Tag Archives: greg lynch

My Vote of Confidence in Superintendent Greg Lynch

I am deeply saddened and disturbed at the recent actions of the CKEA (Central Kitsap Education Association) in their seemingly clandestine vote of no confidence for CK Superintendent Greg Lynch, and a similar stamp of disapproval against Special Education Director Bill Mosiman.

Here is a link to the article: Part of CK Teacher’s Union votes no confidence in Superintendent and Special Ed Director

There are a great many things we DON’T know in regards to this story. We don’t know the specific issues, concerns, or criticisms that the CKEA leadership/members have against Mr. Lynch or Mr. Mosiman. We don’t know if the CKEA leadership/members have made any previous genuine efforts to engage either gentlemen in meaningful dialog in an attempt to resolve or work through such issues/concerns.

All we do know is that some element within the CKEA is clearly upset and dissatisfied with both individuals, and wants to make their displeasure known to the rest of us.

Now for what I DO know.

My family and I have lived here in Central Kitsap for over 10 years. All four of our kids have gone through the CK school system. One of my sons recently graduated summa cum laude from a local university, another is graduating with academic honors from Olympic College. Overall, we have had some really great experiences with teachers and staff within the CK district, and have been very pleased with the level of education our kids have received.

Mr. Lynch began his employment as Superintendent shortly after we moved here. We were immediately impressed with how genuinely caring and personable he was. Over the years, we have observed his consistent involvement in our kid’s classrooms, talking with their teachers, and personally attending nearly every major school event.

During our past two successful levies, I had the distinct pleasure of serving on the CK Kids Matter Group. During my involvement there, I became even more intimately acquainted with Mr. Lynch, and share the following observations:

Greg Lynch is a man of great integrity. He possesses a very strong and tireless work ethic. He genuinely cares about the people of our community, but particularly, the students, teachers, and staff of CKSD. He’s not a flashy limelight kind of guy, but prefers to work behind the scenes. He obviously must have an incredibly loving and supportive wife and family that allows and encourages him to invest so much time with the district, and away from them.

There may very well be some legitimate, heartfelt concerns or issues by some who are dissatisfied with the current administration of CKSD, and since Greg Lynch is the key figurehead, the buck naturally stops with him. I think Mr. Lynch understands all too well the criticisms that typically accompany such a title/position. Being a school superintendent is one of those thankless jobs where you can never seem to please everyone, no matter how hard you may try.

I wonder about the value and validity of unions these days. They seem to breed a spirit of adversity where one doesn’t need to exist. I truly hope that the CKEA can work out their differences with Mr. Lynch and Mr. Mosiman in a manner that is both fair and civil. Regardless of these recent events, we are all still very fortunate to have such an amazingly talented and committed staff of educators in our district.

I would like to publicly go on record as casting my vote of YES confidence for Greg Lynch as CK Superintendent. Thanks, Mr. Lynch. Keep up the great work!

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Update on CK Schools Supplemental Levy Voting Results

Rich Jacobson

Although the final updated results won’t be available until February 27th, the latest election results indicate that the CK Schools Supplemental Levy will pass by a narrow margin.

You can find the actual results posted HERE.

Even if successfully passed, this supplemental levy will only reduce the current SY 12-13 budget shortfall by $2 million. We will still be facing a very significant financial challenge for the next several years at least.

I realize that it’s a bit premature, but a HUGE “Thank You!” to all the area residents who voted in support of our valued Central Kitsap School District and ultimately the continued educational well-being of our children!

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CK Schools Need Our Help – Vote ‘YES!’ on Supplemental Levy

Rich Jacobson

Local Central Kitsap residents received their ballots by mail this past week for casting their vote in support of Central Kitsap School District’s Supplemental Levy.

Now I know what you’re thinking, didn’t we just pass a levy last year? Yes, we did, a Capital Projects levy for badly needed improvements and repairs to our schools facilities and systems. Voters turned out in resounding support of that levy.

