School board hears retired response to employee surveys

Two retired school employees, one a janitor and the other a math teacher, gave the Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday a taste of how they feel about the recent results of surveys that asked about discipline in the schools.

Ray Wells, a retired janitor, spoke at length on issues he had while employed at the school.

Wells came loaded with hundreds of documents from his experience of over 15 years at the school district.

He told the board that he had made several complaints to the administration at the elementary school on conditions and incidents in the restrooms over the years but not once had anyone responded to his concerns.

He showed the school board members stacks of complaints that he had offered to authorities with no response.

Wells said he thought that the restrooms needed a monitor because of the kinds of things that are occurring there. He cited incidents of feces on the floor and a myriad of other such incidents.

“I cleaned things up and made comments to the administration, but never had anyone come to me and ask about my complaints,” Wells stated.

Retired math teacher Frank Ayers offered a different approach.

He referred to the survey results that described how unhappy paraprofessionals and teachers were about the support they feel they have in the discipline area.

“We have some real resources in a large number of veteran teachers who have recently retired here, some with 25-30 years experience,” Ayres stated. “Instead of hiring some outsider to come here to tell parapros and teachers what is wrong, we should pay some of our veteran retired employees to talk about what is right, and what is needed.”

School board Chair Joette Barry asked each if he would sit down with district officials and continue the conversation. Both said they would.