Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor | New middle school English curriculum a significant step

Reading is the foundational skill of all foundational skills in education, serving as the basis for learning in every academic subject. Yet, the Peninsula School District’s track record in teaching students to read has been a failure. However, the district’s recent adoption of a new middle school English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum, along with the upcoming adoption of a similar program for the elementary level, represents significant steps toward providing effective, evidence-based instruction rooted in the science of reading for all students.

For far too long, teachers and students in the Peninsula School District have struggled with ineffective reading programs that dismissed proven methods like phonics in favor of strategies such as using pictures as context clues to decode words. This situation has often forced teachers to purchase instructional materials online with their own money. Additionally, students have been pushed from grade to grade and eventually graduate without consideration for their reading abilities. Parents, especially those of dyslexic students, have persistently advocated for appropriate evidence-based ELA programs founded in the science of reading, only to encounter resistance, low expectations, and being labeled as unreasonable by district administrators. Those unable to afford private tutoring were left with limited options. Consequently, about one-third of PSD students, over 3,000, are not reading at even basic grade-level standards. (Data from Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instructions “Washington State Report Card” for the Peninsula School District 2023-2024 SY)

At a recent school board meeting, much-deserved credit was given to teachers and two administrators for their efforts in selecting the new middle school ELA program. However, others were overlooked — including parents, the true driving force behind this change. For as long as anyone can remember, parents, particularly those of dyslexic students, concerned about the district’s ineffective reading programs have been ignored, dismissed, discredited, and even paid off by PSD bureaucrats. In recent years, parents refused to back down; they spoke at board meetings, formed advocacy groups, lobbied elected officials, took to social media, and even filed lawsuits — cases in which judges consistently ruled against the district for violating dyslexic students’ rights to a free appropriate public education concerning reading instruction.

Initially, the board’s response was largely symbolic, offering support but taking little action. However, parents persisted, presenting facts and refusing to back down. Over time, the board listened — not to the bureaucrats defending their ineffective programs based on disproven methods, but rather to the families whose children had been harmed by those very methods. The change underway would not have occurred without the unanimous insistence on reform from the school board and its support for the superintendent to implement it.

A few individuals deserve special recognition. Board President Natalie Wimberley questioned the standard responses from administrators, attended key meetings with parents, and even participated in an IEP meeting of a student whose rights had been repeatedly violated by the district, according to a judge. Superintendent Krestin Bahr became a champion for change, steering the entire district in the right direction and advocating for the science of reading both here and beyond. Board member Jennifer Butler, who initially understood little about the district’s literacy struggles, immersed herself in the issue, met with parents, dyslexic PSD graduates, and experts, extensively studied research, and made it her priority to ensure all students — including those with dyslexia — receive effective, evidence-based instruction grounded in the science of reading. More than anyone, without her leadership, the district would not be progressing as it is.

This is a powerful example of democracy in action: citizens hold their government accountable and compel elected officials to act. The outcome has the potential to benefit thousands of students in the years ahead, not only in reading and writing but also in math, science, and all subjects that require reading.

But this is not the finish line — it is the foundation. Curriculums are only as effective as those implementing them. The best programs in the world mean nothing if the adults in charge resist change, lower expectations, or refuse to work together for student success. The focus must remain on outcomes, not optics; results, not rhetoric. The community is watching, and parents will not allow this district to fail another generation of students.

Michael Perrow

Gig Harbor