When our new administration began nearly three years ago, I was open to change and trusted our board of education to choose a new leader for our kids, teachers and staff of Cedar Springs Public Schools. Initially, I felt this change in leadership could take our district to a new level. Shortly after, however, I began to notice changes in how our staff members interacted with and presented themselves to others. Previously confident and comfortable, our educators were now apprehensive and spoke with reservation. Programs intended to better prepare our kids for their futures (such as 6th grade advanced math) have been discontinued and no one seems to have any answers about why that occurred. Field trips which served to spark curiosity and critical thinking skills have been eliminated in favor of more technology. Instead of learning being on the incline, it has been on the decline.

Parent communication about the aforementioned changes has only come after inquiring, and in the administration’s efforts to “make it right” we are inundated with multiple emails from multiple sources all speaking about the same thing. Proactive communication has become reactive, and the staff I have spoken to feel they have been left to figure things out on their own with no support from administration.

The positive change I was excited to see nearly three years ago is better described as a hot mess. In order to fix the communication problem and drive academics forward, collaboration is imperative. Last week 97 educators made an impassioned plea in favor of unity and showed us that collectively they feel Ted Sabinas and Mistie Bowser will help reunite and move this district forward. This expression of unity, unlike any we’ve seen in recent years, should serve as a wakeup call for anyone still undecided. I urge you to vote Ted and Mistie into the two open seats on our board of education, and let the healing begin.

Fran and Drew Brandimore, Solon Township