Elementary school change big topic in Othello board meeting

OTHELLO — The move to a kindergarten through eighth grade model for the Othello School District, scheduled to start in the 2018-19 school year, has started a lot of discussion, some of it at the Othello School Board meeting Monday. Six district patrons gave their opinions to the board during the public comment period.

Board chair Rob Simmons said he was glad to see it. He also encouraged district patrons to contact him directly. “Please, call, so I can have an opportunity to answer your questions,” Simmons said, while talking to district patron Isaro Pruneda. “What I really want is for people to talk to me, call me. And I’ve had three, total, who have actually done that so far,” Simmons said.

Board member Jenn Stevenson said she too is encouraging district patrons to talk to her outside of board meetings, a sentiment echoed by board member Tony Ashton. Simmons said the state statutes that govern board meetings don’t really allow for back and forth with district patrons during board meetings. “Essentially, what they say, it is a public meeting, meaning we conduct business in public. It’s not for the public to conduct our business with us. That’s the way it’s worded in legislation.”

Isaro Pruneda and district patrons Conrad Billman and Steve Michel said they were not in favor of the move to K-8, while Tiffany Pruneda and Lynn Marticelli said they supported it, or are willing to try it. Kay Riley McClure said she was skeptical. “I’m going to ask you, sit down and rethink this whole plan. Make sure you are going in the right direction,” McClure said.

Billman, Michel and Isaro Pruneda said they were concerned about seventh- and eighth-graders mixing with kindergartners and first-graders. Tiffany Pruneda said she was concerned about that too, but less so after talking with teachers and administrators and getting her questions answered. “I feel a lot better,” she said.

“My hope is that we can all stay active, K through 8, and parent involvement will rise,” Tiffany Pruneda said.

Billman and Isaro Pruneda said in their opinion district officials were not providing them with adequate information, and that the process has not been transparent enough. In his opinion, Billman said, “your data surrounding this K through 8 is weak.”

Billman and Michel said the district’s problems are most visible at McFarland Middle School, and in their opinion closing the middle school would just spread the problems to the grade schools. Tiffany Pruneda said there are, in her opinion, problems at the middle school, but “it’s not just the junior high.” The problems at MMS also are visible at the elementary schools and Othello High School, she said.

Marticelli said she’s in support of the move, since the current system is not working, in her opinion. She urged parents to work together, “lead by example.”