. LWDPTF to support with volunteers however necessary to organize, mobilize, and volunteer and to supply gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, touchless thermometers, etc.
Minor schedule changes are adopted by Middle/High school leadership teams to further minimize distancing requirements between classes (i.e. Freshman and Sophomore classes start and end 5 minutes earlier than Junior and Senior classes).
March 29:
In-Person instruction to start across all Middle and High Schools in LWSD. Principles to report back to LWSD leadership any issues, concerns. LWSD to work with LWDPTF to address all issues.
Again, I’m not a school administrator and I’m not privy to all issues relating to the start of school. I provide this as an example timeline to illustrate to you how this can be done in a manner that will support the teachers, the students, and the administration. If you proposed a timeline such as this, you would mobilize an army of professionals that would come to your aid to make it happen. If you don’t believe me, ask the hundreds of people chanting and banging on your windows last night.
I want to reiterate to the Board that you have the power to reject the position set forth by Dr. Jon Holman. It was done in good faith and under the constraints set forth by the union, but it is not an acceptable solution and you heard that loud and clear from your constituents. You are not the enemy, you are not the bad guys. You are very bright individuals. You hired a very competent man in Dr. Holman. You are trying hard to come up with a solution to a difficult problem with a lot of constraints, the two biggest constraints being 1) the 6 foot mandate, and 2) a Teacher Union that is not thinking about the best interests of their teachers, their students, or their community. If the union refuse to work on a solution that is acceptable, please be transparent. Release minutes of meetings. Release details of negotiations. Give the community the chance to let the union know that they are being unreasonable, reckless, and counterproductive. Let the community know where to direct their focused attention. Let us apply the necessary pressure. I’m mincing words here - your primary responsibility is to the students of this district, and you are failing those students. Your responsibility is not to appease a union. You need to work side by side with a union, but you collect a paycheck to serve the students of this district. Your job is to serve the children or step down. Superintendents, you may feel an affiliation and brotherhood with the union, but you are paid to serve the community and teach our children. You cannot be beholden to a union at the expense of our children's education.
I don’t speak for any group. I speak for myself. But I can assure you that a group is organized, and it is growing in numbers at an alarming clip. Last night will serve as a catalyst for this group. The longer that you try to push a failed proposal, the more pressure you will experience, and the effects will be lasting. When parents move their children out of the school district, financial resources will be altered. Fantastic teachers that LOVE their students will be lost when finances dry up. When a resolution is signed by thousands pledging to no longer support school levies, financial resources will be altered. When legal action and OSPI formal complaints are issued, your ability to serve the community will be compromised. And you will all live with the painful knowledge that you stole precious memories from children, never to be replaced. Seniors who don't have a senior year. Future teachers who pursue other occupations. Children on prescription medications and with suicidal thoughts because of the pain and suffering caused by inaction.
Board members, you must take the first step. You must tell Dr. Holman that his proposal is unacceptable. You must act now. I believe that you have the intestinal fortitude to do this. You joined the board because you love kids. Love those kids now.
Respectfully,
Lou Lucarelli