Sex education curriculum approved
Some board members struggle with youth act
After months of angst, the new sex education curriculum was approved with little fanfare on Monday night, though some school board members approved it reluctantly, and board member Debbie Long voted against it.
“I’m struggling,” Long said. “I know this is important.”
The Legislature passed the Healthy Youth Act this year that requires school districts to teach medically accurate sex education in addition to abstinence. Some parents were in an uproar over parts of the proposed curriculum, which included step-by-step instructions on condom use. That portion was deleted, leaving the curriculum not much different than the abstinence-only curriculum the district used to have.
“The problem I am having is the whole health and education curriculum, not this piece,” Long said. She felt that supporting the new curriculum would be supporting the health curriculum, so she couldn’t vote for it.
Board member Keith Clark was the most reluctant of the yes votes. “We really didn’t change anything,” he said. “We put something in and we took something out.”
The district should have looked for other answers, Clark said. “Instead we’ve defaulted to what we’ve always done.”
The presentation of medically correct information is important but should be considered a starting place, said board member Cindy McMullen.
“I have no doubt our children need this information,” she said. “Right now, this is the best way we have to address this issue.”
Board president Tom Dingus said there is no way for the district to please everyone, but he doesn’t see a threat in presenting medically accurate information about sex. “Information that is accurate will not counteract the values taught at home,” he said.
The board also heard options for the district’s maintenance and operations levy, which is up for renewal in 2009. The district is considering putting the levy on the Feb. 3 ballot rather than in March. That will avoid the expected high publicity surrounding a large Spokane Public Schools bond on the March ballot and gives the district a chance to run it again if it should fail, said Superintendent Ben Small. It would give the district time to “be ahead of RIF (reduction in force) notices,” he said.
Other Valley school districts also plan to have their maintenance and operations levies on the ballot in February, allowing them to share in the costs. Central Valley has had success with running levies in February in the past. The district hasn’t had an M&O levy fail since 1972.
The levy supplies 24 percent of the district’s budget. Taxpayers currently pay $2.62 per $1,000 in assessed home value, which is projected to stay the same in 2009 if the levy passes. During the three-year levy, taxpayers would pay an estimated $2.65 per $1,000 in 2011 and $2.70 per $1,000 in 2012.
Part of the cost estimates involves projecting how much assessed property taxes will grow. District staff estimated 7 percent growth for the next three years, which gave pause to some board members, given the current economic crisis.
“I’m concerned we still might be too optimistic,” said McMullen.
Assessed home values in Central Valley have seen double-digit growth in the last three years. Small said the local housing market is better than the national market. “Our economy continues,” he said. “The market is pretty good.”
The board also approved some changes to the administrative staff. The district’s assistant superintendent position will not be filled and Jay Rowell, director of human resources/certificated, will fill the newly created position of executive director of operations/human resources.