I am writing to express my full support for our excellent teachers in their current contract negotiations with the Bellevue School District. As a parent of students entering 6th and 9th grade this fall who have attended Bellevue schools since kindergarten, I have experienced the gradual transformation of the district curricula along with a transformation in administrative style.

While there have been substantial disagreements about math instruction in the district, the current issue is less about what the curriculum contains and more about how it is administered.

The extreme top-down, centralized approach has made the district less responsive to the educational needs of students. The bottom line is that Bellevue has many excellent, experienced, highly qualified teachers who with the full unveiling of the much touted “Curriculum Web” can no longer make real-time decisions about how best to present material to reach the students in their classrooms.

The Curriculum Web has moved beyond simply standardized lessons and outcomes to a Big Brother-type situation which verges on a hostile environment for both teachers and students.

Teaching is often described as being a calling where professionals dedicate time and energy well beyond the monetary compensation they receive. The Bellevue School District has successfully scrubbed away the opportunities for individuality and professional expression to the point where a calling becomes just another job. Is this how you recruit the next generation of quality educators?

Mary Worley

Bellevue