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Department of Education Opens Investigations into Wenatchee School District Over Columbia School Closure

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The Office of Civil Rights opened the investigations because of the decision to close Columbia Elementary at the end of the last school year

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*Advocacy Group Proposes Plan to Include Expansion of TK Across All Elementary Schools: Final Decision Tuesday*

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*Advocacy Group Proposes Plan to Include Expansion of TK Across All Elementary Schools: Final Decision Tuesday*

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¿Por qué WSD está cerrando una de las escuelas con mejor desempeño del distrito? ¡La escuela Columbia está ubicada en el corazón de nuestra ciudad y ha estado en funcionamiento durante 100 años! Esta escuela también es el hogar de una de nuestras poblaciones más vulnerables ¡Y ni siquiera tiene la inscripción más baja!

Bienvenidos al llamado de los niños, maestros y familias de Columbia; ¡Defensores apasionados de la educación y la seguridad de nuestros niños en Wenatchee Valley!

Juntos podemos hacer la diferencia. Estamos alzando la voz y haciéndonos oír. Instamos a la Junta Escolar y a los miembros de nuestra comunidad a intervenir y exigir que el WSD reconsidere el cierre de la Primaria Columbia.Nuestros hijos merecen algo mejor.Luchemos por su futuro, asegurémonos de que tengan acceso a una educación de calidad en un entorno seguro. Únase a nosotros en esta lucha y juntos podemos marcar la diferencia.

En la Escuela Primaria Columbia, padres y maestros se han unido para diseñar una solución práctica y sostenible a la perspectiva de la sobrepoblación de las escuelas. Hemos desarrollado un plan integral que garantiza la continuidad de nuestras queridas escuelas. Creemos que cargar continuamente a los mismos segmentos vulnerables de nuestra comunidad por el bien común es injusto y discriminatorio. En cambio, estamos allanando un camino que distribuya la responsabilidad de manera equitativa y fomente un futuro sostenible para todos. Únase a nosotros mientras nos embarcamos en este viaje hacia una educación inclusiva y resiliente.

¡Únete a nosotros y sé parte de la conversación! Tu presencia en la sala es invaluable mientras exploramos todas las opciones disponibles. No necesitas tener una opinión firme ni contribuir verbalmente, pero tu asistencia es crucial. Consulta los eventos listados en nuestro calendario a continuación, o visita nuestra página de eventos en Facebook para obtener más detalles. ¡Tu participación es importante!

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¿Por qué WSD está cerrando una de las escuelas con mejor desempeño del distrito? ¡La escuela Columbia está ubicada en el corazón de nuestra ciudad y ha estado en funcionamiento durante 100 años! Esta escuela también es el hogar de una de nuestras poblaciones más vulnerables ¡Y ni siquiera tiene la inscripción más baja!

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school_board@wenatcheeschools.org

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To email all School Board members at one time, please use this email address: school_board@wenatcheeschools.org

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It's not only important to sign this petition but to share it with as many people as you can!

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The history of Columbia Elementary is deeply rooted in the heart of our community in Wenatchee, WA. Columbia has the second highest population of minority students in our district and has a high poverty rate. It is the only centrally located walking school in the district, which allows families who do not have consistent access to transportation the ability to participate in school events, attend conferences, and receive consistent breakfast and lunch even when school is not in session. This school is not just an institution for us; it's a caring home away from home for our children and one that will help propel them to a brighter future.

However, our community recently learned that the Wenatchee School District is planning to close Columbia Elementary due to District budget issues. This decision would disrupt the learning of students who are overcoming recent COVID-related disruptions, and put additional strain on families who rely upon the school for its accessible location, meals, and two TK classes. When closing the Wenatchee Internet Academy last year (minority enrollment 49%) the school district proposed 3 different options but Columbia has only been provided one (minority enrollment 74%). The apparent lack of transparency and the inconsistent messaging on the part of the Wenatchee School District with regards to a decision of this magnitude has further damaged the trust of both our local and broader community.

Columbia Elementary has been serving the community for one hundred years, providing quality education to thousands of students. The closure would force families to scramble for alternatives in other schools that may already be at capacity or are located farther away from their homes. In addition, the District's lack of notice and short timeframe for making this proposed change does not allow sufficient time for families to find feasible alternative childcare for younger children based on an altered location for their elementary school students. In our valley, the wait for quality child care can be over one year and the final decision by the Board is not set to happen until May 14th, exactly one month before the end of the school year.

We understand that budget constraints may be driving this decision, but we believe there must be other ways to address financial issues without compromising on our children's education and disrupting their lives. We do not want any other parents or students to have their neighborhood school closed. Let's work together to keep our schools open and help solve the District's budget problems.

We urge you - local authorities and school board members - to reconsider this decision and are advocating for additional time for all parties to reach a decision that is better reflective of the teamwork and community involvement that such a decision demands. Let us work together towards finding alternative solutions that don't involve closing down a beloved local institution like Columbia Elementary School.

Please sign this petition if you stand with us in preserving Columbia Elementary School for current students and future generations alike. We thank you for your time and support, and are appreciative of the efforts being made by so many different students, staff, and community members that are helping our collective and united voice to be heard in this matter.

La historia de la Primaria Columbia está profundamente enraizada en el corazón de nuestra comunidad en Wenatchee, WA. Columbia tiene la segunda población más alta de estudiantes minoritarios en nuestro distrito y tiene una alta tasa de pobreza. Es a la única escuela a la cual se camina que se ubicada en el centro del distrito, lo que permite a las familias que no tienen acceso constante al transporte la posibilidad de participar en eventos escolares, asistir a conferencias y recibir desayuno y almuerzo constantes, incluso cuando la escuela no está en sesión. Esta escuela no es sólo una institución para nosotros; es un segundo hogar lejos del hogar para nuestros hijos, y uno que los ayudará a impulsarlos hacia un futuro mejor.

Sin embargo, nuestra comunidad fue notificada recientemente de que el Distrito Escolar de Wenatchee planea cerrar la Escuela Primaria Columbia debido a problemas presupuestarios del Distrito. Esta decisión interrumpiría el aprendizaje de los estudiantes que están superando interrupciones recientes relacionadas con COVID y ejercería una presión adicional sobre las familias que dependen de la escuela por su ubicación accesible, comidas y dos clases de TK. Al cerrar la Academia de Internet de Wenatchee el año pasado (inscripción de minorías 49%), el distrito escolar propuso 3 opciones diferentes, pero a Columbia solo se le proporcionó una (inscripción de minorías 74%). La aparente falta de transparencia y los mensajes inconsistentes por parte del Distrito Escolar de Wenatchee con respecto a una decisión de esta magnitud han dañado aún más la confianza de nuestra comunidad local y en general.

La Primaria Columbia ha estado sirviendo a la comunidad durante cien años, brindando educación de calidad a miles de estudiantes. El cierre obligaría a las familias a buscar alternativas en otras escuelas que tal vez ya estén llenas o que estén ubicadas más lejos de sus hogares. Además, la falta de notificación por parte del Distrito y el corto plazo para realizar este cambio propuesto no da tiempo suficiente para que las familias encuentren un cuidado infantil alternativo para los niños más pequeños basándose en una ubicación modificada para sus estudiantes de escuela primaria. En nuestro valle, la espera por un cuidado infantil de calidad puede durar más que un año y la decisión final de la Junta no se producirá hasta el 14 de mayo, exactamente un mes antes del final del año escolar.

