Administrative Staff
Bruce Hawkins, Superintendent
Ph: 509.547.8441
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Kuniko Votaw, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent
Ph: 509.544.5785
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Molly Green, Desktop Publisher / Public Information Officer
Ph: 509.544.5787
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Superintendent's Message
Will Change Bring a Second Chance?
While many of us call for change from time to time, when change comes to our lives, few are able to embrace it with the fervor they once envisioned. As the New Year approaches, we know that financial conditions, along with national leadership changes coupled with state educational leadership changes, will poise our conditions to change. In the words of Harrison Ford, “We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”
How can we see the challenges of change as second chances? It is not as if all of the problems of educating our children and young adults were solved, and disruptions in the form of change just messed things up. Financially, we can expect some tough times throughout our state and across our nation. As we look long term, how can we find savings and revenues to continue essential services while sharing some of the shortfall?
As an example, one of the state funding strategies done well is Local Effort Assistance (LEA) most often called Levy Equalization. School districts receive state funds according to the wealth of their district as measured by property value. “Richer” districts are usually more able to raise local funds due to their higher property wealth. In the case of the property wealthy districts, they receive little or no funding from LEA. The districts with less property wealth are equalized. The result is an uncommon balance so rare in state funding mechanisms across our land. In tough times of the past, LEA has been a consistent target. Sadly, should a decision to substantially reduce LEA be enacted, we will return to the mid 70’s with glaringly unequal opportunities for our students. Expect this debate to come early in this Legislative Session. Other discussions related to finance will offer us a second chance to provide ample funding to our duties…in time.
Changes in leadership will offer us a second chance in many educational arenas as well. Assessment in both Washington’s will be a major topic. We all have a list of priorities that we hope are addressed and in some cases left alone. In my humble opinion, our success during this season of change will be the pace that we allow ourselves to consider and implement changes, determining whether we are truly open to the second chances that change will afford us.
Respectfully,
Bruce Hawkins
