Rebirth of student protest in 2008?
COMPARISONS:  school construction and other related statistics a great way to compare American communities!  WESTON, CT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION STORY NEVER-ENDING
How do Weston and South Whidbey measure up (see statistics below)?  Will the high school construction in another part of Whidbey Island - Oak Harbor - begin soon, or will that area's track record (50-50) on approving bond issues for schools dim odds for progress?  District votes May 16, 2006, and a 60% "super majority" is required for passage.  Previously, the Island County county seat of Coupeville - went through a process similar to Weston's...

Students demand free speech
By LIZ BURLINGAME, Whidbey News Times Reporter
Nov 11 2008, 5:59 PM · UPDATED

While today’s student-age youth continue the clash for civil rights, originally spirited in the 1960s, the nature of protest now has a high-tech buzz.

Using modern technology — mostly the popular MySpace Web site and text messaging — students at Oak Harbor High School are pulling off major demonstrations with surprising dexterity.  But the method of effectively getting the group’s message heard is still under debate, just as it has been for decades: showy rebellion or peaceful protest?  The question arose after five student protesters were arrested at Oak Harbor High School Friday for allegedly disrupting school activities.  They felt a mutual friend was unjustly expelled for one year due to the suspicion of a marijuana crime, sophomore Jesse Durbin, a protester, said.

“We felt if we were silent with this, no one would pay attention to us,” junior Justin Chambers said. “You need to be 40-years-old and carrying a suitcase for people to actually listen to you.”

That same day, Nov. 7, fifty other students held a peaceful, silent protest by wearing shirts and other clothing with messages asking to bring the expelled student back.  Mike Zuercher, father of silent protesters Rachel and Billy Hardin, said the arrests that morning led administrators to shut down all forms of school protest.

“My kids, and five other students, were called into the office and told to take their shirts off or face suspension or expulsion,” Zuercher said. “Rachel refused and they sent her home.”

Many parents are supporting their children’s’ demands for free speech and feel the complaints are legitimate, Zuercher said. Zuercher drafted a letter to the American Civil Liberties Union pleading the students’ case and evidencing rules in the Student Handbook. He said the alleged offense required a lesser penalty. In any case, he said he is not supporting drugs, but civil rights.

“I see the protests as an educational opportunity, rather than a disruption. The school should’ve given them a forum,” Zuercher said.

Principal Dwight Lundstrom contends that discipline is by law a confidential matter and it doesn’t concern any third-parties.  He said some students, as a show of solidarity, are carrying around sheets with ACLU information.

“I have no problem with them disagreeing, but they can’t be disruptive,” Lundstrom said.

Peaceful protesters began mobilizing through MySpace, creating a group called “Students for Civil Rights Union” to exercise their right to free speech. Sixty-four students signed on.  The five arrested students approached the News-Times Monday and said they are in no way related to the silent protests.  They began spearheading their protest Thursday night, and without formal organization, the protest became chaotic the next day.

Sophomore Jesse Durbin said they began by sitting silently at a cafeteria lunch table in Parker Hall, which has the most morning traffic.  When the vice principal asked them to head to class, the students continued the protest. Parent Marla McIver said she received a call at 7:50 a.m. that her two boys, Jesse and Trevor Durbin, had been suspended.  After briefly storming to the school district office, the students were directed back to the principal’s office. Durbin said they tried to show Lundstrom evidence that their friend did not deserve his punishment and alleged that the principal would not listen.

“When this happened, we were enraged and went back to Parker Hall,” Durbin said.

According to Lundstrom, the students were belligerent and disrupting classes. Jesse Durbin admitted to “smacking the dean’s hand away from his face.”

“The principal gave us two options, we could talk with him in his office one at a time, or we would be arrested. We wanted to go to the office as a group, so we told him to arrest us,” Jesse Durbin said.

The students were arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor. Durbin claimed he was charged with fourth-degree assault and given a longer suspension from school.

“I support my kids,” McIver said. “They stood up for someone who was wrongly accused.”

The friends said they will use their week-long suspension to rally more students to their cause. They want to do another sit-in at Parker Hall, Chambers said. According to the OHHS Student Handbook, sit-ins are restricted and fall under “substantial disruptions.”

“It was worth the risk and worth getting arrested,” Chambers said.

Tuesday, when school was closed for Veterans Day, the silent protesters held a demonstration along Whidbey Avenue with the belief that their First Amendment rights were violated. Junior Brianna Hardcastle said the day of the protest, their leaflets and flyers were taken away.

“Several students were suspended for signing a petition for the student, some for three days,” junior Tauni Keefer said.

Zuercher said parents too, are beginning a civil rights group to support their children’s peaceful protest.

“These are our rights and our school must support us,” Hardcastle said.

Student drop-off continues in district
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Feb 27 2008

It looks like the Oak Harbor School District will see fewer students attending its schools again in the fall, which means less money and all the problems that entails.

There will likely be more staff reductions to reconcile with fewer dollars coming into the school district.  The school district is projecting there will be the equivalent of 5,100 full-time students attending Oak Harbor schools in the fall, which is 100 fewer students than what was projected for the current school year.

Superintendent Rick Schulte said during Monday’s school board meeting that the low projection means there will be an approximate $500,000 reduction in basic education funding from the state. The state bases its funding on how many students are enrolled.

The loss of funding means staff reductions of five teaching positions and 1.7 classified positions are anticipated. Schulte said he hopes those reductions will be made through attrition. School officials also want to make a $60,000 cut in non-employee costs.