Entendemos que las restricciones presupuestarias pueden estar impulsando esta decisión, pero creemos que debe haber otras formas de abordar los problemas financieros sin comprometer la educación de nuestros hijos sin alterar sus vidas. No queremos que ningún otro padre o estudiante tenga cerrada la escuela de su vecindario. Trabajaremos juntos para mantener abiertas nuestras escuelas y ayudar a resolver los problemas presupuestarios del Distrito.

Les insistemos a ustedes (autoridades locales y miembros de la junta escolar) a reconsiderar esta decisión y abogamos por tiempo adicional para que todas las partes lleguen a una decisión que refleje mejor el trabajo en equipo y la participación comunitaria que exige dicha decisión. Trabajaremos juntos para encontrar soluciones alternativas que no impliquen cerrar una querida institución local como la Escuela Primaria Columbia.

Firme esta petición si está a nuestro lado para preservar la Escuela Primaria Columbia para los estudiantes actuales y las generaciones futuras por igual. Le agradecemos su tiempo y apoyo, y apreciamos los esfuerzos realizados por tantos estudiantes, personal y miembros de la comunidad diferentes que están asegurando que nuestra voz colectiva y unida sea escuchada en este asunto.

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The history of Columbia Elementary is deeply rooted in the heart of our community in Wenatchee, WA. Columbia has the second highest population of minority students in our district and has a high poverty rate.

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Last night the Wenatchee School Board voted unanimously to close Columbia Elementary for good.

After months of intrigue, discord and uncertainty, the school board finally handed down its decision. The vote was presaged by more than an hour of fraught testimony. Many parents and faculty made it plain that they did not approve of shuttering Columbia.

For years the school has been battered by plummeting enrollment and what some would describe as chronic underperformance. Despite a better-than-average student-teacher ratio, most children at Columbia do not perform at grade level, according to U.S. News & Report.

But that scarcely makes a difference to Micaela Salgado. She spoke during last night's meeting and was visibly impassioned; at times her voice quavered. A second-year kindergarten instructor, Salgado had hoped to work at Columbia for the duration of her career. But as a provisional teacher, she lacked full licensure and her employment was tenuous. Salgado was told in February that layouts were imminent and she would not be spared.

"It makes me feel like I'm an old rag," she says. "An old rag they're using that they can just toss and then bring back whenever they want."

Despite her grievances, Salgado says the well-being of her students has to take priority. Columbia mostly serves low-income families. Because these families have little power or recourse, the school board is more cavalier than it might otherwise be, Salgado thinks.

"We are a Title I school," Salgado says. "And again, the decision they made last night just goes to show that they use this marginalized population as promotional material."

Click here to watch the school board meeting in its own entirety.

Caddo Schools Losing the Most Students

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Teachers React: Emotional Testimonies Surround Closure Of Columbia Elementary School

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Some in uproar as Wenatchee School Board votes to close Columbia Elementary School. Emotional testimony from parents and faculty opposing closure highlighted during lengthy hearing.

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The Wenatchee School Board Tuesday night unanimously voted to close Columbia Elementary School in the 2024-2025 school year.

Before the decision was made members of the public who signed up to speak were given three minutes each to share their thoughts.

Micaela Salgado, a Columbia employee who will lose her job due to the closure, pushed back on what she perceived as the board complaining about Columbia supporters attempting to "guilt trip" the board for closing a school with a high number of poor and minority students.

"I would rather lose my job and have these kids at Columbia," she said. "I would like to say that in no way am I or anyone who speaks out about closing Columbia and its impacts on marginalized communities trying to guilt you."

You can watch Salgado's remarks here:

Former Columbia teacher and author Jamie Johnson also addressed complaints about public pressure. She said any guilt felt by board members is simply their moral compasses functioning as they should when considering closing a school that serves a high number of individuals who belong to marginalized communities.

"By definition marginalized communities exist within systems that consistently fail to meet their needs, burdening them disproportionately, sacrificing their wellbeing for the privileged majority," she said. "Overcrowding our most vulnerable schools is one glaring example of marginalization that demands our attention."

Regardless of how they feel, feelings don't matter, she said. It's what they choose to do that matters.

"Intent does not negate impact," Johnson said.

After about an hour of public comments, Superintedent Kory Kalahar explained why district administrators proposed the plan to close Columbia and board member Martin Barron moved to close Columbia this year. The motion was seconded by Tucker Jackson, and then each board member took some time to explain why they were voting in favor of closing Columbia.

Barron spoke first and thanked every member of the public who had taken the time to show up and weigh in, or contact them online, for their input.

"Like many decisions, this one has both logic aspects and human aspects. Both must be considered. Neither can stand alone," he said.

He acknowledged the decision was not easy, but the decision to close Columbia is the best thing for the district in the long term.

"Living within our means is a shared accountability," Barron said. "Managing budget expenditures becomes a search for reasonable choices. No individual is entitled to exactly what they prefer."

When it was Board President Julie Norton's time to speak she said that she understood that this was a difficult and emotional decision to make but expressed disappointment at what she perceived to be less than respectful responses from Columbia staff toward other school district staff members who have shown support for consolidating the elementary schools.

She said that she hopes that if the district ever has to have difficult discussions like this one in the future, district staff members will show each other more decorum.

"We share your emotion. We share your pain. We know what you're going through," she said. "I realize change is hard, but in the end it's the fiscally responsible thing to do."

After the meeting, Columbia staff member Ann Young said she was "heartbroken" by the decision. Others said they feel like there was never any real consideration of any alternative other than closing Columbia, and they weren't listened to by district administration or the board.

"All I can say is that I'm very disappointed that the school board wasn't more critical of the information presented to them by the district," Columbia educator Aaron Gahringer said. "The speeches the school board members gave tonight proved to me that there wasn't enough critical thinking about what they were being presented with. It's unfortunate that this system didn't work to protect some of our most vulnerable students."

Johnson said the community has a right to be frustrated, especially since it didn't even seem like Board President Norton registered when she was wrong after being corrected on seemingly important details.

"Julie claimed that the board has listened to community concerns and proceeded to erroneously label Columbia as 'the smallest school.' However, both community members and district data have consistently highlighted that Columbia is not the smallest school," she said. "The community's frustration with feeling unheard makes sense when crucial facts like these are disregarded throughout the 3-month series of meetings. I am troubled by the possibility that clinging to additional oversights might have influenced the decision-making process."

Dorothy Ferguson with the Columbia Parents Advocacy Group and a grandmother of Columbia students spoke at the meeting, and afterward sent Sup. Kalahar the following email:

"This evening you voted to close Columbia Elementary School. What is your plan, for tomorrow, to provide mental health services for students, teachers and parents? Your decision to close Columbia is being experienced as a death for some Columbia students and parents. Their anxieties and fears about their future are unavoidable. No matter how positive their parents are in telling 4 to 11-year-olds that their school is closing," she wrote. "You all voiced your empathy for students and parents for their loss. What is your plan for tomorrow morning to provide crisis counseling services to students , parents and staff? Parents request a response."

District administrators have not stated what they plan to do with Columbia and the property it is on after they close the school.

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Wenatchee School Board Votes To Close Columbia Elementary School

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After four months of intense community pressure to keep the school open, the board vote to close it was unanimous

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The board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in its meetings. In order to permit fair and orderly expression of public comment, with the exception of emergency situations, the board will provide a period for public comment during every regular meeting.

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This stream is used if the meeting/event is not streaming to YouTube. It will not be used very often. If you do not hear any sound from an event that is not a scheduled board meeting, or an executive session, this is expected behavior not a technical difficulty.

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As districts consider closures to cope with budgetary declines, new research adds to concerns that schools with higher enrollments of Black students are more likely than other schools to be shut down.

