2026 January Current

JANUARY

2026

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East Valley School District asks voters for new high school and middle school, page 10

MEET MILLWOODS NEWEST MAYOR PAGE 2

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• JANUARY 2026

The Current

RIVER CROSSING

and was serving on the food did not lend themselves to a two- I definitely got to more than 500 policy council. Serving on the city way dialogue,” she said. of them,” she said. “My whole Millwoods council seemed like a natural way She began seriously considering entire campaign has been talking newest mayor to be even more involved. running for mayor several years to people.”

Beese said she feels like her ago when current mayor Kevin But there was more than the isn’t new to first few years were spent learning Freeman announced he would not position of Mayor on the line for about the city’s issues and be running for re-election in 2025. Beese. Her term on the council the City understanding how the council “It was already something that expires on December 31 and, by

By Nina Culver Current Contributor

Shawna Beese has been a part of the fabric of the small town of Millwood since she was born and will bring that intimate knowledge of her community with her when she takes over as Mayor in January.

Beese started as a city council member in 2017, first appointed to a vacant seat and then elected twice. She will be only the tenth mayor elected in Millwood, which will celebrate its centennial in 2027. Beese said she was surprised to learn how few mayors there have been, one of whom served for 22 years.

worked. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, launching an era of Zoom meetings. “I felt very disconnected,” she said.

More recently, Beese said she’s just been trying to move the city forward. She’s been pushing to make the city more transparent, including working to establish a “two touch” rule that ensures that issues come to city council twice before a vote is held in order to ensure the community has time to give input.

Beese said she advocated for the change because the community wants to be more involved in city issues. “It became apparent we had procedures that

was on my mind,” she said. “I think a lot of us thought about it.”

Last fall, when Beese was making her decision on whether to run or not, she was approached by people who urged her to run, she said. “It felt right,” she said.

Beese ended up running for the seat against fellow Millwood council member Shaun Culler, who has served on the council since 2007. She said she spent her entire summer knocking on doors to talk to people about her race and what they envisioned for Millwood. Her goal was to knock on the doors of all 784 homes, she said.

“I didn’t get to all of them, but

“It’s incredible,” she said. “I honestly didn’t realize that until it was announced. It is a small town, so it feels really appropriate. It’s an honor.”

Before her time on the council, Beese was becoming increasingly involved in community projects

Beese said she was worried about losing the mayoral race and not being involved in city government at all, but her son pointed out that she would continue to be involved in the community just like she always has been even if she wasn’t on the city council. “It was a tension,” she said.

Beese won the election with 62 percent of the vote.

One of Beese’s first goals is to stabilize staffing. The city needs a new city treasurer and a city clerk. She also plans to launch a breakfast or coffee with the mayor event to be held monthly in order to provide an additional way to provide feedback on city issues.

As part of her more transparent communication model, she also wants to revive the city’s monthly newsletter.

In years past, many mayoral and city council races had incumbents that ran unopposed, which helped mayors serve for lengthy amounts of time. That’s changed in recent years, Beese said. “There has been increased interest in the last few years,” she said. “There’s not a lot of uncontested spots. That’s a healthy thing, I think.”

Beese graduated from West Valley High School in 1993 and went on to earn an associate’s degree in nursing from Spokane Community Colleges, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Gonzaga University and a PhD in nursing from Washington State University. She currently works as a community health researcher at WSU.

law, she could only appear on the ballot once. By filing to run for Mayor, Beese was automatically forfeiting her seat on the council.

Culler, however, still has two years left on his council term and after losing the mayoral election will simply keep serving as a council member.

Beese said she also wants to work on establishing some sort of strategic plan for the year to guide council discussions. “We only meet once a month,” she said.

“There’s so few hours to get the work done.”

Q: What was the best part about growing up in Millwood?

Photo by Nina Culver Millwoods newest Mayor stands before the portrait wall of former Millwood mayors. Shawna Beese has been serving on the City Council since 2017 and was most recently elected to as the Mayor in November as former mayor Kevin Freeman decided to retire and not seek re-election.

A: The best part of growing up in Millwood was being able to explore the neighborhood safely.

I grew up under my community’s watchful eyes, and there were many doors I could freely go to if See BEESE, Page 5

JANUARY 2026 • 3

The Current

The Time is NOW! Yes 4 New High School & Middle School Expanded Opportunities Fiscally Responsible The Time is Now!

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• JANUARY 2026

The Current

Connecting CVSD with our Central Valley community Central Valley School District (CVSD) is looking for more ways to connect with our Central Valley community and this new Link within the Current and Splash is just one of the ways we are reaching out.

Join us to learn about the State of the District...

Possibilities to participate with CVSD...

collaboration, our more balanced calendar with breaks throughout the year, our new cell phone policy making a difference in the classroom, as well as the district’s strategic financial planning and stability.

There are several ways for you to Then ask your questions directly to the participate with CVSD. You can volunteer at a school or you have the Superintendent and administrative following opportunities. team. We hope you can join us for this opportunity to hear directly what’s happening in the district and get your specific questions answered. We want to hear from you!

High School Instructional Materials (AP European History, AP Government & Mathematics) Parent Preview night is on January 14, 6pm at CVSD, 2218 N Molter Rd, Liberty Lake. Learn more at www.cvsd.org/ParentPreview

Wondering what’s new with CVSD? Join Superintendent John Parker for a webinar to learn how the district is proceeding on its five-year Strategic Roadmap and what its report card to the community looks like.

State of the District Webinar Thurs., 1/29 @ 6pm

Hear what all is happening in our learning communities. Find out about strategic initiatives like the Student Advisory Council, upcoming Parent Advisory Council, Professional Learning Communities classroom

Long-range Planning Committee Join Superintendent Parker to listen and get work is about to begin to plan for your questions answered on Thursday, future school facilities projects and January 29 at 6pm (this webinar will also improvements aligned with our be recorded) financial resources. Learn more at www.cvsd.org/PlanningCommittee www.cvsd.org/StateoftheDistrict

Parent Advisory Council looking for parent representatives from across our Central Valley schools to meet quarterly to hear what is happening in the district and provide feedback to the superintendent and administrative team. Find out more at www.cvsd.org/PAC Volunteer with our Student and Family Engagement (SAFE) Center. Service week is January 20-23 or you can volunteer anytime. Sign up today by emailing jalfrey@cvsd.org. Learn more at www.cvsd.org/EngagementCenter

2026 Meritorious Service Awards Nominate someone exemplary, related to our schools, by January 30 at www.cvsd.org/Meritorious

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NEWS

BEESE

JANUARY 2026 • 5

with the community to plan a weekend of family-friendly neighborhood events.

Continued from page 2

something went wrong or if my parents weren’t home. My son, nieces, and nephew also grew up the same way. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate all the people I went to school with who still live in the neighborhood.

Even if we weren’t especially close in school, there’s something special about sharing childhood, then watching each other’s kids grow up, and now seeing grandchildren start to arrive is he Current truly something special.

Q: What are you most looking forward to as you begin your role as Mayor?

A: Working with the council, city staff, and community on positioning us as a small city for the next 100 years! In 2027, we will start celebrating our Centennial, and I am thrilled to be the 10th mayor of my hometown. Among initiatives that will position us for the future are protecting our natural resources, enhancing DECEMBER 2025 • 47 safety, and promoting belonging for all citizens.

Banquet Space Available

ON THAT NOTE

Q: Did you ever consider moving away from the area?

A: As a teenager and in my early twenties, I considered moving elsewhere. I went to Spokane Community College and then Gonzaga University. By the time I graduated with a bachelor’s in my late twenties, I was a working Registered Nurse, newly married, and eager to buy a home in my neighborhood.

