In light of the recent QVSD Board of Director’s resignations, I feel I should explain my reasons for resigning before my term had expired.

I am a graduate of Forks High School; I have raised my family here and have worked in the community my entire life. When I was asked to join the QVSD Board in 2011, I felt this was a wonderful opportunity for me. I believe in giving back to the community and I have a passion for helping our youth any way I can.

During my term, we did complete some great projects including a state-of-the-art high school.

The past couple of years, QVSD has been unable to retain quality staff. Losing amazing and caring teachers was painful to watch. I began questioning Administration as to the reasons for so much staff turnover.

The more questions I asked, the more unclear their answers were. Continually, staff and community members would tell me how low the staff morale is districtwide and the many issues they were facing on a daily basis. When discussing these concerns with Administration, they painted a very different picture. None of their answers coincided with what I was being told from staff and community members.

Over time, I began to feel a disconnect of information between Administration and the school board. My frustration became such that I was losing sleep and feeling somehow that we are failing our students. I realized that being a part of the QVSD Board of Directors was no longer a good fit for me as my voice was not heard.

Because of the recent issues happening in our school district, I have to question again the hiring practices in obtaining qualified staff. What is the real reason staff are leaving our district? Why is staff morale so low? Do we do our due diligence in hiring ? Our kids and community deserve to know! Or maybe we already do …

Starla Daman

Forks Spartan for Life