Skip to content
Sunday, June 22, 2025
67°F
Newsletter Contact Us
  • Search
  • Newsletters
  • News
    • News
    • Northwest
    • Submit a Story Idea
    • Submit a Photo
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Business
    • Business
    • Submit Business News
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • Submit Sports Results
  • Life
    • Submit a Wedding Announcement
    • Submit an Engagement Announcement
    • Submit a Birth Announcement
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Obituaries
    • Obituaries
    • Place an Obituary
  • Classifieds
    • Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Employment
    • Real Estate
    • Transportation
    • Legal Notices
    • Place a Legal Notice
  • e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
red-logo
67°F
  • News
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds
  • All Sections
        • News
          • News
          • Northwest
          • Submit a Story Idea
          • Submit a Photo
          • Submit a Press Release
        • Business
          • Business
          • Submit Business News
        • Sports
          • Sports
          • Submit Sports Results
        • Life
          • Life
          • Submit a Wedding Announcement
          • Submit an Engagement Announcement
          • Submit a Birth Announcement
          • Weather
        • Opinion
          • Opinion
          • Letters to the Editor
          • Submit a Letter to the Editor
        • Obituaries
          • Obituaries
          • Place an Obituary
        • Classifieds
          • Classifieds
          • Place a Classified Ad
          • Employment
          • Real Estate
          • Transportation
          • Legal Notices
          • Place a Legal Notice
        • Newsletters
        • e-Editions
        • Marketplace
News
Redmond resident dies in boating accident
Redmond resident dies in boating accident
By Joshua Hicks • October 1, 2008 1:55 pm

Redmond resident Heather DeHart, 38, died Sept. 27 in a boating accident on Lake Washington.

Read Story

Redmond resident Marian Merrill has been chosen as one of the finalists in the Macy’s “Better with Time” modeling competition for women age 50 or better.
Redmond’s Merrill: A timeless beauty
By Mary Stevens Decker • October 1, 2008 12:00 am

Hit the road, Heidi Klum.

Read Story

Wastemobile rolls into Redmond Oct. 3-5
Wastemobile rolls into Redmond Oct. 3-5
September 29, 2008 3:44 pm

Eastside residents have a safe, convenient and free way to dispose of household hazardous waste when the King County Wastemobile rolls into Redmond, Oct. 3-5.

Read Story

Hanna Christensen
A closer look
September 29, 2008 3:44 pm

Read Story

Audit finds Redmond is meeting state standards
Audit finds Redmond is meeting state standards
September 29, 2008 3:43 pm

The Washington State Auditor released the City of Redmond’s 2007 Audit on Monday and the audit opinion was clean, with the auditor finding the city’s financial statements generally meeting state standards.

Read Story

Representative Ross Hunter
City, state officials celebrate Bear Creek restoration project
By Mary Stevens Decker • September 29, 2008 3:43 pm

Representatives Deb Eddy and Ross Hunter, both Democrats from the 48th Legislative District, presented Mayor John Marchione with a ceremonial $8 million check from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) outside Redmond City Hall on Friday.

Read Story

Voting registration deadline approaching
Voting registration deadline approaching
September 29, 2008 2:51 pm

Time is running out for people who recently moved to update their address or register to vote in time to participate in the historical Nov. 4 General Election. The deadline to register to vote online, by mail or change your address is Saturday, Oct. 4.

Read Story

Redmond Police Officer Paul Edwardsen
Keeping our schools safe: School Resource Officers back...
By Mary Stevens Decker • September 26, 2008 4:17 pm

School Resource Officers (SROs) are back in the Lake Washington School District this year, one new to the position and the other returning.

Read Story

Representative Roger Goodman
Goodman earns traffic safety award
By Mary Stevens Decker • September 24, 2008 2:18 pm

Rep. Roger Goodman, a Democrat who represents Redmond and other communities in Washington’s 45th Legislative District, was among three recipients of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Safety Champions Award, Sept. 23 at the Bellevue Hilton Hotel.

Read Story

Dead Kirkland crow tests positive for West Nile
Dead Kirkland crow tests positive for West Nile
September 23, 2008 5:44 pm

King County officials announced Tuesday that a dead crow found in Kirkland on Sept. 15 tested positive for West Nile Virus.

