001tonight's agenda. Second. >> Director Okenegra has moved and director Gone seconded to approve tonight's agenda. All in favor? >> Any opposed? Motion carries. >> So, the first item on this agenda then is uh special recognition of the 2026 District Art Show winners. need to do the land acknowledgement. >> Yes, we do. >> Okay. Julie Boengra has the land acknowledgement. Thank you for the reminder. >> Thank you. Evergreen public schools resides on the traditional lands of the Chinooken peoples and the Kitz tribe. They have lived on and cared for this land and its waterways since time immemorial. We thank them for their stewardship and make this acknowledgement to open a space of recognition, inclusion, and respect for all indigenous students, families, and staff in our community. Thank you, Director Bogan. And now a special recognition of
002the 2026 District Art Show winners. >> Good evening. My name is Karen Ormson. I'm the fine and performing arts specialist and this is Karen Rivera, uh the art discovery coordinator. We are here tonight to present the six superintendent award winners and the two special award winners. These were voted on and selected by a panel of professional artists at the district art show. Uh winners of the superintendent awards are purchased by the district and then they go on display in the in the district office. So you've seen the 3D pieces in the case out here and then the 2D pieces are uh scattered across all three floors on the walls. U and uh so I'm going to introduce each artist and their piece and then they will bring it up and show it to the schoolboard.
003Uh, so first up, winner of the superintendent high school 2D category is Michelle Greer. Michelle is a 12th grader from Mountain View High School. Her piece is a pen and ink drawing and it's called Whimsical Places. >> Nice. >> Walk along. [laughter] penny ink and watercolor. This Superintendent winner for grades 6 through 8. So this is our over overall middle school winner is Bennett Rmmer. Bennett is a sixth grader from Covington and their piece is called In the Sunflowers and it's an acrylic painting. Is that a gavvel? A mace or very nice. Our superintendent winner for third through fifth grade uh isn't here tonight, but that piece uh is by Lily Jackson. Lily is a fifth grader at Marian Elementary. Uh the piece is a collage and it's called What's for Dinner? Nice. Our next
004winner is superintendent for kinder through 2 grade and this is Daria Mahilina. Daria is a second grader from Ilahe Elementary. The piece is called Boo's Portrait and it's a pastel drawing. It's delightful. Our next category is the superintendent for high school 3D and ceramics. Uh the winner is Valyria Nahar Gandara. Valeria is a 12th grader from Evergreen High School. Her piece is a ceramics piece and it's called Sardines. Our next winner uh is for the category of photography and this is Canoa Diccastro. Canoa is an 11th grader from Evergreen High School. And this is a digital photo. The lights uh was Yeah. Anyway, yeah, it's really good. Good. Thank you for sharing. Our next two awards are spirit of art awards. The first one is for se uh any secondary school uh student and this
005is called the Mary Kamak award. It was awarded to Eliza Parley and uh Eliza is an 11th grader from Heritage High School and the piece is called My Driving Experience. Hold on. And our last award winner for the evening is an elementary student that won the spirit of art education. This is about um the joy of creating art. Uh um the student's name is Milana Coralova. Uh Milana is a first grader from Columbia Valley Columbia Elementary and the painting is called Patunia. Yeah. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you very much uh for supporting art education. And let's give one more round of applause to our artists. [applause] Thank you, Karen. Uh, the next item on our agenda is the superintendent report. Well, the test. Okay. The amount of talented young students that we have in
006the district is amazing. So, I'm I'm hopeful that each one of you is able to go check out the art show um that was held over at the Penberg Center in the library there. Um it was just phenomenal. So, fantastic art that's happening by our kids. Um so tonight for my superintendent's report as usual I will state the operational um expectation uh policy number and title and then uh share about the topic. I have two topics tonight that I'd like to share with the board. So the first one falls under OE3 community stakeholder relationships and OE0 equity and the topic is violence reduction and gang prevention grant. So, Evergreen Public Schools was selected by OSPI to receive this violence reduction and gang prevention grant. It was initially awarded to us uh for the amount of
007$25,000 and then the grant increased to $35,000 because we had one district in the in the selection that was unable to participate. So, we recipients of an extra 10,000. So, the participating districts in this particular grant was Euphr, Bridgeport, Evergreen, that's us, Richland, and Makatil. Um so under the leadership of our director of safety and security Shane Gardner, [snorts] we um were able to uh procure the funds and then we have a short timeline in which we had to actually expend the funds. And so he's been working very diligently with the safety and security team um and our Boys and Girls Club. So we have a longstanding partnership with our Boys and Girls Club here in Southwest Washington um since 2008, if you're wondering how long we've had that partnership. And this grant allows us
008to strengthen our youth um violence reduction and gang prevention efforts um through the youth engagement team that we have here on site at Evergreen. So there are two main key investments that we used the money for. The first was um specifically around enhancing safety. Um, so we purchased with this grant um in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club um van for the vans, we purchased dash cameras um on for our outreach vehicles that they that they um own along with portable units for staff transporting youth. And so we had um that extra layer of security and safety there. The second was um in the new youth outreach space. And you're wondering maybe what is a new youth outreach space? Well, we took lots of department cross collaboration and found an unused portable in good
009shape at Evergreen High School. And so we transformed that into a dedicated outreach space for afterchool and summer programming for youth here in Evergreen School District. So the space represents the first of its kind in East Vancouver. Um it's a new model for collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club and it provides that safe and welcoming environment for connection and engagement with our um young with our youth. So it actually is located approximately 200 feet from the site of the 2023 gun violence um incident. So this space really does symbolize our commitment to reclaiming um areas for community learning and belonging. So this is becoming a positive space where we have positive interactions with kids engaging in healthy and activities and um building those friendships that are so important. So my second topic is on
010graduations and community engagement and it falls under OE9 which is communicating with the public and there was a lot of public to communicate with at each one of those graduations and I'll get into that in a minute. So, it was especially meaningful me for me this year. Um, on a personal note, I not only was a superintendent, but I was also a parent of a 2026 graduate from Mountain View High School. And so, it was extra special for me. Um so like so many other district or families across um the district uh who have graduates um we they experienced firsthand the pride and the joy they had in seeing their child walk across that stage for that accomplishment of the high school diploma. And it really did reinforce as I was up on stage and
