Only three parents attended a school district meeting on March 19, intended to inform the community about education issues and to solicit feedback from families.

The discussion led by Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett centered on four primary categories: The federal Title I-A program that provides financial aid for districts with a high percentage of low-income families; the Title 1-C program to help commercial fishing families and others with a migratory, seasonal schedule; the Indian Education Act; and the rigorous process of school district reaccreditation.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on the Title I-C program. Garrett said that while federal funding is vital, it often comes with a very narrow scope for how the funds can be spent.

Parent Tory Houser, whose sons are considered migrant students due to their family’s fishing business, expressed appreciation for the program’s flexibility but noted the practical challenges of “at-sea” learning. She explained that her son often misses the first two weeks of the school year due to the commercial fishing schedule, and relying on online homework is not realistic on a boat.

“If there were hard copies, like textbooks and worksheets, that might be better,” Houser said. “I think it would be more helpful.”

The meeting also addressed the Indian Education Act program, which supports American Indian and Alaska Native students through academic and cultural initiatives.

Garrett reported that the school district IEA director position currently is vacant; the district is advertising to fill the job. The district has had three directors in the past five years.

He emphasized the importance of connecting all students to the cultural norms and values of the Indigenous community.

“How can we better integrate the culture into learning here?” Garrett asked.

The most critical topic of the evening was the upcoming reaccreditation and strategic planning process. This evaluation determines the district’s ability to remain an operational educational institution.

“This is something we have to do, that determines credibility and funding of our school,” Garrett said. “There are 31 standards to be met, and it’s a very rigorous process.”

The superintendent explained that the district must perform a self-evaluation, consulting with faculty, staff, parents and students, and develop a plan to address its own needs. Cognia, a Pacific Northwest accreditation company, then visits the schools to judge the accuracy of that evaluation.

The consequences of failure are severe, affecting everything from funding to the validity of a student’s hard work.

“This is important because it determines whether or not we can operate. If an institution is not accredited, its students won’t be able to transfer the credits they’ve earned,” he said. “And the graduation diploma won’t be worth anything. So much of what we do is determined by being accredited.”

To address the lack of attendance at the March 19 meeting, held at Evergreen Elementary School, Garrett asked for suggestions on how to increase parental engagement. Houser suggested that the district should be more direct about the risks of apathy.

“Maybe telling them, ‘If you want to have your sports and if you want to have the diploma mean something, you should get involved,’” Houser said.

Garrett concluded the meeting by stating he hopes to see more sessions of a similar nature with significantly more parental involvement in the near future.