001Well, good evening everybody. Welcome to our regular school board meeting on Wednesday, May 7. Can I please have everybody stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Can I please have roll call? Yes. Director Espinoza? Present. Director Tidholm? Present. Director Holien? Present. President Van. Here. And Director Alvarez is going to be running a few minutes late. And to the left is our superintendent, Dr. Ivan Duran. With that, any calls or changes or additions to our agenda this evening? I would like to motion that we move 8.2, 8.5, and 8.6 to our consent agenda. Do I have a second? Second. All in favor? Aye.
002Yes. Aye. Any opposed? None. So that is 8.2, 8.5, and 8.6 have been moved to the consent agenda for this evening. Thank you. All right. We have quite a few recognitions this evening, so here to celebrate a lot of people. With that, I want to start off with our Teachers Appreciation Week. Can I please get Amanda Stanley, Leslie Sokolik, and Katie Utesch to come on up? I'm going to read this proclamation, and then you guys can speak, OK? "Whereas teachers make public schools great. And whereas teachers open students' minds to ideas, knowledge, and dreams. And whereas teachers keep American democracy alive by laying the foundation for good citizenship. And whereas teachers fill many roles as listeners, explorers, role models, motivators, and mentors. And whereas teachers continue to influence us long after our school days are
003only memories. Now, therefore, the school board and superintendent of Highline Public Schools do hereby proclaim that week of May 5 through the 9, 2025 is Teacher Appreciation Week in Highline, and urge all citizens to observe this week by taking time to recognize and acknowledging the impact of teachers on our lives." Thank you. Would you like to say something? Just thank you for all of our teachers. We appreciate everything. And I know all our teachers here are welcome, and they're just as much appreciated, I hope, as we are. Well, thank you so much. Well, can I please have all of the teachers come on up? We're going to take a picture. [CHEERING] [APPLAUSE] Ready 3, 2. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Our next recognition is Arts Education Month. Can I please have Adina Thea, Tim Wind, and Gabriela
004Olivarez come on up? Hi. Good evening, everyone. I'm Adina Thea. I am the Fine Arts director, as well as the Elementary Language Learning director. And I just wanted to officially thank the board for just taking the opportunity-- oh, thank you-- for taking the opportunity just to recognize the importance of fine arts in our schools. And you guys have supported us with so many things, and your support has been unwavering. And we just thank you for that continuous support. And I also wanted to thank our Fine Arts teachers. I think we have a few here, and I hope that they come to the picture for just all of the continuous work that they do. We are continuously working to grow in our practice, to meet the needs of all of our diverse community here in Highline,
005and it's working. And we're just continuing to see our programs thrive and grow. And so our goal as a department is to use arts as a vehicle to truly empower our students so that they can graduate, be prepared for the future they choose, and just be empowered individuals. And I'm going to have, let's see, Gabriela Olivarez next, our music specialist. I just wanted to make a quick acknowledgment for supports we've received in Highline. In our continuingly shifting political climate, we're starting to see a lot of funding be cut for the arts, especially all over. This is a nation-wide effect of those cuts. And we're so grateful for our community partners here in Seattle. He's not here, but Endalkachew, our community partnership manager, has done an amazing job at just broadening our network of community partners
006in fine arts so that we can continue to provide our students with a rich fine arts education. OK. [LAUGHTER] With that, Dr. Espinoza is going to read the proclamation. "So whereas the arts embody much of the accumulated wisdom, intellect, and imagination of humankind. And whereas learning in the arts enhances and enriches the lives of all students. And whereas the arts play a unique role in the lives of our families and our communities. And whereas all children deserve a quality arts education. And whereas arts education can teach creative problem-solving and cultural knowledge. And whereas the arts offer multiple pathways to understanding for different types of learners. And whereas arts education increases the connections between teachers, students, and their communities. Now, therefore, the school board and superintendent of Highline Public Schools do hereby proclaim May as Arts
007Education Month in Highline [AUDIO OUT] and promote the arts in our schools and to take action to provide equitable access to arts learning for all students in all of our communities." All right. Can you give them a round of applause? [APPLAUSE] Come on up for some picture. Music, art teachers. Music and art teachers, come on up, please. Our next recognition is School Nurse Day. Can I please have Angie Bartlett come on up? With that said, Director Tidholm? Whereas our children are our future, and by investing in them today, we are securing our business, community, and state leaders of tomorrow. And whereas the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our children is paramount to their growth and development. And whereas Highline school nurses are dedicated health care professionals who work in collaboration with families, schools, and
008communities to develop and promote comprehensive health care programs for our youth. And whereas, in addition to providing for students' immediate health needs, school nurses continually promote healthy lifestyles and provide health and safety education to students and staff. Now, therefore, the school board and superintendent of Highline Public Schools do hereby proclaim that May 7, 2025 is National School Nurse Day in Highline and urge all Highline citizens to promote the good health of our students and recognize school nurses for their contributions to the health of our children. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] I just want to say thank you to the board and the district for allowing an amazing group of nurses to be a part of caring for our students, to ensure that they have great health for their educational learning aspects. Thank you very much. Come on
009up for a picture. So can we please get all the nurses? Come on up. [APPLAUSE] Thank you. [APPLAUSE] And our last recognition is our School Lunch Hero Day. Can I please get Lisa Johnson and Grace Garcia to come on up? Director Holien? Thank you for being here. Whereas nutritious meals at schools are an essential part of the school day. And whereas the staff of the district school meals and nutrition department are committed to providing healthful, nutritious meals to the district's children. And whereas the staff who prepare and serve school meals help nurture our children through the day, their daily interaction, and support. Now, therefore, the school board and superintendent of Highline Public Schools do hereby proclaim Friday, May 2, 2025 as School Lunch Hero Day in Highline, and urge all Highline citizens to express their
010appreciation to these valuable employees and commend their good work on behalf of children. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Well, and it's usually only me because our group gets up very early in the morning. Some start as early as 4:30. So I just want to thank you for your support. And please do thank one of our heroes out in all of our schools because they do heavy lifting every day and really care about what we do for our students. Thank you. All right. Come on up, Lisa. [APPLAUSE] So alongside the recognition showcase tonight, we have many more throughout the month of May. We invite you to visit our Facebook page to explore these additional recognitions-- Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish-American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, National Adolescent Health Month. May 1 is School Principals' Day.