"The big picture is that race plays a role in this process," said Francis A. Pearman, an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. "And if we intend to be thoughtful, intentional, to do right by the communities we serve, it's important to address that head on."

After analyzing federal data on enrollment and school closures between 2000 and 2018, Pearman and fellow researchers, including Danielle Greene, found that majority-Black schools were about three times as likely to close as schools with smaller enrollments of Black students, even when accounting for common reasons behind closures.

"If you take two schools that are equivalent in terms of achievement, are equivalent in terms of recent enrollment changes, are equivalent in socioeconomic statuses, but differ only in whether or not the school is majority Black, that majority Black school is still more likely to close," Pearman said.

That finding, in a paper that is forthcoming in the Harvard Educational Review, builds on Pearman and his team's previous research.

In California, the likelihood of a school's closure increased with higher concentrations of Black students, they found in a separate working paper published in September by Policy Analysis for California Education, a nonpartisan research center. They found a similar, less pronounced pattern nationwide.

Concerns about inequality in school closure decisions

Choosing to close schools-and selecting which ones-are among the most emotional and politically fraught decisions school boards and district leaders make.

The new findings add to growing research concluding thatthose processes often lead to inequitable results.

Douglas Harris, director of The National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice, published research similar to Pearman's in 2022, though he and his team also looked at charter and private school data. They found a similar pattern in which schools with more Black students were more likely to close.

Harris said various factors could play into this disparity, including how schools in certain neighborhoods have historically been maintained and funded.

"It could be about political power," Harris said. "When you're in the school board meeting, and that tough decision has to be made, Black families, neighborhoods may have less power in those decisions and that may be part of what's happening," Harris said.

Those concerns come as districts in states from Texas to Washington consider closing campuses to trim budgets in the next few years. District leaders have cited declining enrollment, the end of federal COVID-19 relief aid, and higher personnel costs as justifications for belt-tightening measures.

Testing common justifications for school closures

Enrollment and low academic achievement often top the list of rationales for determining which campuses to target for closure.

To test those justifications, Pearman and his fellow researchers compared schools with similar patterns of enrollment declines, academic performance, and neighborhood poverty. Even controlling for those factors, majority-Black schools were about 25 percent more likely to close than similarly situated schools with other demographic makeups, they found in their new, forthcoming research.

"Race is showing up as a strong predictor of which schools are closing, and conventional explanations that we have for closures can't account for that disparity," Pearman said. "Deliberate or not deliberate, it's showing up, and we have to be really careful about the processes that govern closures to ensure that those processes themselves are equitable."

Where school boards and district leaders find they must close schools for financial reasons, they need to make those decisions in a way that is in the best interest of students going forward, Harris added.

In analyzing data from New Orleans, Harris, and his fellow researchers found that after low-performing schools closed, their students ended up in better schools and ultimately had better outcomes, including graduating at higher rates compared to the schools that closed.

But Pearman acknowledged how losing schools in Black neighborhoods can be a blow to the local community. He found in prior research that when schools close in low-income Black communities, those neighborhoods are far more likely to gentrify as a result. The same pattern does not hold when schools close in low-income white communities.

The historical context underlying closings

While some might conclude from the research that school boards are acting in racially discriminatory ways when closing schools, Pearman said it reflects a longer history of race and community formation in this country.

"There are still vestiges of past racial discriminatory practices playing out in the construction of educational opportunity today," he said.

Take the resistance to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, which was driven by the desire to maintain the segregationist hold on the funding and policies that support and control public schools, said Leslie Fenwick, dean emerita and professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Howard University.

"It was white citizens, political leaders, governors, state legislatures, city councils revolting against the new law of the land. And in their revolt, they closed all the Black schools and fired and dismissed 100,000 Black principals and teachers," Fenwick added.

The legacy of that resistance is still seen today.

"There has been no time in American history, where public schools serving Black students have been funded on par with public schools serving white students," Fenwick added.

These systemic issues need to be addressed, Pearman said. For instance, communities that were previously redlined in the mid-20th century still face disinvestment today.

Moving forward, studies need to look at the root causes for why certain schools end up perpetuating the conditions that lead to closures, Harris said. For instance, district leaders typically close the oldest or the most dilapidated buildings. That should raise questions about why schools in certain neighborhoods tend to be more dilapidated than others.

"Now that we know the result isn't going away when we control for all these other differences, some of which are correlated with race, then, let's go to the next step and look at how those discrepancies came about to begin with," he said.

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Race Is a Big Factor in School Closures. What You Need to Know

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Districts are more likely to close majority Black schools, researcher says.

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Español-Noche de Padres Columbia (1).pdf

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The final hearing about the potential closure of Columbia Elementary School at the end of the academic year took place Thursday evening and the atmosphere was funerary - tinged with simmering anger.

After a short presentation by Superintendent Kory Kalahar on the district's budget crisis and the need to take drastic measures to cut costs, including closing Columbia, school board president Julie Norton laid down some ground rules for public comment time. Chief among them was no applause.

Then for nearly three hours a procession of concerned citizens, Columbia parents and staff members addressed the Wenatchee School Board, Superintendent Kory Kalahar, and the board cabinet members. More than once, the decision-makers were called out for their seeming indifference to the speakers.

"Kory, I see you're still writing. Do you want me to wait?" Columbia para-educator Shelby Allwood asked at the beginning of her statement. "In our TK class, we show respect by looking at our speaker."

The Wenatchee School District is legally required to hold at least one public hearing before shuttering a school. District officials scheduled two such hearings, and now that threshold has been met the board will vote on whether or not to close Columbia at its May 14 meeting.

Of the nearly 100 people who attended and 50 who spoke, there were a couple who voiced support for the idea of closing Columbia. One was Washington Elementary teacher Jill Reinfeld, who spoke first and began her address by ticking off a list of the district's failures in the course of proposing the closure.

She noted that the community trust in the district is dangerously low and the morale among district employees is too. She said it is going to be extremely difficult to get a bond or levy passed to improve schools in the future because of this debacle, but to kick the can down the road and keep Columbia open would only further exacerbate a financial burden that will not go away and only get worse.

"Now is the time for change. As agonizing as it may be - the board must vote to close Columbia for the upcoming school year - to extend another year only perpetuates the financial burden and will ultimately create greater hardships in the future for everyone," Reinfeld said.

She said she and the community at Washington Elementary are ready to receive new students with open arms and urged people to think of the benefits of a blending of the schools. After she was done speaking one person applauded. The rest of the crowd sat in stony silence.

A sense of nihilistic powerlessness characterized other's remarks. Columbia teacher Aaron Gahringer was one such speaker.

"Here I am, speaking into the void," he said. "Tonight I want to point out some of the, I don't know - deceptions, errors, shenanigans, half-truths, lies, I don't know - there's a lot in this written analysis... I've poured through it and there's still a lot that needs to be addressed before anyone thinks it's a good idea to close Columbia."

Gahringer and another Columbia educator, Ann Young, said they have "poured over" the district's publication titled "Columbia Closure Written Analysis" and other documents (available on the district's website here).

They say closing Columbia will overload all the other elementary schools except Sunnyslope (which is already overloaded with 26 students in some rooms) and the district is not being honest about that.

Elizabeth Kazemba, who teaches fourth grade at Columbia, gave an impassioned address in which she noted the lack of traffic analysis and information about bussing routes.

"Would you want your six or seven-year-old crossing Ferry Street?" she asked. "Or Miller Street? What are the bussing routes that we have available that need no change?"

