Download and read copy of the Lawsuit filed against the School Board

Comment by Chuck Parrish on February 22, 2013 at 11:12pm

Thank you for doing this, Ellen. I have downloaded and will read tomorrow.

Comment by Pam Carter on February 25, 2013 at 8:26pm

Yes - thanks Ellen. I just skimmed it and found it rather entertaining.

Comment by Sarah Vallieu on February 28, 2013 at 12:40pm

Many thanks Ellen. I also have a copy and have skimmed it, though need to read a bit more thoroughly.

In related news, I understand via the community grapevine that the Foster principal has just resigned, effective at the end of the year. If this is true, and I realize it may not be, how on EARTH does that school cycle through so many administrators? Holy cow, I think this is the fifth one in seven years, or something crazy like that! A little concerning, as a parent in the district...

Comment by Ellen Gengler on February 28, 2013 at 12:43pm

Sarah,
I had not heard that.
Although one can only imagine that it is a very stressful working environment.
And how difficult would it be to grow programs if there is always turmoil in the administration.

Comment by Sarah Vallieu on February 28, 2013 at 12:53pm

I got the news from a parent up there. If it is true the reason behind the resignation hasn't/isn't being broadcast. Yes, I agree on the environment. It can't be pretty. If it is so bad that the adults want to bolt, it makes me wonder about what the kids are experiencing.

Comment by Ellen Gengler on March 1, 2013 at 2:03pm

For me, I want to hear the school's response. It's hard for me to discern what is the truth at this point. I read the complaint, and followed the Burke situation previously. I think all sides should have an opportunity to be heard. The situation seems like a hot mess, with strong feelings on both sides.

I was interested in reading the recent Reporter article that mentions the following:

Mell also said she will amend the initial complaint against the district to include student achievement and facilities issues, among other concerns that will be filed by the end of March.

In my reading of the complaint, I had not noticed any complaint that particularly mentioned the impact on the students. It seemed to mostly discuss the employment issues.

I have no idea what is going on; but one thing that seems apparent is that there is a lot of energy spent on this, that is not available for helping our students. I hope that this matter can be worked out. After all, aren't we supposed to be the adults?

Comment by Chuck Parrish on March 1, 2013 at 6:18pm

I agree with Ellen on this. Reading the complaints/charges should convince no one of anything. Let's see what happens.

Comment by Deborah Salas on March 2, 2013 at 8:06am

I am not commenting on the lawsuit, but would like to comment on how we, as white members of the Tukwila community, can contribute to disassembling the institutionalized white power structure and embracing the wonderfully diverse population of Tukwila. It isn't enough to provide passive support, like providing a "how to join" class so folks know how to throw their hat in the ring. We need to actively recruit and support people who are not represented in positions of power.

How might this look? In our organization, we established an Anti-Bias, Anti-Racism Committee to insure that our policies, hiring practices, promotion and discipline are free of racial or other bias. The committee is chaired by staff from minority populations and has the authority to go directly to our board of directors to address issues that are not addressed by our adminstrative leadership team. They have made changes to our recruitment and hiring processes to insure that we don't have a bias towards a Euro-centric interview process. The result is that we have a very diverse staff that spans the various levels of our organization, including our Board of Directors.

Another thing we need to be willing to do is to give up power. If I am in a decision-making position, am White and recognize that my organization does not represent my constituency, then I can reach out to representative members and willingly support their membership in that organization, even if it is at the cost of my own membership. In the case of the school board, as positions come open, school board members could look to their district for non-White leaders with interest in the school board. They can become mentors to those people, helping them to learn the ins and outs of managing a school district, and even campaign for them, helping the primarily white voting population to embrace this change.

Addressing the issues raised in the lawsuit does not deserve a "lets stand back and see what happens" response. Neither does it deserve finger-pointing and mud slinging. This is a issue that has been brewing for years, a pot wanting to boil. Without recrimination, I suggest that each of us outreach to members of this beautifully diverse community and find folks that want to run for elected positions, then help to support them into those positions.

I know most of the current school board members and know them to be people who want to do what is right by the students and families of Tukwila. We shouldn't be vilifying these folks who have given so much of their time, energy and support to a thankless job. We should, instead, give them the support they need to remove the institutional barriers that have been in place for so long and have kept diverse representation from being a reality.

Our children and families deserve more from us as a community. The responsibility for change rests on us all.

Comment by Ellen Gengler on March 2, 2013 at 8:53pm

Deborah,
I find your comments very thought provoking. I'm not sure how your comments
play out:

If I am in a decision-making position, am White and recognize that my organization does not represent my constituency, then I can reach out to representative members and willingly support their membership in that organization, even if it is at the cost of my own membership.

Would you advocate decision makers in all groups that don't represent their constituency recruit and support replacements to themselves? The Tukwila City Council and most certainly Tukwila city staff do not come close to accurately reflecting the current demographics in Tukwila. Yet we have few contested elections for council seats and very low turnover in staff.

I'm personally disheartened that more citizens don't participate in our government and schools. But I'm not sure where the responsibility lies. Certainly the government and schools have a duty to be transparent and inclusive, but don't the citizens have a responsibility to show up?

In recent books I've read including "Bowling Alone -The Collapse and Revival of American Community" and "BETTER TOGETHER: Restoring the American Community," it seems that connecting diverse communities would help attain goals. But when organizations or governments are the stakeholders there seems to be reluctance to "broaden the net" and try and create new connections that don't include these entities.

Building community benefits everyone. Keeping power in silos benefit the power holders, and where there is apathy and disengagement - regardless the cause, silos are built.

Comment by Deborah Salas on March 3, 2013 at 5:58am

Yes I would recommend that. I think one of the reasons more citizens don't involvement themselves in government processes is that the playing field isn't level. That is why I advocate for having those who have the power be the ones who reach out and mentor members of other racial and cultural groups so they have a way in. Once we have Latinos, Somali's, Samoans, etc. on the Boards and Councils, I am certain we will see more involvement from the broader population in the governing affairs.

Also, I am not saying that if you are White you should give up your job. I love my work, as I am certain those who have stayed in their positions for long periods of time do as well. However, we all need a succession plan to help prepare and support the process of getting full representation. It should however, begin with elected positions, which are meant to be representative by their very nature.

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