Action Items to Support Community Schools

1. 🚨 IMMEDIATELY: Submit your written testimony to the Facilities Committee before Memorial Day Weekend.
   Steven Sparks recommends personalizing the letters instead of using a form letter, even if they cover similar topics. Please avoid any reference to property value — Steven noted in our meeting that these arguments hold no value to any district metrics or consideration. It is our understanding that these letters should be included in committee members’ packets before the June 5 vote if they are sent more than a week in advance of their meeting.
   
   Testimony should be emailed to Steven Sparks and recommend CCing Superintendent Balderas, School Board Chair Karen Perez, and our school board representative Tammy Carpenter. (link to compose email with CC’s). If you or your student would like to submit hand written testimony, you can deliver that to our school and we will make sure it gets delivered appropriately to the Facilities Committee.

   If you have a question or want to talk to someone about what you are writing about, please reach out. We have things that we feel should be said loudly and data points to back it up.
   
   Address your emails to: Steven_Sparks@beaverton.k12.or.us  

   CC: Gustavo_Balderas@beaverton.k12.or.us, Karen_Perez@beaverton.k12.or.us, Tammy_Carpenter@beaverton.k12.or.us
   

2. 👉 TEAM EFFORT: Help us dig deeper and understand more about this issue that will shape our community for generations.

   I can’t count the number of powerful ideas, arguments, and outreach ideas that have been pouring out of our community. We are working to align and coordinate our community. You all are fact-checking, diving into school district policy, reading research papers, and ideating how to build a broader coalition to preserve our community schools. Thank you. This is a marathon, so we need a team to run the distance.
   

3. 📢 ADVOCATE: Attend the June 5th Facilities meeting as an observer.
   BSD will post Meeting time and location here. 
   

4. 📢 ADVOCATE: Inform our School Board
   The BSD School Board exists to represent community interests to BSD.

   Meet with Our School Board Rep

   Our team is working on facilitating a meeting with our School Board Representative Tammy Carpenter. If you are interested in attending, let us know. We will publicly announce, but are working to coordinate a time where as many interested parties can attend as possible.

   Testify at a school board meeting.

   You have a right to be heard at a school board meeting. Attend a school meeting to testify to community schools’ values and dissatisfaction with the current EDSPEC. You can testify publicly or submit written testimony. If you want to know what it is like to give public testimony, we are happy to share our experiences.
   
   Upcoming board meetings are listed here.
   The Public Testimony Protocol is listed here.
   

5. 🏫 Petition to change EDSPECS at BSD
   We are researching how to change the EDSPECS to reflect community values instead of 750 student mega-schools. To accomplish this, we want to build a coalition with other communities. Please reach out to volunteer@raleighparkpto.org to join us.
   

6. ☕ Attend a coffee chat with Superintendent Balderas.
   Personally share your story and ask him lots of questions. You can find the latest schedule here.
   

7. 🔥 BUILD: Spread the Word
   Tell your friends, family, and neighbors. We are also looking into other visual shows of community support, such as yard signs and posters in local businesses. Please let us know if there is interest in pursuing that.

   Finally, please sign up for our newsletter and share with any other concerned community members!
   

8. 📰 Finally, please sign up for our newsletter.
   This issue will continue to develop rapidly. We are also looking into other visual shows of community support, such as yard signs and posters in local businesses. Please let us know if there is a general interest in pursuing that or if you are interested in getting more involved.