Thursday
Return to the mound
Showers abound around the Peninsula A8
Sore foot has M’s Walker taping up for games B1
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS June 16, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Outgoing chief says his thanks
Back at the dock
David Engle to finish at schools’ helm June 30 the school district but expects it to be minimal, he said. He will give his successor, PORT TOWNSEND — David Bremerton High School Principal Engle, who is winding up his John Polm, room to move. fourth and final school year as the Port Townsend School District ‘Stay out of the way’ superintendent, intends to spend a good deal of his remaining time “I will stay out of the way so on the job thanking the people John can establish his own prowho supported his programs. grams,” Engle said. “I want to thank people per“The good thing about a leadsonally for their part in keeping ership change is you get someone the kids connected,” he said. with new ideas and energies.” His last day will be June 30. This week, Engle met with He plans to attend a family Polm, who begins in the new job reunion before driving across July 1. Canada to Newfoundland. “John understands the momenAfter that, Engle expects to live tum we have and wants to keep it in Port Townsend, working with going,” Engle said. the Port Townsend Rotary Club “He can take the vision farther and other organizations. than I’ve been able to do.” He hasn’t determined to what TURN TO ENGLE/A5 degree he will be involved with BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
The MV Kennewick, shown Wednesday at the Port Townsend ferry dock, will be out of commission until mid-July.
Ailing MV Kennewick cuts PT ferry service State Ferries said Wednesday. A routine dive check on the vessel Wednesday morning disclosed unexpected wear on the rudder flap, according to Ian Sterling, spokesman for the state ferries system. “This is a wear part like the BY CHARLIE BERMANT brake pad on your car, and we PENINSULA DAILY NEWS expected it to give out, although not this quickly,” Sterling said. PORT TOWNSEND — The Pulling the Kennewick cut same rudder problem that sidelined the MV Salish and delayed service on the route by 50 percent Wednesday, bringing it back two-boat service on the Port to one-boat service. Townsend-Coupeville route for The ferry system is expected two weeks will keep the MV today to announce if two-boat Kennewick out of commission service will be restored through until mid-July, Washington
Vessel expected to be out until middle of July
using another ferry. The Salish, Kennewick and Chetzemoka, which is now on the Port Defiance-Tahlequah route, are Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries, the only vessels that can navigate Keystone Harbor to the Coupeville terminal.
Testing Chetzemoka Because the problem has affected the other vessels, the ferry system will conduct an immediate dive test on the Chetzemoka to determine rudder wear, Sterling said. TURN
TO
FERRY/A5
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Port Townsend School Superintendent David Engle attended his final School Board meeting Monday, where he was awarded his own “Shining Star.” Also pictured are School Board members Laura Tucker and Keith White.
State revenues look rosy — but still short Wash. expects $308 million surplus BY RACHEL LA CORTE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OLYMPIA — State lawmakers will have a little more money than expected heading into their next two-year budget cycle, but the state budget director warned Wednesday that it’s not enough to address a mandate by the state Supreme Court related to education funding. Numbers released by the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council and Office of Financial Management showed that the current two-year budget that ends in the middle of 2017 will have a surplus of about $308 mil-
lion, putting it at $38.1 billion. The council also adjusted its forecast for the following two-year budget projection that shows an additional $127 million than originally expected. The 2017-19 state budget is now expected to be at $41 billion. “It certainly helps a little bit,” said David Schumacher, director of the Office of Financial Management. “We still have plenty of work to do.” The state Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that lawmakers were not meeting their constitutional responsibility to fully pay for
basic education. umbers released by They gave the Legislature until the 2017-18 school year to the state Economic fix the problem and ultimately and Revenue found the Legislature in contempt in 2014 before sanctioning them Forecast Council and Office last year. of Financial Management The sanctions assessed at showed that the current $100,000-a-day since last August are supposed to be set aside in an two-year budget that ends education fund, something that in the middle of 2017 will lawmakers have not yet done, have a surplus of about though there’s enough in state $308 million, putting it at reserves to cover the amount. Since the ruling, lawmakers $38.1 billion. have spent more than $2 billion to address issues raised in the lawGov. Jay Inslee will release a suit. supplemental budget proposal in Schumacher said the costs December. related to that court mandate are at least $3 billion. Last week, the Office of Finan-
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cial Management sent state agencies a letter telling them to limit their requests for new funding and not expect restoration of previous cuts because of the necessary focus on education funding. “Competition for available resources will be intense,” Schumacher wrote. “While agencies should always strive to reduce costs and find new ways to save resources, these efforts will be especially important over at least the next two biennia.” Lawmakers will return to Olympia in January, and the House and Senate each will present their supplemental budget proposals during the 105-day legislative session.
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