Considering the $2.5 billion shortfall in the state budget, CK school officials are afraid legislators will fiscally short-sheet them this year.

The basic challenge, said CKSD spokeswoman Jeanie Schulze, is “to maintain adequate and stable state-education funding to ensure all children have the resources necessary to meet higher learning standards set by Washington state and local districts.”

In other words, “Stay the course on state education reform” which was set a decade ago, she said in an open letter to legislators.

Schulze wrote the letter (presented to legislators last month) as district spokeswoman, but the contents were put together jointly by the School Board and Superintendent Catherine Davidson.

Ten years ago, legislators challenged districts to take kids to a higher academic level, said Schulze.

“The state’s commitment to funding this effort was essential,” she said.

Up to now, state funding in excess of basic ed dollars has been essential to helping kids reach new learning goals. However, a recent meeting between Kitsap Peninsula district reps and state legislators was not encouraging.

Legislators said they weren’t sure they had the funds to keep paying for programs, and feared voter-generated initiative tax-cuts.

“Initiative 728 student achievement and special program funds impact student learning” in a very essential way, Schulze said. In fall of 2000, I-728 was “overwhelmingly” passed by 72 percent of the voters “in a huge vote of confidence for our public schools.”

The initiative provides an important source of funding targeted at improving student achievement and classroom instruction. It did not take into consideration Sept. 11, the terrorist attacks, or the nationwide recession that followed, said legislators.

School officials fear legislators and voter-sponsored initiatives will effectively gut I-728 over time.

What’s being done with I-728:

*Klahowya Secondary School is studying why boys lag behind girls in every grade and most subjects.

“By using I-728 student achievement funds, Klahowya was able to to offer an all-boy sophomore English class last year for students who were failing,” she said. It “provided a different approach. All students passed the semester course with a C or better. All but one met the WASL-standard in reading, most met the standard in writing, and several met all standards.”

Officials added they’re not sure why an all-boy class with a male teacher worked so well. Psychology may have played a part. This year the school is offering a full-year, sophomore English class for both boys and girls who are struggling.

* I-728 dollars allowed the school to shrink class size in seventh-grade transitional math, eighth-grade algebra and ninth-grade geometry from 30 or more students to 25 or lower. This ensured more individual attention to students. The school also offers an individualized math course for grades seven and eight, and pre-algebra for grades nine, 10, 11 and 12.

* Klahowya offers after-school study and WASL-prep classes through I-728.

* Jackson Park Elementary received funds for teacher training. The school has the highest transient rate due to military families being transferred in and out of the area. It also has a high number of students of mixed ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds. The training is hoped to help teachers close the grade gaps.

* Jackson Park established extended-day learning.

* And the school is taking advantage of a state-provided “Math Helping Corps” program.

* “Jackson Park’s fourth-grade WASL score rose dramatically from 26 percent in the spring of 2001 to 58 percent in the spring of 2002,” she said — due to I-728-funded teacher training.

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