Jim Allen

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News >  K-12 education

School bus driver shortage hits critical stage in Spokane

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 17, 2021

The school bus driver shortage hit home Thursday afternoon in Spokane.

News

Seahawks tickets are available for Sunday’s game for traveling rain-ready fans

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 16, 2021

The Seattle Seahawks are about to play in front of hometown fans for the first time in 20 months.

News >  K-12 education

Durham scheduling error led to lost football games

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 14, 2021

A scheduling error by the transportation provider for Spokane Public Schools led to a pair of canceled junior varsity football games last week and the near loss of the season opener for the Rogers High School varsity team.

News >  K-12 education

Spokane Public Schools making elementary literacy a priority as students return to classrooms full-time

Mon., Sept. 13, 2021

The initiative is a response to a Washington law passed in 2018, which requires schools to screen children in kindergarten through second grade for signs of dyslexia and to provide reading support for those who need it. The law takes full effect this school year.

Sports >  Gonzaga women

GU women to face 6 NCAA teams in nonconference schedule

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 10, 2021

The Gonzaga women will face six teams that were part of the 2021 NCAA Tournament as part of a nonconference schedule announced Friday afternoon.

News >  K-12 education

Schools across Spokane County report dozens of COVID-19 cases while working to keep kids in class

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 11, 2021

COVID-19 followed more than 160 students and staff back to dozens of schools during the first days of classes this year across Spokane County.

Sports >  NCAA basketball

‘Our players are really excited:’ Gonzaga women’s basketball eager for Stanford showdown, and a semi-normal season

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 9, 2021

The pieces are finally coming together for what could be a reasonably normal women’s basketball season at Gonzaga.

News >  K-12 education

After last year’s distance-learning decision, Wednesday was the first day for one of Spokane’s biggest kindergarten classes

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 9, 2021

The adrenaline was flowing Wednesday morning as Lincoln Heights Elementary School opened its doors to kindergartners.

News >  Education

School is back, and so are COVID-19 cases in Eastern Washington and North Idaho

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 8, 2021

The school year has just begun, but COVID-19 is back, especially in Coeur d’Alene and Mead.

News >  K-12 education

Masks are rare as schools open in COVID-19-ravaged Kootenai County

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 8, 2021

Record-breaking COVID-19 numbers in Kootenai County and a strong recommendation from Coeur d’Alene schools weren’t enough to convince many students to don a mask when classes began Tuesday.

News

Casinos gearing up to offer legal sports betting

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 3, 2021

By late Friday morning, customers filled the the gaming floor at Northern Quest and Casino.

News >  K-12 education

First day at Regal Elementary is filled with sunny optimism: ‘There’s a lot less uncertainty this year’

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 2, 2021

As the sun warmed the playground Thursday morning at Regal Elementary School, almost everyone felt the excitement of the first day of class.

News >  K-12 education

Hundreds celebrate Shaw Middle School’s new Hillyard campus on Spokane’s first day of school

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 2, 2021

As the clock struck 9 on Thursday morning at the new Shaw Middle School, it was time to appreciate the moment.

News >  Education

‘Staying as normal as we can’: Cheney’s first day of school brings hope, hesitation as delta gains ground

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 1, 2021

No mask could hide the emotions of the first day of school on a crisp, sunny Wednesday morning.

News >  K-12 education

Spokane students, families getting a fresh start: Here’s what’s new as a new year begins

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 31, 2021

With the school year about to begin, there’s more than the usual sense of excitement. And that has nothing to do with the latest variant of COVID-19.

News >  K-12 education

Idaho teacher salaries still lag, but CdA filling positions

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 27, 2021

Low salaries in Idaho are making it tougher for school districts to retain experienced teachers, especially in places like Coeur d’Alene.

News >  Education

New Glover Middle School opens next week

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 27, 2021

If light is the symbol for knowledge, students at the new Glover Middle School will be inspired the moment they walk inside.

News >  Education

New Sacajawea and Peperzak middle schools will open in 2023

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 27, 2021

Once the dust settles in the fall of 2023, the new Sacajawea Middle School will be an even better neighbor.

News >  Education

Durham faces $7,000 fine for ‘serious’ COVID-19 safety violations at Spokane Public Schools

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021

Durham School Services, which provides transportation to thousands of students in Spokane Public School, is facing a $7,000 fine for ‘serious’ COVID-19 violations last winter during the height of the pandemic.

News >  K-12 education

SPS budget approved, will prioritize smaller class sizes, equity, pandemic relief

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021

Spokane Public Schools will go into the new year with a $534 million budget that will support smaller class sizes, equity initiatives and measures to help students and teachers through the COVID-19 pandemic.

News >  K-12 education

Spokane School Board passes equity policy

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021

Capping more than a year of work and controversy, the Spokane Public Schools board unanimously approved an equity policy that figures to be a guidepost for many future policies and decisions.

News >  K-12 education

The latest in a trend, Spokane Public Schools’ in-person meeting was canceled over an anti-mask crowd

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 26, 2021

It had to be the shortest live board meeting in the history of Spokane Public Schools.

News >  K-12 education

Pet owners, officials seek common ground on contested South Hill dog park at packed meeting

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 24, 2021

There was no lack of dog analogies to describe what happened during a community meeting Tuesday night at Mullan Road Elementary School.

News >  K-12 education

Anti-mask protest halts Central Valley board meeting, part of disruptive national trend

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 24, 2021

With the school year only days away, the controversy over mask mandates and other issues is ratcheting higher at school districts in Spokane and the rest of the nation.

News >  K-12 education

Washington’s vaccine mandate guidelines for school workers advocate caution in questioning religious exemptions

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 24, 2021

The state has released new guidance that will probably affect many school employee COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests, particularly those based on religion.