And now, because our State legislators have chosen to ignore their statutory mandate/responsibility to fully fund public education, our local school district is left holding the proverbial budget short-fall bag to the tune of some $6.3 million dollars. Adding to their dilemma/misery, Federal heavy impact aid matching dollars were also recently removed.

As a father of four children who have all passed through the halls of Central Kitsap schools, I have become a huge fan and supporter of the CK School District, their amazing educators, administrators, and board.

We are most fortunate to have Mr. Greg Lynch at the helm, especially during such difficult and economically turbulent times as these. Both Greg and Director of Finance, David McVicker, have done an incredible job, just short of miraculous, by anticipating and planning contingencies for just such situations. In fact, CK officials have trimmed over $14.6 million dollars from their budget over the past 5 years! Unfortunately, even with all their hard work and faithful stewardship, the present short-fall is still very large and daunting.

As a result, area residents are being asked once again to rise up to the ocassion, and support our nationally award winning CK schools!

We are being asked to vote ‘YES!’ in support of a 2-year levy that will raise $3.8 million in each year. This translates t0 $0.62 per $1000 of property valuation. For a house valued at $250K, that’s about $155, or approximately $13 per month. So maybe we can go without our Starbuck’s latte once a week?

Listen, I know times are tough. The last thing we need is yet one more drain on our already over-taxed wallets. But this levy is going towards covering basic educational and operational expenses. We’re not talking about debatable fringe or elective programs. This is basic stuff, the core of what makes our schools such amazing places of learning for our kids.

So please, make a very worthwhile sacrifice and investment in our children, and ultimately in our community as a whole.

Thank you for your support!

Rich Jacobson

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Big Thanks for Supporters of CKSD Levy

Rich Jacobson

The final ballots have been tallied and the voting public has spoken!

The Central Kitsap School District Capital Projects Levy has been approved!!!

We owe a tremendous debt of thanks to the members of the CK Kids Matter group for their tireless efforts, especially Jeannie Schulze, Wes Moore, and Bob Ramsey.

What a truly amazing ensemble of dedicated and concerned CK citizens who unselfishly pooled their talents/resources and focused them towards improving the quality of education for the students of the Central Kitsap School District!

I also wanted to express my great appreciation to our Superintendent, Greg Lynch, and Executive Director, David McVicker. The more I become better acquainted with these fine gentlemen, the more grateful I am for their gifted expertise, guidance, and leadership within the district.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of the residents of Central Kitsap County who voted in support of the capital projects levy. Our kids are indebted to you for your sacrifices in making the passage of this very critical levy possible.

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Vote ‘YES!’ for the CKSD Capital Projects Levy

Rich Jacobson

“Pay a little now, or pay a lot more later!”

That seems to be the prudent advice and sentiment being offered by many longtime residents of Central Kitsap County as the day (February 8th) quickly approaches for area voters to approve or disapprove the proposed Central Kitsap School District Capital Projects Levy.

Well-known local political activist Jack Hamilton expressed his opinions in a recent CK Reporter Op Ed, saying, “Even though it may hurt a bit in these uncertain and tough economic times, failure to support this levy does have a clear and unmistakable negative impact on the ability of the district to provide the quality in education that we demand and that our kids deserve.”

Both the Kitsap Sun and Central Kitsap Reporter have voiced their support in passage of the levy.

CKSD Superintendent Greg Lynch and his capable staff have done a truly exceptional job of providing a very detailed and transparent analysis on their Capital Projects Levy Website, ensuring that the voting public can make intelligent, informed decisions.

As a local Central Kitsap resident/homeowner myself, I can certainly empathize with the fact that our current economic conditions makes such levy proposals difficult to swallow. Most of us are finding it increasingly challenging to make ends meet and desperately want to hold onto as much of our hard earned money as possible.

