Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Students and staff are once again settling into their school day routines. This year, we saw more students walk, skip, and breeze through our school doors than in previous years. Our enrollment numbers continue to grow, but the number of schools in...

Five years ago, a supermajority of about 64 percent of the voters in the Mukilteo School District approved a ballot measure that gave us the authority to finance improvements to many school facilities. The largest of those projects was the...

With the end of the school year approaching, it’s a time when schools are planning year-end celebrations and when this year’s graduates are becoming anxious about the big step they will soon take to the next phase of their young lives. This is...

February was a record breaker! We’ve never had so many school days canceled because of weather. During the past 20 years, most of our school years have gone by with no canceled days or maybe only one. There have been only four years when two or...

About three-quarters of our operating revenue comes from the state of Washington, so it only makes sense that we would pay a great deal of attention to what is going on in Olympia when the Legislature is in session. The lawmakers are considering doze...

With about 2,500 employees and an annual operating budget of about $250 million, the Mukilteo School District is a large organization. In fact, out of the 295 school districts in the state of Washington, we are the 22nd largest with an enrollment of...

While the focus of our effort is always on what happens in the classroom, there are many other supporting functions that also play a critical role. Education can’t work, for example, if the school buildings aren’t maintained or the school buses d...

The Mukilteo School District has become a richly diverse place over the past several years. Our school district is vastly different than it was when I arrived in 2000. We truly are educating students from around the globe, with students who speak a...

The safety of our students and our staff members, as well as those who visit our campuses and facilities, is one of the most important responsibilities that we have as a school district. A proper learning environment must be free of things or people...

One of the most exciting parts of each summer in the Mukilteo School District is our summer school program. Each year, hundreds of students spend time in classrooms to learn a variety of subjects, help get prepared for their move to middle school or...

Summer is just around the corner. We will honor our graduates at ceremonies that will take place later this week and the last day of the 2017-18 school year will be a week from today on June 20. The last several weeks before the end of the school...

The issue of safety and security in our schools is always a strong concern, but has been increasingly so during the past few months since the tragic school shooting in Florida, the resulting activism by students, and our own incident here in the...

I wrote a letter to all of our staff members last week that outlines the things we are doing in our schools to improve safety and security. In that message, I had to admit that in my many years in education as a student, a teacher, and as a...

Voters in the school district are now considering two ballot measures that would provide funding for our schools. One would provide money for a variety of educational programs and services and the other would provide money to improve technology. As t...

In last month’s column, I introduced you to the topic of school finances. I told you that the state provides us with about two-thirds of the money we use to operate schools. I also mentioned that most of the programs and activities that the state...

The process of providing an education for more than 15,000 students requires a very large organization filled with many moving parts. In addition to about 1,000 teachers, we employ hundreds of other employees who drive school buses, serve lunch,...

When we went to the voters in February 2014 with a construction bond proposal, we said that building a new elementary school and a new kindergarten center would help us meet the demand of growing enrollment and give us enough classrooms to provide...

A little-known gem in our school system will be celebrating its 40th birthday soon. Our school district is among the largest in the state, serving a total of more than 15,000 students. We offer classes at three high schools, four middle schools, 12...

The end of the school year is an exciting time for all of our students, who are looking forward to taking a break from the classroom to enjoy many summer activities. It’s especially exciting for the high school seniors and their families. For many...

I had the tremendous pleasure of joining some of our teachers and principals at a ceremony last week down in Auburn where 280 schools were recognized with the Washington Achievement Award, which is the highest honor that can be given to a school in...

In last month’s column, I mentioned that we will begin to offer full-day kindergarten sessions for all kindergarten students in our school district beginning next fall. Now is the time for parents to register those students who will be attending...

Each year, as spring nears, many of us at the school district are already busy gazing into the future and planning for the next school year. We are already looking at enrollment forecasts for next fall, doing preliminary work on budgets and making...

Do you enjoy working with kids or know somebody who likes being around children? If so, we might have a job for you or your friend. If you’ve ever thought about working for a school district, now may be your big chance. We are looking for you. A...

With the coming of the holiday season, there also comes a time when we traditionally look back and give thanks to the blessings that we enjoy. When those of us at the Mukilteo School District take stock of what we are thankful for, the support from...

Last month I introduced you to the Common Core State Standards, a set of academic standards for math and English language arts that have been adopted by 43 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories. Academic standards establish what a...