School Board Meeting - May 27, 2025

001Good evening. Welcome to our regular board of directors meeting. It's May 27th, 5:31 p.m. Please join us for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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. Student rep. Nia Peavey has our land acknowledgement. Evergreen public schools resides on the traditional lands of the shinookan peoples and the kowitz 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. First item on our agenda is to adopt the agenda. Is there a motion? I move

002to adopt tonight's agenda. Second. Director Boengra moves to adopt the agenda. Seconded by Director Wilson. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Next item on our agenda is our superintendent report. Dr. Maloney. All right. Thank you very much. Um it is definitely a very busy time of year in our schools. Um with many of the end of the year celebrations, performances, and events happening across our district from grades K through 12. I had the opportunity to tour the district visual art show at the Fenberg Center last week and was very very impressed with our student artists and their work. I've attended concerts this year and know the end of the year concerts are always great experiences for our students and families and there have been several drama productions uh this year as well. We should

003be very proud of our fine and performing arts offerings, our instructors and our students. With that, I'd like to share a little bit a highle overview of a school's master schedule um building process. It's important to remember that elective classes are offered at each of our high school based on student interests. We have an eb and a flow to the number of classes schools are able to offer. And it's be and again it's based on expressed student interest that's found in the forecasting data that's gathered each year in each one of our high schools. Beginning in February, students express their interest in coursework for the following year during something that's called forecasting, which is a survey of interest administered to each student. With a limited staff budget that's based on student enrollment, and our enrollment

004has been declining, building administrators have to decide what courses to offer based on the number of students who are showing interest in particular courses. In the recent past, there has been a sharp decline in the number of students expressing interest in theater drama during forecasting, and some principles have combined courses into one class in order to keep the department in place. I know that several people and students out there are very passionate um about the drama and theater uh program and they have signed up tonight to make some public comment. And I do want to share that we are very eager to continue offering drama along with all fine and performing arts classes as long as there is enough strong student interest in those courses so that we can offer them. Again, the decrease in

005theater drama classes is not a result of a district cut or a program cut. is a direct result of decrease in number of students who are interested in taking the drama theater class as a credit bearing course during the school day. The forecasting process is very important uh to building administrators. Again, there must be enough student interest in a course for us to fund the staffing and offer the course. As a district, we face significant budget constraints and several classes across multiple areas have been impacted for next year. wildlife biology, AP physics and business and marketing offerings, web development, sports as literature, film as literature, and coding was algebra among some of those. Like theater, these are courses that inspire passion in our students and offer valuable, sometimes life-shaping lessons and opportunities. Unfortunately, we simply

006don't have enough resources to run every class when the numbers don't support it. The elective offerings at a high school can be quite fluid and change from year to year. courses offered in the college and career and technology education or CCT program provides us with an example at Mountain View High School where digital arts was once a large program. However, recently there is less student interest in digital arts and yet the floral design program is growing because of strong student interest. Likewise, Heritage has seen growth in their advanced digital art classes while their entry- levelvel courses in the same program are declining. As stewards of tax dollars, we have to make wise decisions on how staffing is allocated. Principles and their teams make tough decisions on what to offer. And it starts with student interest.

007Student interest along with graduation requirements drives the courses we offer to to staff and we offer to our we offer we're able to staff and offer to our students. However, I do want to point out that theater club and productions continues to be offered after school at all four of our comprehensive high schools. So, I just wanted to provide an overview again of how elected courses are um built into the master schedule. So, thank you very much. Thank you. Next item on our agenda is public comments. Any community member wishing to address the board 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 addressing any individual member of the board, the administrative staff, or

008the audience. Although the board will not engage in dialogue, the board chair may ask a speaker a clarifying question or follow up at a later time on an issue raised during public comment. Each speaker has a maximum of three minutes this evening to ensure we hear from as many voices as possible. First person on our list is Dena Alt. Good evening. Good evening. Can you hear me? Okay. Hi, my name is Dana Alt and I'm a parent of two students that have grown up in this district. Both are now in high school and one's graduating in a couple of weeks. You know, I know you've already heard some stories a couple of weeks ago and you're about to hear more about how the students and the parents have grown and their experiences of having drama

009classes. But today, I mean, I have that same story, but today I'm going to really focus on using the lens, my own lens, my lens as an ed educator, a former administrator, a family, I mean, not family, excuse me, a community partner, and an advocate for children and young adults. So, we were told one day, and it was very upsetting, that by the way, all theater classes have now been cut, but it's okay. Hey, we're going to have the production. And I thought, well, okay, I should be really excited, right, that we have the production. But the problem is the production is just the end result. the classes that have been cut. That is actually the process in which students learn everything they need to do to put on the production. It teaches the foundation

010of not only acting but working as a team. And it's how they they learn skills to become a crew and an acting force. The production is just merely the final project, the term paper, the final exam, if you will, a time to show what they have learned. You know, research the US Department of Education did some research and one of the things that they found or several things is that students that are involved in drama education have better school attendance. They have more engagement in school and out of school activities. They have higher graduation rates and they score higher on SAT scores. And many of them go off to college and become leaders in their jobs in their future because of the skills that they learn in the class. In fact, I've met many professionals

