Bainbridge Island Review, September 09, 2011

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 | Vol. 111, No. 36 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢

Reserve officer resigns

SAVE THE TREE

By JESSICA HOCH Staff Writer

A Bainbridge Island reserve police officer resigned this week after anonymous emails raised questions about his criminal background. City Manager Brenda Bauer said Reserve Officer Charles Arntz, who is a longtime employee for the city’s Public Works Department, voluntarily resigned in order to avoid raising issues for the Police Department after police records from his background surfaced this week. “[Arntz] didn’t have any disqualifying history, and he was truthful in his application,” said Bauer. “However, we felt that the review of his background that was done was inconsistent BOD_GinAd_2.pdf 1 with 9/6/11the11:33 AM standards the police chief and I have set. He is a good city employee and will continue with city employment, but I don’t think he is the best fit for a police officer.” Arntz, who could have been terminated as a reserve officer, chose to resign after a discussion with Bauer and Police Chief Jon Fehlman. Arntz was sworn in as a reserve officer on July 19. His wife, Lezlie Arntz, is the personal assistant to Fehlman. The city was alerted to the situation after a series of emails was sent attached with court records relating Dennis Anstine/Staff Photo to alleged arrests of Arntz. Aborist Olaf Ribeiro (above) said he was willing to chain himself to this 80 to 100 -year-old Bauer said that Arntz was Douglas fir on Winslow Way if necessary to save it from being cut down by the city, which initially considered it a health hazard. However, the council reversed its stance Wednesday SEE OFFICER, A8 and the tree, which Ribiero said is healthy, won’t be lost. See story on page A9.

Island schools get high marks Overall Bainbridge Island schools meet high proficiency standards but some “No Child Left Behind” test scores need improvement. By JESSICA HOCH Staff Writer

A new school year and a fresh batch of test scores are giving the Bainbridge Island School District a chance to compare its aptitude against state and federal standards. Overall, the results look good, especially for the high school students who took the new state math exams that will become a graduation requirement for the Class of 2013. The state released the initial results on Aug. 30 for a number of state assessments. “Teachers worked really hard last year on aligning our curriculum and making sure students understood the targets,” said Julie Goldsmith, assistant superintendent for Bainbridge Island School District. “We were very anxious for the results and we are really excited.” The new end-of-course (EOC) exams administered last spring were the first time students in algebra one and geometry took state exams at the end of their courses instead of the traditional high school comprehensive math exam. Students passed the algebra test at a rate of 93 percent, and geometry at

a rate of 97 percent. Current sophomores at Bainbridge Island High School (BHS) will have to pass one of the two tests to earn a diploma, and the Class of 2015 will have to pass both of the tests to graduate. Though the EOC scores are impressive, BISD, including the individual schools of Ordway Elementary and BHS, did not make the annual progress mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB); specifically, the students in special education reading at grades 3-5 and grade 10. The success in state standards, but setbacks in federal standards are a conundrum that is facing schools and districts all over the state of Washington. One of the requirements through NCLB is that states develop a baseline or starting point for proficiency through math and reading scores, and use that standard to “raise the bar” in gradual increments so that by 2014 100 percent of the students achieve the standard in math and reading. SEE SCHOOLS, A8


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