011May 6 is National Teachers' Day. May 7 is National Walk and Bike to School Day, and May 18 is National Speech Pathologist Day. So come visit our website and check it out. And with that, we're going to do an awesome school presentation. With that, we're going to have Raisbeck Aviation High School come on up. Jacqueline Downey, introducing. Good evening, President Van, Vice President Tidholm, Directors of the Board, Superintendent Duran. My name is Jacqueline Downey. I'm an Instructional Leadership executive director, and I have the honor of working with Raisbeck Aviation High School and specifically Principal Therese Tipton. So I'm pleased to invite Therese to come up and share with her team about the incredible work happening at Raisbeck Aviation, in service of our promise, so that all students, every student at Raisbeck is known by name,
012strength, and need, and prepared for the future they choose. [APPLAUSE] Thank you, Jacqueline, President Van and esteemed board members, Dr. Duran. We are excited to be here tonight. And I'm very pleased to present a team that's here with us to share some of the work we've been doing this year and our goals for next year. We have senior Sur Jaswal, 11th-grader Leah Easterling, 10th-grader Numing Daenglad, and 9th-grader Emma Burgess, our PTSA President, Ruth Easterling, Port of Seattle Senior Community Engagement Manager, Marco Milanese, educator, doctoral student, SPI cadre representative, and founding teacher of Raisbeck Aviation High School, Marcie Wombold, and our Dean of Students, former principal in Austin, Texas, Jeff Black. We're really excited to be here. And first up, we want to talk a little bit about the Highline promise. As a proud member of
013Highline School District-- and we're wearing our "red for ed" tonight, in honor-- we're able to live out our promise each day, knowing our students by name, strength, and need. And we excel in enabling our students to graduate prepared for the future they choose. So here's Marcie to share a little bit about how we do that. Thank you, Therese. Thank you, board. At RHS, we utilize a number of strategies and practices to deliver on the Highline promise. We implement a strong High School and Beyond plan, along with school-wide connection activities and a robust advisory program supported by our counseling team. We implement signature SEL practices daily throughout our classrooms and our instructional practices. And we value our family and our community connections. These are all intended, all of the ways that we get to know our
014students, not just know them, but really know them, who they are and what their needs are, what their dreams for their future are. We believe that that's what is at the core of building the foundation for learning. Our small school philosophy builds on that foundation by centering career development, counseling resources, and support for the powerful partnerships between students and teachers and students and the wider community, including our aviation partners and our community of families. All of this aligns with how we are able to deliver on the Highline promise. Thank you, Marcie. We're also very proud, at Raisbeck Aviation High School, to cultivate a strong academic and cultural foundation that supports our Highline pillars of the strategic plan. We will be sharing some highlights from our Raisbeck Annual Action Plan priority areas that ensure that these
015pillars are at the forefront of our work together. I would also like to share that you each have a copy in front of you of our school profile. If you are not familiar with the school profile, this is what universities access as a reference for our student admissions and how this work is reflected in our profile nationally. So next up, Jeff is going to share a little bit about our annual action plan priorities and their tie into our pillars. Hi. Good evening. Our annual body of work is amplified by our AAP. It supports Highline's strategic plan through the pillars of culture, belonging, innovative learning, and ensuring that our students are future-ready. This is done through the focus in two priority areas on our AAP. It's creating a community of learners and project-based learning. The work
016is informed through the collection of data. Collection points include panoramic data, includes feedback from our Women in STEM organizations, our Connections and Conversations, amplifying our female voices on students-- female voices on campus. Data points include our math and our ELA data from ninth grade and our graduation data as well. These two priority points are not separate, but they are synergistic, and they work collectively. They create a culture where students feel a sense of belonging. They work where families feel welcomed, supported, and informed, where aviation community is highly valued and highly involved in our campus as well, and where students are well prepared for a future and success that they choose. We highlight our community of learners through such initiatives as our school-wide Phoenix Pride programs, our Connections and Conversations, student culture and STEM clubs, and
017student leadership teams. Our project-based learning and our priority for PBL is embedded in our daily pedagogy-- connect students to the community-- it's relevant and authentic learning for them-- elevate student voice and choice in the things that they choose to learn, and fosters a collaborative and team mindset among the campus. Thank you, Jeff. Oh, next up-- sorry, it's Marcie's turn. [LAUGHTER] Thank you. When we think about our community of learning and our culture of belonging, we value the whole of our community of learners. And the center of that is student voice. When students have a voice in their learning and feel that they belong at school, they are free to learn, and there are fewer barriers to engaging in complex and rigorous work. They're better able to advocate for themselves and to challenge themselves. And they're
018significantly more likely to graduate and go on to reach their goals. When students have the opportunity to be involved in activities and experiences that connect them to their peers and to adults, their sense of belonging in their community of learners increases. And, of course, I can't talk about student voice without student voice. So I'm going to step aside and let you hear from Numing and Emma. Good evening. Hi, my name is Numing. I am a student from Raisbeck Aviation High School, a 10th-grader. And one of the things I would like to say about Phoenix Pride is that it is celebrated every day. So, for example, P stands for Professionalism. At school, we are encouraged to speak kindly to each other and kind things about each other. However, if there are unkind words, it is a
019serious problem. We would take care of that, and students make sure that their language are professional. And not just the way they carry themselves throughout the school-- it's the way they dress, how they represent their school, in and out of school as well. And then my favorite letter, which is X, which stands for "eXtraordinary." [CHUCKLES] Sure, to other people it might sound like, oh, extraordinary, what does that really mean? But for me, extraordinary means you show up every day. You do your best, not just you show up because you have to or because the law says so. But extraordinary means that you're showing up to be the best version of yourself and advocate for yourself when you're stuck. Because it's not just you. And at our school, there's not just one student and one teacher.
020There's a community of teachers, counselors-- principal, and deans, and counselors, and students as well. And it's not just me, myself, and alone with myself. It's also my upperclassmen friend, Sur, Leah, and the underclassman, Emma. So yeah, that's it. [CHUCKLES] Hello. My name is Emma Burgess. I am part of the club called Conversations and Connections. And this really helped me connect to Raisbeck because I came into this school not knowing anyone, completely clueless. And this experience really just helped me connect with my upperclassmen. They gave me tons of advice. And now I feel like I'm pretty much more prepared than I would be without it. And including that, I went to the flight test, Boeing flight test, which taught me a lot. It's an internship. I don't know. All of these experiences really helped me understand
021more, and I feel like I belong way more than I thought I would, coming here alone. Now I came here with family. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Another topic that I would like to talk upon about, which is the student choice and student voice. Those two are heavily valued at our school. For example, in terms of student choice, I get to have the chance to become a leader in two of the clubs, actually-- for AAPI, Asian Pacific Islander Month, for this month as well, and another one which is National Honor Society, which is, again, an honor to be a part of because I do feel valued that I'm there. I feel recognized that I'm there. And it is not just me, because there's also other students who are smart like me, who are outgoing like me. And
022they are the ones who have strength in what's my weaknesses. And we do help each other in those clubs. For example, I have a choice to participate in a blood drive through National Honor Society. And I get to contribute to communities that I didn't have no idea that why they need blood for. But I get to have a chance in there. And it was, wow. It was an amazing opportunity. And along with that, for National Honor Society, I have a chance to just speak up in front of everyone at the talent show. It was a scary chance for me because I am someone who's really scared to speak in front of a big crowd, let alone I sang in front over there. And it was a great time. And another topic I would like to
023mention on the bullets, which is an internship, is an opportunity, again, for me to be having a chance with First Flight. So basically, what this is about is that I have a chance to just try to discover what my interests are in terms of social media. And I get to create a media piece, where I get to educate other people who's in my community, who have same grades as me, and someone who's beyond me, who has already graduated, who is an adult, and some even retired as well. And to me, I see that as an opportunity for me to get to speak up and just showcase myself through digital media and using it purposefully. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] You would never know that Numing is afraid to speak in front of people. But thank you, both
024of you. Next is our pillar of innovative learning. Our instructional pedagogy of project-based learning to support this pillar is really our "why" in the heart of our school. We know that research tells us, when students have the opportunity to make deep connections to their learning through relevant and authentic projects, that's when the magic happens. Project-based learning deeply supports a culture of equity as well as literacy. In addition, the myriad of experiences that students have to connect to real-world opportunities enhances students' innovative experiences. Sur and Leah will now share some of their experiences with projects and other opportunities. Hello. My name is Sur Jaswal. I am a senior at Raisbeck Aviation. And I really want to talk about innovative learning. And I translate it to the project-based learning because I think project-based learning is innovative learning.
