POULSBO — As of 10 a.m. June 2, almost 280 residents signed the “Support Change in NKSD Leadership” petition created by parents just days before.

The petition supports North Kitsap School District teachers, a vast majority of whom  recently expressed they have “no confidence” in Superintendent Patty Page.

Their concerns were raised in a poll of teachers’ union members in fall — 312 of 323 North Kitsap Education Association members participated to evaluate the superintendent’s performance; 97 percent of participants said they had “no confidence” in Page as their superintendent.

Teachers say they are concerned with Page’s leadership style; they say she’s “top down” and doesn’t seek input from staff on such matters as hiring of principals. School board members, meanwhile, say they see Page as an effective leader.

“Parents are frustrated because nothing is really changing,” Carmen Gale, a

district parent, said. “The petition is a stance. They want board to listen to staff. They are asking for board to listen to teachers regarding their work environment. The bottom line is the teaching staff … The most influential role-model your kids will ever have is the teachers.”

North Kitsap parent Brooke Hammett agreed. “Their job is hard enough. I want my son’s teacher to be able to speak up and voice her concerns about something and not get reprimanded, because I’m putting my trust in her to take care of my kid.”

The petition states, in part:

“During her years as superintendent, teachers have reported feeling disrespected, fearful of speaking up, and intimidated, as Page’s ‘top-down leadership’ style often leaves our educators with no voice. Add to this serious safety concerns that have plagued our district, an unusually high budget reserve that was achieved by shortcoming students, programs and needed facilities and maintenance repairs, and an unusually high turnover at the administration level.

“It’s becoming more difficult for teachers to provide our students with the quality education they deserve under this leadership. We, as community members, parents, and students, support our teachers and ask the NKSD board members to make leadership changes now, before more damage is done.”

Parents first publicly supported the concerns of teachers during the school board meeting on May 26. Parents stood with teachers, staff and representatives of SEIU Local 925 and the North Kitsap Education Association in support of the recent “no confidence” vote.

The NKEA stated they’ve privately shared their concerns with district administration since 2012. With no board response, they developed a climate survey to bolster their concerns.

The unfavorable results of the first comprehensive climate survey, in 2013, were shared privately within district administration and the board. However after discussion between NKEA and School Board President Beth Worthington, another survey was administered in fall 2015 for an updated result.

In that survey, 85 percent of the participants said they felt their work was understood and valued by their principal, but 79 percent said they felt their work was not understood by the district.

“The ‘no confidence’ vote points to the fact that the situation is deteriorating for our teachers and other school employees,” NKEA President Chris Fraser said. “It’s long past time for the NKSD School Board to take concrete steps to address our concerns as it is becoming more and more difficult to provide our students with the quality education they deserve.”

In response, Page said, “I think there has not been as strong of a relationship as we all want.” Asked why, she said, “I’m not sure I can pinpoint that.”

In the past several school board meetings, teachers, parents and staff shared concerns about “lack of communication and collaboration with staff”; they point to two recent principal hirings without staff input as an example.

On April 27, NKEA members announced their disappointment with Page.

“It was with a heavy heart that NKEA publicly shared our concerns,” Fraser said. “Ultimately, we felt like we had no choice and hoped that the media spotlight would result in action and positive change … We have been sharing these concerns since 2012 and have presented overwhelmingly negative data from two comprehensive surveys. We are not alone. Other district employees and engaged parents are also frustrated and disappointed.”

After Judson Miller, North Kitsap High School principal for five years, submitted his resignation, teachers said Page hired an interim principal on May 4 without seeking input from staff.

“She had the right to do that, absolutely,” Kingston High School teacher  Kim Smith said. “But was it the right thing to do? That’s the question. There was a lot of hurt feelings up there.”

NK teacher Mike McCorkle spoke on the matter at the May 12 board meeting.

“This principal vacancy was truly an opportunity to pull people together. A chance to listen and grow. It was squandered,” he said.

“To my knowledge, not one certificated or classified staff member at North Kitsap High School was asked to participate. Not even the current principal or vice principals were given a voice … I am asking you to address the lack of leadership and lack of professional courtesy and consideration in the interim replacement of our principal at North Kitsap High School.”

The other 58 NKHS teachers agreed, stating in a letter, “Our shock that such a breach in protocol would take place soon gave way to a sense of gloom when an email announcing the appointment went out to the public immediately following that morning meeting, effectively sealing the decision …

“Why is our School Board not more willing to consider the voices of professionals who do the important work of education in this district every day?”

Fraser added, “The first step to fixing any problem is to admit that the problem exists. We are still waiting for an honest and transparent acknowledgment that the concerns we have been raising … are legitimate.”

NKEA members ask that board directors meet with groups of employees to have conversations regarding their concerns.

In letter of response from the North Kitsap School District, signed by Worthington and Page on May 25, they wrote, “We recognize that we have not publicly acknowledged the surveys nor have we shared in open forum how we have and will continue to address the survey results.

“We strongly believe that an environment of active and meaningful collaboration best serves our students, and we are going to work together to create that environment … Our school board and administration remain committed to listening, understanding and working together with our staff, students, parents and community members to support and improve our district.”