The Mead school board next week will hold two meetings at which it’s expected to take public comments related to cuts that are proposed to close a $12 million deficit projected for the next academic year.
Already, parents are lining up convince board members to spare programs that benefit their children. They include the parents of students at the Riverpoint Academy, a program with 170 high school students that emphasizes a science, math and entrepreneurial curriculum.
It opened in 2012 on Spokane’s Riverpoint campus, but is now located in north Spokane.
Traci Logan is the president of the parent organization for the academy. Her son is a student there. She says he’s flourishing there for several reasons.
“The traditional things, such as small classroom sizes, the personal relationships with the teachers that all the kids and parents have, the fact that they actually look at the whole child. It’s not just about good grades and academia. It’s about actually building a better human being,” Logan said.
The district proposes to close the academy for two years to save a million dollars. That is one of a few dozen money-saving ideas floated by district administrators.
The school board will hold a Monday evening forum at Northwood Middle School and a regular board meeting Wednesday at the district office to take testimony from the community.
