School Board Regular Meeting - June 3, 2026

001Good evening, everybody. Well, good evening, everybody. Great to see everybody here this evening. Welcome to our regular school board meeting. It's Wednesday, June 3. Wow, June already. Welcome. Let's stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance, please. Thank you. Roll call, please. Director Alvarez? Here. Director Espinoza. Here. Director Tidholm. Present. Director Holien. Present. President Van. Here. Thank you. Any calls or changes or additions to tonight's board meeting agenda? I-- Go ahead, Stephanie, Director Tidholm. Thank you. I'd like to move 6.3, approval of the personnel report, from consent. Thank you. There is a motion to move 6.3, to move it away from consent. Thank you. And just to clarify, that does not require a motion. It would just be a request, and then the board would discuss it during number 7-- Number 7. --when there are items

002removed from the consent agenda. Thank you. Director Holien? I motion to move 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 to consent. Do I need to read each one of those out? I'll follow back up here. So Director Holien has motioned to move 8.2. This is motion to approve Graduation Alliance, open door, and ALE programs; 8.3, which is motion to approve Highline College Open Doors Reengagement program; 8.4, motion to approve Career Link, South Seattle College Open Doors Reengagement program; and 8.5, motion to approve Southwest Youth and Family Services Open Doors program to consent agenda. I'll second that. All in favor? Aye. Yes. Any opposed? Seeing none. Thank you, everybody, for that. Right. While we are not highlighting any particular recognitions this evening, I just want to name and recognize the following for the month of June. We invite

003you to visit our Facebook page to explore these recognitions. National Safety Month; Pride month; Flag Day, which is June 14; and Juneteenth, which is June 19. So with that, we're going to lead on into our superintendents reports. Dr. Duran. Yes. Thank you, President Van. I want to just thank everyone for being here this evening. I'm going to keep my individual comments very brief this evening, because there are several presentations within the superintendent's comments section of tonight's meeting. So to get us started, I would like to invite Jeb Binns, President of the Highline Education Association, to the front of the room to share a few remarks. No podium tonight. I almost followed my directions. I got a photograph today that was full of dots that told me where to stand. I laughed. It was just that

004simple dot on the floor. Good evening, President Van, Superintendent, members of the Board. Appreciate you. June is a celebration month. It is a celebration of many things, for our colleagues who are retiring, HEA teams through his district, folks who have spent their time educating students, providing time to the system, to our community. I thank them all for their service. HEA is also recognizing and celebrating our guest teachers this week. We do something where we budget funds to take folks out to a meal and to thank them. Without the work of our substitute teachers, who we call guest teachers, the work of our classroom educators could not occur. We are one of these rare professions that when you're not there, someone else is. And there's so many other jobs where if you're not there, that work

005just piles up. But our children are always there, so we always have someone there. So I just want to thank all of our HEA member substitutes who are out there. So just appreciate them. Next week, we're also retiring or honoring our retirees. As a member of the aspiring retired crowd in quite a few years from now, I just want to thank them for their years of service. Many of the retirees I taught with personally over the years. It'll be a joyous event and also a sad event to thank them to going. And then hopefully they'll become substitutes and continue on. And also to our students. We have students who are graduating this year. I'm in the same position that President Van was in last year with the child graduating high school, starting the new step,

006and all of the students across the district who are graduating this year, starting the next steps in their lives. The things that we are working from pre-K through 12th is to get kids ready for this next step. What is their journey? Super excited for them. And all the kids moving from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school and all the changes, so congratulations to all of our students. And also, this weekend and this month is Pride, and HEA is one of the many sponsors of Burien Pride this year. So if you happen to be out and around in Burien on the sixth, come on down to town square, and to come through and celebrate all of our community. We're going to be out there with some stickers and some candy and

007some things, talking about the fact that educators in Highline school district support all of our students. Thank you very much. Wonderful. Thank you, Jeb. All right, the next item is the Superintendent Student Leadership Team presentation regarding smart devices. So I'd like to invite Lita O'Donnell, presenting members of the superintendent student leadership team to the table in front of us. And I'd also like to have the directors transfer from the dais down to the table so we can hear from our students around their thoughts and recommendations regarding smart devices. Thank you, Dr. Duran. Directors, let's go down. You have everybody introduced? All right. Well, it's a wonderful opportunity. I've been working with students from our leadership team. We have some students who are actually going to the presentation. We have some other students that are here

008in the audience who was able to join us, a wonderful opportunity for on a monthly basis. We go and we visit a different school every month, have the opportunity to do some leadership lessons, leadership learning. This year, we did a lot of work around values-based leadership, and then we've been having most of our conversations centered around cell phone use, social media, smart devices. And so they're going to be here to share some of their ideas and thoughts and recommendations to all of you. Lita, I'll hand it to you, and then we can have students introduce themselves. Now I got it. Last time speaking in front of the school board, so I finally get the mic figured out. So I am very happy to be here today. I've had the pleasure of serving and supporting our

009Superintendent Student Leadership team, and I don't want to take up too much time. I'm actually going to turn it directly over to them, and they will take it from here. OK. So good afternoon, and thank you for being here. We're the Superintendent Student Leadership team, and we are presenting the recommendations for the mobile devices policy from a student perspective. And our goal is to share ideas that reflect a real student experience and help create clear expectations for how mobile devices are supposed to be used at school. And as we go through the slides, we would like to invite you to notice the main takeaways for each one and how it connects back to student success, the responsibility, and the school culture. How about we do some introductions? Yeah. So my name is [INAUDIBLE]. I'm a

010senior at Tyee High School, and I'm going to turn it over to-- My name is [INAUDIBLE], and I'm a junior at Tyee High School. Hi, my name is Sydney. I'm a junior at Mount Rainier High School. My name is Sophia, and I'm a student at Evergreen. My name is Ana, and I'm a student from Mount Rainier High School. So today, we wanted to explain why this topic matters to us and why student voices should be a part of the conversation. Cell phones are already a daily part of the school experience for students and for everybody, so any policy about that is going to directly affect them and how they focus and how they learn and how we interact with each other. So we'd just like you to keep in mind that this is-- the perspective

011that we're here to share is from the students. So the SSB 5346 2026 addresses the use of mobile devices and cell phones in public schools, and it doesn't mandate a statewide ban, but it creates the framework for research and to guide and eventually support districts for implementing stronger policies and moving forward for a bell-to-bell limit, and that is by 2030. But basically, the bill matters because it signals where we're heading with the policy. And even if it doesn't create one single rule for every district right now, that's just where it's heading. So again, the key takeaway is just that student input is really important at this stage. As of right now, it's a really big factor in our education, and so districts are still going to have room to shape policies that fit the community.

012And so that's why we're speaking today. So this bill is a clear policy and direction for limiting student phone use during the school day. However, boards are still going to retain control, but they should begin planning and engaging stakeholders that align with policy and the research for upcoming state guidance. And for the board, for you guys, our message is pretty simple. We just think that it's a really good time to pay attention and prepare early so students and families and staff are part of that process. And we hope that you guys see that this isn't about restriction. It's more just about building an environment that supports the students and their learning and something that reflects what each student needs, and so that basically sets us up for the rest of the presentation. So this slide

013explains why the mobile device policy matters from a student point of view. Phones affect the learning environment every day, so the rules around them can shape whether the classroom feels safe and focused and also respectful and fair. So when expectations are clear and consistent, students are most likely to feel like they're able to understand the boundaries and make more responsible choices. So on the flip side of that, though, if the policies are confusing and unevenly applied, then students are going to feel frustrated and also distracted as well. So that affects our behavior and also our learning. And so the key idea is just that it's not about rules on paper. It just really affects and shapes how we go through school every day in our daily lives and what we experience in each classroom. And

014every classroom is different, and yeah, that will set us up for the rest of the presentation. Good evening, board members. My name is Ana again, and I'll be focusing on when phones help learning or safety. This will-- yeah. One important point to notice is that phones aren't always a distraction. In some situations they support accessibility, quick research, translation reminders, or communication with family. For me, my personal experience is that I think we tend to forget that some students use phones because sometimes their student and teacher relationship is not that good. And that happened to me my freshman year math class, where my math teacher wouldn't really like to help me out, and so I would have to take it in my own hands and go on my phone and go on to Khan Academy, or

015search up how these formulas work and how to respond to them and stuff, because she just didn't want to take time to go further in depth than my notes. And I know a couple other friends who don't tend to speak English really well, so they have to use their phone to translate to understand things, and that's one way phones help learning. And some students have to text their parents because some of them have to pick up their siblings or other family members, or let their family know where they are, because some parents work while school hours happen, and they want to know where their students are and their kids if they're safe. So a key takeaway is that school rules should protect learning while still leaving room for support, safety, and accessibility when students truly

016need it. This idea connects to the bigger question of how schools can create fair expectations that reflect actual student experience. And then another one is when phones disrupted learning. I think a good amount of students have experienced that when, during instruction time, some students really do like to listen and take notes and all that. And then there's some students who just don't really care and like they want to use their phones for non-school purposes, and that's where conflict starts to happen, because they can distract other students. Let's say, right now, if I was presenting to you guys and Lita was on her phone, that could distract me. And so I would like to invite the board to notice that this is not just about rules. It's also about clarity, attention, and the learning environment students

017experience every day. So if somebody also were to use their phone, maybe it's because of lack of interest in their classroom and stuff. So you just have to keep those in mind, because I've known like there's some teachers that do really, really great in teaching, and you never really see phone usage in their class or anything like that. So this example connects back to student experience, because many students aren't trying to be disrespectful. They're responding to unclear expectations and competing distractions. Good afternoon, School Board. Again, my name is Sydney, and I'm here to talk about student experiences specifically when inconsistency with policies causes conflict. One challenge students talked about a lot was inconsistency from one classroom to another. On this slide, I want to explain how different phone rules by class to teacher can create

018confusion, even for students who are trying to follow expectations. When expectations can change throughout the day, students may not know what is allowed, which can lead to frustration. That confusion can also turn into conflict during enforcement, especially if a student feels they are being corrected for something that was allowed in another class. I myself can vouch for this. Throughout high school, I felt the regulations on phones were never properly communicated. For example, one class was always very relaxed when it came to the cell phone policy. Students were consistently able to check and use their phones, so to me, it felt like there weren't any restrictions on phones. But then I get to the class period after that class, and the phone expectations were polar opposite. Rules in this class had a zero tolerance phone policy.

