Q: I would like to know what is going on with the acoustics in the music room at Mt. Rainier High School. I hear that it is not going to be fixed.  If that is true, can you explain why?

A: It was our impression the issue was resolved.  We installed acoustical panels in the band room.  The vendor, Snap Tex, completed the work last March.  The total cost of the project was $22,500.  The project manager followed up after the installation and it seemed that the panels fixed the problem.  If this is still an issue, please let me know.  Geri Fain, Ass’t Superintendent

Q: Highline has recently been featured in several publications highlighting the work being done to prepare all students for college, career, and citizenship. Because students come to school from so many different "places" in life, the district has learned the power of individualizing each student's education.  So, what programs/help do you have for citizenship?

A: We talk in terms of the Big C and little c when we use the term citizenship.  Big C, to us, is becoming a citizenship of the United States.  We do not provide curriculum for that effort.  We do make resources and information available for those students who request it.  Little c is what we spend more time on.  Here’s a snippet of a letter from Superintendent Welch that describes some of what we teach in this area:

We have come to the end of a long and historic campaign season. Both local and national elections offered our students plenty of opportunities to learn about the democratic process. This is a critical piece of preparing students for citizenship.

Citizenship preparation also means getting students ready to be contributing members of their communities. A number of our schools require students to do community service ... Our goal is for all students to graduate with a sense of civic duty and an understanding of their role in creating the common good.

We have this kind of conversation regularly with students – talking about their civic responsibilities and what it means to be a good citizen – down to the level of picking up trash, etc.  Service learning is a requirement for some of our schools, while little c-citizenship is an important part of our curriculum and training in every school.

Q: I am a substitute teacher for Highline Schools. I have previously been a contracted teacher for Highline.  I have over 20 years of teaching experience; 17 on contract.  I am surprised and bothered that there is no means for a substitute teacher to use the internet when at a school site.

A:  In our current network structure, there is no process for gaining network access for substitute employees, unless long term.  A separate account would need to be created each time a day-to-day substitute is given an assignment and then disabled at the end of the day.  That is simply not practical from a work-load/staffing perspective.  With the implementation of eSIS and the addition of online student attendance, there may be a need for some level of access.  This is currently being researched and any changes will be announced by Technology Services.  (Mark Finstrom, director technology services).

Q. Why is the school district not doing anything about the IB program's discriminatory exam registration policy?

The IB program is charging registration fees only once to students enrolled in the entire program (Diploma candidates). Students taking multiple IB classes but who are not Diploma candidates must pay registration fees twice, last year and again this year. This is blatantly unfair. Mr. Wilder, the IB coordinator, says "there is nothing anyone can do about it". What a defeatist attitude!!  Has anyone from the school district contacted the regional or national IB program?

A: The rules governing fees for International Baccalaureate (IB) courses are controlled by IB International, and as a participating school district, we are obligated to follow them. However, Mr. Wilder and other I.B. coordinators from our region have been lobbying the international organization to remove the requirement to pay registration fees each year. Though this regulation can’t be changed by one individual school or district, many districts are joining together to change it.

Q. I've heard that the Challenge program is going to be moved out of Hazel Valley because it's over-crowded, and possibly go to Shorewood. Can you comment on whether this is going to happen, and if so, when the change will be implemented? If a move does happen, will transfer requests for Challenge students' siblings be honored, even if notification of the move occurs after the usual transfer deadline? Thank you.

A. Hazel Valley is currently over-enrolled, partially because Hazel Valley houses some special programs as well as neighborhood children. A significant number of neighborhood children have been displaced to other schools because there is not room to serve them. The district is committed to serving students in their neighborhood schools whenever possible. Deputy Superintendent Carla Jackson and her team have been evaluating this issue and will share a remedy with staff and parents in the next few days.