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The La Conner School Board took its first small steps Monday toward finding a new district superintendent. A shorthanded board met for about 15 minutes in closed executive session to discuss the process for hiring a successor to Dr. Will Nelson, who announced his resignation March 29 after three years as the district’s lead administrator. He accepted a teaching post at Western Washington University in Bellingham. No action was taken during the closed portion of the meeting, in part because only School Board President Susie Deyo and board m...
La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson, the face of the local district for the past three years, is about to do an about face in terms of his professional career path. Nelson announced in an email to district staff last Friday that he will leave his position in June as lead administrator at La Conner Schools to accept a teaching post with Western Washington University in Bellingham. In an email delivered as students and staff embarked on their weeklong spring break, Nelson did not divulge a specific reason for his departure other...
Swinomish Tribal Senate chair Steve Edwards, a La Conner High School graduate, enjoyed a warm homecoming when he met with school board members March 25. Edwards, known for his conciliatory leadership style, focused his remarks on building bridges between the La Conner School District and Swinomish. “It’s great that we can come to the table and have an open discussion,” said Edwards. “We all grew up together. We all know one another. We’re a community here.” Edwards was the second local elected leader to address the board in recent weeks, foll...
Much has been made the last couple years about tough personnel and program cuts at La Conner schools forced by steadily shrinking student enrollment. But in the most recent example of difficult funding choices – and one not of its making – La Conner is again paying the price. La Conner Elementary School Principal Heather Fakkema told school board members at their March 25 public meeting that pending closure of the popular Little Braves preschool program is rooted in national budget decisions, not local. She said the national Head Start org...
A La Conner fourth grader has learning down to an art form. Halley Oh received a statewide Award of Excellence for Visual Arts, ranking second in her age group (grades 3-5) in the Washington State PTA Reflections Art Contest. The contest theme was "I Am Hopeful Because..." "She did a really good job," La Conner PTA Vice-President Mia Paulson told the Weekly News. "They (the contest judges) obviously saw her talent." Halley's colorful entry illustrates how education makes her feel hopeful. Her...
La Conner Schools officials are bracing for fewer students again this fall. School district financial chief David Cram is projecting 460 full-time K-12 enrolled students in 2024-25, 30 fewer than this year. “That’s the number we’ll use as we build our budget,” he said. The net loss of 30 students translates to a loss for La Conner Schools of about $330,000 in state funds next year. Enrollment is the main driver of support the state provides to its public school districts. Cram told school board members at their March 11 study session that hi...
School districts will be required to transition to zero emission school buses under a law recently approved by the state House and Senate. The bill received numerous amendments after districts voiced concerns over reliability, range and the time allowed to make the switch. Introduced by Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, HB 1368 is an effort to not only reduce emissions, but to prioritize the health of children. Six other states have zero-emission school bus transitions already written into law....
La Conner Schools officials tackled the status of Braves football and student enrollment to kick off a lengthy hybrid school board meeting Monday night. District financial chief David Cram reported to board members that K-12 enrollment had dipped from 497 to 485 full-time students since the start of the calendar year, with most of the losses coming in the fifth and 12th grades. “It’s not unusual at this time of year,” Cram told the board, noting that student movement tends to increase during semester breaks. Enrollment is a major driver when...
Community members and La Conner Schools officials met Thursday to kick around ideas on how to structure the high school football program given fallen enrollment. Unless 25 La Conner High students firmly commit by mid-March to playing football this fall, only three viable options remain for the upcoming season – eliminate football, play an eight-man schedule with no post-season opportunity, or combine with the 2A state championship 11-man Anacortes High School program – La Conner secondary principal and director of athletics Christine Tripp sai...
The 534 votes counted today, Nov. 16, by Skagit County Elections Office workers did not change any candidate positions in the District 2 La Conner school board director race, nor are there changes in trends. John Agen added eight of the 18 ballots tallied for 778 votes, 52.9%. Janie Beasley's 10 votes gives her 685 and means she reduced Agen's lead by two, to 93 votes. Elections staff estimate 200 uncounted ballots remain. Almost all would have to be from the La Conner School District and Beasley would need to win about 75% of them to edge...
The one contested election for greater La Conner voters in 2023, between John Agen and Janie Beasley for La Conner School District Director Position 2 has Agen with 453 votes, 53.7% after the first vote tally Nov. 7, ahead by 68 votes. Beasley received 385 votes, 45.7%. All Town of La Conner candidates did not have opposition and won: Marna Hanneman for mayor, has 170 votes; Annie Taylor, appointed in 2021, for council position 1, has 162; and Mary Wohleb, an incumbent, 169. They take their...
Having committed to a new K-12 math curricula that has already paid dividends in terms of improved student achievement, La Conner school board members Monday also reaped the benefits of that investment. The five-member panel was saluted as a School Board of Distinction among Washington state’s small enrollment districts for its embrace of the ambitious new math initiative and implementation of Professional Learning Communities, Universal Design for Learning and other innovative programs. The announcement was made via Zoom by Tricia Lubach, dire...
