Dear Students, Friends, Neighbors, and Partners in Education:
As we approach the close of the 2023-2024 school year, our calendars are filled with appreciations, celebrations, and graduations. These milestones can bring out feelings of joy, and pride, and a sense of wonder as we consider all that our students have achieved. However, this year our celebratory season is tempered with a sense of loss. We are also about to conclude a year-long budget reduction process that requires the closing of programs, and for us to say goodbye to much loved educators. While we know in our minds that these steps are necessary to ensure the long-term financial stability of our schools, that does not make what has been a heartbreaking process any easier.
Through these months, however, we noticed something inspiring. As this year has progressed, we have heard from and spoken with thousands of students, educators, and community members. We could not help but be struck by the deep commitment to our schools, the deep love for our students, and the tenacious willingness from everyone to roll up their sleeves and partner with each other to support our schools.
It has been said that it’s in times of crisis that true character is revealed. In Northshore, we are a community where students advocate not just for what they need but also for what their neighbors and classmates need. We are a community where over 11,000 volunteers directly help in our schools every year, creating a web of support for our students and educators. We are a community where everyone – students, teachers, administrators, labor partners, parents, and advocates – listens to each other and works together even though we might have different perspectives. It is this community-wide partnership and caring that makes the Board immensely grateful and honored to serve this community.
As we move forward into preparing for the 2024-2025 school year, the Board is committed to our important work of continuously improving how we prepare our students for a quickly changing world. In the face of systematic underfunding of public schools in our state, this commitment will require tenacious advocacy for achieving a funding system that matches student needs. Ample state funding is essential to sustaining the quality education that our students deserve.
In Northshore, we know that investing in education is investing in our future. Quality education not only benefits our children but also strengthens our entire community. Well-funded schools attract families, support local businesses, and enhance property values. Most importantly, quality public education ensures that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The Board also knows that our community is strongest when every member participates in our work of serving students. We encourage our community to continue to partner with the district, whether it be by coming to meetings, volunteering in a school, or engaging in the larger discussion around full funding of public education. Participating in the legislative process makes our communities stronger, and the district will continue to provide information to support full participation by every member of our community.
Thanks to our dedicated community, our hard-working educators, and our brilliant students, Northshore schools continue to be places of inspirational learning. Working together, we will continue to provide a quality education for each and every student as we embrace their unique backgrounds, experiences, and characteristics. We are forever grateful for your continued partnership as we move forward together.
Sincerely,
President Amy Cast, District 5
Vice President, Sandy Hayes, District 4
Director Jacqueline McGourty, District 1
Director Elisabeth Sotak, District 2
Director Hân Trần, District 3