What does it take to keep students healthy, supported, and ready to learn? In this episode of the Future Ready podcast, Superintendent Dr. Adam Swinyard and Stephanie Slater sit down with Becky Doughty, Executive Director of School Support Services, to explore the growing network of health and wellness resources inside Spokane Public Schools. From the school-based health clinics operating at four high schools in partnership with CHAS, to the brand new clinic opening at Logan Elementary throug...

In this episode of the SPS Future Ready podcast, Board Director Nikki Lockwood shares her personal journey as a parent of a neurodiverse child and how it inspired her to run for the Spokane Schools Board. The conversation explores progress and ongoing challenges in special education, including inclusion, family advocacy, funding, language, and the importance of collaboration between parents and educators. Listeners also hear a parent story highlighting the impact of connection and advocacy, a...

This episode of the SPS Future Ready Podcast explores Spokane Public Schools' Native Education department and its remarkable achievements. Hosts Superintendent Dr. Swinyard and Stephanie Splater interview Board Director Jenny Slagle and Director of Native Education Tamika LaMere about the district's equity-centered approach to supporting Native students. The discussion covers the district's significant progress since 2020, including dramatic improvements in graduation rates (77% to 89%)...

In this episode of SPS Future Ready, Superintendent Dr. Adam Swinyard and co-host Stephanie Splater dive into the transformative vision behind the Together Spokane initiative—a bold collaboration between Spokane Public Schools, the Parks Department, and community partners to reimagine shared spaces for kids, families, and neighborhoods. The episode highlights: Over 200 proposed projects across schools, parks, and neighborhoods aimed at increasing equity and access.A focus on getting kids off ...

Join Spokane Public Schools' Superintendent Adam Swinyard and Executive Director of Athletics Stephanie Slater as they tackle one of the biggest challenges facing today's students: getting quality sleep. In this inaugural episode of the Future Ready podcast, they explore how excessive screen time and late-night phone use are disrupting students' sleep patterns and impacting their academic performance and behavior. The episode features insights from Dr. Anne Mason, psychiatric mental health nu...

Stephanie and Nicole are joined by SPS Superintendent Adam Swinyard and Parks Director Garrett Jones to talk about Together Spokane, a bond/levy partnership between Spokane Parks and Spokane Public Schools. By working together and with a range of private partners, we can make strategic, fiscally responsible investments that benefit every part of our city—whether it’s ensuring our children have safe places to learn and play, expanding recreational opportunities for all ages, or creating vibran...

In the March episode of SPS Extra, Stephanie and Nicole are talking about the Spokane Public Schools and Spokane Parks joint bond/levy initiative called Together Spokane. In this sneak peak of the episode, hear from Greg Forsyth. He explains how bond dollars are critical to keeping schools functional.

Tim Fortune joins Stephanie Splater and Nicole Hernandez in this month's SPS Extra podcast to talk about CTE opportunities across the district. CTE, which stands for Career Technical Education, provides students with hands on experience in potential career paths. In this episode, we hear from teachers and students involved in Culinary Club and Construction Club. Both clubs teach students the basics of their field with hands-on classroom experience. Every year, students use their experience in...

In the upcoming podcast, which releases Thursday, February 20th, Stephanie and Nicole talk about CTE opportunities available to students in SPS. Hear from students in culinary club and construction club, and staff about how beneficial these programs are for students.

In this episode of SPS Extra, Stephanie and Nicole talk with students and mental health experts about the benefits of participating in extracurricular activities. From elementary to high school, the students and their support systems see obvious benefits after being involved in their communities.