I see that the Washougal School District has made the news for having goals that not everyone agrees with. Two of my children attended Washougal public schools and graduated from Washougal High School. So I decided to take a look at the district’s website: http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/board-goals/.
Here is a little bit of what I saw:
“The strategic plan, adopted in 2019 by the school board, challenges us to disrupt systems that perpetuate institutional bias, to increase diversity in our workforce, and to ensure equity is at the center of our decision making. … For the 2020-2021 school year, the Washougal School Board has identified goals around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion …” OK, sounds great so far. But then I got to the list of six “measurable outcomes.”
I noticed that none of the “measurable outcomes” from this initiative have anything to do with students’ performance. I read down a little further and noticed the cost of these measurable goals is $933,000. So if anyone on the school board is reading my letter, please note that I will not be just voting “Yes” on all tax levies for the schools from this point forward. I’ll be looking to see if the money is being spent on items that will equip the kids for a successful future.
Editor’s note: This letter was originally published June 19. It is being republished it to correct an editing error.
