What would your headline be summarizing the state of our schools? This question was posed at the Mirror’s candidate forum. “I would say…we’re out here having fun!” said Luckisha Phillips, our temporarily appointed School Board Director 3, as she naively babbled on about “fun” fundraisers, “fun” movie watching and “fun” playground energy in which she observed our “scholars” engaged.

“We can do better!” was her opponent, Tenya Magruder’s, suggested headline. “There is a place for fun,” Tenya acknowledged, before quoting astonishing data from US News school rankings. Did you know our FWPS graduates’ college readiness is 11.2%, our students’ math proficiency is 24% and reading proficiency is 37%? Magruder informed us our schools have an average rating of 3 out of 10 from GreatSchools.org. Oh, the dropped jaws in the room! How does this news affect your kids and grandkids, your property value, and our city’s crime rate and ability to attract businesses?

First, let’s take advice from Magruder’s wisdom and admit we have a problem and we need to face it together! Next, let’s apply new approaches since the “educated” strategies aren’t showing great results. Most importantly, let’s insist on respect for others — teachers and peers — through consistent teaching of self-discipline from a child’s first day at school.

As a mother of five FWPS graduates and an experienced teacher with a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction, I wholeheartedly give my vote to Tenya Magruder, candidate for Director 3. We can do better!

Debbie Sabin

Federal Way