Swinomish Tribe schools donation

Dear Editor:

On behalf of La Conner School District, I extend sincere gratitude to Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Tax Committee for their generous donation to our district. Again in 2020, the committee approved $660,000 to support our students. The funds will be used to support teaching and facilities. In addition, our students identified three areas to receive some designated funds: the music program, teacher mini-grants and the Braves Club. This contribution represents nearly 5% of our overall budget.

The generosity and support goes much deeper than this donation.

Swinomish employs 14 student advocates, two counselors, a prevention specialist and two education department members who work part or all of their time in our schools.

Earlier this year, the Swinomish Education Department coordinated our back to school training for staff and we were able to hear from a panel of elders and a variety of speakers.

And, there are at least two grant-funded programs that Swinomish is using to support our youth: “Between Two Worlds,” which is a land-based science program, and the “Youth Spirit Program,” which is an after school program with a well-designed program.

The financial value of all these opportunities is close to $2 million.

The relationships we are strengthening are priceless.

Our communities are very fortunate to work so well together. Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. To those who live on tribal trust lands, know your tax dollars are going a long way to support our youth!

Sincerely,

Whitney Meissner

Superintendent of La Conner Schools