Q: What advice do you have for people considering either moving to Millwood or opening a business there?

A: Get involved! Millwood is a warm, close-knit community. We host many local events, such as our Farmer’s Market, Millwood Daze, Christmas Tree Lighting, and the annual Winter Market.

Additionally, our businesses and Q: What has been your favorite service organizations organize part of serving on the Millwood fun activities year-round, like cribbage tournaments, movie City Council? nights, karaoke, trivia nights, A: That’s easy, I have loved and community dinners. We meeting and getting to know so also have a community garden, many people within Millwood and local council meetings, Millwood our neighboring communities! I Neighborhood Advocates, and have treasured getting involved several neighborhood churches, with organizations like Millwood all eager for more community Impact and partnering with involvement.

For businesses, Hutton Settlement on projects that organizations such as the boost opportunities for our youth Community Millwood Association and build stronger resilience in and its Main Street Initiative our community. welcome your participation.

Q: Is there a vote you are We are small enough that your particularly proud of? involvement and voice can truly hoto courtesy of Liberty Lake Historical Society a difference. ounterclockwisefrom topleft: Ayellowsuffrage 1909;MayArkwright circa1903;make KalezParkLanding, circa1909;UnderlyingphotoisKalezParkhousetents,circa1909.

A: There ispennant, onecircavote and Hutton, two initiatives from the past two years I amwithespecially proud of!savvy; The Hutton was politically rangementsthat were made the her approachour as a suffragist was to ectric railway and the was lake’s boatmen vote to codify transition deliver participants to the camp. be persuasive not militant. After tofor athe suffragists community deputy model with the state’s westhe rendezvous was butting heads leadership, whom Sheriff’s she saw as vishly decorated in yellow pennants, through the side County e main color of the movement, along antagonists, she founded her own office.

This was a joint effort with statewide organization.

In addition to ith American flags. bolstering support for the cause, they our current mayor and the entire Hutton and Baker were intent on used the camp to plan a campaign that aking Camp Equality a missionary council.

Among the initiatives, mp for the dissemination of the would reach every county in the state. the first are procedural After Washington womenreforms gained the uffrage gospel. A rally was held the to vote in 1910, Hutton received st Sunday after opened the camp. righttransparency to theyencourage and embers of suffrage clubs and friends praise for her ability and the tact with community involvement, such which she carried out her part of the the cause showed up in support as our ith picnic baskets in tote to two-touch spend the campaign. system, which The campaign for women’s ay enjoyinggives a program the of speeches community timesuffrage and nd informal talks. The College Equal in the state of Washington was pivotal input womenprovide gaining the right to vote in the uffrage Clubopportunity of Spokane, whose 250 into United States.

It revitalized the suffrage embers vowed to convertthe their suitors before council takes action.

The women’s rights before entering upon movement nationally being the first second initiative was championing ngagement, was largely represented. state to grant the right in almost 15 years.

Hutton’s contributions heir battlethe cry offirst “No Vote No May Arkwright annual ‘Good Neighbor usband,” could be heard throughout locally, at the state level and nationally Day’ proclamation and working helped make this possible. e camp.

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• JANUARY 2026

Introducing the

The Current

Safety Awareness Channel

The maps provided depict where citizens have reported Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries, Malicious Mischief and Thefts. The Spokane Valley Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s office analyze this data to determine high crime areas and where to allocate resources.

Citizens who have been a victim of crime are encouraged to call 911, if the crime is in progress, or Crime Check at 4562233, if not in progress, to report a crime.

SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH

1. Layer Up During the winter months, always wear plenty of layers of clothing.

At least three layers of loose-fitting clothing is a smart rule to follow in most circumstances. Includes things like insulated gloves and waterproof boots, as well as anything else that’s specific to your outdoor experience.

2. Pack an Extra Set of Clothes Staying dry is of the utmost importance when the air temperature is below freezing because exposure to moisture in cold weather can lead to the development of frostbite. Always pack an extra set of clothes (and keep it in dry place) so you always have something dry to change into if needed.

3. Stay Hydrated Even though drinking water might be the last thing on your mind when you’re shivering, hydrating is just as important in cold weather as it is in hot weather. You won’t stop sweating just because there’s snow on the ground.

Hard work leads to perspiration even in winter, which is why it’s essential you have water access no matter the time of year.

4. Keep the Warm Beverages Flowing Nothing will reheat you faster than hot drinks, which is why keeping warm beverages on hand is our next cold weather safety tip prolonged time outdoors.

5. Don’t Work Alone Because working in cold weather comes with additional risks, it’s always a good idea to tell somewhere where you are going and what you will be doing. Working in a team will enable you to keep an eye on your buddy and vice versa in case either of you exhibits signs of cold weather stress.

6. Take Breaks Often Our next cold weather safety tip is to take frequent breaks so you stay warm on outdoor jobs during cold weather.

You should take breaks in warm, dry spaces so you’re actually able to reheat and recuperate before having to head back out. The lower the temperatures

The Current

are outside, the more frequent the breaks will need to be.

7. Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter Weather To get your vehicle ready for the snow, slush, and high wind speeds of winter weather, check out your tires, batteries, engines, and fluid levels beforehand. Additionally, pack a cold weather safety kit and thick blanket in the trunk in case of accidents or emergencies.

Cold Weather Safety Kit Your cold weather safety kit for outdoor workers should always include the following: Flashlight, Battery-powered weather radio, Extra food and water, Medicine, First-aid supplies, Emergency heating source (like a space heater), Blankets and sleeping bags, Shovel, Knife, Tool kit, Booster cables, Compass and road maps, Thermometer 8. Watch Out for Symptoms of Cold Stress Our final cold weather safety tip for being outside is a crucial one that could save your life. Knowing the symptoms of cold stress will make it easier to identify when you or someone else is experiencing frostbite or hypothermia.

Symptoms of Hypothermia Hypothermia is a condition that causes the body to lose heat faster than it’s produced. It’s caused by extended exposure to cold temperatures.

The symptoms include: Shivering, Exhaustion, Confusion, Fumbling hands, Memory loss, Slurred speech, Drowsiness If you or a teammate is experiencing any of these symptoms, follow this advice: Move to a warm place and use a thermometer to take your body temperature immediately. If it’s below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, seek medical attention.

Symptoms of Frostbite Frostbite is an injury that’s caused by skin exposure to cold temperatures, and it results in the loss of feeling and color in the affected areas.

Here are the symptoms to watch out for: A white or grayish-yellow skin area, Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, Numbness Because frostbite causes numbing, you might not realize you’re affected until someone else points it out. Take breaks to perform regular frostbite check-ups to avoid any emergencies.

And if you do notice frostbite on you or someone else, seek immediate medical attention.

JANUARY 2026 • 7

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• JANUARY 2026

NEWS

SV Council approves operational support, capital funding for ice rink proposal

Lodging tax funding approval prohibits proposed hotel for at least five years

By John McCalllum Current Contributor

Officials have yet to sign a land lease for a potential ice rink in Spokane Valley and already changes have been made to the original proposal — changes resulting in the city picking up more of the operations tab for the future venue.

At its Dec. 16 meeting, the Spokane Valley City Council passed three measures allocating hotel/ motel lodging tax funding

for events and projects, as recommended by the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), to be used for the $44 million ice rink proposed to be built with private money on 11 acres of city land north of Sullivan Park, west of Sullivan Road. The city requested, and LTAC approved, $2 million to go towards the estimated $3.3 million in infrastructure improvements needed before construction can begin on the site as well as

a total of $2.85 million for facility operations over the first five years after it opens, potentially in 2027.

The two ice rink measures included a caveat that “the funding is contingent and conditioned upon agreement that no lodging facilities be developed on the site over the course of the ground lease while lodging tax funds are provide to support operations.”

