School leaders talk money with legislators
Mercer Island Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano, CFO Dean Mack, Jackie Brown of the Mercer Island PTA Council and community member Ralph Jorgenson traveled to Olympia March 31 and met with legislators to discuss funding issues facing the Mercer Island School District.
Mack said the group was able to meet with Rep. Judy Clibborn and Sen. Steve Litzow, while Mack connected with Rep. Tana Senn separately from the Olympia trip, and discussed the consequences of reducing local levies within the district.
One of the primary discussion topics regarded an offset of costs from Time, Responsibility, Incentive (TRI) pay, or costs the district assumes to give teachers extra pay for extra assignments.
“We were trying ensure our representatives understood that if they reduce local levies, like it is being suggested by the legislature coming off the McCleary ruling, that they also have to assume responsibility for TRI,” Mack said, adding failure to offset those costs would make hiring teachers much more difficult.
The second major issue the group discussed regarded legislators addressing pay raises for school employees.
“This time period with no raises has gone on too long, and the middle class is shrinking,” Mack said.
This trip marked the second made by community members associated with MISD this year. An Advocacy Committee went to Olympia on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday Jan. 19 to also discuss funding issues within MISD.
Kumon relocates to business district
Last month, Mercer Island’s Kumon Center moved to 2827 80th Ave. S.E., which instructor Queenie Louie says is a “convenient location.”
Louie, a teacher with 23 years of experience, helps students through Kumon’s math and reading curriculum to help them reach their goals. She cites the quality of Mercer Island schools as one reason she’s been able to watch her students, many of whom are gifted or highly capable, succeed.
Kumon Center is open on Mondays from 3-6:30 p.m., Wednesdays from 2:30-6:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 3-6:30 p.m.
Science teacher selected for UW research program
Mercer Island High School science teacher Larry Bencivengo has been selected for the 2015 Research Experience for Teachers Program at the University of Washington Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE). The summer program, from June 29 until August 14, includes collaborative research, lectures and workshops for a selective group of teachers.
“This summer I will work in one of the CSNE labs at the UW, partnering with a researcher to develop a research project,” said Bencivengo. “I will also attend lectures and workshops with the five other teachers who received internships, with the goal of developing curriculum for our classrooms.”
As a result of his participation in the program, Bencivengo will get classroom assistance during the 2015-16 school year as he implements the curricular materials in his classes.
“Larry is an amazing teacher who is always looking for professional growth opportunities that will benefit the learning of his students through his ongoing learning of science,” said MIHS Principal Vicki Puckett.
Two ‘Destination Imagination’ teams advance to global finals
Two Mercer Island teams, The Seven Sparks and Sushi, were chosen to advance and represent the state of Washington at the Destination Imagination Global Finals in Knoxville, Tenn., in May.
“The recognition list seems to grow each year, as our students attend local, state and now global competitions, said Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “These students, along with their teachers and parents, are clearly connecting with the overarching story we all know as the 2020 Vision.”
This is the ninth year that Mercer Island students have competed in the non-profit DI program, which presents educational challenges to students in a variety of areas to enable students to develop 21st century skills like creativity, teamwork and problem solving.
The Seven Sparks earned first place in the elementary Technical Challenge, in which they were required to build a creature that could complete three separate tasks. Sushi earned first place in the middle school Structural Engineering Challenge. Anantika Mannby, a member of The Seven Sparks, also earned the Renaissance Award for exceptional engineering in her creation of the creature.
Team members of the Seven Sparks include: Mannby; Andrew Yeh; Vishy Kamalapuram; Aidan Klein; Sai Pipavath; Agnes Mar; and Thorin Finch.
“Sushi” team members include: Nico Galvin; Ichi Nakata; Sophia Ristuben; Justin Skene; Ryan Shobe; Alex White; and Lila Shroff.
They are coached by teachers David Baxter, Chris Cocklin-Ray, Ellis Reyes and Mark Headlee.
School district still closed to off-Island students
Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano announced that the district is closed to new non-resident student applicants for the 2015-16 school year, including students who were granted non-resident enrollment for the remainder of the 2014-15 school year after becoming nonresidents during this year, due to inadequate space, facilities and staff.
The district does allow certain non-resident students to apply for nonresident status. According to Board Policy 3141, the district accepts students and their school-age siblings were previously enrolled under district policy prior to June 30, 2013.
As provided for in state law, children of district employees, children of its contracted services employees and children of military families are allowed to attend as non-resident students and must submit the appropriate application.