Schulte said the enrollment decline shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. The school district’s enrollment has been declining for years. Many school districts in Western Washington are dealing with the same problem. South Whidbey School District is considering shuttering one of its two elementary schools.  Oak Harbor uses enrollment numbers from the past five years to predict the next five years. Schulte said that is the most accurate way to predict how many students will be in school.

Other things, such as monitoring the birth rate and private school enrollment, haven’t proved reliable. It’s surprising, perhaps, that tracking the number of homes being built has proven to be a reverse correlation to the number of students in the district.

“The more they build, the fewer kids we seem to have,” Schulte said.

The school district is projecting 150 students attending HomeConnection, which is an increase. The superintendent said that the enrollment increase is coming from families that already home school their children and not from students in traditional schools. The program would see even more students if there was more space, Schulte told the board.

Declining enrollment isn’t a new problem for the school district. The money lost with fewer students attending schools was one of the reasons Clover Valley Elementary School was closed last year. The school board discussed other options to help resolve potential budget problems and again complained about unfunded mandates, which are state requirements that come with no money attached.

“We have to stand up to our legislators and say enough is enough and we’re not going to do this anymore,” school board member Corey Johnson said. He wants staff to identify unfunded mandates and programs.

Those sentiments were echoed by David McCool, board president.

“Why can’t we look at cutting unfunded mandates as a way to save money,” McCool asked.

Board member Peter Hunt said entire programs should be looked at for possible elimination to ensure a sustainable budget.  School officials are forming the district’s 2008-2009 budget. Schulte said there will be opportunities for public input during the budget process.Schulte said that is the most accurate way to predict how many students will be in school.

Other things, such as monitoring the birth rate and private school enrollment, haven’t proved reliable. It’s surprising, perhaps, that tracking the number of homes being built has proven to be a reverse correlation to the number of students in the district.

“The more they build, the fewer kids we seem to have,” Schulte said.

The school district is projecting 150 students attending HomeConnection, which is an increase. The superintendent said that the enrollment increase is coming from families that already home school their children and not from students in traditional schools. The program would see even more students if there was more space, Schulte told the board.  Declining enrollment isn’t a new problem for the school district. The money lost with fewer students attending schools was one of the reasons Clover Valley Elementary School was closed last year.  The school board discussed other options to help resolve potential budget problems and again complained about unfunded mandates, which are state requirements that come with no money attached.

“We have to stand up to our legislators and say enough is enough and we’re not going to do this anymore,” school board member Corey Johnson said. He wants staff to identify unfunded mandates and programs.

Those sentiments were echoed by David McCool, board president.

“Why can’t we look at cutting unfunded mandates as a way to save money,” McCool asked.

Board member Peter Hunt said entire programs should be looked at for possible elimination to ensure a sustainable budget.  School officials are forming the district’s 2008-2009 budget. Schulte said there will be opportunities for public input during the budget process.

And on the mainland in Washington...
'Where did kids go?' schools ask - Numbers down for 10 districts
By Eric Stevick
Everett, WA Herald
November 23, 2007

An enrollment drop in 10 of 14 Snohomish County districts has school leaders wondering where the students have gone.

Enrollment declined across the county by more than 300 students, slipping to 107,445, according to head counts taken by the districts last month.

What's most perplexing is the dip is occurring while hundreds of new homes across the county are being built and moved into.

"We are all sort of in the same arena of scratching our heads," said Arlene Hulten, a Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman.

The districts expect enrollment will rebound as families with school-age children move into the new homes.

For now, it may be that some families are passing up Snohomish County on their way to cheaper housing in surrounding areas.

"The general trend is that there is small growth in Whatcom and parts of Skagit counties and there is a reduction in San Juan and Snohomish counties," said Jerry Jenkins, director of the Northwest Educational Service District. "I would suppose that the likely cause would be housing costs and that young people with families can stretch their dollars further."

Other factors are also suspected, including a slower birth rate in the county five years ago. Ten of 14 districts had a smaller kindergarten classes than a year ago.

Statistics kept by the U.S. Census Bureau showed a drop of more than 1,500 school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 9 in Snohomish County between the years 2000 and 2006.

More students also are choosing online schools instead of the traditional classroom.

The Edmonds School District surveyed families earlier this year and found more than 40 students who said they were planning to enroll in an online school this fall. Edmonds is now considering starting its own online program.

"That has happened a little bit," said Nathan Olson, a spokesman for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. "In terms of a percentage, it's probably not much, but it is happening."

The state does not have statewide enrollment numbers for fall.

Projecting enrollment accurately is key for each district as more than 70 percent of its budget is based on the number of students in classrooms. Districts receive more than $5,000 from the state for each full-time student.

Housing, birth rates, population trends and job losses all figure into projections.

The Monroe School District was one of two districts to see enrollment growth in large part because of its new online school for freshmen and sophomores. The school is called Washington Virtual Academy. October enrollment was 264 for the virtual school and the plan is to add a grade each year until it is a ninth- through 12th-grade school. Students have enrolled from across the state with most from outside of the county, said Rosemary O'Neil, a school district spokeswoman.

The Monroe district also added 95 more students to its home-school program this fall, increasing enrollment there to 727.

The district grew from 6,795 in 2006 to 7,174 in 2007, an increase of 379 students.

"The only growth was in the alternative programs," O'Neil said.

Similarly, the Marysville School District saw a slight increase in enrollment only because of a fast-growing online program that also attracts most of its students from outside the county.

"It was done out of a concern for recapturing some of the students who were dropping out," said Larry Nyland, the district's superintendent.

Everett School District, which opened a new elementary school in its fast-growing south end, saw enrollment increase since 2006.

In most districts, enrollment was flat with slight losses.

In Lakewood, for instance, the October head count was exactly the same as last year.