025With project-based learning, we work a lot onsite and hands on, which I think changes up the original, traditional classroom setting and is more effective for students who learn that way. And I think it's a really important method of learning. As well as some big projects we do is KCIA, the King County International Airport project, and the Environmental Challenge project, which I have fortunately got to do both of them. And those projects, they gave us onsite visitations. And we got to network with professionals at the Port of Seattle and the King County International Airport. And that gave us a lot of preparation for work places. And I think that it gives students another approach to learning and shows you a lot of different careers and different paths that you could take beyond high school. And that's
026really all I have to say. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Hello. My name is Leah Easterling, and I'm an 11th-grader at Raisbeck. And one example that I have of innovative learning is a project that we do during our freshman year about flight simulators. And I decided to give this as an example because it represents all of these. Through that experience, we worked with peers, and we tested the flight simulator and were able to come to conclusions on what different factors affected the plane. And this is something that you obviously couldn't do at many other schools. But we have so many great resources that we were able to conduct this experiment well. One way that this relates to workforce preparedness is that, at the end of the project, we all came together and we presented to professionals. And
027so different people came in from Boeing and lots of other companies, and we were able to stand in front of them and present to them. And even though it was scary, we all did it. And that is just something you would never get to do anywhere else. And I think that these experiences relate a lot to the innovative learning and that it shows, very strongly, just different projects that we do in our school. [APPLAUSE] They mentioned the Environmental Challenge project, which is a long-standing-- I think we said 18 years now, with our representative Marco here, you'll hear from in just a minute. So I do frequently have the opportunity to talk to our alumni and graduates about their experience. And one thing that our alumni come back over and over again is-- And I ask
028them, what could we do better? What could we do different? What really stood out? And over and over, they said, being able to lead a project, to be, as a 15-year-old, presenting to Boeing engineers, to learn-- [AUDIO OUT] --worked on a high-level project. And she can tell you how she is prepared for her future. Hello, again. Once again, I am a senior, so I've been at Aviation the whole time. And I think that project-based learning is really important because, as Ms. Tipton said, you are 15 years old, presenting to a team of Boeing engineers or the Port of Seattle, which is huge. And I think that it really sets you up with organizing skills, speaking skills, confidence skills that you need to excel beyond college. And not only that, Raisbeck does a really good job
029of college prep. And the counseling center will give you career advice, internships that can really help you understand what you want to go into or what is possibly available for you. As well as, these project-based learning-- as for me, I actually was a finalist for the ECP project. And I got to present my case to the Port of Seattle. And they gave me tremendous and very helpful feedback on my presentation, which I think has helped me for future college prep, since I am going to school. Also, Aviation does have a lot of challenging coursework, which I think is very important for after school or beyond high school education plans. Because you will be in an environment where you are going to have to work with other people, and you are going to have to carry
030yourself with confidence and preparation. As for networking, networking is a very important skill that you need to carry beyond college, too. And the first few years at Aviation, they did a really good job prepping us with business cards and teaching us how to talk to professionals. And then the next two years, we really got to apply that in action with our KCIA and ECP project that you do as upperclassmen. And I think that was really helpful. [APPLAUSE] OK. Next up, we'll just hear for a couple minutes from our family and community partners. And really, they are key in contributing positively to our efforts and our success. Our community does include all of our stakeholders, our diverse families, our collegiate partners, community organizations, and our aviation and aerospace partners. Parent volunteers help us with PTSA, coffee
031with principals, family picnic, and so many other experiences. Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, our incredible aviation partners-- and so we're excited that we get to work with companies such as Boeing, the Museum of Flight, both Delta and Alaska, King County Airport, and of course, our long-standing partner with the Port of Seattle. So here to share is, first up, Ruth Easterling, and then Marco Milanese from the Port of Seattle. Good evening, Dr. Duran and the other board members. My name is Ruth Easterling, and I believe that I hold a role as the president of the PTSA at Raisbeck Aviation as very important. Actually, I've been with the Highline Public Schools as a PTA member since my oldest daughter was at Des Moines Elementary. So I've been in the PTA for over 15 years. And I do believe
032that we play a very important role. As a gatekeeper for rubbing shoulders with other industries, we have opened the door for Delta and other industries to contribute to Aviation-- sorry, to Raisbeck Aviation. And I believe that our role is not only to partner with the other industries, but also to help and walk hand-in-hand with the teachers and the administration. I believe that over the past year, we have seen some amazing things happen at Raisbeck Aviation. And one way that we were able to help with the school was during the cyberattack, when we were able to work with the teachers and be able to afford them the computers and the internet to be able to continue on in their work. We also work with the families in our local community to help their students get the
033most out of Raisbeck Aviation. We have a platform in which we provide information for parents and for our community. And our largest contribution is our auction, of which I know two of you attended. So we do appreciate that and would love to invite all of you this coming March-- anyone who would like to come at our auction, in which we raise money for the school at the Museum of Flight. And so together, we find scholarships and opportunities for the students to participate in clubs, to be able to travel across the country, and to participate in our community. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Good evening. My name is Marco Milanese, and I'm the Community Engagement manager at SEA Airport. And I have been lucky enough and fortunate enough to be involved with a lot of educational partnerships that
034the port and the airport have established in the area, including a number in Highline. There is a natural and obvious connection between SEA Airport and Raisbeck Aviation High School. And since the school's inception many, many years ago, we figured out a number of creative ways to collaborate, all with the goal of exposing Raisbeck Aviation High School students to the wealth of aviation careers that exist at SEA Airport. And early in that partnership, we developed our signature-- what we like to think of as our signature educational program with the school-- and you've heard some mentions of it already-- and that's our Environmental Challenge. Each year, port staff design and implement a comprehensive, real-world environmental challenge that students are tasked with solving. It involves a kickoff day. It involves an airport field trip. It involves in-class teaching
035days by port staff. And it concludes with a final judging competition. It's how all Raisbeck Aviation High School students finish off the year. And it serves the added purpose of exposing all these Raisbeck Aviation High School students to the many roles that exist at an airport and beyond those that they typically think of as well. The Environmental Challenge has won a number of awards over the years. And the 2025 program kicks off real soon on May 15. And we would certainly welcome anyone from the school board or as part of the cabinet to come and be one of the judges at that event. Thank you for the opportunity. [APPLAUSE] Thank you, Marco. I love this slide. Rafael's quote really sums up and highlights what we want to share with you. "Raisbeck's rigorous and relevant coursework,
036along with its longstanding connections with the STEM and aerospace industry, gave me all the tools I needed to succeed in higher education and in becoming an airline pilot." As we do for so many of our students, our school created a sense of belonging for Rafael, who was the first to graduate from high school in his family, and where the innovative experiences, the coursework, and the projects were relevant and meaningful to his future, the future that he chose. And as we wrap up, we do have some success and celebrations from this last year. We do have a lot to share and lots of success. As you've heard from our students and staff and our partners, we take the work very seriously that we do at Raisbeck. We work every day to live up to the Highline
