Trustees react to Capitol insurrection
Trustees nearly at a loss of words for attack on lawmakers
Although the three new Woodland Joint Unified School District trustees were officially sworn in a few weeks ago, the current COVID19 pandemic has not given them the chance to interact with the people they will be making key academic decisions with.
While the study session board meeting Thursday night was a light- hearted attempt for trustees to do just that, the insurrection attempt and mob attack at Capitol Hill in Washington D. C. led to them connect and get to know one
another on a more intimate level than planned.
“When we scheduled this meeting date, we didn’t anticipate this would have been 48 hours since a major historical event,” said President Jake Whitaker. “I just wanted to say and acknowledge that our nation has gone through a really challenging time. I have my own views and have never been the type of person who is going to be shy to express those, but we serve families from all walks of life and different perspectives here in the WJUSD.”
“I want to say thank you to our teachers, who I’m sure were engaged in sensitive and crucial conversations with our students,” Whitaker continued. “I’d like to say thank you to our administration for their work in supporting our teachers and staff and facilitating these conversations. Young people see what is going on in the world, and just because some might think of them as children doesn’t mean that they are not affected by the environment and the atmosphere that we are living in right now.”
“Our country just feels incredibly polarized. Day by day, it feels like our common ground is shrinking. That reality is really starting to lead us down a dark path. I look forward to when we can begin the process of healing those deep divisions,” Whitaker added. “That work is necessary for the sake of our kids’ futures. I share these thoughts, hopefully, to give some context to the work we are embarking on tonight.
“What I would propose right now the best thing we can do as a board, and as leaders is to set a positive example for the community that we serve, and tonight we are coming together with the goal of a strong foundation for productive and effective governance at the local level.”
After a few rounds of activities where members collaborated on creating working agreements for meetings or commitments to each other, new board member Kandice Fowler offered her own thoughts on the attempt to take over the nation’s capitol building.
“I was buoyed by the response I am hearing from folks,” Fower said. “By the concern, by the outrage of ‘ how is this happening,’ about the national pride that transcends hyphens. One of the first times I dropped my ‘ hyphen’ was when I traveled abroad. I was not longer AfricanAmerican. I was American. So it takes eye- openers and events like that to realize I have pride in my hyphen. The common denominator is that we are all American, so I hope some folks yesterday were able to drop their hyphens and get outside of whatever boxes they are in and get into the national box of being Americans.”
Area one trustee Deborah Bautista Zavala also had some thoughts right before the end of the meeting, noting that she was struggling to find the right words.
“I am struggling to put a name or put words to my sentiment or my feelings from yesterday’s actions, but I am mindful and cognizant that our community has representation on both sides of this situation,” Bautista Zavala explained. “I want to say thank you to staff for the info that was put out about the situation. I’m very thankful for that, Tom. I personally need to take a step back to really analyze what I’m feeling right now.”
“I’m very frustrated, but I’m also very tired,” Bautista Zavala continued. “What I need and many in our community need is to start feeling a sense of healing, but I don’t know what that looks like just yet. Not only did we deal with a situation yesterday, but we are also dealing with a pandemic. It’s just layer upon layer.
“I’m going to take some time of reflection over the next few days to make sure I’m able to be a part of this table with the capacity that is needed here in my mind,” she finished. “I just want to also say thanks to our staff. This time is very difficult in answering the multitude of questions that our student body must- have.”