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Wahkiakum School District
Home of the Mules and the Warriors 500 South 3rd Street, PO Box 398, Cathlamet, WA 98612 • 360-795-3971 Our Mission: We believe that education is a partnership with responsibility shared by all: school, family, students, and community. All individuals shall be provided a safe, positive environment where they may reach their full potential as responsible citizens. |
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Wahkiakum School District |
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Wahkiakum School Board
Wahkiakum School District Vision Statement Learning is the mutual responsibility of the student, staff, and the parents. The goals of this vision are:
Next School Board Meeting Wednesday, February 22 - 7pm - High School Library School Board Meeting News and Notes Monday, January 23 During its January 23rd meeting, the School Board continued to discuss policies related to whether to allow high school students to participate in 2 sports during a season and deferred a vote until its February 22nd meeting, declared a variety of computers and related components as surplus, voted to make up two days of weather-related closures by cutting the first day from mid-winter break and by holding school on March 16 (view the School Calendar), and discussed plans for the asbestos abatement project this summer, based on a $100,000 grant. Monday, December 19 During its December 19th meeting, the School Board continued its discussion about whether to allow high school students to participate in 2 sports during a season, K-8 School Principal Theresa Libby reported on visiting a school piloting the No Excuses University Program, the Board passed a resolution applying for an energy operational savings improvement grant, and High School Principal Dan Casler and K-8 Principal Theresa Libby reported on attending meeting related to a proposed, new evaluation system for teachers. Tuesday, November 22 During its November 22nd meeting, the School Board considered whether to allow high school students to participate in 2 sports during a season. High School Principal, Dan Casler, thanked the community for its support of the Donkey Basketball fundraiser, which earned almost $1,200 for stipends for athletic coaches. Wednesday, October 25 The Board approved retrofitting the old softball field for the high school girls' softball team and heard a presentation from HS Principal Dan Casler and Elementary Principal Theresa Libby on plans for the $36,000 Gear Up grant to prepare Middle and High School students for college. Roundtable: Preventing Bullying—Tuesday, Nov1st, 6pm, Room 101 at the Middle School Ms. Libby also reminded the Board about the upcoming Community Roundtable / Workshop on Bullying on Tuesday, November 1st, 6pm, Room 101 at the Middle School. Currently, Elementary and Middle School students are studying a curriculum unit on anti-bullying. Ms. Libby is partnering with the Charlotte House Domestic Violence Shelter for this Roundtable, where they'll focus on providing parents with information about what their children are learning and working on at school related to preventing and responding to bullying, and how parents can support their childrens' learning with ideas they can use at home. All community members are invited to attend. Wednesday, September 21 The Board reviewed student test results recently released by OSPI and both the K-8 and High School principals indicated their teaching staffs are exploring strategies to continue to improve student learning in the District and expect to present additional plans at the October Board meeting. In other business, the tabled action on a request for a temporary construction road easement for the Town of Cathlamet, planned for how to use the recently awarded $100,000 Urgent Repair Grant, reviewed District finances and enrollment/student counts/class sizes, and received an update from the High School Principal on the Drug Impairment Team activities. Wednesday, August 24 The Board approved contracts for District staff and listened to a presentation by students on a workplan and strategies for reducing usage of marijuana in local schools. These student leaders had attended a Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Youth Leadership Initiative training event in Anaheim, California, this summer. Tuesday, July 19 The Board approved the District's budget for the coming year, along with approving changes to the high school student handbook, discussed transportation to a transition program in Longview for special education students. Wednesday, June 22 The 2011-2012 Wahkiakum School District Calendar was approved. The Board also adopted the Math in Focus curriculum and announced likely reductions in compensation for teachers and administrative personnel. Wednesday, May 18 Dan Casler, Principal of Wahkiakum High School, and Theresa Libby, Principal of JA Wendt Elementary and JC Thomas Middle Schools, presented highlights from the Healthy Youth Survey. For a review of the presentations, click on these links: Healthy Youth Survey for Students in Grades 6 and 8
The board also unanimously agreed to dip into the district's capital projects fund and build a $40,000 bus wash barn, as reported by Longview Daily News, May 19. Wednesday, April 20 At this meeting, the School Board voted to adopt a policy and a set of procedures regarding drug testing of students who appear to be under the influence while at school and/or school events. Detailed coverage of the meeting can be found in the Longview Daily News, April 22. The final approved documents are the Policy No. 3516 Document and the Related Procedures Document for Policy No. 3516.
State Auditor's Office Reports Favorably on District Fiscal Status Every three years, the State Auditor audits the District's financial statements and internal controls. As reported in the Accountability Audit Report, "The District has not received an audit finding in the past nine years." Similarly, the State Auditor reported favorably in the Financial Statements Audit Report, "The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards. Many thanks to all the District staff who continue to maintain our perfect record with the State Auditor's office.
The Wahkiakum School District Says, "THANK YOU!" On behalf of the student body, staff and Board of Directors of the Wahkiakum School District, I would like to extend our gratitude to our voters for passing our 4-Year Replacement Maintenance and Operations Levy. As Ben Franklin said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Your vote of confidence and the investment of your hard earned dollars are not taken lightly. We at your schools will remain committed to providing the highest quality of education possible, where kids have a safe and caring environment in which to learn. Special gratitude goes out to the JA Wendt Elementary PTO, the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, and all of the businesses and community members who were willing to post Vote Yes signs. Your support has not gone unnoticed! Appreciatively,
4-Year M & 0 Replacement Levy Will Fund a Variety of Programs Wahkiakum School District voters approved a 4-Year Replacement Levy on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, replacing the four-year levy approved in 2006. This levy will be a "staggered" amount with $927,000 in the first year and $947,000; $967,000; and $987,000 in each of the following 3 years. The funds will be applied toward items the State either only partially funds or does not fund at all, such as:
Refinancing Callable Bonds Saves Taxpayers $79,000 Wahkiakum School District has refinanced its callable 2000 bonds in order to take advantage of lower interest rates. The recent refinancing will save the District's taxpayers a total of over $79,000 during the next eight years. These savings will flow directly to taxpayers through reduced debt service tax levies and are not available for District expenses. This is a direct savings to our community members in the form of taxes they expected, but will not have to pay. The Wahkiakum School Board accomplished these savings by approving the issuance of $1,165,000 in refunding bonds by delegation resolution. The District has been monitoring bond market conditions and recent low interest rates allowed the District to exceed its savings target. Interest rates averaged 2.7% on the new bonds compared to 5.5% on the old debt. The Impact of Engrossed House Bill 1824 Youth Sports-Head Injury Policies Our 2009 Washington State Legislature passed Engrossed House Bill 1824 Youth Sports-Head Injury Policies. The law was passed for good reason: to help all of us do what we can to avoid serious head injuries to student athletes. This law impacts not only our own student athletes, but also non-school affiliated youth sports groups who use School District facilities. For more information, read our Superintendent's recent Letter to the Editor of the Wahkiakum Eagle Newspaper.
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