011I'm sure for you as well, the incredible work that our staff um does and how they walk alongside students when they enter that first um kindergarten or preK all the way through 12th grade and where they help them and guide them um with get towards their goals and and find success and eventually um earn that high school diploma. So I want to talk a little bit about the attendance and graduation a little more detail. So we stream live um for the graduations for all of our graduations for families and um friends who cannot come in person for whatever reason. Um so we have global viewership not just viewership from the United States across the United States but here's some of the countries of people that were um uh getting on and watching the live stream
012of the graduations. So we had family or friends from Mexico, Venezuela, Germany, Philippines, Canada, India, Guam, Micronisia to name just a few of the countries that our graduates were viewed from for friends and family. So that's kind of amazing to think about that. Um, also our YouTube um, live stream viewership right at that point. This is not viewership from, you know, after the fact, right? So, we had over 2,900 views at the same time the Mountain View High School graduation was going on. Um, and you think about that and compare it to the amount of graduates, which is, you know, a few hundred, 300 right in there. Um, that's significant to have that many extra besides, you know, the 4,000 or so, 3,500, 4,000 that were in the stands viewing that. So, lots and lots
013of support and obviously love for the graduates that were walking across the stage. Union High School had over 2,700. Heritage has over 2,200, Evergreen over 2100. Um, Henrietta Lax, one of our smaller high schools, um, 7 over 700 views. Um, Legacy High School had about 626 and Archway had 373. So, that is fantastic. Um, our social media engagement too for end of school celebrations campaign is um, really strong. We got lots of positive comments as things are coming up and our communications team of three, which is very small, um is doing a great job hitting every single school and you'll continue to see some of those celebrations coming out on our social media. So, in closing, as we reflect on the close of another successful year, um I'm deeply grateful for the collective efforts of
014our staff, our students, families, and community partners. um from advancing safety and prevention efforts which is so important and to celebrating the achievements of our graduates. Um this work continues to center on belonging for each opportunities and success for all. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Maloney. Uh any other questions? Okay, then the next item on our agenda is a presentation, the teaching and learning and equity update. Dr. Fox is here. Good evening, President Perkins, members of the board. For this evening's teaching, learning, and equity update, I will bring a spring sports update, and I will also share an endofthe-year report on school improvement planning, also called SIPS. So, let's talk about spring sports. As uh the season comes to a close, I'd like to take a moment first to recognize a few outstanding athletic
015accomplishments from across Evergreen Public Schools. This spring, hundreds of Evergreen students participated in athletics, representing every comprehensive high school in our district. Their commitment, sportsmanship, and school pride continue to strengthen the school communities from which they come and create opportunities for students to connect, grow, and succeed. I'd like to first recognize the Mountain View High School baseball team. The Thunder won both the regular season league championship and the district tournament championship, advancing to the state tournament for the first time since 2019. Congratulations to the players and coaching staff on an outstanding season. Next, I would like to recognize Heritage High School senior uh Jayla Ellis, who was selected as the 3A Greater St. Helens League Fast Pitch Player of the Year. Jayla completed an exceptional high school career with more than 50 stolen bases, over
016150 hits, 31 home runs, and more than 400 strikeouts as a pitcher. Her accomplishments reflect years of dedication, hard work, and excellence on the field. And finally, I'd like to congratulate Union High School junior Leilani Mays, who captured the 4A state championship in the 100meter hurdles. Winning a state title requires extraordinary commitment and determination. We are proud of Leilani's achievement and the way she represented Union High School and Evergreen Public Schools. So, I'm going to ask you and our audience to please join me in congratulating these student athletes, their coaches, and all of our spring sports participants for an outstanding season. [applause] As we approach the end of the 2026 27 school year, it's a time of reflection and evaluation, a time to consider the impact of our efforts to improve instruction, to strengthen school
017culture, and to improve outcomes for students. I'm sharing this photo from the academic spotlight one more time um because it's a favorite of mine um in part because of the joy that principal Amber Lindley shows on her face over the improved outcomes for just one of her former students. All school staff are celebrating improved outcomes for students in one way or another. And this year we have seen and heard from principles and associates standing here at this podium as they have shared with you about their efforts and the effort of their school staff. I can tell you that every school and its leadership are focused on continuous improvement for the benefit of all students. One way we can examine continuous improvement in our schools is through review of each of their school improvement plans. School
018improvement plans are designed to support continuous improvement rather than simply serve as annual compliance documents. And while they are submitted annually to the office of superintendent of public instruction, their greatest value comes from how they are used throughout the year to guide the work of schools. Throughout the year, principles and staff use their SIP goals to guide professional learning, monitor student outcomes, and adjust strategies as new information emerges. As we review year-end results this evening, it's important to remember that improvement is an ongoing process. Some endofear measures are still being finalized and many schools are already using what they've learned this year to shape next year's priorities. The snapshots that you'll see tonight represent where schools are at this point in the cycle of continuous improvement. And so I've titled these slides continuous improvement. We're
019at the end of a school year but not at the end of the work. School leaders are at an important moment of reflection and learning and tonight I hope we will do the same. At your business meeting on October 28th way back in 2025, Dr. Fowler shared with you this slide pointing out three priorities guiding our school improvement work. The first priority has been flexibility. Our school improvement plans evolve as we learn more about student needs. Throughout the 202526 school year, leadership teams in every EPS school engaged in the plan, do study, act, or PDSA cycles. Schools formally engaged in three PDSA cycles throughout this year, allowing teams to make timely adjustments rather than waiting for an annual review. uh that represents flexibility. Next was alignment. Each school's improvement plan has connected directly to our
