School Ties

Bellingham is coming to a crossroads in its urban growth. Governmental red tape coupled with an economy that is sinking faster than a stoolie in cement boots leaves us witness to a disturbing period for our fair town.

Not long ago our city had a housing market that ran second only to the Emerald City in a statewide contest. Now more and more houses not only fail to sell, but stand vacant. Where have the people gone?

Bellingham is also losing businesses. Small, mom and pop shops are always just a slow Christmas season from shuttering their doors. But recently one of the largest employers in the county, Georgia Pacific, closed its water-front factory. The bulldozers and vultures have already descended upon the extensive bay side property leaving little but massive piles of rubble where once stood billowing smokestacks and more rolls of TP than you could shake your ass at.

On top of that, we are now seeing school closures. Salmonberry Montessori School has announced that its tiny bell will ring for the last time this spring.

The teachers and administrators have cited exhaustion as the reason for them closing the school. They state they have been in a perennial fight with the various state agencies about which direction the pencils should face and just how many children can be in a room at a given time. They have also been fighting with the owner of the property over the use of the building. Due to governmental requirements the school would like to remove walls to create a bigger open-space and reduce the number of adults required. They even offered to buy the property but were rebuffed. Imagine that, a buyer turned away, in this economy.

So now, In These Tough Economic Times (ITTEC) The City of Subdued Excitement has on its hands a slumping housing market, fewer jobs and closing schools. Crime is of course on the rise, and all this leads to something that no one would have ever expected anywhere in Whatcom County -White Flight.

The Ragsdales will be leading the charge out of the city. The house is not going up for sale. There is no one to buy it. But they will be commuting to Ferndale. Given the news of Salmonberry closing they briefly weighed the options and decided to enroll both of their boys at Pioneer Meadows Montessori School. Time and distance be damned, they wanted Lucas to have some continuity and this is by far the best way to do it.

Both of his teachers, Alexandra and Kelley, will be transferring out there as will a fair number of his classmates. So Lucas should still have an environment that suits his considerable needs, not to mention a fabulous pair of teachers. Jack will now get the same chance. He will even get a break on the potty-training requirement. Given his chromosomal imbalance, the new school is willing to accept a few accidents. But still, the hope is to have him house broken by next fall.