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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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DAVENPORT-Proposed replacement levies aimed at raising funds for local schools were passing after the first ballot returns in Davenport, Odessa, Reardan and Harrington Tuesday, Feb. 13. Some levies were passing comfortably, while others remained too close to call Tuesday night. The tightest margin is a proposed 3-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy in the Reardan-Edwall School District, valued at approximately $2 per $1,000 assessed property value. Between Lincoln and Spokane Counties, the levy was...
HARRINGTON— The school board had its rescheduled meeting Tuesday, Jan. 31. A new board organization was discussed and approved. Principal Tiffany Clouse talked about the end of the semester and how the CLEAR program is in its third year. CLEAR is a program that helps the student prepare for college through online courses. The board discussed the policies and procedures essential for the new year, including students experiencing homelessness, enrollment policies and excused and unexcused absences, to name a f...
ODESSA— The school board met for a special meeting to make amendments to the Athletic Director Contract on Wednesday, January 11. Larry Weber asked the board for one period allotted for athletic director duties. Board member Chris Crossley moved to amend the athletic director contract to allow one period allotted to A.D. duties and Janie Steward seconded the motion. The board went into an executive session to discuss complaints against an employee for approximately three hours. No updates were available as of press time. ....
REARDAN- The school district has undertaken a comprehensive facilities study to develop a long-range plan to deal with its expected increase in enrollment and to replace aging buildings. If projections are accurate, enrollment will increase from 736 to 1,065 between 2023-2028. "We are out of classroom space," superintendent Eric Sobotta said. "That need is above and beyond the needs we ran on our capital levy this past November." ALSC Architects are spearheading the study...
ODESSA— The Edmund and Braun Family Foundation donated $3,000, as announced at the school board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14. The board announced Josh Clark's resignation. School faculty and the board thanked Clark for his impact on the students and his service as a high school Assistant Football Coach. Bus driver Vonn Nelson was released from employment with no other details available at the time of this article. Superintendent John Bruce said ten students would participate in highly capable testing on Friday, Jan. 20. B...
REARDAN–The school board approved the process for comparing employee compensation with other school districts at its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14. The intent of this process is to set competitive pay ranges for certified, classified and non-represented employees. Data gathered from six school districts will be used to establish future pay for district employees. The board also recognized Officer Melissa Foust and Director of Security Brad Eylar for their commitment to school s...
REARDAN--After 31 years of teaching, Dorothy Balum retired in 1998, only to return here as a substitute teacher for the next 22 years (and counting.) Balum, age 80, has spent most of her life in education. She attended a two-room school for eight years before moving on to Cheney High School. After graduating, she attended Eastern Washington State College, earning degrees in English and psychology. She then completed master's programs at Eastern and Gonzaga. In 1964, the Waterv...
ODESSA- Abby Lindberg and Sidney Sheer will co-coach the junior high girls basketball team, Athletic Director Larry Weber reported to the school board at the regular meeting Wednesday, Oct. 26. Junior High practice has already begun, with 16 students participating. High School Basketball practice will start on Nov. 14 with 17 girls and 21 boys signed up. Facilities Manager Justin Parr said they are busy with fall cleanup and are working with Kysar Mechanical to fix a broken water pipe in the elementary school. Parr said two...
REARDAN--The school board held its monthly meeting Wednesday, Oct. 27. The board discussed its desire to assure the district pays its employees fairly, compared to other school districts. Superintendent Eric Sobotta will convene a board composed of union employees who will set the criteria for fair and consistent pay that will be presented to the board. Middle school science teacher Teresa Vesneske gave a PowerPoint presentation that outlined science curricula for grades 1-12. “Each grade’s content is based on what was lea...
ODESSA-The Odessa School District notified the public that an adult must accompany elementary and junior high kids on Saturday, Oct. 15. The notice comes after a series of undesirable behaviors, such as fighting. Principal Jamie Nelson said the notice is to encourage adults to be more present. "We're trying to encourage the parents to be more involved," Nelson said. "Don't drop them off and leave." An incident took place at the Homecoming football game against Republic. A large group of kids had gathered and were starting to...
DAVENPORT-Varsity football players here received a shock last week when head football coach Justin Young told the team he was resigning his post as his 12th year at the helm wound down. Young informed the team and district of his decision Monday, Oct. 3 and his resignation was approved by the school board Monday, Oct. 10. Young said his sudden resignation was a family-first decision for him. "I decided I needed to step down because it's best for me and my family at the...
REARDAN-A reported threat from an angry parent in Spokane County forced the school district here to evacuate and send home students late Thursday morning Oct. 6. According to police reports, police chief Andy Manke was notified by the Spokane County Sheriff's Office that 42-year-old Richard W. Bisbee told deputies he was going to bring an AR-15 to the school in Reardan after he was served a protection order prohibiting him from contacting his estranged wife and three children, who attended school here. "Bisbee stated he was...
