10 years ago 1998
Plans to offer a four-year college education in north Snohomish County were announced by the state last week. A State Higher Education Coordination Board-commissioned study found an expanding need for higher education in north county as well as Island and Skagit counties and state officials are promising an institution connected to several of the state universities and area community colleges. The study predicts over the next 20 years this area will need to serve nearly 10,000 college-level students, 5,000 at the community college level and 5,000 at the upper or graduate level. Under the state plan local students could take classes at Everett Community College, at home or at a proposed hub and finish with a degree from Washington State University, Western Washington University or a combination of any of the seven state schools in the consortium. Faculty could be based locally and some coursework may take advantage of the internet and other telecommunications technology, Executive Director Marc Gaspard said. Members of the consortium are the University of Washington, Western Washington University, Central Washington University, Washington State University and three area community colleges: Everett, Edmonds and Skagit Valley. Students will be able to pick the institution that meets their needs. For example, a student majoring in environmental science could take courses offered by a program at Western Washington University, Gaspard said. It is an attractive model that allows for personal tailoring, custom developed advanced degrees, he said. The center itself will be able to change quickly and respond to area needs. The study calls for an association of local representatives to make sure the program will be employment-relevant education. The site of the center wont be decided until 1999 at the earliest. Gaspard said they are looking at area in the north county down to north Everett.
The failure of a levy in the Lakewood School District means officials are preparing next years budget facing the loss of nearly 18 percent of their basic education funds. Superintendent Wayne Robertson offered the board two options, both include cutting teaching positions and half or all of the money for athletic programs. The cuts Robertson proposed are extensive and touch most everyone at the school. Money raised through levies pays for costs not fully covered by state or federal money. The district will have to cut $750,000 from next years budget should the levy fail again in the April 28 election. In his draft, Robertson included two options, one which would eliminate two full-time teachers and two part-time teachers. Under the second option, the district would eliminate four full-time teachers. The two proposals differ in how much money is cut from non-academic programs. The second option would require the district to cut by half the money it spends on athletics, drama, band and the coaches and advisors who support them. The proposal, however, would eliminate two more full-time teachers than the first option both basic education teachers, most likely in the middle school, Robertson proposed. By cutting the entire budget for those programs, the district would keep those two teaching positions. Sports teams, band and drama programs would either be eliminated or have to seek money elsewhere school districts get no money from the state for athletics, drama or band. The bottom line is that we will lose teaching positions, Robertson said. The board didnt take any action on the budget proposals and has until July to pass next years budget. However, they will have to tell the teachers union by May 15 how many positions they hope to cut and which ones, Robertson explained. A clearly frustrated audience offered the board suggestions for passing the levy. Nobody criticized the district. One audience member suggested voters didnt know how well the school district was managing their money and educating children. Board member John Grose agreed the district has been tight-fisted. Its like a trip back into the 1960s with the furniture. One option for athletic, drama and music programs will be to solicit private support. Robertson explained he was at a meeting with other superintendents from districts whose voters didnt approve levies a less-distinguished group, he joked. The consensus was to not allow private money to support specific programs. Robertson said all programs are hurt if only one is supported. Heather Miller, vice principal of Lakewood High School, said they are considering charging students between $200 and $375 to participate in non-academic activities. Cutting into the sports programs drew an emotional reaction from someone calling himself Cougar Man after Lakewood High Schools mascot. Playing sports was the only thing that kept him in school and got him into college, he said. I urge the board to consider what its [cutting the program] going to do to someone like me. Nevertheless Robertson recommended the directors choose the alternative that cuts fewer teachers and drops the non-academic funding entirely. Both alternatives call for cutting the transportation budget in half. That would include cutting half-day kindergarten to save $17,000 next year. Robertson also proposed cutting $100,000 from the maintenance and custodial budget. Instead of classrooms being swept every night, they would get swept every third night I dont know when the grounds would be mowed. A voter-approved levy would preclude most of those cuts and the board seemed focused on that. The gloves are off, Robertson said.

25 years ago 1983
The Seven Lakes Sewer District Commissioners have received a grant from the state Department of Ecology which will pay 75 percent of the costs of a project that will identify pollution sources and recommend corrective action. The Seven Lakes greater area, Warm Beach, Kayak Point and McKees Beach communities are banding together to raise the $79,000 necessary before they can obtain the grant of $241,000 for the restoration of all the areas wells, lakes, aquifers and watersheds. Water table analysis also will be performed. The study is unlike others in the past. Contamination and pollution seeping into the ground, lakes and streams and into the Sound in time, may affect the Tulalip Tribes streams and fish hatcheries and also the wildlife. The Environmental and Transportation Consultants (Entranco), a Bellevue engineering firm, has been chosen to study all aspects of thee areas water above and below the ground. The firms vice president, Patrick McCullough, told the Lake Goodwin Community club at a public meeting his firm has 15 engineers and studies several lakes within the state. The study phase, testing water in lakes and wells, will last 18 months. Entranco will monitor shorelines and identify failing individual septic systems and will monitor the quality of ground water from wells, streams and lakes. Following the collection and analysis of the water quality data, Entranco will determine the sources of contamination, the degree of pollution and will recommend specific measures to correct existing problems and prevent further ones. Such a study is required before any government funds can be obtained. McCullough was asked at a public meeting whether the study could be used to block any county plan to locate a landfill in the area. McCullough said, In Thurston County, officials put a hold on land-use proposals while a study was done. The biggest problem officials face in this area is they have no technical data to decide if, for instance, 10 more homes can be built and how that will affect the lakes. Lake Goodwin Community Club president Archie Anderson said, If the involved areas cant raise the $79,000 by April 16 and the DOE withdraws its 75 percent matching fund, there is a good possibility the Department of Ecology will not make the sewer district a similar offer in the foreseeable future.

50 years ago 1958
Frank Mardon, Done Foxe and Wallace Rounds were winners of Marysville City Council seats in the city election Tuesday. Voting was extremely heavy for a local election, the board at city hall being kept busy all day. When the doors were closed at eight oclock, there were 90 people still in the corridors of the building waiting to cast their votes. A total of 640 votes were cast by residents within the city limits. In addition to these, voters from seven other precincts voted at city hall for the school election. Out of a total of 1,138 votes at city hall, 640 voted yes on the school proposition got building fund millage and 310 voted no. These results do not include rural precincts which voted elsewhere than city hall. In the city election, Mardon received 292 votes, Foxe 279, Rounds 193, LeRoy Weiser 184, Ernest Thompson 166, Beven ODenis 153, Elmer Carroll 143, Arthur Nelson 110, John Husby 107, Clifford Quast 79, and A.E. Lundstedt 77.