When someone opens a private school, it’s usually because they’ve seen the writing on the wall. It’s not an endeavor one takes lightly, especially for two working parents.
Local residents Shannon and Peter Polson are exploring opening a private middle school or a homeschool coop in the valley for children entering 6th to 9th grade this fall. The response to Gardner Academy, as it is being called, was less than communal following MVN’s article about a presentation at an information session earlier this month. Letters to the editor honed in on a statement by one of the attendees that some public school graduates are “functional illiterates.”
While the statement is harsh, the response to this remark is rooted in hostility instead of inquiry.
I’ve been covering issues in MVSD for a year. The formation of a new school by the Polsons is another indicator that not everyone is happy with the current educational environment. Though MVSD doesn’t want to talk about it, there are questions about the quality of education children are receiving in the district.
A paltry 51.7% of high school students are ready for college-level English without needing a remedial class. Skills in this area include understanding a multifaceted text and conveying its meaning or a position in verbal and written forms. In an era where critical thinking is crucial for separating fact from fiction, is it any surprise, when almost half the students in LBHS can’t pass an English test, that someone would encounter a MVSD graduate that is a “functional illiterate?”
Since 2009, the state requires school districts provide a district-wide average of at least 1,080 hours of instruction annually in high school and 1,000 hours of instruction annually in grades K-8. That amounts to 13,320 hours of instruction by commencement, but in terms of actual learning, the results, so far, show there is room for improvement.
At school board meetings, Superintendent Tom Venable reminds the school board and the public about the state’s obligation to “adequately fund” education, but he has opted not to enforce any standards with regard to what qualifies as a “good” education.
When asked about the district’s low test scores, Venable told MVE, “In areas of high demand, you don’t find a standardized test developed by a corporation.”
Venable points to increasing school enrollment and conversations with graduates as evidence of MVSD’s success. When asked how MVSD measures success, Venable responded, “By the success that we’ve witnessed on the part of our graduates. There is a broad range of pathways that we now support and offer, not only university degree but apprenticeship and post-secondary apprenticeship.”
“Our former students stated they are appreciative of the experiences they had at school,” he added.
While preparing students for vocational opportunities in our local economy is praiseworthy, we also know there are high paying jobs that require good math and science skills in which the district, by its own measure, is failing.
If we’re worried about housing affordability, we need to pay attention to marketable skills.
There is a case to be made that students who aren’t college bound should also have proficiency in core subjects. That is the promise of public education, that everyone attains core knowledge, but that is not what is happening.
“Adequate funding” for education has, by and large, not been met with a demand for accountability. MVSD’s per pupil expenditure for 2023-2024 school year was $18,662. The district’s budget this school year is $17.8 million, no small chunk of change.
The few calls for measures of accountability have fallen on deaf years. The PTA tried to advocate on behalf of community members who saw room for improvement. Venable unsubscribed from the monthly email.
In a conversation with school board director Judith Hardmeyer-Wright last spring, Hardmeyer-Wright said she didn’t care about test scores. Newly elected director Jennifer Zbyszewski sat beside her and looked on. In school board meetings, Zbyszewski, along with newly appointed school board director Boo Schneider, join other directors in praising the district’s accomplishments. Their information comes primarily from one source- the superintendent. School Board Director Frank Kline is on record stating the school board shouldn’t visit schools and should leave the job of teaching to “professionals.” Requests to speak to the school board are directed to the superintendent.
Raising MVSD’s shortcomings is taboo. The Polsons experienced the same backlash the PTA experienced. The messenger is villified for “not supporting our public schools.” Nothing would be more supportive of our children in public school than examining their school’s performance and holding administrators accountable.
At $20,000 per year, Gardner Academy will cater to the better-off. (The median income in Methow Valley is $68,552.) The Polsons are looking for a “central” location in Winthrop. The academy promises to use the Socratic method (inquiry over memorization), focus on reading comprehension and writing skills, instill personal responsibility for one’s learning, develop entrepreneurial skills, incorporate location and project-based assignments, and have “radical transparency” with regard to student progress. It is a welcome addition to the educational choices in this valley.
Clearly, not everyone sees it that way. One person, in a letter to the editor to MVN, calls it “selfish and short-sighted to create an elite school for a select few wealthy families.”
A retired teacher writes, “I firmly believe that our public education system is the best tool we, the people, have to instill in our citizens the values that make our nation and democracy exceptional.” How’s that working for us these days?
She goes on to say, “There are personal growing pains that an American child can only experience when interacting with a wide cross section of peers.” Does this include bullying, which has come out of the closet as a critical issue in our school district?
The possibility of taking 16-24 students out of the district’s enrollment created concern for the funding MVSD would no longer receive for these students, thereby “diminishing” funding for public education. Money follows the student only in public education. If it isn’t used, it remains with the state. The parents forking $20,000 a year for a private school wouldn’t see any of it. Private schools are at a huge disadvantage, yet it is the public school advocates that are worried.
Another writer says criticism about public school is a “pitch deck built on shaky claims, tactless comments, and a dismissal of our local public schools.” She doesn’t respond to actual issues contributing to parents leaving the public school system.
The people who proclaim the ideals of public education are often the same individuals who disengage and quash honest dialogue. Another letter to the editor says as much: “Please, do not disparage the public schools in your discourse and planning.”
Those who argue public education is essential to encountering diverse views are the same people that resist conversation about education when it involves a different viewpoint. I experienced this on the PTA with parents and students who opted to shut down conversation rather than engage in meaningful dialogue. When the executive body stepped down from the PTA, that’s exactly what the contingent of parents did- they shut down the PTA.
In this environment, i’s not surprising that many young people today are more comfortable with ideological warfare than critical thinking. They are quietly being taught what is socially acceptable. The penalty for daring to think outside the box is censure. You can see it in this community in some people’s eyes- they’ve formed an opinion about you before you’ve even said a word.
It’s time to stop attacking another person’s right to pursue a better educational option for their child. If you believe in public education, be an advocate for better instruction (let me know how it goes) and don’t berate others for their educational choices. If they “disparage” public education, it’s to tell you why they are leaving before they walk out the door.
