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SUPERINTENDENT'S |
April 2007
Rick Gantman, Superintendent
New Leadership at Kendall Elementary School—After a rigorous selection process Charlie Burleigh has been selected to be the principal of Kendall Elementary School. Given that Charlie is currently our Junior High School principal, we have the opportunity for him to begin his work at Kendall beginning March 28th. The selection process for a new principal for the Junior High School has begun. During the transition, Rob Gray will serve as the Dean of Students at the Junior High School, Gary Wall will provide support for the school improvement efforts, and other Educational Leadership Team members will provide administrative support.
2007 – 2008 Budget Development—Each year at this time Mount Baker School District begins the process of developing the budget for the next school year. As always, we strive to offer excellent programs for our students and maintain our continuous improvement efforts in all areas while being challenged with declining enrollment and increasing costs of operation. Watch for additional information about the development of the budget in future newsletters or please call me if you would like to discuss school finance.
Funding for Group Care Facilities—Many of our community members watched and supported the School District’s struggle against the potential of having to pay for the high-cost, under-funded education of children in the group home proposed by Secret Harbor. Secret Harbor has changed its plans and is not currently planning to develop a facility on Mosquito Lake Rd. Nevertheless, Mount Baker School District is committed to making sure that the children’s education is adequately funded no matter where the facility is located. We have been working with Senator Brandland and state officials to develop a mechanism by which the state will provide the needed funding. I am pleased to be able to say that significant progress is being made. It is my hope that Secret Harbor’s future plans will include a well developed and well funded educational plan for the high needs students they serve.
~Rick Gantman~