011in our community, business owner owners that talk really fondly of their time in drama and how the skills they learned help them be successful adults. It's through the drama classes that they learn tangible and soft skills and helps them to navigate the world during high school and after. These students are dedicated developing strong work ethics and learning to be responsible and take accountability. But there's more. They learn job skills. They learn tools. They build things. They create. They work together as a team. Some are leaders. They learn how to be leaders. They also learn how to be followers in their team, communicate together. And did I mention that how their self-confidence just exudes from them? You can see it and you can feel it. the pride they have in the product, the production that started

012in the classroom. Thank you. I want to see my final comment. Please be a part of the solution to help us bring back drama classes to Heritage High School. Please helped us protect the process because drama classes provide so much more than acting. Thank you, Aane Ford. [Applause] Actually, uh, Nana Ghani. Did I get your name right? Huh? Your name? Uh, Nana, but I'm going to be introducing myself anyways. All right. Hello. Hello, my name is Hanana Bagani and I'm a senior at Heritage High School. I have been in theater classes since my freshman year, the same year I began having medical issues arise. I was barely at school, barely making it to classes and I was in pain and fatigued all the time. Sometimes all I could do to motivate myself to keep pushing

013forward, to keep going to school, was that I just had to make it to my sixth period class, my tech theater class. I'd be okay if I just made it to that class. I did as much as I could with my pain to move sets around for the children's plays. And when second semester rolled around, I was in my acting class where I met my best friend in the world. That class saved my freshman year and me. I didn't have theater classes in sophomore year and I felt that absence. I missed it. I didn't get the class for whatever reason. And I remember that I regretted it. I wanted to be in that class. I wanted to help out. I wanted to participate but was too nervous to try out for the plays and I

014just I wanted to be a part of that environment. Come junior year, I was in that class again and this time musical theater. Suddenly, I was being asked to take part in the class project production of Frog Prints. Despite being scared, I auditioned and I got the lead. I remember Mr. J telling me that I could do anything, even memorize my lines and even perform. So, I memorized my lines and dang it, I performed. I never would have auditioned for the big play that spring without that class. I wouldn't have found it something I'm so passionate about, good at, enjoy without this class. That class gave me something more precious than a second home or confidence. It felt like it returned my sense of self, a sense that I had lost when, or at least

015I felt like I had lost when my pain began. It felt like the little girl who loved to take center stage and entertain and be loud and proud and silly. That little girl who spent four years in pain and tired. I saw her again. Best of all, people got to meet her. This class has done so much for me in my healing journey. It's not just a class, but experiences that positively change people's lives. Protect heritage theater classes. Thank you. Thank you, Dane Ford. Hello. Hi. Uh, can you hear me? Right. Yeah. All right. My name is Dan Ford and I wrote a little uh something on why I theater is important to me. Joining theater has been the best thing in this school in my opinion for me. Uh but not just for me

016but for many other students. Theater is more than just putting on a show. It teaches confidence, communication, teamwork, and empathy. Skills that are essential no matter what career path someone takes. Uh in an age where collaboration and creativity are more valuable than ever, cudden theater sends the message sends the message that these qualities just don't matter as much. For many students, theater is a safe place, a place to express themselves, to belong, and to grow. It gives a voice to the quiet, a platform for the passionate, and a second home for those who might not have one. Removing theater isn't just cutting a class. It's closing a door on opportunity, expression, and inclusion. As a graduating senior, I don't ask this for myself, but rather for everyone behind me, the students who have the value

017of high school days ahead of them. That is all. Thank you. Thank you, Tristan Moore. Tristan Moore. Okay, thank you Karen Robertson. Uh hello. Hello. Uh um my name is Karen Robertson. I'm a sophomore at Heritage and I'm here to talk about the drama class. Uh I I joined theater last year and in that time I it helped me become more of a confident person. Uh last year I uh would have like completely given up on participating in school if it wasn't for this program. Uh the people in this class mean so much to me. I I would hate for anyone to miss out on on uh an experience like this. Um reading scripts here and drama really helped me with my memorization skills. And um lastly, I'd like to say that I'm like obviously

018a very anxious person and theater really helped me like put myself out there and try to be better at public speaking. Um it helped me ask questions when I felt like I needed to and it helped me make new friendships that I wouldn't have had if it wasn't for this class. I wouldn't have ever met so many wonderful people if it wasn't for theater. And I would have never had the courage to go up here and talk if it wasn't for this class. But now with a a bunch of these wonderful people lifting me up and supporting me, I can finally feel okay doing something like this. Uh thank you. Thank you, Caleb Williams. Hello. Hey, can you guys hear me? Yes. Cool. So, I'd like to start off by saying that I have not

019taken a theater class at Heritage, but I was involved in both of the plays this year. And when I got there and I showed up to rehearsal for the first time after I got cast, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I met so many people right off the bat that I really just love to be around. Like I made so many fantastic friends and I was really looking forward to taking the theater classes because I figured, well, I met a lot of people doing this. I didn't get to participate in one of the school's productions because it was in a theater class. It was in a drama class and I didn't know that. And it really got me excited for high school in general. And then when I walked into uh