020district improvement plan, ensuring a shared direction and consistent outcomes for all students. So, I've linked the district improvement plan in this slide for quick access in case you want to review it. And finally, collaboration. While alignment provides a strong foundation, learning from the unique strategies at each school helps us stay responsive and innovative. School leaders came together throughout the year in what we call leadership gatherings and much of that time was spent discussing the PDSA cycles which I mentioned earlier. Throughout the year, principles and school leaders shared successes. They shared their challenges and the lessons learned as they refined plans for greater improvement. And so for our end of the year review, we asked each principal to provide a brief snapshot of progress towards the goals identified in their school improvement plan. These snapshots are
021not intended to be comprehensive evaluations of school performance. Rather, they provide a common framework for reflecting on our progress as a district, identifying challenges, and highlighting priorities for continued improvement. So, you'll see a similar format, one page for each school. And schools worked to improve attendance rates and focus on increasing a sense of belonging and engagement as reported in that green section. In the blue section, we see a snapshot of academic achievement progress. This se section includes an update on reading and math outcomes as well as a check-in on how multilingual learners are doing with language proficiency. Then in the purple section, schools shared some highlights and challenges they've experienced this year. And then in the orange section, we see some of their initial plans for the 202627 school year as they report in a
022section called what's next. All 38 schools have provided this endofthe-year status report and you have copies of each. As we reviewed the snapshots, we identified common themes, notable findings, and areas for continued focus. We also used a variety of tools to help identify themes and outliers, then reviewed and refined those findings for this evening's presentation. So, let's begin with elementary schools. That's the one slide for elementary, and I'll talk a lot. [laughter] As we reviewed the elementary school snapshot, several consistent themes emerged across the district. Attendance remains our most significant challenge. While some schools made notable gains, chronic absenteeism continues to limit learning opportunities for many students and remains the most common barrier identified by school leaders. Reading achievement was the strongest area of growth districtwide. Schools reported consistent gains in literary outcomes, suggesting that
023investments in foundational literacy, instructional alignment, and targeted interventions are having a positive impact on student learning. Math achievement also improved in many schools, though gains were generally smaller and less consistent than those we are seeing in reading. This points to mathematics as an important area of focus moving forward. Student belonging and engagement showed positive growth across most schools. School leaders continue to emphasize the connection between a strong sense of belonging, student engagement, and academic success. A particularly encouraging trend was the continued development of professional learning communities or PLC's. Schools increasingly reported using collaborative team structures, common assessments, and data cycles to improve instruction and respond to student needs. Schools also demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting multilingual learners. Although changes to the WEDA assessment limited year-to-year comparisons, schools reported encouraging evidence that language focused instructional
024practices and meaningful access strategies are supporting student growth. Finally, many schools highlighted improvements in their multi-tered systems of support or MTSS, including stronger intervention systems, better progress monitoring, and more intentional use of data to guide student supports. The elementary snapshots suggest that our schools are moving from isolated improvement efforts towards a more coherent and aligned system of instruction, intervention, and continuous improvement with attendance remaining the most significant challenge to accelerating student achievement. Let's look at middle schools. As we reviewed the middle school snapshots, a consistent theme emerged. Schools are moving beyond implementing improvement structures and are increasingly focused on refining and strength strengthening them to improve outcomes for students. Attendance remains the most significant challenge across middle schools. While several schools reported improvements for specific grades and student groups, chronic absenteeism continues to be the
025most common barrier to achievement and engagement. Student belonging and school culture showed encouraging growth. Nearly every middle school reported improvements in student connectedness, relationships, or engagement, reflecting the impact of some intentional efforts to strengthen school climate, and student support systems. One of the strongest district-wide trends was the continued development of PLC's and the PDSA cycles. Schools are increasingly using collaborative inquiry, common assessments, and data analysis to guide instructional decisions and respond more effectively to student needs. Academic outcomes generally improved across reading, writing, and mathematics. While growth was evident in all content areas, schools reported that gains were often stronger in earlier grades with grade eight emerging as a recurring area for concern for both achievement and engagement. Middle schools also demonstrated a growing commitment to supporting specific student groups. Schools increasingly analyzed subgroup data to
026identify disparities, monitor progress, and target interventions for students who may require additional support. Support for multilingual learners continues to expand through professional learning, meaningful access practices, and language focused instructional strategies. Although changes to the WEDA assessment created challenges for year-to-year comparisons, schools reported encouraging indicators of student growth and language development. Finally, many schools reported positive results from strengthened behavior and intervention systems, including reductions in discipline referrals, improved student engagement, and increased instructional time. Taken together, these trends suggest that middle schools are developing stronger organizational coherence and more mature improvement systems. While attendance remains the most significant obstacle to accelerating achievement, schools are demonstrating increasing capacity to use data, collaboration, and targeted supports to improve outcomes for our students. Lastly, let's talk about high schools. As we reviewed the snapshots, a consistent theme emerged that schools
027are increasingly building teacher-led systems of continuous improvement while expanding opportunities that prepare students for success beyond high school. One of the strongest district-wide themes was the growth of teacher leadership, PLC's, and collaborative inquiry. High schools increasingly view improvement as a teacher-led process with staff working together to identify essential learning, analyze student data, and strengthen instructional practices. Attendance remains the most persistent challenge across our high schools. While schools have strengthened intervention systems and early warning processes, chronic absenteeism continues to limit student engagement and achievement. At the same time, schools reported encouraging gains in student belonging and engagement. Relationship centered practices, student voice initiatives, counseling supports, and career connected learning opportunities appear to be strengthening students connections to school. Academic outcomes are also trending positively where data are available, particularly in English language arts and mathematics. While
