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Events Calendar

Sept 6 - No School, Labor Day

Sept 8 - HS Picture Day

Sept 9 - 6th Grade Band Parents Meeting

Sept 15 - HS Open House 6 p.m. @ PAC

Sept 22 - MS Open House 7 p.m. @ PAC / 7th & 8th Grade Band Parents Meeting in Cafeteria

Sep 23 - ES Curriculum Nigh 6 p.m. in PAC

Sept 27 - No School, Learning Improvement Day

Sept 28/29 - K-1 School Pictures

Sept 28/30 - ES Health Screening

Sept 28 - MS Skate Night

Sept 29 - ES Walkathon 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Track
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District News

In an effort to reduce the amount of material and labor costs that are associated with preparing for and conducting meetings, the Blaine School District Board of Directors has chosen to utilize a paperless meeting structure. The program to be utilized is called BoardDocs, and is currently in place in a number of other school districts across the State of Washington. Here in Whatcom County, both the Bellingham and Ferndale School Districts are utilizing BoardDocs. In addition to reducing costs, use of the BoardDocs Program will provide for more immediate public access to board meeting agendas and supporting documents. The public can access this content by first navigating through the School Board Information tab on the left hand side of this home page, and then clicking on the BoardDocs icon. While the framework for the program is now in place, you will not see specific meeting content until mid September, as the September 27 meeting of the Board will be the first to be displayed in the new format. We hope that the public will find this resource to be more efficient and accessible.
 

District News

The Blaine School District Board of Directors has authorized the Superintendent to move forward with the necessary planning for presentation of a Capital Project Bond Initiative to voters.  The specific election date for this initiative will be April 26, 2011.  The proposal will total $32,000,000 and will include renovation and new construction for students at Blaine High School, necessary upgrades to five classrooms at Blaine Elementary School, enclosure of the covered play area at Blaine Primary School, renovation of space at Blaine Middle School in order to more effectively serve Special Education Program students, and the purchase of property for a potential future school site in the Birch Bay area.

 

If approved, it is estimated that the $32,000,000 total will add $.32 per $1000 of assessed valuation to existing bond indebtedness.

 

The proposed initiative has been scaled back from the $40,000,000 Capital Projects Bond which failed to gain voter approval in 2008.  With the exception of the desire to purchase property for a future school site, the $32,000,000 initiative will focus directly on urgent needs specific to instructional program space.   While upgrades and improvements to athletic fields and  non instructional facilities, such as the District transportation site, are also important, it is the consensus opinion of the Board that these improvements need to wait until we see overall improvement in the economy.  With that in mind, a proposed initiative for the upgrade of athletic and transportation facilities, as well as additional work at Blaine Elementary School, could be placed before voters in 2015, which coincides with the expiration of existing Bond debt and allows for future stability in the overall tax rate.

 

Over the next few months the Blaine School District will endeavor to provide the public with a comprehensive level of detail specific to the proposed April 2011 initiative.  It is our goal to assure that our patrons cast their ballots based upon clear, concise and accurate information.  The Blaine School District is proud of the opportunities that are afforded to our students. The Board of Directors believes that the proposed initiative, if approved, will provide for the highest quality educational future for kids.  We look forward to discussing greater specifics with the community over the next few months.
 

AYP News

(Details)

Student performance on the new state assessments this last Spring (2010) was mixed in the Blaine School District. In the Spring of 2010, the State of Washington provided students with a new testing format, specifically the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) at Grade 10, and the Measure of Student Performance (MSP) at Grades 3-8.

In comparison to the previous year WASL scores, we saw the following results on the MSP and the HSPE:

• Reading and math scores declined at Grade 3 and Grade 5.
• Reading scores went up at Grade 4, while math scores declined at Grade 4.
• Reading scores declined at Grade 6, while math scores went up.
• Reading and math scores went up at Grade 7.
• Reading and math scores declined at Grade 8.
• Reading and math scored declined slightly at Grade 10 from the previous year.
• Writing is assessed at Grades 4-7-10, and held relatively constant at each of these levels.
• Science scores were up at Grade 10, while declining at Grade 5 and Grade 8.

While we would expect to see some variation in scores from year to year, as a new group of students enter and exit a specific grade level, the scores that we see in math at the elementary level are indicating a dramatic drop off from the trend that was in place with respect to student performance on the previous assessment (WASL).

Our teachers have been working very hard to bring a higher percentage of students to standard, as measured by the state assessment. We must now regroup and determine what it is about the combination of the newly refined standards in math and the new assessment format that will drive the need to create yet a different focus in instruction. We would expect that OSPI will remain a proactive partner in the work of analyzing the results of the new assessment, while helping districts to determine the most important steps that can be taken to impact our overall results in a positive manner. This new assessment is just one measure of the learning that is taking place for students in the Blaine School District.

At this time, AYP status of each individual building and program remains preliminary and subject to appeal to OSPI. Preliminarily, with respect to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), Blaine Middle School has now met AYP and as such will not move to Step 3 on the Improvement Continuum. Blaine Elementary School did not meet the AYP target level in math and as such moves to Step 1 on the AYP Improvement Continuum, as prescribed at the Federal level. Blaine High School also did not meet the AYP target level in math and as such will move to Step 2 on the AYP Improvement Continuum, as prescribed at the Federal level.

Across the District, our teachers, support staff and administrators continue to work extremely hard to provide students with the highest level of quality instruction. We are expecting 2010-11 to be a very productive year academically for all students.

 
 
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Non-Discrimination Statement: The Blaine School District #503 complies with all federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or handicap. This holds true for all students who are interested in participating in educational programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures may be directed to the school district's Title IX Officer and/or Section 504 coordinator. Our Title IX Officer, Allysa Bronson, and the Section 504 Coordinator, Randy Elsbree, can be reached at 360-332-5881 or 765 H Street, Blaine, WA 98230.
 

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