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Members Present: Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings, Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo
Two students from Skyline High School were at the meeting to give input on a few issues: they appreciate the flex time provided by the seven-period day that gives them time to go for extra help, the biggest things affecting students today are drugs, pressure, and isolation, and they suggested that peer-to-peer counseling would be a great idea for drug issues. Not just adults. Four parents came to speak on behalf of students with Dyslexia. Each parent spoke on a different aspect of living with a student with the disorder, and its effect on the child’s social and emotional health. They appealed to the Board to make October “National Dyslexia Awareness Month”, in keeping with Gov. Inslee’s proclamation of the same name. After their testimony, Ron Thiele read the proclamation, and the board voted to do exactly that. The Board discussed their Drugs and Alcohol study. NARCAN (opioid overdose drug) is now in nurse's offices in the schools. The district now has an anonymous tip line, and tools for parents coping with addiction on the district website. Director Mullings would like to see more dialogue between schools and parents on what’s being discussed at school about drugs, similar to the program FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health). Teachers send home notices about what was in the FLASH lessons that week. Director Gallinger had meetings with the police and the City of Sammamish on keeping the momentum going on learning and dealing with substance abuse. Briefing on the most recent WSSDA Regional Meeting (Washington State School Directors’ Association). The Association’s purpose is making sure School Directors are well-trained. Studies have shown that districts with a strong board have higher student achievement. Discussed the impact of SEBB (School Employees Benefits Board) on school budgets. There is hope that the next Legislative Session will offer some changes, as there is a great deal of anxiety around its implementation in January. EL-8 Communication: That the Issaquah School District provide current and updated information to the Board to facilitate their work. Communication has increased in its complexity over the last ten years. Ron Thiele outlined all the methods that the District uses to keep the Board informed and involved. On legislative matters, Director Maraldo sent dates to legislators for meetings for the future legislative session. Works in Progress: Some questions have arisen over zoning requirements for the new high school and elementary at Providence Point.
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Members Present: Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings. Absent: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo
Board members reported on topics discussed at the most recent board retreat the week before. They included graduation specialists, equity, drugs and alcohol, homework and grading, timelines for new schools, seven period day, the board’s work, visiting a dual-language kindergarten. Conversation on the positive aspects of the dual-language class. Director Weaver thought it was just wonderful, and one of the big take-aways was the lack of marginalization of the Spanish-speaking students. She reported that in some cases they were “the heroes” because they could offer help to their English-speaking classmates during the Spanish language times. The principal said just having the one dual-language class in the school has elevated the whole building to another language. Discussion on discipline was next. It was noted that all of the improvements for this year were made possible by the last EPO Levy. Schools were able to add additional PBSES Coaches (Positive Behavior and Social/Emotional Skills). They also created a discipline workgroup to examine individual school practices. Vaping was added as an official prohibited substance. It was noted that Issaquah High School has the highest free and reduced lunch rate in the district. The Board wants to “view discipline as an education opportunity”, not just a punitive one. Exclusions were reviewed, and noted that they have tended to trend more to substance abuse and physical abuse, signaling that staff has gotten better about dealing with disruptive behavior. Athletes are held to a higher standard on drug and substance abuse. Social Media problems can also generate an exclusion. The Board has noticed that “equitable” vs. “consistent” on discipline can be an issue. They have decided to revisit the EL-11 on discipline (Executive Limitation), and update some of the language. Next was a review of works in progress. ISF (Issaquah Schools Foundation) is looking for Ambassadors, volunteers are needed for the senior exit interviews, PTSA is having a meeting on the Levy in the Highlands, and the upcoming building projects (1 in Sammamish, 3 in Issaquah) are working on solving the projected problems with traffic and congestion. School Nurses are having their annual fundraising luncheon. Members Present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
