Issaquah School District

Issaquah School District No. 411 is a public school district in King County, Washington, USA, serving the city of Issaquah as well as portions of Sammamish, Renton, Bellevue, and Newcastle.

The Issaquah School District's logo

As of the 2018-19 school year, the district has an enrollment of 20,965[1] with 24 total schools.[2]

Schools

High schools (9-12th grades)
  • Issaquah High School, is located south of downtown Issaquah, and is expectedly the district's oldest high school. IHS opened in 1905 and moved to its present location in 1962. School colors: Purple & Gold. Mascot: Eagles.
  • Liberty Senior High School, opened in 1977 at the southwest region of the district. LHS was named the National Blue Ribbon school in 1999 and was recognized in Washington, D.C. School colors: Silver, Green, & Blue. Mascot: Patriots.[3]
  • Skyline High School is the district's newest high school, opening its doors in 1997. Located in Sammamish on the northern boundary of the district, Skyline serves as a community center for the city of Sammamish. School colors: Green & Silver. Mascot: Spartans.
  • Gibson Ek High School, opened in the fall of 2016 at the previous location of Issaquah Middle School. Gibson Ek is a choice high school that places emphasis on real world experience. Students are allowed to explore career options with the help of volunteer mentors and are required to go to internships on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mascot: Griffins.

Middle schools (6-8th grades)

Elementary schools (K-5)
  • Apollo Elementary School – feeder school for Maywood and Liberty. It is also a host site for the district's Mind Education – Right and Left (brain) Integration (MERLIN) program.
  • Briarwood Elementary School – feeder school for Maywood and Liberty (New school opening in fall 2012)
  • Cascade Ridge Elementary School – feeder school for Beaver Lake and Skyline
  • Challenger Elementary School – feeder school for Beaver Lake and Skyline
  • Clark Elementary School – feeder school for Issaquah Middle and Issaquah High School
  • Cougar Ridge Elementary School – feeder school for Issaquah & Maywood Middle Schools, and Liberty & Issaquah High Schools
  • Creekside Elementary School - feeder school for Pine Lake and Skyline
  • Discovery Elementary School – feeder school for Pine Lake, Beaver Lake, and Skyline
  • Endeavour Elementary School – feeder school for Beaver Lake and Skyline. It is also a host site for the district's Mind Education – Right and Left (brain) Integration (MERLIN) program.
  • Grand Ridge Elementary School – feeder school for Pacific Cascade Middle and Issaquah High School
  • Issaquah Valley Elementary School – feeder school for Issaquah Middle and Issaquah High School
  • Maple Hills Elementary School – feeder school for Maywood and Liberty
  • Newcastle Elementary School – feeder school for Maywood and Liberty
  • Sunny Hills Elementary School – feeder school for Pine Lake Middle, Pacific Cascade Middle, Skyline High and Issaquah High School
  • Sunset Elementary School – feeder school for Pacific Cascade Middle and Issaquah High School

Closed schools
  • Tiger Mountain Community High School was a high school serving students throughout the district who seek an alternative to the traditional high school environment. Each student is given personalized lessons and support by the staff which adds to the alternative style of education. Tiger Mountain is also the site for a regional high tech learning center serving students throughout the region. This school closed after the 2015-16 school year.

In the news

2002 District strike

The Issaquah School District teachers' union voted to strike which in turn left Issaquah schools to be closed from the opening day of school, September 4, until September 26 – closing the school for a total of three weeks; fifteen total school days. An agreement was made on September 25 ratified by a 740-45 majority vote cast by the teachers at Issaquah High School, relieving the teachers of the threats of fines that would be put in place because the teachers voted to defy a King County Superior Court injunction calling for the teachers to return to work.[6] Resulting from the strike was a 3.8 percent pay increase over two years; ninety-five percent being covered by state aid. An additional $250 "return to work incentive" was offered to all teachers as well as a $500 bonus the following year. Because of the increased incentive to return to work, more staff was gained in that year than during any previous year.[6]