037promise, to our strategic plan and its pillars, and to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves and for our community. There's still a lot of work to do. There's always areas of growth. But we are so very proud of our excellent state testing data. Our scores are well above the state average in reading, math, and science. We're proud of our 100% graduation rate, which extends through the pandemic area to date. For the Class of 2024, 92% of those students indicated that they had either been selected for a two or four-year program, or were going to attend a two or four-year post-secondary program, or engage in military service. For a campus that graduates about 100 students, we generated $3 million in scholarships annually. Some of those come through the Raisbeck Foundation Legacy Scholarship, through the
038Highline Foundation, and as well through the Museum of Flight. Our panorama data includes an uptick in sense of belonging, and we know we have some work to do. But our teachers are continually engaging in solid SEL practices to welcome our students into their classrooms and into their clubs and the community on our campus. Our students have the opportunity, as you heard, to engage in very robust internships. And these are very highly-paid internships, in many cases, that also lend themselves to being work-based learning credits. On the national level, Environmental Challenge Project, with the Port of Seattle, was recognized as an innovative STEM partnership, and instructor Scott McComb was selected as the National GeekWire STEM Educator of the Year. And as we wrap up, we have a few next steps that we're focused on. One is, in
039our community of learners and sense of belonging, we want to continue to grow opportunities for student voice. As you heard, students have opportunity to lead, but we also want to reinstate the Culture Club, which actually designed and implemented-- Sur was part of that-- our Phoenix Pride. And so we want to ensure that we have student voice on that. Jeff has updated Student Committee and Voice on our dress standard and will continue to solicit voices of students on a regular basis. For our academic success and project-based learning and innovation, we've set an academic goal centering on math for specific groups of students, specifically students of color who enter ninth grade behind in grade level. We have heard from our students that they learn best for math when they have that opportunity to apply it. So one
040of our goals for next year is to add in opportunities for students to put math in action and learn from that. And then we also have implemented IXL. It's an intervention program for both algebra 1 and algebra 2 for our ninth-grade students. In addition, our goal in '25-'26 is to expand projects for all students to grow. And then, again, for our future learning, our counseling team will continue to work hard in facilitating the High School and Beyond plan, curating a large pool of collegiate partners, where we know students have desires to attend. We'll continue to grow them on their graduation path and meet their goals and needs. Our Career Center specialists will continue to seek out robust internships and opportunities for student experiences. A goal for this coming year is to create a larger pool
041of internships, job shadow, and other experiences for our female students and students of color, who have historically been underrepresented in these opportunities. And finally, we'll continue with our family and community partnerships to build family traditions, such as our annual summer picnic, our multicultural night, PTSA meetings. And we'll create robust communication to encourage more families to attend these events. And of course, with our professional community, such as Seattle-- SEA Airport, Port of Seattle, to increase mentors of color and female mentors, including younger representation, increase internship opportunities, and calendar-specific times for industry partners to work directly with our staff. And that concludes our presentation. Thank you so much, Principal Tipton. [APPLAUSE] Give an opportunity to our board directors for any questions or comments. Anybody? I just want to say thank you for coming and speaking. I'm fairly
042new to the board, as I think a lot of people know. But hearing the stories about Raisbeck is wonderful. So thank you. Thank you. Any other directors? Again, I just want to say thank you. Student voice always just captures everyone's attention. And thank you all for coming and speaking. I think that the most powerful, I think, stories come from our youth, because they're the ones who really tell the true story. Because coming from you, I mean, we can hear the teachers all day long. But when it comes from you, you're the ones who are experiencing it. And that's what we want to hear. Because we can see a lot of things on paper, and that looks really nice. But when it comes truly from you, it's really meaningful. So thank you. And for saying that
043you have a hard time speaking in public, well, it didn't show. So thank you for coming and speaking. But I also wanted to say, just looking at-- I love the profile of Raisbeck. And just thinking about-- I know that you have the PTA and lots of-- I was at your guys' fundraiser. But thinking also about, how are you in, I guess, just including other parents? Especially, I know I loved one of your slides where he said, they migrated so I can graduate, and his hat. So I'm just wondering how inclusive of all our families in the PTA. And as one of the-- I'm just trying to formulate one of the-- thinking about graduating requirements in the project-based learning as well, how are we-- just thinking about the project-based learning, how are we measuring-- or what
044kind of projects are they working on in the project-based learning, besides the internships? Other examples I'd like to hear. Two part. First of all, our PTSA does work really hard to welcome families on campus. One of the challenges we have is that half of our families do not live in Highline boundaries, and we are not a neighborhood school. So what we hear from families is, my student is really happy there, we're really happy, and just keep doing what you're doing and we're OK. But we do want more. What we found was, when we started implementing our multicultural night, we now have more families coming on campus, bringing food and music, and really having a fellowship for our students of many different cultures. We have a family picnic that we hold in Tukwila, and that's very
045well-attended every summer. We usually have several hundred families that come to the picnic. So trying to come up with additional ways to connect families through food, through music, through important topics. Our counselor did a presentation that was well-attended on preparing your student for college. That was this last fall. So trying to come up with more topics. Parents, what do you want to hear from? What do you want from the school? And then going from the parent voice, so trying to welcome as many families as we can get. The second part of that, all of our projects, while most of them are STEM and aviation and aerospace focused, they are still tied directly to all of our learning standards. So, for example, a current project for ninth grade right now is our ninth-grade ELA teacher partnered
046with the Museum of Flight. She took all of the students to the Museum of Flight and met with personnel there about their different installations. They came back, and they had a calendar of all different events, such as AAPI Month, Black History Month, Lunar New Year, all kinds of different cultural events throughout the year. And students could get in teams and pick any one of those that they want. And then they create a museum, a historical museum display. And then they're going to be presenting those to the museum. And so it involves all of the reading and research skills, all of the writing skills, presentation skills, which, 21st century. So that's an example of one project that ties into all of our essential standards, but then also has the added benefit of real-world application. Thank you
047so much. I just want to echo what Director Alvarez says. Thank you to the students for coming out to speak. I know it's not easy getting up here in front of all these adults and getting on the microphone, and we really appreciate your voices. And as she said, I cannot tell that you're nervous in your public speaking. You all were amazing and very articulate, and I genuinely appreciate you taking the time, first of all, outside of school hours, to be here and putting together what you had to say and coming to share it. Thank you. Hi. I just want to say thank you and congratulations to the graduating senior. I have a question. Topics like climate change and clean energy are so intersecting with aviation. How do you tackle those topics at your school? That
