March 30 - April 5, 2023
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
$100 million in state hospitality grants, page 3
Landis retires from Blaine police, page 5
Chadwick runs for county sheriff, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Federal grant Children enjoy sunny days at Marine Park funds planning to improve border wait time estimates By Grace McCarthy
(See Border, page 3)
s The Blaine Marine Park pirate playground offers a place for children to run around as the days become longer and weather becomes warmer, as seen during the evening of March 28. The playground is fully reopened after being closed earlier this winter while shoreline construction was being done. Photo by Grace McCarthy
Blaine school district to prepare reduction plan, layoffs expected for next school year By Ian Haupt The Blaine school board voted 5-0 to adopt a resolution at its March 27 regular meeting that instructs Blaine school district administration to prepare a reduced education plan for the 2023-24 school year. The plan is expected to be approved at the board’s April 24 regular meeting and include staff layoffs. District financial officer Amber Porter recommended the school board, at its February 27 meeting, instruct superintendent Christopher Granger to prepare a reduced education plan because the district would likely be penalized for miscalculating its budget for the current school year. Blaine saw fewer students enroll this year, especially kindergarten students whose numbers dropped significantly more than was budgeted. Because the state overfunded the district, Porter previously said the district will receive significantly less in funding next school year. Granger said during the February meeting once the state realizes it overfunded the district, it will look to balance it by underfunding. Blaine is not alone. Schools across western Washington are currently facing declining
enrollment and budgeting issues. Seattle public schools is up against multimillion-dollar budget deficits for the 2023-24 school year, and nearly 30 employees at the district could be laid off next year, according to Seattle news outlets. Bellevue and Mercer Island school districts are considering consolidating or eliminating schools to account for drops in enrollment. The Everett school district board has approved a plan to eliminate as many as 142 positions to account for a $28 million deficit. Blaine school board’s action will allow Granger and district administration to formally look for areas where cuts can be made and to bring forward a plan in April. As of March 22, enrollment was 50 students below budget, an increase from the beginning of the school year. Kindergarten enrollment alone was down over 40 students in September. Porter previously estimated that one student accounts for at least $11,320 in current year revenue. The district’s current fund balance is tracking nearly $2 million ahead of the past two years, but Porter said federal elementary and secondary school emergency relief (ESSER) funds issued due to the pandemic cushion that balance.
Granger said during the March 27 meeting he appreciated the work from department and administrative leaders who have contributed to helping the district deal with its budget deficit. He said layoffs will be necessary and that the action will allow district leaders to start having conversations with possible impacted staff. “We will do it delicately,” Granger said. “We appreciate the people we employ. We know this is emotional, not just for those who are impacted but those who are having those discussions.”
INSIDE
The Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) will receive a $458,000 federal grant to plan an updated communications system that could improve wait time estimates for travelers crossing both ways at the U.S./Canada border. The project’s planning phase will evaluate technology to replace the communications system at the Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Lynden and Sumas ports of entry, according to a March 23 announcement from U.S. senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA). The current system uses 20-year-old technology that miscounts vehicles and has fixed cameras that don’t move when the lanes are changed. “People who rely on border wait times to determine which port of entry they’re going to cross through need to believe the wait times advertised are real,” said Melissa Fanucci, the project’s principal planner for WCOG. She added that an updated system could help inspection agencies better staff facilities as well as improve border data analysis for researchers. WCOG, the project’s lead agency, and other project proponents are considering sensor-based technology that would give travelers actual wait times for both passenger and commercial vehicles traveling both ways through the U.S./Canada border. Current technology doesn’t provide wait times for commercial vehicles, according to WCOG. The grant will also look at potentially adding an anti-idling system for northbound traffic entering the Peace Arch border crossing, similar to the anti-idling systems in place for southbound traffic entering the U.S. Fanucci said the installation of an anti-idling system needs to be studied more because of the Peace Arch border crossing’s location to the I-5 on-ramp. WCOG will work with the Washington State Department of Transportation and B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which operate the communications systems for both countries. The planning phase is expected to take one year and then WCOG will apply for implementation funding. “We’re going to come up with the plan for the border wait time system and then we’ll apply for the stage two grant, which will hopefully open in November of this year,” Fanucci said. “If we get that, we can implement the project the following year.” The new communications system could be ready in 2025, according to the senators’ announcement. The grant was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Strengthen-
TheNorthernLight
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
TheNorthernLight.com
ThisFLYERS Week’s
Timber Tree Service FSI Save