A message from the Kent School Board: Thank you

We want to thank the members of the Kent School District community for sharing their valued input through emails, letters, and phone calls.

We appreciate hearing from all stakeholders who are interested and passionate about Kent School District. We have seen that as a community we are in the midst of many social, economic, and educational changes, as well as increased diversity in demographics, thoughts, and opinions.

We also want to thank our families, staff, community members, and most importantly, our students for their patience and support of the district and our teachers during the negotiation process. Please know that while this has been a most challenging time for the entire school community, we can, if we choose to, transcend the past and work together to build the future together.

Now that recent events are behind us, we are excited about moving forward following the teachers’ ratification with a 94 percent approval rating and the board’s action on Sept. 23 where we unanimously approved the 2009-2011 contract with our Kent Education Association partners. We look forward to teaming with all stakeholders in the Kent School District community as we move forward on behalf of the students and families we serve.

The first day of school was on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and we were pleased to see how excited that students, teachers, staff, and parents were with the start of the 2009-10 school year. Working together as a community, we will achieve the Kent School District mission of successfully preparing each and every one of our students for their future. We look forward to that future with hope and promise for all members of this great community.

Again, thank you for your tremendous support. Here’s to a great 2009-10 school year.

Jim Berrios, Bill Boyce, Sandy Collins, Chris Davies, and Debbie Straus

Kent School District Board of Directors