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West Valley parent‑employee urges policy changes on committee membership and Skyward access
Summary
Parent and district employee Bob Balderston asked the West Valley School District Board on Oct. 28 to revise policies that prevent district employees who are parents from serving as parent representatives on the Instructional Materials Committee and from maintaining a separate parent Skyward account.
Bob Balderston, a 24-year Yakima resident and West Valley parent, told the board on Oct. 28 that district policies exclude some employees from serving as parent representatives on the Instructional Materials Committee and prevent employees from maintaining a separate parent Skyward account tied to a non-district email address.
Balderston said those exclusions disproportionately affect parents who work for the district and parents in blended families. He said representatives from Educational Service District 105 (ESD 105) told him the Skyward account restriction could be fixed and that the board could address the instructional-committee issue through policy revision at no monetary cost.
Background referenced in the meeting: Superintendent Finch earlier read the board response to an Oct. 14 public comment and cited RCW 28A.332.030 as the state statute that governs the composition of an Instructional Materials Committee (noting parent membership must be fewer than one-half of the committee’s total membership). Finch said West Valley’s current committee pool provides nine professional-staff voting representatives and eight parent representatives, consistent with the statute.
Board response and next steps: The board acknowledged Balderston’s request and the administration noted the topic for further review. No board action was taken at the Oct. 28 meeting.
Speakers: Bob Balderston (parent and district employee).
