Public still upset about BI school closure options

The new year can be a clean slate for anyone — including the Bainbridge Island School District.

In the wake of a sudden leadership change, heated public discussion and a looming budget cliff, the BI school board managed to conduct business as usual at its first meeting of the year Jan. 11.

But the house was packed, and few members of the public had business as usual on their minds.

Student interests were the hot-button issue. Over 25 members of the public spoke about the district’s proposed plans to close one or more schools in an effort to alleviate an up to $4.5 million deficit in the budget, which the district revealed to the public in a routine newsletter Nov 21 of last year. According to the announcement, the funding shortfall can be attributed to declining enrollment, drained savings and increased costs of operation.

The unlucky schools, Ordway and Commodore elementaries, face one of three outcomes. Scenario A, for savings of $2.1 million, would close both schools and distribute their students among Sakai Intermediate, Woodward Middle and Bainbridge High School. Scenario B, for savings of $1.3 million, would close either Ordway or Commodore and expand capacity at Blakely and x̌alilc Elementary, Sakai Intermediate and Bainbridge High. Scenario C, for savings of $732,000, would close only Commodore and add the Odyssey choice program to Sakai.

“The projections are accurate,” acting superintendent Amii Thompson confirmed. “We apologize that we didn’t know about it. What I keep saying is, the good news is that we were right, and the bad news is that we were right.”

Many of the speakers were parents, some were teachers and several were parents and teachers. Nearly all voiced support for Scenario B, citing the unique learning environment at Sakai Intermediate.

Two Sakai parents explained that their families were drawn to BI because of the option to attend an intermediate school. A few, including Mary Ellen “Mev” Hoberg, a former school board director, also encouraged the community to throw its support behind the financial levies. However, other speakers pointed out the fiscal savings that Scenario A would provide, and one speaker admonished the board for its lack of foresight.

“Where is the long-term vision? There is none that I can find,” Adriana Zimovar said. “Solutions to the budget shortfall will have repercussions. Will it make sense in the next five to ten years to move to a model with one middle and one high school? I urge the board and the new district leadership to adopt a long-term vision for this island. It would help illuminate the path ahead.”

The board meeting began with Board Member Sanjay Pal and Thompson taking their oaths of office. The meeting was the first gathering of the board without former superintendent Paul Bang-Knudsen, who suddenly resigned last month for medical reasons.

While his absence was felt, Thompson assured the room of her capability and commitment to the district’s success.

“’Change moves at the speed of trust,’ and heading into winter break, I feel like we were pretty much at a standstill,” she said during her introductory speech, quoting Stephen Covey. “The effort to rebuild trust is sincere — and needs to happen.”

Thompson has over 20 years of experience in the BISD, including as principal for x̌alilc Elementary and in district executive roles. She described her leadership style as “always, always, always centered on students,” with an emphasis on transparency.

The agenda was focused on a few of the district’s ongoing projects — namely, its path toward environmental sustainability, standard school improvement plans and its quest to hire more teachers of color. All motions passed. The only dissenting vote came from Evan Saint-Claire regarding the school improvement plans, as he said the equity portions were subpar.