RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 | Vol. 87, No. 74 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
INSIDE: Music in the park, Island Life, A12
Initial count shows student enrollment continues to drop
Another winning recipe
BY BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
The early numbers are in, and they don’t look good. Officials with the South Whidbey School District said student counts late last week show enrollment in the district continues to drop. The latest tally shows about 30 less students than the district had expected. “Certainly we’re disappointed and concerned, but were going to look at overall enrollment,” said Superintendent Jo Moccia. Schools reported a total of 1,459 students across the district, but expected 1,488. That drop pales in comparison to the overall decrease from last year’s total: 89 students. Even so, if the enrollment estimate holds true until the end of the 2012 school year, it will be the
third largest decrease in district enrollment in the past 10 years. Most of the enrollment drop was at Whidbey Island Academy and Bayview School. “That’s really where the majority of decrease is,” Moccia said. “We’re going to be looking at programs and see if we can find out what those decreases are about and see if it’s something we can do, or if the students simply aren’t there.” The impact to funding was unknown, though Moccia said the district expects more students to enroll in the coming months. “Right now, it’s too soon to tell,” she said. “Obviously it’s always better to have more (students) than you anticipated.” There was an increase in kindergarten students at South Whidbey Elementary School, though the SEE DROP, A24
Council vacancy draws two hopefuls BY BRIAN KELLY South Whidbey Record
Brian Kelly / The Record
More than 400 people came out Saturday for Good Cheer’s third annual Harvest Party & Music Fest, and there was plenty of good food to go around. Above, Shirley Collins and Barb Schiltz of Whidbey Island Nourishes assemble savory apple bruschetta treats as WIN again won the cook-off competition. At right, guest speaker Graham Kerr of “Galloping Gourmet” fame inspired an appreciative crowd with stories of his first garden, sharing the harvest and healthy, favorite foods. Kerr said he was a big fan of the Good Cheer garden and the work of the local food bank: “This is exactly the city upon a hill the world needs to see.”
A candidate on November’s ballot for the Langley City Council is now also in the running for an appointed seat on the council. Bruce Allen filed an application for the vacant Position 5 seat on Monday. He joins retired Langley physician Doug Allderdice, who has also submitted an application packet to the city. If the council appoints Allen to the Position 5 seat, it would be a shortcut of sorts. Allen was one of three candidates in August’s Primary Election for Position 4 on the council, a seat now held by Robert Waterman. Waterman earlier announced he would not seek another term.
Thomas Gill pulled in the most votes for Position 4 in the threeway primary race on Aug. 16, edging Allen and Jonathon Moses. As the two with the most votes in the primary, Allen and Gill will appear on the November ballot. The winner of the November race for Position 4 will take office in January. Council members will pick a replacement for Robert Gilman — who resigned from Position 5 on Aug. 1 — at their meeting on Sept. 19. Allen said applying for the post would give him a better shot at a council seat. “It could give me a leg up on being on the council earlier than I SEE COUNCIL, A24