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Long-form interviews and conversations from Mason County, Washington. Host Jeff Slakey sits down with local leaders, legislators, small business owners, and community voices for unhurried conversations about what's shaping the Hood Canal region — government, education, healthcare, the outdoors, and the people making a difference.
New episodes drop throughout the week. For daily local headlines, subscribe to KMAS Morning News with Jeff Slakey.
Well, I talked with the new superintendent of the North Mason School District just as she started her tenure here and it's time for another check-in. Dr. Christine Michael, how are you? I'm great. Thank you so much for talking with me today, Jeff.
For sure. I had a great conversation the last time learning a little bit about your background coming from Ohio Midwest area to a place that you had vacationed here in the Mason County area and saw the opening and have been here now. How have things been? How's the reception been? Yeah.
No, the community has been very, very welcoming, both in the schools and out and about. I really can't believe how fast time is flying, but I've really enjoyed getting to know community members, staff members, some parents. I know I still have a ton more people to meet and names to learn, but everybody I've met has just been very kind and very open to having conversation about the schools and what they love about North Mason.
What are some of the things that you've been able to get involved in over these couple of months, and especially since the school year's been started to kind of more outreach, I guess? Yeah. So, I have had a chance to participate in the North Mason Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis events. I attended my first Rotary meeting and let's see.
They get you to sign up yet? The Kiwanis have, yes. And the Rotary, I'm sure, is going to be quick behind them. I love it.
A hundred percent fine. They're great organizations. Yeah.
I have had a chance to go to the community voice at the hub, for both as a presenter in September, as well as just a participant listener for a couple other meetings and have just enjoyed getting to meet people. Coming up at the end of the month here, you start the conferences. Well, the teachers are going to start the conferences with their students.
What have you heard from the teachers all through the grades about how the school year has gotten started? Yeah. No, I think that hearing from the teachers, everybody's just excited to be back in the groove of working with students. This is the time of year where you're really able to be productive.
Kids have learned routines. Knock on wood, there doesn't tend to be as much illness this time of year before winter. And those communications with parents, I think, are just such important touch points for teachers and just being able to tell them both the good things that are going on at school and looking for opportunities to partner with parents to just provide the best opportunity for kids that we can.
Once again, the North Mason School District has a lot of schools under its umbrella. There is Belfair Elementary, Sand Hill, Hawkins Middle School, North Mason High School, Taylor High School, and then the Mary E. Theller Early Learning Center all under your purview there. I don't think we got into the Early Learning Center when we first chatted in July.
What can you tell me about that and how it sets up these future Bulldogs? Yeah, absolutely. So we actually are fortunate to have what's called two, we have two of what's called TTK programs, which is like Transition to Kindergarten programs for our older preschool age children, as well as the developmental preschool. So a total of three classrooms to support our youngest learners.
Those TK classrooms, the Transition to Kindergarten classrooms are really essential to help our kiddos that maybe have not had the opportunity for much exposure besides maybe their own immediate family. And kind of just getting them used to how do you play well with each other? What does it look like going to school, learning some of those early developmental skills? And I will say that this year we still have the Theller building operating, but we had to move our TTK and our developmental preschool back into the elementary schools because of the cost to have additional staffing was just not in our budget this year. Wow.
Well, I think we'll talk about this more too with the levy coming up, some things that you found there as well. But the other school that maybe some folks are new to hear about is James Taylor High School. And that's kind of a, if you're familiar with what the Shelton School District does, they have their choice and cedar options for students there.
This is similar to that? Yes. So it's kind of like almost three programs in one. Like there's a home link program, there's the alternative learning environment program.
And we also have a night school for students who are having to work or have other obligations during the day that prevent them from being able to attend during regular attendance times. And all three of those are under the umbrella of James Taylor High School. Okay.
I have seen on social media, a lot of conversations, both in the for and against categories. When it comes to this upcoming levy, the vote is this November, right? That's when you have it on the ballot. November 4th is when the ballots are due.
