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Parents and educators urge Beaverton School Board to curb screen time, reconsider iReady spending and protect teachers
Summary
During public comment the evening of June 9, parents, students and educators urged the Beaverton School Board to review ed‑tech and screen‑time policies, delay or re‑examine the iReady implementation, and prioritize restoring or retaining teachers amid projected class‑size increases.
Multiple parents, students and educators told the Beaverton School Board on June 9 they are concerned the district’s rising reliance on educational technology is replacing hands‑on learning and harming student engagement.
Parent Natalia Pinola urged the board to establish a committee of parents, educators, students and board members to produce a tactical plan to review ed‑tech use and screen‑time policy. "Right now is the perfect time to act," she said, adding that the community should aim to keep the teacher at the center of instruction.
Parent and Navy IT professional Jenna Sells pressed the board to delay or extend the district’s current contract with the iReady vendor until the community has clear, itemized costs and integration plans. "Where are the details and customization cost and expansion cost of iReady?" Sells asked. She later said the district was proposing spending roughly $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year for the program and urged the board to weigh that against staff retention needs.
Teachers, parents and students also testified about local staffing actions: several speakers described petitions with more than 200 signatures opposing a teacher transfer at Whitford Middle School and asked the board to reconsider moves that they said would exacerbate class‑size pressure. Student speakers said losing a long‑standing teacher would remove a safe after‑school program and community connection.
Board members acknowledged the comments and said public testimony will inform continuing budget implementation and program review. Director Kassem asked staff to be intentional about how technology dollars are appropriated and to provide clearer line‑item detail in future budget discussions.
The board did not take immediate action to modify contracts during the June 9 meeting; speakers said they would continue to press for follow‑up and deeper cost transparency.
Representative quotes: "Right now is the perfect time to act," — Natalia Pinola (public commenter). "Do your cost include integrations with BSD's other critical software platforms and importing all the past data?" — Jenna Sells (public commenter).
Next steps: public speakers asked the board to schedule a formal review or convene a working group; staff and board members indicated budget priorities and contract details will be revisited during implementation and in future agenda items.
