THE PUBLIC FORUM
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The Arlington Times • The Marysville Globe
December 14, 2013
Downtown-waterfront redevelopment
L
ast month, I attended the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) in Los Angeles to share Marysville’s downtown-waterfront revitalization plans and receive feedback from fellow mayors and a panel of nationally renowned urban design experts. I was invited by MICD with all expenses paid through a National Endowment for the Arts grant. MICD is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors. The visit was an eye-opening and invaluable experience in so many ways. I returned to Marysville with a boost of confidence in the direction we’re headed with our downtownwaterfront redevelopment and more tools to make it happen. Equally important, the great feedback provided by urban design experts is currency I brought home gleaned out of three intensive days that you can’t get anywhere else. Design decisions for public spaces goes to the root of what makes a good city great. If we’re deliberate and committed to addressing design challenges in downtown and waterfront plans, our actions will enrich our city and our citizens, and make Marysville not only a great place to live and visit, but a great place for businesses to prosper for generations. Seven mayors from mainly
Guest OpiniOn JOn nEhrInG MArySvILLE MAyOr
Western states engaged leading design experts at CityLAB, a think tank within UCLA’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design. The group included the Mayors of Corvallis, Ore.; ButteSilver Bow, Mont.; Reno, Nev.; Buckeye, Ariz.; and the California cities of Rialto and Vallejo. The visit included tours of successful urban design projects and a panel discussion with students. Sessions were organized around case studies, and mulling over the most critical urban design challenges facing our cities. We each presented a key issue from our respective cities for other mayors and urban design practitioners to discuss. I presented Marysville’s initiative to revitalize the downtown-waterfront area, with a future that envisions mixeduse projects that create more 24/7 urban living, with shops, restaurants and boutiques; and pedestrian improvements for better walkability. The city would also look to take advantage of water recreation and ecotourism opportunities embodied in Ebey waterfront see neHRinG, pAGe 5 The Marysville
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School funding a complicated issue
once heard someone say that problems always seem simplest to solve by those furthest away from the issue. I am guilty of that myself when I watch the nightly news from my couch and inform policy makers how to fix our major world problems by talking to my television. For some reason, they just aren’t listening to my advice. This also so true when it comes to how we fund our schools in the state of Washington. What seems like it should be a simple process, is one of the most complicated one can ever imagine. There are always ideas floating around in Olympia of how to simplify funding — but the process hasn’t changed yet.
Guest OpiniOn Dr. BECky BErG School funding in Washington is different from many states, with specific salary directives set by the Legislature and local districts committing to the additional staff, program, and contract requirements needed to ensure our children have quality schools. Where do local schools get their money?
Our public schools in Washington rely primarily on money from the
state of Washington, federal funds for specific needs, and local levy and bond collections. State lawmakers set school funding levels during each legislative session. School districts have limited taxing authority, through local levies and bond issues. Local levies are intended to supplement state funds, not replace them. Local levies must be approved by the voters with a simple majority, (50 percent plus one “Yes” vote). There is a limit on how much money a school district can raise through the local levy. Local bond measures, which are used to build buildings, must meet a supermajority requirement of 60 percent see BeRG, pAGe 5
Grateful for all those who support our students
D
uring this holiday season, I would like to take a moment to share how grateful I am for our staff who are incredibly hard working, compassionate and dedicated to the success and well-being of all of our children; for a Board of Directors who cares deeply and gives so much of themselves to serve; and for a community who stands tall and wraps its arms around our most precious resource — the children. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie We have so much to be thankful for in our rich history and our great sense of community. These qualities are rare. “Making sense of our past” helps us to embrace the present and plan for tomorrow. We have been through some
Guest OpiniOn Dr. krISTInE MCDuffy turbulent times, no doubt, but we have emerged stronger and more clearly focused on our core work of providing the very best educational system. Our staff is working hard to manage the multitude of changes occurring in our system including new standards (Common Core State Standards & Next Generation Science Standards), new assessment system (Smarter Balanced Assessment), new instructional framework (Danielson Instructional Framework), new evaluation
system (Teacher & Principal Evaluation Legislation), to name a few. There have never been so many significant reforms occurring simultaneously in public education. Our staff has been so positive and so professional throughout these trying times. I am very proud and grateful in the progress we are making. The way in which we tackle these challenges is working through our foundation of high performing teams across the organization. We have embraced professional learning communities as the vehicle to ensure that we are working together to achieve at high standards. This year, we have further defined the elements of high performing teams and how to measure our progress. There are nine elements orgasee MCDuFFY, pAGe 5