Open letter to the community

August 8, 2019

Dear Members of the La Conner School District and Community:

Finding the right words to communicate what is on my heart and mind is not easy, yet I feel the time is right to reach out and share a bit of my voice and my thoughts with you. It is truly my hope that this is the beginning of the conversation.

As superintendent, one of my most important responsibilities is to bring unity to our district and community. It is clear this is an ongoing area needing focus and attention. The pain, frustration and confusion being felt by many is real and palpable. I feel it myself, and I wish to extend my heartfelt apologies to all who have been negatively affected by this significant conflict we are experiencing. I have consistently been a “buck stops here” leader, and in that vein, I accept full responsibility for the problem and the solution.

I am understanding more and more each day that the confusion and frustration has been in great part due to behaviors that feel more clinical and sterile rather than warm and inclusive. I understand that the difficult decisions that have been made have caused deep pain and grief amongst many in our district and community. This is at least partly due to people who were affected by decisions feeling like they did not have voice, did not feel heard. I truly hear you now and understand the depth of the emotions you are experiencing.

I remain committed to the children, staff, and the greater La Conner and Swinomish communities. I understand deeply that our staff members are the people who make the miracles happen for kids and that their voice and contributions must be honored. I am passionate about public education and providing the best schooling experience possible for our students. Change and transitions are not easy, they are rarely without pain and I want to assure our community that I understand the true impact of the decisions that have been made. More than that, these recent experiences will shift my leadership style, decision making and communication moving forward.

As I shared with the board recently, I continue to be ready and willing to take their direction, to hear their expectations of me and to work diligently to meet or exceed these guidelines. I know that a great deal of the work is around soft skills of leadership – relationship repair, empathy, listening to understand – and that these types of goals are not easily measured. Further, they take time to root and rebuild trust. I am up to this challenge.

What I do know for sure is that we are all committed to providing the best learning experience possible for our students. Our common ground can surely start with that. There are many opportunities for us to connect over the important work of the District and through sharing meaningful conversations. As of today, I am the superintendent of schools, and with that title comes the responsibility to support and facilitate the healing that is necessary. As the great Maya Angelou once said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” That is my commitment and promise to you.

I am very interested in continuing to dialogue with union leaders. I applaud their solidarity and their consistent representation of our staff members’ interests. I am an eternal optimist, and I have a personal commitment to persistence and perseverance. If there is even the slightest possibility of success and resolution, then I’m all in for the work. And there is always a possibility.

I thank you for holding me to the highest possible standards, and I ask for your grace and forgiveness as we work to repair this very difficult situation.

Most sincerely,

Whitney E. Meissner

Superintendent

Dr. Meissner started as Superintendent July 1, 2017.