Washington Colony’s myopic trustees

On Jan. 13, trustees of Washington Colony Elementary School District, a single-school district in the Easton community, voted not to consider unification with neighboring Washington Unified School District.

The unanimous action concluded several weeks during which trustees “researched” the issue. The extent of inquiry by this august body is best summarized as: discerning that several teachers left American Union after unification due to a new top-down management style; citing an unnamed school somewhere in the Midwest feeling distanced from the central office following unification; and the contemplative responses of “hell no” we don’t want unification or it’s not a cure-all.

Not once during the discussion did trustees thoughtfully address such issues as: whether overall savings might be realized through consolidation of transportation, maintenance, and business office operations; expected benefits through continuity of K-12 curricula and academic planning; or an overall, not oversized, K-12 structure which could effectively provide the diverse programs necessary for all students to achieve success.

The question that evening wasn’t whether unification was feasible, beneficial or even politically problematic. Most concerning was that student learning was never at the forefront of discussion. Mind boggling and myopic governance.

Ted Davis

Fresno

This story was originally published January 31, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Washington Colony’s myopic trustees."