Linnenkohl gets his shot

Congratulations to Capital grad Alex Linnenkohl, who was signed by the Chicago Bears to a 3-year contract, getting a shot at center. The Olympian reports:

Linnenkohl, who finished his college career last season as one of Oregon State’s all-time best centers, signed a rookie free agent contract with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday afternoon, fulfilling his longtime dream of getting a chance to play in the NFL. He was one of two undrafted centers signed by Chicago, joining Mississippi State’s J.C. Brignone.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” Linnenkohl said Tuesday from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., where the Bears will begin training camp Saturday. “It’s pretty surreal right now. It hasn’t really hit me yet.”

What follows is one of those I-knew-him-when's: Back in 2006, I appeared on the same stage as Linnenkohl in an improv comedy show. The papers always report his work ethic (second-to-none) and his determination (at only 303 pounds, he's small for a center), but what they miss is his quick wit and killer sense of humor.

Best of luck, Alex. Strike that: do what brought you here, and keep working hard. If you get a Superbowl ring before the Seahawks do, I won't even complain.

Guerilla Running's 4K Moon Run / Walk, Saturday, July 9th

On what promises to be a completely awesome evening, Guerilla Running is hosting the first ever 4K Moon Run / Walk this Saturday, July 9th, at Capital High School, to benefit CHS's Debate Team. I hear that 200 women have signed up to race, earning custom-designed sterling silver necklaces and post-race pampering.

There will be a raffle with great prizes from Olympia businesses, including The Alpine Experience, 510 Interiors, BeHive Massage Therapy, and Nathan's Performance Gear. Swing Wine Bar Cafe will provide desserts for the runners, served by volunteers including Debate team members.

Saturday night at 8 p.m., come watch, hang out, buy raffle tickets, and enjoy the race. If you'd like to donate prizes, cash, or time, feel free to contact me.

See you at the race!



Need more info? Check it the Facebook page.

well, this is heartening

In a story straight out of a Law and Order episode, drugs and weapons were recovered across the street from Capital High School, The Olympian reports:

Acting on a tip, narcotics detectives arrested a registered sex offender and a 17-year-old at a West Dundee Street residence across from Capital High School where detectives seized three ounces of methamphetamine and more than two pounds of marijuana.

Detectives also seized seven firearms from the juvenile’s bedroom, including a loaded AK-47 assault rifle and a sawed-off shotgun.

Read the story for all the details. Although the thought of a nearby weapons cache is more than a little unsettling, I'd imagine the weapons (and bulletproof vests) found at the scene were the typical arsenal for a low-level drug dealer living in fear.

As a teacher who mostly thinks of drugs in the abstract, I know there's more going on in the world than I'm aware of. But sheesh:

The juvenile’s mother, who apparently also resides at the home where the narcotics and guns were found, said she was unaware of the alleged illegal activity going on there, Peters said in court.

Colossally bad parent, or tracks-covering accessory?

Either way, a tragedy might have been averted.

CHS roof collapse blamed on faulty trusses

At long last, it appears we have an explanation for the roof collapse at Capital High School this past winter, The Olympian reports.

OLYMPIA – Roof trusses that were substandard contributed to the Christmas morning cave-in at Capital High School that caused school closures in the second half of the year, according to district officials and a report from an engineering firm hired by the insurance company.

Capital High is expected to be ready and open for students by fall, as crews work through the summer to restore the school from structural and water damage caused by the collapse of the library roof during several feet of snowfall over winter break.

So far, the repairs to the roof and the walls have cost about $2.25 million, which will be covered by insurance, district spokesman Peter Rex said.

The school’s roof caved into the library, breaking a fire sprinkler main that poured water throughout the building. The snow that accumulated in the week before winter break also compressed the roof over adjacent parts of the building, damaging gas lines.

The repairs to the roof have included bringing the damaged sections of the roof up to city code, said district supervisor of capital planning and construction Tim Byrne.

When the main part of the high school was built in 1975, codes allowed for a lighter snow load, and plywood gussets at the time could be glued to the trusses, instead of bolted in.

An investigation by engineering firm PCS Structural Solutions of Seattle and Tacoma also found that some of the original trusses were not built to the original specifications.

According to the firm’s report, some of the roof structure over the kitchen and Vis-Com and Tech classrooms “appears to have not been properly designed or constructed originally. The plywood gussets at these joints are smaller than the size shown on the truss shop drawings.”

