Your Ferndale Citizens for Better Education Blog

There are so many great organizations in the Ferndale schools community that sometimes you need a scorecard just to keep track of them all.  The Fine Arts Boosters, The Eagles Pledge, the Ferndale Education Foundation...the list goes on and on.  One organization you may not be familiar with is Ferndale's own Citizens for Better Education, or CBE.

The CBE began back in the 1970s to work with the Ferndale schools community to deal with the school issues of the time.  Since that time, the CBE has worked to identify and support dedicated community members for Ferndale's Board of Education.

Some things you may not know:

• The CBE worked to develop and support the Open Classroom program currently used at Roosevelt, Coolidge, and JFK
• The CBE worked the school district to implement the 4th grade foreign language requirement in Ferndale for betterment of all students
• Six of the seven current Ferndale Board of Education members were actively supported by the CBE
• CBE members served on the BOE Operations Committee during the summer to develop the 2012 school bond proposal,  and actively worked on the Citizens for Quality Schools board and in the field to get the bond passed this February

The goal of the CBE is to work in a positive way with the Ferndale school district to make improvements to Ferndale schools that raise the bar for ALL students in the district, in each of our schools - K-6, Middle School, High School, and Adult/Alternative Education. 

Because the CBE has been a fixture in Ferndale for so long, many of the issues raised by new parents in the district can seem very familiar.  Student achievement, transparency in Board of Education decision making, concern about the direction of adult education -- CBE supporters and BOE members supported by CBE have been actively and enthusiastically working on these issues for well over 30 years--even before Facebook! :).  Parents and students change and grow and move to college and beyond, but the issues facing the district remain the same. 

Over the next several months, this CBE Blog will be discussing the issues facing the district, with the hope of providing a historical context of what happened in the past, the issues of the present, and the direction of future change.  

Speaking of future change - you may or may not be aware that there is an Ferndale Board of Education election coming up in November.  There will be four seats up for election--the majority of the current school board.  Some community members have already announced their interest in getting involved and running for office.  As we have for the past 30 years, the CBE will be talking to current CBE incumbents and interested community members about  running for office this year.

If you think you'd like to take your support of Ferndale schools to another level, please visit the CBE website at http://www.ferndalecbe.org and fill out an interview form.  Our deadline is April 30, and we'd love to have you on Board! 

Keep feeling that Eagle Pride!