The Board and Administration began the discussion of the Replacement for Educational Programs and Operations Levy. Director Gallinger thanked Mr. Kuper (CFO) for the freedom to have these discussions about the levy amounts. A 2-year levy is more work for everyone, but it has more precision. After much discussion, the board cut as close as they felt they could. The public has told the district what programs it wants and expects, so cuts had to be in line with those expectations. The revised recommendations adjusted the full authority of the levy down by 6.65 million dollars. Some of the reduction came from the Fund Balance, some came from the reduction of SEBB funds. Superintendent Thiele gave an overview of the first week of the new school year. There was a very positive start, and enrollment is up. The Superintendent was invited to attend a Forum hosted by the various service organizations (Issaquah Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, food banks, Chief of Police, and others), to talk about key issues facing our youth and how service organizations can better serve them. Superintendent Thiele and Director Maraldo joined Rep. Callan and the Chair of the House Education Committee, Sharon Tomiko Santos, on a visit to Echo Glen Juvenile Institution School. The visit was very effective in highlighting the importance of these institutions. Director Maraldo saw evidence of rising concern in Rep. Tomiko Santos, and the school was grateful to know that they had a Representative in Lisa Callan that was passionate about their situation and could bring a voice to the legislature. On the state of Works in Progress – the City of Sammamish has asked that the school district delay the start of elementary #16 until they can identify a better solution to the entrance of the new school. It is currently planned for the intersection of Issaquah Pine Lake Road and Klahanie Blvd. The City has decided it would be too impactful to traffic to have it there, and they will work with the school district to find a better location. The school district has agreed to the delay. Director Maraldo voiced concerns about how the board could better communicate with the public. They all decided it should be a topic for the future. They also want to have future discussions on addressing the drug and alcohol problems in our schools. Several school districts have agreed to get together in October to discuss the next legislative session. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members Present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
The Board summarized the Work Study on sleep held prior to the meeting. The data over the last 2 years since ISD changed its Secondary start times is now available. The results were very positive, and pointed to an improvement in relationships between both adults and peers. It also revealed evidence of fewer sick days and truancy. Introduction of 2019-2020 Budget Adoption Resolution by Jacob Kuper CFO and Superintendent Ron Thiele. Enrollment originally appeared to be less than last year, but increased in the final days. Kindergarten is now over projection, but not enough to impact the new budget. All new schools under construction are safely within budget. Superintendent Thiele presented his Levy Recommendation to the Board. It came in at 3% less than the original figure, as the district wanted to be conservative and sensitive to housing tax rates. There was some concern there wasn’t enough funding for Special Education. Director Gallinger asked if the District was back-filling to make up for possible under-funding by the state. His opinion was that we should send a message to the Legislature by reducing our levy amounts, to force them into giving the funding they promised. There was some discussion about the consequences if the state refused, and its impact on our Fund Balance (emergency funds). Director Gallinger asked the district to bring back an amended budget to show the amounts without the costs for SEBB (State Employee Benefits Board). The District agreed to bring one to the next Board Meeting on September 12th. Director Gallinger also asked for the District to bring a list of the things that the District accomplished with the last Levy, so we could show the parents what was delivered by their money. Capital Projects update – all remodels will be ready for occupancy at the start of the school year. New school construction projects are moving forward. Legislative matters revolved around concerns about the SEBB carriers. There seems to be a disagreement between the two main carriers: Kaiser and Premera. The disagreement centers around coverage rights. A possible agreement may not come before the start of the school year. Superintendent Thiele highlighted future projects. The District is working on aligning initiatives, one being the adoption of the new elementary STEM/Science curriculum. A new curriculum generally takes 2 years to adopt, from study to implementation. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