The district’s insurance carrier told district officials that the contractor who built the trusses in 1975 is no longer in business, Byrne said.

The engineering firm made short-term and long-term recommendations for Capital’s roof, according to its report.

PCS’s long-term recommendation for the district is to repair or replace all the trusses in the building to meet the city of Olympia’s current requirements.

Olympia generally calls a district-wide snow day if there is an accumulation of 4 inches or more of snow, he added.

The short-term recommendations for Capital include:

• Repairing the deficient joints.

• Keeping shoring beams underneath roof top mechanical units.

• Making sure that roof drains are functional.

• Clearing snow from the roof when there is an accumulation of more than 4 inches.

• Checking for signs of structural distress, including sagging ceilings, roof leaks or “popping” noises from the trusses.

The firm also recommended an annual inspection of Capital’s roof.

Officials have adopted the short-term recommendations made by the engineering firm — which would allow occupancy of the building with up to 4 inches of snow on the roof — and the district is looking into its options for the school in the long term, Rex said.

“Obviously, we have an interest in making sure nothing happens even when there’s 8 inches of snow,” Rex said.

The district is looking into purchasing a snow-melting system that would allow the district to clear the roof in case of a heavy snowfall, Byrne said.

The district is working with its insurance company to see how much insurance will cover, Byrne said.

detailed Olympia SD budget released

We already knew that the Olympia School District Board of Directors approved the 09-10 budget; the summary of changes is available here [pdf].

More important from a long-term accountability and public relations perspective, yesterday the District, on its website, released one of the most detailed budget breakdowns I've ever seen [pdf].

Peter Rex, if you're out there, correct me if I'm wrong--but this seems groundbreaking.

budget passes; Cispus gone, sports saved (for now)

Last night the Olympia School Board passed a budget for 2009-10. Venice Buhain reports:

The board restored about $162,500 in programs at its meeting Tuesday night, including the district-wide bus for the Lincoln Options program, a half-time counselor at Avanti High School, and high school gymnastics, drill team and boys swimming.

Cutting the music and physical education specialists for kindergarten through third grade to save $261,000 had been considered, but none of the board members brought it up as an amendment.

“It wasn’t necessary,” board president Carolyn Barclift told the other board members.

Superintendent Bill Lahmann’s original budget proposal had included about $1.9 million in cuts, and relies on spending about $815,000 from reserves, also known as the ending fund balance.

The board upheld the original budget proposal’s call for administrator furloughs and cutting the overnight trip to the Cispus Learning Center.

To save Cispus, the community would have to raise about $70,000.

The Board also voted to set up a committee to study sports funding. Unless a miracle occurs in the state economy and educational funding structure, we'll be talking about further cuts same time next year.

Update: Buhain's blog entry on who voted for what when is quite useful.

Olympia School Board incumbents face no opposition in '09

Due to our ongoing budget crisis, this isn't at all surprising: not one of the incumbent Board appointees will face any opposition in this year's election. Allen Miller, Mark Campeau, and Eileen Thomson will each retain a seat on the Olympia School Board, barring the bizarre.*

Turns out that this year, the only race with any drama was the student representative election. Congratulations to Capital's Vamsi Chunduru, who won last week.

At least the City Council races are all competitive...






*Which we've seen, from time to time--after all, how else would you get three appointed members on an otherwise democratically elected Board?

breaking: Capital HS to open on schedule this September

This just in, from Capital's principal, Nancy Faaren, via email:

June 5, 2009

Dear Capital High School Students, Staff and Families:

As you can imagine, all of us at Capital have been eager to hear the results of the tests on the roof trusses so that we can begin to move forward. Earlier this week, officials from the Olympia School District and I met with our structural engineer to hear their preliminary conclusions based on the tests they have performed thus far on the trusses. Here is what we know as of today:

• Capital High School will operate as scheduled for the 2009-2010 school year. Our first day of school will be September 9th, the same as all the other schools in the District.
• Contractors will work during the summer to finish repairs on the library and visual communications rooms. They will also complete the finish work throughout the school that was left over from the repairs this winter. At this point, we anticipate that all of this work will be completed before the first day of school.
• Contractors will reinforce the gussets that support the roof trusses in several areas. The structural engineers have not definitively determined all of the factors that may have led to the roof collapse. Obviously, the extreme weight of the record heavy snowfall caused the failure. It also appears some of the trusses were not constructed as designed, hence the work this summer to reinforce some of the gussets. The posts that were built as part of the roof repair work this winter will remain in place as an additional precaution to provide extra support under the heaviest mechanical units.
• Based on the test results, the Olympia School District will be working with the City of Olympia to amend the occupancy permit to allow Capital High School to remain open with a snow load of approximately 5 inches. This would bring us in line with the rest of the schools in the District as past practice has been to close schools when snow accumulations reach that level (or many times, less than 5 inches).
• As an additional precaution, the Olympia School District is reviewing the feasibility of installing a snow melting system on the roof, similar to one that is used on buildings with flat roofs in the mountain passes. We will know more about this in the weeks ahead.

