Jim Allen

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News >  Education

Spokane Public Schools board expected to declare financial emergency, cut costs

UPDATED: Wed., April 22, 2020

For the second year in a row, Spokane Public Schools is facing a major financial crisis, and this one will be tackled the same way: with more belt-tightening.

News >  Education

Spokane schools aim to give seniors graduation pomp despite unusual circumstances

UPDATED: Wed., April 22, 2020

For the seniors in Spokane Public Schools, graduation is a virtual certainty. The details haven’t been finalized, but district staff and board members agreed in principle that the class of 2020 will have its pomp under unusual circumstances.

News >  Education

Spokane school board takes on difficult subject: shifting school boundaries

UPDATED: Wed., April 22, 2020

The Spokane Public Schools board of directors took its first in-depth look Wednesday night at the complex issue of boundary adjustments.

News >  Education

Washington students literally can’t fail semester as state adjusts grading guidance

UPDATED: Wed., April 22, 2020

The new guidance, released to school districts late Tuesday night, is a response to concerns that many students don’t have equitable access to materials while completing the school year remotely due to state-mandated school closures forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

News >  Education

‘What better way to keep those seedlings growing?’: Tomato starts added to Logan menu

UPDATED: Tue., April 21, 2020

Hungry families picked up some hope along with an extra meal at Logan Elementary School on Tuesday morning.

News >  Spokane

Teachers face a steep learning curve as classroom instruction goes online

Tue., April 21, 2020

Educators are certain what they’ll see on the other side of this pandemic: a substantial learning slide that will require more work even as school districts emerge with severely constrained budgets from the pandemic’s financial fallout.

News >  Spokane

WSU online learning experts stress communication and simplicity as schools respond to pandemic

Tue., April 21, 2020

The most important message from administrators at Washington State’s Global Campus, where they’ve been doing distance learning for almost three decades: Communication is critical to developing a strong curriculum.

News >  Spokane

Spokane Public Schools lays out new standards for online learning, partnership with KSPS

UPDATED: Sun., April 19, 2020

The new standards call for daily work schedules based on grade level and virtual classrooms through software that’s been made available by the district for students at home.

News >  Education

Spokane school districts work to ensure access to vital technology for students learning English at home

Sat., April 18, 2020

Access to electronics and the internet is proving vital to minimize the barriers students in bilingual courses face and improve communication with teachers.

News >  Education

‘A lot of good kids here’: Names of Rogers grads inscribed on football field to honor students denied graduation ceremony

UPDATED: Fri., April 17, 2020

This is how high school memories are made in the era of social distancing: The senior class at Rogers High School just got together for a group photo and didn’t even know it.

News >  Education

Spokane Schools told to brace for tough financial future as pandemic takes toll

UPDATED: Wed., April 15, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting and possibly severe consequences for the Spokane Public Schools budget that could cut staffing, increase the numbers of students in classrooms and affect special education and other programs.

News >  Education

Spokane school board gives district green light to seek waiver of graduation requirements

Wed., April 15, 2020

The Spokane Public Schools board of directors approved plans to apply for a waiver of credit and graduation requirements offered by the State Board of Education in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

News >  Education

Spokane school board approves contract with architect for new stadium at Albi site

UPDATED: Wed., April 15, 2020

Spokane Public Schools will move forward with its plans to build a new sports stadium at the current Albi Stadium site in northwest Spokane.

Sports >  Gonzaga women

High-scoring transfer Abby O’Connor signs with Gonzaga women

UPDATED: Wed., April 15, 2020

Abby O’Connor, a versatile 6-foot wing who led Loyola of Chicago in scoring and rebounding the past two seasons, signed Wednesday to play for Gonzaga.

News >  Education

Signs of closure: Yard signs honor Ferris seniors who ‘have missed so much’

UPDATED: Thu., April 16, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has stolen so much from this year’s senior class, it felt good to finally get something back. For the class of 2020 at Ferris High School, it came in the form of a yard sign.

News >  Spokane

Downtown stadium hopes dashed as Spokane school board to move forward at Albi site

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2020

Affirming an earlier decision to abide by the results of an advisory vote in 2018, Spokane Public Schools is moving forward with a new $35.2 million structure at the site of Albi Stadium in northwest Spokane.

Sports >  Gonzaga women

Gonzaga’s Katie Campbell, Jenn Wirth named to 10-player Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete team

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2020

One month after making some history on the basketball court, Gonzaga’s Katie Campbell and Jenn Wirth are doing the same in the classroom.

News >  Spokane

School board to approve graduation guidelines amid pandemic closures

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2020

The

News >  Education

State superintendent says even fall may be too soon to return to school

Sun., April 12, 2020

“Short of a vaccine, which people continue to tell us is 12-18 months away, we have to figure out if it’s safe to come back even in the fall,” state Superintendent Chris Reykdal said. “Will we see a spike in cases if we are all sort of released from our social-distancing framework?”

News >  Spokane

Walking School bus program empowers volunteers, children alike

UPDATED: Mon., April 13, 2020

Spokane’s Walking School Bus program has the potential to be a force for social change, according a study published recently by a sociology professor at Gonzaga University.

News >  Education

Spokane district vows continued support for students during closures

Wed., April 8, 2020

In the wake of Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision Monday to close all schools for the rest of the academic year, Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger promised to offer more information later this week on coronavirus-related decisions.

News >  Education

Schools can waive some high school graduation requirements, State Board of Education says

UPDATED: Wed., April 8, 2020

The State Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday afternoon that will give school districts the flexibility to waive certain state credits for graduation.

News >  Education

‘This is hard to take’: Parents, students do their best to deal with prolonged school closures

Wed., April 8, 2020

At least the sun was shining Tuesday morning in Spokane. That was only fair considering the otherwise cloudy forecast for young families following Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision Monday to close all schools in the state through the end of the academic year.

News >  Spokane

Coeur d’Alene schools to stay closed

UPDATED: Mon., April 6, 2020

Idaho is closing schools for the rest of the academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is leaving the door slightly ajar.

News >  Spokane

Inslee’s decision to keep schools closed forces districts to boost online learning and finalize plans for promoting students

UPDATED: Mon., April 6, 2020

Spring break has just begun, but there will be little respite for educators after Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision Monday to close schools through the rest of the academic year.