The measure regarding operational support included a requirement for the project proponent, Innovia Foundation, to provide a review in 2031 to determine if continued operational support from LTAC was needed. Funding for the facility operations would start at $600,000 annually in 2027 and 2028,

The Current

dropping to $550,000 from 2029 – 2031.

LTAC funding is based on two taxes levied on hotel overnight stay charges: a 1.3% tax that can only be used for capital projects (Fund 104) and a 2% tax (Fund 105) limited to covering the costs of items such as tourism promotion, marketing of events designed to increase tourism and acquisition or operation of tourism-related facilities.

Both LTAC funding measures are contingent upon the signing of a ground lease between Spokane Valley and Innovia, something that is still under negotiation.

The original proposal presented by the city and Innovia included a

Image from the Sept 23rd City Council packet showing Innovia Foundations conceptual drawing of what the proposed Ice facility could look like.

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JANUARY 2026 • 9

NEWS

65,000-square-foot facility with two National Hockey League sized ice sheets and 500-700 seating capacity as well as a 4,500-square-foot commercial / retail facility and a 120-room hotel with meeting spaces. Both the hotel and commercial facilities were included as means to support operations of the ice rink, which the anonymous donor represented by Innovia wants to make sure provides low or no-cost skating options for users, particularly youth.

The prohibition on a hotel on the site was added by LTAC, members of which are Councilman Rod Higgins, Rustin Hall of Spokane Sports, Kary Gibbs of Spokane County Fair & Expo Center and two area hotelier representatives: Grant Guinn of Tru by Hilton and Amanda Hoffert of Oxford Suites. Minutes of a special LTAC meeting on Nov. 20 indicated Guinn commented that, while excited about the ice rink, the hotel community was “just not excited for another hotel to be part of the site.”

According to Google Maps, there are eight hotels within roughly a two-mile radius of Sullivan Park, five within less than a mile of the proposed ice facility.

City Manager John Hohman, who has played a key role in helping bring the ice rink proposal to the city, told the City Council a hotel on the site was “not a critical component” of the project.

“It was just an idea when it came forward for projects that would help support the mission that they (donor and Innovia) want to have for the facility,” he added.

Councilmen Al Merkel and Ben Wick expressed several concerns with the ice rink LTAC funding. Merkel

questioned if use of the $2 million in capital funds meant a hotel could never be constructed on the site.

Deputy City Manager Erik Lamb said that assumption was incorrect.

The prohibition only applied for the first five years of city operational support.

“At such time as lodging tax is no longer provided, if it’s no longer provided for operational support, then they would be able to build a hotel and that would presumably be part of any ground lease,” Lamb added.

Wick said the operational support for the facility made sense, and felt the city wouldn’t be subsidizing the operations if a hotel were to be built onsite. What he said didn’t make sense was tying the $2 million capital request to council approval of the operational support, noting such site work usually takes place prior to construction or often during the early phases of construction of a facility.

Minutes from the Nov. 20 LTAC meeting indicate during the motion to adopt the $2 million capital allocation the committee included a condition that funding was contingent on council adopting “conditions of LTAC’s recommended operation support for Innovia are met.” This condition was left off the motion statement provided to council, and Lamb said an amendment was needed to add it to the motion.

“Three years down the road it’s not like we would want to pay back that capital that put in the infrastructure for the facility,” Wick said, adding he supported the project and appreciated LTAC’s work.

“But I don’t see tying the prohibition of a hotel on the

facility to the capital request for the infrastructure improvement,” he said.

Merkel agreed, noting some of what staff had presented was confusing. He also expressed apprehension about moving forward without having seen any ice rink design proposals, an actual ground lease and the possible configuration of a proposed organization created by Innovia to oversee facility operations.

“I just want to say that I still think we’re creating a long-term liability on the city by funding this using tax dollars,” Merkel said. “I don’t think that’s appropriate at all.”

The motion to amend the capital facility award passed 5-2, with Merkel and Wick voting no. Both motions for ice rink capital and operational support funding passed 6-1, Merkel voting no.

Council also voted 6-1 to approve the first LTAC recommendation which transferred $477,000 from Fund 105 to Fund 104 for capital facilities, and allocated up to $483,000 of Fund 105 revenue to four tourism uses in 2026.

The latter includes $260,811 to operations and maintenance of the city’s recently opened cross country course on Flora Road, $145,000 to Spokane Valley HUB for events and tourism activities, $50,000 to the Washington State Quilters for their two-day show in September and $27,189 to the county Fair & Expo Center for marketing and safety.

By contrast, council approved LTAC recommendations for 2025 to provide $393,000 for 11 tourism uses, none of which were related to the city.

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• JANUARY 2026

COVER STORY

territorial legislature.

Brief History the Washington would not become a state until one of the East year later in 1889.

The more modern Valley School “Cobblestone School” (19091918) replaced the Little District White School on the Hill and

By Jeff Miller, Former East Valley High School Principal Current news sournces

According to the resources obtained from the archives of our high school library, the story goes something like this...

Organized in 1886, East Trent School District #63 is believed to be the first school district in the Spokane Valley. This school district would later develop ties with the East Valley School District. In 1888 the first public school house in the East Valley School District was constructed in the area now known as Otis Orchards. This oneroom school house served the areas later known as East Farms, Moab and Otis Orchards. The Little White School on the Hill was built with twenty dollars worth of wood donated by Mr. William Pringle and was officially designated School District #76 by

boasted its first graduating high school class in 1914.

The graduation for the class of 1914 was held in the Fruit Grower’s Warehouse. A new high school wing was added to the Cobblestone School in 1918.

Cobblestone School, known for its tall bell tower, shake siding and field stone trim, was allegedly designed by famous local architect Kirtland Cutter.

Cutter’s other local designs include the Davenport Hotel and many other historic buildings which still stand in the Spokane area. Aubrey L. White, a local orchard owner, was said to have designed the grounds.

White had a rich history of designing parks throughout the Spokane area. The street named Aubrey L .White Parkway in Spokane was dedicated in his name.

In 1923, “Stucco High School” was built just See EV HISTORY, Page 20

East Valley School Bond on February Ballot

By Nina Culver

Current contributor

In the last 33 years, the East Valley School District has only successfully passed one bond to pay for school construction projects.

As school buildings continue to deteriorate, the district has put a $220 million bond on the February ballot that will build a new high school and a new middle school, among other projects.

The high school is 63 years old and the middle school is 56 years old. At this point it would cost the same to modernize and update the schools as it would to build new and even then there would be parts of the old building, including original electrical and plumbing, in a modernized building, said assistant superintendent Neale Rasmussen.

With that in mind, it simply makes sense to build new schools rather than trying to modernize such old buildings, said superintendent Brian Talbott.

The high school, built in 1961, used to be in three separate buildings that students had to walk between during the school day.

A modernization project in 1989 enclosed all that space, creating one large building, and a second floor was added to part of it.

While the current high school is 205,000 square feet, the same as the proposed new high school, the space enclosed in 1989 wasn’t well utilized. “So much of that 205,000 square feet is unusable space,” said Talbott.

The district just replaced a 1975 HVAC unit at the high school recently and the “new” ones from the 1980’s are also near the end of their usefulness, Rassmussen said. When the second story was added on, the floor was wood, not concrete, and has deteriorated.

The science classrooms are on the second floor and if the emergency shower is activated, the English classroom below it floods, he said.

The Current

Also on the second floor are the administrative offices. A secured entry was added at the school using capital levy funds, but because the offices are not next to the door, staff do not know where guests go when they are buzzed in, Rassmussen said.

“We have to make the assumption that they’re going where they say they’re going,” he said.