028some endofear results are still pending, schools generally reported growth and continued progress toward their academic goals. Schools also reported continued growth in supports for multilingual learners and a stronger understanding that language development is a shared responsibility across classrooms. Finally, postsecondary readiness emerged as a significant strength. Schools continue to expand dual credit opportunities, college and career pathways, and experiences that help students prepare for success after graduation. Taken together, the school snapshots suggest that Evergreen Public Schools is building increasingly coherent systems for teaching, learning, and continuous improvement across elementary, middle, and high schools. We see stronger instructional systems, greater alignment, and a growing commitment to using evidence, collaboration, and reflection to improve outcomes for students. While attendance remains the most significant challenge across all grade levels, the work reflected in these snapshots demonstrates that our schools are
029building the capacity needed to improve outcomes for students and advance our vision of belonging for each and success for all. Earlier, I reported a positive trend which was based on what I called available data. And I'd like to note that several schools are still waiting for important endofear data, including assessment results that will help complete the picture of this year's progress. As a result, some schools were better positioned than others to report on the outcomes associated with their goals. You may have noticed that when you were reading some of the individual snapshots. For that reason, I would like to recommend that we consider sharing this yearend school improvement plan update in August moving forward, beginning with August 2027. That gives us just enough time to receive ESPA data and other end of the year data
030um to ensure that principles are able to give us a more complete picture. They'll have a complete set of data allowing for a further fuller reflection on progress and a stronger discussion about next steps. Let you talk about that and decide if that's something you'd like to do moving forward. [snorts] To wrap up this presentation on continuous improvement, I'd like to finish up this evening celebrating a few evergreen schools which were recently recognized by the state board of education. The state board annually highlights schools demonstrating exceptional progress in key areas of student success. They call this the Washington School Recognition Program. For 2026, the state board has recognized public schools in 150 school districts across Washington. >> [clears throat] >> Do we have about 285 290 school districts I think in Washington state and only
031150 districts and only 379 schools are being recognized. They're being recognized for their work in closing opportunity gaps and supporting students growth and academic achievement during the 2024 25 school year. There are three categories of recognition that schools can be honored for and a school can receive recognition in multiple categories each year. Schools can earn recognition for closing gaps, achievement, and growth. You can read more about each category, including qualifying metrics and cutoff scores on the website that I've linked at the top of this slide. In Evergreen, we are pleased to honor five schools who have been recognized by the state board of education and leadership from four of those schools are here to receive their schools banner and they've been waiting for me to finish so that they could get up here and have
032their photo taken. I'm going to begin with Henrietta Lax Health and Bioscience High School. Allison Harding and your team, would you come forward? [applause] >> [applause] >> organize your team so that we can see this banner. And let me read that Hila is being recognized for achievement in English language arts, graduation rates, ninth graders on track, and dual credit participation. It's a long list, and they should be proud. And they went first. They have to stand the longest. We want to get a picture. >> That'd be great. Thank you. >> Wonderful. >> Yeah. But that would be helpful. And then at the end, I I'd like all of You're going to have to stand there. You keep smiling. [laughter] Next, I would like to recognize Endeavor Elementary School. So, come on forward. [applause] We have
033Amanda Good, principal. Angelina Yelbertton, the associate principal, and Tech Reed Goodman, instructional coach. Endeavor Elementary staff are being recognized for closing achievement gaps and it is noted that there were targeted achievement gaps that were closed. Thank you. Third up, HCA Home Choice Academy, come forward. [applause] Yeah. I told people there had to be two representatives or there, you know, the banner wouldn't hold itself very well. On the other end, we have Janet Lacassio, principal, and Brenda Lily, instructional coach for HCA, being recognized for growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Harmony Elementary School principal Brandy Anderson Phillips is here. >> [applause] >> And Ben Krauss, associate principal, is here. I see. I know. And I didn't hear back from you, and I was worried about it. So, I'm glad Ben made
034it. Harmony is being recognized for growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. And we will also recognize Furrest Elementary School. Unfortunately, principal Craig Pearson and associate principal Tyle Dwine uh were not able to be here because of a calendar conflict, but we want to entire uh uh honor and recognize the entire Furrest staff for growth for students receiving special education services. And so audience, will you please help me give these five schools a big round of applause? [applause] And directors, they can hold the banner with the left hand and shake with the right hand. Would you come forward and walk your way through the line and congratulate these folks? Oh, with us too? No, with you. Like take like all the groups together. >> Okay, let's do one with all four
035banners. Get closer together. Angelina, can you scoot over just >> Are we? Yeah. >> All right, here we go. One, two, three. >> One of those will work. Thank you very [laughter] much. [applause] Now go celebrate with the kids. >> Yeah. >> President Perkins, this concludes the TLE update. >> Oh, >> thank you. Uh any further comments or questions for Dr. Fox >> uh question. So, uh speaking of the August time frame, if we get all the data, which makes perfect sense because if we're missing that and we're but does that given the schools enough time then to put because they already have pretty much the bulk of what they need to work on the following school year at that point regardless of when they present and get the final data, right? >> I did
036I did talk with leadership in TLE who've been talking with principles and so let's continue to process that. I think our thoughts are they pulled together pretty good snapshots for us today. >> Um, and in the past have been able to give us something in June. I think that they'll give us even more be able to do it more confidently in August, including more of the SBA uh data. Um, I would recommend later in August rather than earlier in August. And that would give them time to fine-tune a snapshot for us. >> It makes sense to me. I agree with August too because I mean I for one actually prefer to have the discussions with the principles um in the sips [clears throat] and just kind of get a feel for it. So and I
