Schools

Head Start supervising teacher Tamara Harris playfully cautions students to stay quiet at Evergreen High School on Friday morning. A lack of federal funding has put an even larger dent in the capacity of local Head Start child care and early learning facilities, particularly in Clark County.

Head Start in Clark County challenged by lack of federal funding

September 3, 2022, 6:04am Clark County News Subscriber Exclusive

While Matt Sloan worked with a handful of children to improve their castle of wooden blocks, Yolanda Cano was needed at the door. Read story

Washougal High School (Samuel Wilson for the Columbian)

Washougal teachers contract in limbo; union says COLA is sticking point

September 1, 2022, 12:00pm Clark County News

Washougal Association of Educators members began the 2022-23 school year without a contract after failing to reach an agreement with the Washougal School District by Tuesday’s first day of school. Read story

Woodland students split day between Spanish, English as district seeks to expand dual-language program

September 1, 2022, 6:05am Clark County News

About half the students at an elementary school in Woodland are learning to speak both Spanish and English as part of a districtwide effort to make dual-language programs a mainstay of the learning experience. Read story

Union Ridge Elementary School second-grader Eylee Klug, 7, gets a warm welcome from teachers and staff as she arrives for the first day of school Wednesday morning. Wednesday was the first day of school for the Ridgefield School District, where a divide between district administration and the teachers union looms.

Ridgefield schools welcome students amid open bargaining

August 31, 2022, 2:36pm Clark County News

Flurries of excited students — some escorted by parents and some defiantly insisting they make an entrance on their own — descended upon Union Ridge Elementary School for their first day of school on Wednesday. Read story

A student grabs a carton of milk during lunchtime at Ogden Elementary School on a Wednesday morning in December. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires public school districts to fulfill a number of daily nutritional categories, such as dairy, grain, protein and more.

COVID-era universal free lunches are going away in many Washington schools

August 31, 2022, 7:50am Latest News

Starting this fall, about half of all Washington public school students will have to pay for school meals for the first time in more than two years. That’s because federal lawmakers did not extend a pandemic-era reimbursement program for schools nationwide that provide free breakfast and lunch. Read story

Ridgefield contract deal not yet reached, teachers likely to strike

Ridgefield seventh grade math teacher James Davies, Center, his wife Sheena Davies, left, and their daughter Camryn Davies join other teachers and supporters at a rally in front of the the School District offices in Ridgefield on Monday.

As of Monday evening, the Ridgefield Education Association and the Ridgefield School District have not yet reached a deal on a new contract. The union is likely to vote to go on strike in a membership meeting later Monday night, deeming the district's latest offer to be far below what… Read story