Looking back on 2005 – Feburary
Published 10:37 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
February
Parents upset over boundary changes
Despite a horde of disgruntled parents, the Snoqualmie Valley Public Schools Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan to move 490 elementary students to new schools in the fall. The proposal that the board selected was designed to equally distribute students among the elementary schools, including the newly built Cascade View Elementary in the Snoqualmie Ridge neighborhood. The plan required 145 North Bend Elementary students to move to Snoqualmie Elementary School, and 345 Snoqualmie Elementary students to move to Cascade View. Many parents said they felt that the district was rushing to fill Cascade View with students from other schools when the new school would probably fill up on its own with students from the Ridge developments.
Sensitive areas law introduced
Following the county’s move to create a Critical Areas Ordinance, the city of North Bend began work on its own set of development regulations. The county’s ordinance ignited passions in the unincorporated rural areas where some property owners claimed their land would be all but worthless because of the ordinance’s set of stringent guidelines.
North Bend staff and the city’s Planning Commission drafted the Sensitive Areas Ordinance to deal with seven sensitive areas: wetlands, streams, channel migration zones, frequently flooded areas, fish and wildlife conservation areas, geological hazardous areas and critical aquifer recharge areas.
The ordinance has not yet been passed by the North Bend City Council.
District picks three ‘super’ candidates
Out of 26 hopefuls, the school board selected three finalists for the superintendent position in the school district. They were: Fred Poss, deputy superintendent of Mukilteo School District; Larry Parsons, superintendent of Selah School District; and Joel Aune, superintendent of Colfax School District. The three candidates then faced the public for questions and comments and in late February, the district selected Aune to fill the position. He began his new job in July.
Schools try new planning schedule
The board of directors for the Snoqualmie Valley School District approved a professional development planning time proposal. The proposal will dismiss students from school two hours early each Friday for 32 weeks during the 2005-2006 school year to give teachers 26 hours of extra professional development time over the course of the year.
The district followed in the footsteps of other local school districts that have increased teacher planning time within the last two years with good results.
At the end of the school year, parents, students, teachers and staff will be surveyed to determine the impact of the development time.