The long term plan for the roof is still under development. Tests on the remaining trusses will be completed this week. We expect to have a final report and recommendations from the structural engineers in the next couple of weeks. As soon as I receive that report, I will make sure it is posted to our Capital High School website for your review.

Once we have received the report and recommendations, we will work with District staff to evaluate the options for any remaining work that will need to take place to permanently fix the roof.

That we could be open on time, and on as normal a schedule as is roofly possible, is a relief.

filing week for elections

Today, filing week begins for all sorts of elections.

“Coming off 2008, it was such an exciting year, people were so energized. I think there is a little of that momentum and people starting to get interested in politics again,” Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman said Friday.

“You also have a number of races on the ballot that have very low filing fees. I expect we’ll have a few wild cards next week that go under everyone’s radar,” she added.

Wyman said filing runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online filing is accepted from 8 a.m. Monday until 3 p.m. Friday, but online filers also must bring their online printouts by 5 p.m. Friday.

All of the sitting Olympia School Board members who are up for election*--Mark Campeau, Allen Miller, and Eileen Thomson--plan to run, according to the paper. By Friday, we'll find out if they'll have any competition.


*Miller was appointed by ESD 113; Campeau and Thomson by the Board.

breaking: Olympia SD's budget cut recommendations for 2009-2010

This afternoon the Olympia School District released its list of recommended budget changes for the 2009-2010 year [PDF]. The largest cuts would come from reducing the Ending Fund Balance to 5%, saving $850,000, and backfilling special education with $400,000 in stimulus funds. Other significant recommended cuts are included in the graphic below.

(Some cuts--notably those made to particular high school athletics--are bound to be unpopular. Some cuts are a little opaque; for instance, I'm going to find out what that "Special Events Fund" includes, since $100,000 probably represents a goodly number of stipends at all levels.)

The community is invited to comment on the proposed cuts at upcoming meetings.

May 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Marshall Middle School, 3939 20th Avenue NW, Olympia 98502

May 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Washington Middle School, 3100 Cain Road SE, Olympia 98501

An overview of the budget is available here [PDF].

Update: More details available at Venice Buhain's blog at The Olympian.

Update II: The "special events fund" is used differently at each school. For instance, it might include stipends to support teachers who run charity campaigns, or who write letters of recommendation for seniors (the case at CHS), or who advise clubs. It's a lot of little stipends rolled up in one $100,000 cut.

swine flu headed here, for reals?

A week ago, I wondered if/when swine flu was going to hit the South Sound. The nearest purported case, in Lakewood, turned out to be a bust. Maybe this one will, too:

Thurston County likely has its first reported case of swine flu, according to the county's Health & Social Services Department.

The case involved a 31-year-old man who was sick with Influenza A; tests have not yet confirmed that it was swine flu. Most Influenza A cases end up being confirmed as swine flu by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the health department.

The man since has recovered.

“This confirms what we already knew; that Swine Flu H1N1 is present in Thurston County” Sherri McDonald, Thurston County Public Health and Social Services director, said in a news release.

Well, only if that "most" includes this instance. I'll wait for confirmation before extending my weekend.

North Thurston slashes budget; axes 36 FTEs

The North Thurston School Board has voted to slash nearly $5 million from their budget. The lowlights:

The cuts include eliminating about 36 full-time-equivalent teaching positions throughout the district, but that will be reached through retirements, resignations and not renewing one-year contracts....

Other cuts include:

• Eliminating the Talented and Gifted program for first-graders.
• Raising high school athletic fees from $75 a sport to $100 a sport. The football fee would be $125.
• Raising middle school athletic fees from $40 a year to $60 a year.
• Reducing full-time librarians at the elementary schools to half time.
• Cutting several district-level administrator or director positions.
• Increasing lunch prices by 25 cents.
• Eliminating food reimbursements for teachers, administrators and other adults who are traveling or at meetings.
• Lowering the temperature of the district’s pools and pool buildings, which a North Thurston district resident suggested could save $36,000.

