LC, Ferris students cited for scores
Eighteen more students from Spokane Public Schools performed well enough on their PSAT college-entrance exam to be named National Merit program commended students, the district said.
The students are listed by school as follows:
Lewis and Clark: Rachel Michaela Alden, Hillary Benedict, Kyle Carter, Peter Gurche, Beryl Manning-Geist, Chelsea Momany, Elise Otto, Simone Phillips, Romany Redman, Jack Siddoway and Joseph Sullivan.
Ferris: Grace Chapin, Laura Collins, Trevor Crain, Lucas Erler, Scott Henderson, Nick LaPlante, and Alexander Luce.
Commended students are those who placed in the top 5 percent of the more than 1.4 million students who entered the National Merit scholarship competition by taking the 2005 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, which also serves as the qualifying test for the National Merit program.
Coffee and conversation
The Spokane school board will be holding a series of meetings this year to help educate parents and the community about school funding issues.
Called “Coffee and Conversation,” the informal gatherings will be before board meetings, usually held the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.
School officials have invited several community members and parents to the events, where small groups are assembled and each board member is assigned to a group to discuss topics related to the school budget.
The board hopes to educate the community about financial issues facing the district, including declining enrollment and unfunded state mandates, before next budget season, when cuts may be likely.
At a recent meeting at Mullan Road Elementary School, parent Mary Schrimshire noted that many parents and taxpayers are unaware of the requirements put on schools.
“High schools have to have six periods a day, but only five of them are funded by the state,” Schrimshire said. “As a parent, we don’t know those things.
“If we can be more aware of where the money goes and how it’s being distributed, we can support our schools better.”
Participants at the informal gatherings will receive an e-mail summary of the topics discussed each week.