The Board discussed their participation in a training session on equity. There was a discussion on how to give the policy more clarity, and how to get more feedback from students. Maybe have a “safe person” available for them to speak with? Conversation was held on the new cultural competency work being done in the buildings. Several board members took time to visit a few schools to see how it was working. Staff and students of those schools expressed appreciation of the board’s interest. Board members discussed making the approach to problems as adaptive for short term, rather than technical problems for the long term. Next discussion was on the District’s policy of “Treatment of People”. Superintendent Thiele went over the ways the district protects private information, deters discrimination, and prevents bias. Near the end of the school year, some grades are given surveys of their school experience and asked to rate their satisfaction. The board wanted to know if it can be disaggregated to find out the actual schools where the surveys are given. This info could be used to decide where to focus some of the problem-solving efforts. Superintendent Thiele offered to see if it was possible. Capital Projects Update – All current remodels are scheduled to be on time for this fall. Five of the remodels in general will be completed by new levy time. Some discussion over what to do with the old portables. Elementary #16 will break ground in June, Middle School #6 will break ground late summer or early fall, High School #4 is yet to be determined. Administration is moving into their new building in August. Legislative matters – Jake Kuper discussed the new bill that passed on levies. Issaquah School District qualifies for the raise in levy lid from $1.50 to $2.00, and from $2500 per child to $3000. The district will also have to pay by head count for SEB (School Employee Benefits), instead of average of hours worked by employees. Superintendent Thiele announced they would begin formation of the next Levy Development Committee. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members Present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
New board member, Sydne Mullings, was introduced. A summary was given on the work study held prior to the meeting. Discussion included ongoing efforts to provide services equitably. Some good discussions with Principals and their SIP’s (School Improvement Plans). The Board held a retreat on April 16 and gave their report. They talked about good listening and sharing of experiences of both parents and students. Not all were good. There were some painful experiences of bullying, and suggestions for change. The District wants to work on how they are showing progress so they can address shortfalls for both students and staff. Superintendent Thiele agreed that “Clearly, we have more to do.” A good place to start was mentioned as “disrupting bias”. Emily Hard (Teaching and Learning) spoke about equity issues that were coming to light, also saying they had more to do. Some things they have found: barriers to navigating the system, “gatekeeping” still exists and how do we battle or disrupt it, and how to make the solutions stick over the years. A student spoke about restorative justice and expressed appreciation that the district was focusing on it. Another student suggested having a student sit in on a Board Breakout session. The Board gave a summary of the National School Board Association (NSBA) Conference from March 29 – April 1 in Philadelphia, PA. Main topics were: the push on equity everywhere, mental health in the classroom, “Branding” your school, teacher perceptions of students and how they affect the teaching of those students, suicide prevention, the opioid crisis and its effect on families, competency-based learning vs. age-based learning from K-12, “average scores” vs. “end scores” of a student and its negative impact – goal should be mastery, and how to prepare the students who don’t move on to a 4yr. college. CTE Program Evaluation – The CTE Program (Career & Technical Education) has experienced huge growth since the implementation of the new 7-period day on Wednesdays. Students are encouraged to take classes that interest them for the future. Examples: IT certifications, Business, Art, Music, Mechanics, Teaching, Woodworking, etc. Some of these even offer enough training to get students into career paths right out of high school. Some new school buildings will even have “flexible spaces” to leave room for CTE options. The district might even create more magnate schools in the future. Legislative matters as of April 24th – the SEB piece may not pass, the current session may run longer as many things are not finished, awaiting news on Mullet’s bill on SEB. Puget Sound is facing the possibility of $150 million dollars’ worth of layoffs in education. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members present: Harlan Gallinger, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
Members absent: Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore Discussion of upcoming Issaquah Fall City road construction and its impact on the PCMS (Pacific Cascade Middle School) campus. The campus is right on the road, and traffic will have to be redirected. The District met with the Sammamish City Council recently and was very impressed with their desire to work closely with the district to minimize the inevitable impact. Lisa Neighbours with the ISD Career and Technical Education Department gave a presentation on a pilot program to improve implementation of high school and beyond plans. Its goal is to help students explore possibilities and processes for career choices. Discussion on the report of Ends-4 Life Management-Personal Awareness. Superintendent Thiele highlighted a drop in on-time graduation rates over the last 3 years. Possible causes could be the impact of social media, or the impact of the current social climate. Emilie Hard stated the possibility of starting to capture year to year data on mental health beginning in elementary. They could then compare the schools to themselves over the years. Legislative matters discussed were a request to veto a part of the district’s levy authority, but conversations are ongoing. Most likely will be taken up at the next legislative session. It was unclear what the grounds for the veto request were. Calendar and future topics included a request that the Board weigh in on snow days for next year. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
