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Board looks at closing some Kent schools
Numbers grim in the battle of the budget
BY SARAH KEHOE
BY DENNIS BOX
skehoe@kentreporter.com
dbox@kentreporter.com
Some Kent schools may be shut down next school year due to impending state budget cuts. The idea came from Kent School District staff looking for ways to sidestep the loss of federal and state funds. SCHOOL Kent School Board members unanimously approved the idea to look into the school district’s proposal at the last board meeting. “Nothing concrete has been decided yet,” said Richard Stedry, the district’s chief business officer. District staff hosted a legislative breakfast Nov. 17 at their administrative campus to discuss accomplishments and budget concerns. They urged the legislators
The Kent City Council and staff performed a high-wire juggling act during the past couple of 2012 budget meetings trying to reconcile some very stark revenue numbers with the reality of running the sixth largest city in the CITY OF state. The council members met Nov. 17 and Saturday morning in a chilly City Hall to wrestle with numbers, plans, proposals and considerable concerns. The members will meet again Dec. 6 to make a final run at a budget that can be passed. While the members shivered, particularly Saturday morning, with the heat turned low as a costsaving measure, they pushed and
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A Recipe for Thanksgiving
Lynn Bollinger, left, and Verla Morrison, Kent United Methodist Church volunteers, work on preparing the pot roast Saturday for an early Thanksgiving dinner for homeless men in the area. CHARLES CORTES, Kent Reporter To view a slide show go to www.kentreporter.com and to buy photos go to the website and click on the photo reprints tab.
[ more SCHOOLS page 13 ]
[ more BUDGET page 8 ]
Running club helps students excel BY SARAH KEHOE skehoe@kentreporter.com
Principal Stacy Wahlberg, left, and Honey Sychtysz jog Nov. 16 during the annual Apple Cup Run for the school’s running club. CHARLES CORTES, Kent Reporter
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Around 200 Soos Creek Elementary students ran laps around the school Nov. 16, decked out in Husky and Cougar shirts. The students were joined by a few alumni, parents and some staff members in Soos Creek Running Club’s Apple Cup Run. The race is a finale for the club, which starts in September. “I did 15 laps during the run,” said Alyssa Clifton, sixth grade. “I use to run with my mom all the time, so I joined the club for fun, but also to stay healthy and fit with my friends.” Staff member Stacey Wahlberg started the club in
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2008 so students would have a free and healthy activity available to them after school. Club members run twice a week on the school grounds or through the neighborhood, along with any family members or friends wanting to join in. “We don’t have one goal for Stacey Wahlberg the club, we just want the kids to come out, have fun, get healthier and maybe push themselves in running,” Wahlberg said. Every year the club keeps growing. We started out with only 45 members and now have 200 students,” Wahlberg said. “We only have 300 kids total at our school, so that amount of students participating is awesome.” Keen Sable, 6, joined the club this year so she could hang out with friends and teachers.
“We don’t have one goal for the club, we just want the kids to come out, have fun, get healthier and maybe push themselves in running.”
[ more CLUB page 7 ]
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