020I think it was a set strike, I came in and I was met with one of the saddest things I've probably ever heard when it relates to school. and that was that the theater classes that I wanted to participate in were being cut and a lot of other freshmen that I knew were also actually really excited. A lot of them didn't get around to it for forecasting. I was busy. I couldn't recruit as many people as I could after My Fair Lady, but I was so sad to hear that a lot of my friends who were genuinely excited, like my buddy Blake for example, he's a big sports guy. He's uh, you know, he's got a good reputation around school, but he was really excited to do theater. He's not someone you would ever expect

021to join, but he was totally planning on it. And he was totally planning on taking the class with me. And it was almost kind of hard to find out like, wow, I'm don't I might not ever get this experience again. And by the time I'm gone, theater might still not have come back to Heritage. And that really hurt my soul. I don't come to things like this very often. This isn't really I like public speaking, but this is not my deal. I really felt so passionate about missing the people that I wanted to be around and not being able to experience as much of theater as I really really wanted to and dig into the art form as much as I wished I could that I decided I was going to show up and speak

022just to show you guys how passionate so many people are. I think if even five people signed up, which obviously there are a lot more, but I think if even just a small tiny little itty bitty fraction of Heritage signed up to be in theater, they should absolutely get the chance. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It improved the way that I thought about other people, but not only that, it improved me as a person. It improved the way I viewed the world around me. It improved my singing, my footwork for boxing. Um, it improved my carpentry skills and for all I know, could pave the way to something greater. And I really think you guys should consider bringing the class back. And I think it's a disservice to every single

023student at Heritage that it's not. Thank you. Thank you. Kylie Ponos. Hello. Hello. My name is Kylie Ponis. I'm a sophomore at Heritage High School. I feel connected to the school and I feel wanted because of theater at Heritage. Theater is such a huge part of my life and is so important to me. This program has brought so much whimsy to so many lives. I found a family in our community and I feel welcome whenever I step into the classroom. This class is a safe place for students of every background. These classes are an integral part of putting on the productions that the public enjoys so much. Whether the production is extracurricular or not, a student trying out the class is a student more likely to try out for the tech crew or role in

024the play. Theater has given me so much and a lot of what I've gained can be applied to real life scenarios. My confidence has been boosted. Last year, I wouldn't even raise my hand in class if I needed help. This year, I led my class in a performance in another language. I learned skills like public speaking, memorization, leadership, communication, how to use a drill, how to handle myself when situations turn unexpected, and managing myself with a deadline. I learned how to project my voice, use my empathy, articulation when I speak, and countless other skills. Recently, I had a mock interview for a school project. I was thoroughly unprepared, but I got 100%. I hit every mark I was supposed to, and I didn't know how to answer the questions the interviewer asked. Without theater, I

025wouldn't have been able to do that. When I was writing this, someone told me to speak from the heart on why I want drama classes back in my school. My first thought was to talk about how theater has affected the people around me. I have a friend who's absolutely in love with theater. Every time I see him in the classroom or on the stage, he has that innocent twinkle of joy in his eyes of just being in the theater atmosphere. I know a girl who thrives in the drama program. I mean, she's so talented, and I would really hope she can pursue theater all four of her high school years and grow her skills even further. I'd love to see what she can do with more training. At the beginning of this year, I met

026a guy who I had a hand in convincing him to join theater. From the second he started, anyone can see that he loved being there. He wrote a note to me recently saying that he's glad he met me, which brought so many tears to my eyes. Without theater, none of these awesome people would have a chance to further their skills or make these meaningful connections. These connections and skills and moments are the reason I'm talking right now, because I believe that everyone should get to experience them. I believe that everyone should get to find a community as amazing as the one I found. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mitchell Garnen. Hello. Hello. Um, my name is Mitch Garrison and I am the theater teacher and director at Mountain View High School. I'm here

027tonight to advocate for something that often gets overlooked in public education, and that's theater arts. We are currently witnessing a troubling trend where theater is being phased out of this district one class at a time. Last year, all four of our district's comprehensive high schools offered theater classes during the school day. These classes include beginning theater, advanced theater, theater as literature, technical theater, and musical theater production. Next year, only two of our high schools will be offering theater classes. Evergreen and Heritage, our two most economically disadvantaged schools, are losing all of their theater classes next year. And at Mountain View, we're going from two classes down to just one. That's one class period for nearly 50 students with a wide range of experience. I'm lucky to work with building administration who support the arts and

028see the value that theater brings to our students and our school culture. But at the district level, theater receives very little recognition or support. Union, Heritage, Evergreen, and Mountain View each produce three major productions every year, but they are rarely acknowledged. In fact, we hold one district theater festival yearly, and we cannot get the district video production team to film it. One of my fellow theater teachers is losing her theater program and being displaced next year. And we haven't heard a word from anyone at the district about it. All of this sends a clear message that theater education doesn't matter and that theater teachers and students are expendable. But it does matter. We matter and we deserve better. Frankly, my students put in too many hours and work too hard to be overlooked time and