You can watch her entire address here:

After Norton chided the crowd for clapping for the speaker before her, the crowd adopted a mixture of scattered applause and silent hand waves to show their support for the speakers after that.

Jocelyn Flitton has taught at Columbia for 26 years, and did not mince words when she stood up to speak.

"I'm ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. And you don't even make eye contact. I'm ashamed of the secrecy and strategic manipulation and especially the evasions that you have perpetuated on your constituents," she said. "If this goes through I hope the repercussions of it haunt you so that in the future you take the care that you should have taken here to do better."

You can watch the entire hearing here.

After the meeting I got in touch with Emily Bjork, who is a member of an ad hoc parent advocate group that formed to respond to the proposed closure of Columbia at the end of the year. I asked her two questions: Do you feel like you have been listened to by the district? Do you feel like anything the Columbia community has said will make a difference?

She and her husband Kevin took some time to think about those questions and respond. I decided to include that response in its entirety because I have the luxury of doing so and because I felt it impossible to edit their remarks down without diminishing their message.

Here was their response:

"I think the district has worked to give the appearance that they are listening, but not really 'hearing' what we are saying. Their actual interest in meaningful community interaction and legitimately exploring alternative solutions seems limited at best. They have written responses to most of our written communication but do not often clearly answer the questions we have asked. To my knowledge, we have not had any direct responses to our citizen comments from either public hearing or board meetings. We have had a couple board members come to our Parent Advocate Group meetings at Columbia and engage in more reciprocal conversation, which was nice, but also challenging because they cannot share any information discussed with other board members due to specific rules about how the School Board members communicate with each other. Recently, we have requested to be put on the agenda for the remaining School Board meetings to offer examples of alternative solutions that we have compiled, but that request was denied and we were offered a presentation spot at the next Budget Committee meeting instead. This would only be in front of Martin and Norton, leaving Jackson, Skalisky, and Iñiguez out of the communication loop. Additionally, the District has outright denied our request for the formation of a citizen/community advisory group to work with the District and Board on the best way forward-this request was denied early in the process and has kind of set the tone for the limited meaningful engagement and community input they wish to actually consider moving forward. The general feeling among the Columbia Elementary Community is that we are speaking into a void and that there is a low chance that any of our voices or ideas will make a difference. We have been doing our best work to try to get involved in this process, but to date we have not been invited to participate in any kind of Community Advisory Committee for this process, which would be the best practice in in terms of a District's ability to most equitably address budget deficits via any kind of school consolidation or school closure. We understand that the WSD is facing a large deficit, but do not feel that closing a school to save a little over 2% of the budget is in the best interest of the WSD's future and definitely not in the best interest for the children of this valley. In our view, the District's poorly-handled process and approach to these budgetary decisions has resulted in a disastrous proposal of closing down the highest-performing Elementary School in the District as per OSPI data on academic growth. The decision to close Columbia falls squarely on the backs of some of Wenatchee's most vulnerable student populations, and is poised to have a devastating impact on many students living in poverty and who are English Language Learners. It is unfortunate that such a monumental decision has been made with apparent disregard of the District's mission statement, strategic vision, and basic common sense that would lead any reasonably competent leader to think twice before closing their highest-performing Elementary School with a student population that is arguably most vulnerable to the suffering the negative effects of this decision on their future academic trajectories."

In a Feb. 21 article, WSD board president Julie Norton is quoted saying she was caught "off guard" by the announcement to close Columbia. She wrote that it "was not clear the proposal to consolidate schools would be seriously pursued in time (for implementation for the next school year)."

But notes from a Jan. 18 budget meeting show that Norton and fellow board member Martin Barron discussed the issue nearly a month prior. Columbia is mentioned specifically, and Barron notes his concern about closing a school without more of a heads up to the community.

They also discussed the idea of moving Valley Academy to Columbia. You can read those notes in full here.

I started getting tips about the potential closure of Columbia the afternoon of Jan. 19, after Sup. Kalahar announced the plan to Columbia staff members earlier that day. So I reached out to WSD spokesperson Diana Haglund to get on official response, and she got right back to me confirming the news that evening.

By that evening the closure was all over social media. So I wrote up what I had at that point and continued to follow the story. I attended an emergency PTO meeting at Columbia on Jan. 23 and then the Jan. 24 board meeting that saw an overflowing crowd of pro-Columbia parents and teachers who brought signs and made their voices heard. It's also worth noting that signage was also banned at the two public hearings.

On Jan. 27, I sat down with Sup. Kalahar and WSD Spokesperson Diana Haglund for a comprehensive interview about the subject, and since then I have attended road-side protests, interviewed upset parents, grandparents and teachers and watched an online debate play out between those who are against Columbia's closure, those who are for it, those who are ambivalent about it and and those who simply anti-public education.

Throughout the process I have tried to maintain a measure of neutrality and reserve judgement. Not only because it's important to understand the facts and hear everyone out, but also because serving on a school board or being in administration and responsible large budgets and districts that employ hundreds of people is a hard job and those who step up to the plate deserve a certain amount of grace.

Furthermore, this budget crisis can't be blamed on Sup. Kalahar or his current administration team. The people who are responsible for that monumental screw up that has left us all in the lurch is former Superintendent Paul Gordon and his finance director and they're both long gone.

So it's only fair to judge the Kalahar, his administration and the school board based on how they have handled things since the announcement that they planned to close Columbia at the end of the year.

I think a majority of the community agrees that they did that poorly.

But what is particularly disappointing to me is how there seems to be a lack of empathy, accountability and compassion from the board in general and a lack of honesty from President Norton in particular.

No one debates there's a budget crisis, or even that the district needs to close a school to help fix it. What is concerning is that we have elected and made president of the board an individual who has been less than truthful. Yet Norton's lack of forthrightness should not come as a surprise to anyone who watched her play political games and break rules to get elected to what is supposed to be a non-partisan school board seat.

What's egregious is that that the rest of the board has agreed to allow her to act as the lone spokesperson for them. According to the Wenatchee World, the rest of the board has declined to comment on the issue, which leaves the district staff and Norton as the only people communicating to the public about this issue.

To make such a huge decision in such a short amount of time while also walling yourself off from the community is unacceptable. The entire board should be taking interviews and putting themselves out there to help the community understand the need to make such a drastic decision in such a short amount of time, and most of all to apologize.

In public education the buck stops with the school board. The superintendent and everyone who he hires works for them, and they are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the health of the district.

But kudos to them because it seems that the stonewalling has been pretty successful. While the community has directed quite a bit of heat and attention at Kalahar and his staff (some of which was well-earned) Norton and the board have been spared a majority of the public's attention - and ire.

But Mrs. Flitton might get her wish and the decision to close Columbia will come back to "haunt" them in the form of lost re-election bids. Even then what a hollow victory that would be because in the end its still you and me and our kids who will suffer. They will suffer because like Mrs. Reinfeld said, this entire situation and how it was communicated was bungled to epic proportions and it's going to make passing bonds and levies so much harder in the future.

Because while there's debate about whether or not Columbia must be closed there is absolutely zero debating the need to fix Wenatchee High School, and we've already failed to pass the ballot measures needed to do that in the past. This debacle just makes that daunting task (bonds and levies need supermajorities to pass) even more difficult in the future.

My wife and I have three kids in the district, and believe in the importance of quality public schools. They are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. They are also an important embodiment of democracy in every community, and serving on a school board is an incredible responsibility. If you're doing it in good faith and for the right reasons, I consider you an honorable person regardless of your personal political beliefs.

But that doesn't insulate you from criticism, or accountability.

