May 4, 2011 Locally owned Founded 1992 50 cents
Issaquah schools to lay off 51 teachers
Wildlife habitat official on Earth Day
Lake Washington district likely to see reductions, is finalizing its numbers By Laura Geggel
If the worst were to happen, Issaquah School District’s budget would take quite a hit for the next school year. Although the Legislature has yet to finalize its biennial budget, the district is required, through its contract with the Issaquah Education Association teachers’ union, to alert teachers about impending layoffs by the last school board meeting in April. At the board meeting Wednesday night, Jacob Kuper, finance and operations chief for
the district, presented a worstcase scenario, predicting the district would lose $2.7 million — a cut that would lead to the layoffs of 51 teachers, two maintenanceand-operations personnel, six custodians, 1.3 bus drivers, 1.15 educational assistants and 1.3 teachers on special assignment. Of the 51 teachers, 15 plan to leave through normal attrition, meaning that 36 teachers will receive layoff notices. “One of the challenges that you face in an educational sysSee LAYOFF, Page 3
Sammamish looks at 3 locations for community center By Caleb Heeringa
Sammamish has identified three potential sites for its community/aquatic center, all of which are in the Town Center area. Citizens are invited to a public meeting May 9 to learn more about the potential locations and see conceptual designs of what the facilities could look like in each location. One of the sites, a six-acre area off Southeast 4th Street, is privately owned and would potentially require upwards of a
million dollars for the purchase of land. Another, a 15.5-acre parcel near Eastside Catholic is owned by the Lake Washington School District. A third site is already in city hands. The city purchased the socalled Kellman mansion, a pink house located on 9.35 acres behind the library, for $3.25 million in 2006 with the intention of eventually using the land for a public purpose. The city has weighed using the building for See CENTER, Page 2
Photo by Dawn Sanders
Sammamish families and leaders pose with a representative from the National Wildlife Federation April 30 during the city’s Earth Day celebration. The federation presented Sammamish with a certificate, officially designating the city a certified wildlife habitat.
County plans to unclog Lake Sammamish transition to river By Caleb Heeringa and Warren Kagarise
King County environmental managers plan to tackle the high water level in Lake Sammamish, after aquatic weeds and sediment clogged the outlet from the lake to the Sammamish River. The problem — although centered at county-run Marymoor Park along the lake’s northern shore — reflects a common complaint among lakeside resi-
dents in Issaquah and Sammamish about the water level. “It’s really important that we remove these things. Particularly at the north end up around Marymoor Park is a real problem, and it’s spread to the rest of the lake,” Save Lake Sammamish founder Joanna Buehler said. “For real control, you need everybody around the lake to work on it.” The effort calls for yanking invasive plants, increased mow-
Eastlake almost gets by
She helps the helpless
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ing near the transition zone from lake to river and enacting other steps along the lake in order to address levels along the shoreline. County Executive Dow Constantine said the series of steps is necessary to reduce seasonal flooding along the lake. “We are taking immediate action to provide relief for lakeside residents who have to deal with high lake levels — particu-
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