Our greatest strength is our system of mostly smaller neighborhood elementary schools which feed our strategically placed middle schools and high schools. Our elementary schools serve as neighborhood centers, fostering community and building relationships between parents, teachers, and students. Those relationships continue into the middle schools and high schools and ultimately form the basis for the friendships that make Bellingham such a great place to live. These neighborhood elementary schools are a cherished community asset, and the people are willing to do what is necessary to support them.
The city and local governments are willing to help the school district meet its goals. The voters have shown that they will support the necessary taxes for the schools.
Another unique asset is the presence of WWU and student teachers who bring so much to the classroom. Yes, it is an added responsibility for our teachers, but those who teach and mentor our student teachers become better teachers themselves. And those relationships tend to attract the best graduates to fill our vacancies.
A major weakness is the tendency towards tribalism and rivalry between neighborhoods or between schools. These fears: that the other school has more resources, or that the larger school gets preference, or that the newer school is superior; these fears divide us and foster distrust.
Another weakness is the dependence on PTAs and PTSAs, with some schools able to raise large amounts of money via parents. This again leads to rivalry, distrust, and the fear that some schools are inherently better than others.
The dependence upon portable classrooms, or so-called "relocatables" is a major weakness that must be addressed. Portable classrooms need to be used only in urgent cases, not as a long-term solution to our building needs.
A final weakness I wish to address is the lack of online opportunities for our students. Our district loses hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds when our kids enroll in other districts via internet academies. Bellingham needs a comprehensive online curriculum for students and families whose needs are not met in the traditional classroom. And we can not afford the dollars, and teachers' jobs, that are leaving our district.
