Both parties have made education a top priority. With that in mind, I d like to discuss a strategy that is finding favor across the nation, and even here in our valley. Talk to any teacher, and they ll tell you that the first few months of school are spent re-teaching little Johnny and Susie the skills they ve forgotten over the summer, not to mention the pressure to bring kids up to speed for the extremely tough Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Suddenly, there aren t enough hours in the day. A variety of options exist.
Many districts tack on a summer program to the existing nine months.
Locally, the Union Gap School District is successfully operating a year-round school program. With the public demand for higher accountability and the growing numbers of children who are below grade level, the glorious prospect of summer vacation may be a luxury we can no longer afford. Let s hear from you on this one. Then come back next week to see what you and your neighbors had to say. Both were words Streetmail readers used to describe the latest class action lawsuit pitting smokers against tobacco companies.