019Phones were to be put away in a bin for the entire class period. This inconsistency harmed my trust with teachers. I was angry at the strict teachers because I didn't understand why they couldn't be like my other, more relaxed teachers. I would encourage the Board to notice the key takeaways here. Consistency helps students feel clear, respected, and more able to meet expectations. From a student perspective, the issue here is not only the rule itself, but whether the rule is communicated and applied in a fair and predictable way. Good evening, members of the Board. My name is Sophia, and I'll be summarizing our guiding themes of student feedback and key considerations for the Board. When students shared feedback in our surveys, three themes came up again and again, and this slide highlights those patterns. As we

020present this, we invite the Board to notice that students were not just naming problems. They were also pointing to what helps them learn best in their environment. First of all, engagement matters. When classes are interesting, interactive, and meaningful, students are more likely to stay focused and less likely to turn to their phones. Second, consistency matters. Students want clear expectations across classrooms and schools, so rules don't feel confusing or uneven. Third, fairness matters. Students want policies to feel predictable, respectful, and equitable, not dependent on which class they're in. Overall, students are asking for learning environments that are engaging, consistent, and fair. In terms of our key recommendations to the Board, us students understand that developing a phone policy isn't easy, and that the Board has to weigh several important considerations at once. One point students raised

021is the need for consistency, but also flexibility, because schools need clear expectations while still allowing room for real situations and individual needs. Students also connected this issue to focus and safety, emphasizing that the learning environment should support attention in class while also helping schools respond appropriately when safety concerns come up. Another important idea is that students want clearer rules that make sense now, that can also prepare them for real world expectations beyond school. As presenters, we can emphasize that students are not asking for extremes. They're asking for balance, clarity, and practical solutions. It's important to remember that these recommendations are sourced directly from student voices, and are meant to reflect a realistic application of these policies in everyday school life. Students want a policy that is thoughtful, fair, and workable in real classrooms. Hello, School

022Board. My name is [INAUDIBLE], and I will be doing the student concerns to keep in mind. As we look at the student feedback, a few concerns came up again, and they are important to keep in mind when discussing any foreign policy. First, students want to understand how the policy will actually be enforced and what the consequences will be, because uncertainty can create stress and confusion. Another major concern is being singled out, especially if some students feel they are watched more closely than others. Students also pointed out that policies can affect the overall learning environment, either by building trust and focus, or by creating tension in the classroom. The key takeaway here is that students are not just reacting to the rules themselves, but also to how the rules feel in practice. This helps connect us

023to the next slide, where we shift from concerns to student recommendations for what a stronger policy could look like. So based on the student feedback that we got from our survey, these are the recommendations that stood out the most for a clear future policy. Students want clear guidance on when and where phones can be used, so expectations feel consistent and easy to understand. They also want responses that are predictable and restorative, which means addressing problems in a fair way that supports learning instead of immediately escalating conflict. Another important point is to make sure there are thoughtful exemptions and support for students with medical needs, IEPs, or other circumstances that require flexibility. These recommendations are practical because they balance structure with understanding. From a student perspective, the strongest policy is one that feels clear, fair, and

024realistic to follow in everyday school life. I wanted to further add on to the learning environment and digital literacy. On this slide, we focus on how the learning environment affects digital literacy and student attention. One important point that students noticed is that when class activities are engaging, phone distraction usually decreases. For example, my favorite class. When you look around, little to no one is on a screen because my teacher has spent time making an engaging lesson. Students responded by actually engaging in the lesson. This suggests that intention is not only about rules, but also about whether students feel involved in the lesson. At the same time, students still need support in learning how to use technology responsibly, because digital literacy includes judgment, self-control, and responsibility. Another takeaway is that giving students practical alternatives to phones

025can help them stay focused during class. Instead of just allowing technology right away when they're finished with their schoolwork, encourage them to read a book or create art, something that focuses on literacy beyond a screen. The key idea here is that a positive learning environment and a clear support system works better together than punishment alone. This connects to student experiences because most students can tell the difference between using technology as a tool for learning and using it as a distraction. This slide, Family Communication and Transparency, this slide focuses on why family communication and transparency are such important parts of any school phone policy. As a policy is developed, families need clear, consistent information so they will understand expectations, the reasons behind them, and how the policy will affect the student's day to day. It is

026also important to make sure communication is accessible in different languages, because families cannot support a plan if they do not fully understand it. A key takeaway is to emphasize that transparency builds trust between schools, students, and families. Another important point is emergency communication. Students and families need to know in advance how the school will share information during an emergency. For me personally, my family relies on me to make sure that our schedules are aligned and we can all get home at the same time without any trouble, because I have siblings in middle school and high school. So having these clear procedures during an emergency can really help build a flow for my family. So when there is an emergency, they know, Oh, I can call her, or if I can't. This slide also reminds us

027that families should be educated about the impact of smartphones from an early age. So when families understand both the benefits and the potential harms, they can better prepare to guide their students in building healthy habits. So, in other words, strong communication helps schools and families work as a team to support our students. So as we close, we want to thank you for taking student experience and perspective seriously. This presentation reflects how students hope adults will notice the most. Learning should stay at the center. Fairness matters, and student voice can strengthen decisions. We are not just sharing these points just to be heard in a moment, but to help shape a thoughtful action moving forward. Please take away this key message. When students are included, decisions are more informed and more responsive to real life school

028experiences. We appreciate the chance to contribute, and we hope that our student voice continues to be a part of this process in a meaningful way. So much for the great presentation. Directors, any follow-up questions or comments that you'd like to share? Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your perspectives and your work. This is incredible. You should be very proud of yourselves for this great work. You all mentioned surveys and data collected. I wondered if you could share a little bit more about how that was. And is it across the high schools? How did you analyze the data, and how did you create meaning of the stories that you tell? If we remember correctly, we had a survey sent out to the families of all the schools, and they-- well, basically they decided if they

029wanted to respond or not. But I think we had some teachers respond, like staff members, families from elementary, middle, and high schools, and students, obviously. I mean, I personally shared out the survey with my ASB members and asked them to share out the survey so we could get, I guess, a good amount of feedback back. So yeah, that's how we collected our stuff. Yeah, so we had about 1,000 responses. And the Superintendent Student Leadership team really helped us think about advisory slides, and so they help get this out to advisory to share. They also asked their teachers to take the survey. So there was about 946 students, 35 staff members, and close to 100 parents who took the survey. Well, a couple questions in regards to just great presentation. Like Dr. Espinoza asked, it wasn't

030just the school, but elementary and middle schools. Can you share what that would look like from K through 5 and 6 through 8, and then 9 through 12, what your recommendations would be? Because what your recommendations for high school would be totally different from middle school to elementary. Would love to hear what your recommendations would be for that. In regards to K through 5, so elementary, my personal opinion is it should be limited to academic screens, so digital literacy. I don't think there should be any, obviously besides needed for IEPs or stuff regarding that. But elementary kids should not have social media and be able to bring it to school. I think starting that almost addiction at that age is really harmful. And I think once you get around high school age, you're able to

031make more informed decisions about how you want to use social media and cell phones. But around that age, there's not enough understanding around it, and I think elementary school should only be used limited during the day, and it should only be for academic purposes. Thank you for that. One other follow-up question here. You all talked about respectful, fairness, rules, and consistency. As Board directors, when we create policy, and Dr. [INAUDIBLE] Dr. Duran and team creates the procedures around that, what would the outcomes be for student behavior? Would we get the same from our students? Would they agree to some rules of, you know, respect, responsibility? If a teacher asks to put it away, would they respect them? So I just want to make sure that this is a two-way road, that if we're asking and

032we're utilizing your voice, that your voice is also reciprocate to the staff members. I think the biggest thing that came up was, when we were building this presentation, was the student and teacher relationship. I think a lot of the times in the classroom, it feels very strained. Certain students and certain teachers have this kind of dynamic, and sometimes I feel like students feel attacked by certain teachers for whatever reason. And I think that with the respect part going both ways, I think it really does start with the classroom environment and the teacher making the environment that the students are in feel comfortable and open and safe. I feel like students are a lot more receptive to that than when teachers are more closed off and closed-minded. I think with any policy, period, a lot of

033teachers with the inconsistency can be very close-minded and very strict and will not be willing to hear students out, and that's when students shut down and they decide to do whatever. And that's what causes the strain. So that's just my. I have one more thing to say to add on [INAUDIBLE] said. I think when we put on these phone policies, we actually have a clear explanation to the students, because I think right now, where students are retaliating with the phone rules, I'm hearing a lot of teachers saying, because I asked my other peers and stuff, like, oh, what do teachers tell you about the phone policy? I was like, oh, well, they say the state banned it, and they're just, I guess, more forcefully doing it, rather than, I guess, giving a better explanation, like

034going more in depth. They're just going straight to the, oh, no phones, instead of taking time to explain why no phones and why that rule is in place in their class. So I see a lot of the times, when you give students clear like explanations, you go in depth, they'll be most likely to listen to you and respect that decision of yours. Thank you very much. I was trying to formulate my thoughts, so thank you. I think your voice is so meaningful and so important, especially as we're trying to create a policy. And to your point, as a lot of times it's like, well, it's the Board's fault. They created it, and they're old and they don't know what it is to be a youth and with the phone these days. So I think definitely

035moving forward, as a policy does get created and your voice does get implemented into these policies, as we're hearing, is it will require the students as well to say, yes, this was created because of us and our voice. So I think a unified message around why were these created, and to your explanation around making sure that it's clear about all your recommendations, like why. A lot of times, it's like, oh, they're just trying to take my phone away. It's like, no, we want you to learn. We want you to be focused. We want you-- so it's not because we're trying to punish you. So I think I appreciate being really clear about and being thoughtful and taking others, their voices into the recommendations that are being done. And I think it's so important that language

036matters, and also how we explain it matters. So I wonder also about some professional development with their teachers around, as we do create a new policy, regardless if it's a phone or another, it's like how things are explained. And then it's like, well, the Board said, so you got to do it. Instead, said it's like, this impacts your learning. Also, we want to keep it consistent, but the consistency is huge. I've heard it across-- I get to talk to other board directors as well in other districts or whatnot. And it's like one teacher just lets it go, and then it's like, see, they're really nice. You're just being me. So it's not about that they're trying to implement it, and people do get upset because the inconsistency that happens and it creates an unfairness or

037whatnot. So I appreciate all the details and appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it. So I think as moving forward, how do we unify into making sure that the messaging gets cleared, also that your voice is implemented in that messaging? Like you said, how you've heard from students and peers and stuff, how one teacher lets go, and then everybody's like, OK, well now we don't have to, I think really getting it clear to all the teachers that you have to stand strong on this policy, otherwise all of this work was done for nothing, because as I mentioned, I've gone through that exact experience. My one teacher was really relaxed with the phone policy, and so I go into my next teacher, who was strict on it, and I'd be like, why can't I go on

038it? She's letting me go on it. So I think making sure that the teachers understand-- and obviously, I know teachers are doing their best. It's so difficult to keep kids engaged, but I think just really making sure they understand that all the teachers in that school and in the district have to be on the same page and have to be aligned and willing to stand up and be like, no. Does that make sense? Director Tidholm? Yeah, I don't have any questions, just a comment. I really appreciate y'all showing up and doing this work. I think it's really important. One of my favorite sayings is "nothing about us without us," and this is just a perfect example of some pieces that you guys brought that, you know, even as a parent, even doing this work, that

039I hadn't considered. One thing that really stood out is not having it not be about restrictions, but creating an environment that meets individual student need. And I really appreciate that bit especially, because that's not something that necessarily has been at the forefront. Like, when I'm doing the research, looking at what other school districts are doing and how it's working for them, I'm looking at implementation and impact and all of those things, but that really should be at the forefront, meeting students' needs, and I think that's really important. And I just really appreciate you guys bringing that piece. That really resonated with me. I have one comment. Thank you very much for being here. I have a feeling there's a lot of work, time, energy spent putting all of this together, so a wonderful job. Was

040there any discussion regarding staff usage of cell phones? We did talk about that, actually. We talked about how, because for me, I'm also a Running Start student, and so I'm not there as consistently anymore. But I do remember instances and have seen some recently where some teachers won't pull their phones out at all, anytime when class is in session. And then there are some times where teachers will pull out their phones, but it's for a work purpose. And I was in a TA period, and the teacher pulled out their phone. And one of the students called it out, and she backed it up by saying that it was for something productive, and she was transparent about it. And so we have talked about how there's also the inconsistency with how staff use phones and electronics.