I sincerely hope the Wenatchee School District can right the ship when it comes to the budget crisis, regain public confidence and be in a position to pass a funding measure that allows us to update our critically-antiquated and over-populated high school. And I hope that process starts with more transparency, honesty and maybe a "mea culpa" or two from elected officials themselves and not just the people who work for them.

The Wenatchee School Board will make its decision about whether to close Columbia Elementary or not at its next board meeting on May 14.

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Requiem for a School: Scenes from the Second Columbia Elementary Hearing

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While the community spoke overwhelmingly in favor of keeping Columbia open, parents and staff members feel as if their pleas are falling on deaf ears

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Emotions were running high in the cafeteria of Columbia Elementary School in Wenatchee last night as more than 150 angry and bewildered parents demanded reasons for the Wenatchee School District's decision to close the school at the end of the academic year.

"So if this does happen and all our kids get sent to different schools and then those schools get too full for our kids, they're going to move our kids to another school again?" one woman asked.

Bridget Meyers choiced her daughter into Columbia, and has either worked at, volunteered or had a child attend every Wenatchee School District school except for Orchard. She said there's really no place like Columbia in the district.

"I choiced my child in here because of the way that this community rallies together to make everybody able to learn at their own level," she said. "And I feel strongly that no one would attempt to close any other school."

Meyers said she has respect for Wenatchee School District Superintendent Kory Kalahar and the school board, but they should have done due diligence and followed proper procedures and allowed the community to process the idea and be a part of the decision.

When it was her time to speak, Meyers brought up RCW which outlines exactly how a public school district must proceed with closing a school. She pointed specifically to one portion of the law, which stipulates the public must have 90 days to weigh in before the final decision is made.

"The policy shall also include a requirement that during the ninety days before a school district's final decision upon any school closure, the school board of directors shall conduct hearings to receive testimony from the public on any issues related to the closure of any school for instructional purposes," the law states.

The realization that families of Columbia students might still have a say in the decision seemed to breathe a sense of renewed energy and agency into the crowd. Folks started making plans to show up outside the Wenatchee School District office and picket before this evening's school board meeting.

For Adriana Farnsworth, the decision to close Columbia is intensely personal. Her grandson attended the school as he battled childhood cancer, and she said the faculty and staff at Columbia made him feel comfortable and loved during some of the most painful moments of his young life.

I caught up with Adriana as she was on her way out of the meeting and we talked about what Columbia means to her and her family. You can listen to that interview here:

Columbia's PTO president Carlos Ivan Chavez said he thinks the school is being targeted because it has a large number of poor students and their families don't have the clout more affluent members of the community have. He said closing the school is going to be hard on a lot of kids, and it has already been hard for his daughter.

When he and his wife told her about the school closing on Friday she broke down in tears and didn't want to come back this week.

"She didn't want to stay in school. She was at the gate, holding the gate not to come in because she was crying," he said. "And then my wife just left crying, too."

It was an emotionally exhausting day for the teachers of Columbia as well. They held an assembly at the beginning of the school day to make the announcement to the children, and more than one reported it was a tear-filled event.

The meeting wrapped up with families making plans to picket before the Wenatchee School Board meeting at the district office this evening at 6. Others got information on how to sign up to make comments during the public comments portion of the meeting.

I will attend the meeting this evening and file another story about what transpires afterward.

According to the OPSI website, the cost per student per school for the five Wenatchee School District elementary schools are as follows.

How much the district will save by closing Columbia is one of my biggest questions, and one I am asking the district.

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Columbia Elementary Families Hold Emergency Meeting To Discuss How To Save The School

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Some plan on picketing at the Wenatchee School Board meeting this evening

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Wenatchee School District partners with CAFÉ to improve interpretation services

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WENATCHEE - Roxana Vanatta, a parent in the Wenatchee School District, is frustrated by what she believes is a lack of quality interpretation services.

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WENATCHEE - The Wenatchee School District sees the Valley Academy of Learning as a potential occupant for the Columbia Elementary School building should that school be shut down, according to meeting minutes obtained by NCWLIFE.

The potential closure of Columbia Elementary was announced by WSD on Jan. 20. The minutes from the budget committee on Jan. 18 - the day before Columbia employees were first notified about the closure-and Feb. 7 show the committee discussed relocating Valley Academy as a possible move.

Valley Academy, the district's family-centered, K-8 program, offers students full or part-time enrollment. According to Superintendent Kory Kalahar, Valley's current enrollment is 220 students. Valley Academy's building is currently located at 1911 North Wenatchee Avenue.

Communications Director Diana Haglund told NCWLIFE in an email "there was no solidified plan to move Valley into Columbia earlier this year or at this time."

"The district has been and continues to evaluate and explore multiple options for using Columbia for possible revenue-generating educational programs and opportunities should the closure take place," Haglund said. "Valley is one of those potential options. However, as we have stated before, we will not make any public announcement on the intended use of Columbia until the school board has made a decision on the closure."

The closure of Columbia is part of the district's plan to make budget reductions of nearly $9 million. The plan also includes reducing 63 staff members and material, supplies and operating costs through the closure of Columbia, changes to middle and high school bell schedules and separate staffing reductions.

The board will not make its final decision on the closure until the May 14 meeting.

Currently, the two Wenatchee School Board members on the budget committee are Martin Barron and President Julie Norton. Also present during the budget committee meetings were members of the WSD cabinet, including Haglund; Kalahar; Public Information Officer Kim White; Finance Director Sean Fitzgerald; Director of Learning and Teaching Heidi Busk; Director of Human Resources Kelly Lopez; and Director of Technology, Innovation, Safety, and Security Ron Brown.

In January, when NCWLIFE asked Kalahar whether the district had plans for the Columbia building after closure, Kalahar said officials were "looking internally at ways to think about how we could utilize the building in the next year or two with maybe some different programming that might be necessary or some areas of growth in our own district."

This was echoed by Haglund, who said "it would be important for the building to be used for district programs that can attract and grow the student population, which will combat the declining enrollment issue."

The meeting minutes show the district was "looking at other uses for Columbia, such as moving Valley there" on Jan. 18.

The minutes from the Feb. 7 meeting show that Norton and Barron had concerns over the communication plans to the public over moving Valley into the Columbia building:

Norton: What is the communication about moving Valley into Columbia? May ease the impacts for some. Is it intentionally part of this Plan yet? If it develops as an option, need to communicate that as soon as possible. Could there be a space share there with some age bands remaining?

Kalahar: Valley is definitely something we are looking at. Have not solidified that plan yet. We would like to see the building used for WSD purposes. As long as we move the whole program over, we would still realize the anticipated savings.

Barron: This is a big transparency and confidence issue. Talked about it on the radio. This is a multi-year problem, with a multi-year solution needed. It's very crucial what we say about Valley. Messaging will depend on how fast and how well you can do it. Demographics must be handled well. What can we say and what should we say?

Kalahar: Columbia may be a very usable shared space; CTE (Career Technical Education) is looking at having some offerings there as well.

The Feb. 7 meeting minutes also showed the discussion about the timing of moving Valley Academy into the Columbia building:

Norton: If there is any potential messaging that we could put out indicating that "eventually" we may consider moving Valley in.

Barron: Valley is currently turning away students; All of these schools need to be replaced; it is not window dressing - 8 point multi-year plan, which Col is 1 point.

Norton: Messaging Valley with other programming.

Barron: No gain by moving Valley right away. Where are the 50 on waiting list coming from? Bundle your messaging - everything is part of Facilities Comm that is starting this year. 18 mo. timetable, not 6.

Later in the minutes, Barron is noted to have suggested selling the Valley Academy building and "use funds to help with Softball complex."