The school also needs to increase the amount of space available for career and technical education (CTE) classes, including the shop and the food science classroom.

Food science is taught in a regular classroom with residential stoves, not a more commercial style kitchen space that students would expect to find in a restaurant, Talbott said.

“We have strong CTE programs,” Talbott said. “We need to enhance those.”

There’s also no space in the district for theater or musical performances other than gyms and cafeterias, Talbott said. The plans for the new high school include a performing arts center that all the schools could use.

The estimated cost of the high school is $138 million, of which $9 million is sales tax.

East Valley Middle School, now the district’s only middle school after the second one closed years ago, was built in 1968 and has similar age-related issues. A gym and music room were added in 1994 and office space was added in 1998.

One of the key issues is that the school is not large enough to include sixth grade, so those students remain in the neighborhood elementary schools. The new middle school would be 25,000 square feet larger than the current one to accommodate those students, Rasmussen said. East Valley is the only district in Spokane County to have sixth graders in elementary schools, he said.

The new middle school projected to cost $77 million.

is

If the district is successful in passing the bond, the state would kick in an additional $55 million in matching funds, Talbott said. That money, plus the $5 million of bond money left after building the middle

The Current

COVER STORY

JANUARY 2026 • 11

tax rates in Spokane County and it has been dropping steadily over the last several years, Rasmussen said.

While the bond would increase the tax rate, it would not raise it above what homeowners used to pay, he said.

“It’s not the highest tax rate ever,” he said. “Historically, it’s right in line with where we used to be.”

The commercial properties in the district, including those in the Industrial Park on Sullivan Road, pay the school district’s taxes as well and help relieve some of the burden on homeowners, Talbott said.

Talbott said he’s worried that the quality of education will decline if the condition of the district’s schools isn’t addressed. The district has been using money from capital levies as a band aid to make critical repairs and improvements, but it’s not enough, he said.

Contributed Photo East Valley High School was originally built in 1961 and then remodeled in 1989 which connected the independent buildings and added the second story. Included in the bond, is a replacement of this building at the same location. school and high school, would be used to make safety, security and infrastructure improvements to other schools in the district. Those improvements would include new roofs and HVAC systems.

Talbott said district staff have been working hard to maintain the middle school and high school, which don’t look awful from the outside, so it can sometimes be difficult for people to understand that they’re in bad shape.

“It’s a burden to make people understand, especially if they haven’t been inside,” he said.

If the bond is approved, construction of the middle school and high school would happen simultaneously, Rasmussen said.

“Our plan is to have the kids in the current buildings until the new buildings are done, then demolish the old buildings,” he said. “This allows us to avoid using portables during construction, which would be $10 million.”

Convincing people of the need for building replacement or improvement has historically been difficult in East Valley. There have been 10 failed bonds in the district

since 1992, with the amounts sought increasing each time as buildings continued to deteriorate. The last request, for $65 million, failed in 2013 with only 37 percent approval.

Bonds require 60 percent approval to pass. The last successful bond was for $11.9 million in 1996.

Talbott, who was previously superintendent of the Nine Mile Falls School District, said that district attempted a $45 million bond for a new high school in 2014, which failed. The district recently prepared an estimate of how much that project would cost now, which came in at $92 million, he said.

the levy, Talbott said. Once the levy drops off, homeowners would pay an increase of $1.23 per $1,000 in assessed home value, which equates to $492 a year for a $400,000 home.

East Valley taxpayers currently have one of the lowest school district

“Our kids will continue to leave,” he said. “Our families will continue to leave. What will be left of East Valley if we don’t update and modernize?”

Several community information sessions are planned in January.

Each will include a presentation on the bond, time for questions and a tour of the hosting school. The next sessions are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

January 14 at East Valley Middle School and at 9 a.m. on January 17 and 24 at East Valley High School.

Talbott said recently skyrocketing prices are only adding to the urgency to get East Valley’s projects done as soon as possible.

“Prices just escalate,” he said. “We can’t stop the need.”

The estimated cost of the bond, which would begin to be collected in 2027, is $1.96 per $1,000 in assessed home value. However, the district has a capital levy set to expire at the end of 2026 that collects .73 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value. If the bond is approved, the district will not ask voters to renew

File Photo East Valley Middle School originally build in 1968 and is the only middle school within the East Valley School district and hosts both 7th and 8th grade students.

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• JANUARY 2026

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Student of the Month

Athlete of the Month

Citizen of the Month

Freeman High School Valedictorian Josiah Kann maintains a 4.0 GPA while completing a number of Advanced Placement classes including currently taking AP Language and AP Calculus.

Josiah has also participated on the Freemen Knowledge Bowl team his whole high school career and is this years team captain.

From an early age, Kann has been apart of the Freeman Band playing the Flute since the 5th grade. Kann is also no stranger to the sports arena participating on the Track and Field team as the long distance captain, running in both the 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter events, and the Cross-Country team as one of their team captains as well. Both teams were state champion’s last season.

In the community Kann likes to volunteer bagging leaves for community members as well as helping organize the “Run the Palouse” 5k run each year. After high school Kann is still weighing his options with George Fox in Oregon or Western Washington University on the top of his list and is interested in pursing a degree in exercise science.

Freeman senior and Soccer Team Captain Rylee Russell broke school records this year as she scored her 175th goal of her high school career, this also placed her as a top scorer in the state of Washington and #2 goal scorer in the nation both this year and last year. Rylee has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember (either 3rd or 4th grade) and outside of the school season she plays on the Surf Soccer Club. Russell also plays as a point guard on the Scotty basketball team as well as the Scotty Track team. Off the field Rylee has a 3.976 GPA and participates in the Freeman National Honor Society, Conservation Club, and is an ASB Spirit Commissioner. She is also frequently found helping organize youth sports camps for both soccer and basketball with the 1st soccer camp hosting over 100 kids. After high school Rylee is excited to continue to play soccer for the College of Idaho which is a NAIA school and plans to pursue a degree in either education or business.

Community volunteer, school volunteer, and active mom Marissa Raybould brings positivity to her every endeavor. Marissa is the current President of the Spokane Valley Kiwanis Club, serving the children of the world one community at a time. She is an annual volunteer for events such as the Northwest North Pole Adventures Fantasy Flight and organizing the PERKS (Parents Engaging in Random acts of Kindness) program at the Oaks Christian Academy. In her professional life she is also an accountant and office administrator at Washington Association of Accounting and Tax Professionals, a Certified Professional Coach with the John Maxwell Team, and a Health and Fitness Coach. Marissa is married to Josh Raybould, has three kids, and if that isn’t enough also active engages at her church, Sun City Church.

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Spokane Valley adopts 2026 budget, traffic safety camera program

federal and state grants, much of which is associated with the city’s $48 million Pines Road / BNSF grade separation project that began construction in October.

Current contributor

Also at the Dec. 9 meeting, the council approved a resolution amending the 2025 budget. The amendment reflected a decrease in revenues of $7.76 million and a decrease in expenses of $17.72 million — most of which was due to some revenues and expenses associated with capital projects being shifted from 2025 to 2026.

By John McCallum

By a 6-1 margin, the Spokane Valley City Council adopted the city’s $148.4 million 2026 budget at its Dec. 9 meeting.

The budget highlights spending in 31 separate funds, with the largest being the $70.6 million General Fund. All other 30 funds total $77.8 million.

In 2026, General Fund revenues are estimated to increase 7.05% over the amended 2025 budget, up from $64.07 million to $68.59 million. General Fund expenses are increasing by 7.93%, jumping to almost $68.47 million from the amended 2025 budget of $63.43 million.