029time again. Theater is not just an add-on, it's a necessity. Research tells us that theater helps students grow with empathy, collaboration, confidence, and critical thinking. It gives a voice to students who often feel invisible. For some, it's the reason they show up to school. And isn't that what we want? The district says that we want students to feel seen, heard, and empowered. And theater checks all of those boxes. My theater program is run completely by Mountain View Theater alumni, myself included, who are here because of the immense impact that theater made on us when we were in school. Theater provides a space for students to belong and we need that now more than ever. We are watching theater programs vanish and that should concern all of us. When these programs get cut, we don't just

030lose a subject, but we lose student belonging, creativity, and community. We need district leadership that values all arts and not just some. We need to be advocated for and protected the same way that the district's music programs are. and we need commitment at the district level to rebuild theater programs and make sure that every student at every school has access to theater arts education. Thank you. Thank you, Owen Gunter. Hello. Hello everyone. Uh my name is Owen and I'm a junior from Mountain View High School. Uh I'm speaking today on behalf of not only Mountain View, but every school and their theater programs throughout the district. I come before you with the intentions of offering a student's perspective on high school and how theater changed my high school career for the better. As a freshman,

031I had a lot to look up to. My sister was an outstanding student, 4.0 GPA, nearly perfect academics, and my parents had just the same expectations for me. Uh, ironically though for me school was much more about uh the socialization than the learning. While I did prioritize my learning over the socialization, it was a place to get away from home and to get be around students my age. Right away into the year my freshman year, I was a part of the band, an amazing community of people with a drive to make music as as best they can. Sorry. Um, they welcomed me into the world of high school with open arms just as I was by robotics, tennis, and then deca. and these filled my schedule, but in a lot of cases, they did not

032fully fill my social expectations. Um, near the end of the year, uh, after all was said and done, I was asked by some, uh, by one of my friends, uh, and they essentially demanded that I audition for the next year's fall, uh, musical. I was ecstatic at the idea, but very nervous when it came to actually auditioning. And after some convincing, I stepped into the theater classroom after school and was met with hundreds of students. You should see that classroom. All of those students were eager to try something new. And I of course didn't end up getting anything in the musical because I was just a freshman. But something magical did happen after that. I was invited to a birthday party. Me, a freshman, by someone who didn't even know me. Except it wasn't just

033me. It was every single person who even tried auditioning. It was there that I realized that it wasn't just some club or some class. It was a family that cared. A family that even through drama still came together and included every single person. I don't think I would have continued theater without that summer party. And I something that I realize now is that uh I hadn't have had been invited to a party for nearly a year until that point. And for someone with more of a social generator than a social battery, it was a realization that took me a back. It wasn't until junior year when I hit a wall throughout high school while sparing the details for the public. I I was in a rough place. A really rough place. The kind of place

034where you can't bring yourself to seek out help. When every other community let me sit in that place, I was pulled out by friends in theater. Sometimes more literally than metaphorically to get out of that headsp space, but it meant something. That embrace that that connection to those people is something that every kid needs now more than ever with the apparent suicide rates increasing throughout schools. The welcome, the aid, the kind of people that don't just see you for what you play or build or how you compete, but who you are. And nowhere else is it more evident than in theater. Thank you. Thank you, Cameron Hurst. Hello. Hello. Um, members of the school board, parents, teachers, and fellow students. My name is Cammy and I'm here as a passionate advocate for our theater program.

035A program that is not just an extracurricular activity, but an important part of our school's community and personal growth. First, theater is a safe space from the pressures of school. It offers a comfortable space where we can express ourselves, work together, and develop people skills. In our increasingly digital world, the importance of face-to-face communication and teamwork can't be overlooked. The theater program strengthens these abilities, preparing us for life. Playing different characters teaches us empathy as we step into the shoes of our characters, understanding their lives and their struggles and their stories. We learn to understand and portray emotions that are not our own. Building deep understanding and compassion for others through theater. I've learned to take on leadership roles, gain confidence, and build resilience. Performing on stage boosts self-confidence, teaching voice modulation, body language, and

036eye contact. Fighting stage fright. Feedback is an al another important part of theater. Learning to accept constructive criticism gracefully and using it to improve builds resilience. These skills, leadership, confidence, and resilience that we learn in theater can have a lasting impact, preparing us for future and personal and professional challenges. Theater goes beyond the stage, shaping individuals who can lead, express themselves, and handle conflict and constructive criticism. Every performance is a chance to accept that while perfection isn't always realistic, improvement is. Unlike band and orchestra, where students follow a conductor and sheet music, theater involves multiple elements: costume, makeup, lights, sound, stage crew, and set design. It's about memorization, presentation, and collaboration in a way that is unique to the performing arts. Lastly, we've seen other schools face cuts in their programs and theater programs are

037at risk of being cut and it's crucial that we advocate for them. We must stand together to protect this essential element of our education and culture. Our theater program is a cherished tradition. Families gather to watch performance performances and younger siblings get inspired to follow in their footsteps. I want my little brother, a future actor, to experience the joy and growth that theater offers. In closing, I urge you to recognize the great value of the theater program. It's not merely a performance. is a lesson in life skills, collaboration, and personal growth as a tradition worth preserving for future generations and for my brother. Thank you for considering not just the present, but the future of students and community. Thank you, Kenzie Al Shinhub. Hello. Hello. Good evening. My name is Kenzie. I'm a junior at

