May 2023
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Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Is there anything better than wine & chocolate?
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Candidate filing period looms, page 7
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Board approves reduced school plan Students walk out. Twice. B y P a t G r u bb For Blaine school administrators, Monday, April 24 ended pretty much the way it started with a student walk out. A large crowd of high school students, many dressed in red to support their teachers, walked out of school before classes began and marched to the school district’s administrative offices to protest planned cuts to educators and other district staff. They walked out again at the regular monthly school board meeting held later that night after the board voted 4-0 (with one abstention) to approve the administration’s plan (Resolution 2223-08 Reduced Education Program Plan for 2023-24). The administration had proposed cuts to the educational program citing smaller than projected student enrollment for the 2023-24 school year as well as reduced income from state and federal funding sources. State law requires school districts planning to terminate certificated employees to give notice by May 15. In July 2022, the district adopted a budget with a four-year forecast that would put it $14 million in the red by 2026. The forecast for the 2022-23 school year alone projected a deficit of nearly $5 million with expenditures set at $45.3 million and revenue expected to be $40.5 million. In that forecast, the district also expected a $6 million in the 2023-24 school year, if the no program adjustments were made. Executive director of finance and operations Amber Porter told The Northern
s A fundraiser held at Trinity Church Hall on April 22 to benefit the Circle of Care featured wine, chocolate and the singing of Savilla Kress. Photo by Louise Mugar
Fire district considers fiscal plan B y P a t G r u bb “We will present this information in a factual, objective and open process.” – Fire chief Christopher Carleton. In an hour and half-long presentation by fire chief Christopher Carleton, district attorney Brian Snure and bond consultant Jim Nelson, fire commissioners and around 20 members of the public were briefed on the district’s deteriorating fiscal situation and the steps that would be required to place it on a sound financial basis. Carleton first ran through the fire district’s draft Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)
(See School, page 6)
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which is an update to the CFP which can be found on the district’s website. From 2023–2036, the district has anticipated capital expenditures of approximately $4.2 million. These expenditures include replacement of emergency vehicles, renovations to the fire hall and replacement of the hall’s parking lot, among other items. Given the district’s current income, the district could expect to incur a deficit of around $200,000 if capital expenditures are made as scheduled. Carleton described how a community’s fire insurance rating is affected by the stan-
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Inside Church ............................................... 8 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 15 Crossings .......................................... 14 Obituaries ......................................... 17 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 16 Tides ................................................. 13
(See Fire, page 3)
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