Other staff reductions include eight administrators or supervisors, one office professional at each of the middle and high schools, a mechanic and 3.5 full-time-equivalent custodians.

It should be noted that, compared to personnel cuts, the savings from efficiencies and user fees are rather small.

In his reluctant defense of the cuts, Board member Bill Williams is quoted as saying, "[B]asically, we have no choice." Until all our options are exhausted--and they aren't--that isn't the case.

About a week ago, I urged the Board to let the voters decide whether to accept any potential earnings from a levy lid lift, which NTSD has forsworn. Although Gregoire hasn't convened the legislature for a special session to lift the lid, it's still an option. If that effort falls short, then Williams will be right.

If it falls short.

We'll find out by the end of the week.

Update: It appears that Gregoire's plan to call a special session has crumbled into pieces. Sucks to be us, eh North Thurston School District?

swine flu headed for the Sound?

Have to start wondering if/when the swine flu outbreak will finally reach the South Sound. Lakes High School in the nearby Clover Park School District is closed today, due to fears of potential H1N1 case.

It's the sixth school in the Puget Sound area to close as a precaution against the spread of swine flu. Three others are in Seattle, one in Des Moines and one in Mukilteo.

As long as I have cable internet, a staycation won't be so bad.

Update: It wasn't swine flu, the News Tribune reports.

Friday night, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced that additional tests from the state health lab showed that while the students remain hospitalized with influenza, it’s not the swine flu strain.

That's one thing being lost in the swine flu shuffle: non-swine varieties can be just as pernicious.

Here's hoping that's the last we hear of swine flu this close to the South Sound.

Olympia School District RIF update: April 23

Pre-RIF notices are heading out to the yet-unknown number of Olympia teachers, starting today. Via the District's communication team, in email:

This afternoon, letters will be mailed home to teachers who have been identified to receive RIF notices. These letters are being mailed to homes in order to honor the intent of the collective bargaining language that notification not be made at school sites. We will also follow up with an email message to all teachers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24th. This email will indicate the total number of teachers from the seniority/experience list that will be receiving RIF notices. Actual RIF notices will be delivered to teachers beginning Monday, April 27th. [emphasis added]

All teachers who receive information that they will be affected by the RIF should plan on attending one of the following meetings:

Elementary School Teachers
Monday April 27th Knox Board Room 4:00-5:00

Secondary School Teachers
Tuesday April 28th Knox Board Room 3:00-4:00

As you may already know, in the pessimum outlook, 37.5 positions would be eliminated. The House and Senate have decided on a budget, but haven't released the details; regardless, Governor Gregoire will have the final vote on any education-gutting about to take place. (Reason for pessimism: the sales tax boost proposal went down in flames.)

If you know a young teacher in any district around Washington, give them a hug, now.

Tumwater proposes cuts; Olympia to follow

The Tumwater School District could lose as many as twelve teachers in the coming months, The Olympian reports.

Tumwater classrooms might have 3 percent fewer teachers next year as part of the district’s $1.7 million in cuts for 2009-10 to meet a projected budget shortfall.

That would be the equivalent of six full-time certificated staff members at the elementary school level and six at the middle and high school levels. It also would be the first time the district has responded to a budget shortfall with teacher layoffs in recent memory.

The pain is going to spread all over Thurston County. The Olympia School Board recently voted to send RIF notices to roughly 100 teachers by May 15. According to a union rep, in the worst-case scenario, as many as 55 positions might be eliminated.

Fifty-five. No way normal attrition covers that.

I have no idea what to expect for next year. I'm #97 on the RIF list, so even if I keep my job, I may not stay at my present location. No matter where I end up, it'll be a packed house.

Like many coaches, I could see a significant reduction in my supplemental contract, or its outright elimination. How this would affect the future of activities and athletics district-wide is an open question.

Makes this meeting pretty important:

The Olympia School District Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2009, at the Knox Center, 1113 Legion Way SE, Olympia, Washington 98501. The forum is being held to receive input from the community on the use of Initiative 728 funds for the 2009-2010 school year.

A regular meeting of the Olympia School District Board of Directors will follow at 6:30 p.m.

You might want to attend.

RIF option on the table for Olympia School District

Anyone who's been following this year's state budget implosion will have seen this coming. The Olympia School District is investigating a RIF process as a way to balance the budget in the face of declining revenue, an email from the District's HR Director Beth Scouller reports.