038Mountain View High School and I've been doing theater for as long as I can remember. I've explored many things such as robotics, hosa, and choir, but theater has remained my one constant, especially during high school. Research consistently shows that students involved in theater tend to earn higher GPA and are less likely to drop out. Along with this research, I speak from experience. As a sophomore, I made the decision to not participate in one of our seasons productions, Pippen. Unexpectedly, this decision correlated heavily with my scholarly performance during my second semester as I had lost motivation to attend school, let alone excel in my academics. This was an unusual change for me considering I've only ever known myself to have a 4.0. Which brings me back to my point that theater is many students' motivation to

039get through the school day and further improve in their academic performance as well. Safe to say now that I've gotten back into my preferred routine, I haven't struggled with my grades since. Moreover, theater is a place in which people are encouraged to truly express themselves, something that is rarely found in any other program. This welcoming attitude teaches students of all backgrounds to be authentically their own people, all while creating acceptance and belonging amongst the community. As a result of students' security and self-exression, their susceptibility to peer pressure decreases. This is especially critical in high school where peer pressure can lead to serious outcomes like bullying, substance use, and even mental health struggles. All of this to say, the more confident a student is in their own self, the less susceptible they are to inevitable peer

040pressure. And programs such as theater continually strengthen students' self-expression, giving them the appropriate tools to resist social pressures. The skills students develop in theater don't stop at high school. They extend into college, careers, and real world environments. With each production, students are required to work with one another to create a successful show. Whether that be a cast or crew member, everyone is as valuable to the community as the next person. The responsibility essentially falling on the team pushes them to adapt to any complications throughout the process, as well as improve cooperation among their peers, both of which are incredibly useful skills to acquire for life after high school. In conclusion, along with the social benefits that result from theater education, long-lasting benefits of the program include improved academic performance, resistance to external pressures, and progressive

041workforce skills, to name a few. With all of this in mind, I urge you to maintain strong support to all theater programs in our district as it is not only an extracurricular, but an essential aspect to high school education and beyond. Thank you. Thank you. Silus Brady. Hello. Hello. My name is Silus and I am a sophomore at Mountain View High School. Uh I've always been a performer. Either it's been, you know, performing for my my family at Christmas parties or on the stage. Ever since I can remember, I always felt like I never belonged or I was never a part of something. That was until I started attending Mountain View and joined the theater program. I theater has is the one thing that makes me want to go to school, that encourages me to

042get good grades and take good classes, even AP classes. I am not one to intentionally put hard work in and until until I started doing theater and I was pushed to. Without theater, I would probably be failing and not being going to school. Um, of course the performances are a huge deal, but it's it's the theater class that got me introduced to those per performances and got me introduced to all of my friends and everybody that loves and support me now are in those classes. Theater is also one of uh a great place to learn how to handle real life scenarios like last minute changes. Um getting rejected for a job and learning how to accept that and be better and to apply for a next job. um adapt to a different environment and and

043it's also helped me build my personality. Um that's all. Thank you. Thank you Oliver Arnot. Hello. Sorry, I'm so Okay. Um, my my name is Oliver Ryan Arnot. Um, I've I'm I'm a junior at Mountain View High School and I've always had an unexplainable love and passion for acting and theater. Through all of the arts, theater gives kids a space where they can express their emotions and love that other arts don't offer. When I look around in my theater community, I see so many kids whose only extracurricular is theater. This may not sound significant, but without theater, so many of these kids wouldn't have a single connection to their school's community. As an incoming senior, I know that when I reflect on my high school experience, I will truly only be able to reflect on

044my time in theater. All the love that I hold for Mountain View is rooted in my career in theater. What I will miss when I leave is my love for theater. Without it, there will be a large lack in school spirit and experiences rooted within schools at all. I can't stand to see the lack of appreciation towards this district's theater programs. And I'm so scared that children in the future will be held back from experiencing the love and passion that I witness every day in theater. I don't want to be a lucky generation of high schoolers that got to experience theater. I want generations to come to be able to experience the life that I get to live. That's all. Thank you. Natalie Miller. Hello. Hello. Hello. My name is Natalie Miller and I'm a

045freshman at Mountain View High School. In recent years, we have seen a decline in funding for theater programs across the district, which saddens me. And here's why. My first introduction to school theater programs was through my brother. Seeing his joy and light on stage inspired me to join. In my past year in theater, I have been happier than ever. Theater is a space for me and many others in our program to be our true selves. We are united in one common goal. Theater has made me friends with so many people that I probably would have never met if I hadn't joined. When I am at theater, I feel appreciated, loved, and that people actually want me there. Theater also gives a chance for students to connect with other students from other schools as well. Due

046to theater, I have gained good work ethic, good work ethic, flexibility in new situations, and good people skills. Theater gives students a chance to step on stage and show the audience who they are as a performer. I hope that our district recognizes the value of theater programs and the positive impact they have on students lives. By investing in these programs, we can ensure that future generations have the same opportunities to grow, express themselves, and build meaningful connections. Theater is not just an art form. It is a vital community that fosters creativity, confidence, and collaboration. Let's work together to keep this un essential part of our school experience alive for everyone. Thank you for considering the importance of theater programs in our schools. Thank you. Riley Markle. He's right there. Hello. Hello. Um, good evening everyone.

