New Bosses, New Tests, Money Challenges Ahead for Schools

January 4, 2010

Education likely will be a hot topic both nationally and in Whatcom County in 2010, due to budget constraints, new tests and potential for changes to federal education rules.

Federal officials are pushing for education reform, dangling a $4 billion pot of money in front of states to urge them to reexamine their education laws. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, called the No Child Left Behind Act under the Bush administration, may even be changed and reauthorized by Congress this year.

And while those federal initiatives will have impact at the Whatcom County level, other issues closer to home are likely to directly affect residents and students.

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCHES

Both Lynden and Bellingham school districts plan to select new superintendents this spring. The Lynden School Board has contracted with search firm Ray and Associates and will have a public meeting Jan. 7 about what qualities the new superintendent should have. Rick Thompson has been filling the superintendent role since September 2008 when then-superintendent Dennis Carlson was put on paid administrative leave. Before that, Thompson was the assistant superintendent. He has told the board he is not applying for the permanent position.

The Bellingham School Board has contracted with search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. The district lost its superintendent at the end of September when Ken Vedra left to take a job leading the Emirates National School in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Sherrie Brown, the former deputy superintendent, is the acting superintendent until a replacement is hired.

WHATCOM MIDDLE SCHOOL

By the end of January, the Bellingham School District intends to have a plan for where students and staff from Whatcom Middle School will be housed for coming years. They have been split among three existing schools since Whatcom was severely damaged in a fire Nov. 5.

District offici als have said they’re committed to rebuilding Whatcom Middle School at the current site on Halleck Street, and plans will be developed this year as to how to accomplish that. District officials hope to have the school reopened for fall 2012.

LEVIES AND BONDS

Voters in three school districts – Meridian, Lynden and Ferndale – will be voting in February on school funding measures.

Meridian voters will be asked to approve a $17 million bond to pay for major renovations at Meridian High School and Irene Reither Primary School. The combined tax rate for the 20-year-bond and the district’s current maintenance and operations levy would be about $3.52 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, which is less than the current tax rate due to the district paying off debt.

Both Lynden and Ferndale school districts are asking voters to approve two-year maintenance and operations levies, a routine request by school districts to help cover shortfalls in state funding. Maintenance and operations levies generally provide about 20 percent of a school district’s budget. Both Lynden and Ferndale have their current maintenance levies expiring at the end of 2010. If the measures pass, Ferndale voters will likely see little or no change to the amount they are taxed per $1,000 of their home’s assessed value. In Lynden, homeowners likely will see their tax rates drop due to the district finishing payments on some existing debt.

WASL NO MORE

When students take annual state tests this spring, they won’t be the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Starting this spring, students in grades 3 through 8 will be taking the Measurements of Student Progress test, which is similar to the WASL except that it’s supposed to be shorter and will eventually be available online for all students. This spring, only about 25 percent of students across the state will take the test online. MSP testing will start in the middle of May.

High school students will be taking the High School Proficiency Exam. It is also shorter than the WASL and will be available online starting in 2011. Students still will need to pass the reading and writing sections of the test in order to graduate.

BUDGET WOES CONTINUE

The budgeting processes used by school districts last winter and spring will likely be used again as budgets go through another chopping round.

Due to a growing budget shortfall at the state level, school funding, both K-12 and higher education, is likely to get cut again this year. Gov. Chris Gregoire released a supplemental budget proposal in December that heavily cut education spending. While she has said she will release another proposal in January with changes, it’s unknown how much money will be restored for education.

Western Washington University officials are already planning how to cut nearly $4 million in expenses, the amount identified for reductions in the supplemental budget proposal.

Public schools could potentially see cuts in several revenue streams, including further reductions to Initiative 728 funding, passed by voters in 2000 to reduce class sizes; levy equalization funds, which help districts with low property values; and professional development time for teachers.