WCSO makes four arrests o a
Season over for Ferndale High School football team
Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force was assisted by Ferndale police. — News, A2
Golden Eagles lose 38-10 at Federal Way on Nov. 9. — Sports, B1
NOVEMBER 13, 2024
SINCE 1885
Ferndale School District embraces Strategic Plan
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Ferndale Library celebrates 10 years in current building
Ferndale School District superintendent Kristi Dominguez, pictured at right in a meeting earlier this year. Superintendent explained that while the district’s core values remain steady, data and feedback direct strategies to meet needs of every student. (Luke Seymour/
Ferndale Record)
Superintendent says while core values remain steady, data and feedback direct strategies to meet needs of every student By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — On Sept. 17, the Ferndale School District unveiled their 2024-2030 strategic plan, a comprehensive guide to the next six years of the district’s infrastructural development. Some of the strategic plan’s key components include the outline of fundamental principles that will guide the district’s operations and educational approach, define their core values that will influence district decision making as well as set clear and actionable goals for the district to meet. The Ferndale Record spoke to Ferndale School District Superintendent, Kristi Dominguez to get a better idea of what a strategic plan is, what the district hopes to accomplish with it and what it means to the Ferndale community on the whole. Ferndale Record: In your own words, could you describe what a strategic plan is for a school district and how it operates? Kristi Dominguez: A strategic plan is essentially the roadmap that guides our school district toward its goals. It sets the long-term vision and direction for where we want to go and what we want to achieve as a district, ensuring that every decision we make aligns with our mission to serve students In our case, it reflects the values of our community, prioritizing areas like belonging and inclusion, academic excellence, and strong community partnerships. The plan operates by breaking down these big-picture goals into actionable steps. We use it to determine where resources should go, how we can improve, and what success looks like for our students and staff. It’s a living document, meaning that while our core values remain steady, we adapt our strategies based on data and feedback to ensure we’re meeting the needs of every student. It’s not just something we create and set aside. It’s integrated into everything we do — from curriculum choices to professional development to family engagement. Record: When did the district decide to develop a strategic plan? What did they have in place before the strategic plan? Dominguez: The decision to develop a formal strategic plan came from discovering through my entry plan my first year that we needed a clear, cohesive direction that reflects both the needs of our students and the values of our community. While there had been district commitments in place, it had been at least 20 years since our district had a strategic plan. Before the strategic plan, we had a number of initiatives and goals in place, but they weren’t necessarily tied together under one unified vision. See Strategic Plan on A3
Ferndale Library employees, from left, Vanessa Tucker, Joy McGrath and LaRayne Blunenstein, with copies of the Ferndale Record. (Luke Seymour/Ferndale Record) By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, the Friends of the Ferndale Library will host a celebration to mark 10 years of the Ferndale Public Library’s residency in its current building. Since 2014, the Ferndale Public Library has resided at 2125 Main St. In the years since it was initially established, the FPL has developed a reputation as one of the finest branches of the Whatcom County Library System. However, President of Friends of the Ferndale Library, Sue Green said the FPL represents much more than just a place where residents can pick up a weekend read. “This is, for all intents and purposes, a community center,” Green said. “The building can be used in many, many ways. The large meeting rooms, the smaller conference rooms, the array of stuff that’s available there. It’s just a place where ev-
eryone can come and get involved in all kinds of activities and get involved with the community.” According to Green, the 10-year celebration will be open to the public and represents an opportunity for the FPL to further exhibit the wide
range of the activities it offers. “There’s going to be lots to do and try,” Green said. “We’re going to be offering special commemorative bookmarks that were designed by See Library on A2
Rule, Timmons retain LD42 rep seats By Bill Helm Editor
WHATCOM — With 345 estimated ballots left to count in the Nov. 5 election, LD42 incumbents Alicia Rule and Joe Timmons have retained their seats as Washington state representatives. As of last ballot count, which was at 4:26 p.m. Nov. 8, Rule (D) leads Raymond Pelletti (R) by more than 10% (49,261 votes to 39,630 votes), Timmons (D) leads Kamal Bhachu (R) by more than 6%, with 47,426 votes for Timmons (53.34%) to 41,417 votes for Bhachu (46.57%). With next count scheduled to be released at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, ballots from almost 82% of the county’s registered voters (137,245 of 167,634)
Alicia Rule, left, Joe Timmons. have been counted. This election’s certification is scheduled for Nov. 26. In other county-related election news, for Meridian School District’s $75M bond to pass, a supermajority — 60% — needed to say yes. With close to 400 votes separating the yes from the no, 3,343 voters (53.03%)
Weather
38 pages • Volume LIII • Number 38
Thursday 42°/53° Friday 39°/50° Saturday 41°/48° Sunday 41°/49°
Calendar • A6 Classifieds • B4 Forum • A4
Legal Notices • B4 News Briefs • A3 Obituaries • A5
Puzzles • B5 Sports • B1
supported the bond that would have provided, among other things, a new Meridian Middle School. This is separate from the generator for emergency power to the district’s main network and server room that the district’s voters approved in the 2020 capital projects levy. According to the district, the 20-year bond
measure, had it passed, would have meant an increase tax rate of $1.38 per $1,000 of assessed value. Which means the tax rate for the Meridian community would have increased by $63.25 each month or $759 each year in 2025 based on the owner of a $550,000 home. Also short of a supermajority, the Whatcom County Fire District No. 1 ask for a $13M general obligations bond has been met with not enough support to pass, as 53.58% of participating voters (3,273) have said yes, the other 2,836 (46.42%) have said no. If passed, the bond would have helped the fire district construct and equip a new fire station and headquarters, and to acquire new firefighting and life safety equipment.
Exclusive online content: News throughout the week www.ferndalerecord.com