Resident urges delay on sixth-grade move; Waimea School Board approves education report

Crystal Smith, a resident of Exeter, urged the Waimea School Board on Feb. 24 to delay a planned grade reconfiguration that would move sixth grade into middle school. "I'm respectfully asking that the board consider tabling this decision to allow time for true dialogue and thoughtful planning in this process," Smith told the board during public comment.

The board had just heard the education report, read by Mrs. Gossa, which included personnel appointments and a proposal that secondary centers be configured as grades 9–12 for high school and 6–8 for middle school for the 2026–27 school year, with the intermediate center housing grades 4–5. The report also listed appointments of special-education teachers Jessica Carter and Lauren Capitito.

Smith said the change may have merits but criticized the timing and the scope of stakeholder engagement, noting that many current fifth graders started school during the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and that teachers and parents had limited opportunities to provide input. "The engagement feels limited," she said, adding that she had only seen the agenda the morning of the meeting and that teachers had been informed during conferences without an opportunity to ask questions.

The board proceeded to a roll call after public comment; affirmative votes were recorded and the motion to adopt the education report passed. The meeting record shows the education report was approved as presented; the board did not table the item in response to the public comment.

The approval moves the grade-configuration proposal forward for the 2026–27 school year; the transcript does not record further detail on implementation steps, financial analyses, or timelines beyond the description in the education report. The board did not state a schedule for additional community engagement or a follow-up meeting on the reconfiguration during the recorded session.