048topic of environmental and sustainability are top topics. Our students love to talk about climate change. A couple different things right now. 10th grade is in the middle of a project with King County Airport. For all 10th grade, that is about creating microgrids for electric planes. So again, a real-world application. We have AP Environmental Science. We have an environmental club. And then we have a lot of students that just do research in their individual projects on climate change, whether it's through space-related or through aviation fuels. Last year, their 10th-grade project was sustainable fuels. So lots of interest in saving our climate. Thank you. Well, Principal Tipton, I have a comment and a question. I want to start off with the question first. You shared with us earlier about a lot of the formal partnerships that Raisbeck
049has-- that's wonderful-- with aerospace, but also just industry stakeholders. Can you share with us how those partnerships-- how their impacts are measured? Good question. [LAUGHS] We start off the year with so much excitement, and we get the ball rolling, and we're going. And we measure a lot of things with student growth, through grades, through panorama data and all of that. But we haven't really stopped to think about the impact day to day. But when all is said and done, at the end of the year, we look back and say, wow, we interacted with over 100 partners at every networking. And so we keep track of that. We keep track of all of our internships. We just landed almost 30 summer internships with the Port of Seattle for our students. They are going to be interviewing
050soon for those. And so the numbers that we have, we talk about the impact, being like, oh, my gosh, these opportunities that our students have. We haven't stopped to actually count them out. But anecdotally, I think our team here would answer that you almost can't measure the impact that it has on a student's future when they come back. Thank you so much for that. And a comment-- I have many students that have graduated from Raisbeck. And I still keep in contact with them, just to see how they're doing and making sure that if we prepared them, right? And one student that graduated last year said, you know what, I was prepared. And he called out Mr. Joshi explicitly and said, you know what, Mr. Joshi was so hard on us. But college is much easier
051knowing all of the things he did for us. So he prepared us. Hearing that, but also hearing some other testimonies from our students, it is amazing. So thank you so much for what you do. To the staff, the students, PTA, thank you so much-- Marco, the partnership and everything. So thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you for the opportunity. All right. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] As we move to public testimony on behalf of the board, we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to join us and sharing your thoughts this evening. You'll notice that our norms and guidelines are displayed on the screens for your reference. Please remember that you are 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
052unable to respond directly to your testimony during the meeting, we value your input. So thank you again for being here and speaking with us. First up is Fabian Cano Villares. Give me just one second. I'm going to get the timer going. One second. Time's up. [CHUCKLES] Can I start, or-- No. No, not yet? OK. Sorry. It's my first time, so I don't know exactly how it works. I want to have you lift that microphone up there. Thank you. Well, thank you to the board members for giving me the opportunity to talk today. OK. Pivot. And thank you everyone who's here also. Thank you for your patience as we go through this technology. Can I go? OK. Yes. OK. So I'm a parent and an educator at Highline. As a teacher, I was surprised during the
053internet blackout about the positive effect that the lack of technology had on our students. In the last few years, there's been a trend to increase the use of technologies and a frenzy to gather digital data from our students. All this is proven to be counterproductive. And there is the data for us in Highline-- a huge swath of students lagging two or more grades behind in literacy by the time they leave elementary school. The case for this push for technology is weak, and the case against it is obvious for those who can spend some time in the classroom. To name a few, technology increases distractions from students' devices or their neighbors' coming for the presence of gadgets to keep students entertained, or from the allure of video games, YouTube, and the like. The use of pencil,
054blank paper to write, and paper text to read gives the chance and forces students to deeper thinking, not relying on direct answers given to them or autocorrections of any sort. Literacy softwares, like i-Ready, focus mostly on patchy texts in which students practice multiple choice answers, leaving completely to the side citing evidence or reasoning ideas through writing. All these technology devices and softwares are very expensive to buy and maintain. All these millions of dollars spent in Highline could be put into less expensive curricula and the hiring of more educators. Besides this, the unreliability of technology, such as broken, uncharged, forgotten at-home devices increases its disruptions to the flow of the lessons. Screens mean that students spend less time interacting face to face, sharing ideas, and practicing important social and communication skills along the way. Let's reconsider
055what's best for our students and kids and not follow trends that come and go. Thank you very much. [APPLAUSE] Thank you so much. Next up is Izaskun Indacoechea I hope I did not-- You nailed it. Thank you so much. I usually go by Izas, never my full name. Thank you. You'll let me know, no? Oh, OK. Thank you, board members, for the opportunity to talk in front of you all. I'm here as a mother and an educator at the Highline community. The start of the school year with the internet blackout was bumpy. But soon, a lot of teachers started talking about how students were more focused. Some teachers went as far as to stick to paper and pencil when the internet was back. I am a dual-language teacher, and I have both students who went
056through school here in Highline and students from many different countries. The first thing that strikes me is how much better these students write compared to Highline students. And it's not a language matter. They generally command the mechanics of writing and know how to organize their ideas. These kids didn't go to fancy private schools in their home countries, but they went to schools where they didn't use computers. That's the one common denominator I found after four years [INAUDIBLE]. Highline has been focused on literacy for the last year. However, it seems counterintuitive that the district mandates all students to use a software that doesn't ask to read a book or to write a paragraph. When using i-Ready, the students read excerpts and pick one answer. We all know that the thinking process is very different when you
057write a whole response or when we just pick one answer. I can see why software can be useful for big meetings. It shows graphics and numbers that are easy and fast to look at. But it doesn't tell you the most important data, the real struggle students face when it comes to literacy. They can't spell, and they lack the stamina to read a book. The more we read, the better we write, and vice versa. Yet, students spend hours a week choosing A, B, or C. Technology is great, but we realize that screens are not the answer to everything. At Highline, screens are used for brain breaks in first grade. Neuroscience teaches that that is not a brain break at all. We even got rid of highly-capable program, only to replace it with another software. Our kids
058deserve better. Thank you very much. [APPLAUSE] Mindee Watt? [APPLAUSE] Hi. My name is Mindee Watt. Our eight-year-old twins are in the second grade at Des Moines Elementary. And since kindergarten, both of our children have experienced severe chronic bullying. It's the same [INAUDIBLE] kids that are harassing our kids year after year. We have been pushed to our limits, and now we demand to see more severe consequences for these students and their parents, as well as more support for all of our teachers. We have spoken with the community. And what we are hearing again and again is that this all-inclusion plan that Highline adopted over a decade ago is failing, still, everyone. No child is being met where they are at. Every child is being forced into the same learning environment, even if it doesn't work for
059them. Des Moines needs more support. Highline must do better. On the district website, the promise states that every student in Highline Public is known by name, strength, and need, and graduates are prepared for the future they choose. Yet, on the Superintendent of Public Instruction website, it reports that, for Highline, only 22% of the students that graduated last spring were on track for college-level learning in math-- 22%-- 27% for science, 33% for English. This is unacceptable. Knowing that every student's need is not enough, you must meet that need. Highline must do better. Your own procedures and policies state that Highline will provide students with optimal conditions for learning by maintaining a school environment where everyone is treated with respect and no one is physically or emotionally harmed, maximizing the time students spend in school academically engaged.
