What if we just transposed two words?

My family has been part of the SK School District for over 12 years and part of the SK Community for 19 years. My kids started at Peace Dale Elementary then Broad Rock, Curtis Corner and now SKHS. We were lucky in that our kids never had to be redistricted in Elementary School but even they had to be we had confidence in all the schools; never a second thought about a good education. We had always encountered great administration, teachers and staff. As a parent I enjoyed participating in schools activities and volunteering in the classrooms. As my kids grew older I was inspired to do more. I joined the Little League Board and an Educational Foundation then I included SKHS PTG, SKHS Athletic Boosters, Vision of A SK Graduate and Transportation Sub Committee to my monthly commitments. It was my way to give back to the School Community and maybe make a positive change. A community that I never thought of anything else as then a great School Community. Then election season began.

I was absolutely shocked and saddened when suddenly our School Community had become Community Schools. Actual physical school buildings became the focus and not WHO was in the buildings to make them a school and even more what made US a School Community. The quantity of buildings was more important then quality we could give or afford. Everything that many community members worked on the previous year including the three Community Facility Forums meant nothing. Signs went up, groups formed, flyers were handed out at community events and just like that a community divided. A different town feel…

To this day we continue to focus on physical buildings, creating chaos in attempts to make things fit without looking at the complete School Community or SK Community. Every piece of it continually moving in any and all directions with no real plan to ease the burdens or more importantly put our students first. Parents are left wondering about the stability of the district and if SK public schools are the best environment for children to learn and grow in.

If we could just transpose two words from “Community Schools” back to “School Community” maybe we all could see what matters most.