041And I think it probably varies from school to school, but for me, I don't see a lot of teachers on their phones. I think Tyee does a really good job with our staff being focused about that, but there are inconsistencies. And I think that's something that students will notice, because there's that unfairness and there is that consistency. And the one thing I just wanted to add was not only the importance of consistency and fairness, but also the compassion for students and what they're going through and the needs that they have and just the understanding of why we might turn to our electronics for whatever reason, whether it be academic, non-academic, family issues. I think a lot of teachers will sometimes lack that sort of compassion, and I feel like that's important. And that also goes

042along with the way that it's enforced and making sure that it's consistent and that every teacher is on the same page about how they enforce it, because ultimately, that seems to be the biggest issue, because when students see a difference in teachers, then that's where strain in the relationship starts to form and where students will be more engaged in one class or more connected to another teacher. Because for me personally, if I don't feel like I'm being supported or a teacher is willing to hear me out, then I'm going to disengage, because that is also heavy on my mind with other things that I'm trying to deal with. And so that's just the biggest thing is, is also compassion, so yeah. Well, I want to thank all the students for being here tonight. We had

043some great conversations. There was a lot of in-depth conversations. Even in one session, we shared some of the resources from Jonathan Haidt and Anxious Generation, and I think one of our takeaways from there was that this has to be a really collaborative community process, because parents need to understand the impact of giving a 10-year-old a smartphone without any kind of restrictions [INAUDIBLE] that create some potential challenges for them. And so it's definitely going to be a partnership as we move forward, and education and digital literacy, as the students talked about, is going to be really critical. So let's give a big round of applause to our amazing students and the work that they did. Awesome. Thank you all very much. All right. Next, I'd like to invite Tova Tupper, Jackie Bryan, and presenting members of

044the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee at the table. I know the CFAC members are going to introduce themselves when they come up, and I want to thank everyone for being here. And, Ana, you can see, has many leadership roles in our district, and will stay at the table because she's been part of our Community Facility Advisory Committee. Good evening, President Van, directors of the Board, and Superintendent Duran, I'm Tova Tupper, Chief Communications Officer for Highline Public Schools. Chief Financial Officer Jackie Bryan and I are the co-leads for the Capital Facility Advisory Committee, also called CFAC. And together we would like to introduce CFAC this evening to you. This community-led group has spent the past two years studying Highline's facility needs and developing a recommendation for the Board's consideration. We are so grateful for the many, many

045hours that this group of community members have spent on behalf of the Highline community and our students, and I will now turn it over to members of CFAC for their formal presentation to you, who plan to introduce themselves when it gets to their portion of the presentation. So, Omaha, you're up first. Good evening. My name is Omaha Sternberg, and I am one of the three co-chairs for CFAC. In addition to the materials that you're going to see on the slides, we also have a packet that I believe you've received of supporting materials. The CFAC was formed in 2015 to support bond planning, and has successfully recommended the 2016 and the 2022 bond packages. Membership includes appointed representatives from local jurisdictions, high schools, labor and community organizations, and about half of CFAC members are also selected

046through a lottery process. Our committee charge was to develop recommendations for future facilities. This is not easy work, as you can imagine, and requires hard decisions, thinking about the needs of students in our district as a whole, and not just in our own neighborhood. I'm Cheryl Forbes. Here's a timeline of CFAC's work over the past two years. During this time, CFAC studied facility conditions, enrollment, costs, community feedback, and site feasibility before reaching this recommendation. CFAC's recommendation is grounded in the factors community members identified as most important, safety, building condition, and infrastructure needs, and equity and student impact. Good evening, Board members. Again, I've served on CFAC for the last four years, but I've been a student co-chair for two years. Our bond recommendation includes two full replacements, two partial replacements, and additional funding for design

047work and critical needs. Strong majority of CFAC members concluded it's more cost effective to rebuild more schools now before construction continues-- oh, construction costs continue to rise. This $595.4 million bond package invests in Highline's future by bringing our deteriorating neighborhoods' middle schools up to modern safety and learning condition, just as our community has done for our neighboring high schools. One of the primary considerations we use when making a recommendation is the building condition score. This score helps us understand the physical condition of our school buildings. Each building receives a score on a 100-point scale. A higher score means the building is in a better condition. The ratings range from poor to excellent, so now we'll share a recommended bond projects. Hi. Good evening. My name is Erik Hustad. I'm the father of a fifth-grade student

048at Hazel Valley. For Sylvester, CFAC recommends rebuilding Sylvester Middle School at the existing site, based on urgent building system maintenance and safety needs. Sylvester's campus includes multiple aging buildings, with some dating back to 1953. The school's overall building condition is well into the poor category. CFAC believes rebuilding Sylvester at the current site is the most fiscally responsible approach and would provide students with a modern, safer learning environment. For Cascade, CFAC recommends rebuilding Cascade Middle School at the Salmon Creek site, based on student safety, long-term site feasibility, and fiscal responsibility considerations. Cascade's current campus includes multiple aging buildings dating back to 1957. CFAC reviewed significant challenges with rebuilding at the current site, which includes wetlands buffers, a large sewer easement, limited buildable space, and the need for a more complex multi-story design. After reviewing conceptual site

049plans and cost estimates, CFAC concluded the nearby Salmon Creek site provides a more practical and buildable location for a new middle school campus. Rebuilding Cascade at Salmon Creek will save $44 million compared to rebuilding at the current site. Main factors in this recommendation were those cost savings, which means that we can allocate those savings for other projects where students are more impacted, plus the opportunity to build a better layout for students and staff. We asked for and read community input, including a group of Salmon Creek neighbors who are concerned about Cascade being rebuilt adjacent to them, and community concerns about what would happen to the garden hosted on the school property. CFAC members were strong in their consensus to prioritize students and their needs above other factors, while also making the most fiscally responsible long-term

050decision for Highline. CFAC members understand there will be extensive opportunity through the permitting, traffic, and feasibility review processes, to study impacts in greater depth and address neighborhood concerns. Ultimately, members believed rebuilding Cascade at Salmon Creek represented the strongest balance of supporting students, responsible stewardship of public resources, and long-term site viability. And now we're going to talk about Chinook Middle School. Good evening, Board, and Dr. Duran. I've been serving on CFAC since 2017 as a community member representing the Mount Rainier service area, and I was selected by lottery. I'm the parent. Oh, yeah, my name is Terri Hewitt. I did skip that. Sorry. I'm the parent of three grown children who graduated from Mount Rainier High School, and I am a alumna from Tyee High School myself. OK, Chinook. CFAC recommends a major rebuild and modernization

051of Chinook Middle School based on aging facilities, declining building systems, and equity with other neighborhood middle schools. The recommendation includes replacing several buildings with new construction, while modernizing portions of the existing campus where it makes sense to do so. The redesigned campus would create updated learning spaces for programs like career and technical education, science, art, and music, while improving safety and overall learning conditions for students. Next, we'll speak on CHOICE. CFAC recommends addressing the urgent facility needs of CHOICE Academy, which is currently housed in the district's lowest-rated school building. The recommendation would rebuild the Southern Heights site using insurance funding already available following the 2024 arson fire, while renovating portions of the existing classroom wings. CFAC believes this project creates an opportunity to provide CHOICE students and staff with a modernized learning environment designed around

052the needs of the program and school community, while also maximizing available insurance dollars to reduce the overall impact of the bond funding. Valley View and Hilltop. CFAC also considered potential rebuilds or major modernization projects for both Hilltop Elementary and Valley View Early Learning Center. Ultimately, members prioritized the schools and projects previously discussed based on urgency, student impact, and available funding. At the same time, CFAC recognized both schools have facility needs and recommends including funding for initial design work, and targeted critical need improvements at both sites while they await a future bond. And then critical needs. We also recommend setting aside $40 million for critical facility needs district wide. This would allow Highline to address required building system upgrades, emergency repairs, and site improvements. I'm Cheryl again. I'm also co-chair for CFAC. Why we recommend these

053buildings. These recommendations are grounded first in safety and building condition. This is about addressing aging campuses, reducing risk, and creating safer, more functional spaces for students every day. Equity and student impact shaped our recommendation. This recommendation focused on serving students across Highline in our neighborhood middle schools, strengthening learning environments, and making sure no community is left behind. This plan also reflects a balance of cost, timing, and feasibility. It allows us to act now to manage rising construction costs, make strategic updates, and address critical needs before they become more urgent and more expensive. My name is Jackie Bryan, Chief Financial Officer. I am here to talk through the tax rate implications and the impact. CFAC was presented with the following slide that shows the impact of both the bond and the potential of a capital technology

054levy. You can see that, when we look at this, the increase on a $500,000 home is roughly $17.50 a month, so that's a total of roughly $210 annually. It's important to remember that anytime we talk about tax rates, these are projections. And one thing that CFAC really dove into and we talked about was the fact that assessed values can swing year to year, and that's something that we don't have any control over. So King County is responsible for the assessed value of Highline. And we can do projections, but tax rates can fluctuate based on those assessed values, and that is something which we do not control. So again, accounting for existing bonds and the operating levy, in addition to the 2026 proposed bond and the potential tech levy, that would raise the tax rates from

055$4.47 per $1,000 to $4.89. And again, just to reiterate, those are projections. Fund recommendation. This recommendation reflects two years of discussion, study, and difficult decisions from a committee of residents, taxpayers, parents, staff, and stakeholders. While we did not always agree, we worked together to reach a strong consensus. At this time, I'd like to thank all of CFAC. Thank you for listening, and thank you to Angelica and Joe for serving as board liaison to CFAC and stay engaged throughout this process. It has been an honor for me to serve alongside this committee-- and I wanted to mention at this point, this will be my last year. I am retiring at this time from CFAC-- and help shape the future learning conditions for students. I'm also proud of the work CFAC has done on behalf of our

056community. I'd like to ask any CFAC members who are present, please stand up and be recognized for your service. Finally, I'd like to make a special thank you to our student members, including co-chair Ana, who balanced school work and nearly every CFAC meeting this year. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to your community. Thank you so much for being here. In the last two years, there's a lot of hard work. Even though I've only stepped in for the last four months, Angelica, prior to that, just being there and listening and learning alongside every one of you, it's been amazing, so thank you. Directors, I'm going to open the table up. And if you have any questions. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. And to Ana, thank you again for bringing in that

057student perspective. So I have a few questions, but I'm going to ask one, and then I'll sort of share the mic with the rest of my colleagues here. So I wanted to ask about Cascade Middle School and the rebuild. You had mentioned that you all at CFAC have a strong consensus to build at Salmon Creek. You also shared that there were instances where you heard from community members about their perspectives. But I wanted to learn more about what were these processes like to hear from community members? We as board members get a lot of emails, get a lot of calls, and get people at board meetings with their perspectives. I want to make sure that you all at CFAC were considering or being in dialogue with community members before issues around Shark Garden came to

058the forefront, before issues about the location in the neighborhood came to the forefront, and whether those perspectives informed the package that you're presenting us. All right, I'll answer that. As far as Cascade being at Salmon Creek, one of the hard things about CFAC is when you get started, over a two-year process, you get started taking a look at the schools from the perspective of how old they are, their financial responsibilities towards these schools, et cetera. And that information doesn't get into more details about, oh, where do we put this school? Are we going to rebuild that school in its location, until sometime in the process. So it wasn't from the very beginning, two years ago that we were engaging with Cascade, because we didn't even know that Cascade would be one of the schools we

059would choose. So partway through the process, we were hearing from some community members that they were having some concerns and questions, and we immediately started addressing that by trying to get more information about this. One of them was a thought exchange, which we passed out to Cascade and community members and asked, what are your issues regarding having Cascade Middle School rebuilt over at the Salmon Creek site? We went through that process and looked at them. And then later on, towards the end of the process, we actually sat down with community members and had a detailed conversation with them about the problems that they had, listened to them about what issues they had about a school being nearby, about the garden and the size of the school, why it couldn't be built at Cascade, or well,

060we felt it couldn't be built with Cascade as far as fiscal responsibility. And that came to the end of our making the decision that for the students and for fiscal responsibility for the school district, this was the best choice for us. But the process is not finished yet. We still have a lot of work to do on finalizing the architecture. We still have a lot of work to do on finalizing different certificates of what we can and can't do, and we intend on continuing to have this community and the Cascade school parents, et cetera involved in the process of learning more about this and what may end up changing. Thank you. Other directors, would you [INAUDIBLE] follow-up questions? Director Tidholm, would you have any questions? No questions. But thank you for the work. And thank

