And now a roundup of this week’s education news in Kitsap and beyond.
Follow the news as it happens at kitsapsun.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chrishenryreporter/.
Contact Kitsap Sun education reporter Chris Henry at (360) 792-9219 or christina.henry@kitsapsun.com.
Chief Kitsap Academy basketball gaining
steam
The Chief Kitsap Academy
Bears are coming into their own. The basketball team, the first
sports team at the tribal compact school, is now in its second
year. The Bears’ two coaches George Hill III, 22 and We-laka
Chiquiti, 19, are possibly the youngest high school coaching staff
in the state.
Paying for public schools remains a problem in
2016
As the short session start, legislators in Olympia are
under the gun to agree on a complete overhaul of public
education funding. Kitsap teachers who held one-day walkouts in the
spring over pay, class sizes and testing held back on longer
strikes in the fall but will be watching for signs of major
progress.
Lawmakers from both parties and both houses announced Friday they may have a plan to fix the way the state pays for education. Getting legislators outside this bipartisan working group on board will be a challenge, said Christine Rolfes, D- B.I., a member of the group.
Bainbridge Montessori school eyes expansion
The Montessori Country School turns families away each year.
Administrators at the private school on Arrow Point Drive hope to
change that with
an expansion that would combine its two campuses, add
classrooms and increase enrollment from 115 to 145.
Seaquist formalizes run for state K-12
superintendent.
Former 26th District Rep. Larry Seaquist
announced Thursday that he will run in November for state
superintendent of public instruction, hoping to fix a system that
is “slipping into crisis.” Seaquist says the law that replaces No
Child Left Behind offers Washington State the chance to tailor
public education to its own needs. Among the adjustments, Seaquist
mentioned a “radical change” in testing.
Speak Out Tuesday on South Kitsap Bond
There’s a
public hearing set Tuesday on South Kitsap School District’s
Feb. 9 bond ballot measure. The Port Orchard City Council wants to
hear from the public before considering endorsement of the $127
million bond to build a second high school and make $2 million in
technology upgrades at the existing South Kitsap High School
The hearing will be part of the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m.
Tuesday at city hall, 216 Prospect St.
Coming up next week: What local high school choir will be singing in Carnegie Hall this spring?
Regarding educational news: It was news to me this week that the Kitsap Historical Museum is not allowed to contact history teachers. With all the schools in the county you might expect classes would be regularly touring the museum. The ESD requires all contact to go through them. It doesn’t appear that folks there appreciate this local gem.