Oak Harbor school officials are in a wait-and-see mode over looming March 1 sequestration, which could mean hundreds of thousands of federal dollars cut from the district’s coffers.
Because leaders don’t know how much money may be eliminated, they aren’t able to develop the budget for the 2013-2014 school year.
“We don’t know enough to incorporate state and federal funding into our budget process,” Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Rick Schulte said.
After months of passing the hat around, a public art project at Oak Harbor High School will move forward.
Former high school teacher and artist Richard Nash raised matching money needed for the Oak Harbor School District to participate in the Art in Public Spaces 1/2 of 1 percent program sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission.
The Arts Commission has $21,000 available to the school district, which is part of the high school renovation project, but the school district wasn’t able to chip in the $9,600 matching amount required.
A small group of student scientists at Coupeville High School are busy seeing how they measure up with their contemporaries across the region.
A group of student chefs hope to continue a tasty trend — cooking meals delicious enough to garner national attention.
Culinary arts students at Oak Harbor High School competed in the national ProStart Invitational, which is organized by the National Restaurant Association, for six of the past seven years.
Student chefs are now fine-tuning their latest three-course in preparation for a fundraiser 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 24 in the Oak Harbor High School staff lounge.
Volunteers for the Citizens of Better Schools began working last summer to sway voters in favor of a four-year replacement levy that would benefit the Oak Harbor School District.
Their efforts paid off with voters approving the levy by just over 54 percent margin, which is above the 50 percent mark needed to pass.
The 54.52 percent approval is higher than an initial count that was released Tuesday evening by the Island County Auditor’s Office after the polls closed.
Volunteers for the Citizens of Better Schools began working last summer to sway voters in favor of a four-year replacement levy that would benefit the Oak Harbor School District.
Their efforts paid off with voters approving the levy by just over 54 percent margin, which is above the 50 percent mark needed to pass.
The 54.52 percent approval is higher than an initial count that was released Tuesday evening by the Island County Auditor’s Office after the polls closed.
In response to public concern, the Washington State Department of Transportation, working with Island Transit and Island County, unveiled plans to alter three intersections on Highway 20 near Outlying Field and Island Transit’s headquarters.
A longtime Coupeville artist and educator was honored for his work helping the Penn Cove Water Festival this week.
Roger Purdue, a woodworker who has for decades designed the logo for the annual festival, was honored for the artwork he has contributed over the years.
Teachers, administrators, students and parents are celebrating tonight.
Voters in North Whidbey appear to have approved a replacement levy that will bring $7.35 million a year in local tax dollars to the Oak Harbor School District. Those levy dollars will fund teaching positions, instructional assistant positions, restore athletics to the middle schools, fund technology upgrades, textbook purchases and more.
An initial count shows that 4,533 voters, or 53.68 percent, approved the levy while 3,912 voters, or 46.32 percent, rejected it, according to information released by the Island County Auditor’s Office shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
In response to public concern, the Washington State Department of Transportation, working with Island Transit and Island County, unveiled plans to alter three intersections on Highway 20 between Outlying Field and Island Transit’s headquarters.
The transportation agency wants to close the intersections on Highway 20 at Old Smith Prairie and Parker roads. The plans call for funneling traffic from Parker Road onto Morris Road. A left-turn lane and a right-turn lane will be installed on Highway 20 at the intersection with Morris Road.
A lot has changed since Dodie Hanby started working at the polls.
Gone are the days of newspaper-sized ballots and performing counts that stretched into the early hours of the morning. In its place are weeks of preparing ballots prior to the election for scanning so they can be instantly counted by a push of the button on a computer shortly after polls close.
Through the decades of changes, Hanby has been a constant fixture during election time.
Voters on North Whidbey only have a couple of days to decide whether to approve a tax measure that will give the Oak Harbor School District millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.
The deadline for the levy election is Tuesday. Ballots either have to be postmarked by Feb. 12, or dropped in one of four drop boxes by 8 p.m.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Island County Auditor’s Office had received 10,733 ballots for levy proposals in the Oak Harbor School District and the South Whidbey School District, said Michele Reagan, deputy Island County auditor.
The North Whidbey Park and Recreation District leaders are looking to improve the way the district helps needy families.
The publicly funded district, which operates the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool, has long offered discounts to children who receive free and reduced lunches in local schools.
But now officials want to find a way to cover their costs and figure out a way to offer discounts to adults who would have difficulty paying pool fees.
