RECORD D SOUTH WHIDBEY
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013 | VOL. 89, NO. 74 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
SW school board approves bargaining agreement
INSIDE
SWEETWATER CREEK FARM STUDIO SEE...A12
Prepare for toe tappin’ “The people of South Whidbey have one of the greatest music festivals in the world in their backyard.” — Troy Chapman, guitarist
Evaluations to affect teacher pay By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record After months of deliberation and long meetings, the South Whidbey School Board approved a collective bargaining agreement with teachers this week. The board voted unanimously to adopt the agreement with the South Whidbey Education Association during a special business meeting Wednesday, Sept. 11. Valerie Brown, co-president of the association, said the agreement was a tough bargain but she felt good about the outcome. “The contract was fair and reasonable,” Brown said. “It was a good balance trying to meet the needs of the teachers with district resources.” Superintendent Jo Moccia highlighted the changes in a letter to the board of directors, most notably the implementation of the teacher/principal evaluation project to enhance instruction and improve accountability for teachers. The evaluation includes eight state-defined criteria for teachers. The criteria include: focusing high expectations for student achievement, demonstrating effective teaching practices, recognizing students’ learning needs and SEE CONTRACT, A36
Celeste Erickson / The Record
Jeanne Juneau, marketing and publicity coordinator at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, inserts letters in the reader board at WICA to announce the upcoming gypsy jazz festival — DjangoFest Northwest.
Gypsy jazz festival to draw thousands djangoFest northwest info Opening party: Performance by Troy Chapman from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 on Zech Lawn. Attendees can win prizes and half-off tickets for the festival. No tickets necessary.
Admission: Tickets range from $32 to $70 and are available online at tickets.wicaonline.com or by phone at 800-638-7631
Performances and workshops: From Sept. 18 to 22 at WICA, Langley Middle School and the Langley United Methodist Church.
By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record Musical talent from around the world will descend on Langley next week for the 13th annual gypsy jazz festival — DjangoFest Northwest. The event begins Wednesday, Sept. 18 and will run through Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) 565 Camano Ave. Stacie Burgua, executive director at WICA, said the festival often feels like a family reunion. She said she looks forward to seeing everyone as well as seeing new artists perform. The festival features 13 musicians and
bands with new acts, including Olli Soikkeli, Brishen, New Hot Club of America with Gonzalo Bergara, Kruno Spisic with Filip Novosel, Trio Dinicu with Tommy Davy and Whidbey Island musicians 3 Cent Stamp. The festival will also feature music from the John Jorgenson Quintet, Pearl Django, Fishtank Ensemble, Caravan with Marc Atkinson and Daniel Lapp and the Denis Chang Quartet. Fapy Lafertin, from Holland, will headline the event this year and will be joined by special guest Tcha Limberger, from Belgium. Last year the festival sold about 3,500 SEE DJANGO, A36