061you for the clarification to Director Espinoza's question as well. I appreciate that. OK. Well, here we go. OK, so I do have a follow-up with your comment here about my question. I hear that there was a thought exchange and dialogue to some extent. I've also heard from community that came very late in the process, or it felt very late in the process. And I want to be mindful that we consider these processes moving forward in other iterations of CFAC. I hear that you are retiring from your position, as you or someone else, but I do think it's important, as early as possible to get in there and to build relationships and understand perspectives and priorities. It helps us build trust as a district and as a community. I also know this is a volunteer position

062that you all hold, so I honor your work, and I also want to honor all the emails, all the calls, and all the perspectives that I've heard from folks in that community. Thank you. [INAUDIBLE] I just want to say, I've been on CFAC since 2017. I do represent the Mount Rainier service area, because that's where I live, and so I went on that lottery process. I have felt the majority of the time I've been on CFAC, this team is not representative of the district very well. It's very heavily in certain areas, and I don't know what we can do as a committee to address that. But we do need more representation in the White Center, that type of area. I've asked for us to go around the room and say like, where we-- and it's

063not even just where we represent. Like, my kids went to Mount Rainier, but there's people like, say, SeaTac that kids went to Mount Rainier. But we just need more representation, like more community groups on there. I know it's hard. I don't know how we, I think, as CFAC group leaders, we need to reach out to more groups in the community and parents and such. Thank you for that. I do have a question. When we-- or when CFAC voted, it was at the $615 price tag, and then there was some concerns. And I know just the members of the committee were talking to each other, and you guys massaged it down to what was that, $595? Can you help us with how that came out? And where did we pull the money from? Not pull the

064money from, but just kind of reduced the price tag? I'm happy to answer that question. When we were looking at the $615 price tag for Southern Heights, we had an additional $10 million in that project, and we were anticipating potentially moving additional programs over there at that time. Decided that wasn't best for those programs at the moment, and so the scope of the project got smaller. So we were able to reduce that project by $10 million. And then the other reduction was in our critical needs, and the reason we were able to reduce that is we actually added some critical needs into the individual projects. So Hilltop design, you'll see it's design, maintenance, and critical needs, as well as Valley View and some other projects. So we took the money out of the overall critical

065needs and put it into those. So that we were able to reduce a little bit there as well. Thank you for that. OK, I do have just one last comment in regards to CFAC. I recall when I first got on the Board way back when, the reason why, and the reason why is that this is not coming directly from the Board or the district. This is coming from the community. This is coming from key stakeholders out there giving us the recommendations and not the Board or the district kind of telling our community what we want, but it's you guys letting us know what the recommendation is. Two years of this investigative look going to our schools, going looking at all of our properties, and kind of doing our due diligence for this, this is amazing.

066So I greatly appreciate the hard work and the recommendation put forth. I have a quick comment to say. I know the community is outraged in certain situations, and I see that. I've been hearing that some people feel like we didn't, I guess, share a lot of information, but I beg to differ on that from a student perspective. And I've seen how some adults are and stuff. Our meetings have always been open to the public. If you go on the Highline School page, you could always find CFAC's board meetings. The audios are there, too, the recorded. There's always an Instagram, Facebook post that's always going out after our meetings, giving us a recap and stuff. So I think we've been updating our community people up really well. And the lack of representation kind of does matter,

067but then that leaves it up to us as the community members that are in that have the position to be here and be part of these meetings, to take what they learn and share it out to the community, because if we fear that we're lacking representation, then we should take it in our own hands that we have, I guess, this role, and we share it out, because I think-- I mean, I didn't really see a lot of adults doing that, and yet they're the ones saying that we lack representation. Well, maybe we need to talk about it more, show that it's on the school page and stuff like that, because we're not hiding it. It's out there. You just need to do your research, just like everybody else has been doing. So thank you. All

068right. Well, wonderful. I think that's a great way to end the presentation. Ana, I know you're a senior this year. Will you just quickly share where you're off to in your next-- in the future that you choose? Well, I'm going to the University of Washington to major in international studies and minor in law, justice, and societies, and then after that, getting my bachelor's and going to law school and then probably getting my master's again afterwards. All right. [INAUDIBLE] Thanks to these roles, I've been very involved with my community, and that help has been recognized. And I've gotten scholarships to help me with my tuition and stuff like that, so hopefully I will still be around and helping this community, because this community gave back a lot to me in my education. Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. All

069right. Well, I want to thank all of our CFAC presenters tonight and-- thank all of our CFAC presenters tonight, all of our CFAC members, for the work that you all did over the last two years. So final round of applause for all the work that you've done. Thank you very much. And directors, before we go back to our report, do our reports, we'll have everybody go back to the dais. And Director Van, can I recommend you a quick 5-minute recess? Most definitely. 5-minute recess-- Thank you. --so we can reset the room. Well, good evening, everybody. I'm going to call this meeting back to order, please. All right. Thank you, everybody. We're going to call this meeting back to order. Dr. Duran, thank you so much for those two presentations. I really enjoyed the layout and

070the format. Made it more personal, so thank you for that. With that, we're going to start off with our director's reports. Director Holien, I'm going to start off with you this evening. Thank you, President Van. Earlier this month, 20 Highline High School students visited the Pacific Middle School construction site. Students toured the active construction site and learned about the many different careers within-- closer, sorry-- careers within construction from professionals on the job site. The visit was part of the Core Plus Construction pre-apprenticeship class, where students earn both high school and college credits. I also had the privilege of being a lunch buddy at Marvista for the last month and a half, and it was wonderful getting the perspective of a student, and I had a wonderful time. I also want to shout out Lori Bento.

071She is retiring after 41 years with Highline Public schools. So that's all. Thank you so much. Dr. Espinoza. OK, so students at Big Picture are producing a student-led news channel. It's called BPN9, and it's focused on filmmaking, storytelling, and media production. Students take on real production roles, including writing and filming, lighting, interviewing, and producing weekly content for their school community. Staff and partnerships with Next Hero Up and Intamin Theater are supporting students with arts integration, professional equipment, and creative mentorship. And you can see examples of student work on social media accounts from Highline. So great work, Big Picture. I was also at Mount View Elementary, maybe Tuesday of this week, I think, and I saw really great work in classrooms. I saw a classroom with a newer teacher. I think she was in her second

072year, and she was a rock star. I saw inclusion work and just students learning and being fully engaged. I've also been visiting high schools in their civics classes as I prepare to take the legislative role for the Board in July. And so I've been hearing from students about what matters to them inside schools and outside of schools. And so I've been hearing a lot of great things, and I'll be sharing more in time. And also, I think it's our last session before graduations, so congrats to all the grads and to all the families and staff members and everyone who helps students get through that line, through that finish line. Yeah, so thank you. Thank you so much. Director Tidholm. Good evening, folks. So more than 75 families attended Highline's Welcome To Kindergarten event that helps

073students and families prepare for their transition to kindergarten, starting school. The families learned about the kindergarten readiness, transportation, meals, dual language programs, special education supports, and other resources within Highline. Incoming students also had the opportunity to experience a school bus ride. So if you know a child turning 5 by August 31, now's the time to enroll them in kindergarten, and you can learn more about that by visiting our website. And that's all that I have this evening. Thank you so much. Director Alvarez. Hello, everyone. Sylvester math event. A group of Sylvester students were inspired by math competitions and decided to organize and host their own. Students proposed the idea to their teachers, worked out the logistics, designed the competition format, and created a website and registration form and promoted the event. They ordered refreshments, awards,

074wrote the questions, set up displays and timers, and even served at the emcees. More than 30 students from schools as far away as Bothell participated in this student-led event. There's another math event happening, actually, this Friday, Math Bonanza at Seahurst Elementary. It's happening Friday from 4:00 to 6:45, and also lots of competition in math going on. There's another amazing car show happening at the Puget Sound Skills Center. It's happening Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 to 2:00. We've had the opportunity to had in the past some board retreats there, so we were able to be part of those-- to see the car shows. And actually, we have an old car, and we took it there. My husband entered it in the car show, so we're excited to go this year again. And I also wanted to

075share just a quick update on Encanto arts. They have a Encanto Summer Voice and Music program, and they continue to build momentum. My computer just went to sleep. Oh, there we go. Oh. Oh, OK, I'll pick it up here. Oh, there we go. I'm not sure what's happening, but I did want to give, because it's an amazing update. I mentioned it at my last board meeting that I was here. And just to give you a quick update, even though it is one of the first-- there we go. Sorry, here we go. Not now. It's trying to update. So they're currently at 42 students registered, already surpassing their initial 40 goal. So they are providing voice lessons and piano lessons, but one of the cool things, as part of the program, 10 students will be actually

076chosen to participate in a talent show. And my computer is going out again, so I'm not going to-- and they have a first place. They will win $1,000 and the opportunity to open the Encanto holiday concert with the orchestra. And their second place will have $750 plus tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera. Third place will have $500 plus a ticket to Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera as well. All 10 finalists will also receive tickets to upcoming performances. They're nearly at capacity, so I encourage you guys all to look for it. There's only a few spots left, two in the voice intermediate, and 8 spots still available-- I think there's six spots on the voice upper level. They had to open another class of beginner piano because the request was so big.

077So they opened a new class, and they still have a few spots of beginner piano and three spots in the intermediate piano. So encourage you guys to keep looking for Encanto Summer Voice and Music classes. It's an amazing. I went to one of their performances, my grandson's already registered, and I'm looking forward-- he's registered for the voice classes, so I'm looking forward to singing with him. And that's my update. Thank you so much. Well, this year, Highline has completed staff guidance for AI use in schools and departments. The guidance gives staff shared expectations for classroom use, daily work, data privacy, safety, and human oversight. The summer staff learning will continue with the AI Innovation Summit in June, and so check out the updates on our AI work on our website. I learned most of my

078AI through my kids and my nieces and nephews, so learning continues. With that, that concludes our director's reports. As we move on to our scheduled communications, on behalf of the Board, we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to join us and sharing your thoughts with us this evening. You'll notice that our norms and guidelines are posted and displayed on the screens for your reference. Please remember that you're addressing the Board, and there may be students present or watching who are listening carefully to what you're saying. Please note, while the Board is unable to respond directly to your testimony during the meeting, we value your input. Thank you again for being here and speaking with us. I'm going to start off with Katie Kresly. Good evening. My name is Katie Kresly, and I have served on

079the Capital Facilities Committee for the past three years. And Thank you, Dr. Espinoza, for asking the community voice question that you did. For the record, I support safe, quality schools and strong academics for all students. I also support offering voters a manageable size bond they can vote yes without breaking the bank. Tonight, the board is reviewing the asset preservation program report, which reflects the district's long-term planning, a wise move for a district that controls billions of dollars in capital assets, which leads me to wonder, if the district can see years and decades ahead, why are some neighborhoods, like Salmon Creek, learning about major facility proposals, like relocating Cascade Middle School onto a small elementary school site, only after key decisions have been discussed and nearly buttoned up? Throughout the CFAC process, I repeatedly heard the

080words "transparency, inclusivity, equity." But what I saw were community members being excluded from CFAC discussions. There was no opportunity for in-person public comment before a recommendation was voted on. There was no public hearing, and none was planned. Emails from residents were not shared with CFAC members, even though it was requested. Then the committee and attendees watched on the last meeting as Normandy Park Deputy Mayor Hohimer was unexpectedly silenced by the district at the final meeting, even though she had participated as a full member for the past three years. So the committee described as community-led but comprised of 50% hand-selected members, that raises questions. If transparency, equity, and being a good neighbor are true priorities, then community members deserve meaningful opportunities to be heard in person before major decisions are made and finalized. That's how trust

