Sammamish Forum January 20
January 19, 2010
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Issaquah schools will ask for more levy money
January 2, 2010
New: Jan. 2, 11:52 a.m.
The Issaquah School Board moved to take advantage of a possible change in state policy which would let them increase taxes.
In a unanimous vote last month the board decided to increase the amount of the Maintenance and Operations Levy they’ll ask taxpayers to approve in February from $155.5 million to $172.5 million.
Board members approved the increase in response to several recommendations and changes occurring at the state and federal level. Read more
Issaquah School District to place levy on next year’s ballot
October 20, 2009
Issaquah School Board members unanimously voted to put three levy measures before voters on the Feb. 9 ballot.
Two vie for Issaquah School Board seat in Nov. 3 election
September 29, 2009
Two candidates — Marnie Maraldo and Wright Noel — are running for Issaquah School Board Director District No. 2.
It is the first time in 16 years the seat has been open; longtime board member Connie Fletcher isn’t seeking re-election.
The candidates are largely new to districtwide service, but both are active at their children’s schools and in the greater community. Read more
Elections to guarantee at least 2 new faces on City Council
June 10, 2009
After a flurry of announcements over the past few weeks, the deadline has passed and this year’s elections have taken shape. While the City Council race promises to be competitive, some of Sammamish’s elected officials will cruise without opponents in November.
Eight candidates filed for spots on Sammamish City Council, with two incumbents and six new faces. In at least two cases, the city is guaranteed to have new people on the City Council. Read more
State redefines basic education
April 28, 2009
After a contentious debate April 20, the state House of Representatives approved the Basic Education finance reform bill. Some local education leaders are cautiously optimistic.
“To me, it’s more a beginning than an end. It clearly reflects a lot of the things we’ve been working for,” said Doug Eglington, a Lake Washington School Board member. “But this all could be a mirage. It looks all shiny … but when you get close to it, it all might disappear.”
House Bill 2261 passed with a vote of 67-31 and now moves to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature.
All four Sammamish-area representatives voted for it.
“The fact that we are moving toward a new, more homogenous funding formula is good for us as a district,” said Issaquah School Board President Brian Deagle. “Even if the overall state funding stays at the same level, Issaquah will still be in a better position.”
The new paradigm will include state funding for all-day kindergarten, an extra period in high school and funding for gifted programs.
It also establishes the possibility of funding pre-kindergarten for disadvantaged children and sets up a new formula for allocating transportation funding.
The bill does not set a start date for the reforms or mention how to pay for all of the new programs, but sets the deadline for full implementation of the redefined basic education system at 2018.
The bill also establishes a task force, to begin work in mid-2011, which will study teacher pay. The group will consider, among other factors, the cost of living in different areas in the state.
“This is a success story of my entire experience here of a genuine, bipartisan effort to fix the most important thing that we do here – our paramount duty,” Representative Glenn Anderson, R-5, said from the House floor April 20.
If signed into law, educators and lawmakers can begin laying out the blueprints for the new system, Anderson said.
“You want a very solid implementation schedule so you actually implement it and not just talk about it,” Anderson said. “You can’t build a house unless you’ve got a blueprint.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
Issaquah schools could lay off 158 teachers
April 23, 2009
New — 11:01 a.m. April 23, 2009
Issaquah School Board members voted unanimously to lay off 158 of its 1,097 teachers Wednesday night, after district officials presented their reduction in force plan.
Teachers can expect to receive layoff notices by May 1.
Their contract stipulates that layoffs are based on seniority. Teachers who fall from No.1 to No. 902 on the seniority list are guaranteed positions next year. Teachers who are at or below No. 903 will receive layoff notices.
The positions of up to 195 — 17.8 percent — of the district’s teachers are likely to be eliminated. Thirty-seven teachers have already resigned or weren’t provided continuing contracts for next year. Read more
Issaquah School Board ponders 2010 bond and levy ballot
February 20, 2009
New: Feb. 20, 2:06 p.m.
Issaquah School Board members will decide whether to include a construction bond with a package of levies for voters to approve in 2010 at their Feb. 25 meeting.
Board members held a work-study session and spoke at length about the issue at their Feb. 11 meeting. Read more
Issaquah School Board endorses education reform bills
February 16, 2009
Issaquah School Board unanimously voted to endorse two bills supporting education reform, House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444, at a special board meeting Feb. 5.
City of Sammamish and Issaquah schools want better communication
November 25, 2008
Staff from the city and the Issaquah School District say the district’s new elementary school should open in the fall of 2010, on time.