037know right I mean this time of year is just it's impossible to get everybody ready with the end of year. So I like August um because then we can ensure that they're ready and kind of fresh to meet with us too. Could we get the um screen or the presentation back up again for a second? I just had a question on one of them. And then Dr. Fox um you had mentioned about elementary um reading was the academic that had you know the most increases but you also mentioned math improved in many schools and I was just kind of curious many is kind of a you know >> Yeah. I didn't go into I didn't give you numbers did I? I was just >> and in part because we don't have smarter balance assessment that
038was based on some uh of that was based on I Ready or classroom assessments or assessments at each school and so the snapshot gave an overview of the school and then my presentation gave an overview of the 22 elementary schools without giving you the numbers that I do when I give it when I give you the smarter balanced assessment results which will be more numerical. >> Okay. So I I think in general there was growth in our district. Um some schools didn't see the same growth that others did. And so yeah, I think if you look at each of the 38, you can compare some of the scores in that one quadrant and see some making more progress than others. >> Yeah, I didn't know if many meant majority or or >> many is many
039right now. I didn't break it down height for you and I can't give that to you right now. Sorry. And then um if we could pull up the first um screen with the graphs. It was just the one on the um Yeah. Or right there. The one on the bottom um right. I couldn't figure out exact. I don't know. I guess it has something there, but you can't read it. >> Yeah, that was just a visual to remind you of what the school improvement plans looked like. >> Okay. >> And so this was that slide that came from October 28th when Dr. Fowler was just talking about school improvement plans in general. This is no one's that's that's like there's no school name up there. It it's just a visual and it's it was it's
040a graphic that represents that there's a bar graph down there but there's no data for that one. >> Thanks. in seeing the um the drop in discipline and referrals in a particular I pulled up one of our middle schools and I must say that's average is 30% down um between sixth and eighth grade. That's incredible. So, I'm glad to see that we're we're moving that way because that is always one of the biggest questions that I ask the group is how is behaviors because we've had a lot of issues since co but to see that it's dropping I mean sixth grade was 38%. That's that's really good. So, kudos to them. I was really pleased you you are doing what I was doing and that is I I look at a trend or I prepared
041this report for you and then I also wanted to dig down and see of our six middle schools where what does that look like and and some are celebrating more uh than others but um I also really um it's even there's more information as I read what are the strengths or the challenges that explains sometimes a little bit and what's next principles are already planning for when and they come back in August to work on next year's school improvement. They already are beginning to predict what their areas of focus will be based on what you just looked at that kind of data. [snorts] >> I could ask you because I went over the documents uh before the meeting. Um I don't think I know what PERS is. >> PERS PERS is a survey tool that
042unfortunately we won't be using in the future. It was one of those um tools that we decided we needed to make some reductions in spending and it's a survey that's used with students. Teachers are able to give surveys to the students to get their feedback on how things are going in the classroom, how uh teachers are responding to student needs, whether students are feeling like um the teacher or the classes is meeting their needs. gives them survey data that they can then use to evaluate period by period if they want to how things are going in the classroom. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> I'm looking forward to the uh the finalized data then in August right >> to the uh more numerical pieces of this. >> Yes. And I can give that
043to you like I have done in the past. Um in September October right in there is when I've given you more >> September October I understand what you're saying there. It does take time. Uh, thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Any other comments or questions for Dr. Fox? Thank you for your presentation today. Okay. The next item on the agenda is public comments. Any community member wishing to address the board on matters of public concern may do so during the designated time on the agenda for public comments. Comments are to be directed to the board of directors as a whole and may not be addressed to individual members of the board, the administrative staff or the audience. Although the board will not engage in dialogue, the board chair may ask a speaker a clarifying question
044or follow up at a later time on an issue raised during public comment. Uh general reminders, each speaker will have a maximum of three minutes. Uh there is no mechanism whereby a speaker can donate some or all of their time to another. No individual may speak more than once per regular meeting even if there's time remaining. And please state your name and district affiliation if any. We'll start with uh speakers who are signed up to uh speak online. >> And that first speaker on the list here is Angie Bunda. >> Let me know when she's ready. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> I can hear you, Angie. >> All right. My name is Angie Bunda and I'm a parent. Facts matter when looking at issues of integrity. So my question is, what did Superintendent
045Maloney actually know and when did she actually know it when she spoke at meetings in both February and May of 2026? First, let's look at her actual knowledge before January 24th, 2025, where by that date she had been informed by four separate people of allegations of fraud or suspected fraud involving COO Jana Gome's actions relating to the supplemental contracts. On October 10th, 2024 2024, interim superintendent Maloney heard three people in person describe Jana Gome's actions as engaging in a fraudulent conduct related to the September 4th, 2023 supplemental contracts. Danny Stevenson, Tim C, and Adam Aguilera. Then again on January 11th, 2025, and once again later in January, in a follow-up email, I wrote about the same concerns. By January 22nd, 2025, the Washington state auditors provided the district a letter of engagement addressed to interim
046superintendent Maloney, which listed management's responsibilities with oversight from the governing body include promptly reporting to us knowledge of any fraud, allegations of fraud, or suspected fraud involving management, employees, or others in accordance with RCW4309185. On the morning of January 24th, 2025, Dr. Dr. Maloney met with the SAO's office for an entry orientation meeting regarding the process for the FY2324 accountability audit where the engagement letter was again referenced. Dr. Maloney knew that there were really two ways these supplemental contracts would have been part of an accountability audit. One, if one of the supplemental contracts had been chosen by the SEO by random, or two, if the ESD had provided the supplemental contracts for review. In either scenario, the ESD would have had to have provided the associated documents to the SAO. When Dr. Dr. Maloney spoke
