Don’t let small group of extremists ruin CVSD

The Central Valley School District board of directors is under siege. As a retired CVSD teacher and coach, it’s impossible for me to stand by while the district I also grew up in implodes under pressure from a small group of loud, angry extremists.

I have been a resident of the Central Valley School District for over 70 years. I went to CV elementary and middle schools and graduated from Central Valley High School. Go Bears! My three sons have been through Central Valley Schools as have my grandchildren. I was also a teacher in CVSD for 49 years.

I love this community. It is my home and it is difficult for me to understand why my opponents want to throw the board, administrators, teachers and staff under the school bus. They have established a nonprofit and filed a petition to recall our school board. That’s ridiculous and a waste of money! Our schools are incredible. They are incredible because of the students, parents, teachers and staff. They are also incredible because of the prudent stewardship of the school board and our superintendent.

Our school district is also great because we consistently have funding. The annual CVSD budget is more than $206 MILLION. My opponents would risk losing over 80% of our funding which comes from the state. That’s more than $164 million in lost funding! Is playing chicken with the Governor and OSPI worth risking layoffs, cuts to extra curricular activities, decimating our schools and local tax increases? And can you imagine what that would do to the local economy?

My opponents also don’t seem to believe the Governor and OSPI will follow through on enforcing the law or cut funding. Just look at Kittitas School district. When school started they were cited by the Kittitas County Health Department because approximately 30% of students didn’t wear masks the first day of class. They were then given notice to provide evidence of compliance, or funding would be withheld and removed from the district. The school district quickly agreed to comply. CVSD should not risk losing funding or student safety for a political agenda.

Do we want to risk going back to online learning because COVID cases are so high that our schools are shut down by the Health Department? Do we want to go back to working from home so we can help our kids with their math class on Zoom? We have seen examples of that in Idaho. We can do better. My primary goal is to keep everyone safe, healthy and in the classroom.

I’m seeking CVSD School Board Position 5 as a write-in because I see the need for a level-headed candidate who knows and understands our community. I will fight for the welfare of our kids – I will work to keep them healthy and in the classroom, learning from our amazing teachers and striving toward a bright future.

To learn more and see the vast support we have from the community go to www.chalichforchildren.com.

Stan Chalich is running as a write-in candidate for CVSD School board position 5.