Letter: Election result is loud and clear

Published 2:31 pm Sunday, May 1, 2022

We must work together towards stellar community-based elementary schools.

The school bond voting is over. With a nearly 78% super-majority voting against the proposed bond, it should be abundantly clear that this was not the direction to go. It is now time for the community and school leaders to find common ground on a reasonable and community-centric long-term facilities plan. We hope the current school board and our superintendent understand this.

Our vision has always been to return to a full P/K-5 grade school model at each of our current elementary buildings. We are committed to seeing that happen. But even better than that, we want to have these community-based schools become lighthouse examples of excellence in education and community engagement. We believe they can be the best in the state.

Elementary schools create strong foundations for life-long learning skills that are essential to long-term student success. This begins in a structure of family interaction with the school staff as partners in the learning process. Rather than thinking of our two elementary schools as financial burdens, we suggest they be thought of as opportunities for community and parent engagement. We believe the plan to eliminate our community schools as included in this past bond proposal, was the driving force for the overwhelming rejection from the community. This bears repeating, we hope the school board and our superintendent hear this loud and clear!

Without question, there are important facility needs facing the district, but this failed bond package was bloated with nearly half of the cost committed to undermining our belief in having strong, impactful and engaging P/K-5 community schools. There are many community stakeholders who are willing and able to bring their knowledge, passion and energy to rethinking a reasonable and values aligned facilities plan if the school board and the superintendent will come to the table and listen.

The Save Ocean Park School PAC wants to say thank you to all the volunteers, supporters, and the work that everyone did to become fully educated in the bond proposal. The overwhelming support to stop the door being slammed on our community schools was heartwarming. We are ready to get to work on a new long-term, creatively developed facility plan that the voters can support. The key to the success of this endeavor is whether the current decision makers at the Ocean Beach School District are willing to honestly and openly engage with knowledgeable and committed stakeholders to find a better way forward.

SAVE OCEAN PARK SCHOOL PAC

Tom Downer, Bonnie Cozby, Karen Stephens, Diane Gruber, Dr. Mark Mansell, Jerry Herr

Ocean Park and Oysterville