Read Story

Keys to a solid education: State task force members provide insight on how to ensure bright futures for our children
Keys to a solid education: State task force...
By Mary Stevens Decker • September 23, 2008 4:21 pm

By MARY STEVENS DECKER
Redmond Reporter
The goal of Monday night’s meeting between the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) Board of Directors and local members of the Governor’s Joint Task Force on Basic Education Finance boiled down to what is written in Article 9, Section 2 of the Washington State Constitution:
“It is the Paramount Duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste or sect.”
Task Force members Rep. Ross Hunter and Sen. Rodney Tom, Democrats from the 48th Legislative District and Rep. Glenn Anderson, a Republican from the 5th Legislative District, shared thoughts on how the LWSD and all school districts can best manage precious resources to ensure all children a solid K-12 education and preparation for gainful employment.
Hundreds of parents, teachers and administrators from the LWSD and neighboring school districts packed the LWSD’s L.E. Scarr Resource Center to hear what the legislators have discussed, so far. They emphasized that this is still very much a work in progress.
Referring to education issues such as overcrowded classrooms, disappearing electives, poorly-maintained facilities, cuts in after-school transportation and sharing of school nurses or librarians, Anderson commented, “We know what the problems are and what the reasonable alternatives are.”
“We could do nothing … fix the existing system … or take it across the state, across all political parties and regions and give it a foundation for the next 30 years.”

SEPARATE, BUT EQUAL
As Hunter began a slide presentation, he pointed out that rural districts here and in Eastern Washington have different demographics and different needs than the LWSD but in every case, students and parents deserve:
• Reasonable Adequacy: “Provide enough resources to educate children.”
• Transparency: “Be clear about what is purchased and how local districts make spending decisions.”
• Flexibility: “Allow districts to make decisions in the best interests of their students.”
• (To) Begin with the End in Mind: “Start with high school graduation requirements and work backwards.”
Plus, the state must provide multiple pathways to success beyond high school graduation — career readiness or college preparation.
To achieve those results, the Task Force seeks to redefine a program of basic education, change teaching, guarantee equity and accountability and phase in new programs and resources in a thoughtful manner.
Creating separate models for Primary, Elementary, Middle and High School levels, the Task Force proposes a calculation of teachers needed according to class size, planning/professional development and graduation requirements.
The legislators suggested a seven-period class schedule in high school, a reasonable class size of 25 students for most courses and smaller class sizes (perhaps 15 students) for technical education, lab sciences, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate.
More instructional time, such as tutoring or summer school, must be funded for students who start the school year behind their peers. But there must also be enhanced learning opportunities for gifted students.
There’d be explicit assumptions for other building level instructional and administrative staff, such as principals, librarians, nurses, counselors and instructional coaches.
There would also be allocations for non-instructional staff including teacher’s aides, secretaries, student safety monitors and custodians and of course, non-staff costs, ranging from instructional technology to heating of facilities.
“If we don’t plan, we end up taking money out of programs,” Hunter stated.

GIVING TEACHERS THEIR DUE
“Changes in teaching effectiveness are the most leveraged investments we can make,” said Hunter.
And there is significant evidence that hiring nationally board-certified teachers ensures a model where all teachers can benefit, he added.
The Task Force members believe that starting wages for teachers must be set at a competitive level, compensation should increase as teachers demonstrate added competence and that teachers should be recognized as they attain certification at various levels.
Teachers who accept additional responsibilities such as mentoring should be rewarded and there must be cost-of-living adjustments based on where they are employed.
But also, said Hunter, the plan should include ways for current teachers to “phase in” to new systems based on certification.

EQUITY AND TRANSPARENCY
“The Legislature shall provide a general and uniform system of public schools,” Hunter continued.
To remove long-standing inequities, especially for low-income and ELL students, the Task Force members would propose the elimination of “grandfathering” for teacher salaries and phase in a 30 percent levy lid (currently, LWSD’s levy lid is at 24 percent).
They also would improve data collection with a state-provided information system and enhance ability to link data to students as they move from school to school.
Kids who move frequently — for example, foster children — and are not placed in the right classes each time, lose ground and are more likely to drop out of school, said Hunter.