047My name is Riley Markle and I'm a senior from Mountain View High School. Tonight I'm here to speak to you about something that I've always held close to my heart and that's theater arts. I've had the privilege of stage managing for Mountain View's theater program for the past three years, and I plan to pursue technical theater as well as theater education throughout college and beyond. Tonight, I stand before you not just as a student of the arts, but as a representative of countless other students like myself, whose education and lives have not only been shaped, but enriched and empowered by theater programs across the district. There's a growing narrative in education that places an emphasis on standardized test scores and measurable outcomes. And while that is undeniably important, I urge you to take into account

048what is lost when the importance of arts education, but especially theater arts is overlooked. Often times classes, theater classes are treated as a luxury or just another extracurricular. Um, hold on one second. But in reality, they are far from that. Theater is a community unlike any other that fosters growth and real life skills such as accountability, collaboration, and emotional intelligence to name a few. Aside from that, never in my personal or academic life have I found such a profound and genuinely accepting community. Theater has always been a place for people of all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to call home. It's not just about performing, it's about belonging. There are few communities where raw unconditional support exists. In theater, support and success is collective. We share everything from responsibility to failures to triumph. We laugh together

049and we cry together. And I think anyone can attest to the fact that that kind of environment is not just rare in high school, but rare in life. To discard theater classes is to silence the voices, stifle the growth, and outright close the door on students across the district who are looking for a place to fit in and figure out who they are free of judgment. So I leave you with this. When students such as myself, my peers, and those who came before me, such as yourselves, look back on our high school experiences, will we remember the test scores and standardized core classes, or will we remember the teachers, friend, and friends that believed in us, the moments that sparked newfound passions and the communities that made us feel seen. For myself and so many

050others, that community will always be theater. Thank you. Thank you. Aiden Cox. Hello. Hello. My name is Aiden Cox. Oh, I touched the computer. I'm so sorry. Uh, my name is Aiden Cox. I will be graduating in a few days from Mountain View High School with eight semesters of theater classes, 12 productions, and hundreds of rehearsal hours under my belt. If it wasn't already clear, theater has been an incredibly significant part of my high school experience and an unparalleled outlet for creative expression throughout my life. So, I am concerned to hear from peers and friends at Evergreen and Heritage that they will no longer offer theater classes. It feels as though theater is treated like an afterthought in this district, degrading such a monumental piece of so many students lives to insignificance. I worry about

051the future of the community that has brought so much joy and opportunity to my life and countless others. I performed my first musical at Mountain View when I was 8 years old and this past weekend, a decade later, we just closed my final high school production. When I look back, I recognize the immense impact theater has had on my cognitive and emotional development. Working in such close proximity with so much interaction with other students, I gained and advanced so many vital skills such as peaceful and mature conflict resolution, how to communicate my emotions and boundaries and essential teamwork. Working under a director enhanced my ability to follow instructions while also sparking my creativity in bringing their vision to life through my unique interpretation of the character. Performing live hones quick problem solving skills and helps

052students build confidence in public speaking and self-expression within a supportive environment. But more importantly, theater provides students with a welcoming and non-discriminatory environment where their creativity and originality can flourish. I stand now with confidence in myself and my own character and identity that I would never have found without my high school's theater arts program. I witness every day how students who otherwise struggle to find social courage thrive in theater. Even more personal to me, I see how my younger siblings are empowered and supported by the theater community at Mountain View. I'm deeply troubled by the trend I'm seeing, representation for theater arts remains dwindling, stripping away a beautiful and unique outlet for students to express their creativity and find their identity. It should be made clear that theater is not a hobby or an expendable

053elective. It is an indivisible community full of students that deserve recognition, representation, and the opportunity to thrive. Thank you. Thank you, Emma Cherret. Hello. Hello. Hi, my name is Emma Cherret. I am a junior at Mountain View High School and I participate in the school's theater program. Over the past few years, I have noticed a decline in funding for the performing arts. This makes me worry about the future for all the theater programs in the district. Theater has given me and hundreds of other students in the district a place to belong. Seeing the decline in funding for the performing arts, I'm incredibly worried for those students that will lose their place. I joined theater in 8th grade. I joined because I had an interest in in performing and I wanted to lose my stage fright.

054I never expected theater to change my life as much as it has. I'm more confident. I have the motivation to attend school. I've made lifelong friendships and I found the path that I want to pursue after high school. I have a place to belong. I have a place to belong in school because of theater. And the memories I've made there will stick with me for the rest of my life. To think that this opportunity could not exist for students makes me incredibly sad. If I didn't join theater, I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. Theater isn't just an after-school activity. It has become home for many students where we can learn, grow, and have fun. Thank you. Thank you, D. Thomas. Hello. Hi, good evening. My name is D. I am the parent

055of a junior at Evergreen High School and two EHS graduates. I've been a part of the Evergreen Public Schools community for over 10 years as a parent, volunteer, and para educator. I'm grateful for the opportunities this district has given my family and I've seen firsthand the impact of EPS core values: equity, belonging, college, and career readiness. But the recent decision to remove theater classes from Evergreen and Heritage high schools tells a very different story. Yes, the afterchool program still exists. But cutting theater as but cutting theater as an elective course removes vital educational opportunities, especially for students who dream of careers in theater arts. It gives a competitive edge to the students at Mountain View Union and other districts. That's not equity. In-class theater instruction offers depth, dramatic technique, physical training like dance and stage

