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Meetings | New Gates Grant Supports | ||
Vote: Remember to mail in your ballot for the election by Tuesday, Nov. 8. Drop-off ballots are accepted at the Whatcom County Courthouse, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public Events Calendar (click here)
In Brief Students, Staff Volunteer on Make a Difference Day
| The Bellingham School District has been selected as one of only five in the state to receive a new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant for $2.1 million. The grant will support districtwide efforts aimed at ensuring that students leave high school prepared for college, career and citizenship. "We welcome this support that aligns so closely with our strategic plan," said Superintendent Dale E. Kinsley. "While not all of our students will choose to attend an advanced technical program, a community college or four-year university, all must have that choice afforded by higher skills." The new grant supports districtwide change to advance school improvement efforts including professional development for teachers to foster powerful teaching and learning. The district will work to align its high school courses and teaching methods with college and career requirements. “The successful efforts in the districts we are supporting combined with high standards set by the state point us in the right direction,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive director for education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “These districts have raised the ante in the state — setting clear, ambitious goals to help more students graduate, and graduate eligible and prepared for college. The importance of this work cannot be understated, either in terms of local community development or statewide economic impact.” These grants are designed to galvanize communities around a new mission for public education focused on the critical connection between a high-quality education and success in today’s global economy.Citizens' Advisory Committee Recommends Bond for Ballot The Citizens’ Advisory Committee, a group of parents, community members and staff appointed by the Board of Directors, recommended at the Oct. 27 meeting that the Board authorize a bond for voter approval in the March election. The Board will vote on the recommendation at its Nov. 10 meeting. The committee has reviewed current and future growth and facility needs of the district and recommends a bond for $67 million to fund a new elementary school on the northwest side of the district, a new elementary school on the southeast side of the district, the purchase of a school site in Sudden Valley, modernization of Shuksan, seismic structural improvements of the district’s five historic buildings and major facility preventative maintenance projects. The proposed bond, if approved by voters, would result in a tax rate increase for school bonds of 13 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value between 2005 and 2007. However, the total levy and bond tax rate for all local school funding will decrease by 18 cents per $1,000 during that same period. For example, a home with an assessed value of $300,000 in 2005 and 2007 would have a decrease of $54 per year in local school taxes between 2005 and 2007. The decrease is possible because the district is retiring some existing bonds and refunding some existing bonds at a lower interest rate. Also, the impact of new development in the city and the appreciation of reassessed property in the district make this feasible. Click here to read more...
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