Everett School Board to see change

Published 10:44 pm Sunday, April 12, 2009

EVERETT — A change in elected leadership is coming to the Everett School District, a district that has been criticized in the past year for secretly recording a teacher in her classroom and hiring a new superintendent without giving the community a chance to comment on the finalists.

Sue Cooper, the longest-serving school board member in the 118-year history of the district, has decided against running for re-election. She joined the board in 1984.

“I think now is the time for someone else to have that opportunity,” Cooper said.

Critics say her departure is an opportunity to start pointing the district in a new direction. They were already planning to recruit at least one candidate to run against either Cooper or fellow board member Karen Madsen, who is up for re-election and plans to run for a third term.

“I think our chances are very good in light of events that have happened in the last year,” said Bill Reed, a community college accounting instructor who is active in advocating for minorities in education.

Among other things, the five-member board apparently did not know district administrators had decided to use a surveillance camera to spy on the classroom of a high school teacher. The teacher was accused of helping students publish an underground newspaper with district resources.

Taxpayers shelled out more than $200,000 in lawyer fees in the case.

Superintendent Carol Whitehead, who was at the center of that controversy, resigned last September after she received a death threat at the district office through the mail.

In March, the board was criticized after deciding to hire Whitehead’s replacement without naming its finalists, who then could be vetted by parents, taxpayers and school staff.

The board defended their process, saying keeping the decision to themselves was necessary in order to attract a bigger pool of applicants.

The teacher’s union has also been critical of the school district leadership. Kim Mead, president of the 1,200-member Everett Education Association, said the union’s focus is now on budget issues before the Legislature in Olympia. When the session ends, attention will turn toward the school board election.

“It will definitely be a topic coming up,” she said.

Everett is an unusual district in that school board members serve six-year terms, the same as U.S. senators. The long commitment has not in the past affected the number of candidates running for open seats.

Most school districts have four-year terms. Everett also has “at-large” positions, meaning that candidates can live in any part of the school district instead of within five smaller geographical areas.

The position pays $50 per meeting, up to $4,800 per year.

Cooper’s board tenure began in 1984, when her three children were in elementary and middle school. She had been View Ridge Elementary School’s PTA president.

Everett has grown dramatically during her time on the board. It added several elementary schools, two middle schools and Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. It is one of the state’s largest districts with 26 schools, more than 18,000 students, a $188 million annual operations budget and close to 2,000 employees.

“The best thing is I feel we are doing a much better job of helping students reach standards,” Cooper said. “We have improved students’ achievement and we have improved on-time graduation.”

Cooper said she feels fortunate to have worked with staff and board members who keep their focus on students and in a community where voters have consistently supported operations and technology levies as well as bonds to build new schools and improve existing ones.

“My plan is to continue to be involved in the community in meaningful ways,” she added.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.