School volunteer charged with sexual misconduct The Methow Valley School District is directing a third-party investigation into a field trip after a volunteer chaperone on the outing was arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. According to charging documents filed in Okanogan County Superior Court, Emily Binning-Wolak, 40, had sex with a 16-year-old Liberty Bell High […]
Tom Venable
Legislature’s education funding plan leaves students at risk
Soon, the Washington state Legislature will return to work on the biennium budget. Some members of the Legislature seem optimistic they’ll be able to complete their work on time during what…
Grants will help MV School District expand student services
Students in the Methow Valley School District will be able to research thousands of careers — and where to get the skills and education for them. They’ll have additional opportunities to work with mentors from …
Legislature stops short of ‘levy cliff,’ bill goes to Inslee for signature
Educators across the state seem relieved after the Legislature voted to avoid the “levy cliff” on March 9.
The House passed SB 5023 with 87 in support and 10 opposed after the Senate approved the bill with 48 in support and one opposed. The bill will freeze the current levy lid at 28 percent until 2019; the lid was scheduled to drop to 24 percent in 2018.
Liberty Bell incident puts spotlight on emergency response planning
Methow Valley School District staff were already updating an emergency response plan when a frightening and unprecedented situation involving a student erupted in early January at Liberty Bell High School.
The situation was handled by paramedics from Aero Methow Rescue Service, who …
District gets an earful on weapons policies
Methow Valley School District administrators continue to get fallout — and also praise — for their handling of an incident where a sixth-grader brought a pellet gun to school. Four parents attended the school board meeting on Wednesday …
Gun incident at school spurs debate of district actions, policies
The expulsion of a sixth-grade student who brought an airsoft pellet gun to school last week has stirred debate among parents about how the school administration handled the incident, and about the timing of how students’ …
School district applies for Int’l Baccalaureate candidacy
The Methow Valley School District is applying to be a candidate for two International Baccalaureate (IB) programs — the primary years program for kindergarten through sixth grade and middle years program for seventh through 10th grade.
School district info meeting draws IB skeptics – and supporters
In a sometimes-divisive public meeting, some parents said the Methow Valley School District’s proposal to adopt the International Baccalaureate (IB) program would finally make school exciting, while others said it …
April ballot will have levies for school facilities and buses
Voters will decide whether to provide money to the Methow Valley School District for facilities upgrades and new school buses in two separate levies next month. The Methow Valley School board approved a recommendation from Superintendent Tom Venable on Wednesday (March 11) to put two levies on the April 28 ballot – $4.5 million for […]