The increase in expenses reflect an additional $2.6 million for public safety from the voter-approved sales tax increase in August, 2025. It also reflects an 11.85% increase in overall public safety costs, as compared to a 1.27% increase in all other General Fund departments.

The additional public safety sales tax funding in 2026 will pay for hiring 10 more officers by the Spokane Valley Police Department, along with a position shared with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and maintaining one current position which lost grant funding in 2025. Coupled with an earlier hiring of 10 patrol officers in 2024 through shifting of General Fund revenues previously designated for street funding, the council has now approved hiring at least 20 of the 31 positions proposed by a November 2023 study indicating that number was needed in order to help Spokane Valley police meet increasing calls for service and associated workloads.

The 2026 budget also includes $47.9 million in capital project expenditures, of which over $34.13 million — 71.25% — is funded by

The budget also anticipates a projected 2026 General Fund end of year balance of $36.8 million, 53.44% of recurring expenses, which is according to the council’s finance policy to provide a cash flow to pay for operations in case of unexpected economic hardships or emergencies.

The only nay vote cast on both the 2026 budget and 2025 amendment came from Councilman Al Merkel.

City adopts Camera program

Speed

Safety

At its Dec. 16 meeting, the council approved an ordinance establishing a speed safety camera program and adoption of a new chapter in the city’s municipal code to define how the program will work. The ordinance also authorized hiring one full-time equivalent employee in the 2026 budget for the program.

A speed safety camera utilizes a vehicle sensor that works in conjunction with a speed detecting device and a remote camera to take a picture or series of pictures of the front or rear of a vehicle as it exceeds the speed limit as recorded by the measuring device. Law enforcement can use the data, which can record not only license plate numbers but make, model and color of vehicles as well as defining characteristics such as dents, decals and bumper stickers, to track down the vehicle owner and issue fines.

General infraction fines set by the city ordinance are $100 for exceeding the local speed limit by 6 or more miles per hour, and $145 for 11 mph or more. In school zones, those fines increase to $145 and $290 respectively. The ordinance also limits installation of these cameras to school speed zones and school walk zones.

By law, revenue from these infractions can only be used for

construction, maintenance and operations of the traffic safety program; costs to install, operate and administer the program and traffic safety projects in census tracts with low household incomes and areas with above-average injury crashes.

JANUARY 2026 • 13

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After four years of operation, cities are required to share 25% of revenue from these cameras to the state Transportation Safety Fund.

According to the staff report, there is no cost to the city until the equipment has been installed and a 30-day warning period to residents has passed, after which the city will begin collecting infraction revenue.

Spokane Valley would then incur a monthly vendor fee of up to $10,000 per location and additional staff costs.

According to a pilot study by the city, a 24-hour camera program could generate approximately $1.5 million in revenue after administrative costs. In an Oct. 7 report to the council, the Police Department identified six school zones in the city for camera installation: Centennial Middle School, University High School, Ponderosa Elementary School, Bowdish Middle School / Oaks Academy and Riverbend Elementary School.

Traffic cameras have recently generated controversy.

In November, a Skagit County Superior Court judge ruled in a lawsuit brought against the cities of Sedor Woolley and Stanwood that data from these cameras was subject to the public records act and must be made available through public records requests.

Camera systems such as those manufactured by Flock only store the recorded data for up to 30 days, and as such would not be in alignment with state public records laws. The city of Airway Heights recently paid $10,000 to settle out of court a potential lawsuit with an individual requesting such data that was no longer stored.

Other cities have delayed or canceled similar programs until such time as the state Legislature takes up the issue to better define public records requirements.

The council voted 6-1 to approve the program, with Councilman Ben Wick voting no.

The Current, a monthly publication for the Valley, offers visual storytelling, eye-catching ads and community coverage readers have come to rely on. This free newspaper is available at more than 150 high-traffic places around the Valley, including the following locations: Argonne Library Albertsons Anytime Fitness Barney’s Harvest Foods Brickhouse Massage and Coffee Bar Bruttles Gourmet Candy Shop Dairy Queen Dishman Dodge Hallett’s Maket and Cafe HICO Village Longhorn BBQ Scrumdillyumptious Donuts Spokane Valley Library Spokane Valley Senior Center The Corner Door Fountain and Books Terry’s Breakfast and Lunch Thrify Scotsman Yoke’s Fresh Market Wohuld you like to carry The Current in your place of business? Contact us at danica@valleycurrent.com.

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About and for Spokane Valley area seniors

Local Non-Profits make big changes -worthy of support PACE – Partners Advancing Character Education Beginning in 2009, PACE was formed to promote the importance of good character through partnerships with schools, businesses, public agencies, residents, faith-based organizations and community service groups. Working from a common list of monthly character traits, partners promote and integrate each trait into the regular activities of their organization.

Throughout 2025 we have focused on re-invigorating and expanding our board to bring on new members and continue to look for organizations and people who are trying to promote the greater good.

For a listing of organizations who have taken the pledge to Bring Good Character to Light! Or to take the pledge and become a PACE Partner, check out our website at http:// pacecommunity.org Not sure where to start, our website is also full of free resources and ideas on how to integrate the monthly PACE Character Traits into your daily routine from suggested reading lists to Movies that have themes aligned with the traits or even posters you can hang at your work place, we have a little bit of all things.

We also like to recognize those who exhibit these amazing traits.

One of our primary ways we recognize students is the annual awards ceremony where we recognize a student of the year from each participating school. While we had pivoted to a virtual event ever since the pandemic, we are is excited to announce the return of the in person awards ceremony happening this April! Thank you to all of the sponsors who helped make that happen in the past and we are hoping you will come back to help us make this event possible again! Its not too late to get your business recognized at the event. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or for any questions feel free to reach out to Sydney Westerman the current leadership chair at sydney@ pacecommunity.org

Partners Inland Northwest

2026 is historic for Partners Inland Northwest (formally Spokane Valley Partners). The nonprofit that was born and grew up right here in the Spokane Valley enters into the biggest, most transitionally impactful era of its 75-year history! But first, a quick look back at our biggest year to date.

2025 brought record numbers of people who needed help making sure their families were fed, clothed, and had the essentials for basic living. And we were able to help every family that came to us because of this tremendous community support. In 2025 Partners INW fed over 200,000 people, clothed over 60,000 people, provided diapers for over 10,000 babies, and received over 50,000 volunteer hours, the equivalent of 24 full time employees! Our service area expanded from 16 counties to 20 counties.

Now, 2026 represents a milestone year of growth and possibility.

At the end of December, CEO Cal Coblentz received the keys to the former Ziggy’s Valley Store from Karl and Neil Ziegler. Construction is expected to begin in May, with operations moving into the newly remodeled facility this fall. The $4.5 million renovation will create a modern, centralized hub with a high-capacity food bank, clothing bank, and diaper bank, supported by new building systems throughout. With 40,000 square feet of warehouse space, the facility will significantly expand Partners INW’s ability to serve families across the region.

In July 2026, Partners INW will also join the Feeding America network as an Affiliate Food Bank of Second Harvest Inland Northwest. This designation will establish Partners INW as the food bank for Spokane County east of Havana Street and for North Idaho counties from Benewah to Boundary.

The facility will also serve as the Bite 2 Go East hub for this territory. This growth is only possible because of community support, and that support is needed now more than ever.

Here are 4 ways you can help. First, organize a food, coat, or diaper drive for us.

Second, use some of your “for others” money to make a financial contribution to Partners INW. Consider becoming a VIPartner, by signing up as a monthly donor. Third, join our volunteer community and help in the food bank, clothing bank, or customer service. And fourth, let your friends and family know about the great work that our community is doing at Partners Inland Northwest. Please, visit our website at www. partnersinw.org to find all the ways that you can get involved in helping your neighbors!

