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And then there were three

The search for a new Superintendent of Walla Walla Public Schools will wrap up later this week. On Saturday, the district announced its three finalists. They are:
Bob Keuhl: Assistant Superintendent, Tumwater School District, Tumwater, WA
John Steach: Assistant Superintendent, Richland School District, Richland, WA
Mick Miller: Superintendent, Deer Park School District, Deer Park, WA
The candidates will each [...]

Not looking good for education funding

On Tuesday, state Superintendent Randy Dorn put his partial weight behind the House’s supplemental fiscal year 2010 budget.
Both budgets cuts the state’s share of K-12 public education funding, but according to Dorn, the Senate version cuts entirely too much, at $650 million for the 2010-11 school year.
Dorn said the Senate’s budget has the potential to [...]

Slightly behind

A couple of weeks ago State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn stopped by the Union-Bulletin office. He went over some of the things the state education agency is hoping to do in the next couple of years.
We talked for a while on the Legislature and the uncertain state of education funding. Dorn said a [...]

Racing to the Top

If you follow education at all, you’ve probably heard “Race to the Top” mentioned lately. The new federal program is supposed to put money directly to education, but states have to compete for a share of the $4.35 billion.
The amount each state gets in the end will be decided by the proposals and measures states [...]

That old, blue devil

Early in the fall, there was a bit of an uproar among Walla Walla High School alumni because of a potential push to make-over the beloved and revered, Blue Devil.
Signs of a redesigned devil, with a more comic-ish feel, started cropping up in programs at the Wa-Hi football games. And the logo is still displayed [...]

Some questions on the Worm Ranch thing

I was checking out some of the comments on my report on the Walla Walla Police finding several guns in a vehicle that are believed to have been taken in a recent burgalry at the Walla Walla Worm Ranch.
Here’s the story, and here are the comments that caught my attention:
1. “What happened to the occupants [...]

Congrats to Lincoln Alt. High School

Lincoln Alternative High School students took away a first-place award for best high school float during the Macy’s Parade of Lights through downtown Walla Walla earlier this month.
Staff member Jeremy Gradwohl shared some of these pictures with me, which detail the float from creation to participation in the parade.

School’s out for winter

Happy holidays everyone! School’s out for most children as of this week for a couple of weeks.
If you run out of ideas, here are some kid-friendly activities that could help the time go by:
- Go ice skating at the Ice Chalet. Youth 12 and under skate free Fridays from 5 to 5:45 p.m.
- Check out [...]

A Miranda Nye update

A few readers have contacted me wanting to know about Miranda Nye, the 12-year-old Milton-Freewater girl who appears to have run away from home around Thanksgiving and is still missing.
The unofficial word I got from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office last week is that they are still looking for her. There had apparently been a [...]

Dual-language controversy

An education story from the Yakima Herald-Republic this morning caught my attention. Parents and teachers in Wapato are seeking the removal of their superintendent following the elimination of a dual-language learning program.
The model is similar to what Walla Walla Public Schools offers at Sharsptein and Edison elementary schools. Children, both English and Spanish native speakers, [...]

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