In 2022, the board set aside $4 million for softball field after a Title IX complaint alleged the unequal treatment of male and female WSD athletes.

Since the closure announcement, supporters of Columbia Elementary School have pitched the idea to move Valley Academy into empty classrooms inside an elementary school.

The district is in the midst of a legally required 90-day period before a closure can be made final and wrapped up a second public hearing to gather testimony last night. Rumors surrounding the district's plans to move Valley Academy into Columbia's building were already circulating before the hearing.

Aaron Gahringer, a Columbia fifth grade teacher, addressed the speculation over the district's Valley Academy plans at the podium.

"Recently, I heard there was a mention of perhaps moving either Valley or or both to Columbia after our current students are sent on their way," Gahringer said. "Really? I hope that's not the case but let's imagine for a second that it is. You're considering displacing 350 students from their neighborhood school to max out two other buildings so the 180 students from Valley, who are less than full-time or even online, use Columbia. That's a better use of the space?"

Gahringer also suggested the district keep Columbia students in their neighborhood school and put Valley Academy students into a school with empty classrooms.

Haglund said the "discussions regarding potential relocations are centered on the availability of vacant space" and the district "needs to make the most of the growth opportunities" with Valley Academy and the Transition to Kindergarten program.

According to Haglund, Valley has a waitlist of over 50 students with 271 registered for the 2024-25 school year and Valley Academy is currently unable to accommodate more students due to limited space at their current location. Haglund said relocating Valley "to a new location would only be viable if we can attract new students who are not already enrolled in our district."

"If Valley were to move into Columbia they may not occupy the whole building at first," Haglund said. "This scenario would allow the district to save the necessary $2.8 million by closing Columbia and potentially save annual costs associated with the current Valley building."

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Valley Academy could move into Columbia Elementary building after closure

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WENATCHEE - The Wenatchee School District sees the Valley Academy of Learning as a potential occupant for the Columbia Elementary School building should that school be shut down, according to

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Evergreen Public Schools may need to cut $20 million

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) - Two Southwest Washington school districts face millions of dollars in budget cuts, leaving some worried about the impact this will have on students.

The Vancouver Public School board unanimously voted to slash $35 million from their budget and cut 261 positions in the 2024-25 school year. The Evergreen Public Schools superintendent has similarly signaled dozens of positions may be on the chopping block since they are facing a projected budget shortfall of $16-20 million.

Between both districts, parents and teachers overwhelmingly voiced concerns about how these cuts will ultimately affect students. In Vancouver, leaders say much of it comes down to not having enough support from the State of Washington.

"It is with a very heavy heart that we have to pass this reduction," Vancouver School Board President Kyle Sproul said.

Meanwhile, teachers, parents and community members expressed their frustration at the many losses.

"It has felt completely demoralizing, looking at my colleagues and not knowing, well knowing but not knowing," Fort Vancouver High School choir director Ben Bouton said during the meeting. "It feels like we're on a ship that's sinking and there's plenty of lifeboats awaiting but we're staying on the boat because it feels like it's something we have to do for our kids.".

The positions to go include 50 elementary and 63 secondary teachers, along with a number of librarians, counselors, and maintenance staff cut among others, as well as district administrator furloughs.

"These cuts are not what we want, they're not what our students deserve, but they are the reality we are left with," said Vancouver School Board Director Wendy Smith.

Meanwhile, district leaders pointed to the Washington state legislature, saying they did not get the support from lawmakers that they needed.

"I'd love for y'all to show up at the state legislature next year in the same force," said Vancouver Superintendent Dr. Jeff Snell.

Evergreen Public Schools

Across town, the Evergreen School District faces a similar dilemma in just a few weeks and parents say they're frustrated with a third year in a row of major budget cuts.

"The place we're at right now took many years of poor decisions and poor planning," said Angie Bunda, an Evergreen parent.

Two weeks ago, Evergreen first detailed how they plan to cut 140 positions to save around $20 million in the budget, including downscaling security in secondary schools and eliminating elementary school librarians.

"I'm not going to invest all my time and energy into this school district that is not investing in our students," said Meghan Taylor, another Evergreen parent. "It's wrong and it's disheartening that they're wondering why their enrollment numbers are down."

While no official decisions were made during Evergreen's meeting, Superintendent John Boyd announced he plans to take a $25,000 pay cut during the next school year.

Evergreen Public Schools in February said they are facing around $16-20 million in budget cuts for the next school year - the third year in a row of major cuts.

This comes after a reported steady decline in students over the past eight years - around 18%.

According to EPS, these cuts include:

District office - 30 positions

Districtwide staff - 19 positions

Elementary schools - 22 positions

Middle and high schools - 60 positions

Specialty schools - 9 positions

In all, they would face the loss of 140 positions, with savings of around $19,571,000.

The vote for Evergreen's budget cuts is scheduled in two weeks on March 26th. KOIN 6 News will continue to follow up.

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Vancouver schools slash $35M from 2024-25 budget

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The Vancouver Public School board unanimously voted to slash $35 million from their budget and cut 261 positions in the 2024-25 school year.

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6. Balance of Pupil Demographics and Disproportionality

For financially distressed school districts, AB 1912 mandates not only a demographic description of the schools being considered for closure, but also an analysis of projected demographic shifts after closure and a determination of whether or not a closure decision disproportionately impacts any particular demographic group.54

In other words, it is not sufficient under AB 1912 for a school district to simply acknowledge, for example, that a closure decision affects many Black students. And, consistent with anti-discrimination laws discussed above in subsection B, a disproportionality analysis must also address the following:

  Whether a closure plan disproportionately impacts students of a certain race, color, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation;

  If it does, whether the closure plan chosen is necessary to meet legitimate, educational goals (if it is not necessary, it cannot go forward);

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https://www.columbian.com/news/2024/feb/24/washougal-schools-superintendent-mary-templeton-takes-21000-paycut-to-help-trim-budget-shortfall/

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The Toppenish School District plans to cut 48 positions through layoffs or attrition to address a more-than-$8-million budget shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.

Toppenish is the second school district in the county to announce staff reductions due partly to declining student enrollment. In a letter to district staff, Interim Superintendent John Schieche said the loss of 200 students and nearly 250 alternative learning education students cost the district $2.8 million in state funding.

Schieche added in his letter that $5 million worth of grant funding for a new preschool did not materialize and that a lack of levy equalization from the state paired with rising property values resulted in a further $1.2 million loss.

In total, 24 staff positions made up of seven classified positions, four administrators, two graduation specialists and 10 teachers will be cut. The remaining 24 positions will go unfilled following retirements and resignations.

According to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 3,888 students enrolled in the district this school year. During the 2022-23 school year, that number was 4,396.

Other districts

The Yakima School District is planning 138 staff members next year because of budget shortfalls and enrollment declines. It has about four times the enrollment, with 14,770 students.

West Valley, a similarly sized district to Toppenish, has reported a much smaller impact from the loss of COVID-19 relief funds and levy-related Local Effort Assistance funds from the state.

An April 9 budget update from Peter Finch, West Valley's superintendent, said the district's enrollment has returned to pre-pandemic levels. According to the district's OSPI report card, the district had 5,616 students enrolled in October 2019 and 5,610 students enrolled in October 2023.

"Any overall staffing reductions will be made by attrition through resignation or retirement," Finch said in a recent budget update.

The Yakima Herald-Republic has reached out to other school districts in Yakima County about staffing and finances next year.

Santiago Ochoa's reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the Yakima Valley Community Fund. For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com.

