Parents don't usually create anonymous whistleblower pipelines for school employees.

But according to North Hill parent advocate Kristen Price-Joof, that's exactly what has happened in Highline Public Schools.

Community concerns about transparency, communication and public engagement surfaced again at the June 3 Highline School Board meeting, where more than 20 people signed up for public comment, and spoke before a full board room.

While the concerns touched on several issues, many speakers connected them to a broader question of trust in district leadership.

Questions on Sudden Removal of Raisbeck Principal

One of the most discussed topics involved Raisbeck Aviation High School.

Parents spoke about the unexplained and abrupt absence of Principal Therese Tipton, who has led the school for ten years. Many parents said they learned of the leadership change weeks later, only after an interim principal had already been installed.

When contacted by The Highline Journal, Highline Public Schools responded: 

“Ms. Tipton is a Highline Public Schools employee. Here is a link to a May 29 message we sent Raisbeck families about Ms. Tipton's departure from the school.” 

From the district statement to Raisbeck families: 

“Therese Tipton will not return to her role at Raisbeck Aviation High School next year. She remains on approved leave. 

“We are grateful for Ms. Tipton’s leadership and her service to Raisbeck students over the past ten years as principal. We wish Ms. Tipton well in her next chapter.” 

June 3 excerpts from Raisbeck parents and community members:

Raisbeck Aviation parent Rehanna Meyer was audibly frustrated by the detrimental changes at Raisbeck. She said, “When you removed Ms. Tipton, you left an enormous void. She is the backbone of Raisbeck… she is a major reason this school is successful, and WE WANT HER BACK!”

Raisbeck PTSA president Elizabeth Whiteside shared that the “unexplained removal of Principal Tipton sent shock waves through our campus, leaving students, teachers, and families anxious and demanding answers. For a month, the district’s sole response was a single vague sentence, ‘Principal Therese Tipton is on approved leave.’  We now know she’s not coming back.”  

Whiteside added that “in the absence of any actual facts, the students have started an amazing rumor that Ms. Tipton embezzled PTSA funds.” Citing her conversation with Highline President Joe Van, the PTSA president quickly quashed any imagined narrative that the principal had misused PTSA funds, calling the rumors entirely false.

Even Past Highline Board Director Sili Savusa chimed in about Raisbeck concerns, closing her bond-related comments with an enthusiastic, “bring Principal Tipton back!!”

North Hill Parents Continue Advocacy Efforts

The concerns echoed frustrations voiced by North Hill Elementary families earlier this spring after they learned their principal and assistant principal were being transferred.

Parents organized through petitions, public testimony and social media. The effort ultimately resulted in district leaders reversing the transfers and keeping both administrators at the school.

Price-Joof, a North Hill parent and aerospace attorney, has since become a leading advocate for greater transparency and accountability throughout the district.

During public testimony Wednesday night, she connected concerns at North Hill, Raisbeck Aviation High School and other district controversies to what she described as a broader issue of trust. 

Her comments included, “Central administration has roughly and unfairly yanked the leadership with those vital [aviation industry] connections, fracturing trust. Without industry trust, Aviation High School WILL fail. Without taxpayer trust, the district cannot successfully pass the local levies that fund our schools.”

After the June 3 board meeting, Kristen Price-Joof sent this comment to The Highline Journal:

“Having the professional stability to stand at that podium is a privilege, and we believe in fighting for what we care about in a way that brings people together. But a severe lack of transparency is plaguing this entire district, and under this current leadership, upcoming bonds and levies are far less likely to pass. 

“We strongly encourage the community to read the other testimonies from Wednesday night—spanning everything from Cascade rebuild planning to the removal of the industry-connected leader at Aviation. 

“Our community literally had to build a secure, anonymous pipeline just to protect frontline staff from administrative retaliation. I am incredibly proud of my 13-year-old daughter, Maliha, for having the courage to stand up and lend her voice to this fight, but deeply sobered that parents and students have to act as a shield for Highline staff who don’t feel they can safely speak.”  

She included a whistleblower email (protecthighlineeducators@protonmail.com) and website Parents for Transparency - Highline Public Schools.

Bond Planning and Public Input

Several speakers also questioned whether community members had meaningful opportunities to provide input, especially on where Cascade Middle School would be rebuilt. They noted that major decisions were made during the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC), without allowance for in-person community input.

Public commenter Kirsten Cooper, Highline Alum, Parent and Salmon Creek Resident challenged the board on past planning issues when building the Evergreen HS and an expansive sports complex on the shared 41 acre site:

“Why is Evergreen suddenly exempt while Cascade students are singled out to lose their green buffers and sports facilities? 

“Is equity only important to this administration when it is convenient? 

“I have voted yes for every single school bond in the past… However, I cannot support the non-transparent methods currently being used to restrict community input and force this proposal through… Place Cascade where it belongs - on the 41 acre shared campus.” 

The concerns extend beyond individual schools and have become part of broader discussions about long-term planning, capital projects and public engagement.

District officials have said community engagement remains a priority, pointing to public meetings, advisory groups, surveys and outreach efforts as opportunities for public participation.

A Broader Conversation About Trust

Community members have pointed to concerns surrounding administrator transfers, the absence of 10-year Raisbeck Aviation principal Therese Tipton, the proposed Cascade Middle School relocation, the future of the Shark Garden community space and other decisions that they believe lacked sufficient public engagement.

Highline leaders are expected to ask voters to approve more than $640 million in bonds and levies later this year. Whether those measures succeed may depend not only on the projects themselves, but on whether district leadership can rebuild confidence among parents, staff and community members who increasingly say they want a stronger voice in decisions affecting their schools.