SJV Knights of Columbus

For over four decades, the St. John Vianney Knights of Columbus have supported our community, church and families through a variety of programs. Membership in the Knights is open to all Catholic men age 18 and over, and we are always looking for new members to grow our council and programs. The council is led by a group of officers who are elected by members annually. Members meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the St. John Vianney Parish Hall.

Anyone interested in membership can contact the current Grand Knight (similar to a group’s president) Don Sauve at 509-928-5286 or by email at dnpsauve@yahoo.com.

As a part of the Washington State council and the international organization, the 80+ local members annually conduct a Coats for Kids drive, organize blood drives, coordinate a church picnic, host a grade school Free Throw contest, provide up to two college scholarships to the parish’s graduating seniors, and support at least two seminarians studying for the priesthood. We also support many local families at both Thanksgiving and Christmas through the St. John Vianney Assistance Program. To promote continued faith development, we work with our pastor Fr. Raymond Kalema to help in various projects and programs as needed; one popular program is to provide Advent calendars to parishioners, young and old.

To make these programs a reality, the Knights host a variety of fundraising events that are open to the public, including nearly monthly breakfasts, a 100-mile bike ride, Turkey Bingo, fish frys on Fridays during Lent, and coming up Feb. 1 will be the Spaghetti Dinner. We are looking forward to another fantastic dinner on Feb. 1, 2026 in the St. John Vianney Parish Hall at 503 N. Walnut Rd. from noon – 5:30 PM. The dinner includes all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread and dessert. Even with inflation, ticket prices remain $15/person for ages 11 and up, $6/person for ages 6-10, and free for ages 5 and under. Meals can also be purchased to go for $15 each, and containers of meatballs and sauce will be available (while they last) for $10 each. For more information, please contact Mike Frucci at 509-998-4170 or by email at Frucci101@comcast.net.

Family Promise In recent years, Family Promise of Spokane has been changing how family homelessness is addressed.

Instead of expanding shelter capacity, the organization has focused on speed, prevention, and measurable outcomes.

City leaders say the approach could position Spokane Valley as one of the first communities in the country to end family homelessness.

Traditionally, homeless service systems emphasize capacity, such as the number of shelter beds available.

Family Promise takes a different path, prioritizing velocity: the speed at which families can be prevented from entering homelessness or rapidly rehousing families if homelessness occurs.

Over the past year, the organization has served more than 640 Spokane Valley residents and prevented almost 200 individuals from losing housing, according to program data.

The organization reports a 96 percent housing retention rate year over year.

The model has since been expanded across Spokane County, serving nearly 3,500 people from about 1,000 families.

Family Promise of Spokane is now one of the largest providers of homelessness services for families in the country, but they are not done yet.

“We still have serious work to do.

Reportedly, there were 1,122 students that experienced homelessness in Spokane Valley schools this year. We are getting them housed as fast as possible, the need is still larger than resources, but we are making up ground” says Ader. Looking ahead, the organization has outlined a plan to end family homelessness in Spokane Valley and Spokane County by serving an additional 1,500 families per year.

Ader said the underlying math is straightforward.

“There is a finite number of people entering homelessness,” he said. “That means there is a finite amount of resources needed to solve it. The number of people entering homelessness has to be less than the number of people exiting.”

If the approach continues to scale, Spokane Valley’s model could influence how other communities across the country address family homelessness.

JANUARY 2026 • 17

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www.hubsportscenter.org beat a Columbia River defender offensively and thereby keeps noticeable strides over the summer Unbeaten up the right sideline and made a pressure off the defense. and is trending upward at the start crossing pass into the box towards of this season.”

That may switch in 2026.

Wey. Van Wey attempted and unscored Van With some good height at most “I’m graduating a lot of offensive to trap the ball, but the rebound positions, Fowler said the team will caromed off Rapids defender Brielle players but most the defense are be able to spread the floor to shoot upon Eagle White and past goalkeeper Ruby only sophomores so I’m looking from outside while also being able Ayers for what proved to be the forward to seeing what we do next to attack and hold its own in the girls win 2A year,” Collins said. winning score. post. Right now, the team is focused Winter Sports Previews “We played against Columbia on improving its chemistry and soccer title River the last few years in state communication while being more EAST VALLEY

By John McCallum Current contributor

What might be the most remarkable fact about the West Valley girls soccer team’s state championship isn’t just that they went undefeated to win the 2A crown.

What’s remarkable is not only did they go 22-0, but they were never scored upon in the process. 152 goals for the Eagles, zero goals for their opponents, including identical 1-0 wins in the semifinals and finals to claim the school’s eighth state title and first for the girls soccer program.

“I am not sure if any other team has had an undefeated season with zero goals scored against,” West Valley head coach C.C. Collins said.

“It was truly the perfect season.”

The Eagles gained a measure of redemption in winning the title in Final Four competition Nov. 21-22 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

West Valley essentially faced the Greater St. Helens 2A League, first taking on league runner-up Hockinson in the semifinals.

quarterfinals, semifinals and then finals this year and it felt pretty good to finally beat them,” Collins said. “During state seeding I fought for the number one seed but was out voted so it was pretty great to prove our worth.”

It was West Valley’s fifth straight trip to the state playoffs. After the Columbia River loss in 2024, they beat Bellingham 5-0 for third place.

In 2023, West Valley beat East Valley-Yakima 1-0 in the semis but lost to Ridgefield 3-2 in the finals.

The Eagles also lost to Ridgefield 2-0 in the quarterfinals in 2021.

West Valley will graduate nine players in 2026. The key to their success, which includes a regularseason Greater Spokane League and District 6 playoff titles, has been being able to control the ball

Boys basketball With seven seniors and five juniors, the Knights figure to bring some experience to the hardwood this season, looking to improve on last year’s 2-10 GSL finish, 3-18 overall.

Three starters return for head coach Ty Fowler’s squad: 6-foot5-inch post Malaki Nunn, 6-4 post Brady Flahavin and 5-5 guard Gabe Martin, all seniors. Newcomers include a pair of guards, 6-2 senior Carsen Mertens and 6-0 junior Wallace Frates.

“East Valley returns key contributors from last season while adding several newcomers who bring athleticism, depth and versatility,” Fowler said. “Although many players haven’t logged major minutes together, the group made

After a scoreless first half, senior forward/midfielder Jenna Howe

“If the team continues to grow together and embraces defined roles, East Valley has the pieces to be highly competitive throughout the season,” Fowler said.

So far, the Knights are 0-5 in play through Dec. 23, including an 0-1 start in the GSL. Girls basketball The Knights went 1-11 in the GSL, 3-18 overall in head coach Tierre Warren’s first season last year. The outcome was something she consider essential to creating change.

“We needed to change the culture, change how we play, change how we look and change the way we approach the game,” Warren said. “Though we are still working on a couple of them, we can still look to continue on improving the rest.”

East Valley returns seven players, including four starters, for Warren’s second season. Key players among those returning starters are 5-11 senior forward Italia Salina and 5-3 junior guard Weather SalinasTaylor.

After a scoreless first 40 minutes, the Eagles got a goal in the 71st minute from senior midfielder Chloe Van Wey that they made stand through regulation for the 1-0 win. West Valley outshot the sixth-seeded Hawks 12-5, with sophomore goalkeeper Mia Rohner making a pair of saves.

In the title game, the Eagles found themselves against a familiar foe in Greater St. Helens league champion Columbia River. West Valley has seen the top-seeded Rapids before, losing 1-0 in the 2024 semifinals and 2-1 in 2022 in the quarterfinals.

consistent defensively.

Warren says senior leadership will be a factor to East Valley’s success in 2025 – 2026. The Knights don’t have a lot of size under the basket as they did last year, but have some strong guards and wing players.