Okay. So people have their ballots in their hands. They're starting to make these decisions.
I saw some interesting notes about what the money goes to, what it helps fund to continue the education. A lot of this is for things that I don't want to discount some of the general studies programs that go on in the classroom at the schools, but I think a lot of those continue to have that somewhat stable source of funding. These things that the levy covers are what people see kind of the front facing, I guess, parts of the school district, the athletics, the electives, the CTE stuff.
Is that accurate? Yes. I mean, and the state does have kind of a different formula for calculating career tech at a basic level, but it also helps fund besides, like you said, the athletics and the art, drama, music. It helps us provide school support staff, student laptops and other technology updates, safety and security, some facility maintenance, which we desperately need.
So it is really an essential part of our school budget that we are sending a flyer out to all of our voters that should be arriving in mailboxes today, maybe tomorrow, that has some additional information. And we also have updated information on our school website as well. Explain to me a little bit about the monies that the amount of money the levy could potentially bring in.
Again, this is not anything new that over the decades voters have voted on. There's been some bumps in the road of these last couple elections, but again, what is the amount of money that you're expected to receive from the levy? And then what additional state contribution will you get if that passes? Okay. So the amount that we are asking for is $1.28 per thousand, which is going to bring in $5.5 million a year.
This is, like you said, it's not a new tax. It's a replacement of a tax that is currently still on the books through December. It doesn't necessarily bring in additional state funding, but our budget is approximately 11% filled by the levy and the majority of costs in a school district are personnel.
So we use it for just not only the support staff, but like safety and security personnel. Like I said, some of the upgrades that are necessary to keep like your security cameras and your systems operating at the level that you need them to be operating are all things that those, that funding is key for helping us provide for our families. But isn't there like, if the state sees the voters are putting forth a good faith effort, they have a little bit of they kick in an additional amount.
I think in the Shelton school district, there's an extra couple million that the state is able. Oh, I yeah. I, you know, and again, like Jeff, there are still some things I'm learning new to the state from Ohio, but I don't, I think that, I know there's an acronym that refers to that additional money that Shelton is getting, but that is, that's not enough.
Anything that North Mason is receiving. Okay. Okay.
Yeah. Um, I will, I will have to look up what that is called. Um, because I just can't remember it off the top of my mind, but yes, there is for some schools that meet certain criteria, there is additional money that comes from the state.
We show good faith efforts. So. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. And again, it's important to kind of point out that it's not like you are charging the S the parents or the students to come and be educated here.
You don't, it's not like a brick and mortar store where if you start to see, for example, the cost of your electricity bill since 2018, it says this on your website going up 37% or insurance going up 60% or diesel fuel going up near 40%. It's not like if you have a brick and mortar store and you're selling widgets, you say, I'm so I'm unfortunately I got to pass this on. There's nothing you can, you see what I'm trying to say here? There's no, yeah.
Like it's, it's, it's not necessarily as easy to, to see like, uh, like you said, in a store where you're necessarily passing on the cost of, um, the additional fuel it takes to deliver the milk to your store or such. But, uh, those certainly do impact all of our, our overall costs. Um, and whether it's the insurance or your electricity or your diesel fuel, uh, I think all of us have, have seen quite an increase in, in those costs, um, at the home as well as in the business level.
How has any sort of federal decisions impacted the North Mason school district when it comes to education? Um, well, I will say that the one that we are, uh, really worried about right this minute is, um, with some of the reductions that they did with the department of education. Some of the staff that were reduced were the staff that, uh, oversees what's called impact aid and impact aid is, uh, an additional dollar. And then maybe that might be what you're referencing, but, uh, I, I don't think it is in terms of Shelton, but there are, um, schools that have, uh, personnel, uh, families who either are in the military or work for, um, one of the facilities associated with the military that, um, the government does provide this additional funding for what's called federally impacted, uh, schools.
