Columbia and Carl Cozier elementary schools to close following BPS board vote

BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham Public Schools will move forward with a plan to close two elementary schools.

The school board voted unanimously at its meeting Thursday night, Nov. 12 to close Columbia and Carl Cozier elementaries, but not before hearing unanimous public comment against it.

“Because we aren’t here tonight over just some buildings. We are here tonight because of the kids,” said one speaker at the meeting Thursday.

“You want to run our schools like for-profit corporations, slashing funding and benefits for teachers and staff where our kids need it most,” said another.

“But here we are in what feels like the final scene of a script that was written long before our community was ever invited to participate,” another community member said.

“Instead of closing schools, redraw the boundaries and have more students equalized between all the schools?” one of the speakers asked.

“Saying you’re sorry and admitting you’re wrong doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you a failure. In fact, it shows you’re a strong leader,” another speaker said.

District Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker told a packed meeting room that they don’t take the decision lightly.

“Communities like ours are going through these hard things and school closure conversations are one of the hardest conversations that a district and community have because of the love of the schools and the love of our kids,” Baker said.

“My hope is as we move into periods of healing, which are going to be challenging, but acknowledging that for the sake of our kids, that’s where we have to move through,” he continued.

Board members echoed his sentiment and explained the process that led them to conclude the schools should be closed, often to negative comments from the passionate crowd.

The school board’s decision comes after a facilities planning task force recommended the closures and superintendent Baker agreed.

They cite a lack of adequate state funding, declining enrollment and the age of the two school buildings as major drivers of the decision.