The Edmonds School District experienced the most dramatic loss, dipping from 20,725 to 20,352.

The loss of students can be costly. Edmonds estimates it lost about $1 million in state revenues because of declining enrollment. It won't fill some vacant positions but won't have to make layoffs either, according to a district memo.
School District Demographics System - Profile Comparison
A set of basic characteristics for the areas you selected is provided below.
Primary District:
WESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT,FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Connecticut [0905010]
Comparison District:
SOUTH WHIDBEY,ISLAND COUNTY, Washington [5308190]
 Subject   Primary District   Primary District Comparison District Comparison District
Number Percent Number Percent
 Total Population 10037 N/A 14007 N/A
 SEX AND AGE
 Male 4930 49.1 6741 48.1
       Under 5 Years 404 4 322 2.3
       5 to 9 years 571 5.7 456 3.3
       10 to 14 years 488 4.9 530 3.8
       15 to 17 years 236 2.4 332 2.4
       18 to 19 years 59 0.6 161 1.1
 Female 5107 50.9 7266 51.9
       Under 5 Years 397 4 299 2.1
       5 to 9 years 557 5.5 440 3.1
       10 to 14 years 475 4.7 548 3.9
       15 to 17 years 201 2 304 2.2
       18 to 19 years 56 0.6 131 0.9
 RELATIONSHIP BY HOUSEHOLD TYPE (INCLUDING LIVING ALONE)
 Total Population in Households 10037 100 14001 100
       In Family Households 9384 N/A 11815 N/A
       Householder 2811 100 4106 100
              Male 2203 78.4 3097 75.4
              Female 608 21.6 1009 24.6
 TENURE 
 Total Occupied Housing Units 3312 100 5882 100
       Owner Occupied Housing Units 3087 93.2 4702 79.9
       Renter Occupied Housing Units 225 6.8 1180 20.1
 AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE 
 Average Household Size 3.03 N/A 2.38 N/A
 AVERAGE FAMILY SIZE 
 Average Family Size 3.28 N/A 2.81 N/A
 SEX BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT FOR THE POPULATION 25 YEARS AND OVER
 Total 6405 N/A 9950 N/A
       Male 3095 48.3 4685 47.1
          12th grade, no diploma 35 1.1 180 3.8
          High school graduate (includes equivalency) 225 7.3 915 19.5
          Some college, 1 or more years, no degree 145 4.7 955 20.4
          Bachelor’s degree 1295 41.8 1175 25.1
          Master’s degree 795 25.7 350 7.5
          Professional school degree 390 12.6 130 2.8
          Doctorate degree 80 2.6 135 2.9
       Female 3310 51.7 5265 52.9
          12th grade, no diploma 4 0.1 125 2.4
          High school graduate (includes equivalency) 330 10 1145 21.7
          Some college, 1 or more years, no degree 395 11.9 1150 21.8
          Bachelor’s degree 1310 39.6 1045 19.8
          Master’s degree 695 21 410 7.8
          Professional school degree 155 4.7 60 1.1
          Doctorate degree 45 1.4 40 0.8
 MEDIAN GROSS RENT (DOLLARS)
 Median gross rent 1151 N/A 733 N/A
 MEDIAN VALUE (DOLLARS) FOR ALL OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS
 Median value 633100 N/A 203900 N/A
 PER CAPITA INCOME IN 1999 (DOLLARS)
 Per capita income in 1999 74817 N/A 24708 N/A
 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN 1999 (DOLLARS) BY TENURE
 Total 142273 N/A 46620 N/A
       Owner occupied 151805 N/A 51380 N/A
       Renter occupied 60806 N/A 29239 N/A
 POVERTY STATUS IN 1999 OF FAMILIES
 Total 2835 N/A 4070 N/A
       Income in 1999 below poverty level 35 1.2 205 5
       Income in 1999 at or above poverty level 2800 98.8 3865 95
 POVERTY STATUS IN 1999 OF HOUSEHOLDS
 Total 3325 N/A 5835 N/A
       Income in 1999 below poverty level 45 1.4 425 7.3
       Income in 1999 at or above poverty level 3280 98.6 5405 92.6
Common Core of Data, Local Education Agency Universe Survey, 1999-2000 (NCES)
 Total Students 2,263   2,419  
 Total FTE Teachers 176.3   116  
 Total Schools 3   8  
 Source:
    National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education
    Bureau of the Census, US Department of Commerce










































































































District feels pinch of fewer students
South Whidbey RECORD
By GAYLE SARAN
Jun 03 2006

It’s not a matter of if, only when.

Faced with declining enrollment, the South Whidbey School District will be forced to downsize as early as the 2007/08 school year. That means some schools will close and send its students to other South Whidbey schools.  In 1999, the district had an all-time high enrollment of 2,300 students. But district officials are predicting enrollment will plummet to 1,600 in several years.

Loss of students means loss of revenue. And to combat the losses, the district hopes to tighten the overall operating budget.  Still, the situation is not as dire as the Seattle school system, which is closing at least nine schools. Even so, the configuration of South Whidbey schools will be reworked.  Exactly how local schools will be changed to deal with fewer students and fewer dollars will be determined by a committee that will eventually make its recommendations to the school board.

The advisory committee will begin studying possible scenarios for the district’s future use of facilities in July. The committee will be headed by Superintendent Bob Brown and school board member Jim Adsley, and will include 12 to 15 citizens.  Like pieces to a puzzle, there are many possible scenarios. One idea that has been floated in the past is selling Langley Middle School.

