Reporter Central Kitsap
A BAD BOUNCE The Pumas are 14 points back, have no chance for playoffs Page 15
FRIDAY, June 28, 2013 | Vol. 28, No. 39 | www.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.com | 50¢
Working toward diversity
Outgoing leader fires shot at union
Local districts are trying to bring in more minority teachers
By WES MORROW wmorrow@soundpublishing.com
By WES MORROW wmorrow@soundpublishing.com
Despite having the highest percentage of minority teachers in the county, the Central Kitsap School District still has nearly three times more minority students than teachers. With that statistic in mind, the Central Kitsap School District renewed its Affirmative Action Plan for hiring last Wednesday. The purpose of the plan is to ensure teachers and staff are hired fairly regardless of race, ethnicity or other such characteristics. Every school district in Washington state with 50 or more employees is required to have such a plan on record. Central Kitsap’s plan is set on a five-year schedule, to next be reviewed and updated in 2018. As the school board reviewed the plan at its most recent meeting, the numbers in Central Kitsap reflected a systemic issue in American education: Schools in the United States have a massive disparity between numbers of minority students and minority teachers. In 2011, 22.3 percent of Central Kitsap students identified as members of minority groups (American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic), while only 8.7 percent of staff did the same. For its Affirmative Action Plan, Central Kitsap looked at the number of workers in their area that identified as minorities: 15.3 percent. See action, A17
Leslie Kelly /Staff Photo
Harrison Medical Center CEO Scott Bosch listens to a question about the planned affiliation with Franciscan Health System during a public forum sponsored by the CK Community Council and the League of Women Voters.
Harrison CEO attempts to forestall community fears
By Leslie Kelly lkelly@soundpublishing.com
A planned affiliation between Harrison Medical Center and Franciscan Health System is expected to become final this week, while some who don’t support it are looking for ways to turn the tide. Harrison and Franciscan filed a proposed agreement with the state Department of Health last Thursday. While the Department of Health has up to 30 days to determine whether the affiliation needs to go through a process called “certificate of need,” which would require public comment, Harrison officials and those at Franciscan have asked for a streamlined approval that would not require that. The proposed affiliation, which was officially announced this past November, is sought by Harrison to keep health care affordable and keep services current, according to Harrison Chief Executive Officer Scott Bosch. But some residents of the area, employees of Harrison, and patients of the medical center worry that the
affiliation will limit the services that will be available. Harrison has operated as a secular medical institution for years and would be joining forces with Franciscan, which is part of the Catholic Health Care Systems in the United States. As part of that system, some fear that Harrison would fall under the Catholic Ethical and Religious Directives that ban abortions of any kind, assisted suicides, stem cell research and some forms of birth control. Bosch did his best last week to try to answer questions and calm nerves about the pending Harrison affiliation with Franciscan, during a meeting of the Central Kitsap Community Council. Bosch said patients won’t be losing anything with the joint venture and will actually be giving themselves a better chance to keep a local hospital nearby. “The (Harrison) board has done a great job of crafting this affiliation,” Bosch said. “The board has done a phenomenal job of protecting your rights as a secular organization.”
Bosch said Harrison will retain its own board of directors who will set policy. And Harrison will remain a separate secular institution, not held to Franciscan’s Catholic Ethical and Religious Directives. He explained that there are three standards, however, that Harrison will abide by. One is no elective abortions. Harrison also will not follow the socalled Death With Dignity provisions of state law. And the third is that Harrison will not paticipate in stem cell research. “None of these things are things that we do now,” he said. “So it amounts to no change.” He said that doctors who are employees of Harrison now refer patients elsewhere if they want an elective abortion or want to follow Death With Dignity. He said the hospital has never done stem cell research and most of that in this area is done at the University of Washington. “Our physicians will still be able to provide counseling on these subjects, and can still provide contraceptives, tubal ligations, vasectoSee Harrison, A17
Outgoing superintendent Greg Lynch took the final minutes of his last school board meeting Wednesday to criticize the culture of negativity in Central Kitsap School District. Lynch criticized the teachers’ union for the way it handled concerns with his leadership last spring. The district teachers’ union, Central Kitsap Education Association (CKEA), voted no confidence in Lynch a year ago. Just under half the union’s 689 members were present at a special meeting last June, and 73 percent of those present voted no confidence in the superintendent. “I think there are better ways to solve issues other than direct confrontation that could cause either professional or personal hurt,” Lynch said in the public meeting Wednesday. Lynch tip-toed around calling out the teachers’ union, but indirectly accused them of personally attacking him during his tenure. “ I ’ m also conGreg Lynch vinced that vote of no confidence didn’t have anything to do with my performance,” he said. Lynch said he wasn’t trying to assign blame but move forward in a positive and constructive way. “As a learning institution I think we teach our students to attack ideas and See Superintendent, A17