There seem to be three concurrent processes taking place within the Shoreline School District, all related to the ongoing financial woes.
It “seems” to be the case because only one of those three processes – all having to do with public tax dollars – are actually occurring in public. The other two are so far below the radar that their absence makes them glow like Rudolph’s nose.
The one process than can be seen directly relates to the district’s budget. Acknowledging that deep and painful cuts would be needed, district officials set out a series of public meetings to get input on where and how to make those cuts. While not everyone will agree on all the details, changes have been made to budget proposals after these meetings, indicating a commitment to use at least some of the suggestions.
The other two processes that ostensibly are occurring with much less public input are just as important to the district’s future:
• Decisions relating to suspended superintendent Jim Welsh’s employment, and;
• Finding a successor to Welsh.
Since the School Board voted to put Welsh on leave nearly two months ago, little has been said about his status. The board did appoint Linda Johnson as acting superintendent, but it was known she was a short-term fix, already planning to leave for a new job in Oregon.
But there was no word on what next. If Welsh wasn’t likely return to work for a board that had already suspended him, and Johnson would be out soon, where is the plan to find new leadership?
In a district wracked by deep and divisive budget pains, a leadership search could be a salve, a forum for base-level discussions on the financial realities of the Shoreline School District and the needs of public education in the new millennium.
Instead, the voters who just approved millions of new tax dollars for their schools are left to interpret rumors and whispers and wonder who will be in charge of their children and their money.
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