Financial issues dominate schools in the year that was

Published 10:05 am Saturday, April 26, 2008

North Kitsap School District’s purse strings grew increasingly tighter as the months passed in 2007. The year began with the district joining a state-wide legal scrap to force the state to fully fund education, as is written in the state’s constitution. From there, it was a rocky financial ride in which every penny was counted and stretched.

The first half of the year brought discussion on numerous issues surrounding the reconfiguration of the grades and welcoming Kingston High School into the district. For better or worse, here’s a recap on the first half of the year that was.

Schools to state:

show us the money

POULSBO —  In January, the NKSD joined a coalition of public school districts, educational organizations, community groups and residents in filing a lawsuit against the state of Washington seeking full funding for public education.

Article IX of the state constitution reads, “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders … ”

Spearheaded by a group called the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools, which includes the Washington Education Association, the League of Women Voters of Washington and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle — among many school districts and education associations — the Jan. 11 lawsuit aims to be the wrench that will start fixing funding faults.

“It’s the basic formula they use that’s broken,” said NKSD Supt. Gene Medina. “It’s a ’77 formula, delivering to post-’06 world requirements.”

According to budget numbers from the NKSD’s 2005-2006 report, of the district’s $46.2 million spent on basic education (including certified, classified, administrative staff payroll, transportation and special education) just over $34.5 million was funded by the state, leaving a roughly $11.6 million gap.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it stop (please)

POULSBO — The snow fell in piles, causing five full days of school to be cancelled and five late starts … and all before Jan. 24.

NKSD officials are still talking about January 2007’s school closures. In the aftermath of what seemed like an assault on educational progression in the eyes of teachers and an extended winter vacation for school kids, both had to pay the piper in the end.

The NKSD’s Time Task Force’s plan called for students to make up the five district-wide cancellations without adding more than one day to the end of the school year.

Students attended half-days on Feb. 16, March 23, May 7, March 22 and June 20 to meet the state’s minimal instructional hour requirements. These days were originally scheduled to be Learning Improvement Days which teachers would have otherwise used for planning or professional development.

Graduation

requirements are ever-evolving

POULSBO — In the past five years, North Kitsap High School’s graduation requirements were revised five times, changed to accommodate new state and federal requirements. This year was no different as the graduation requirements were updated yet again.

“Every year I’ve been on the board, I think we’ve changed the graduation requirements,” said board member Catherine Ahl, who was elected to the board in 1999. “It’s ridiculous. We’ve got to get it right one of these years.”

Wally Lis, NKSD director of curriculum and assessment, explained how a new mandate from the federal No Child Left Behind Act will affect the class of 2011.

Beginning with that class, students will be required to complete a .5 credit course in technology literacy. With the addition of a third math credit requirement passed by the board last year and coming online for the class of 2008, that means the NKHS class of 2011 will have only five elective credits available through its high school career. This year’s class has had eight.

Every day is Earth Day at Suquamish

SUQUAMISH — Clear skies seemed a sign of good things that have occurred and good things yet to come as Suquamish Elementary School celebrated Earth Day week with the opening of its new bird observatory garden.

For the past few years SES librarian Jan Jackson’s bird-watching group has vehemently attempted to attract birds to the school.

“We put bird feeders up, but they were hard to attract because there wasn’t enough cover for them,” she said.

Jackson credits Lowe’s $5,000 donation for helping make the bird observatory garden a reality.

“Once we found out about getting the grant last spring, the ball started rolling on getting the garden going,” Jackson said. “We also got lots of donations from many other businesses as well.”

Additional funding was provided by the Suquamish Tribe, Grounds for Change Coffee Company and the Suquamish Environmental Education Boosters.

In September 2006, work began on the building of the garden. After seven months of labor, the garden was finally ready for its grand opening.

WASL requirement doesn’t add up — yet

POULSBO — High school students in North Kitsap who struggle with numbers can relax. Until 2013, that is.