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Toppenish School District announces 48 staff reductions amid budget shortfall

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The Toppenish School District plans to cut 48 positions through layoffs or attrition to address a more-than-$8-million budget shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.

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OSD is finalizing an FAQ page based on feedback from board directors and the public regarding the district's inquiry into closing Madison and McKenny elementary schools by next school year. sbloom@theolympian.com

A Thurston County judge on Friday invalidated an Olympia School Board vote to open a 90-day window to consider closing Madison and McKenny elementary schools.

Superior Court Judge Anne Egeler sided with four district parents over the objections of attorneys for the Olympia School District during a Friday morning hearing.

The parents argued that a Dec. 14 vote to open the 90-day window was "arbitrary, capricious and illegal" because the board had not yet published a specific written analysis of the proposed closures, according to court records. By starting the clock on the process in December, the parents feared the district could close the schools by March 14.

In January, the district posted an updated analysis on the latest proposal and the board postponed its decision on whether to close the schools to April 25.

It's remains to be seen how the court's decision will affect the timeline for the closures, which are intended to help address the district's $3.5 million budget deficit for the 2024-2025 school year.

In a prepared statement, district spokesperson Susan Gifford said district leadership and the school board are "reviewing the court's ruling and determining next steps."

Madison is at 1225 Legion Way SE in downtown Olympia, and McKenny is at 3250 Morse-Merryman Road SE, across from LBA Park on the city's east side. The latest proposal includes closing one or both schools and moving students into surrounding schools.

The school board has considered a number of means of solving its budget deficit. However, the parents argued the idea to close Madison and McKenny elementary schools had not yet been directly studied as required by state law and district policy before the 90-day window was opened, according to court records.

By failing to publish a requisite study, the parents argued they could not provide "meaningful feedback" on the proposal.

"And supplying the analysis after the vote, in response to litigation, does not cure the defect," the parents said in court records.

The parents filed their case against the district on Jan. 10. In response, the attorneys for the district asked the court to deny the parents' request and dismiss the case with prejudice.

The attorneys argued the school board followed state law and district policy. Furthermore, they said the parents appeal was premature and moot because the board had not yet decided to close any schools and the decision was postponed to April.

This story was originally published March 08, 2024 6:01 PM.

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Thurston judge invalidates Olympia School Board vote that began school closure process

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An Olympia School Board vote to open a 90-day to consider closing Madison and McKenny elementary schools has been invalidated by a judge.

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Bainbridge won’t be closing schools | Bainbridge Island Review

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The Bainbridge Island School District numbers just didn’t add up.

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WENATCHEE -Not a single speaker at a Wenatchee School Board public hearing Thursday night supported the idea of closing Columbia Elementary School.

The hearing was the first of two the Wenatchee School District has planned before the board makes their final decision on the closure on May 14. In Washington state, school districts are legally required to hold public hearings during the 90-day period before the decision is made.

"School closures should be the very last thing that should be on the minds of those in charge," Aaron Gahringer, a fifth grade teacher at Columbia, said. "Anything different shows a lack of respect for all of us working in schools with kids every day."

About 80 people gathered in the Wenatchee High School Commons last night, and a little over 30 people addressed the board and Superintendent Kory Kalahar from the podium.

The concerns expressed at the hearing are not unfamiliar to the board. Many of the speakers, who are now regular attendees of school board meetings, echoed the same things parents, teachers and community members have voiced for the last two months since the potential closure was announced.

The supporters of Columbia told the board they are worried about the walking routes their children would have to take to get to the schools where they'd be reassigned, and about the emotional toll a looming closure is having on the students.

"These kids know there are scary and unknown changes on the horizon, but don't have the tools to process them because they are so young," Columbia first grade teacher Cassie Alaniz said. "Putting our students through such trauma is not OK when it was completely avoidable in the first place."

Parents of the school discussed their appreciation for the quality of the education their children receive as students of Columbia, including David Lucatero, who told the board about his son's speech improvement since beginning the Transitional Kindergarten at the school.

"Please listen to teachers, to parents that care about our children," Lucatero said.

Columbia kindergarten teacher Cameron Wiggins told the board that up until the last school board meeting, he didn't feel like there was transparency around the other options considered for budget reductions. Wiggins said this decision is like an amputation of a limb "to treat a disease before looking hard enough at the alternative treatments."

"So here you are, hearing us- the arm that's about to be amputated - asking you to weigh the consequences that this is going to have on the rest of our body very carefully," Wiggins said. "Has the district convinced you that this decision is necessary to save the district as a whole? Because it hasn't convinced me."

The second public hearing will be held April 18 in the Wenatchee High School Commons from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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School board asked to listen to community during first Columbia Elementary public hearing

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WENATCHEE -Not a single speaker at a Wenatchee School Board public hearing Thursday night supported the idea of closing Columbia Elementary School.

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WENATCHEE - About 100 people attended the second and last public hearing regarding the closure of Columbia Elementary School last night.

A little over 50 speakers took to the podium to share their thoughts and concerns with the school board, the majority of them Columbia teachers and parents.

As the Wenatchee School District targets a budget reduction of nearly $9 million in the 2024-25 school year, the potential closure of Columbia Elementary School has been at the center of the district's plan to cut costs. Overall, the district plans to reduce 63 staff members and material, supplies and operating costs through the closure of Columbia, changes to middle and high school bell schedules and separate staffing reductions.

State law requires a 90-day period before a school closure decision can be made and, in that time, public hearings must take place to gather public testimony. The first public hearing was held in March and drew in a crowd of about 80 people and 30 speakers.

During the hearing, Columbia kindergarten teacher Ann Young spoke about Columbia's high growth scores, and asked why Columbia wasn't being looked at as a model for other schools. Young noted that in past meetings, the district has said they hope dispersing Columbia staff will spread their skills to other buildings.

"You can't use pieces of a broken bowl to carry soup and share it in other buildings," Young said. "That's not how a bowl works. That's not how culture works. That's not how a school works. Columbia as a whole is far greater than the sum of our individual components."

A few Columbia students spoke at the hearing as well, asking the board not to close the school while thinking of their friends.

"Please don't close my school because it is very important to me and I believe it will have a big impact on the social life of my friends who are in younger grades," Zoey Lioliadis, a fifth grade student at Columbia said.

Lioliadis asked the board to put themselves in the shoes of a Columbia fourth grade student, who would be moved to another school for fifth grade, and then moved again for middle school the following year.

"How would that feel?" she asked. "You would be ripped from your friends and community twice, two years in a row."

Jessica O'Connor, a Columbia parent, expressed distrust in the school board, saying they have not presented adequate options for budget reductions, and wondered what school would be next to close, asking: "Which elementary school is next? And when is that happening? When this Pioneer Middle School on the chopping block?"

"One final question," O'Connor said. "If the vote on May 14 is no, does that mean that it's a yes for next year? Or do we just start this process over again next year? We want to know the truth. We want answers and we want transparency."

O'Connor finished her comments by asking the board to vote against a closure.

"Don't close Columbia this year, next year - don't close any elementary school," she said. "Vote no."

Another Columbia parent, Kyle Diaz, also expressed his concern over the lack of options for budget reductions, and referenced the two scenarios presented during the latest budget update during the April 9 meeting which gave two options: close Columbia in 2024-25 or delay the closure a year to 2025-26.

"Please come up with something else," he said. "I mean, close a school or close a school is not two options."

The board's decision on the closure is now less than a month away. April 23 is the last regular board meeting before the closure decision, which will take place during the meeting on May 14.

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'Vote no': About 100 people show for last Columbia public hearing

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WENATCHEE - About 100 people attended the second and last public hearing regarding the closure of Columbia Elementary School last night.

