Disclosure: Writer is a member of RenewED: Advocates for Student Excellence.
Give Methow, a fundraising campaign for local nonprofits, launched last week and runs through Oct. 31. Reporters/journalists generally don’t contribute, unless they want a disclaimer on top of any story relating or mentioning the organization. Most writers opt out of this entanglement all together.
I have avoided joining or contributing to local organizations for this very reason. All except one. I came out of the closet, so to speak, about education, an experience I wrote about in another article.
I have been an observer of education for a long time. As the Public School Funding Alliance (PSFA) is in the news for “doubling down” on its fundraising efforts, hoping to raise twice what it normally raises in one year, I wanted to share my experience and how it relates to educational politics in our community.
This past July, when I was president of the PTA, I reached out to PSFA thinking we could work together. I find their support of after school programs and extra-curricular activities outstanding. I spoke with the group’s president, Hilary Kaltenbach, to learn more about their organization. I was interested in what was driving 56% of their funding last year going toward mental health support. I wanted to hear from her what was happening in our school district.
I’ve seen Kaltenbach lead this community’s 4H program. She is a capable leader. She introduced me to Laurie Ulmer, PSFA’s executive director, by email. She referred me to counselors PSFA has funded in the school district for more information about mental health issues. She declined to be involved in PTA or attend our meetings, and I didn’t take it too personally.
About two weeks later, I followed up with an email to Kaltenbach and Ulmer after learning about their support of LBHS’ spring production, Ride the Cyclone. I commented that the production was great, but the content raised questions about whether it was appropriate for children. A few minutes later, I followed up with an article I had written about sex ed in our school district, as well as concerns about academic performance. I invited them to be a part of the conversation.
Kaltenbach didn’t respond, but Ulmer wrote, “It is inappropriate for you to send PSFA this material. We do not dictate curriculum. The district does that. Please stop sending this kind of communication our way.“
This, I did take personally. Ulmer, who is executive director of an educational organization that funded $129,444 in programs last year, had zero interest in what was going on in the school district.
“We do not dictate curriculum.”
No, but you dictate $129,444 in funding. Is it worth asking some questions?
Personally, I’m at peace with disagreement. It doesn’t bother me. I can say that’s one benefit I’ve acquired with age.
What does bother me is the lack of curiosity. Before there can be agreement or disagreement, both parties have to examine the information. People like to jump to agreement or disagreement and skip the actual review process.
I was open to exploring what I found from different angles and hearing from PSFA’s point of view. Instead, I was summarily dismissed. What a poor example of “education.”
This year, PSFA’s goal is to raise $200,000 for district programs with, apparently, zero accountability on the school’s part. Let’s continue to fund mental health counselors without examining the rise in need. Let’s fund field trips and extracurricular activities without ever holding the school responsible for their end of the bargain- proficiency in core academics. Let’s not ask any questions and support our school. It’s the patriotic thing to do.
The next school board candidate for what will likely be an open primary next year for Gary Marchbank’s seat could very well come from PSFA’s rolls. That person needs to understand accountability and have some measure of insight or at least curiosity, something the current executive director and, by extension, the organization lacks.
If only about half our district’s students, after 12 years of sitting in classrooms, are “on track for college level learning without needing remedial classes,” school funding isn’t filtering down to the people it was intended for- students. Instead, the money is supporting adults. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t good or even great teachers and programs in our school district. It means there are critical areas where our schools need to do better.
Look at the national growth of administrative staff in public schools in relation to student enrollment, which has dropped.
If I could do a plug, it would be for a program that hasn’t received as much attention as PSFA- Methow Valley Education Foundation, a program that gives money directly to people ages 18-25 to pursue higher education at vocational, trade, college or university; real training for what one hopes are real world jobs. In our current system, hardly any money ever goes to the student directly. After 12 years, perhaps hardworking students deserve some piece of the pie to help them succeed.
Great article Julia. You are peeking behind the curtain of school funding. Follow the money. May be a crooked trail, but it will tell the real story. Find it interesting that now that the state has been forced into funding public schools by the state courts (which they were required to do by law and ignored for years), we are still being asked to support school levies and give locally as well. Yet the more we spend, the poorer the results seem to be. And there is no accountability. When you ask the hard questions, you are stonewalled by the agencies, school board and superintendent.
I agree. From what I see at school board meetings, our administrators take their marching orders from the school board, not from the community. The school board, unfortunately, does not want to be held accountable nor is it very interested in what people in the community have to say. My hope is that there will be a broader discussion about this state of affairs. Next year will be two board seats up for reelection. I will be doing as much reporting about education as I can so that people are informed. The News, so far, hasn’t covered it. Maybe one day they will.