Tribe and schools approve funding pact

The La Conner School Board on Monday signed the latest version of a school funding agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

The tribe has promised to contribute $400,000 to the schools to help ease a $789,000 shortfall created when 931 parcels were removed from the property tax rolls that feed schools and other public entities this year.

For about a year, the terms of the tribal funding have been under negotiation. Last month the school board signed a version of the agreement and forwarded it to the tribe.

What came back was a version signed by Swinomish Tribal Senate Vice Chair B...