The old school is a piece of the district’s history. It was built in 1935, and South Whidbey students graduated from there until 1981 when the new high school was finished.
The middle school occupies a large piece of property close to downtown Langley, and has been eyed for possible housing.

“The middle school property is valuable and there has always been interest in it from developers,” Brown said. “A cottage development is going in adjacent to the bus parking lot behind the middle school.”

“If Langley Middle School was closed, we might consider moving grades seven and eight to the high school, sixth grade to the Intermediate School and third grade to the Primary School,” Brown said.  But he cautioned that selling the middle school is only one of many options that will be studied.  Another option is to sell the 40 acres behind the Intermediate School that was once eyed as a site for a new middle school.

Brown said another scenario might be to have only one principal for the Intermediate and Primary schools.

Currently there is a principal at the primary school for kindergarten through grades two, and a principal at the Intermediate School for grades three through five. The two schools are located next to each other on Maxwelton Road in Langley.

Other possible consolidations could include combining the district’s two alternative programs, Bayview School and the Whidbey Island Academy, into the high school.
Brown told the school board in April that it should consider selling the portables behind the high school that house Whidbey Island Academy. He has since backtracked, and is now recommending that the portables not be sold until a comprehensive study of the district’s facilities can be completed.

A program that will come under scrutiny is the four-period day at the high school.  It was implemented in 1992, and according to Brown, costs more money to run than the traditional six-period day.  The committee charged with the study will be composed of a diverse group of community members, educators and parents.

Specialists such as a demographer, a structural engineer and the school business manager will be asked to provide specific data. Parents, community and staff input will be gathered before a final recommendation is made to the board in March 2007.  Brown said he expects the committee to hold monthly meetings, including public hearings and joint meetings with the school board and the city of Langley.

“Our goal is come up with recommendations that make the best use of our classrooms and buildings. We need to cut operating costs and put the savings back into academics and programs,” Brown said.  Brown said the group will determine the most appropriate consolidation plan to maximize building capacity and minimize disruptions to students, families and staff.

He emphasized the community will play a major role in the final recommendations.  Brown, who was first a teacher, then principal at Langley High School, remembers the controversy when several small outlying schools were closed and students were brought to the new Primary School that was opened in 1968.  Brown remembers a community meeting where the gymnasium at the middle school was filled with people arguing and shouting about closing the Midvale School and having to send their kids to Langley to the new Primary School.

“It caused quite a stir. People didn’t want to send their kids to school in Langley,” he said. The decision to form a facilities study team came as the district considers its constantly declining budget.  Fewer students means less money from the state.

The district reached a peak enrollment of 2,300 students in 1999/2000 school year. And district officials are basing next year’s budget on 1,850 students.  Enrollment is expect to drop further.

“We expect it to level off at 1,600 students by 2009/10 school year. That’s a dramatic decrease,” Brown said.

“The district is maintaining an infrastructure for larger-than-actual enrollments,” Brown said.  In the heyday of increasing enrollment, the district built the Intermediate School, a transportation department with space for 50 buses, and purchased 40 acres behind the intermediate school.

Brown said since he arrived two years ago things have improved.

“When I came in April 2004, the district had $2,000 in the bank they needed an advance from the county of $157,000 to cover payroll,” he said.

“Spending in each of the schools on materials and supplies was way up, too. They spent themselves into trouble,” Brown said.  In recent years, the district has done much to tighten its belt.

“The building budgets have been reduced by 25 percent,” Brown said.

Last year, 13 teachers were laid off. And this year, four paraeducators and a custodian will be laid off, and one secretarial position will be eliminated. There will be a loss of four teachers through attrition.  The estimated 2006-07 budget is $16.1 million, with a recommended fund balance of $725,000.

Officials expect to cut roughly a half million dollars from the budget.

“The total reduction required in next year’s budget is $454,219,” said Dan Poolman, business manager for the district.

Brown said the facilities study is a continuation of the district’s efforts to offer the best programs and schools for South Whidbey students while still balancing the budget and building a healthy fund balance.


Renovation manager hired for $1.3 million
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Sep 16 2006

The Oak Harbor School District is bringing in some extra help for the big high school renovation project approved by voters.

The school board Monday approved hiring Seattle-based Heery Corporation to manage the project. The project management services will cost the school district approximately $1.3 million.

Superintendent Rick Schulte said the scope of the $74 million renovation project warranted the hiring of additional project management services.

The school district received proposals from five companies. Schulte said Heery was the best fit for the position.

“Heery was clearly superior,” Schulte told the school board. “Heery’s ability to manage costs in real time and its information management system were all pluses.”

He said Heery’s project manager will help with the details associated with such a large project while the school district’s construction manager, Gary Goltz, will work to resolve issues the city may have. Goltz will also be responsible for change orders that could occur throughout the project.

“Gary’s going to be more of a big picture guy,” Schulte said.

Schulte said, considering the competitive construction market in the region, the school district is fortunate to have locked down a project manager for the next four years.

The school board unanimously approved the contract. Board member Kathy Jones was absent from Monday’s meeting.
 
65 percent back Oak Harbor High School bond
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
May 20 2006

It’s high fives between school supporters after seeing the latest results of the high school bond election.

The $54 million bond to renovate Oak Harbor High School is heading for overwhelming approval.

As of an updated count Thursday afternoon, results show the bond passing with a 65.44 percent margin with 4,418 voters approving it and only 2,333 rejecting it. The bond needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

“It would appear to me, based on previous elections, that the lead is safe,” said Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Rick Schulte. “It’s pretty safe to call this a victory.”

The updated results increased the approval margin for the bond. The initial count election night, May 16, showed 62.34 percent of the voters approving the proposal. That increased to over 65 percent on Thursday.