047on February 10th, 2026. She made at least two principal false or misleading statements. One, that the SEO had examined the September 4th, 2023 supplemental contracts in the FY2324 audit and found no issues, and two, that Jana Gomes was innocent relating to the allegations. In March of 2026, it had been clearly demonstrated that the SEO had never examined the supplemental contracts in that FY2324 audit. On May 12th, 2026, Dr. Maloney stated she misread the SEAO's FY2324 report and this is what led to her misstatement at that February 10th meeting. During that misstatement, Dr. Maloney was paraphrasing from pages of a report authored by VPD detective J. Alli when she made false or misleading statements. She wasn't referring to the FY2324 auditors report. Dr. Maloney's gaslighting is a symptom of a greater problem. The taxpayers simply can't
048trust her. When she had an opportunity to acknowledge she had been deceived or misled, she doubled down. To make matters worse, anyone listening to her presentation on May 12th, 2026 would not be aware that the SEAO flatly stated the supplemental contracts were issued in violation of the state constitution. Director Wilson called her out at the end of that meeting on this very issue. Please do your duty as the ESD board of directors and do not renew the contracts of super superintendent Maloney and COO Jana Gomes. Evergreen public schools needs to have leaders we can trust who act with integrity. You have all taken an oath and you know that you have to actually look at the facts and not simply go off of your own opinions. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The
049next uh speaker coming in online is Kendall Teeman. Mr. Timman, can you hear us? We're ready for your comment. >> Can you guys hear me now? >> I can hear you. Yes, please go ahead. >> Okay. All right. Good evening. Uh, my union is currently addressing a no confidence vote relating to the COO. This involves multiple violations of public trust. The sad thing is her actions sucked the superintendent in as well from the beginning of her employment. Since the fall of 24, the superintendent has had at least eight opportunities to regain public trust and has unfortunately failed. In fall of 24, she had the opportunity to make the right decision and acknowledge the accuracy of the issues that Adam Aguilera raised in his appeal. To use Director Wilson's term from the last meeting, she did
050rubber stamp things, ignore witnesses like Tom C, Tony Miles, Danny Stevenson, and Camille Lman. In January of 25, the superintendent missed two more opportunities. one with Angie Bundy. The superintendent ignored the detailed claims based upon facts and another with the SAO's office where she failed to provide the supplemental contracts. In January of 25, she had two separate documents provided to her by the SAO detailing all of her duties in the scope and process of the audit. The superintendent did not act. On separ September 8th of 25, the superintendent was provided an email from detective Ali where he requested information regarding any investigation regarding to the supplemental contracts. She never responded. However, it appears she had Garrett Williams provide VPD with multiple false or misleading documents relating to the SAO's office having already reviewed the supplemental
051contracts. On January 22nd of 26, the superintendent was provided an email from Camille Lman with a declaration from Mindy Cooper and all of Garrett emails back and forth with Detective Ali. Again, she took no action. A week later, on January 27th, 26, Gary Wilson asked on the record if she had read the January 22nd email. The superintendent promised that she would read it and speak with Gary Wilson about it. Again, she took no action. The superintendent in possession of all this information made a new choice on February 10th of 26 and paraphrased a VPD report to indicate that the SAO had in the 2324 audit included the supplemental contracts for Miss Gums and others on the bargaining team and their analysis quote unquote found no issues. On May 12th of 26, Superintendent Maloney chose to
052state the following about her February 10th 26 false representations. Quote, I stated my understanding that these contracts had already been reviewed as part of the previous state auditor accountability audit and the understanding was based on language contained in the auditor's published report. The eighth opportunity to tell the truth and another missed opportunity. In baseball, you get three strikes before you're out. She's had eight opportunities to tell the truth and nothing. No one in this position should get three strikes, let alone eight. So, you need to do the right thing, board, and not renew the superintendent's contract. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comment. >> Okay, our next speaker is Carly Gardner. Miss Gardner. >> My name is Karly Gardner and I'm a parent of three children in the Evergreen School District. Today I would
053like to bring attention to a decision that has been made regarding the orchestra program at Union High School. This year the excellent longtime director Mr. Tim CE is retiring. Over his many years at Union, he has grown the program into one of the top orchestras in the state of Washington. It has recently been communicated to parents and students that instead of finding a full-time replacement director to continue this legacy of excellence, the district has made the decision that the entire program will be led by a teacher who will also be responsible for the full orchestra program at Heritage High School. Being an orchestra director is a huge job, and I cannot fathom how one person can successfully take on the full programs at two schools and keep them thriving. This is an unsustainable situation and
054both high school orchestras will suffer for it. It is my understanding that because of the reworking of class sizes, he will also not have an assistant director at Union to help in this gargantuan task. Due to this new arrangement, the schedules at each school are being changed to accommodate the director being in two schools in one day. As a result, next year, many students will have to quit the orchestra program that they love dearly because there are now conflicts with other programs that they participate in, such as Cascadia Tech. These conflicts have not existed in the past. All students should be able to participate in the music program if they wish, and the schedule should be configured so that they can. These students should not be excluded in order to save a few dollars. Please
055hire a full-time replacement director for the orchestra at Union. This retirement is not an opportunity to cut costs. The arts programs in our schools are essential and contribute heavily to our children's well-being. We cannot continue to cut away at these programs that give them a sense of belonging and real accomplishment. Belonging and accomplishment can mean so much to kids at this stage of their lives. Please ask yourself what are we gaining and what are we losing in this decision. There will be real harm done to the students who are forced to quit and to the morale of the students who are able to stay but must watch their program deteriorate. Please reverse this decision and support our orchestras. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. [applause] Our next uh our next speaker is Sasha
056Hawthorne. Good evening. >> Hello. Uh, hi Sasha Hawthorne. They them pronouns. Uh, I'm a teacher at Weiss Middle School and I'm here today uh also as a member of the EA uh bargain support team with an update for the community on contract negotiations between EA and EPS. Uh so bargaining teams have met now six times including yesterday's session uh which was also attended by Dr. Maloney. Sessions have been productive and teams are meeting well into the evening. Last night both sides were at the table until almost 1000 p.m. past my bedtime. So far there has been um 18 tenative agreements reached. Both parties have also agreed to add an additional day of bargaining on June 11th. Uh that means there are three remaining days of bargaining prior to the Evergreen Education Association general membership meeting
