Stars of the stage and screen are not the only ones to receive standing ovations.

Last week, a capacity crowd of 200 at the Twin Lakes Country Club rose to their feet before and after Federal Way School Superintendent Tom Murphy took to the podium to deliver his State of the District yearly address.

"In this sixth year of the new millennium, we are once again reminded that education is the single most powerful means to improve quality of life...education, in its essence, opens doors to personal freedom and the preservation of our democracy," said Murphy.

Touching on several aspects of public education in Federal Way, Murphy enthused on how well the district is performing as a whole, yet cautioned that there was still a great deal of improvement needed.

This year marks the last that caucasian students will constitute a majority in the district.

Of the 22,500 students currently attending Federal Way schools, 49 percent are children of color, up from 33 percent in 1999. The number of students in the ESL program has gone from 1450 to 2300 in that same time period. Murphy commended Jean Vaughn, director of ELL (English Language Learners) services for the district.

"This tremendous growth [in the number of ELLs] presents unique challenges, challenges met head on by Jean Vaughn and her team. Our ELL students greatly outperformed all others in our state on the WASL," said Murphy.

As was reported in this paper last fall, Federal Way WASL scores led those of other South Sound districts in all areas and all grades.

For example, in 1999, just 47 percent of 10th graders passed the reading portion; in 2005, 79 percent passed. The district reported similar significant increases in students passing the math portions. Despite the upward trend, in 2005, only 51 percent of 10th graders passed in math.

"Even before receiving the scores last year, we began implementing additional staff training to create a focus on math instruction similar to the focus on reading that was implemented in 1999," Murphy explained.

When current 10th graders take the WASL this spring, for the first time their scores will be more than a tool used by administrators to gauge performance.

Students must pass all four sections (math, reading, writing and listening) to qualify for graduation. Murphy anticipated that about 60 percent would pass all of the sections. That means that 40 percent, or about 700 students, will have to attend summer school or get further "intensive remediation" if they are to receive a diploma.

Another upcoming change that will affect a student's graduation is the 13th Year Plan and Culminating Project.

Mandated by the Washington State Board of Education, students now must outline their post-graduate plans for administrators.

The goal of this new requirement is that "all students will understand the link between their personal efforts and performance in school and their decisions about future career and educational opportunities," according to the Federal Way public schools website at www.fwps.org.

Currently, students need to accumulate 23.5 credits to graduate from a Federal Way high school. The graduating class of 2008 (current tenth grade students) will need to accumulate 23.5 credits, pass all four parts of the 10th grade WASL and develop a 13th Year Plan and Culminating Project.

Murphy then turned to the upcoming $245 million bond proposal that Federal Way residents will vote for or against on February 7.

If passed, the bond measure will finance the rebuilding of six schools, consolidate district-wide services, move Memorial Field, build a performance auditorium and create an environmental education center.

The money for the bond will come from a slight increase in taxes for residents. The average homeowner's school district taxes will increase by $124.08 a year or about $10.34 per month. In 2005, the average home value was $225,600. If the bond passes, the district's combined tax rate is expected to increase from $4.30 to $4.85-an increase of 55 cents.

In 1999, Federal Way voters passed a bond measure that paid for the construction of Todd Beamer High School and Sequoyah Middle School, the rebuilding of Truman High School, and major renovations and upgrades at nearly every other school in the district. These projects were achieved on budget, on time, and below the promised tax rate. The promised average tax rate was $1.47; instead the actual rate was roughly eight percent below that, at $1.35.

Murphy also applauded the district for being a responsible steward of public money. Of the 78 school districts in the state with 3000 students or more, the Federal Way school district's budget has the highest percentage spent on teaching and teaching support, while having the smallest percentage of its budget spent on administration.