WHERE’S THE MONEY?
The Task Force members spoke of phasing in new resources over six years and one educational feature at a time.
A significant portion of the growth would be funded by taking a larger share of the natural growth of the state budget — and in time, return to spending 50 percent of the general fund on K-12 education.
Answering questions from LWSD board members, the LWSD PTSA Council and members of the general audience, Tom, Anderson and Hunter acknowledged that not everyone will see the value of what they’re proposing. People are protective of their money and their personal circumstances.
“When you come down to Olympia, we have a lot of great causes … heartbreaking stories of why their issue should be funded,” said Tom.
Anderson agreed, “We are selling change in an environment of bad news.”
However, Tom urged, “Instead of looking at drop-out rates, look at successes. …Everyone in this room needs to be personally involved.”
He said that chain e-mails to legislators are not effective, but old-fashioned telephone calls, handwritten notes or personalized e-mails have impact.
Most of all, Tom concluded, “We need to make this a bipartisan process — education should never be a partisan issue.”
For additional information about the Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force, visit http://www.leg.wa.gov/Joint/Committees/BEF/.
To learn about Funding Washington Schools, a resource developed by PTA advocates, visit www.fundingwaschools.org.

Read Story

Youth Eastside Services will celebrate its new headquarters at 999 164th Ave. NE in Bellevue on Friday.
Youth Eastside Services to celebrate new central office
September 22, 2008 4:16 pm

Youth Eastside Services (YES) will officially open the doors to its new central headquarters Friday, Sept. 26, with a Celebration of Kids and Families, featuring tours, games, music, juggling, magician performances, life-sized puppets, refreshments and more.

Read Story

Stella Schola Middle School students Michael Pavlov
Students cultivate a garden of hope
By Mary Stevens Decker • September 22, 2008 4:15 pm

Sometimes multitasking is a terrible idea — for instance, text-messaging while driving a car.

Read Story

Harvest Celebration coming this weekend
Harvest Celebration coming this weekend
September 22, 2008 4:15 pm

Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park, 19545 Redmond Rd., is participating in this year’s 10th Annual Harvest Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Read Story

Paving to close down intersection of Union Hill and Avondale Roads
Paving to close down intersection of Union Hill...
September 22, 2008 4:14 pm

The intersection of Union Hill and Avondale Roads (at the end of SR 520) will effectively close for two weekends in order for construction crews to lay concrete paving as part of the city’s Union Hill Road Widening project.

Read Story

This is a sketch of a man who has exposed himself several times to females along the East Lake Sammamish Trail.
Police looking for indecent exposer
September 22, 2008 4:13 pm

Redmond Police are looking for a man who has exposed himself several times to females along the East Lake Sammamish Trail.

Read Story

Barack Obama is the people's choice of Washington
Poll shows Washington voters favor Obama for president,...
September 22, 2008 4:13 pm

Strategic Vision, LLC, an Atlanta-headquartered public relations and public affairs agency, announced the results of a three-day poll of 800 likely voters in Washington.

Read Story

Redmond Mayor John Marchione spoke about current and upcoming projects in the city during a Rotary meeting on Thursday.
Mayor outlines the rise of Redmond: Marchione talks...
September 22, 2008 3:10 pm

Redmond Mayor John Marchione talked about how Redmond is on the rise — literally — at last Thursday’s Redmond Rotary luncheon at the Redmond Marriott Town Center.

Read Story

Governor Chris Gregoire talks with Sammamish Mayor Lee Felinge
Gregoire, officials, commuters tout success of 202 improvements
September 19, 2008 12:39 pm

A flock of geese flew overhead during the a ceremony to officially recognize the completion of a $96 million project on State Route 202, as if to emphasize the 16-acre wetland included in the package.

Read Story

Chris Parades
Planning for college
September 18, 2008 2:46 pm

Read Story

  • 1
  • …
  • 501
  • 502
  • 503
  • 504
  • 505
  • …
  • Last

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.

Sign Up
Have a story idea? Contact us here!

Featured Local Savings

  • News
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Business
  • Opinion
Quicklinks
  • e-Editions
  • Newsletters
  • Media Solutions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
red-logo
  • Sound Publishing Inc. Logo
  • A subsidiary of Black Press Media
  • Work With Us
© 2025 Redmond Reporter + Sound Publishing + Black Press Media. All Rights Reserved.
Powered By NewzBoost