057on June 17th. So these next three dates are June 11th, June 12th, and June 15th. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comment. [applause] >> Camille Lman. My name is Camille and I'm a parent. In 2019, COO Jana Gomes contacted an outside investigator handling a HIP complaint uh by a teacher in the district at that time, Mr. Dodge, uh regarding findings, wanting findings removed from the report that Mr. Dodge's first amendment rights had been violated. The board was not informed of this before Mr. Dodge's appeal hearing. In 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stated that it was understandable why Dodge was concerned about Miss Gome's involvement in the investigation, citing her refusal to recuse herself from leave and benefits request and her request that the investigator removed discussion of Dodge's freedom of expression from
058the final report. This matter ultimately cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2022, her actions against a PAR educator who was a whistleblower, resulting in a settlement of $85,000 in favor of the employee. In 2023, there were her actions against Amy Stevenson after he flagged unusual district spending in accordance with the district internal controls, followed in 2025 by continued false statements by district legal council Garrett Williams during the VPD investigation. These matters alone cost the district approximately 70,000 plus dollars. There are of course many others, but I have a very small amount of time this evening. In April 2021, the EAA, the principal's association, submitted a grievance to superintendent and the school board, expressing concerns that Miss Gomes had created a culture of intimidation, fear, and retaliation. The grievance went unresolved and was
059resubmitted to the prior superintendent, John Boyd, in February 2022, but was ultimately dismissed. Public comments during bargaining as recently as last year suggest that labor relations have still not improved. While the 2021 WASSA review appeared to have addressed concerns regarding trust and organizational climate, it was followed by two strikes, two votes of no confidence, two superintendent, and a second WASA review dated March 6, 2026. The review in which it is understood was not provided to the entire board for some reason recognized the COO's extensive hands-on involvement in the daily operations of the human resources benefits and payroll departments and recommended appointing someone else to lead their labor relations and negotiations in order to strengthen trust and demonstrate transparency with labor partners. Although the two was reviews examined different issues, there appears to be a very
060clear commonality. The May 8th SAO management letter this year found that Ms. Gome supplemental contract was issued without authority and in violation of the law and Washington state constitution. The board is also aware that Miss Gomes approved payments to the Stevens Clay Law Firm for her personal defense through Garrett Williams joint repres representation of both herself and the district during the 2025 VPD investigation. The payments appear to have occurred without any evidence of board approval or oversight despite prior notice of concern regarding her apparent abuse of authority. Policy GC7 of the board members code of conduct states, "The board and its members will conduct themselves lawfully with integrity and high ethical standards in order to model the behaviors expected of staff and students and to build public confidence and credibility." So, in light of that,
061why does the board continue to ignore years of documentation relating to the COO? Non-renewal of Miss Gome's contract is necessary to protect the district and restore public trust. I asked the board fulfill their duty that they were elected and sworn in to perform and not renew her contract. It's never too late to admit you were wrong and do the right thing. >> Thank you for your comments. [applause] >> Adam Aguilera. Dear Evergreen School Board and Superintendent Maloney, I'm Adam Aguilera and I'm speaking as a member of the Evergreen Education Association. I'd like to address tonight the unauthorized use of public funds with no effective oversight as an ongoing concern in the Evergreen community. On May 8th, 2026, a state auditor's management letter found the 2023 supplemental contracts district bargainers received violated the law, specifically the
062state constitution. The auditor found no evidence the contracts were approved before the employees worked and no documentation that the work exceeded their original contract responsibilities. In short, the contracts were unlawful and and issued without authority. In September 2025, a police report was filed alleging Chief Operations Officer Jana Gomes used those contracts to pay herself and others without board authorization. But here's where it gets really spicy, and here's where I agree with Director Wilson's concerns that the district should not involve the Stevens Clay Law Firm any further in this matter. On September 5th, the day the COO received the Vancouver Police Department reports, invoices show she contacted Stevens Clay attorney Garrett Williams. Days later, on September 8th, and again October 14th, Williams wrote to the detective running that criminal investigation, quote, "Our office represents Evergreen Public
063Schools and its COO, Jana Gomes. By his own admission, in writing, the district's attorney represented the COO in her criminal investigation. paid with public funds. And you'll want to write this law down as you're looking for a new lawyer. RCW28A320 lets the board fund a defense only if it grants a request to do so and only for an action or proceeding instituted against an official. The COO was investigated, not charged. And from September 2025 through May 2026, there is no record, no discussion, no motion, no vote authorizing Garrett Williams to represent Jana Gomes or anyone under that statute. And it gets so much worse. School board Garrett Williams made 14 false or misleading statements to law enforcement on your behalf. He claimed the state auditor had examined these contracts and found no violation. On October
06422nd, he wrote, quote, "We know that the auditor reviewed these four contracts." That is false. No one from the state auditor's office reviewed these supplemental contracts before the spring of 2026, and no one from the district provided them to the auditor. So, I'll ask the questions that matter. Who authorized Garrett Williams to represent the COO in a criminal investigation? Who allowed the COO to use her own position to sign off and pay those invoices with public funds? Why did he give false information in the board's name? And when Garrett Williams wrote we, who precisely is sharing that pronoun for the sake of your names and reputations, at this point, you have the opportunity not to renew the COO's contract in July. I'd advise you take it. Thank you for your comments. [applause] This concludes the
065uh public comment portion of the meeting. The next item on the agenda is our board's consent agenda. Is there a motion? >> I move to accept the board's consent agenda as presented. >> Second. >> Director Grwald has moved and Director Wilson seconded to approve the board's consent agenda as presented. All in favor? I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is the superintendent consent agenda. Is there a motion? >> I move to approve the superintendent's consent agenda as presented. >> We'll second. >> Director Grwald has moved and director Bokeenegra seconded uh to approve the superintendent consent agenda as presented. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is board comments. Who would like to go first? >> I'll go first real quick.
