The point of this document is not to bombard you with easily-Googled facts and figures about Beaverton Schools - although we’ll get to that soon enough.

The point is not to blather on and on about our beautiful campus and enviable facilities - although we just put the finishing touches on a bond-powered overhaul of classrooms, infrastructure and outdoor accommodations.

And we’re not going to put words in the mouths of our staff extolling our safe, secure workplace conditions and support structures that make Beaverton Schools seem like the ideal place to work; it turns out their own words do a pretty fantastic job in that regard.

You want student success? We’ve got it. In last year’s state testing, Beaverton students in grades 3 through 6 outperformed their counterparts in neighboring districts by an average of more than 10 percent. That’s the result of innovative thinking at the staff level and a smarter way to teach, and it’s a trend we’re determined to expand and continue. Our graduation rate is well above the state average and our number one priority is making sure young adults leave our halls exceedingly ready for life - whether that means college, a career or both.

That commitment to improved, diverse learning opportunities runs the gamut from preschool through graduation in programs like STEM/Music/Art/Physical Education; SPARKS/IGNITE before- and after-school; dual enrollment and early college opportunities; CTE; work-based learning; and many other leveraged collaborations that make Beaverton Schools the launch pad to a great life.

We could dedicate the next thousand words to our ridiculously amazing staff with adjectives like dedicated, determined, focused, collaborative, loyal and so on.

Probably the greatest compliment we can pay our staff is this: It’s a tough job and getting tougher, and our crew never flinches. Our crew never lets apathy outpace empathy or despair squelch determination. Never backs down from the mounting challenges of teaching in this era. Never misses the chance to inject fun or innovation or high expectations into learning. Our staff is well-prepared, super-involved and flat-out obsessed with helping kids succeed.

Education is changing, and society is changing, and behaviors are really changing. Approaches that used to work aren’t getting it done anymore. We have to meet students on their turf to help them function properly in the classroom. We’ve reset our organizational philosophy and suspensions are reserved as a near-last resort. We’re blessed with not only excellent mental and physical health professionals through community collaboration, but on-staff behavior coaches who help intercede in the classroom before behaviors get a chance to level up. And it’s working.

Here’s a fun fact that speaks well of the role of the school district in the community and vice-versa: Of all the staff members working at Beaverton Schools - administrators, teachers, custodians, paraprofessionals, mental health professionals, kitchen workers, bus drivers, maintenance staff, everybody - 42.8 percent of them attended Beaverton.

What does that mean? Well, either we don’t teach geography very well here, or it means that when we say that Beaverton is a special place to learn and live and that we’re a family here, we’re actually a family here.

We enjoy a level of community support that other districts would love to have. Parking lots and roofs and boilers aren’t exactly the definition of glamorous, but you can’t run a school without them. And when we’ve asked voters to approve paying for them - as well as more noticeably impactful upgrades like classroom technology and safe, modern athletic facilities - they’ve done it twice in the past 11 years.

But as crucial as that type of community support is, it goes so much farther than taxpayer dollars in Beaverton. People are involved - we’ve got the PTO running Popcorn Fridays and volunteer coaches preparing the next generation of high school athletes in a robust youth sports program and all kinds of booster strength in areas like music and athletics.

Now, if you’re one of those people who cringes every time you hear about a disharmonious school board whose members can’t set aside personal agendas to work together in the best interests of kids, great news: We’ve got a devoted group of knowledgeable folks who follow both the law and the rules of polite society. They’re active, they’re involved, and their unifying principle is the pursuit of success for every single student and staffer.

In the past half-decade, Beaverton - the community and the school district - has taken its share of hits that are standard for almost any district, like the pandemic or the statewide departures of thousands of families and students. But we’ve also fought through intensely personal obstacles like the economic and societal fallout of a devastating 100-year flood.

Spoiler alert: We’re still standing right here. We’re too strong and too stubborn to do anything but fight for our kids and our community. We’ve come too far to expect any less of ourselves or each other.

We’re still standing right here, and the only place we’re going is forward.

Care to join us?