2006 Bus driver termination

An Issaquah School District bus driver now identified as Staci LaManna was fired in September 2006 when she allegedly "flipped off" former United States President George W. Bush in June 2006 while she was transporting a group of students back from a field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo.[7] The 43-year-old driver has filed a union grievance for wrongful termination.[8] The Issaquah School District stated that the termination was a result of a "pattern of behavior" and not for any political reasons.[9]

2014 Rape and subsequent victim harassment campaign

In 2014 a 16-year-old girl was raped by two members of the Skyline football team. She reported it, they were convicted and a protective order forced the rapists off the team and out of the school. The community and coaches responded by starting a targeted harassment campaign of the victim and her younger sister that included online bullying, personal confrontations, firebombing the victims house, planting drugs on her, and prominently featuring the rapists during her graduation ceremony attempting to force her to move to another school so the rapists could come back and play for Skyline. After her graduation the harassment continued against her younger sister.[10][11]

2015 District Walkout

All schools in the Issaquah School District were closed on May 19, 2015 when the Issaquah School District Teacher's Union voted to go on strike to earn more funding from the state for Washington's schools. Thousands of teachers of the Issaquah School District, Mercer Island School District, and Seattle School District filled the streets of Downtown Seattle and traveled from the Seattle Center to Westlake Park. The commotion caused by this walkout caused some senators in Olympia to propose a bill to decrease teacher's pay while on strike, but this proposal was not accepted by many senators.[12]

Demographics
Enrollment by Ethnicity[1]
Ethnicity 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
White 11,499 (59.2%) 11,380 (57.2%) 11,317 (55.1%) 11,129 (53%) 10,772 (51.4%)
Asian 4,751 (24.5%) 5,126 (25.8%) 5,581 (27.2%) 6,042 (28.8%) 6,260 (29.9%)
Hispanic/Latino 1,505 (7.7%) 1,579 (7.9%) 1,712 (8.3%) 1,765 (8.4%) 1,793 (8.6%)
Two or More Races 1,227 (6.3%) 1,366 (6.9%) 1,474 (7.2%) 1,591 (7.6%) 1,661 (7.9%)
Black/African American 341 (1.8%) 335 (1.7%) 359 (1.7%) 391 (1.9%) 405 (1.9%)
American Indian/Alaskan Native 40 (0.2%) 39 (0.2%) 45 (0.2%) 32 (0.2%) 31 (0.1%)
Total Enrollment 19,425 19,883 20,540 21,000 20,965
Enrollment by Gender[1]
Gender 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
Male 9,883 (50.9%) 10,140 (51%) 10,475 (51.0%) 10,808 (51.5%) 10,802 (51.5%)
Female 9,542 (49.1%) 9,743 (49%) 10,065 (49%) 10,192 (48.5%) 10,163 (48.5%)
Total Enrollment 19,425 19,883 20,540 21,000 20,965

As of May 2016, 7.9% of students are on free or reduced-price meal programs.[1]

Staff

In the district, as of 2016, there are 1029 classroom teachers. Of these, 696 (67.7%) have at least a master's degree. Teachers have an average of 10.6 years of experience in the district.[1]

References
  1. "Washington State Report Card". reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  2. "Schools". Issaquah School District. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  3. "Liberty High School". Liberty.issaquah.wednet.edu. 2012-08-16. Archived from the original on 1998-12-05. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  4. "Beloved mascot of Sammamish school to live on in bronze statue after retirement | Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter". Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  5. "Beaver Lake Middle School honors beloved bulldog's legacy | Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter". Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter. 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2018-06-29.<
  6. Roberts, Gregory (2002-09-26). "All sides -- including kids -- voice relief at Issaquah strike's resolution". The Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  7. School Fires Driver For Giving Bush The Finger - Education News Story - WKMG Orlando Archived March 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Tuinstra, Rachel (2006-12-29). "She flipped off president, wants old job". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  9. Postman, David (2006-11-01). "District says driver did more than flip the bird to Bush". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  10. "2 women suing Issaquah School District for bullying, retaliation". Bonneville International. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. "Rape victim's suit against Issaquah School District claims they didn't investigate abuse". Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  12. Thousands of teachers hit streets in Seattle — and Dems walk out, too
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.