056combat, and study across genres and eras. The afterchool program students get one role, one style, one production. It's like learning to drive just one car instead of learning to drive any vehicle. My daughter, for example, needs a Shakespearean monologue for college auditions. she won't get that kind of preparation outside of class. So, by removing these elective classes, we're denying support for college and career readiness to some while continuing to offer it to others. That is not equitable support. We were told that only 17 students forecasted for theater, but many said they were told by counselors not to register yet. EHS students conducted a poll and gathered 52 names of students who would have signed up decisions made on incomplete data. That's not equity. We want a recount. As a PAR educator, I've seen students blossom

057through theater, especially shy or isolated students. They found confidence, friendships, a place to belong, a reason to show up and shine. They became leaders. They found their voices. They fought anxiety and depression with community and purpose. Without these classes, some students may never discover who they are or where they belong. From what I've seen, equity, opportunity, and support for success seem reserved for students at the more affluent schools. That is not what this district claims to stand for. I urge you, please reconsider, restore theater classes, invest in the voices, futures, and well-being of all our students. Thank you. Thank you, Katherine Fertick. Hello, good evening. My name is Katherine Ferdick. I've have had three children graduate graduate through our district with one senior. I'm here tonight speaking further on our theater classes. Um there's a

058pattern of cutting the classes then the curricular program altogether with beginning theater first uh which is a prerec for any further um advanced classes. Uh once you remove a prerec class you eliminate what qualifies a student uh for other theater classes. Uh translation we don't have enough numbers or interest in that. Hm. So many students in both middle and high school reported being told by their counselors to wait to forecast for theater classes, which predictably creates not enough interest or numbers. EHS spent the 2425 school year with no theater classes at all with only an extracurricular program consisting of two productions. This means that any student that plans to go into theater for college and professionally will be unable to study in classes with while the productions are great learning experiences in terms of responsibility

059and leadership. The classes are for technique which is crucial for kids applying to theater school. Classes in theater tech provide the basis of working knowledge which can then be applied to further study and employment opportunities including our district tech positions for students. What happens to those as we lose so many learning opportunities for our students? How is this an equitable opportunity for theater education? There are clear links between involvement in performing arts and graduation, future success, as well as protection from bullying for minority groups. There is no other art that will teach our kids how to communicate, collaborate, and negotiate like theater. Theater classes historically have a higher prop pro proportion of students with IEPs and 504 plans, a number that has grown exponentially postco. Where do those kids go now? Where do they find

060safety, security, belonging? We lament the chaos inside our schools while cutting away the safe, calm spaces within them. This defies logic and the very goals of connection, community, and belonging that our district says it prioritizes. So, let's talk about belonging. Do we ask our students how they rate it as a number but skirt the elephant in the room as to what contributes to their response? Do we actually ask them how losing their librarians, theater classes, and equitable opportunities has impacted them? Do we ask what keeps them coming to school? What keeps them from dropping out? Do you know what it feels like to have your child ask you daily, "What would happen if I dropped out?" Have you experienced a child's deepest lows with mental health, where you and they wonder, "Are we going to

061get to graduation? Will we even have a future? It's not hyperbole to say theater classes and caring, dedicated teachers have saved lives. My child, like so many, struggled immensely during COVID with her mental health. Our district has a high proportion of low-income families. Cutting theater classes not only looks inequitable, it creates the idea that the arts belong only to those who can afford them. We need to preserve and prioritize equitable opportunities for the arts for all of our students. Thank you. Thank you, Dana Tub. Hello. Hello. Good evening, board and superintendent Maloney. I can echo so many things, but I want to just recapture the um the forecasting concerns. Um a student, they had open house. They brought a bunch of middle schoolers into um Heritage High School and they got a list of people

062that were really excited to join and they thought they were going to have those students come into class and they were ready to receive them because they got them excited about talking to them at the open house. Well, it's not going to happen now. So, that balloon was popped for those students that were excited about attending a drama class at Heritage. Um, I would like to ask that you guys reforcast. I would love to see you put a survey out to the whole entire district. Make sure parents, parent square, kids are involved. Just get a yes or no. Check the temperature again. It would be really nice to see across the district. I'd like to see those numbers because I'm hearing wait to forecast. We might not have it. You know, I'm I'm these rumors

063are are buzzing. So, I would hope that you would look into that. Um, again, we're talking about belonging, connection to the schools and the communities. I'm hearing so many kids that are hitting my hearts tonight about belonging, about wanting to go to school. I know what it was like. I didn't like high school either. I I found community when my friend took me to the drama class. Okay. I I was able to do a monologue. You know, again, I grew out of taking a one semester drama class. I can attribute that. I wanted to ask you guys to reflect on an experience in your school time period. And I remember reflecting with my mom. It was a maybe a a project that we did, but it took us all the way through the process of

