Sara Leaming

Most students who took the Washington Assessment of Student Learning this year made modest gains, but results released Thursday show mixed progress on the high-stakes exam. In Spokane, 80 percent of fourth-graders passed the reading test, compared with 82 percent last year. Fifth-grade reading scores dropped to 71 percent passing, compared with 77 percent last year.

The Central Valley School District Board of Directors Monday unanimously approved a budget of $121.2 million for next year. The general fund, approved at $106.5 million, is 8 percent higher than last year, reflecting an increase in state revenues and Central Valley's growing student population, district officials said.

While more schools statewide have been placed on a federal list of schools not meeting education standards under the No Child Left Behind law, there was little change in the number of Spokane area schools identified this year. A preliminary report of schools "needing improvement" released Friday by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction shows schools in the Spokane, West Valley, Mead, Nine Mile Falls and Central Valley districts did not make "adequate yearly progress," or AYP, for at least two consecutive years.

The 2007-'08 school year begins next week for some Spokane County students. Here's a list of start dates:

At $293 million it's the largest school district budget in Eastern Washington and tops the money spent by most cities and counties. Yet the budget for Spokane Public Schools often doesn't get as much public scrutiny as does spending by other local governments like Spokane city and county. It's only natural, after all, to focus on how well a school performs its vital functions of teaching kids and keeping them safe, rather than how dollars are spent in the process.

With only 70 students in kindergarten through seventh grade, the Orchard Prairie School District has worked hard to keep its small-town appeal over the years. A crowded ballot for the Aug. 21 primary election shows plenty of people wanting a chance to help preserve the slice of life tucked away in northeast Spokane County. Nine candidates are vying for three four-year school board positions in the district off Bigelow Gulch Road.

Candidates for the Riverside School Board say they want better communication and a balanced budget for the rural district north of Spokane. Position 2 incumbent Larry Moskwik has two opponents, Steven Queener and Jim Fairbanks, for a four-year term in the Aug. 21 primary election.

Another Christian school is moving into the space once occupied by a longtime Spokane Valley private school. The Oaks Classical Christian Academy entered into a short-term lease agreement with Valley Fourth Memorial Church for the building that once housed Valley Christian School, authorities with the church and the school announced this week.

A decision to suspend the teaching license of a former Spokane Valley private school coach and teacher has been upheld. State education officials proposed suspending Steve Altmeyer's teaching license for 30 months after a lengthy investigation into allegations he mistreated students at Valley Christian School.

Spokane Public Schools decided Wednesday to spend thousands of dollars trying to get millions more from the state. The district's board of directors voted unanimously to join the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools, a coalition of school districts, teachers, parents and community groups involved in a lawsuit against the state over the way education is funded.