The District held a linkage session with the Issaquah Schools Foundation prior to the public meeting. The district will now be managing the VOICE Mentoring Program instead of the Foundation. School Board presented on the WSSDA (Washington State School Directors’ Association) Regional Meeting on May 29th. Board members reported they got good info on the new SEB (School Employee Benefit) program. WSSDA has also put out a “Guide for Bargaining” for board members, which the members really appreciated. Studies have shown that a trained Board is reflected in student achievement. Financing update: Jake Kuper reported that the District will be selling some bonds this month, as the environment has improved. Capital Projects update: New schools are in permitting process, ongoing remodels are on schedule. Legislative Matters: Representative Lisa Callan talked to Marni Maraldo a little on the SEB program, and the board thinks it would be a good idea to meet with our local legislators before the upcoming levy. Will be considering a trip to Olympia in the fall. Local announcements: ISD graduations on Thursday, June 13th. CWU (Central Washington University) has a Running Start Program, which will be very advantageous to our high schools in the area, given its close proximity to Skyline High School. Future events: There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for Elementary #16 the last week of school – exact date to be determined. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members Present: Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, Sydne Mullings
The District announced that video will be added to the regular podcasts next month. August is generally the month the budget forecasts become public. As required by law, the District will conduct a PUBLIC HEARING on the drafted budget for the 2019-2020 school year. Action is anticipated for the August 28th meeting. The Guide to Understanding the Budget is here: http://apps.issaquah.wednet.edu/documents/events/1083/2019-20%20Guide%20to%20Understanding%20the%20Budget.pdf The Draft of the 2019-2020 F-195 Budget is here: http://apps.issaquah.wednet.edu/documents/events/1083/Draft%202019-20%20%20F-195%20Budget.pdf Jacob Kuper presented the annual internal monitoring report for EL-5 Actual Financial Condition and Activities. The Issaquah School District has had 17 consecutive years of clean audits. Legislative matters: Marnie Maraldo met with our district representatives Bill Ramos and Lisa Callan to discuss concerns over transportation/bus issues with the road improvements on Hobart Rd. She also discussed the situation at Echo Glen concerning the future of the students incarcerated there. In the past ISD has provided education services, but budget constraints have resulted in pulling some teaching staff. Their conversation is ongoing. Works in progress were discussed. The district will have 4 new schools opening in the next 2 years. The next Levy recommendations are in and will be presented soon. A new Boundary Review Committee is being formed. The US Department of Education is coming to visit the Issaquah School District on Tuesday, Oct. 29th to see their “Green Team” efforts on conservation. Future events include a “Good Neighbor” gathering in the office park where the district has relocated. They have moved from their old location on Holly to: 5150 220th Ave SE Issaquah, WA Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast Members Present
Harlan Gallinger, Marnie Maraldo, Anne Moore, Suzanne Weaver, 1 open position The School Board reviewed the problem of making up the 6 snow days during February. It was recognized as an Emergency by the state, so they have the option to waive 3. Superintendent Thiele is still considering that as an option. Superintendent Thiele stated emphatically that he would NOT change the graduation schedule. Considerable discussion on bills in the legislature on education funding, levies, bonds, and the levy lid lift. Discussion of concerns of the public when they go to present their own upcoming levy, and how to get information to the community. Remainder of discussion was the process of interviewing candidates for the open board position. The members are well-informed and very engaged. They have members who visit Olympia, and one that even went to Washington DC. They appear to get along with each other very well, and are respectful of each other and the District staff. Podcasts of meetings are available to the public via their website, https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/board/podcast |
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