The Island County Auditor’s Office will release periodic updates until the election is certified on May 26. But the success of the measure is assured. There are only approximately 800 ballots left to count and those are split between elections in Oak Harbor and Stanwood, where three school-related proposals failed at the polls.

In addition to the bond money, Oak Harbor School District is expecting to receive $19.33 million in matching money from the state.

That money will pay for a project that includes expanding Oak Harbor High School by approximately 38,000 square feet and replacing the school’s ancient infrastructure. The expansion would provide between 14 and 20 additional classrooms and wider hallways.

Rick Almberg, chair of Citizens for Better Schools, said the positive result reflects widespread community support that came out in the weeks leading up to the May 16 election. That support came from local businesses, community groups and military personnel.

“Without a strong cross section of support through this community, we wouldn’t have achieved this result,” Almberg said.

Individual people who normally keep a low profile during bond elections were active in promoting the latest bond, Almberg said. Those people spoke out in the newspaper and promoted the proposal before local groups and organizations.

Volunteers were working hard through the day of election, waving signs at busy intersections encouraging voters to go to the polls.

Almberg said the community’s attitude toward the local school district has changed for the better, which made it easier to promote a successful bond campaign. Three years ago, two proposals to renovate the high school failed at the polls.

After fence mending and a host of community meetings, the school district found success last November when a bond to build a new athletic stadium and fields was approved by voters, thanks in part to campaign leadership by the Rotary Club. That positive community support appeared to gain momentum as the May 16 election approached.

With the approval of the bond, school officials are busy taking the next steps in the process of renovating the high school. Schulte said the district will start looking for an architect to design the project and for a bond underwriter to help sell the bonds. He said he wants the bonds sold as soon as possible because interest rates are increasing.

“We’re going to hit the ground running on this. We’re fully prepared,” Schulte said.


Three part series...about school construction on Whidbey Island!
#3  Career wing clipped by growth
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Apr 29 2006

Five years ago, Chris Douthitt started teaching video classes at Oak Harbor High School. From a cart with a couple of video cameras on it, the program has expand to where it now boasts original broadcasts that any cable subscriber in the city can watch, including replays of Wildcat varsity football games.  As the program expands, Douthitt and his students are increasingly cramped inside a classroom in one of the “round buildings” behind Oak Harbor High School.

The videography situation typifies the problem teachers have trying to offer classes relevant in the 21st century out of a building designed and built in the early 1970s.
They hope they will soon have modern facilities if voters approve a $54 million bond that would fund renovation of Oak Harbor High School. That money would pay upgrades to the school’s infrastructure, build new classrooms, expand smaller classrooms and widen hallways.

Should voters approve the bond, which needs to pass by a 60 percent supermajority, the school district would receive an estimated $19 million in matching money from the state.  When the then-new high school opened in 1974, the career and technical buildings housed such antiquated classroom offerings as typing and home economics.
Today, many classes focus on training that will lead to employment after high school. Those classes include computer-aided drafting and a career-oriented culinary arts program geared toward the restaurant industry, which is a far cry from basic home economics.  Several of the teachers said the electrical systems aren’t adequate and the current rooms are too small for classes and equipment storage.

Culinary class shares space

“We don’t have anything that hardly resembles a commercial kitchen,” said Louise Reuble, culinary arts teacher at the high school.  The culinary arts students recently brought home a first place award in a statewide competition. The kitchens located in her classroom lack gas ranges, mixers, counter space and equipment needed to better prepare students for a culinary career.

Reuble said students have to be careful about what is plugged into outlets. If too many items are connected, then circuit breakers pop. The fire danger is obvious.
The culinary arts group, also known as Wildcat Catering, caters several events each year. They work out of the Bistro, a room in the C and D wings which doubles as an auto shop classroom. They catered four events throughout this school year, which range from a retirement party to a practice meal that helps students prepare for the state competition.

Reuble said she would like enough space to be able to cater events several times a month, however, the shared space with the auto shop class makes that impossible.
She said that students are crowded into the kitchens in her classroom, where one corner space has three small kitchens shared by 15 students.  The culinary arts program has changed significantly since Rueble started teaching in Oak Harbor before the current high school was built.

The home ec program featured classes in sewing, cooking, childcare and interior design. She said the classroom that doubles as a bistro and auto shop classroom used to be a childcare lab.  The culinary arts class isn’t the only one that needs more space at the high school.

Art space too limited

Frank Jacques, art teacher, said there are often 30 students that work in a class designed for 15 students.

“The spaces aren’t designed for the things we do,” Jacques said.  He said another issue he faces is a lack of storage space and poor plumbing facilities. He said he has to store materials in more than one area and, when students clean up at the sinks, the plumbing has backed up.

Douthitt said his largest class is 30 students and they, too, have to deal with a small space.

“It’s a challenge to have the space to offer television production,” Douthitt said. His students are also aware of how much power they are using, or else the circuit breakers will pop.  He said he doesn’t have the storage space to properly stow equipment.

“It’s kind of to the point where we stack things on top of things,” Douthitt said, adding the additional space would benefit students as they produce their projects.
The lack of space is an issue for many teachers at the high school. That’s an issue they hope is resolved after the bond, which runs on May 16, is approved and the high school is renovated.

You can reach Nathan Whalen at 675-6611 or nwhalen@whidbeynewstimes.com.
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#2  Spaces need growth as goals change
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Apr 26 2006

Despite steady enrollment levels projected for the next several years, Oak Harbor High School would expand by 38,000 square feet should voters approve a bond next month.  School officials say the expansion would cure a classroom shortage that has plagued the school for years.  District Superintendent Rick Schulte said the additional space built into the high school will be a combination of classrooms and hallways. Should voters approve the bond, the district could add an additional 14 to 20 classrooms at the high school.

