Kindergarten parents worry about schedule overhaul
February 8, 2012
Call it nap-gate.
The new model for half-day kindergarten in 2012 presented by the Snoqualmie Valley School District has parents upset about what would be expected of their five-year-olds.
The Snoqualmie Valley School District’s budget-trimming suggestion would turn Kindergartners’ half-day schedule into two sets of all-day school days with alternating Fridays.
“The new model may have 28-38 more new hours of contact with the teacher but it did not factor in any nap time or downtime,” said North Bend parent Jaymie Blatt Feb. 7. “Is it realistic to ask a small child to go to school for a full day with no nap time or downtime?” Read more
Neighbors want out of Snoqualmie Valley School District
October 13, 2011
Residents from a handful of Sammamish neighborhoods want their children to attend the Lake Washington School District, instead of the Snoqualmie Valley School District, according to Lake Washington School Board documents.
The Lake Washington School Board formally recognized the petition Oct. 10 and began the process of negotiating whether to transfer a piece of the Snoqualmie schools’ territory into the Lake Washington schools.
The neighborhoods, Devereaux, Trails at Camden Park, 26th Street, 27th Place and a few houses along 244th Avenue Northeast, lie at the northeast corner of Sammamish. The surrounding neighborhoods currently send their students to Lake Washington Schools, but youths in those neighborhoods attend school in the Snoqualmie Valley district.
Lake Washington was notified of the petition March 25, but because two of the neighborhoods were split on their desire to transfer, citizen petitioners had to revise the proposition, school board documents said. On Sept. 10, the Lake Washington School District received the new, validated petition.
The two districts have 90 days to negotiate an agreement, but can ask for a 30-day extension, which is likely with the holiday season coming up, Jackie Pendergrass, Lake Washington board president, said at the Oct. 10 meeting.
Task force created to consider ban on schools built in rural areas
October 4, 2011
King County has delayed a decision on a proposed controversial policy change to prohibit new schools being built in rural areas.
The change would have left the Snoqualmie Valley School District and six other school districts unable to use 15 properties worth about $12 million.
Phonathon nets $15,000 for Snoqualmie Valley student programs
September 21, 2011
Yes, it fell short, but it was not a failure.
Sure, the goal of the 2011 Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation Phonathon was $20,000, and it collected a little more than $15,000. But last year’s phonathon raised “only” $12,000.
Besides, foundation treasurer Cheryl Duncan said the group pulled that goal amount out of the air.
Teachers agree to return to work
August 25, 2011
Teacher Rene Peterson raised her arms in victory and let out a cheer.
“We start school,” she said. “Which is awesome. Yay!”
The Snoqualmie Valley Education Association voted to approve a tentative agreement with the Snoqualmie Valley School District on Aug. 23.
The school board met Aug. 25 at Mount Si High School to confirm approval of the agreement.
The agreement is for two years, as opposed to the one that would have expired Aug. 31, which was a three-year deal.
Read more
Snoqualmie Valley School District and teachers’ union still at odds in contract negotiations
August 23, 2011
Snoqualmie Valley School District and its teachers’ union failed to reach any agreement after 17 hours of negotiating Monday, Aug. 22. The union will consider boycotting a technology training day at a general membership meeting at Tuesday afternoon.
The district and the union have been in active negotiations for nearly a month, but have yet to reach a deal on a new three-year contract for teachers. With school scheduled to start Aug. 30, time is getting short.
School districts’ land should be grandfathered
August 3, 2011
King County is considering a rule to prohibit new schools in rural areas. The rule makes sense, in theory, from a land-use perspective, but its application would punish the Snoqualmie Valley School District.
The proposed rule stems from the state Growth Management Act and forbids extending sewer service to schools outside city limits.
In theory, this rule can make sense. New schools will attract new families, increasing the pressure for development in those areas.
But schools have no say in the growth and development patterns — in either the rural or urban areas — and have to serve any student who shows up.
So, if the rule passes, what happens to districts that straddle the edges of the urban growth boundary, like the Snoqualmie Valley? The district would be unable to use land it purchased for a future school. All told, seven districts in King County — including the Valley — own 15 properties worth about $12 million that would be rendered unusable.
Snoqualmie Valley joins fight against county rural schools ban
July 27, 2011
Snoqualmie Valley School District officials are concerned that 20 acres of rural land the district owns near North Bend could become useless if King County adopts a proposed change to its Growth Management Plan.
Fifteen properties held by seven school districts and worth about $12 million could be affected.
The proposal would all but close an existing loophole that allows schools to be built on rural lands. The change is meant to bring the county’s plan in line with state and regional growth management plans, as required by the state’s Growth Management Act. The law was written to fight sprawl in nonurban areas.
But opponents say fighting sprawl doesn’t require a ban on new schools in rural areas, and that a ban will only cost school districts — and taxpayers — money. The Snoqualmie district is backing an amendment that would grandfather in properties that districts already own.
High AP scores earn the district some praise
April 13, 2011
The College Board has placed the Snoqualmie Valley School District on its Achievement List, a press released issued March 17 stated.
The list highlights schools that increase the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes while improving the percentage of students earning high scores in those classes.
Six school districts in the state and 388 in the nation received the honor. Bellevue, Northshore, Olympia, Seattle and Shoreline also earned the distinction.
“Continuous improvement is a goal that our district and all valley schools strive for each year,” Snoqualmie Valley Schools Superintendent Joel Aune said in a press release. “We are extremely proud of this recognition from the College Board, as it further validates the upward trend that Mount Si High School has experienced in recent years on three fronts.”
These fronts, Aune said, are an increase in the number of students enrolling in what he termed rigorous courses, more Advanced Placement courses available to students and a higher percentage of students getting good grades in those courses.
According to school district documents, Valley schools rank in the top bracket of Advanced Placement participation among Washington districts. Valley schools also rank high in the percentage of the 2010 graduating class earning a three or higher (out of five) on at least one AP exam.
Snoqualmie Valley school bond goes back on the ballot April 26
March 18, 2011
School board members (from left) Dan Popp, Carol Loudenback and Marci Busby listen to school bond detractor David Spring suggest that the school bond re-vote be postponed. The board disagreed with Spring, voting 5-0 to put the bond back on the ballot in late April. By Sebastian Moraga
The Snoqualmie Valley School Board voted in favor of bouncing back this spring from its closest defeat in recent memory.
The $56 million school bond to build a new middle school will appear in an April 26 ballot, thanks to a unanimous 5-0 board vote. The Feb. 8 vote on the bond fell two one-thousandths of a percent shy of the 60 percent needed.