060We have over 7 documented incidences this year, where Highline failed to keep our kids from being physically and emotionally harmed. And I am aware of at least 10 more from others. I can assure you that while these repeated incidences of students being violent, hitting teachers and classmates, throwing things, yelling for minutes on end, swearing, violating personal space boundaries, trying to flee the classroom, the majority of the other students in the classroom are not academically engaged. Highline must do better. It is your legal and ethical responsibility to protect all kids. Do it for the kids. [APPLAUSE] Ali Himmel-Smith. Hello. Thank you for hearing me tonight. My name is Ali Himmel-Smith. My children are the fourth generation in the Highline School District, with their great-grandfather graduating from Highline High School in 1938. With deep roots in this
061community, it saddens me to see the state of where we're at-- seeing physical assaults starting as early as kindergarten, seeing that progressing to verbal, physical, and sexual assaults, even in our elementary schools, is alarming. We're also seeing no consequences to the actions of the victim-- no consequences to the actions. The victims, like my daughters, ages 5 and 8, have a hard time going to school, since they are forced into an undersupervised, toxic environment with their assailants. Our teachers' hands are tied. And while the district boasts "no children left behind," that also should include the victims. I've watched the light and passion for my oldest daughter die for education. And it's as equally heartbreaking to realize that the kids that are considered-- that are throwing chairs and physically assaulting students and staff alike are not having
062their needs met either. So I'm not only here for my daughters. I'm here for her daughters, for his daughters, for all of their daughters, for all of their kids. Highline School District must do better. And knowing every student's name, strength, and needs means that they need to be met. Until we see a positive change at a personal level, you'll see a lot of parents just like me. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Thank you. Mason Watt Hello. My name is Mason Watt. I'm here representing my children, [? Maya ?] and Milo Watt, who have been physically assaulted, bullied, and intimidated for years. Two years this has been going on. We have just recently been informed about the policies and procedures that you hold from the school administration, not the first time we brought this up, not the second
063time, the third, the fourth, but the seventh time our children were physically violated while under the care of Highline Public Schools. This is unacceptable. I demand that you address this problem in a very serious way. As a parent, we have an expectation that you will keep our kids physically safe. That is your number one job, and that is the minimum expectation that we have of you. As I see it now, you are failing to meet your mandate and do your duty. I am angered and annoyed. I am frustrated. I am beyond all these things because my daughter has come home with wounds that are bleeding from other kids in her classroom. I demand that you keep her physically safe while she is under the care of Highline Public Schools. If you cannot do this, then
064you need to adjust the way that you are looking at this problem and find a real solution that is lasting. Again, your number one mandate is to keep my children safe while they are under the care of Highline Public Schools. I expect you to change your behavior, give the resources necessary to the principal, administrators, para-educators, social-emotional learning teachers at Des Moines to make this possible. Protect my children. Do your [AUDIO OUT] Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Alex Myrick? Good evening, directors. This week, the US Department of Health and Human Services released a comprehensive review of the evidence and best practices for promoting the health of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. This review, informed by an evidence-based medicine approach, reveals serious concerns about medical interventions, such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries that attempt to transition
065children and adolescents away from their sex. The review highlights a growing body of evidence pointing to significant risks, including irreversible harm, such as infertility, while finding very weak evidence of benefit. That weakness has been a consistent finding of systematic reviews of evidence around the world. The review also fills a gap in the medical literature and existing clinical practice reviews with regard to the ethical aspects of pediatric medical transition. HHS believes that medical ethics should be central in this debate. Contributors to the review include medical doctors, medical ethicists, and a methodologist. Contributors represent a wide range of political viewpoints and were chosen for their commitment to scientific principles. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya says, quote, "Our duty is to protect our nation's children, not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions. We must follow the gold
066standard of science, not activist agendas," unquote. Despite increasing pressure to promote these drastic medical interventions for our nation's youth, the review makes clear the science and evidence do not support their use, and the risks cannot be ignored. We must reject pseudoscientific information and stop chemical and surgical [AUDIO OUT] [APPLAUSE] Jenn Mackenzie? All right. Good evening, President Van, Superintendent Duran, and members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of CTE pathways for graduation. My name is Jenn Mackenzie, and I teach sports medicine at PSSC. As an educator, I believe real learning doesn't come just from delivering content. It comes from creating student-centered experiences that tap into individual strengths. When students can approach problems kinesthetically, visually, interpersonally, or analytically, they build the confidence and flexibility that support deep transferable learning. That's what
067career and technical education delivers. CTE isn't just a graduation path, it's a literacy framework, especially in fields like health science, where reading and writing aren't academic. They're life-saving. In my classroom, students build technical literacy by writing injury reports, analyzing research, and communicating with clarity and precision. These aren't side skills. They're core skills. CTE integrates reading, writing, and applied knowledge in a way that makes learning multi-dimensional. We also use evidence-based strategies like spaced repetition and scaffolded feedback to help students convert new knowledge into long-term skill. But none of this is effective without intention. Intention is more than motivation. It's the cognitive spark that initiates the formation of neural pathways. It allows the brain to recognize what matters, organize it, and lock it in. When students approach learning with purpose, when they see how it connects to
068their lives and futures, learning becomes meaningful and lasting. That purpose fuels persistence, even through struggle. And that struggle is where real learning happens. In sports medicine, students perform emergency procedures, CPR, write case studies, and simulate real-life scenarios. They're not just learning for a grade. They're training to become the kind of professionals who will one day be trusted in moments that matter the most. CTE is not a fallback. It's a forward path that honors students' strengths and builds real-world literacy and equips students for success. [APPLAUSE] Patricia Bailey? Children love to learn. I witnessed this firsthand as a Seattle Public School teacher for over 30 years. Distinguished psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi recognized and named the psychological concept of flow. Flow is a highly-focused mental state conducive to enjoyable productivity. He has shown that lifelong learners experience flow and
069have the most fulfilling lives, but this orientation begins early in life. This is why the overall school attendance in Highline is so distressing. According to OSPI statistics, over one third of Highline students miss an alarming month or more of school a year. These students are not engaged, and this will have catastrophic effects on their quality of life. Destructive addictions are often substituted for productive learning, a regrettable waste of human potential and happiness. To put it bluntly, it appears Highline's emphasis on creating a culture of belonging is not effective. Otherwise, over a third of the Highline students would not have such dismal attendance records. Apparently, students do not find simply belonging to be adequate. They need to be stimulated. Psychologists now know it's challenging learning that inspires the human spirit and causes flow or enjoyment. The
070requisite condition for flow is manageable difficulty. For this reason, tasks must be sufficiently demanding to motivate students. The Highline School Board needs a mission statement that engenders high achievement. Instead of simply belonging, the emphasis should be on challenging content so students become eager learners with fulfilling lives. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Thank you very much. That concludes our scheduled communications this evening. Next up is our superintendent's update. Dr. Duran? Thank you, President Van. I wanted to start by reiterating my thanks to everyone who was recognized tonight for Teachers' Appreciation Week, School Nurse Day, School Lunch Hero Day, and Arts Education Month. We know you all play critical roles in supporting our students and their learning, so just thank you all for the work you do every day. So a lot has happened since the last board meeting.
