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CRIME BLOTTER | Victim and police hunt for vehicle prowler in neighborhood [2]
VOL. 15, NO. 46
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: Frustration, change and Democrats [6] Mr. Federal Way: Who treats our kids like guinea pigs? [7] OUTRAGE | Local protesters blast Walmart over the company’s wages and policies [3] CALENDAR | Federal Way Farmers Market presents winter indoor bazaar [9-10]
SPORTS | Football playoffs. Plus: Beamer VETERANS DAY | Honoring Our Own pays FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013 | 75¢ ace will play volleyball in Hawaii [16-19] tribute to veterans in all branches [14]
Grading system change ahead?
Union rejects Boeing package
School board responds to criticism you is, that we were listening, we are listening and gallmain@federalwaymirror.com will continue to listen,” he Federal Way School said. “One of the things Board members sat I want to emphasize, is through another round of that the (grading) system haranguing by parents was developed with a and others during tremendous amount the board’s Nov. 12 of input. There was NEWS meeting. a committee that Board memworked throughbers and Superout the year to put intendent Rob Neu the grading system said they’re listening, together. In fact, we’re although it may be difficult pulling that committee for concerned commuback together next week for nity members to see that. a continued conversation Neu, in fact, gave the first and to review the effectiveindication that a change in ness of the grading system.” direction might be coming Neu then asked those after the recent weeks of present, by a show of controversy, mainly regard- hands, how many would ing the district’s standards support the district averagbased grading system. ing “the priority standards “What I want to assure [ more GRADING, page 10 ] By GREG ALLMAIN
By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Gov. Jay Inslee, along with the state Legislature, put together a package to help secure an unprecedented commitment from Boeing to assemble its 777X jetliner — and the plane’s carbon fiber wings — in Washington state. However, the Machinists Union roundly rejected the deal Nov. 13 by a majority of 67 percent. Many union members cited the proposed changes to pension plans and other benefits as being the deciding factor in their “no” vote. The union’s vote leaves the whole deal in limbo. “Winning the 777X will secure tens of thousands of jobs and yield huge economic benefits for generations to come,” Inslee had announced in a news release. “And [ more BOEING, page 13 ]
UPDATE
On Wednesday, South King Fire and Rescue’s James Cromwell put a brand new winter coat on third-grader Kevin Salinas at Olympic View Elementary School as part of Operation Warm. To learn more or donate, visit operationwarm.org/southkingcounty. ANDY HOBBS, Federal Way Mirror
Students: System is ‘screwing us all over’
Operation Warm: Cops and firefighters donate coats
gallmain@federalwaymirror.com
By ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
Federal Way police teamed up with South King Fire and Rescue to deliver winter coats for children at Olympic View Elementary School as part of Operation Warm. On Nov. 13, firefighters and police officers brought 200 new coats for students in grades three, four and five. An additional 58 coats were donated for the school to keep on hand, just in case a student needs one. Ryan Herrera, president of IAFF Local 2024, said he has applied for grants in hopes of a larger donation
NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us.
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in 2014. The goal is to provide coats for at least one entire school in Federal Way. Paul Marquardt, principal at Olympic View Elementary, said students often come to school without warm clothing. Olympic View has one of the highest poverty rates in the district. Nearly 88 percent of the school’s 420 students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In comparison, about 56 percent of students in the entire school district qualify for free and reduced lunch. Marquardt said Wednesday’s donation gave students a chance to interact with police and firefighters in a positive setting.
By GREG ALLMAIN
A packed house once again greeted the Federal Way School Board as parents, taxpayers and students spoke up about the continued glitches they’ve all experienced with the controversial standards based grading (SBG) system’s implementation and execution this year. According to the district, SBG allows for a more precise level of learning by requiring students to
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meet a number of “power standards.” The system also replaces letter grades with a 1-through-4 scale. “Every year, I’ve worked hard to earn and maintain a 4.0 GPA,” said Federal Way High School (FWHS) sophomore and Cambridge program student Jaclyn Gillis at the Nov. 12 board meeting. “Under the current grading system, I’ve studied more than anyone in the class, and got four 4s on my tests, and on the last test, I got a 3. But when [ more STUDENTS, page 14 ]
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