081is built, and that's what being a good neighbor looks like. Thank you very much. Megan Gibbard Kline. Good evening. Happy Multicultural Night. My name is Megan Gibbard Kline. I'm a Highline Schools parent of two incoming students at Mount View Elementary, and I'm the volunteer co-chair of Yes for Highline. We promote the passage of bonds and levies across the district. I'm here to voice my strong support for the bond measure as proposed by CFAC. The safety and quality of the buildings where our children learn have a direct impact on them. Just this past fall, in the newly constructed Evergreen High school, they report a 14% increase in school attendance. When kids feel safe and dignified, they do better. In contrast, Cascade Middle School is at the end of its usable life and doesn't meet today's safety

082standards. I know that you, as a school board, make difficult decisions around taxpayer resources every day. I am a neighbor to the Salmon Creek site. My family lives three blocks away, and construction there impacts me directly. And the current Cascade site is located on a wetland, and the building is sinking. To rebuild there would cost voters upwards of $44 million more. We would run into a four-story tall building, and again, the regulatory and the sort of constraints on that site are incredibly challenging to manage. I look forward to the continued work between the Highline Public schools, the city of Burien, and neighbors to do the continued planning process around traffic and parking and so on. I want to knock on voters doors this fall and say, we get a chance with this bond to rebuild

083every comprehensive middle school in our district, so that no matter where your student lives, in North Burien or Normandy Park, they are going to a safe and dignified school. Finally, I want to close with-- I was talking with somebody who graduated in 1998 here in the Highland Public Schools about the Cascade site. We were driving around to the neighborhood looking at what traffic flow would look like and what are the issues, some of them already brought on by the H line, by the way. So these are sort of Burien city issues. And he said, man, that middle school needed to be rebuilt when I was there, and that was decades ago. So please take action, and thank you. Thank you very much. Amy Ely. Good evening, members of the Board. My name is Amy Ely,

084and I come before you tonight on behalf of the students, families, and community of Raisbeck Aviation High School, and I come with a heavy heart. I am asking you to allow Principal Therese Tipton to attend our school graduation ceremony on June 11 next week. For four years, Principal Tipton has shown up not as a title, but as a person. She has celebrated these students and their victories and steadied them through their struggles. She knows their names and their stories. She knows when a student needs encouragement and when they simply need someone to believe in them. That is not a job description. That is a relationship, and relationships are the foundation of every great school. That kind of leadership cannot be captured in a policy manual or measured in a performance metric. It is earned slowly,

085consistently, one student at a time. Today, 92 seniors stand on the threshold of one of the most significant moments of their lives. They are proud. They are ready, and many of them are hurting because the principal who walked with them through four years of growth may not be allowed to witness the moment they crossed the finish line. We understand that Principal Tipton is on approved leave. Others here tonight will speak to that directly. What we do not understand is why student voices carry so little weight in a decision that directly affects their experience. They are not abstract stakeholders. Graduation is not about policy or politics. It's about students. Always has been. Everything we do as educators, leaders, family members, and community partners exist to serve them. These 92 seniors will walk across that stage once,

086and if Principal Tipton is not there, that absence will be felt, not just that day, but for years to come. Now, they may not remember every speech or every handshake on that stage, but they will remember whether the adults who held authority over their lives listened when it mattered most. This is that moment. Please put students first. Honor the relationships that shaped who they have become. Let Principal Tipton be there. Thank you very much. Hailey Matsui. Good evening, Board and community. My name is Hailey Matsui. I'm a third-generation White Center resident. My grandmother taught in Highline Schools. My mom and I attended Highline Schools, and I am expecting my first child, who will be a fourth-generation Highline student and a future Cascade Middle School student. So this upcoming bond to rebuild middle schools in our

087district is really personal to me, because I've heard, and more tonight, that there is talk that Cascade might be left out of this bond. My mom went to Cascade in the '70s and also remarked that it needed to be rebuilt back then. And so learning that rebuilding Sylvester and Chinook, but not Cascade, feels really unacceptable to me, and it's not an equitable option. I am a future Cascade parent, and I care deeply about North Burien, White Center, and every middle school across the district deserves to be rebuilt, not just those in the wealthier south end. Let's not leave behind the communities that have been historically underserved. And it's beyond disappointing to me that a vocal minority could jeopardize the safe learning environment for hundreds of public school students. So let's not shrink away from a

088project because of its complexities. Highline knows how to do this. You've done this. You've a long track record of delivering thoughtful rebuilds on time and on budget, and so I support the bond as proposed by CFAC, which includes the Cascade rebuild on the Salmon Creek site. This is a sound investment, not just for today's students, but for generations to come. So please support the bond and keep the plans to rebuild Cascade. Thank you very much. Mika Sundberg. My name is Mika Sundberg. I'm the parent of students at Hazel Valley Elementary and Cascade Middle School. I'm also the co-chair for Yes for Highline and have served on CFAC since 2018. I want to speak about CFAC's process for the bond recommendation. For two years, CFAC reviewed enrollment projections, facility conditions, and tax impacts. Throughout the process,

089we worked to balance student needs with financial responsibility and considered how voters across the whole district would view the proposal. As part of our work, we asked the district to look at different options for several projects to see if there are ways to save money while still providing students with the schools they deserve. This included relocating Sylvester and Cascade to better sites and consolidating CHOICE Academy and Big Picture at Southern Heights. Not every option proved feasible. Relocating Sylvester proved more expensive than rebuilding on site, and Big Picture depends heavily on transit access and asked not to be included at this time. Concerns were also raised about relocating Cascade to Salmon Creek, though many in the Cascade community indicated a new location was OK, if it resulted in a better school. Ultimately, CFAC recommended adding Chinook

090Middle School, along with Cascade and Sylvester, to the bond package, because investing in Chinook now allows the district to reuse portions of the existing building, avoiding higher costs in the future, and ensuring all Highline middle school students have the benefit of a new building. These conversations were not always easy. For example, could we justify asking taxpayers at this time to fund a new Valley View facility if the state doesn't fund early education in the future? Similarly, spending $44 million more to rebuild Cascade on its existing site would be hard to explain to families across the whole district, when another site provides a larger, buildable area and a more functional campus for less money. This recommendation is the work by community members across the district, who looked beyond individual neighborhoods and projects and focused on what

091would best serve students. It reflects our collective effort to balance student needs and financial responsibility. Thank you very much. Keegan Ryan. Good evening. I'm Keegan Ryan. Today, I'm speaking as a longtime supporter of school bonds, a district employee, and the parent of a future Cascade Middle School student. I work in a building recently rebuilt with bond funding, and I have consistently supported school bonds. My concern is not whether Cascade deserves a new school. My concern is whether the Salmon Creek recommendation reflects the level of planning and feasibility analysis our community deserves before moving forward. Cascade's facility challenges are not new. By the district's own admission and other community members' admission, the school has needed replacement for decades. Yet, when Evergreen High School was rebuilt on the adjacent campus, a coordinated long-term strategy for Cascade was

092not pursued. Even if a full rebuild was not feasible at that time, that project presented a rare opportunity to begin planning for Cascade's future. Today, the CFAC is recommending Salmon Creek, one of the most physically constrained sites in the district, while the district's own projections anticipate enrollment growth later this decade. As a result, the board and taxpayers are now being asked to consider a proposal that raises significant questions about capacity, expansion potential, traffic safety, and feasibility. I understand that one argument in favor of the proposal is the projected $44 million cost savings. However, many of the detailed studies used to identify site-specific challenges have not yet been completed. Those projected savings should therefore be reviewed with caution until site's feasibility questions are more fully understood. I recognize the enormous amount of work that CFAC has

093done, and I understand that difficult trade-offs are part of facilities planning, but difficult decisions still deserve rigorous scrutiny. The role of the CFAC is to make recommendations. The role of the Board is to determine whether those recommendations represent the best long-term path forward. Tonight, I respectfully ask the Board to carefully consider the unresolved feasibility concerns surrounding the Salmon Creek proposal before advancing this recommendation. The question is not whether Cascade students deserve a new school. The question is whether this recommendation represents the more responsible long-term solution. Thank you very much. Brad Davis. Hello, everyone. This is nerve racking. Wow. My name is Brad Davis. My daughter will eventually be attending Cascade Middle School. I'm here to talk about that bond. As a new parent, prioritizing the well-being of children and students is more important than ever

094to me. From what I understand, there are a few reasons that this idea is up for question, and I strongly believe that the proposed rebuild for Cascade on the new, most viable building site is the clearest, most reasonable proposal that I've heard. Rebuilding on the same site for more dollars on a less viable site, or leaving it out of the rebuild entirely, is not acceptable, and not a great way to take care of our students and our community over the long term. I consider it a privilege to advocate for how my local tax dollars are spent, and the plan that CFAC has put together is using resources to care for the community in the most resourceful and sustainable way, in my opinion. Middle school is hard, so let's give them our best. Thanks. Thank you

095very much. Pat Thompson. Good evening. Hi, my name is Pat Thompson. I am a Highline School district kid all the way through Mount View, Cascade, Evergreen. And I've come to encourage the board to please approve the proposal that's been set before you from CFAC all the way, and let's send this to the vote in November. Everything that's been said, I've thought that the report from CFAC was incredibly perfect, including how it ended. I agree with everything Mika said and also a few of the speakers before me, so what I really want to do is just kind of tell you what I'm feeling from my heart. I'm one of the weirdos that loved my middle school adventure. I loved that part of my life. I was mid-century. I went to Cascade mid-century, and it was the

096same building. And I just want to say that we need a change there. And when it came up that we would seek to move the school to another site, I'm going to say, I really wasn't about it. I love the location where it is. I love my experience. I love the memories, all of it. But as it occurred to me and as it continued to be explained to me, what we need, I just feel like we're going to have to change. And I'm good with change. And so I just feel it's very, very important that we approve this bond. And then also, as I think about the three middle schools that are on this proposal, and I feel like we've 25 years of watching elementary schools get rebuilt and high schools that get rebuilt. We've

097gotten we've gotten glacier. But I just think, let's get it done. Let's get these three comprehensive middle schools done and show those kids in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade that we care about their experience, and those years are not just throwaway years. Let's let them go to school in an awesome building. Thank you very much. Kristen Price. Good evening. My name is Kristen Price. I'm a resident taxpayer, a Highline parent, and aerospace attorney. I spent over a decade at Boeing, served as Chief Counsel at Blue Origin, and currently with Firefly Aerospace. The strength of Aviation High School is completely dependent on its industry connections. Central administration abruptly and unfairly yanked the leadership with those vital connections, fracturing trust. Without industry trust, Aviation High School will fail. Without taxpayer trust, the district cannot successfully pass the

098local levies that fund our schools. I implore the superintendent to actually get to know the communities you serve. Showing up at Aviation this morning simply because you knew the topic is on tonight's agenda is a transparent attempt at damage control that school staff almost certainly experiences as flat-out intimidation. Top-down mandates are undermining community collaboration. In gathering information about the district's planning relative to the North Hills situation, the community established a secure, anonymous email inbox to protect our educators who fear professional retaliation. Through this pipeline, we've learned that instead of addressing actual building leadership issues, the district standard recipe is to forcibly reassign principals that push back on irresponsible district mandates to the central office to isolate them. We see this disruptive pattern repeating right now in the forced transition of Aviation leadership. I also understand

