Judge to rule today on strike; challenges lie ahead for Marysville schools

A Snohomish County Superior Court judge today will decide whether to issue an injunction to force Marysville teachers, who have been striking for 49 days, back to work.

Meanwhile, a report requested by Gov. Gary Locke was released yesterday, accusing both sides of turning the bargaining process into a power struggle.

Retired state Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Utter and Denny Heck, a former legislator and co-founder of TVW, the state's public-affairs station, were appointed by Locke Oct. 11 to provide an independent view of the strike.

Their report said that if the two sides are unable to reach a settlement within two or three days, they should seek binding arbitration from the Public Employment Relations Commission.

Utter and Heck said that if Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese orders the teachers back to work, they "strenuously urge them to return to the classrooms and simultaneously continue bargaining."

"The ultimate issue to consider here is the welfare of the students, and instead both sides have wrapped themselves in rhetoric," Utter said. "I think this is intolerable and inexcusable."

The report recommends that teachers get an increase in pay but less than the teachers union has sought. It does not recommend a specific amount.

People in Marysville are acutely aware they will face challenges in the 11,000-student school district even after the strike ends.

A community divided. Low test scores. The state's largest high school. Calls for the superintendent's resignation and the recall of School Board members. All are issues the district, teachers, parents, taxpayers and students will face in the coming days, months and years.

While many longtime teachers, residents and school officials say morale in the district has hit an all-time low, they say that, through improved cooperation and communication, Marysville schools can achieve excellence.

"I think the overall feeling right now is that we're embarrassed and sad," said Marysville parent Darci Becker. "This all makes our area look really bad. All I've ever told people is how neat a district we have. I love Marysville. I love this town. I don't want to have to move, and I don't want our teachers to feel they're not wanted."

The 650-member Marysville Education Association (MEA) voted overwhelmingly to strike Sept. 1, calling for better pay, benefits and working conditions. On Wednesday, Judge Krese ordered four days of intense mediation; the two sides met for eight hours each day but didn't reach a settlement.

During the strike, three parent groups formed, focused on getting kids back to school or serving as a district watchdog. Organizers of all three, along with MEA President Elaine Hanson and district Superintendent Linda Whitehead, last week said facilitating healing among teachers, administrators, parents and students will be a top priority after the strike.

But along with healing, Whitehead said, must come a focus on academic improvement and other issues.

In recent years, Marysville's scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) exams — which test all state fourth-, seventh- and 10th-graders in math, reading, writing and listening — have been improving dramatically, but they still rank among the lowest in Snohomish County and below state averages. The percentage of Marysville-Pilchuck High graduates who enrolled in four-year colleges had been below 20 percent in the past but climbed to 48 percent of last year's seniors.

Marysville-Pilchuck teacher Mark Gwaltney, a 16-year Marysville educator, said some of the problems may stem from the high turnover of superintendents and an unclear direction from district leadership. Whitehead is the sixth Marysville superintendent in less than a decade.

"The mission's not clear," Gwaltney said.

Whitehead, in her third year as superintendent, said she has tried to clarify the district's mission. As outlined in the district's 2002-07 strategic plan, the goal is "to improve instruction and student achievement." School-improvement plans have been developed at each school.

The district wants more students in Advanced Placement classes and more training for teachers. It also wants to direct more money toward student learning, such as bolstering curriculum and implementing new programs.

Hanson says increasing student achievement takes good teachers.

"The best thing that can help with learning and improving WASL scores is having a dedicated, quality teacher in the classroom, which is what the strike is all about," she said. "The district needs to look at its priorities and put the teacher number one because the teacher is the most important factor in the classroom."

With about 2,600 students, Marysville-Pilchuck is the largest high school in the state. District officials would like to build a second high school to reduce overcrowding, but voters twice rejected multimillion-dollar construction bonds earlier this year.

Some critics say voters reject bond measures as a way to show their frustration with district administration and the way finances have been handled. Others say Marysville taxpayers just can't afford a tax increase.

"People are being taxed out and asked to pay more taxes. The average family doesn't make a lot of money," said parent Steve Soule. "If you put a levy on the table right now, it wouldn't pass. And the community is just so angry."

The district and the MEA agree that voters shouldn't let the strike sway their opinion on the need for new schools.

Meanwhile, discontent with the district's leadership has spurred three candidates, Carol Jason, Vicki Gates and Michael Kundu, to challenge incumbent School Board members Mark Johnson, Cary Peterson and Erik Olson, respectively.

Critics of the board say members aren't responsive to parents and are afraid to challenge Whitehead's decisions. In recent weeks, the Accountability and Integrity for Marysville Schools parents group has suggested a recall of board members Helen Mount and Ronald Young, who are not up for re-election this year. Many in the group also have called for Whitehead's resignation.

In the past decade, Whitehead's leadership has gotten mixed responses.

Kevin Teeley, president of the Lake Washington Education Association, said Whitehead had "serious problems with staff" while she was principal at Evergreen Junior High School in 1993 and "stood out as someone who was not collaborative."

Marysville teachers in 2002 voted no confidence in Whitehead and the School Board, largely over tension stemming from budget cuts. Others say Whitehead, who lives in King County's Eastside, would be more in tune with the community if she lived in Marysville.

Yet Whitehead has been praised for bringing up the district's annual fund balance from about $700,000 to $3.2 million, opening an alternative high school and a high school dedicated to arts and technology, and securing large grants for Marysville Junior High and schools on the Tulalip Reservation. The Marysville PTA Council gave her an Outstanding Educator Award.

Some, like Marysville-Pilchuck's Gwaltney, believe the Nov. 4 general election will bring a positive change for the district.

"I think the Three Musketeers — Jason, Kundu and Gates — will win," Gwaltney said. "They have a whole different approach and will bring a new atmosphere. They'll also have to make a decision on if the leadership of the superintendent and her staff is effective or not."

Whitehead, who acknowledges she has critics but said she has no intention of stepping down, has her supporters, too.

Parent Don Marable said Whitehead has done exactly what she said she would do when she became superintendent — raise test scores and stabilize finances.

"She's done miracles," Marable said. "She's trying to bring the district up financially and get more money to students, and because of that she's paying the price."

The district has gone through tough times of late. Coaches nearly struck last year. An audit released in August blasted the district's financial record-keeping from September 2001 through August 2002. The School Board and the MEA clashed over a makeup date for teachers who participated in a teachers rally in Olympia. Just weeks ago, an arbitrator ruled against the board and ordered the district to repay teachers nearly $200,000 in lost pay and benefits from a disputed makeup day.

Teachers and parents worry all the turmoil in the district may scare new teachers from coming to Marysville and force veteran teachers to look elsewhere for jobs. Some homeowners worry the strike may lower their property value or that new families may not want to move to the community.

Whitehead, Hanson, teachers, parents and students agree they must take steps to address the bad feelings that are likely to linger after the strike ends.

Marysville-Pilchuck senior-class secretary Jenna Hansen said high-school students want to hear from both sides about why the strike happened and what will come next for students and the district. Some parents suggest bringing in additional counselors to talk to students.

Whitehead said the district is working on scheduling "activities to promote conversations that will work toward healing."

Leaders of all of the parents groups point to one positive result of the strike: More parents are taking an interest in how the district and teachers union function. Parents have become, and will remain, active in Marysville schools, they said.

"This shows me that Marysville is a caring community," Becker said. "As a community, we'll pull together and be stronger than ever. We'll come together to make this district one to be proud of again."

J.J. Jensen: 425-745-7809 or jjensen@seattletimes.com; Times staff reporter Rachel Tuinstra contributed to this story: rtuinstra@seattletimes.com