On May 16, voters will decide whether to approve a $54 million bond that would fund high school renovation. That money, coupled with an estimated $19 million in state matching money, would pay for a renovation that would also include modernization of the school’s infrastructure designed to last for the next 30 years.  Schulte said the new classrooms would provide space for current teachers who don’t have a dedicated classroom and would make up classroom space lost when the notoriously narrow hallways are widened.

The classroom shortage has been an ongoing problem over the years. Some teachers have to load their materials onto carts and go from classroom to classroom. That shortage is expected to continue next year.

“We’re eight classrooms short of having every teacher having a classroom through the day,” Oak Harbor High School Principal Dwight Lundstrom said. The school has been having problems with classroom space as the instructional focus has shifted over the years. As goals change, school officials don’t necessarily have the facilities to accommodate the new classes.

“That causes stress to an already full system,” Lundstrom said.  Lundstrom said a new science teacher and a new math teacher will be hired for the next school year and both will need room to teach. To make budgetary room for the new math teacher, a physical education teacher who is retiring won’t be replaced.  In addition to the extra math and science classes, the school district has instituted new special education programs in recent years. Those classes have fewer students than the regular classes. The school was required to start a transition program that helps special education kids prepare for life after high school and an emotional/behavior disabled program which also takes up classroom space at the high school.

There are approximately 1,671 students attending Oak Harbor High School, according to the April head count. Schulte said plans for the high school renovation take into account stable enrollment in the coming years.

People read the future differently, which makes future class size hard to judge. Schulte said some want the high school expanded to accommodate growth from the large numbers of houses that will be built in the area in the next few years, while others want it reduced because of lower projected enrollment in those years.  School officials said there are approximately 1,000 building permits already granted for residential houses within the boundaries of the Oak Harbor School District, yet enrollment projections show fewer high school students in the coming years. The numbers are expected to go from an estimated 1,731 students in 2007 to 1,604 students in 2011.
Carter Bagg, regional facilities coordinator for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, said the enrollment projections are based only on current enrollment numbers.

“It’s using present enrollment to predict future enrollment,” Bagg said. It doesn’t take into account outside factors that could change enrollment numbers. Those factors could range from large numbers of first-time homeowners whose children haven’t reached school age yet to significant movement of military families.  Schulte said that such shifting factors could impact higher or lower enrollments in the future, but he expects them to balance each other out.

The remodeled high school will have sufficient space to meet the enrollment for at least the next six years. After that Schulte said it’s impossible to predict enrollment.
While plans call for increasing the numbers of high school classrooms, the proposed renovations would also help widen hallways and enclose more of the campus to make it more secure by eliminating the more than 60 entrances to the high school. People worry that someone could easily sneak into the school today.

Preliminary plans call for enclosing the open area between Parker Hall and the B wing and also widening hallways and expanding smaller classrooms. Classrooms are typically between 900 and 1,000 square feet and some of the smaller classes at the high school are 700 square feet, which makes for overcrowding.
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#1  Another bond goes to voters
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Apr 22 2006

First in series

This is the first in a series of stories looking at the Oak Harbor School District’s proposed renovation project of Oak Harbor High School. Wednesday, April 26 will examine classroom space; Saturday, April 29 will examine the condition of the career and technical facilities; and Wednesday, May 3 will examine the school’s infrastructure.

If history is any indicator, the Oak Harbor School District has almost a 50 percent chance of passing a bond next month.

Since 1960, the school district has presented voters 21 bond propositions. Nine of those propositions passed while 10 failed. Two others, which ran in early 1981, were approved but were ruled invalid because too few people voted in the election.  Rick Schulte, superintendent of the Oak Harbor School District, couldn’t comment on the fate of bond measures before he started working for the school district in the late-1980s, but he is encouraged by the school district’s recent bond history.

“That gives me encouragement in the support we’re getting from the community,” Schulte said.  He said recent measures have been well received by the community beginning in 1996 when voters approved a $21 million bond that paid for construction of North Whidbey Middle School and renovation of other schools except the high school.  Schulte also pointed out the successful stadium bond in November and the approval of a maintenance and operations levy in 2001 and re-approval in 2005 as encouraging signs of community willingness to approve measures.

The school district did suffer some setbacks in recent years. Voters rejected measures to build a new stadium and performing arts center in 1996 and a bond that would have paid for education and sports facility improvements in 2001.  In 2003, voters rejected a $45 million bond twice within a two-month period. That money would have funded renovation of the high school. The results dropped from 54.2 percent to 49.5 percent between the two elections.

Rick Almberg, chair of Citizens for Better Schools, a community group promoting the May 16 bond election, suggested the failure of the bond stemmed from a lack of awareness and participation in the community toward schools.  He added that the attitude of people in the community has shifted. Many voters have become more supportive of schools while the school district has become more transparent, he said.

The school district decided to take a break from voter initiatives after the 2003 measures. During that time officials examined why the bond proposals failed. They also wanted to wait and find out the results of the base closure process that finished in 2005 with NAS Whidbey’s future secure.  After the future of the air station was known, the school district moved forward with a bond proposal to fund construction of a new stadium and other athletic facilities at Oak Harbor High School. That $6.5 million bond was approved by voters last November. School officials decided to go with that bond first because the Rotary Club, which raised approximately $400,000 to help offset construction costs, requested that a stadium bond run as a separate, stand-alone issue.

