Featured Letter: “When was the last time the focus was on the kids?”

As a current trustee for Polson School District No. 23, I was very interested in the letter from Lori and Mark Russell in the March 1, 2012 issue of the Leader, as well as the companion article by Dylan Kitzan.

Although I am not a voting trustee for the Polson Elementary District, I do represent parents who have children in the elementary buildings, hence my personal concern.

In particular, the recurring theme of the LTE and the story, “When was the last time the focus was on the kids?” strikes a chord with me. Although Mark is too much the gentleman to make the observation, I am sure that it has not escaped his notice that the school board has not focused on the kids since the election last spring. That, not so coincidentally, is when Mr. Russell and Vernon Finley were replaced on the board by new members who, in my opinion, came on board with a personal agenda having nothing to do with education in the district.

There are trustees who share the Russell’s concerns. Unfortunately, one trustee who was very concerned felt compelled to resign based on her observations of the board and some specific trustee’s behavior since May 2011. Mrs. Taylor’s letter of resignation was published in the local papers in mid-February and is very instructive as to why the board has not been focusing on the kids. Beyond that, items have been brought forward to the board agenda in recent months that specifically addressed the ‘dysfunction’ of the panel and brought to light what I considered to be unethical conduct. Not surprisingly, the ‘new majority’ of the board chose not to act on either of these issues.

While I’m not sure what opting out of the CRT testing will accomplish, that is most assuredly a parental choice. Alternatively, I would encourage Mark Russell to pursue reclaiming his seat on the school board and, perhaps, even reclaiming his earlier position as chairman of the board. He would have my support.