MISD budget information night at IMS next week
The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors will host a budget information session at Islander Middle School on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in the school’s multipurpose room.
The meeting is intended to begin the conversation with Island residents about how the school district can continue to meet the needs of students during what is likely to be another year of budget cuts.
“We’ll be picking up on conversations in Olympia,” said Dean Mack, the district’s executive director of business services. “How it will all play out, we’re not sure.” He added that the House budget is expected to be released prior to the Feb. 23 meeting, so the district will be able to use the most up-to-date projections. Last year, the district dealt with approximately $1.5 million in budget cuts, and it is possible that the district will be facing large cuts from the state again this year.
Following the community meeting, the district will use the concerns and priorities heard from those who attend to formulate a survey, with the results being presented to the board sometime in early March. Based on an outline provided by Mack, he hopes to have a preliminary budget completed in April.
MISD approves new scholarship fund
The board of directors for the Mercer Island School District approved the creation of a new trust for the Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Fund.
Dunham, who graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1960, was the mother of current President Barack Obama. The scholarship will be given to women who have a passion and commitment to intercultural communication, the eradication of poverty and oppression, and the improvement in the economic and social status of women worldwide.
The scholarship will be worth $5,000 and will likely be awarded for the first time this spring.
“It’s not only a credit to her, but a credit to the teachers and the school,” said Lowell Ericsson, a member of the fund’s board of directors.
Members of the MISD board said they felt the scholarship was a wonderful opportunity for students.
“It’s a great thing and it is much appreciated,” said board president Adair Dingle. “It’s a great way to have a positive impact on so many lives.”
Dunham, who attended Eckstein Junior High in Seattle before MIHS, later went on to attend the University of Washington and the University of Hawaii. She died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at the age of 53.
For more information on the fund and when applications will be available for this spring, visit www.stanleydunhamfund.org.
