The school board and I are constantly considering what the future holds for the Spokane Public Schools community. Quality schools with excellent educators and well-maintained facilities to ensure students have every opportunity to reach their full potential are essential to a vibrant, growing community.

The impact of technology being infused into curriculum is becoming much more evident now and will continue to grow in the coming years. The call for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursework never has been greater to compete in world markets.  

As educators, we will need the required hardware, software, infrastructure, and curriculum to prepare our students for post-secondary pursuits or careers.  Our district is currently studying technology needs at every grade level to determine if additional funding in the way of a capital levy is necessary to meet emerging needs.

Our districtwide T-2-4 goal of ensuring students are prepared to enter a technical, two-year or four-year degree program upon graduation has been instrumental in raising our graduation rates from 70 percent to over 84 percent in the past few years—with a goal of a 90 percent on-time graduation for our district in 2017. 

Spokane Public Schools’ approach to educating our youth has evolved from the traditional one-size-fits-all model to one that gives families and students expanded choices that might fit their individual interests, learning style, or educational needs. With this new “portfolio” approach, we are able to augment our quality neighborhood schools with programs that meet the diverse needs of learners in our community.

Such progress and goals can continue only with support of both state and local funding for K-12 public education. The Washington State Constitution requires ample funding of basic education as the paramount duty of the state. The 2017 legislative session will be critical in determining how that funding will occur equally across all 295 school districts in our state. It’s imperative that any funding model ensures that a student’s ZIP code does not determine his or her educational opportunities. 

One of the reasons I chose to return to Spokane was because of the community support for our schools and the school district’s long-range facility improvement plan, developed in 2003. This support has been evident by the overwhelming passage of school bonds in 2003, 2009, and 2015 elections. The long-range plan provides a clear blueprint for replacing or modernizing old schools, providing improved security in all schools, and maintaining existing school buildings so our students have effective learning environments. 

We have begun the challenging work of addressing the emerging needs of our school facilities and technology as the plan developed in 2003 didn’t anticipate enrollment growth and smaller class size legislation. Several working groups made up of district staff, community leaders, business professionals, and parents will be looking at the changing demographics, smaller class size requirements, grade configurations, new technologies, program needs, and school boundaries in the months to come to determine the next steps for funding proposals.   

To fill the classrooms of the future, we have asked our state legislatures to address teacher compensation.  Lower class size does require additional teaching staff, and the result is an anticipated statewide teaching shortage. Spokane Public Schools has been nationally recognized as a leader in attracting and retaining high quality educators—including how to best support them in their work throughout their career.

Recently, our school district and the Spokane Education Association, which represents over 3,000 teachers and support staff in our schools, successfully bargained a three-year contract. The association and school district administration are committed to finding ways to work together to provide better educational outcomes for our students.  

Additionally, Im excited to work closely with my peers at Community Colleges of Spokane, Washington State University, the University of Washington, Gonzaga University, and Whitworth University to listen and learn from them on how we can all work together to ensure smooth transitions from our public K-12 schools into their freshman classes. 

Strong relationships with our education association, higher education partners, and the community keep me optimistic and excited for the future of Spokane Public Schools. 

Shelley Redinger is the superintendent of Spokane Public Schools.