ODESSA-Fall Athletic Director Larry Weber reported that the school still has open coaching positions at the school noard meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Various open coaching positions include high school basketball assistant, junior high basketball, high school baseball and junior high baseball. Weber said he completed the football and volleyball schedules for both junior high and high school. He said the high school basketball schedule is complete. Weber said they would make changes to accommodate the current shortage of...
REARDAN--A possible threat from an angry parent in Spokane County forced the school district here to evacuate and send home students late Thursday morning Oct. 6. According to the local police department, police chief Andy Manke was notified by the Spokane County Sheriff's Office that a parent of three children attending school here that resides in Spokane County was upset with a no-contact/protection order served against him preventing him from having contact with those children. Possibly threatening statements were made to...
OLYMPIA—The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released standardized test results for public schools statewide for the 2021-22, which included results for Davenport, Reardan-Edwall, Odessa and Harrington. For local schools, Davenport averaged the highest percentage of students meeting state standards for their grade level on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which tests on English/language arts and math, and the Comprehensive Assessment of Science. The SBA is administered to grades 3-8 and 10, while t...
DAVENPORT-It took nine months, but the school board finally has its District 1 seat filled. Jaymie Bennett applied for the position and was sworn in by superintendent Chad Prewitt following a light interview period at the school board's regular meeting Monday, Sept. 19. Bennett, a graduate of Harrington High in 2006, has two young children in the district and works in the Lincoln County Clerk's Office, having recently transferred there from the Treasurer's Office. She is...
ODESSA- For the eighth year in a row, Odessa High School FBLA has won a prize in the Lead4Change Challenge sponsored by the David Leadership Foundation. This year, the group won second place and $500 for their service project entry "December to Remember." The FBLA completed nine operations to spread joy and kindness at Christmas. Members designated the Old Town Hall Rejuvenation Society as their non-profit. Members Hayden Schuh and Dakota Steward presented the check to Paul...
REARDAN-Two types of officers are now patrolling school grounds and interacting with students here. The school district has contracted with the town for a full-time school resource officer in Melissa Foust, along with school security director Brad Eylar. The enhanced security measures brought with two officers come at a time of heightened concern surrounding school safety, superintendent Eric Sobotta said. "When I did town halls, school safety was the number one topic brought...
ODESSA- Odessa School District welcomes Mandy (Hardung) Lewis as their new Junior High/ High School Secretary. Lewis stepped into the position after Chris Crossley announced her plans to leave the position. Principal Jamie Nelson said she's been hard at work training and learning the details of the job. Crossley has been training Lewis in preparation for her exit. Mike and LuAnn Hardung are her parents and Mike Hardung was a local farmer. Her grandparents are Phyillis and Don...
HARRINGTON—Several student-athletes are taking advantage of the school’s new athletic combine with Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, new activities director Brook Federer told the school board at the board’s regular meeting Wednesday, Aug. 31. Three students joined the Broncos football team, with two more expressing interest at an open house earlier this week, she said. LRS is projected to field a top-5 2B team in the state this year and is coming off an NE2B league championship in 2021. Five students joined the high school volle...
Students returned to the classroom in Lincoln County. Students in Odessa, like those above, and Davenport had their first day Wednesday, Aug. 31, while Reardan-Edwall and Harrington started Tuesday, Aug. 30....
REARDAN-A longtime farmer living in the Mondovi area was chosen to join the Reardan-Edwall school board. Tessa Wicks was selected by the board members Wednesday, Aug. 24 to fill the vacant seat created when Roger Peterson suddenly passed away in June. "There are big shoes to fill with Roger's passing, and I knew that going in," Wicks said. Wicks joins a board that includes chair Jeff Anderson, Jennifer Cox, Simon Butterfield and Ryan Clouse. All seats in the district are...
REARDAN-The school district has a laundry list of capital improvements it hopes to complete in the next five years, most of which surround the athletic facilities slipping in quality behind many other area schools. Those improvements cost money, so the school board approved a motion to run a capital levy in this year's November general election at the board's July 27 meeting. The five-year levy, which comes on top of a three-year levy passed by voters in Feb. 2021, would...
DAVENPORT—It’s budget season in local school districts, and the school board here approved the budget for the 2022-23 school year at the regular meeting Wednesday, July 27. The board accepted the budget presented by first-year business manager Dana Telecky, who completed her first budget for the district. The school district is budgeting for 540 students this year, a 10-year increase from the two previous years. The district anticipates more students than that as enrollment rose to 562.94 last year, but the plus-10 inc...
HARRINGTON- John Cordell stepped into his new role as superintendent following the school board meeting on Wednesday, June 29. Cordell comes from Tekoa and said lack of financial resources was the reason for his departure. He said he was looking for something part-time and close to his home. Cordell spent two decades working for St. Maries High School in Idaho. The school board unanimously voted in March to bring Cordell on as Superintendent. In March vice chair Jon Evans said Cordell’s energy was off the charts. Cordell’s fo...