“Shooting will be our strong point along with presence in the paint,” Warren said. “We have players that can stretch the floor if need be along with long distance snipers.”

Photo courtesy of C.C. Collins West Valley girls soccer players mob each other on the Federal Way Memorial Stadium field after defeating Columbia River 1-0 to win the program’s first ever state title.

Gelling as a unit and learning to overcome deficits will be challenges this year, Warren added, especially the latter, learning not to panic when

JANUARY 2026 • 19

The Current

things get close late in the game.

“Though we didn’t have a lot of wins, this team improved so much from previous years,” she added.

“We weren't a push over and we are hungrier this season.”

So far, East Valley is off to a 1-4 start, 0-1 in the GSL, something that hasn’t detracted from Warren’s outlook for the coming campaign.

“Overall I think we will have a great season,” she said. “Although a season is predicated on wins and losses, for a program that is rebuilding, every step we take in growing is a win.”

UNIVERSITY Gymnastics The Titans return two varsity gymnasts from last year’s team: senior Kyla Roberts and sophomore Kennedi Downey. Both advanced to 3A state competition and both made it to the finals in their respective events.

Roberts scored an 8.950 for ninth overall on the beam and an 8.800 to tie Bainbridge’s Grace Reeb for ninth on the floor. Downie placed 15th in both her events, the floor with an 8.375 and the bars with a 7.500.

Head coach Christy Curtis said they have two additions to the team this season that bring “a lot of power and experience:” junior Paycee Nebel and sophomore Emme Baldwin. They help fill out a relatively young U-Hi team that includes five other sophomores besides Downie and Baldwin along with a pair of freshmen, with Annalise Thomas being the only other senior to go with two juniors.

“We hope to place in the top three this year,” Curtis said of the Titans GSL aspirations.

Wrestling The Titan boys return five wrestlers from last year’s team that won the GSL 3A duals title, a District 6 championship and placed fourth at Mat Classic XXXVI. Senior three-time state champion Czar Quintanilla returns, wrestling at 132 pounds in University’s 5215 win over Ridgeline on Dec. 17.

Quintanilla won the title last year at 126, and hopes this season to equal his brother Clai’s achievement in being a four-time state champion.

Also returning is senior Paxon Cunanan, a seventh-place finisher last year at 150. Three other seniors round out the Titans returning state

experience: two-time Mat Classic qualifier Isaiah Ramirez at 157, Bo Thompson at 165 and Jaxon Lefler at 215.

The University girls team brings a lot of experience with eight state qualifiers returning from the team that was eighth at Mat Classic and first in the GSL Duals.

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Sophomore Lilly Cunningham in the only returning state placer, finishing fifth at 100 pounds last year. Returning sophomore state qualifiers are Maci Hoadley (115), Korie Giese (120), Camryn Daines (125) and Paitynn Hammond (170).

Senior state qualifiers include Rhyan Huckins (130), Kendra Kane (140) and Halore Agrippa (155).

Head coach Ryan Montang added that freshman Denni Bippes, a member of the National Team, could factor into postseason contention at 105.

Montang also noted two “significant wrestlers did not turn out on the girls team” this season: senior Samara Weinstock, who was second last year at 140, and junior Mariah Denney, seventh at Mat Classic XXXVI at 130.

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WEST VALLEY Girls basketball New head coach Tyrone Ashley has three starters and five letter winners returning from last year’s GSL fourth-place team that went 5-7 in league, 10-12 overall. It’s a team with eight seniors and some height inside in senior posts Addison McIntyre (6-0) and Brynlee Ordinario (5-10), who scored 22 points in a lopsided win over Rogers, along with junior Avery Spunich (61), with led the Eagles in scoring in wins over Shadle Park and Ephrata.

“Even though we have eight kids returning, we have a few newcomers as well,” Ashley said. “I feel some of our strength is that we spend a lot of time together and genuinely like each other. Some of our challenges will be completely trusting one another.”

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The Eagles are off to a 4-1 start, 1-0 in the GSL 2A classification.

Ashley sees Deer Park as the favorite for the league championship, with West Valley battling Clarkston and Pullman for second.

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“The 2A is a tough out considering only two teams can make it (to the post season),” Ashley said. “We are hoping to be fighting for one of those spots.”

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EV HISTORY

Continued from page 10 west of Cobblestone School.

When fire destroyed the old Cobblestone Elementary School in 1930, a second stucco building was constructed to house the elementary students.

With each new building, or as additional smaller school districts consolidated with the Otis Orchards School District, new school district numbers were assigned. Otis Orchards School District became #314 in 1922 after consolidation with the Moab School District.

E.H. McHenry became their first official superintendent.

Borden School District from Canfield Gulch consolidated with Otis in 1925 creating the new district #341. Schools in Newman Lake, Idlewild and Green Mountain also consolidated and joined with Otis between 1933 and 1938. The Washington State Legislature passed the teacher minimum wage law requiring all teachers be paid

at least $100 per month. In 1943 Otis was renumbered to Otis Orchards School District #348.

In 1957, on a site just west of the old stucco schools, red brick additions of the new Otis Orchards Elementary began. Otis Orchards’ public schools consolidated with the East Trent School District #63 in 1959 forming the new East Valley School District #361 which included schools from Foothills, Pleasant Prairie, MilIville, and the remaining Spokane Bridge Schools.

Otis Orchards’ old stucco school buildings were used to house high school students until the new Trentwoodarea East Valley High School could be completed. The 47th and final class of high school students graduated from Otis Orchards High School in June of 1960. Because of the rich farming heritage found in the district, old yearbooks contained many sponsored advertisements from seed companies, hardware stores,

mercantile stores, dairies and even several larger private farms.

The original East Valley High School opened its doors in the fall of 1960 and had its first graduating class receive their diplomas in the spring of 1961. The original high school, located on the corner of Sullivan and Wellesley, was built with the capability to house approximately 600 students. This facility served students from 1960-1989. A bond issue passed by voters in 1986 provided funding for a remodel of the original facility. While many portions of the 1960 building still stand, the 10 million dollar expansion created a new facility designed to support more than 1600 students.

Opening in 1989, the “new high school” has provided almost 30 years of service to students and community.

Mr. Harold Hoffman, superintendent of Otis Orchards Public Schools, was retained as the first

superintendent of the new East Valley School District.

Mr. Raymond Lee, principal of Otis Orchards High School was retained as the first principal of the new East Valley High School. Mr. Lee was the first of just six individuals to hold the title of principal of East Valley High School in the 50 year history of the school.

East Valley High School Principals

Ryan Arnold | 2023 - Current Matt Stevens | 2017 - 2023 Jim McAdam | 2013 - 2017 Jeff Miller | 1994 - 2013 Don Kartevold | 1981 - 1994 Al Latimer | 1973 - 1981 Raymond E Lee | 1959 - 1973

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Make your job search easier with WorkSource and digital resources at the library

By Stacey Goddard and Crystal Miller, librarians Spokane County Library District

If you’re actively looking for a job, considering a new career path, or have a business looking to hire, Spokane County Library District (SCLD) has partnered with WorkSource Spokane to bring weekly drop-in hours to Spokane Valley Library (22 N Herald Rd).

Each Wednesday, 9:30am to 4:30pm, you can come to Spokane Valley Library for WorkSource Drop-In Help. Expert career coaches from WorkSource Spokane are available for personalized career guidance and support.

Whether you’re looking to refine your resume, enhance your jobsearch strategies, or explore new career opportunities, dedicated coaches are here to help you every step of the way. Unlock your full potential and start shaping your future with help from WorkSource Spokane. Assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are a business owner looking to hire in 2026, WorkSource can help you find candidates in the area with the skill sets to meet your needs. Drop by the library to get connected and see what WorkSource can do to help match you with great employees this year.