With the approval of the stadium bond, voters will now consider a bond May 16 that would fund extensive renovation of Oak Harbor High School.  That $54 million bond would pay for new classrooms, enlarge existing classrooms, widen hallways, consolidate numerous entry points, replace the aging roof and upgrade aging infrastructure.
Should voters approve the bond, which needs a 60 percent supermajority to pass, then the school district would receive an estimated $19.33 million from the state. The 15-year bond will cost an estimate 85 cents per $1,000 assessed property value.  The renovation should be finished by the beginning of the 2010 school year.

Volunteers from Citizens for Better Schools are busy promoting the upcoming bond. They are going door-to-door today talking to residents about the specifics of the renovation.  Almberg said the group is looking for more volunteers to participate in Saturday’s “walk and talk.” To volunteer Saturday, April 22, meet at the high school gym at 10 a.m.

By visiting potential voters this weekend, Almberg said the bond will be fresh in people’s minds when absentee ballots are mailed out April 25.

Citizens for Better Schools will also have a float in the upcoming Holland Happening parade and the group is running ads in the Whidbey News-Times. Sign wavers will also be seen on major intersections on election day, May 16, to encourage people to vote.  Almberg said the volunteer group has received tremendous support from local businesses and volunteers from the Navy.  The group is also working to get information out to Navy families in hopes of encouraging more participation.

“We’re trying to get information out to the the Navy community to get them out to vote,” Almberg said. He added that, in the last election, only 75 of 650 registered voters living in Navy housing participated.  He said Citizens for Better Schools is always looking for more volunteers to participate in promotional efforts.

To contact Citizens for Better Schools, email ohcbs@whidbey.net or attend weekly meetings that take place Wednesday at the Oak Harbor High School Library beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about the bond online go to www.cbsyesforkids.org.


Coupeville struggles with fewer students
By NATHAN WHALEN, Whidbey News Times Reporter
Dec 23 2008, 9:58 AM · UPDATED

Enrollment is still down in the Coupeville School District by the equivalent of 37.65 full-time students.

Officials had budgeted the equivalent of 1,087 full-time students, however, the current enrollment stands at 1,049.35.

Superintendent Patty Page said the enrollment decline will have a greater effect next year as opposed to this year. She said staff noticed that several families were moving away from the district and it was decided not to fill a vacant teaching position. In addition, the school district also saw some extra money come in from I-728 and the district funded some teaching positions from that extra money. She said the school district also set some money aside in this year’s budget in case it had to go into arbitration with one of its unions, however, the union and school district came to an agreement on a new contract.

Page said there will absolutely be a shortfall in next year’s budget. How much that shortfall will be isn’t known yet. She said the state Legislature has to complete its session and the school district has to develop enrollment projections. That information won’t be available until later in the school year.

The enrollment in the Coupeville School District has declined in recent years from a high in 2005-2006 of 1,114.5 students to its current level.

Page told the school board she isn’t sure what is causing the enrollment decline. She suggested it could stem from the job situation on Whidbey Island and high housing costs. Those conditions make it difficult for younger families to move into the school district. She said the enrollment numbers at the lower grades are where the enrollment drop is most noticeable.
No-bid gym draws fire from state auditor
Whidbey NewsTimes
By Nathan Whalen
Aug 15 2007

The state auditor’s office says Coupeville School District did not comply with competitive bidding laws on a major public works project.

The project that concerned auditors was the auxiliary gym and how the school district hired the contractor that is building it.

The school board approved a $4 million change order last year allowing the contractor building the new high school, Kassel Construction, to build the second gym adjacent to the high school’s main gym.

The state auditor’s office contends the school district should have put the auxiliary gym out to bid. By not following bid laws, the auditor’s office said there were no assurances that all interested parties had an opportunity to bid on the project and, because of that, there isn’t any way of knowing if the auxiliary gym would be completed at the best price, according to the audit report released Aug. 10.

Coupeville school officials disagree with the auditor’s finding. Superintendent Patty Page, who just came to Coupeville this summer, said the school district and the auditor’s office are interpreting state law differently.  School officials said they acted in good faith in trying to complete the auxiliary gym under tight financial and time restraints.

“This is really much ado about nothing. We clearly had the best interests of the community in mind,” Gary Goltz, the district’s construction supervisor, said.

He said the school district saved time and money by allowing Kassel Construction to build the auxiliary gym. He said he also received legal advice from the district’s law firm, Seattle-based Perkins Coie, saying the $4 million change order was legal. Goltz sought legal advice because he had never seen such a large change order for a school construction project.

If the school district had followed the normal bidding process, the auxiliary gym project would have been delayed and the district likely wouldn’t have had the money to complete it, Goltz said.  Goltz said it was more efficient to have the contractor already working on the high school build the auxiliary gym. Besides, having two general contractors working so close to each other would have caused a great deal of confusion and might have cost the school district more money.

“It didn’t make sense to go out and bid another general contractor,” said Superintendent Page, who replaced former Superintendent Bill Myhr in June.

Goltz estimates the district saved approximately $800,000 by having Kassel Construction build the auxiliary gym, rather than going through the long bidding process. 
The school district delayed starting work on the auxiliary gym because officials were concerned there wouldn’t be enough money.  The district made cuts in the high school project after high inflation caused the price to climb. Those increases also caused the district to delay other projects, such as the auxiliary gym, until more money was available.

The school district learned last summer it would receive enough matching money from the state to pay for the auxiliary gym. Construction of the building began last fall.

Two gyms are needed for the students at the middle school and high school. The new high school and the auxiliary gym are both scheduled to be complete in time for the beginning of the school year in September.  If the auxiliary gym didn’t get built on time then the old high school couldn’t have been demolished, because staff would need the gym located in that building for classes, Goltz said.

