Port Townsend School District

The Port Townsend School District offers Kindergarten - 12th grade, and has 1,500+ students. The district has one high school (grades 9-12), one middle school (grades 6-8), an elementary school (grades 3-5) and a primary elementary school (birth-grade 2). The district also offers alternative programs for students in grades K-12. In addition to the superintendent, the district employs five building administrators, 90.73 FTE certificated staff, and 63.48 FTE classified staff. The annual operating budget is $11.8 million. In 2002, a $945,000.00 Capital Projects Levy for Educational Technology was approved to finance the acquisition of technology improvements.Port Townsend School District was awarded a $33,950 Arts Education Community Consortium Grant to support the sixth year of their significant growth, which includes:
    *Increased support from and involvement of school administrators,
    *Visible classroom cultural change,
    *Professional development of teachers and teaching artists,
    *Implementation of assessment of student learning,
    *Partnerships,
    *Community education and involvement.
The Port Townsend consortium reports that Frank Brou, Mountain View's principal, sees the program as one that builds capacity. Brou said, "The greatest benefit from the grant lies in the training and experience the classroom teachers gain....The real beneficiaries of this growth are our students--by being able to experience learning activities that provide deeper levels of understanding and allowing them additional creative ways in which to demonstrate their knowledge." 
In addition to improved classroom culture, the Port Townsend consortium reports that teachers are celebrating the "profound influence of arts education on students as they approach other subject areas". Second grade teacher Vi Raddatz said, "Art has a major role in building the foundation for reading, math, and writing. It trains children to analyze and look for detail. As children develop their art skills, they expand their awareness of the world around them. Their visual perception becomes much more clearly and quickly defined. This is a very important background in learning for reading, writing, and math. Most of all, art builds children's confidence in their ability to do things, and that impacts all of their days.