A Parent's Plea

One parent's plea to the Legislature via Senator Reuven Carlyle:

Dear Senator Carlyle,

A couple of Fridays ago, we went to my daughter Isabella's school auction. I didn't really want to go.

 After all, it had been a long, hard week, on top of a long, hard month, on top of a long, hard year. Unlike elementary school auctions, where you know half the parents because you hang out on the playground after school with them and you arrange playdates for your kids that are more a lifesaver for you, the stay-at-home parent, than the kid having the play date, we don't know ANY of the parents at Isabella's high school. Four hours of making small talk with people I've never met before, plus the clean-up afterward that we had volunteered for, really didn't sound like my idea of a relaxing Friday night.

But here's the deal. Isabella goes to a tiny arts-focused public high school. And a few weeks ago, they put out a notice that only 50 people had signed up to go to the auction (in contrast to the hundreds of people that went to my kids' elementary school auctions that easily raised $100K+ every other year).

Why are school auctions important you ask? Because in Seattle, public schools are woefully underfunded. Schools depend on the money raised at auctions to fund many of the programs, and in some instances, the teachers, nurses, librarians, etc. that make the schools such wonderful, enriching places.

The downside of all this is obvious. Affluent, upper middle-class kids with affluent, upper middle-class parents have hugely successful auctions to fund programs for already fairly enriched children. Low income schools? Not so much. This is a system that contributes to gross inequalities in our public schools. I couldn't have been crankier.

Nonetheless, we felt compelled to do our part for Isabella's tiny little school. I hit up two wonderful friends who happen to be connected to two wonderful Seattle bookstores for donations. We created three baskets for the auction, bought our tickets, and headed out to buy things we didn't really need or want.

And then, we got there. And there were all these wonderfully quirky, artsy kids from the school, volunteering, in order to get their community service hours in. And all their wonderfully quirky, artsy parents who didn't appear to have vast sums of disposable income (after all, artsy, creative types aren't usually raking in the big bucks). And there were the AMAZING teachers, who were surely way more tired than we were.

We watched the students perform, including a spoken word piece performed by a transgender teen that brought everyone to their feet, we bid on their art, we saw an original Chihuly painting and a great Pearl Jam poster signed by all the members of the band (including my fave, Eddie Vedder) go for a lot less than they probably should have. And we watched speeches and a video by the teachers who talked about what a very special place TCS is and how much they believe in its mission.

I was moved to tears. Places like the Center School ARE very special places and I don't say that glibly. It is IMPORTANT to have places where the quirky kids can feel love and acceptance, where artists can thrive and create, where it is more than okay, where it is actually celebrated, to be different.

I am so glad we went. And I wish that all our kids in all our public schools could have such riches.

Please, Washington State. Do the right thing, the critical thing, and fund public education. It REALLY matters. Not just to my kid, or our family, or even my daughter’s school but to ALL OF US. The promise and prosperity of our great state depends on quality public education for all.