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A veteran teacher at Wenatchee's Columbia Elementary School has been inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) Hall of Fame.

Tami Lopushinsky has taught music in Wenatchee since 1999. She is retiring next month. Lopushinsky was nominated for the Hall of Fame by two colleagues: Garrett Snedeker of Lewis & Clark Elementary School and Ashlyn Dobbins of Sunnyslope Elementary.

According to a press release, Lopushinsky was present for the induction ceremony in Yakima. There she professed gratitude for the mentorship of more seasoned teachers. She also addressed her beloved students, some of whom kept making music long after her time with them had elapsed.

This particular Hall of Fame was established by the WMEA Executive Board to recognize "outstanding contributions to the growth and development of music education, both public and private, in the state of Washington."

But a harsh reality is taking shape on the ground. Strapped for cash and plagued by mounting shortfalls, public school districts across the state - across the country - are slashing, and sometimes eliminating, music instruction. Back in March, the Northshore SD elected to abolish its fifth-grade music program.

In Seattle a year ago there was much hue and cry over Washington Middle School dissolving, or threatening to dissolve, its prestigious jazz band. The program was ultimately saved by a last-minute cash infusion.

Public education is itself in peril. Take, for example, the school where Lopushinsky so bountifully flourished. For months debate has raged over whether or not to shutter Columbia Elementary, an institution battered by plummeting enrollment (26.5% since 2016). In five short days the Wenatchee School Board will vote on Columbia's fate.

Teacher Appreciation Week is ongoing; it concludes tomorrow.

Who's Been Inducted Into the Country Music Hall of Fame?

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Wenatchee Teacher Recognized For Impact On Music Education

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Wenatchee music teacher Tami Lopushinsky of Columbia Elementary School in Wenatchee honored with Hall of Fame induction for remarkable contributions to music education in Washington state.

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Columbia Elementary Parent Kyle Diaz On Starting A Petition To Save The School

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Columbia Elementary parents are ready to fight to save the school

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Nominate your school to be part of the 2024 KREM Cares Big Book Giveaway

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The KREM Cares Big Book Giveaway. We deliver smiles and books.

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*Grupo de Defensa Propone Plan para Expandir TK en Todas las Escuelas Primarias: Decisión Final el Martes*

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*Grupo de Defensa Propone Plan para Expandir TK en Todas las Escuelas Primarias: Decisión Final el Martes*

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ColumbiaComunicado de prensa Español P3.pdf

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Note: Salaries shown are the latest final data available from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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Help us collect data to avoid school closures. Do you plan to have your kiddos in TK (transition to kindergarten) next year? Ayúdenos a recopilar datos para evitar el cierre de escuelas. ¿Planea tener a sus niños en el TK el próximo año?

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Help us collect data to avoid school closures. Do you plan to have your kiddos in TK (transition to kindergarten) next year? Ayúdenos a recopilar datos para evitar el cierre de escuelas. ¿Planea tener a sus niños en el TK el próximo año?

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WENATCHEE - In late January, parents and teachers packed the cafeteria of Columbia Elementary School for an emergency PTO meeting. A few days before, the Wenatchee School District had surprised them with a school closure announcement.

During that meeting, many of the parents and teachers vowed to do what they could to save Columbia. In the months since then, many of them have.

Tomorrow night, the Wenatchee School Board will make their final decision on the closure. Emily Bjork and Brittany Stevens, Columbia parents and members of the Columbia Parent Teacher Advocacy Group, hope the decision is to keep the school open.

"I'll be very sad and disappointed," Bjork said, if the decision is to close Columbia. "But also try to refocus and continue to be a positive influence on my children."

The advocate group formed in the aftermath of the Jan. 23 PTO meeting. Members of the group have spent the last few months attending and speaking at school board meetings, reviewing district materials, creating a petition and website dedicated to the cause and rallying at Washington Park.

Bjork, an occupational therapist, took on a role that included trying to engage more people with their cause and helped coordinate team members. Stevens, a former WSD and current Eastmont teacher, brought insight into how schools work.

"It's been really great to have different opportunities to try new things," Bjork said. "So, I feel like we've all worked really hard and played to our strong suits."

Most recently, members of the advocate group presented the " Cougar Plan " to the board's budget committee, which offered alternative solutions to closure. The plan included proposals to expand the Transition to Kindergarten classes across elementary schools, creating split-grade classes and merging the Valley Academy of Learning with an elementary school.

According to WSD Superintendent Kory Kalahar, the district is not considering the Cougar Plan at this time, but called the plans "creative, thoughtful, and productive."

"After careful review, consideration, and discussions with the budget committee, it was determined that these structural classroom and building changes are not ones that the district is willing to make at this time in order to maintain the costs of seven elementary schools," Kalahar wrote in an email.

Although stepping up to try and save Columbia was a big commitment, both Bjork and Stevens said they were proud of the work they did and the community they created.

"At the end of the day, I know that my family knows that we used our time well, and we put a lot of work into the things that we value," Stevens said.

It hasn't always been easy, though. With any kind of advocacy, Stevens explained, comes a lot of different emotions.

"You have moments where you feel really hopeful, like you're making a difference and making a big change," Stevens said. "And then other times where you feel maybe not as hopeful or like what you're doing isn't making much of a difference and leads to that tiredness, the frustration."

If Columbia were to close, the nearly 300 students will be sent to either Washington or Lincoln Elementary School.

Stevens, like Bjork, said should the school close, the focus would be on helping her children transition to their new school. Bjork's son will be relocated to Lincoln and her daughter will no longer be able to attend Transitional Kindergarten at Columbia as previously planned. Stevens' children will attend Washington.

Members of the advocate group have repeatedly expressed their safety worries to the board over the walking routes to school, which would lead some students to cross Miller or Ferry Streets to get to class. Bjork explained that the busy streets are a "huge, huge concern" as the city is unable to implement bigger safety projects like school zone lighting or sidewalks all the way up Okanogan Avenue prior to the start of the school year.

The potential population sizes of Lincoln and Washington are also something the advocates have brought to board attention. Stevens explained that while the district says the students will still be served well, it is still something she hasn't "been fully convinced is not a concern yet."

Moving forward, both Bjork and Stevens said even if Columbia is closed, they'll still be keeping tabs on board meetings to stay aware of what's going on within the district.

No matter outcome, the advocates agree there is a lot to be done to repair the relationship between the district and its families.

"I think it's really important that-regardless of what decision is made-that the district recognizes that and makes a really strong effort to show up for their community," Stevens said.

The Wenatchee School Board will meet at their district office at 235 Sunset Ave. tomorrow, May 14, at 6 p.m.
This article was edited to include a response from Superintendent Kory Kahalar about the Cougar Plan.

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After months of advocacy, Columbia parents await closure decision

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WENATCHEE - In late January, parents and teachers packed the cafeteria of Columbia Elementary School for an emergency PTO meeting. A few days before, the Wenatchee School District had surprised

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At Columbia Elementary School, parents and teachers are uniting to craft a sustainable and practical solution to the prospect of school closure. In spite of the district's refusal to develop or consider genuine sustainable alternatives, we've taken the initiative. Leveraging the district's reported information and numbers, we've developed a comprehensive plan that ensures the continuation of our beloved school. We believe that continuously burdening the same vulnerable segments of our community for the greater good is unjust and discriminatory. Instead, we're paving a path forward that distributes responsibility equitably and fosters a sustainable future for all. Join us as we embark on this journey towards inclusive and resilient education.

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Cougar Plan: An Alternative to Closing Columbia