But the facts of this levy proposal should make our response overwhelming obvious. We simply cannot ignore the prudent investment of a small portion of our tax dollars now, or else face the consequences of paying out a much larger amount down the road.

Ballots for this levy proposition have already been mailed out and every vote matters!

Please join me in supporting our kids and the continuation of quality education in Central Kitsap by voting ‘YES!’ on the CKSD Capital Projects Levy on February 8th.

CKKidsMatter

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Rotary Silverdale Honors CK Students

Rich Jacobson

I had the privilege of attending a luncheon today (courtesy of my good friend Jason Mayer) at Silverdale Beach Hotel for the Silverdale Rotary Club.

Before Jason invited me, I was absolutely clueless as to what the Rotary was all about. It all began in Chicago back in 1905. A local attorney started a service club that would ‘rotate’ their meetings from office to office, hence the name ‘Rotary.’ Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries, and pool their resources and talents to help serve communities in need. The organization’s dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its motto: “Service Above Self.”

I was more concerned about being subjected to some kind of secret initiation rites involving black hooded robes and wooden paddles. Jason assured me it was safe.

What made this particular luncheon so enjoyable was that it was the Rotary’s monthly habit of honoring local high school students. There were 8 students from Central Kitsap High and Klahowya Secondary School being recognized for school leadership, academic excellence, and community involvement.

Greg Lynch, Superintendent of Central Kitsap School District, was on hand to offer words of praise and appreciation to both students and their parents in attendance.

We are fortunate to have local organizations like the Rotary who invest back into our community and make a global impact by partnering with organizations like Children of the Nations.

We are additionally blessed to live in a community that has one of the finest school districts in the State, and is comprised of such talented and committed educators!

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Tough Times for Teachers

Rich Jacobson

According to a Kitsap Sun article published yesterday, 17 education professionals in the Central Kitsap School District will receive their layoff notices today.

It’s a very sad and difficult time for our teachers, local school administrators, and school board officials, and especially for those individuals committed to the teaching profession who will soon find themselves unemployed.

As you pick up your kids from school today, give our teachers a word of thanks and encouragement. Write a note to Superintendent Greg Lynch and the members of our school board and let them know how much you appreciate all of their hard work through the challenges of the past several years leading up to these tough decisions.

And lastly, send off a few emails to our elected representatives in Olympia imploring them to support badly needed reforms to the way in which our State funds public education.

Thanks!

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State Budget May Force CKSD to Get Blood from a Turnip

Rich Jacobson

Prior to the vote on the recent CK Support School Levy, there was quite a stir of rather heated debate occurring here on the Kitsap Sun website regarding the respective merits of voting yea or nay.

Many of those commenting faulted WA State officials for not properly funding local public education. Still others placed the blame on district superintendents, staff, and school boards for not exercising prudent fiscal responsibility.

Well, if you weren’t aware, both the Senate and the House released their budget proposals last Tuesday, and next week, will negotiate a finalized budget. The negative impact that the extreme reductions proposed in this budget draft could have at the local level would be catastrophic.

Just in case you want to see what impact the proposed budget would have, please click here to view the School Funding Facts II, or click here to view the supporting documentation.

As our state legislators hash out the last minute details of the budget, the good folks down at Central Kitsap School District are continuing their efforts in developing CKSD budget options for school year 2010-11. Their proactive and fiscally conservative approach over the last several years has allowed them to anticipate and avoid the drastic large-scale layoffs faced last spring by other districts throughout the state and to keep cuts from impacting the classroom.

However, ultimately, the solvency of CKSD’s financial future rests with our elected legislators and the governor. Our district financial personnel have already made all the reductions they can without taking any severe measures. Unfortunately, our district has little additional financial resources available to effectively absorb the multi-million dollar reductions contained in the current budget proposals.

Anyone who is familiar with our Superintendent, Greg Lynch, Executive Director David McVicker, and the hard working members of our school board, knows how seriously they all take their responsibilities and stewardship of district finances. These are all people who genuinely care about the quality of education our kids receive, and seek to equip our teachers and school staff with all the resources necessary to maintain that result.