071And first, I want to congratulate Director Holien and his wife, Andrea, who-- actually, there she is right now-- on the addition to their family. Congratulations to you both. Thanks for being here. I'm sure, Andrea, it was great to get out tonight. So good to see you. I met with the Superintendent Student Leadership Team, whose mission is to work with me to elevate student voice in district decision-making. The students focus on designing a survey to gather feedback on cell phone usage. We plan to collect input from students across the district to help develop a potential policy recommendation for the school board. The goal is to consider a policy that meets the needs of students, educators in schools, while aligning with state expectations to reduce cell phone usage. I attended the Highline Schools Foundation Gold Star Breakfast
072last Thursday, with Directors Tidholm, Alvarez, and Van. It was a great event. I had the opportunity to give a Live in the Promise pin to Dr. Susan Enfield for her work in developing the Highline promise, something I've been wanting to do since we started the Live in the Promise recognition. It was really great to be able to do that in public and honor and recognize her. And then I open up to the room for others to give pins. And I'm happy to see this practice spreading, as public recognition for Live in the Promise brings us together in support of our students. I'm also happy to state that the foundation reached their goal of raising $100,000 that morning for our students and educators and community members here in Highline. I also had the opportunity to speak
073on a panel at the Education Workforce Summit at the ShoWare Center. Director Van was a facilitator. He did a fabulous job of bringing the voices forward from industry, higher education, and policy leaders. I had the opportunity to share some of Highline's work supporting our strategic plans, future-ready goal and secondary school redesign. The message I conveyed during my responses was the need to have more private-public partnerships. And I believe that every business can provide something to support our students. I attended the 2025 Muckleshoot Tribal Consultation with Director Espinoza, members of our cabinet, and our Native Education team. This was an important opportunity to engage with our Muckleshoot partners, share what Highline has been doing to support our students, and to learn from what other districts are doing in support of our Native American students. I know
074we all walked away with new learnings from our fellow districts who are supporting native students across our region. And finally, the legislative budget was released, but has not been signed by the governor. Although some progress was made towards fully funding basic education, the final budget was reduced considerably before being finalized. And we receive minimal increases in special education materials, supplies, and operating costs, and no additional funding for transportation. The budget team is evaluating the impact of this lower-than-expected funding on the overall budget and long-term projections. While every district is facing some uncertainty with potential state and federal changes, I am, again, grateful for the current financial state of the Highline and want to thank the board for their leadership in making some difficult reductions previously so we do not need to make additional reductions this
075year. Jeb Binns, the Highline Education president, was not able to be here tonight. Shawna, final chance? All right. Very good. All right. Thank you all. That concludes my updates for tonight. Thank you so much, Dr. Duran. We're going to move to our school board reports, our legislative report. Vice President Tidholm? Yeah. As Dr. Duran said, we are wrapping up and just waiting for the governor to sign the money that we are going to be allotted for the year. So just in a bit of a waiting game. As my second session as a legislative rep for the district, it was just great seeing the cohesion across different districts, just across the state, really, just in collaboration and support, because we all would very much love the same thing, that the state would fulfill their paramount duty
076to fully fund education. It's a bit disappointing, like Dr. Duran said, that special education MSOX and transportation are not being fully funded and no additional money at all for transportation. And due to the low funding, it's really disappointing. But we're going to continue to advocate in these areas when the legislators are not in session and hoping that next year is the year that the state fulfills their paramount duty to fully fund education. And that's all that I have. Thank you so much. With that, we're going to move to our directors' reports. I'm going to start to my left here. Director Holien, you're up. Thank you, President Van. I wanted to highlight a really cool event that occurred at Mount Rainier in collaboration with PSSC. The students at Mount Rainier were asked about their food, some
077of their food options. And the nutrition services team asked them what they would like to see for school lunch. And using that feedback, they partnered with the culinary team at PSSC to create some new recipes that included birria, chicken ramen, smoked salmon Caesar salad. I want to say thank you to the PSSC students and staff, Mount Rainier kitchen staff, and the entire nutrition services team for making this happen. I think we all know that food is an integral part in the learning experience. When students are healthy, then, in return, they'll be more focused on their learning experience. You just made me hungry. So thank you very much. Director Alvarez. Let's see. So last week-- was it last week? Gosh, everything seems like it was just so far away. We met the CFAC. The Capital Facilities
078Advisory Committee met. And I just want to say thank you to Jackie also and Rosie for always just being so welcoming and going through an activity that really is prepping us to be really strategic as we're looking at our buildings, looking at what is the possibility of us prioritizing older schools for future bond upgrades or replacements. So the activity was really interesting because, like always, you have more needs and less money. So trying to actually-- this activity, we had started it at the previous CFAC meeting and didn't get through the whole activity. And then this last activity, we were able to go through the whole cycle, and not just prioritizing by rating. And like I said, it was just-- going through this activity with the community and having input and everybody just coming together, just
079different tables and everybody going through the same and just different views, so different voices coming together. And I think during this last meeting, one of the community members brought something up really interesting that said, I wish that there was clearer presentation of all the district here. And then it was like, great. So I guess we never had, since I was there, an introduction of who is in the room. And they went around, introduce yourself, who you are, and what part of the community or district you are. And it was interesting because we had representation of the whole district and from almost all schools. So it was good to see. I guess, sometimes, we don't realize who's in the room. And so it was good to see that we had representation from all parts of the
080district. So the community led group practice, using a weighted criteria system to make decisions within a limited bond budget. So at the next meeting, the committee will begin deeper analysis of school site options and conditions across Highline. And the goal is to recommend a future bond package to the school board next spring. So it was really good practice for us to really dig deep and understand how really analyzing not just the budget, but buildings, and what it really takes from replacing an HVAC, from replacing a roof, to really looking into what buildings really need. And so it was a really good activity for myself to really understand what is it that we need to go through to understand what to recommend. So it was a good activity. So thank you, President Van. Thank you so
081much, Director Alvarez. Dr. Espinoza, you're up. Thank you. So we are excited to announce a new partnership between Tyee High School and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Tyee is launching a new health sciences program in the fall of 2025. Students will gain real-world experience through mentorships and volunteering, field trips and clinical training. They'll also have opportunities to earn college credit and industry credentials in high school. This partnership supports Highline school to expand career-connected learning and prepare students for the future that they choose. I also want to share that I attended the tribal consultation event in late April with Dr. Duran and was pleased to see the important work that is led by Highline's team that is led by Sara Ortiz. I've also started my school visits. So after this week, I will be done with a
082handful of those. And I just wanted to thank Adriana for all the coordination and support in getting those done. So thank you. So how did you think? How were the visits? I'm learning so much. That's great. Vice President Tidholm. Yes, I had the pleasure of attending-- oops, my apologies-- White Center Heights' Cultural Unity Night last week, which was amazing. The babies performed for us. There was dancing. There was singing. I was forbidden by my niece by joining, even though I know a lot of the TikTok dances. Maybe next year I'll be invited. Really great. A lot of the families have-- potluck style. They always bring in amazing food. Really just beautiful event. Great turnout per usual. Friendly reminder, also, Family Resource Center at White Center Heights is open Thursdays, 9:00 to 10:30 AM, and Fridays,
0832:15 to 3:45 PM. If anybody in the community needs assistance-- food, diapers, clothing, all things that you can think of-- they have them or can point you in the right direction. I also had the privilege of attending the Gold Star Breakfast. It was really great getting to see our staff members celebrated. I loved that we got to give out pins. Thank you, Dr. Duran, for that. I got to surprise a couple people from our amazing family engagement team. They were very happy to be put on the spot and brought to the stage. But just to be able to recognize our staff and all the beautiful work that they do was great. And Evergreen High School is also hosting a farewell event. We are going to tear down the old school, which is very sad, but
084also we have a brand new school, which is beautiful, if you haven't seen it. Please drive by. It is amazing. I'm so excited for the babies. So if you're interested in saying goodbye to the old Evergreen High School, it's going to be on June 14 from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. Alumni, community members, everybody is invited to drop by for a final walkthrough. We get to go through the school. And the new school, once we tear it down, is going to be replaced with our new softball and baseball fields, as well as the parking. The other thing, we had a work session prior to this. If you were there, thank you for everybody who participated, contributed, and presented. We always talk about our culture of belonging and preparing our students for the future that they choose.
