Central Valley School District

Welcome to Central Valley School District

Located in the Spokane Valley, Central Valley School District serves nearly 12,000 students in the City of Liberty Lake, City of Spokane Valley and Spokane County. Across our 80-square-mile district, we are the common thread connecting the students, families, schools, business and civic organizations of these communities together in partnership to deliver quality public education in support of student achievement.

In Central Valley schools, our primary focus is learning and teaching. We strive to ensure optimal learning opportunities for students who attend our 22 schools. Offering high quality academic and co-curricular programs for students in grades K-12 and pre-school programs, Central Valley School District sets high expectations, fosters student self-discipline, self-esteem and responsibility and promotes lifelong learning.

Leadership
The Central Valley School District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, elected by patrons in specific geographic areas of the district. The Superintendent reports to the School Board and leads the day-to-day operations of the district. Along with the Superintendent, district administration is led by a team of directors, working closely with principals who oversee school building administration.

Funding
The Central Valley School District’s 2009/2010 general fund budget is $110.8 million. The district receives funding from state, federal and local sources. More than 70 percent of the district’s funding comes from the State of Washington. The remaining revenues flow from local taxpayers via the Maintenance and Operations (M & O) levy ($18.1 million), the federal government ($13.7 million) and other sources ($4.2 million). The district also maintains separate funds for capital projects, transportation vehicles, debt service and Associated Student Body (ASB) activities.

Teachers and Class Size
Our highly-qualified employee team includes certificated teachers, building administration (principals and assistant principals), classified staff and central office administration. Student to teacher ratios (class size) are established within the district and vary by grade level:

Kindergarten: 22 to 1
Grades 1-3: 25 to 1
Grade 4: 26 to 1
Grade 5: 28 to 1
Grades K-5 Combo: 21 to 1
Grades 6-8: 29 to 1 (middle school)
Grades 9-12: 32 to 1

Programs
A wide variety of programs and services support student learning in the Central Valley School District. Non-traditional and alternative schools, career and technical education, programs for highly capable students, special education, learning support programs, English language development, programs for home schooled students, child care, transportation, food service, school nursing, staff development, early childhood education, and curriculum development are just a few of the many programs offered to support our students, teachers, families and community.

Central Valley School District #356 is one of 296 public school districts in the State of Washington. We work closely with neighboring school districts, Educational Service District 101 and the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

What is PACE?
Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) is a grassroots Spokane Valley initiative to promote the importance of good character through partnerships with schools, businesses, public agencies, residents, faith-based organizations and community service groups. Working from a common list of monthly character traits, partners will strive to promote and integrate each trait into the regular activities of the organization.

What is Character Education?
It is the intentional effort by schools and communities to develop in their students important qualities such as honesty, respect, responsibility and citizenship. Character education helps students to judge what is right, desire good, and then do what is right. It teaches students how to build good character traits to help improve student attitudes and academic performance, reduce and/or prevent disciplinary problems in and out of the classroom, and nurture a strong work ethic to create a productive future work force.

Who is involved?
A PACE Leadership Team formed in September 2009 and continues to grow as more individuals and organizations learn about this initiative. The team includes representatives from Avista, State Farm, Better Business Bureau, KiDDS Dental, National Football League, City of Liberty Lake, City of Spokane Valley, ITT Technical Institute, Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, Whitworth University, Millwood Presbyterian Church, Central Valley School District, East Valley School District, Freeman School District and West Valley School District. The team has also received offers of support from Clear Channel Communications, ScottGraphics and Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

What is being asked of interested businesses and organizations?
Organizations interested in joining this initiative are asked to sign a Partnership Pledge to raise awareness about the importance of good character throughout the community. Partners agree to allow PACE to list the organization’s name as a member and to support the program by implementing additional partnership actions, such as:
• Display a PACE poster in the organization’s offices and/or place of business
• Use reader-board/signage to display the character “trait of the month”
• Introduce the “trait of the month” and its definition at staff and/or public meetings
• Involve employees in the program by asking them to model the character “trait of the month” and to acknowledge visitors who model the trait
• Designate a person from the organization to act in a leadership role as a “Character Champion” who would be available to speak at school or community functions

How does it work?
Each month features a character “trait of the month” which is the focus of a multi-faceted communication, motivation and educational program for an entire month. For example, “honesty” as a trait could be addressed in a variety of ways:
• In school: Discussions of “honesty” are integrated into classroom and school-wide activities for the month, reinforced with special projects and activities, and tied to achievement awards or other positive feedback methods. Community leaders, acting as “Character Champions,” are invited to speak to illustrate the trait and motivate students.
• At home: Parents are encouraged through school materials, parent meetings, volunteer programs and visibility of the trait in their community to discuss “honesty” with their children.
• In the community: Businesses, civic organizations and community service groups are asked to support the “honesty” message through discussions, programs and various means of communications with their employees and/or members. They are asked to carry out their partnership level commitment on an on-going basis. Local college and community classes also include discussion about the importance of “honesty” with participants.
• In the media: Public service announcements are produced defining and advocating “honesty”. News releases inform the media of relevant events and activities.

What are the character traits?
Building on the character education program established in the West Valley School District in 1998, the PACE initiative adopted West Valley School District's existing 10 character traits and expanded the list through a community effort by adding two more traits to cover a full 12-month time period. The traits are:

Month	Character Trait	Definition
September	Respect	Recognizing, considering and properly honoring the worth of one’s self and others
October	Responsibility	Being accountable, the pursuit of excellence, and the exercise of self-control
November	Citizenship	Positively contributing to society and community as well as dutifully respecting authority and the law
December	Caring	Showing a genuine concern for the welfare of others and being a kind, supportive helper
January	Fairness	Treating people and ideas with justice and impartiality
February	Honesty	Sincerity and reverence or love for the truth
March	Diligence	Persistence, dedication and hard work
April	Trustworthiness	Inspiring complete reliability and confidence in his/her truthfulness, integrity and discretion
May	Courage	Displaying integrity in spite of obstacles and challenges
June	Integrity	Living a set of values which includes honesty, respect for others and a sense of personal responsibility
July	Generosity	Unselfish giving and sharing of resources, time and talents with others
August	Gratitude	Feeling and expressing thankful appreciation for benefits received

For more information, please visit: http://www.cvsd.org/character_education.asp