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School board commits to maintaining class sizes
Spokane Public Schools officials agreed to a 2011-’12 preliminary budget Wednesday that does not increase any class sizes, but there’s still work to be done. About $1 million remains to be cut to bridge the $13.1 million deficit.
SPS won’t increase class sizes or cut special ed assistants
Spokane Public Schools’ officials agreed to a 2011-12 preliminary budget Wednesday that does not increase any class sizes, but there’s still work to be done. About $1 million remains to be cut to bridge the $13.1 million deficit.
Summer meals help bridge nutrition gap
Nutrition is vital to sustain a child’s growth and learning, and for some children school is the only place where they can get a balanced meal. The summer meals program – created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the ’80s – is intended to bridge the vacation gap. The federally funded program is already under way in North Idaho, and it kicks off Monday at more than 30 sites in the Spokane area. Central Valley’s meal site opens June 27.
Principals to take pay cut; district will recall teachers
Spokane Public Schools principals have agreed to a voluntary 3 percent pay cut, a move that will help the school district offset a $13.1 million budget shortfall. Additionally, the remaining 85 teachers who received layoff notices last month will be recalled, thanks in part to staff retirements and a new plan to maintain existing class sizes in middle school as well as at the elementary level, district spokeswoman Terren Roloff said.
100 Spokane teachers receiving recall notices
Spokane Public Schools recalled 100 teachers Monday after the school board decided to not increase class size in the elementary grades. Of the 238 employees who received pink slips in early May, 85 remain on the recall list, said Staci Vesneske, assistant superintendent. Fifty-three counselors were called back last month.
Spokane Public Schools recalls staff
Spokane Public Schools will recall 100 teachers and other certified staff today after the school board decided not to increase class sizes in grades K-6.
Doug Clark: Here’s a project that I can dig
I doubt anyone at Spokane Public Schools really expected me to horn in on the ceremonious groundbreaking Wednesday morning at my alma mater, Ferris High School. Or that I would actually show up toting my own shovel.
School workers won’t lose jobs
Fifty-three Spokane Public Schools employees, mostly counselors, were recalled Thursday, and more recalls soon could follow. Counselors were among the 238 employees who received layoff notices earlier this month as the school board explores ways to close a $9 million to $12 million budget hole.
Green schools getting mixed grades
Lincoln Heights Elementary School has lights that turn off when rooms are empty, thermostats that automatically set temperatures back at night and carbon dioxide sensors in the gym to circulate air only when it’s occupied. It was constructed to “green” building standards, which cost Spokane Public Schools nearly $460,000 extra for the South Hill facility.
‘We can no longer do everything for kids’
Washington’s budget is still a work in progress, but Spokane Public Schools officials know they’re facing a budget gap between $9 million and $12 million. So with flexibility in mind, district administrators left little untouched when they handed the school board a long list of possibilities for cuts. “The board is really focused on what’s best for kids, and we know that the public has very different ideas for what that means,” said Sue Chapin, board president. Deciding on the budget “is one of our big functions, and no decision will be taken lightly.”
Council OKs larger school parking lots
City leaders have paved the path to build larger elementary and junior high school parking lots. The Spokane City Council voted 4-3 Monday to allow school districts to build lots with up to 2 1/2 spaces for each classroom. Since 2006, parking lots for those schools had been capped at 1 1/2 per classroom. There were no limits before that.
Rockin’ Art on Friday will benefit schools
A little art and a little rock ’n’ roll are on tap for Spokane Public Schools Foundation’s major fundraiser Friday. The Rockin’ Art silent auction and dance will feature works by Ken Spiering, Harold Balazs, Spokane Public Schools teachers and students, said Kristy Mylroie, a district spokeswoman. The 8 Tracks will provide the live dance music.
Bigger classes save money, but impacts are worrisome
When the Spokane Public Schools board of directors last week voted to increase class sizes as a possible way to deal with a budget crisis, it gave many teachers and parents cause for concern. Because while taxpayers may envision classrooms filled with well-behaved children who come to school every day ready to learn, teachers paint a different picture.
District warns 238 of layoffs
Spokane Public Schools administrators issued an unprecedented 238 layoff notices Tuesday in preparation for a “worst-case scenario” state budget. On the list: 72 elementary school teachers, 42 high school and middle school teachers, 28 special-education teachers, 55 counselors, 10 speech language pathologists, six librarians, six psychologists, seven occupational therapists and physical therapists; and five specialty educators.The total number of layoff notices is the highest any current administrator could recall, said Staci Vesneske, assistant superintendent.
Spokane Public Schools issues 238 layoff notices
Spokane Public Schools administrators issued an unprecedented 238 layoff notices Tuesday in preparation for a “worst-case scenario” state budget. On the list: 72 elementary school teachers, 42 high school and middle school teachers, 28 special-education teachers, 55 counselors, 10 speech language pathologists, six librarians, six psychologists, seven occupational therapists and physical therapists; and five specialty educators.The total number of layoff notices is the highest any current administrator could recall, said Staci Vesneske, assistant superintendent.
District classes will get bigger
The Spokane school board voted 4-1 Wednesday to temporarily raise class sizes by up to three students. The move, when coupled with adjustments for enrollment declines, will result in the elimination of about 90 full-time teaching positions and a savings of $5 million. Spokane Public Schools administrators expect a budget gap for 2011-’12 between $9 million and $12 million, depending on what state lawmakers decide during the ongoing special session.
Spokane schools deficit may increase class sizes
Layoffs are going to be unavoidable for Spokane Public Schools, and tonight the school board will decide whether increases in class size will be part of the equation.
Editorial: On dropout numbers, the math improves
The extent of the school dropout issue has been difficult to pin down, but the measurements are becoming more reliable and the solutions more finely tuned. For a time, officials noted that the graduation rate was 62 percent in Spokane Public Schools, but as it turned out that figure was too simplistic, failing to take into account students who would eventually graduate, if not on time, and a host of other exceptions that couldn’t be captured because of gaps in student data. Now the public can look at two figures with which to evaluate dropout rates. First, there is the on-time graduation rate, which begins tracking students in ninth grade and checks their status four years later. Second, there is the extended rate, which also tracks whether students graduated outside the four-year window. Society still benefits when students graduate late, so the extended rate ought to get more attention than it does. Furthermore, both calculations treat those who get a General Education Development certificate as dropouts, even though a GED is roughly equivalent to a high school diploma and is treated as such by many employers and higher education institutions.
Efforts bring higher graduation rates at area high schools
Fewer students in Spokane are dropping out of school. Spokane Public Schools improved its on-time graduation rate by 8 percentage points in 2010, state data showed Thursday, and officials credit efforts to update how students are tracked and dropout intervention programs.