085But really digging into the secondary redesign, it opens up that conversation, too, to recognize-- because we always say "a future that they choose." And a lot of people want to talk about the literacy that we have or the college graduates that we do or do not have. They come from our district. But the secondary redesign and the work that they're doing, it's not only helping the students graduate prepared for the future they choose, but it's opening up their worlds and their horizons so they know what choices they have. Because they cannot choose to be all of the things if they don't know that they have those options. So I really appreciate that work that we're doing. It's still relatively new. I'm really happy and grateful for the questions that are being asked, the things that
086are being addressed, the things that are going great, the things that we're working on doing better. And I can't wait to see how this works out for our babies. And that's all that I have. Thank you very much, Vice President Tidholm. Just want to do a quick shout-out. Five Highline schools received state recognition. We're excited to share that five of our schools are being honored through the Washington School Recognition Program-- Choice Academy, Gregory Heights Elementary, Midway Elementary, Raisbeck Aviation High School, White Center Heights Elementary. These schools were honored for growth or academic achievement, so this recognition reflects the hard work of our students and staff and the progress our schools are making. So thank you so much, and congratulations to those schools. I had the opportunity to facilitate the Pacific Northwest Education and Workforce Panel,
087with Dr. Duran. And we also had two awesome students there that morning-- Amen from Raisbeck, but also Jayden from Big Picture. We had policymakers, industry leaders, and our students. So it was really great to share that space and to have everybody really share what is going on, from our industry leaders to our policymakers, to our superintendent. Dr. Pedroza from Tukwila was there to share her insights on what the district was doing as well. So it was really fun to facilitate that and to listen and to also be proud of what we were doing in our district. So thank you so much for being there, Dr. Duran, and sharing that with us. Tomorrow, Highline Schools Foundation is holding our scholarship reception. There's going to be 42 scholars from all of our schools tomorrow. I believe it's
088over $350,000 of scholarships that are going to be awarded. So please come join us at PSSC and celebrate those students. I'm not sure what time it is. It is on the calendar. It's at 6:00. It's at 6 o'clock. That's at 6 o'clock. So I didn't want to say, but thank you so much. And that concludes our director's report. Thank you so much. With that, move on to our consent agenda. Can I please have a motion to approve our consent agenda? I make a motion we approve our consent agenda. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Yes. Any opposed? Hearing and seeing none. Thank you very much. No items were removed from the consent, so we're going to move to our action items. 8.1-- this is motion to approve the secondary health curriculum adoption. Any questions or
089comments? I have a quick question, or maybe, I don't know-- a question. I was looking at the initial plans for the implementation. It included that there would be training during the month of August. It just didn't say for how long the implementation or training would be. Is it ongoing? Could you speak a little bit-- Yes, ongoing. So we will start in the month of August, in our typical August efforts to bring people back. Teachers who are teaching the curriculum will have dedicated training. And then we also have Job Alikes throughout the school year, during our early release Fridays, where teachers who are using the curriculum will have opportunities for continued learning throughout the year. OK. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Any other questions or comments? I have a comment and a question. First the question. I was
090reading that, currently, the program supports Spanish and English, just does not include Vietnamese yet. Has any of that changed at all? No, unfortunately nothing has changed there. We continue to seek out curricular resources that support our dual-language schools and all the work that happens there. And the world is catching up with us. Great. Thank you. One comment I want to make is that, anytime health curriculum is brought up, it can be a very, very sensitive topic. And I think if you look a little bit closer, when we actually talk to the students and the faculty, one of the stats is 100% of the students found the lesson to be important, interesting, and/or cared about. Roughly about 4 out of 5 students responded positively, with a rating that ranged from average to very helpful. So I
091think we did get a lot of really good feedback. Of course, there are going to be times where not everyone agrees on something. But I just wanted to point that out. Yeah. Great. Thank you very much. Any other questions or comments? Hearing and seeing none. Thank you very much. Can I please have the motion? I move that the Highline School Board approve the adoption of Goodheart-Willcox Health as the new core instructional curriculum for secondary health in grades 6 through 12, in the amount of $312,000, with the minor additions and deletions or modifications as deemed necessary by the superintendent, including six years of online access and the initial implementation, support, and training. Can I have a second, please? I second. Roll call. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. President Van?
092Yea. This motion passes 5 to none. Thank you very much. 8.2 was moved to consent. 8.3, this is motion to approve acceptance of the annual review scores for the Asset Preservation Program, the APP program. Any questions or comments on this one? Going once, going-- hearing and seeing none. Can I please have a motion? A motion to approve the acceptance-- or I move that the Highline School Board accept the Asset Preservation Program annual board report scores. Second, please? I'll second. Roll call. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. President Van? Yea. This motion passes 5 to none. Thank you very much. 8.4, this is motion to approve the renewal of the Procare software license. Any questions or comments on this one? Hearing and seeing none. Can I please have a motion?
093I move that the Highline School Board approve the renewal of the Procore software license agreement for a three-year term, from May 15, 2025 to May 14, 2028, in the amount of $612,250.35 as outlined in the attached draft order form. Can I please have a second? I second. Roll call, please. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Tidholm? Yea. Director Holien? Yea. Director Alvarez? Yea. President Van? Yea. This motion passes 5 to none. Thank you very much. 8.5 and 8.6 were moved to consent agenda. And 8.7 was postponed until we have further discussion with the City of SeaTac. So with that, that concludes our action items for this evening. Going to our intro and action items. 9.1, this is motion to approve the 2025-'26 regular board meeting calendar. I know, '25-'26 already. Any questions or comments in regards to
094this intro in action? Beautiful. With that, can I please have a motion? Approval of this motion would approve the schedule of regular school board meetings as described in attachment 1. Can I have a second? Second. Director Holien, will you please restate your motion? I move. Yes. The approval of this motion would approve the schedule of regular school board meetings as described in attachment 1. Can I have a second, please? I second. Dr. Espinoza seconded. Roll call, please. Director Holien? Yea. Director Alvarez? Yea. Director Espinoza? Yes. Director Tidholm? Yea. President Van? Yea. This motion passes 5 to none. Thank you. Moving to our introduction items. 10.1, this is an opportunity for the board to have discussions, but also have a few weeks to consult with Dr. Duran and staff about any other topics there. 10.1, motion
095to approve the '24-'25 Running Start expenditure increase. Questions or comments? OK. Hearing and seeing none. 10.2, motion to approve Pacific Middle School replacement project, grant of easement, Puget Sound Energy. Any questions or comments? I did say easement, right? Easement. Are there any deeds involved? Any other questions or comments on that? Hear and see none. [LAUGHS] Sorry. And 10.3, this is motion to approve the final acceptance and closeout approval for Memorial Stadium synthetic turf replacement project, PO number CP240007. Any questions or comments? I do have a comment. The field looks great, with all of our schools at the very end. It looks really beautiful. So thank you so much for that. With that said, 10.4, motion to approve final acceptance and closeout of micro-K12 contract, security video replacement, phase number 2, PO number CP230030. Any questions
096or comments on that? I don't have any question. Well, I can ask later, but this is not-- I can ask later. OK. If you can follow back up with us, that'd be great. There's no other questions or comments? Any items that you would like to add to the next consent agenda? Any items that don't have any easements that you can add? Deeds-- any deeds, ideally. Easement's OK. Yeah. Clarification for the record. Thank you. So I hear that there are no items that you would like to add to the consent agenda. With that said, can I have a motion to adjourn? I'll make a motion to adjourn. And I'll second that. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hear and see none. Thank you, everybody, for being here.