So, um, that money is, uh, comes in the process of, uh, ensuring that we have identified, like, who are all of our military families, who are our families who, um, identify as, as working at one of the military bases or one of the support structures. And then that is an annual, um, survey information we have to collect and turn into the federal government for additional money. Um, those personnel have currently been reduced in the last couple of weeks.
Um, so we're a little concerned about how that process is going to work because that is at a separate part of our budget. Um, another way that we've had to kind of be really mindful is, um, over the summer, uh, it had been indicated that some of the federal grant money was not going to be awarded to school districts, even though it was part of the, uh, the past budget. And they have come through and given us that money this year, but basically also with the caveat that we should not plan on having it next year.
So that helps pay for, you know, additional teachers and supports as well. And so we're having to really be very, very mindful about who we are currently funding with those federal dollars that we will not necessarily have for next year to, to continue to be able to support, um, keeping them in our employment. And, um, there is, as we know, a large military population in the North part of Mason County that travels up to the base there in, in Bremerton, Kitsap County.
Uh, so that is a, that is a big impact there. The thought, the thing I was talking about, uh, I looked it up on OSPI, it's local effort assistance funding. And, uh, it does, it does mark that it doesn't have anything for the estimated calendar year for North Mason.
So that is, that is right. You're right on track there. Not another acronym, but, um, and I, yeah, but unfortunately I was, cause I kept asking, uh, our fiscal officer, like, why can't we have those dollars? I would like to have those as well.
Sure. Yeah. Sign me up for that.
Unfortunately we're not eligible. So what's going on for, I mean, this is, this is all kind of, you're, you're over, this is all kind of hanging over the head here. You'll find out in a few weeks what will happen and people are going to have an opportunity to make their voice heard.
But what are some other things that North Mason's looking forward to here by the end of the school year? Fall is here. Uh, you mentioned that you didn't spend much time here in the fall and winter, so you're going to be, it's going to kind of maybe be a shock to the system, but it's going to be a great time with the parades that we have all, all around the County and just fun fall festivals, stuff like that. Yeah, absolutely.
I'm really looking forward to that. Like one thing we're super excited about actually is happening this evening. We have a Thursday night football game tonight against Bremerton and at halftime we are actually recognizing our former graduate CJ Allen.
He is one of our students that went on. He was in the Olympics. Yes.
So we are doing a retirement of his Jersey and an award recognition ceremony proclamation that today is CJ Allen day at North Mason. And we're very excited about that taking place this evening. I know Belfair elementary has a fall festival coming up and the other elementary has a trunk retreat.
So there's just always a lot of great activities this time of year. Now that we're, everything's back and we're in the swing of the school year. That's awesome.
I remember watching him too in the Olympics. That's pretty, pretty cool. I would get updates from, from folks in Belfair saying, well, make sure you announce that his, his event is coming up here at this time or that time.
That's pretty special. It really is. It's, it's very exciting.
So I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to meet him today at halftime and hope. And it's also like many chair nights. So we expect that we're going to have a great turnout this evening even though it's a Thursday evening, which is a little tricky sometimes, but that is what you have to do sometimes with the different districts that you would travel between.
So, Hey, nothing's going to stop a little Thursday night football for the Bulldogs. I don't think you'll be just good here. Christine, it was always good to talk with you and I look forward to speaking with you more after the election and to discuss whichever way it lands and how do we, how you're moving forward with those pieces of information when they come through again, you should have your ballots in the mail or you should have your ballots.
Now, if you haven't turned them in already, we have great opportunities for postage free handling of your ballots. Also there's secure and safe drop boxes all across the Belfair area to get your vote in. And again, election day, it's going to be Tuesday, November 4th.
So by 8 PM is when those are due in. So very cool. Well, thank you so much, Jeff.
I'm just going to keep rooting on our Bulldogs and cheering for our Mariners and love to see that team go to the World Series. Boy, you ain't kidding. Wouldn't that be special? That would be awesome.
Well, you have a good rest of your day and we'll catch up again real soon. Okay. Thanks, Jeff.
Have a great day. Thank you. Bye.