I am a teacher at Kent-Meridian High School, where I moved from Kent Junior High when we moved our ninth graders up to the high school. I have known Jim Berrios and the Berrios family ever since his son was in my eighth-grade Spanish class more than 10 years ago.
Over the past 10 years, I have been in frequent contact with Jim because of his involvement in our schools. He has always been our biggest supporter.
Even after his children graduated from KM, Jim continued as a volunteer coach and mentor to our students. He and his wife, Suzanne, have done more to help the Kent community and schools than any other volunteer I am aware of. I was thrilled to hear when he ran for the school board because it felt like we finally had an advocate who understands all of the nuances of managing the less-privileged schools in the district. Since he has been on the school board, there have been many positive changes at our schools.
Whatever side of the strike people stood on, I find it hard to believe that there is anyone out there who could fail to see the positive things Jim has brought to the district if they look objectively. I find it almost impossible to believe that people have tried to talk to him and found him unwilling or consistently unavailable. I know that he invited picketing teachers to converse over coffee; he returned phone calls and emails in an effort to keep lines of communication going. He is being held as the scapegoat in a situation where the ultimate liability belongs to the state and the budget cuts that were made and the promises that were unkept.
It breaks my heart that there is an organization that has been created simply to destroy a man who has tried to do everything right. While people in that organization might argue that they are not trying to ?destroy? anyone, but merely remove him from the school board, they need to think again about what they are doing to Jim’s reputation and his ability and motivation to continue to help our community to the extent that he has.
Kim McClung
Kent-Meridian High School
Kent
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