The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor,

In response to the April 21st article in the Times, regarding staff cuts in the Waitsburg School District, we as educators would like to share some additional insight and encourage community members to attend the May 11th school board meeting in Preston Hall at 7:00 pm.

Reducing the certified teaching staff by 1 to 3 people is likely to cause significant changes for Waitsburg students. This could include, but is not limited to, fewer elective classes offered at the high school, loss of continuity and belonging in the middle school contributing to lower achievement scores, and decreased resources throughout the district.

We feel community involvement is vital to the success of our students and we invite parents, staff and other interested parties to join us on the 11th to help discuss solutions, in light of financial concerns, which impact the children of Waitsburg.

Lynnsey Bailey, Maddie Martin, Sarah Reser, Ben Christensen, Roseann Groom, Jim Leid, Liv Leid, Brad Green, Patty Hazelwood, Mel McWhorter, Pam Beasley, Nancy Bickelhaupt and Marne Henderson