Sara Leaming

The search for a new leader for the East Valley School district was put on hold Tuesday. After a series of meetings with school district staff and the community the past few weeks, the district's board of directors decided it needs more time to consider options before filling the superintendent position left vacant in May by Michael Jones. The post is currently held by Interim Superintendent Christine Burgess, who has a one-year contract.

The Central Valley School District Board of Directors on Monday approved a resolution pledging support for a dozen Washington school districts suing the state for more money for special education students. A coalition of 12 school districts, including Spokane Public Schools and the Riverside School District in Spokane County, filed a lawsuit against the state in October 2004 in Thurston County Superior Court. Riverside and Spokane are the only Eastern Washington districts to join the suit.

The Central Valley School District Board of Directors approved boundary changes Monday night, in preparation for two new schools planned in the northeast end of the district. The changes are contingent on a $55.2 million construction bond voters will be asked to approve in March. It would pay for the remodel of three aging school buildings, and would build a middle school in Liberty Lake and an elementary school in the northeast part of the district to help alleviate growing pains. The elementary could be completed as early as 2007.

East Valley teachers want more time to find a new leader. At a community meeting Tuesday night, East Valley Education Association president Leslee McLachlan said teachers want the school board to wait before going on a search for a new superintendent.

A man accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Spokane was arrested Sunday in Salt Lake City, police officials there confirmed. Joseph Lee Jennings, 37, is accused of abducting the 35-year-old woman on Friday when she came to his home at 1418 S. Adams with her sister. He allegedly held a large kitchen knife to the neck of the sister, forced his former girlfriend into her sister's 1996 Chevrolet Blazer and drove off.

The West Valley School Board on Friday awarded Garco Construction of Spokane a $29.6 million contract to complete the last phases of the remodel of West Valley High School.Although Garco – the same company that was selected to build Central Valley High School in 2000 – was the lowest of two bidders for the project, the contract amount came in $1.8 million higher than estimated, due in part to rising costs of building materials. "There was a phenomenal increase in drywall costs," said Greg Jeffreys, construction manager for the project. "Everybody in the industry nationally is nervous."

It was like Christmas in September. Eight-year-old Ashish Bhargava ran to his shiny new desk inside South Pines Elementary School like it was a gift waiting to be unwrapped.

Scores from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning released Wednesday showed most Spokane Valley schools making progress in reading, math and writing. Nearly all districts posted gains on the high-stakes assessment, also known as the WASL.

All four Spokane Valley school districts will have new principals greeting students this school year. East Valley started Tuesday, and Freeman started Wednesday. West Valley starts on Wednesday, and Central Valley goes back next Thursday.

The West Valley School District is in the business of educating students turned away from other schools. More than half of the district's 10th-graders are students at either Contract Based Education or Spokane Valley High School, two alternative high schools aimed at helping those lost in a traditional classroom get a diploma. The students come to West Valley from as many as 25 districts.

The West Valley School Board unanimously adopted a budget of just more than $62 million with reserve funds of $2.1 million at its regular meeting Wednesday. That amount includes a capital projects fund of $29.1 million, earmarked for the West Valley High School remodeling project. West Valley taxpayers approved a 20-year, $35 million bond levy to completely renovate its high school and add classrooms and a new gymnasium to the district's four elementary schools, as well as undertake maintenance projects at its two middle schools.

After months of belt tightening the East Valley School District approved a budget Tuesday night that is about $1.3 million lighter. "Because of increases, such as fuel costs and the increases in salaries and health care benefits, we needed to make some cuts," said Christine Burgess, interim superintendent. "Luckily we did it without cutting staff, and without cutting significant programs."

The Spokane Valley YMCA has lost the space that housed a before- and after-school program in the Central Valley School District, displacing about 30 children this coming school year. The YMCA offered the program, which serves school-age children at University Elementary School, for more than 10 years, said Connie Reynolds of the Valley YMCA.

The Central Valley School District board of directors unanimously adopted a budget of just more than $105 million for the upcoming school year Monday night. It includes the reduction of two vice principal positions from the district's five middle schools. At North Pines, Bowdish, Evergreen and Horizon middle schools, two vice principals will oversee two schools each, instead of having a vice principal posted at each school. Greenacres Middle School will continue to have a full-time vice principal. Both positions were left vacant because of retirements.

Janice Harrington knows what it is like to live on $800 a month. The single mother was recovering from a work-related injury when she lost her job, her home and the security that goes with it. Sending her son to school with a new backpack, or even basics like pencils and paper, was out of reach. "You can manage a lot of life," Harrington said. "But trying to come up with the extras, it gets hard. You just can't." That's where the Spokane Valley Community Center comes in.