PORT ANGELES — City and school district officials will spend about $7,000 of taxpayers’ money to send six people to Port Angeles’ sister city of Mutsu City, Japan, in May.

The Port Angeles School Board recently approved spending about $4,000 to send Superintendent Gary Cohn, School Board President Charlie McClain two teachers to Japan.

District employees and McClain will serve as chaperones for about 20 middle school and high school students on the 10-day trip, which will make stops in Mutsu City, Tokyo and Hiroshima from May 9 to May 19.

The city of Port Angeles is sending City Manager Michael Quinn and the new mayor, who will be chosen next month by the City Council.

The city has budgeted up to $3,000 for airfare, trains and two nights in a Tokyo hotel following arrival and before departure. Anyone who wants to join Quinn and the new mayor must pay his or her own way.

Once the delegation arrives in Mutsu City, they will be hosted by Japanese families, although they will provide gifts for the hosts at their own expense.

Some of the typical gifts given include Northwest tribal artwork; products grown, produced and created locally; and gifts which promote communication between the two cities.

The trip is coming during a budget year when the city is earmarking $188,373 from the city’s $2.4 million reserve fund to balance its budget.

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The rest of the story appears in Wednesday’s Peninsula Daily News.