066I'll let you guys keep the glory of the graduation since I unfortunately had to miss a couple. Um, [clears throat] we actually, Julie and I are currently working on interviews for our junior school um or our board representatives. So, we had one interview this afternoon and we have a couple of more on Monday and then we should be able to wrap it up and have our junior representative assigned before the end of the school year. >> That's really good news. >> That's all I have. >> Yeah. Um, about graduation, it was uh [sighs] seven. It's seven total graduations between Thursday and Saturday. And um those are always such good days uh to see uh the accomplishment and the success of students uh reach that culminating point that commencement. Uh I will note that the weather
067was mostly cooperative except at Mountain View's graduation where uh you just got to go see the video. Uh they they began their processional in light rain and by the time they were halfway through it was hailing with 8 in size hails and they all broke for the covered areas. We ended up needing to pause the graduation. Uh these kids were soaked wet all the way to the bone it looked like. Uh but they came back the weather held and uh we had a great conclusion had a great conclusion to all the graduations. Um, I'm really appreciative and proud of the graduating class of 2026 and uh those teachers and counselors and employees in the school who helped them reach that point. >> Yeah, I en enjoyed the graduations. It was great to see, yes, the
068excitement on the students faces and it's uh probably one of the best u things that we get to do every year is hand out those diplomas and we're taking credit for other people doing all the work though. So, um yeah, just thank you for the teachers that are, you know, out there every day uh making it possible for those kids to graduate and be ready for the next step in their life. So, thank you. And on a serious note again, um after looking over the resolution of no confidence and evergreen COO, uh I've read the resolution and I share some of the same concerns and will take seriously the June 17th vote of the Evergreen Education Association members. And just want to highlight again the one um sentence or paragraph in the U management report
069uh concerning the supplemental contracts. It stated uh we also recommend the district conduct additional legal review to determine if any further actions such as repayment are necessary or required by law. And I would definitely add independent legal review uh specifically and not a legal review by our current legal council. So, um, thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Um, couple of things. I actually want to piggyback on Gary's last comment um and maybe some of the comments that we heard earlier, but I just want to talk about um the contracts and uh my understanding of them because going back they were all um authorized by our then superintendent at the time, our former superintendent um who authorized those. It was a practice that he had done in other districts and he signed off on all
070of them. Um we did receive the after they were investigated by several jurisdictions we uh which found no fraud or wrongdoing. We've got a management letter from the state auditor's office which is not a finding. It's a management letter with a recommendation. Um Dr. Maloney has implemented some of those procedural changes and um I would like for us to continue our focus on students and success. We have uh great things to be celebrating. We just spent this last weekend in celebrating our students. Uh we just heard Dr. Fox's presentation this evening about school improvement plans. We saw five schools receive awards from the superintendent's office. I um when we talk about continuous improvement, I was making this comment earlier today in a work meeting and because I have great joy when it comes to graduation.
071Uh it brings me, it's a long weekend, but it brings me so much joy. And we talk about continuous improvement, we talk about data, we talk about things, but I kind of do an eyeball test. And let me tell you, this year when I saw the graduates come across that stage, I saw a group that felt ready and confident to take on this role. And I can see that each year we're getting more and more improvement and more academic success. Um we had some rough years there from COVID and I feel like we are really moving forward and doing some really good work within our schools. Um that's where I want to put my focus and energy. I want to continue to work with our staff and our teams um to make sure that we
072provide the best education possible for every student in our district. And that's that's what my focus is on. Thank you. >> Anything? Okay. Any other comments tonight? Hearing none, we'll go into recess. Uh and afterwards, uh what will be on the agenda is an executive session under RCW 4231101G, uh to review the performance of a public employee. The time is 6:46 p.m. and at 6:55 the board will go into that executive session in the hemlock room to review the performance of a public employee from what did I say 6:50 >> 655 >> 6:55 until 7:55 p.m. We're in recess. The board will extend its executive session for another 10 minutes. So we will conclude at 7 >> 87 >> at 8:07. Yeah. The time now is 8:10 and this meeting is adjourned. [music]