When the school district put the high school project out to bid, officials told potential bidders the auxiliary gym would be built if state money became available, according to the audit report.  Goltz said there are no laws concerning change orders in terms of dollar amounts and how they should be administered. He also supervises major construction projects in the Oak Harbor School District.

Auditors focused on a state law outlining how public projects are sent out to bid. The report cited a law requiring that public works projects that exceed $40,000 be put out to bid.  Because the auxiliary gym wasn’t written into the original contract auditors reviewed, it fell outside the scope of the high school project, according to the report.

In the end, the school district won’t receive any monetary penalty for the finding, just a black mark on its audit report. In the future, the school district will seek legal counsel and consult with the state auditor’s office, Page said.

School costs climb higher
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Oct 21 2006

A dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.

That’s the lesson Coupeville school officials learned once again as construction costs for projects funded by a voter-approved bond continue to rise.

School officials recently received an estimate for construction of an auxiliary gym that leaves them $207,000 short of covering the bill.

The estimate puts the auxiliary gym construction at just over $4 million, a figure which includes demolition of the current high school and installation of a new courtyard in its place.

The school board met Monday night to discuss the problem. The school district is expecting $2 million in matching money from the state. However, that money won’t come to the district until July 2007.

“We need to have something to bridge the gap,” board President Don Sherman said.

That bridge could come in the form of a short-term loan.

“What we want to do is minimize the interest we pay,” said Gary Goltz, the district’s construction manager.

The middle and high school need an auxiliary gym for physical education classes. Should it not be built, then the gym in the current, dilapidated high school would have to be used until the school district finds the money to pay for new construction.

The school district has been dealing with high inflation for nearly two years. When officials realized the inflation problems in late 2004, they started taking action. In December 2004, officials cut the high school building by 3,775 square feet, which saved the school district approximately $870,000. Then, in the spring of 2005, officials decided to delay construction of other projects, such as the auxiliary gym and the covered play area at the elementary school, until more money became available.

Goltz said there are several advantages for auxiliary gym construction to begin soon. The contractor building the high school could quickly start construction on the gym. Finishing the building as soon as possible means saving on further inflation costs. Construction on the new building could start as early as next week.

As officials sort out the auxiliary gym funding problem, construction continues on the new high school building built adjacent to the middle school.

Workers are busy installing metal framing this week. Goltz said that part of the job is about 80 percent complete.

He said construction is going well and is about three weeks ahead of schedule.

The school board approved a $58,000 change order to cover some unexpected expenses. When workers tore down the old library building, they discovered the old data and telephone wires needed replacing. Goltz said that accounted for $24,000 worth of the change order. Workers also had to improve sanitary sewer lines.
Coupeville High School construction begins
Whidbey News-Times
By Nathan Whalen
Apr 15 2006

After nearly two years of planning, construction of a new high school in Coupeville is about to begin.

A groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon kicked off the construction project that is expected to be complete by the beginning of the 2007 school year.
Approximately 50 people attended the ceremony that featured golden shovels, the school band performing the school song, and speeches by the sophomore class representative Kaitlyn Torres, who is a member of the first class to graduate from the new school, as well as Principal Sheldon Rosenkrance and Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock, who graduated from Coupeville High School in 1969.

Hancock said he hopes students will enjoy learning in the new school as much as he enjoyed learning in the old one.

“May they always be inspired by the love of learning as I was,” Hancock said.

The high school construction is funded by a $22.8 million bond voters approved in May 2004. Since that time officials have been working with designers, teachers, students and residents to help design the new facility.

“There’s a tremendous amount of planning and detail that goes into a project like this,” said school board member Don Sherman. The new high school will be built on the old baseball field behind the current building. To ensure games continue, a field was installed on school district property on the corner of Terry and Ebey roads. The current high school will eventually be demolished.

Sherman thanked the teachers, students, administrators and residents who helped pass the bond issue and assisted with the high school design. Their input will lead to a building the community will enjoy for years.

“The building of a new high school will bring a lot of encouragement to students and faculty,” Torres said. “It will help to bring wonderful new memories. And we’re real excited.”

Legislator hears school needs
Whidbey Island News-Times
Dec. 18, 2004
By Nathan Whalen

When the Oak Harbor School District runs a levy next March, it will have to pass by a 60 percent majority. However, officials hope the requirement will change in coming years to a simple majority.

That is one of the priorities communicated to State Rep.-elect Chris Strow during a Friday morning meeting. He met with school officials and several members of the Oak Harbor School Board.  “Sixty percent is incredibly hard to get anything passed,” said board member Kathy Chalfant.
Superintendent Rick Schulte pointed out the school district doesn’t have a good history of passing voter measures, due partly to the 60 percent requirement.  To change the majority requirement for a bond or levy, an amendment needs to be made to the Washington State Constitution. Last year the measure passed the House but failed in the Senate.

Strow, the Republican from Clinton who beat Coupeville Democrat Nancy Conard for the seat vacated by Barry Sehlin, said he hasn’t made any decision whether to support a simple majority, though he seems to be partly against it.  “The supermajority issue is going to be a tough one for me,” Strow said. He said he would be willing to support a simple majority for operations levies because it would help meet needs of teachers. However with the money involved for bonds, which funds capital projects, the proposal should show widespread community support.

“Building community consensus behind any spending initiative is a high priority,” Strow said. “People who vote for schools have to be convinced of the need.”  He added he’s committed to improving the economy in the state, which would put more people to work and mean more taxpayers to support educational programs.  Board member Dave McCool pointed out that waiting for the economy to improve doesn’t help solve c