“It’s been a year and 4 months we’ve been working on these goals and I think that says a lot. Not that we are being indecisive but that we are being intentional,”
– Chair Luhui Whitebear at CSD Board Meeting, April 11th
Despite massive budget deficits, teacher walkouts, student enrollment decline, and many other district issues, the Corvallis community can breathe a sigh of relief as all of our problems are solved with the passing of CSD Board Goals. The Board spent the April 11th meeting debating between minor grammar changes and which change would be more equitable. I would like to include that it was the placement of commas that caused so much deliberation.
I sifted through the board goals and there was no mention of communication. Communication was the number one district flaw identified by staff, families, and the community during the community surveys administered by the district in 2022.
In the recent budget message sent by Superintendent Ryan Noss to district families, he stated that feedback was welcome at board meetings. Essentially, Mr Noss is asking families, staff, and students to get in front of a board of elected officials while being streamed online in order to provide input. This effectively blocks many people from providing input on decisions. The lack of communication and community input in budget decisions or considerations is startling and an issue.
At the last Board meeting, Director Sarah Finger-McDonald asked how student voices were being taken into consideration. Mr Noss replied that they had the opportunity to share which electives were most important to them. There was no sight of that opportunity at Crescent Valley. He then said that they were primarily focused on staff feedback. In a follow-up question by Director Chris Hawkins, she asked how staff were giving feedback. “We are still working on that,” replied Noss.
Readers, this is a platitude. The objective is to espouse effective communication while doing none of the work. Why is this? After trying to see all sides of this issue, the most viable reason for not wanting communication is because it is more work. The district seeks out communication when it fits its plan. When it doesn’t, they leave you to speak to the School Board AFTER the decisions have been made. If you end up going to the board and providing input, the only questions yielded to you are soliloquies given by board members asking for specific policies you would like to see. This is a barrier to entry. Not every person bringing forth an issue is ready and able to create a policy to address it, that is what we elected the board to do!
The district has a communication issue, often with its own school board. I was disappointed to not see this in the board goals or any recent communication initiatives on major policy. It’s time to get back on track with the mindset of students, certified and classified staff, and the community.
The Crescent Crier 