If you can’t make it to the dropin hours, come by the library anytime to get help from SCLD employees. SCLD employees are trained as a WorkSource connection site. They can help you get started with registering and accessing

WorkSource’s website, webinars, and other online information.

Kevin Williams, of WorkSource Spokane, shares insights about WorkSource for job seekers and local businesses on the Library Out Loud podcast episode 123. You can watch or listen at scld.org/podcast.

When you need to refresh or create your resume, practice your interview skills, or find a career that fits your skills and interests, start at the library. SCLD has useful digital resources that you can access using your library card. These online resources make it easy to get started at home, or you can use the computers available at our libraries.

You’ll find over a dozen resources at scld.org/job-help.

Our most popular resource, JobNow from Brainfuse, is a onestop resource for job seekers and anyone looking to change careers.

To get the most out of this resource, we recommend creating an account.

Having an account gives you access to the Resume Lab, Expert Job Matching, and eParachute resources. You’ll also have the ability to retrieve your revised resumes and cover letters, get expert feedback on resumes, and track any career assessment results.

Another game-changing feature of JobNow is daily access to live, online job coaches and interview

JANUARY 2026 • 21 SPOK ANE COUNT Y LIBR ARY DISTRICT

coaches. Get access to both from 2–10pm daily, except holidays. You can also get assistance learning day-to-day skills with a live life skills coach, who can assist you with things like time management, financial literacy, practical skills, and more.

Peterson’s Test and Career Prep is another helpful digital resource for anyone on the job hunt, career track, or preparing for vocational and professional testing and certifications.

This resource offers access to practice tests and study guides for college, licensing, and certification exams. Other features include free scholarship searches, career assessments, and their resume building tool, VisualCV Resume Creator.

VisualCV Resume Creator is an intuitive tool that lets you quickly choose a template, import information from LinkedIn, add any additional information, adjust fonts, and more—all from your browser.

You have the option to create a polished resume or curriculum vitae (CV), cover letter, and even a professional website resume.

Peterson’s Test and Career Prep has several modern and professional templates to choose from and they are customizable.

Winter Wonderland Awaits Take a winter trek with snowshoes for the whole family, borrowed from the library.

Visit scld.org/things

SCLD libraries can help with more than digital resources for your job search or career help. When you schedule a Book-a-Librarian appointment, you can get one-onone help from a knowledgeable library employee with your job and career questions. Go to scld.org/ book-a-librarian. We’re ready to help!

scld.org

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• JANUARY 2026

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East Valley is long overdue for facility upgrades and the time is NOW! Walking back into the High School and Middle school often brings back memories from when I attended there as not much has changed. However, I then begin to quickly realize that it has been a number of years or even dare I say decades since I walked the halls as a student and they weren’t new then, in fact the buildings are still very similar to when my father attended them before me.

The district and maintenance staff have done a great job of stewarding the investments we made in our schools back in the 1960’s when both the East Valley High School and East Valley Middle School were originally built and then upgraded in the 1980’s but that was 60 to 70 years ago. Times have changed, technology has changed, and it is more expensive to maintain these facilities than to build more modern ones and our kids deserve the opportunities that they would bring.

Our facilities are old enough that the High School doesn’t have a fire suppression system, which has been a requirement for all modern construction. It was the first two story school in our area but was built back before they used more modern materials and the floors flex as students walk and aren’t accommodating to those with accessibility issues.

We are blessed to have maintained our metal and wood shop spaces however technology

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has changed in the workplace and employers are looking for skills and experience using equipment that isn’t able to be housed in our current facility, so our kids don’t have the same opportunities as we did when taking classes there.

Music programs have also evolved, kids connecting with music and performing arts programs don’t have what they need to be successful either. We don’t have the facilities for a theatre program or a space for our music programs to perform, learn, and be future ready in.

We are proud that we have maintained our Future Farmers of America (FFA) and agriculture programs but the facilities they have are no longer conducive to prepare them for where those industries have gone either.

The middle school facility only being able to support 7th and 8th graders puts our 6th grade kids as well as our 6th grade teachers at a disadvantage. 6th grade uses separate curriculum from lower grade levels which includes the rest of the building. Dispersing the 6th graders and 6th grade teachers weakens support systems for both and limits their opportunities for success. Not to mention having the 6th grade physically in the Elementary school facilities reduces capacity for the elementary students and requires the district to bus kids across the district. For example, all of the families who live just east of Pines Road south of Trent have their kids bussed to East Farms instead of being able to go to Trent Elementary school because there is no capacity at that facility. Moving the 6th graders up to the middle school will open up capacity, reduce the additional bussing, and provide the opportunity to reconnect those families to their neighborhood school facility. Families that need community the most.

I am a believer in providing opportunities, opportunities for our kids, for our future. They deserve better than we had, and they don’t.

Think about how the world has changed in the last 50 years but then remember that our education facilities haven’t changed. We haven’t kept up. They don’t have the same preparedness or opportunities we had… but they can.

The School District has spent the last year or more gathering feedback, input, and analysis, and they have come up with a good plan.

It minimizes unnecessary expenses

EDITORIAL such as temporary classrooms and disruption to the learning environment during construction.

It minimizes risk by replacing buildings instead of remodels which have unknown factors during construction and are currently more expensive. It respects our identity and heritage by maintaining the current facility locations. And provides a solid construction plan that builds both buildings simultaneously expediting the benefits for our kids and using a progressive design build team will limit the cost inflation for the projects while bringing construction partners to the table to more efficiently build the buildings and save us money in the process.

There is a cost of doing the upgrade, but there is also a cost of not doing the upgrade. If we don’t build new schools now, our maintenance needs and expenses are only going to increase as aging systems already need to be replaced due to a lack of availability of parts, the state has notified the district that they don’t meet the new energy codes and will begin fining them if we don’t upgrade the schools soon.

And families will move or choice into other districts that do provide

JANUARY 2026 • 23

the opportunities their kids need.

Our kids see it, we are a small town. Tournaments are hosted by our neighboring school districts, that have made investments and have facilities that are opening more opportunities for their students and families. This isn’t just one school; they all have made investments to modernize their facilities. How do you think East Valley kids feel when they visit another, newer school, then come back. Do you think they feel that they can achieve the same thing or have the same opportunities as their neighbors?

Staff members and teachers also want to work for districts that support them, it is becoming harder and harder to attract talented educators. Given a choice between working for a school district that invests in its facilities vs one that doesn’t, where do you think teachers and staff would want to work. They are the ones directly impacting our kids’ day-to-day learning environment. We need to be competitive and attract the best teachers we can to give our kids the tools they need to succeed. We need them to want to come work for the East Valley School District.

What

do

you

want

the

legacy of East Valley to be?

Grandparents, wouldn’t you want more opportunities for your grandchildren to be successful?

Costs are only going up, Superintendent Talbott shares an example of another school district (that he may have worked for in the past) that chose to wait on replacing their high school in 2014 and now that they really need to do it, the cost has more than doubled for a school of the same size. This proposal is timed to start as the previous Safety and Security levy is expiring, which will reduce the burden of this proposal on taxpayers by ~37% and leverages the largest possible state match to make our taxes go even further.

This additional match would allow the district to make improvements at each of the Elementary Schools impacting every kid across the district, but only if we act this year.

Join me in supporting the East Valley Bond, the plan is solid, and the time is now! Vote Yes this February.

Ballots come out on January 22nd, for the future of our kids, make sure you turn yours in by February 10th.

The kids are counting on you; we are counting on you! We need to do this, we can’t afford not to, the time is now!

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• JANUARY 2026

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