Following a push from Gov. Christine Gregoire and a legislative vote in April, the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning math requirement was delayed for five years.

Prior to the decision, the class of 2008 was expected to pass the mathematics, writing and reading portions of the WASL exam to graduate from high school. Statewide, 2008 seniors’ math scores were dismal, with only 51 percent making the grade.

The NKSD followed suit at 53.5 percent, according to 2005-06 statistics.

Current juniors are not completely off the WASL hook, though, and still must pass the reading and writing portions to receive their high school diplomas.

Funds for

furniture fall short

KINGSTON — In April, it looked like Kingston High School was under construction and over budget. When voters approved a $60.1 million capital bond for the district in 2001, $1.2 million was estimated for furniture and equipment at the new Kingston High School.

When construction began on KHS in 2005, that portion of budget was updated and increased to a total of $2 million.

“It appears the need for furniture and equipment will exceed that amount ($2 million),” NKSD Capital Programs Director Robin Shoemaker told the North Kitsap School Board.

The district came through in the end, approving an additional $1.3 million to furnish the high school.

That’s Ahl, folks

POULSBO ­— After eight years of service to the teachers, students and staff of NKSD, board member Catherine Ahl announced she wouldn’t be returning to her post on the North Kitsap School Board in 2008.

Ahl served as North Kitsap’s legislative representative for six years and served as board president for the other two.

While she said she enjoyed her time serving the community, it’s time for her to move on.

“I am tired. I think eight years is long enough,” she said. “It’s time to get some new blood in there.”

Her last board meeting was Dec. 13.

This is your

brain on drugs

POULSBO — What does a bong look like? What drugs do kids experiment with first? Does alcohol really lead to harder things? Nearly 80 parents gathered in the North Kitsap Auditorium in May to hear Daniel Bissonnette answer those questions.

Bissonnette, a chemical dependency professional and executive director of A Chance to Change, a local agency providing alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention and intervention services, took center stage as he unlocked the portal.

A continued dialogue between Bissonnette and curious parents took place during a meeting session lasting for nearly three hours.

The majority of parents asked Bissonnette questions about how to detect possible drug use by children.

“Hopefully this is the most valuable information you’ll never need to know,” he said. “The most important thing I want to do tonight is to make sure I get your questions answered.”

He’s put this

off long enough

POULSBO — Not many 82-year-olds can say they walked down the aisle as a fellow graduate with their grandchildren. But Don Weedin did just that at North Kitsap High School.

On a day 63 years in the making, he donned his cap and gown alongside his granddaughter, Mindy, to celebrate his own high school graduation.

Don, who was born and raised in Manette, dropped out of high school as a sophomore in Bremerton the day after his 17th birthday (Feb. 11, 1942) to enlist in the U.S. Navy and serve in World War II. While he could have joined the day before, his mother Phyllis Weedin-Milholland wouldn’t hear of it. Don ended up serving in the Navy for 30 years and received his General Education Degree (GED) in the 1960s, but never his high school diploma.

In 2002, the Washington State Legislature, in honor all the men and women who had served in World War II and Korea, started “Operation Recognition.” The program provided men and women who dropped out of high school to serve in the Armed Forces the opportunity to attain a high school diploma at either the school they would have graduated from or the nearest school where they currently live.

Spectrum bids adieu to reassigned Wendelyn

POULSBO — Spectrum Community School principal Chris Wendelyn has been making a positive difference in the lives of students in the North Kitsap School District for the last 27 years.

For the past 22 years, he has served as principal at Spectrum. But when the 2006-07 school year ended, so didWendelyn’s tenure at the school he helped create.

His contribution hasn’t gone unnoticed.

A crowd of about 60 parents, students and Spectrum alumni gathered at Raab Park in Poulsbo June 8, thanking Wendelyn for his service at the school and wishing him well in the future. He was reassigned to work exclusively with Parent Assisted Learning program students, where he is a student advisor and a teacher.