099that the selection of new replacement for Tyee has occurred with absolutely zero involvement or collaboration from the Tyee staff, families, or community. "Nothing about us without us" would be great here. Furthermore, I'm deeply concerned by the pattern of which leaders receive professional respect. Sidelining female leadership without public justification raises serious questions about institutional bias and discrimination. If leadership claims they removed a successful principal because they lost trust in her, I must ask this board, how can this administration expect a leader to maintain their trust when your own lack of transparency [AUDIO OUT] Pascal Goble. Hi. I'm a I'm a student at Cascade Middle School, so I'll be speaking with firsthand experience, and this is why I think Cascade should be replaced. My mom works for Yes for Highland, so I've seen her go to meetings

100and heard her talking about talking to people from Salmon Creek, and so they have been included in this discussion. And Cascade is very old school. It's infested with roaches. The ceilings are caving in some places, and as I've learned, the buildings are sinking. So when I'm in math class and all of a sudden, a roach comes out of nowhere, it disrupts the entire class, and kids are yelling and it's hard to focus. So it would be good to have school because being in old school, it feels somewhat unsafe, and it's always having to be replaced-- I mean, repaired. And having outdoor walkways isn't very good for Seattle weather, as it's either raining or there's a lot of allergies everywhere and it's really not great. And I feel like more kids would be more excited to

101go to school if they were in a new, clean, or newer and not falling apart school, and people would be more engaged and excited to go. And so one last reason is, like other schools in the district have gotten new schools, as I've learned. So I feel like Cascade should be next. And yeah, thank you. Very much. Rehanna Meyer. That's me. Hi my name is Rehanna Meyer. I'm the proud parent of a tenth-grade student at Raisbeck Aviation High School. My son has dreamed of being a commercial pilot since he was eight years old. He learned about Raisbeck, and he dared to dream of attending. And luck would have it, he won the lottery, and that dream became a reality. The abrupt removal of our principal, Ms. Tipton, was so deeply felt. She was taken from

102our school swiftly and without explanation. For several days, Raisbeck had no administrator, and the district never communicated that to parents. When you removed Ms. Tipton, you left an enormous void. She is the backbone of Raisbeck. Her dedication to her staff and students is a major reason this school is successful, and we want her back. Raisbeck does not have a drama or a theater department. It does not have a physical education department, a band, or art department, but it does have a Career Center. The Career Center is essential. It is the bridge between our students and the Aviation and aerospace community. Yet, now the district is targeting our Career Center as well. My son has personally benefited from the council and the various industries, networking, and learning opportunities because of the Career Center. He has interned

103with the Blue Angels. He has attended Embry-Riddle Aviation Camp in Arizona. He has trained in Alaska Airlines simulators, participated in a Delta Sea-Tac field trips, sat on Zoom meetings with CEO of Boeing and Ford, and more. These experiences do not happen by accident. They happen because of the Career Center. The reduction in the Career Center funding has never been transparently explained. Parents received a generic email in March and nothing more. No meeting or direct engagement with the parents had. Promising this information will be available as early as next week is not transparency. It feels like another attempt to delay disclosures until families are gone for the summer. Another way to [AUDIO OUT] Edie Hall. Good evening. My name is Edie Hall, and I am also a proud parent of a sophomore at Raisbeck Aviation High

104School. The experience there, until very recently, has been the best learning environment. Why is this? Number 1, the teachers. The teachers say it is the best place to work, and that enthusiasm translates to the kids. I volunteer at the Science Olympiad competitions where Raisbeck sends an impressive 82 students. These students have committed to arriving at Raisbeck an hour before school starts every single day. There are 316 students participating in over 17 clubs that Raisbeck offers. That is over 3/4 of the student body and amounts to a lot of time and dedication by our wonderful teachers. Number 2, the partnerships with the local engineering and aviation community and strong support of alumni make the classrooms come to life. These kids see how the subjects they are learning can be applied to meaningful careers and, by the

105way, into solutions to the world. Our principal was the best advocate for this and the primary sponsor in contact. Raisbeck is consistently one of the top five public schools in Washington and ranks among the top few Public Schools in the country. It is a STEM beacon for the Highline School District and beyond. The glue that keeps the community thriving is leadership at the principal level and at the district. The district seems to be failing us right now, and you have removed our principal and you have not told us why. This causes confusion and unrest among students and teachers. You have also not provided clear communication about why key programs are being removed and transparency about the actual budget reports. Please do not impose this self-inflicting wound upon the Highline School District. Thank you very much.

106Kirsten Cooper. Good evening, Board. My name is Kirsten Cooper. I am a Highline alum, a special education parent, and a North Burien taxpayer. I respect CFAC's hard work, but truly serving our community requires looking beyond the administration's narrative. A recent letter from a CFAC member claimed that relocating Cascade Middle School to the 6.6-acre Salmon Creek site is fiscally responsible. But true fiscal and strategic responsibility would have been planning ahead. Instead of saving unconstrained land for a future Cascade rebuild, the district boxed itself in by prioritizing new sports fields in the southwest corner of the existing shared campus. Now, our students are being asked to pay the price for that administrative oversight. This plan defies basic fairness. If it moves forward, Salmon Creek will become the most crowded campus in the district, cramming 142 students per

107acre at capacity. Meanwhile, the 41-acre Evergreen campus will sit at just 29 students per acre. Everywhere else in Highline, campuses of that size are shared fairly. Why is Evergreen suddenly exempt, while Cascade students are singled out to lose their green buffers and sports facilities? Is equity only important to this administration when it is convenient? I have voted yes on every single school bond in the past because I believe in public education. However, I cannot support the non-transparent methods currently being used to restrict community input and force this proposal through. If you want this bond to pass, put this project on hold until you can figure out the logistics to place Cascade where it belongs on the 41-acre shared campus. Thank you very much. Carson Ivins. Good evening, board members. My name is Carson Ivins, and

108I'm here tonight to respectfully ask that the Board reconsider building Cascade Middle school at the Salmon Creek site and instead rebuild Cascade at the shared Evergreen-Cascade campus. As many of you have seen, there is a petition signed by nearly 400 Burien-area residents asking the board to take a closer look at these concerns before adding it to the bond package. I want to be clear. Our community supports rebuilding Cascade. Many of us would support a bond that rebuilds Cascade at Evergreen, even at a higher cost, because current and future students, which will someday include my children, need and deserve a new school. We are not opposed to development of the Salmon Creek site and would welcome a school of the right scale, an elementary school, another alternative school program, or a vocational education facility. What concerns

109us is that one of the district's largest middle schools is now being proposed for one of its smallest sites. Salmon Creek is only 6.65 acres, while Washington State siting guidelines recommend five usable acres plus 1 acre per 100 students and an additional five acres for schools serving grades above sixth grade, which puts the Salmon Creek site at almost 1/3 the space recommended. Most residents only became aware of the plans to move the school a few months ago, despite a nearly two-year CFAC process. Once people became aware, concerns about site feasibility, traffic circulation, recreation space, and impacts to the community garden were raised repeatedly. Residents also raised concerns that the conceptual site plan may conflict with Burien municipal code. Those concerns were initially characterized as unverified. Yet, after those same concerns were brought directly to the

110city of Burien just weeks ago, the district began redesigning the conceptual plan. If the plan that informed the feasibility analysis, cost estimates, and ultimately this recommendation is already being redesigned, we believe it deserves closer examination before voters are asked to approve it. Thank you very much. Elizabeth Whiteside. Good evening, Superintendent, members of the Board. My name is Elizabeth Whiteside, and I am this year's Raisbeck Aviation PTSA President. I have two critical points to make. The first is that the sudden, unexplained removal of Principal Tipton sent shockwaves through our campus, leaving students, teachers, and families anxious and demanding answers. For a month, the district's sole communication was a single, vague sentence. "Principal Therese Tipton is on approved leave." Most families assumed she was on vacation. After five weeks, we now know she's not coming back. So

111while we appreciate that an interim principal has finally been named, the complete lack of transparency and transition planning up to this point has severely damaged community trust. On top of all this, critical budget planning was highlighted of starting in March. She was removed at the end of April, and now we've got a week to get the budget finalized. Where's the advocacy happening for our students? How is that being truly managed? And then second, I want to correct a false narrative regarding a conversation I had last Friday with Board President Van. We met to discuss the Raisbeck community's frustration over the lack of communication regarding Ms. Tipton and the future of our Career Center. At no time did President Van cite allegations of misappropriation of funds on behalf of Ms. Tipton. The only time financial misconduct

112came up is when I shared a story that, in the absence of any official facts, the students have started an amazing rumor that Ms. Tipton embezzled PTSA funds. So as PTSA President, I want to state unequivocally that all PTSA funds are accounted for. Our principal has never had access to them, and President Van properly maintained personnel privacy and any rumors to the contrary are entirely false. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Carol Salter. Good evening. My name is Carol Salter, and I am a tax-paying resident, homeowner, and you can't get much more community than my house is right beside Salmon Creek School. I've had five daughters, one son who went through Cascade Middle School and have attended Evergreen High School. So I support student learning, I do, and I want Cascade School to

113be rebuilt. I do. I want to be clear that our students deserve a safe, modern facilities, but I don't believe that this relocation is the right choice. First, I don't understand the claim that not building at Salmon Creek would leave a school out of the bond. I think that Cascade can be rebuilt and needs to be rebuilt on its current site beside Evergreen High school, this lovely, lovely campus that has been built. And I also bring some personal concerns. My grandson graduated from the New Start High School. I love that high school. They helped him get through that. He has autism, and I don't know where we would be if they hadn't have helped him. Previously, our community was very pleased with how the space has been used, and we do care deeply about it

114going forward. So I'm concerned about the planning process, however. We've been told that the bond would be a more comprehensive review and planning process. But shouldn't that have already been happened before they brought this recommendation to you? There's also very important unanswered questions. I haven't heard too much tonight about the Shark Garden. The Shark Garden's a very important part to our community. The people who operate in the Shark Garden, 90% of them are BIPOC individuals. And so they use that food to serve food banks. Thank you very much. Baker? Hello. My name is Grace Baker, and I am yielding my time to Malia [INAUDIBLE]. Good evening. My name is Malia [INAUDIBLE], and I'm at Highline community members standing here to continue where speaker 9 testimony left off. These are words based on information collected through

115safe, establishing channels within our schools. While administration plays a technical shell game with our school budgets, our companies are paying the price on the ground. The lack of actual district engagement at Aviation is embarrassing. Staff have been stonewalled for 10 weeks, seeking solutions for the Career Center. Just today, central office data specialists are frantically moving state-mandated graduation assistance deadlines because the administration completely disrupted building operations at the critical end of the year. While leadership's vaguely promised to preserve these programs, public records requests seeking basic operational specifics have been effectively denied or delaying. We stand united around three basic requests. Let the building and principal attend graduation with their seniors. Respect school leadership and communities by involving them in principal selection process. Fulfill the public records request, and release budget information to provide actual transparency. Stop

116telling staff to hide working conditions, and end back channel rumors. Our students deserve an administration that models the exact honesty and accountability we expect from them. Thank you very much. Jennifer Vail. Hello. My name is Jennifer Vail. I'm here to show my support for the bond recommendations put forth by CFAC. I am a proud graduate of Cascade and Evergreen. Did the math while I was sitting there, 28 years ago, and I think we can all agree that it definitely needs a remodel, Cascade. And Evergreen is beautiful, and I'm so pumped to live across the street from it now. I'm also very close to the Shark Garden and that area as well. I have two small children that I plan to send to those schools, and I'm super pumped to get to see them grow up

117there. I think, most importantly, the first thing I thought was, oh, thank God, they're finally doing it. We're going to get a new Cascade. Second was, bummer, the Shark Garden is going to be gone. But we have to make sacrifices, and there's a lot of pros and cons to living next to an elementary or middle school. I can see that. I understand the other side. I also don't know the details of passing a bond, but I do know it's hard. And I know we were worried about Evergreen, and I can say that if they take-- I don't know how it works, but if they take Cascade off individually, it will be very hard to push it through later. And I'm really worried that we'll lose out. Time is not on our side. It's going to

