Student math scores continue to fall yet teacher performance is not considered. Hiring board admin clerk and internal auditor suggestion met with disrespectful rebuke from Director Sebren. Disgraceful treatment of a board member when a new board member presents slide/ideas, yet the board is obviously uncertain how to manage pay vouchers and pay warrants.

Staff members travel to Washington D.C. to lobby elected officials. One-year SKSD travel costs exceed $500,000 for fewer than 35 staff members. Another four-day trip to Virginia costs $2,365 for airfare, hotel and per diem for one person.

The South Kitsap School District knows about lead contamination for years, yet it was not included in the levy priority projects list. Cost overruns on the science lab remodel currently exceed $553,000. Contingency funds were set aside for safety, technology, security projects but nothing was set aside for capital improvement projects. The board must be confident capital improvement projects will say within budgets.

Taxpayers don’t know the levy is spread over four years; they were not told pool repair estimates were insufficient; they were not told at least a full year of capital levy revenue is needed for the pool. Superintendent Winter tells the board the pool project is the highest priority and must please voters, yet there’s no mention that the $4.5 million budget will not be sufficient. What will pool repair overruns cost us?

Expect explanations, excuses and more requests by SKSD in 2022 for more money to complete projects they will not complete with current 2018 levy funding. A news story confirms current capital levy funding won’t be enough to complete projects promised by the district. The district promises mean nothing.

Attend a school board meeting and hear this for yourself!

Dave Kimble

Port Orchard