Superintendent Message

Good morning,

April is flying by! After spending a week in and out at the elementary, I am now trying to catch up on my regular job, and we have some info moving forward.

Tomorrow is a meeting at Blankslate that is a result of the district receiving a grant through WSAC, the Washington Student Achievement Council. It’s primary purpose is to create opportunities for Benton City students in the areas of STEM and career outreach. This grant will not fund other students from other districts, so we are able to design opportunities for what our kids need, not a one size fits all. A representative from each building will be there, along with folks from WSU-TC, CBC, The STEM Foundation and community partners.

We will be holding a Question and Answer meeting with members of the school board and district staff to answer questions about budget development for next year on Thursday at 6:30 PM in the board room. Drew will be discussing the timeline and early assumptions about staffing and student projections for 23-24. We still plan on handling staff decreases through attrition in all of the bargaining units.

We are holding a summer school meeting today for secondary schools at 2:45 PM with principals. We will review the plans and opportunities for kids. At the HS, we received word yesterday that there will not be funding for summer Running Start, but everything else should stay status quo as long as we have a minimum number of kids willing to participate. Part of the elementary summer program will include a STEM Camp for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at WSU-TC, along with PD for those grade level teachers who participate in summer school. This is a unique opportunity and Jon Lobdell from WSU-TC met with us this morning to ensure that we have slots reserved. I will pass along more information as we develop the program.

Have a great rest of the week!

Pete

What's Going On This Week

District

• 4/19: PLC Release, 1:40
• 4/20: Elementary Class Pictures
• 4/20: School Board Q & A, 6:30, Board Room
• April 21-22: FFA Plant Sale, 3:30-6:00 PM on the 21st and 9AM-Noon on the 22nd, Ki-Be Greenhouse

Staff Member in Focus:  Christian Wingle

I’ve lived in the Tri-Cities area my entire life. I went to school at Columbia Basin College and Washington State University for my undergraduate degree. I received my Master’s in Teaching at Washington State University.

I started working as a paraeducator right out of high school and found that I have a passion for teaching. I teach 7th grade Eng-lish and 6th grade typing. I love working at Ki-Be MS. Go cubs!

In my free time, I like doing anything outdoors including hiking, backpacking, camping, and fishing. I also enjoy traveling, reading, and watching WSU football.