I am extremely grateful to the voters of Central Kitsap who approved the recent levy renewal. The current economic times are tough on all of us and it’s not easy to commit even more of our hard earned dollars to a cause that is supposed to be fully funded by State government.

Let’s hope that the folks in Olympia find some other way to cover the budget shortfalls than to further impede our school district’s ability to ensure educational excellence.

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CK Schools Levy Renewal – A Sound Investment

Rich Jacobson

There’s been a lot of somewhat heated, yet healthy discussion/debate regarding the upcoming local school support levies being voted upon by February 9th.

You can follow one of the ‘lively’ conversations HERE.

A rather interesting and timely article appeared in today’s Kitsap Sun:

“Judge Rules State not Fulfilling Duty to Fund Education”

KS Staff Blogger Marietta Nelson offers an ensuing commentary that poses the probing question: “What’s Missing?”

I can’t speak personally for the other districts within Kitsap County, but I can vouch for the Central Kitsap School District both as a resident and a parent of four CKSD students.

One of the benefits of living here in Central Kitsap is the sense of family and community that we all share. For those of us whose children have attended CK schools we have experienced firsthand the value and quality of education provided by the educators and staff of Central Kitsap School District.

I’ve never seen teachers and administrators who take such an active role in the lives of our kids. Superintendent Greg Lynch and the School Board Members (especially Chris Stokke) can be seen at nearly every school function or activity (even taking time out to personally read books in class to elementary students). Such occasions have afforded me countless opportunities of becoming better acquainted with our school leaders/administrators.

We are most fortunate here in Central Kitsap to have such highly qualified administrators/staff, and dedicated board members, all who possess high ethical standards and personal integrity.

A vote of “YES’ to renew the upcoming CK school support levy is not only a vote for our kids, but it’s also a vote of trust and confidence in our teachers and district leadership, to empower them all to continue their proven track record of educational excellence!

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12 CK Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

Rich Jacobson

CKSD Educators Achieve National Board Certification

Pictured (left to right): Board President Chris Stokke, Dan Kontos (OHS), Scott Borgmann (CKJH), Cynthia Larson-Faragalli (WO), Janet Hegtvedt (BR), Andrea Tabert (SI), Penny Timm (CV), Janice Jacobson (BR), Lisa Pitcher (CV), David Pitcher (KSS), Superintendent Greg Lynch

Not pictured: Heidi Erickson (BR), Mindy Halstead (BR), Robbin Scheer (CO)

Twelve educators were honored by the Central Kitsap School Board during their meeting last Wednesday night for attaining National Board Certification. This is the highest number yet for our District!

Honorees, family members and friends came to celebrate at a reception prior to individual recognition at the School Board meeting where each teacher received a personalized frame to display their certificates. In addition, CKSD Superintendent Greg Lynch presented the School Board President, Chris Stokke, with a “perpetual plaque” listing the names of all CKSD National Board Certified teachers. The plaque will be displayed permanently in the Jenne-Wright Administration Center, and new names will be added each year.

In his address to the assembly, Superintendent Lynch shared the following:

“It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and determination to earn National Board Certification. We currently have 29 National Board Certified teachers; 8 teachers earned their Certification last year and twelve teachers this year, over a 30% increase! I am exceptionally proud of their success and dedication to excellence. It also is a testament to our District’s commitment to advancing student learning and to the importance of powerful teaching and learning.”

This year, 1,248 Washington teachers were certified, placing the state second nationally in new National Board Certified teachers. Washington’s 3,974 total National Board Certified teachers place the state fifth in the nation.

Congratulations to all the honorees for all of your dedication and hard work in completing such a distinctive level of achievement!

To learn more, Click here.

Remember to vote ‘YES!‘ in Support of the Upcoming School Replacement Levy!

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