118get more expensive to build, and I think it's really important that we do this now and we keep all the middle schools together and finish the job. One more note. I think it's really important for kids at middle school time to see what they can get to next. It's hard to go to a crappy middle school and know you're going to a crappy high school afterwards, crappy as in rundown. And parents really are deciding permanently what to do with their kids for high school when they enter middle school, so it causes a lot of relocation. People will, you know, when they know it's an old school. People will choose charter schools. They're-- [AUDIO OUT] Very much. George Whiteside. Hello. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is George Whiteside, and I'm a

119parent of a Raisbeck Aviation student in her junior year. I'm alarmed with the recent prospective cuts to the Career Center. The Career Center is one of the most outstanding essential elements of our school and should continue to be funded fully, if not actually increasing the funding from what it is right now. Most importantly, the way the district has not provided clear information about the sudden removal of Principal Tipton, allowing rumors to circulate while not sharing evidence of any wrongdoing, is very disturbing. Lacking respect for all involved, barring a beloved principal from graduation without a proven public justification is unnecessarily injurious to our students and our school's legacy. Please provide a verifiable reason for her leave and reinstate Principal Tipton to graduation. I'd also like to add, just briefly, that we live in Shoreline, north of

120Seattle, and my daughter spends sometimes as much as two hours each way getting to school. The school has been a gem and a dream for her, and the way that this has been handled has just really drastically affected school pride. And I just think people come from all over the place because of this gem that you guys have here, and I think it really deserves to be handled better. Thank you very much. Sili Savusa. Good evening, President Van, Superintendent, and school board member. I'm here in support of the bond, and I just want to say that the process of education is very complex. It's not only about the institution and instruction. It's also about the environment that learning takes place. As a former parent that put two students through the White Center schools, and also

121as a former board member who sat on the board during other bonds that were passed in the district, I know that difficult conversations are hard to figure out what to do, but you have these incredible communities that are coming and trying to put their voices on the table. What I do know, it's important that we all come to agreement around what's best for the students of Highline. And in watching a beautiful Evergreen building be built and standing, I just feel like many communities like White Center deserve also a beautiful middle school. White Center was on the last, at the tail end of any of the schools being built, and I feel like we've had to fight even into the pipeline around having a brand new school, and so I just wanted to say that. I'm

122thankful for the disagreements and the conversations that are happening in the broader community, and then I just want to make sure that we all know this isn't us versus them. It really is about what's best for our students and for our communities that represent the Highline School District. Thank you. And bring President Tipton back for the commencement, please. Thank you very much. And that concludes our speakers this evening. With that, we're going to move on to our consent agenda. It looks like we have removed 6.3 from the consent. So can I please have a motion? So we would make a motion. And with the exception of 6.3 be-- Just 6.1 and 6.2 of the consent agenda. And just to clarify, for 1.4, items, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 were added to the consent agenda, so

123the consent agenda does include those action items as well. Yeah, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 were added, and 8.5 were added. So then I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda for 6.1, 6.2, and adding 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5. Yes. Can I please have a second? I will second that. All in favor? Aye. Yes. Any opposed? Hearing none. Items removed from the consent agenda, 6.3. Before we take any action on the personnel report, I'd like to move that the board enter executive session to discuss a personnel matter related to an item contained in that report. OK. Thank you so much for that. So give me a quick second. So I move that the board immediately recess into executive session for approximately 15 minutes until-- let's go 8:21, in accordance with the provisions of RCW

12440 230-110, subsection G with the purpose of this session is to review the performance of a public employee. Do I have a second? I'll second that. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? And I'm also asking the superintendent and the associate superintendent to join us. So thank you. We'll be back in about 15 minutes. Director Tidholm? I just want to do a sound check to make sure that you're back. I'm here. Thank you. OK. Just one more. OK. Let us know when we're back. Well, good evening, everybody. Thank you so much. We have completed our executive session. Do I have a motion to adjourn the executive session? I motion to adjourn executive session. May I have a second? I'll second that. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Executive session is now adjourned. So now

125we are now returning to section 7 of our regular scheduled board meeting agenda, items removed from the consent agenda. Excuse me, President Van. Can we move at this time? So we're going to finish off with-- Oh, to approve the approval, and then-- OK. The consent. That's good. Yeah. So at this time, can I please have a motion? Hold on here real quick. I'll make a motion [INAUDIBLE]. OK. So at this time, is there a motion to vote on the personnel report as is, or what would you like? I'll move that the Highline School Board approve the personnel report, item 6.2, as is. I'm sorry, 6.3. Apologies. Thank you so much for that. All those in favor? I was going to do a roll call. We need a second, and then we're going to do a

126roll call vote. Can I please have a second? I will second that. Roll call, please. Director Holien? Yea. Director Alvarez. Yea. Director Espinoza. Yes. Director Tidholm. Yea. President Van. Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you very much. So now I'd like to make a motion for us to move our intro and action items, 9.1, 9.2, moving before our action items. Can I please have a second? I will second that. Roll call. I just want to see clarification from staff. Does this require a motion? Yes. OK. All right. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Alvarez? Yea. President Van? Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you very much. A lot of moving pieces this evening. That's fun. So with that, we're going to move on to 9.1. This is motion to approve installing

127a plaque of recognition at Evergreen High School track in honor of Tyrone Curry. So we're going to have a couple presentations. Thank you very much. Oh, there we go. So I'm going to speak briefly about item 9.1 and 9.2, and I'm going to speak about the boring parts. We have some community members here to talk about the interesting parts. Thank you. These are two community-generated requests to honor three members of the Evergreen community with plaques of recognition. In August, the board approved changes to policy 6970, which formerly dealt only with naming facilities, adding plaques of recognition, to add plaques of recognition to the policy. Policy calls for proposal to be sent to the superintendent. If he approves it, it's then brought to the Board. These two proposals from the Evergreen community were brought to the

128superintendent earlier this spring, so they are now in front of you for approval. And I would like to turn this over now to Evergreen alum and community member Long Phan and some other folks from the Evergreen community to talk a little bit about the process that they use to identify these two items or these two recognitions. So my name is Long, and I'm a proud Evergreen alum and Highland parent starting this fall. This effort grew out of many years of community conversations about ways to honor important members of the Evergreen community, but the completion of our beautiful new campus inspired us to finally take action. So a few goals of this effort. 1, to celebrate our rich and diverse community history. 2, to honor individuals that represent the very best of us and exemplify values

129that we should all aspire to. And 3, to inspire our current students to achieve great things and help write the next chapter of the Evergreen story. Conversations took place during our existing community touchpoints with school administrators and student leaders. Three individuals rose to the top as people we wanted to recognize first, and I'll say a couple words about them and then turn it over to our school leaders. So the first, Darlene and Paul McTaggart were members of the first and third graduating classes, 1959 and 1961. They met and fell in love at Evergreen and have been married for more than 60 years. As students, they were extremely involved as student leaders and athletes. After graduation, Paul served in the Marine Corps as an infantry member and fighter pilot. Darlene's family could not afford to send

130her to college, so she went to work directly after high school at her local TV news station, followed by a career in real estate. Paul and Darlene together built a real estate investment and property management company in Seattle, and have a long history of community philanthropy. Two weeks ago, actually, Paul's classmates from the class of 1959 dedicated a tree in the Evergreen courtyard. As a class who planted the seeds of our original campus, it's only fitting that they helped to put down lateral roots on our new campus. The class also raised more than $40,000 to support our environmental studies program, as well as a new greenhouse and urban garden space. Tyrone Curry, Sr. doesn't need any introduction, but I will say a few words about him too. Tyrone is a local boy who grew up

131in the Central District. He served in the Navy directly after high school and did seven tours in Vietnam. For more than 30 years, he faithfully served as a custodian at Evergreen High School, as well as coached track, cross country, and girls basketball, along with two other jobs. In 2006, he could have retired after winning the Washington State lottery. Instead, he kept working for another five years before retiring and donating $40,000 to help build a brand new track at Evergreen. And then, instead of relaxing, he ran and was elected to serve in the Highland School Board, representing the Evergreen service area for eight years. Today, I don't think Tyrone is still retired. He enjoys working and staying involved, and just finished another season of coaching track at Evergreen High School. So next, I'd like to introduce

132our student body president and senior, Nadia, to talk about the process that student leaders used to debate and support the recommendations. Hello, Board members and Superintendent. My name is Nadia, and I'm Evergreen's current ASB President. In our leadership class, we are given a packet and asked to read it thoroughly and discuss it at our tables. The packet contains some background information on the history of the individuals and what they did and contributed to the Evergreen community. When discussing Tyrone Curry, I already felt a bias growing because Tyrone Curry has been my track coach for the past two years. I voiced that Tyrone Curry definitely deserved it to the person next to me, especially with how much time and energy has given to athletes on and off the field. He has shaped me in small but

133significant ways into the person I am right now. We then read further into the packet and found out about Darlene and Paul. My group and I thought it was very special the way they met with their generous donation and continued support and community. We were all in agreement with these namings and plaques. Our leadership teacher then pulled us all together in unity to discuss what this means for not only our school, but for us as individuals. We gathered input from one another and voiced our opinions. These individual people have shaped Evergreen into what it is now, and we hope that these plaques are able to shine a glimpse on how much we appreciate their selflessness and hope for the future. Thank you. So finally, we were going to turn it over to our principal, Joe

134Boyer. But he was not able to make it tonight due to the tragic passing of one of our safety and security officers, Officer Dante. But Joe shared his thoughts with me, and I just would like to read this on his behalf. "At Evergreen, we were trying to build a community centered school and honor the legacy of those who come before. We will continue to intentionally partner with student, staff, community, and elders to ground our future work in the voices, experiences, and stories of our past. We see public education as a legacy, and we want Evergreen to be a model for how to honor our community's legacy." Thank you. With that, change it back here. Can I please-- so 9.1, this is motion to approve installing a plaque of recognition at Evergreen High School track in

135honor of Tyrone Curry. I will second that. Is there a motion first? You just read the item. We need a motion first. I will make a motion. I'm more than happy to make a motion to approve the plaque of recognition for Tyrone Curry at the Evergreen High School track. Can I have a second, please? I will second that. Thank you. Roll call please. Director Alvarez. Yea. Director Espinoza. Yes. Director Tidholm. Yea. Director Holien. Yea. President Van. Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. So once we're done with this, we'll have a picture, please. So 9.2, motion to approve installing a plaque of recognition in the Evergreen High School South Commons in honor of Darlene and Paul McTaggart. I'll make a motion to approve a plaque of recognition for Darlene and Paul McTaggart at the Evergreen South Commons.

136I will second that. Roll call, please. Director Espinoza. Yes. Director Tidholm. Yea. Director Holien. Yea. Director Alvarez. Yea. President Van. Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you, everybody. Mr. Tyrone Curry, if you might, come on up for a picture, and Michelle, too, please. Come on up, everybody. Let's go. Long, everyone, come on up for a photo. Pat, Lina, Sal. [INAUDIBLE] move back to our action items. 8.1, this is motion to approve resolution number 09-26. This is a surplus of district properties adjacent to Marvista Elementary School, parcel number 6113400100, another parcel, 6113400110, parcel 6113400105, and parcel 6113400115. Can I please have a motion? I make a motion. I move that the Highline School Board adopt resolution number 09-26, declaring the four parcels of the undeveloped, district-owned property adjacent to Marvista Elementary School, parcel number 6113400100 and

137613400105 and 6113400110 and 6113400115, as surplus to district needs and authorizing staff to proceed with all actions required under RCW 28A.335.120 for disposition of property, including obtaining a current market value, appraisal, and publishing the notice required under RCW 288.335.120(2). So before we go, before I get a motion, I failed to ask if there's any comments or questions. You failed. If not, let's go for a motion. I'm not going to have Angelica reread that. Is there a second to the motion that's on the table? I will second that. Roll call, please. Director Holien? Yea. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. President Van? Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you. 8.6, motion to approve acceptance of annual review scores for the Asset Preservation Program, APP. Any questions or comments? None. Can I please have

138a motion? I move the Highline School Board accept the Asset Preservation Program annual board report scores. May I have a second? I'll second. Roll call, please. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. President Van? Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you. 8.7, motion to approve Pacific Middle School replacement project. Approval of contractor, Skanska, change order number 5, purchase order number CP240033. Any questions or comments? Hearing, seeing none, can I please have a motion? I move the Highline School Board authorize approval of change order number 5 in the not to exceed amount of $1,250,000, plus Washington State sales tax to Skanska USA on purchase order number CP240033 for the Pacific Middle School replacement project. May I have a second? I'll second that. Roll call, please. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Holien? Yea.

139Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. President Van? Yea. This motion passes, 5-0. Thank you very much. And that concludes our action items this evening. We're going to move into our intro. We have-- it looks like 10 intro items. The first two we do have presentations on, so I see Holly is coming on up. 10.1, this is motion to approve creating a new Board Policy 2000, repealing current Board Policy 2000, 2004, and 2005. Thank you. You have the floor. Thank you. So as you just said, we're proposing to repeal three policies and replace them with a new policy, 2000 named-- well, now I've forgotten the name. The three policies proposed for repeal are older policies that reflect the world as it was during No Child Left Behind, when No Child Left Behind was in effect, as

140opposed to current federal and state education laws. The policies also do not reflect our commitment to equity and do not talk about the value of our instructional program. The new version of the policy retains references to certain state requirements, such as the required School Annual Action Plan, and specifically references the state's improvement framework, which sets out accountability measures that are used in every school, in every district across the state. The new policy also references the district's strategic plan accountability measures to make sure that we're covering the waterfront in terms of our accountability for our schools. In the new policy, we've added our commitment to equity and named how we assess progress using those state and local accountability measures. We've also named that we use those measures to identify system level needs, such as professional development.

141There was a group of us that met multiple times over the spring to read through the state accountability statutes and rules, and to have deep discussions about student learning, specifically here in Highline. And I want to thank Drs. Benitez and King, Janet Blanford, Bernard Koontz, and Sarah Simrock for joining me on that journey. Happy to answer any questions you might have. Directors, any questions? Hearing, seeing none. Thank you so much for that. It's 10.2, motion to repeal current Board Policy 6101 grants, 6114 donations, and 6225 contracts, and replace them with new Board Policy 6101 donations, grants, and contracts. You have the floor. Thank you. These three policies were very, very similar, and there was a lot of redundancy in them. We believe that streamlining into one policy will give staff one place to look for

142approval processes and will also make the policy easier to update, because we won't have to continually worry about cross-referencing across multiple policies. I just want to delve a little bit more deeply into this, because this is a more technical change. The requirements for donations remain substantially the same, with a $10,000 threshold for Board approval. The proposed procedure does make it clear that the current practice, that we'll keep putting donations on to the consent agenda. The new policy does provide or propose higher thresholds for capital and general fund contracts and grants. In the eight to 12 years since these policies were written, prices have increased substantially, as we all are aware, through inflation and lots of other things. And a threshold of $250,000 seemed a little bit low, especially for our capital work. Just as a

143comparison, so that you know we didn't look into a vacuum, WSSDA does not include a threshold for board approval for grants or contracts or donations. They do not have policies on grants or contracts, so districts are kind of on their own for those. Tacoma has a $200,000 threshold for both grants and contracts. Seattle uses a $1 million for general fund items and $5 million for capital fund items. So we looked the group-- we had another group working on this-- looked at this variety, and we are proposing in the draft policy that you see there the following threshold increases for board approval. And we are also proposing to separate out capital and general fund grants and contracts because the magnitude of those projects is so different. So general fund grants would remain the same at $250,000.

144Capital grants would increase to $1 million. General fund contracts-- so the first two were grants. General fund contracts would bump from $250,000 to $500,000. And amendments or change orders of greater than $250,000, so increasing those amounts. Capital contracts for non-bond or levy projects we're proposing to bump to $1 million and change orders of $500,000. And then the last big change is under capital contracts for bond or levy-funded projects, and Ellie's going to check me on this if I get it wrong. What we are proposing is that the board's approval of the initial bond or Levy package would constitute approval of all of the contractual commitments within that particular package. So you can imagine, if you're approving to build Pacific Middle School, you are approving all of the components that go into building Pacific Middle School.

145Two exceptions-- so your approval of the bond or levy would constitute approval of the expenditures in those projects. Two differences. Additional approval would be needed on change orders or amendments of $1 million or more, so that if there's a change order, that would still come back to you for approval, for transparency purposes, and the Board must approve a project if the project goes over its total budget, including taxes and contingencies. So again, for bond and levy projects, you'd be approving it and the expenditures when you're approving that bond. We are proposing that, similar to the use of facility's policy, that this change not go into effect until August 1. That gives us time to create internal routing documents and things that need to happen once we know where the Board lands on these new approval

146levels. It also ensures that no contract or grant or donation that's currently in process would be living in two different process worlds. And just as a reflection, looking back at today's agenda and what these amounts would do to today's agenda, you would have, items 8.4 and 8.5, two of the Open Doors programs, would not have been before the Board. Those were under $500,000. But item 8.7 still would have been brought before the Board because, while Pacific is a Board-approved bond project, the item was a change order that was more than $1 million. So we believe it will bring a few fewer items before the board, while still ensuring transparency and ensuring that staff are able to streamline some of these larger projects, especially in the capital world. Happy to have any questions. Thank you so

147much for that, Holly. Directors, any questions? I do have a question, but. Yeah. So is this change to expedite processes or to account for inflation, or both? Both. We have just found that a lot of our internal processes to get these things done were just redundant and time consuming, so a lot of our conversations were actually around the procedures for this. But the increases are really for inflation and just the fact that everything is so much more expensive now. OK. So your example about those items from today's agenda that we wouldn't have seen with this change, how would we be kept abreast of these items? We certainly could-- we talked about that. We didn't come up with an idea, but I'd be happy to take Board ideas over the next couple of weeks and think

148about how we could incorporate that. Certainly do Board updates and things like that, Friday comms. OK, thank you. Thank you so much for that, Dr. Espinoza. That was one of the questions is, how would we know what's going on? I think for from our Board work session earlier around budgets and things like that, just being good stewards of our dollars and making sure that the Board's kept in touch or in the know. Could you also share with us, not right now, but just give us a high-level data on how many bars would we not have to approve for the past year, if that was the case? If the proposed was implemented, what would that have reduced as far as workload or whatnot? I would like to know that. You want for the '25-26 school year?

149Any other questions or comments? There's none. Thank you so much, Holly. Thank you. Go to 10.3, motion to approve the ILA 02-26, the Interlocal Agreement with Puget Sound Joint Purchasing Cooperative. Any questions or comments? That's just a regular renewing of the-- Correct. Hear and see none. 10.4, motion to approve utilizing USDA commodity food in the '26-27 school year. Any questions or comments? Hear and see none. 10.5, motion to approve purchases from Triple B Corporation, a.k.a. Charlie's Produce, in the '26-27 school year. Comments, questions? None. 10.6, motion to approve purchases from Dairy Fresh Farms Incorporated in the '26-27 school year. Questions or comments? Hearing, seeing none. 10.7, motion to approve purchases from US Foods in the '26-27 school year. Questions or comments? Hearing, seeing none. Moving on. 10.8, motion to approve the Instructional Materials Committee members.

150Any questions or comments on this one? Dr. Espinoza? Yeah. I've been on the Board for a year now, so I think I'm remembering conversations that we might have had before. But I'm wondering-- I think we had a conversation at some point, or I made a comment at some point about family representation on committees. So is that still the same here? Have we had a broader reach? Now the mic is on. Yes. So for this particular policy, we're required to update the IMC membership by the end of the school year, by June 30, which is what we're doing now, is making those recommendations. We had two members from the FAC join us for most of the school year. We believe one of them is planning on continuing. And as the FAC gets launched next year, we'll

151reengage with the FAC to have additional family members join at that point. And there may be some staff changes as well, so you'll probably see the same item come up in September or October, when we're ready to introduce and bring on more FAC members. Family representation will be part of the IMC. OK, so to be clear, there are being channeled through the FAC. Yes. For many years in the past, we really struggled to get families to fully engage in adoption processes in the IMC. And because the FAC is such a strong group and a great way to engage community members, we shifted our strategy to work with the FAC to identify members of that group that would raise their hand and participate in the IMC as well. OK. Thank you. And I'll just add, hearing

152from at least one of the CFAC committee members have more representation than, I think, figuring out what that would look like for the families that are going to be on this committee as well. I don't know how often the CFAC recruits or, so-- I mean, I sat on it the year before, a couple months ago when Joe, and I remember the race of hands in that CFAC committee or as to where people were belong, and there seemed to be representation from across the district. I did hear several from White Center. I did hear several from different places. So I'm just wondering where there's a lack of understanding, like where they're from. So I'm wondering how, if that's going to be like raised issue, like they're saying there's no representation, enough representation. And now we're bringing

153those onto this other Instructional Materials Committee, just, I think, getting a good sense of making sure that there is representation, because I felt like there was, I remember, people-- we did introduce ourselves, where were we from. So I'm just I'm not sure where the disconnect is. So just that way, it's clear that when it does come up, that there is representation from across. OK. Thank you very much. Any other follow-up comments? Questions? Thank you, Bernard. 10.9, motion to approve professional services agreement with Seattle Children's Hospital for athletic training services. Questions or comments? So can somebody remind me? What is this? What will they be providing as professional services? They're at our games. They're supporting our students if they get hurt during games. Like the athletic trainers used to be a long time ago? Yeah. OK.

154All right. Perfect. Any other questions or comments? None. OK. And then our last one is 10.10, motion to approve the '26-27 Running Start expenditures. Questions or comments? Hear and see none. That concludes our intro items. So number 11, before we get to motions, I'd like to have initial conversations. Do any directors have any ideas for agenda items that they would like to move to consent? I'd be interested in moving 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, and 10.7 to consent. I would second that. So the motion is to move 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7. Are there any other motions? President Van, I don't believe that was a motion. There was a discussion [INAUDIBLE]. Somebody seconded, so. OK, so you agreed. It wasn't a second. So he agreed. So I think it's starting with it's the interlocal agreement, because these are

155all just all renewals? And 10.3, yes. 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7. So 10.3 to 10.7 is-- Yes, I agree, Director Tidholm, to add that one. OK. I know 10.3 is just a renewal as well. But I know Director Espinoza had some questions on it, so I just didn't know if she was comfortable with that, but happy with that if everybody is. Do you have some more questions? I asked a lot of questions today. I don't know if I did on that one. I don't think so, but thank you for thinking of me. Of course. OK. With that, I would like to have a motion after that initial conversation. I'll make a motion to move 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, and 10.7 to consent. Thank you. Can I please have a second? I will second that. Roll

156call, please. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. Director Alvarez? Yea. President Van? Yea. This motion passes, 5-0, Thank you all. Before we adjourn, just reminder, our next regular school board meeting is on Thursday, June 18. So with that, can I please have a motion to adjourn? I will motion to adjourn this meeting. May I have a second? I second. All in favor, please? Aye. Yes. Before we adjourn, I just wanted to say, we'll see you-- graduations start here quick, around the corner. Next week, yeah. So just a reminder. Take a look. See you all next week at graduations, and we're adjourned. But anyways. Thank you, everybody. Have a good evening.