This evening at the Board of Director's meeting, the Board of Directors will be asked to approve Resolution 451. This resolution directs the Superintendent to recommend a reduced education plan, including a reduced staffing plan, for the 2009-2010 school year. As required by state law, such action is necessary when the District does not anticipate the financial resources to maintain programs and services at the present levels.

At this time it is unfortunate that the District does not know the extent of the impact on District revenues due to our current state and national economic situation. Although we are hopeful that cuts and reductions will be minimal, the District is preparing for a reduction-in-force in case deep cuts to programs, staff and services become necessary.

Appendix A in the OEA/OSD Bargaining Agreement addresses the specific steps and processes for a reduction in our certificated staff. Please feel free to contact your OEA building representative, OEA President, or me if you have questions regarding the language or process of a District reduction in force. At this time, no reduction-in-force (RIF) notices are being prepared. You will continue to receive communication from me as we move through this process.

I couldn't make the meeting, so I don't know what action has been taken on the resolution. (My guess is they passed it; the RIF process isn't binding, but it's necessary to make any future cuts.) I'll post an update when I know for sure.

Seven years of teaching in the district; three RIFs, potentially. I'm not the albatross, am I?

First Update: Perusing the minutes, it appears the resolution was presented for first reading, which means it wouldn't be approved until the next meeting, April 20th. I'll update again when the podcast is posted and I can have a listen. (If you were there, feel free to comment. The Olympian--which we should now refer to as The Tacoma News-Extension--isn't much help today.)

Second Update: I spoke with a source in the District who noted that I-728 funds are potentially going to be axed by the State. The District employs 50 teachers using these funds, which would not only necessitate a RIF process, but likely deep cuts in other programs as well. One thing is certain: class sizes will be larger next year.

for the love of the Olympia School District

If you in any way care about the future of the Olympia School District, I urge you to take the ten minutes to fill out the 2009-2010 Budget Survey. It's not difficult, and if it helps set better priorities for spending, then it's well worth the time.

Below are the really tricky questions. What are your crazy/brilliant ideas? Share them!

enjoy the break

Totally called it. Three straight days of snow = no school until January 5th.

smearing Jeff Kingsbury? stupid plan.

Via blog-neighbor Emmett O'Connell, word of a story I missed in The Olympian: some idiot* used a mailer to smear Jeff Kingsbury.

The postcard carried a return address for "Kids at Play," a summer theater program run by Capital Playhouse, which Kingsbury founded and operates. The Olympian obtained a copy of a postcard that was postmarked Nov. 18 and mailed to the YWCA of Olympia.

On the front is a picture of Kingsbury and a logo for Capital Playhouse. It reads: "I want your vote for mayor of Olympia, and after that State Senator. As I am destined to be the next Mayor of Olympia I look forward to walking across the street from my business Capital Playhouse Northwest Theater for Youth to my new $35 million dollar City Hall office.

"Lately there has been a bit of an uproar about me calling people 'idiots', what's the big deal, most people are, I am just the guy that's man enough to say it. Just search my name on the local paper's website 'The olympian.com'."

The postcard went on to make suggestive comments about Kingsbury's sexual orientation — he is gay — and his theater program.

There is no race for mayor next year, and Kingsbury abstained from voting on Olympia's planned $35.6 million City Hall, which would be across Fourth Avenue from Capital Playhouse, to prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest.

The reference to calling people "idiots" refers to Kingsbury using his laptop computer during a recent council meeting to post that an Olympia resident addressing the council was an idiot. He later said he was referring to someone at the council meeting who called President-elect Barack Obama a "mulatto" and asked if Obama would "save the white people from the coming great famine." He later said he learned his lesson after the private Facebook exchange appeared on a local blog.

It's not the first time an area councilman has made a blogging faux pas--Lakewood's Walter Neary comes to mind--but the response, maybe even by the same obviously unhinged citizen, is beyond ridiculous.

In the end, this lunatic scheme will backfire. Kingsbury is a good man and a passionate representative for his constituents. He deserves all Olympians' support.




*Yes, the word "idiot" is intentional.

2008 Thurston County election results

... will be posted as soon as they become available, around 8:15 tonight. Should be interesting to see how that 12-candidate judicial race turns out.

Update 8:16 Meyer appears to be winning, with about 23% in the 12-person race. Follow that link to see for yourself.

Statewide, here are the results (in RSS). Enjoy!