064several different things. And we got to show that production. We got to show and tell. we got to whatever age it was that you got to present something to the community and how good that felt and I hope you got a chance to present something to more than just your teacher or your classmates that your parents did get to see something that makes a difference in our lives. That's what I remember third grade class. I mean out of 12 years I remember a third grade class project. Um, the one teacher, the one student, the one change. We always say that, right? I'm a teacher. We always want just one student in our lifetime. One student that we can change. How many kids in here have been changed? It's a lot more than one. These drama

065teachers, they're putting so much into these kids, so much trust, so much belief that they're coming out stronger and better than us. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Corey Tob. Hello. Hey, good evening members of the school board. Uh, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to speak today. I know there's a lot of us and you're hearing the same thing a lot of times. Um, I would like to talk to you about the value of offering drama as literature as an English class and how it differs from a regular English course. Traditional English classes tend to focus on pros, novels, essays, and short stories. Students learn through written assignments, essays, and standardized assessments. Students study character, theme, literary devices, and largely through reading and class discussions. Drama, as literature, on the other hand,

066is English with life. Drama takes words off of a page and breathes into them. Students still study character, theme, literary devices, but they also study themselves. We study through performance, direction, introspection, and embodying the material. The plays in my class we worked on this year, McBth, 12th Night, Alice in Wonderland, The Glass Managerie, and A Street Car Named Desire, were not just read, they were lived in our class. We learned how to become the characters we read. How to relate our feelings to theirs and how to relate their feelings to our own. Acting is an entirely new level of analysis. Putting the character into yourself and yourself into the character. I know when I'm tasked with analyzing a traditional novel in my normal English class, now I begin to approach it as if I were

067to perform it. And I have good grades in English. Plays present the world through dialogue and movement and action. We have to discover what our characters are thinking. We discover how to analyze text in entirely new way. The structure of drama is literature values performance and presentation. But there's always space given for the timid and the loud. Every person is encouraged to read aloud in class, perform a scene, get feedback, and try again. We learn how to memorize and feel pride in ourselves for finding our character. Theater is all about working for our final product. Working to find what a playwright wants for their characters and for their world and finding that in yourself. We performed two one-act plays in our drama as literature class this year. Mc Beth and Alice in Wonderland. I watched

068freshmen go from having no interest to building costumes sets, memorizing lines, and learning to fall in love with the process. When we perform, it feels so rewarding, more than a book report ever could. We get to perform in front of hundreds of children from our school district. The way that motivates you is hard to describe if you've never experienced it. And even for the person who would never put themselves in the position to perform, they still give it a shot. Trying is the most valued part of this class. This isn't about removing traditional English. It's about the choice. Allowing students to see English through an entirely new perspective. Traditional English tells you how to read the world, but drama as literature teaches you how to walk in it. Thank you for your time and for

069considering how we can make literature more alive for our students. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes public comment for tonight. The next item on our agenda is our board consent agenda. Do we have a motion? I move adoption of the board consent agenda as presented. Second. Director Perkins moves that we adopt the consent agenda as presented. Seconded by director Bokenra. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Next is our superintendent consent agenda. Do we have a motion? I move to approve the superintendent consent agenda. Second. Director Boengra moves that we approve the superintendent consent agenda as presented, seconded by Director Perkins. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. The next item on our agenda is our student board representative report. That's good. Good evening, President Weatherspoon and directors of the board. Tonight, I will be

070sharing the board report with Jonathan Ramirez, a senior from Henry Delex High School. First, we would like to share all the great things the student advisory council has done this year. During the 2024 2025 academic year, the student advisory group met eight times in total with a consistent attendance of 10 to 15 students. The group represented a diverse range of perspectives and each meeting provided valuable insights into the student experience. The conversations were thoughtful and solution oriented. Some topics we talked about over the year were belonging and student connection. Students discussed what helped them feel connected to their school communities, highlighted the importance of inclusive spaces, strong adult relationships, and equitable access to activities and support. Next, the cell phone policy. Over the course of three meetings, students provided detailed feedback on the district's cell

071phone policy. They balanced the need for academic focus with a recognition of technologies role in communication and safety. Student support services. Students shared feedback on the visibility and accessibility of student support services, noting a desire for better awareness and more proactive outreach. In terms of our discussion about support for multilingual or otherwise ML learners, the group voiced support for stronger, more individualized services for multilingual learners with attention to language access and cultural inclusion in our classrooms. In regards to the superintendent search, the group was proud to provide input during the superintendent search process and actively participated in candidate interviews, helping ensure student voice was included in leadership decisions. And lastly, equity and inclusionary practices. Equity was a thread throughout every discussion. students emphasized the importance of anti-racist practices, LGBTQ plus inclusion, and support for students

072of all backgrounds and identities. Now, looking ahead for next year's reps, I recommend including more voices from sports activities such as dance teams, softball, gymnastics, and more, as well as student led clubs like BSU, Black Student Union, ASU, Asian Student Union, Latino Clubs, GSA, Gay Straight Alliance, and more. These groups continues contribute significantly to students cultures and should have some time to shine. Additionally, students expressed interest in having more opportunities to discuss school events like prom, sports or games and sports activities, for example, assemblies and in-classroom activities. Whether that's sharing their experience or explaining the vision for it, they are all essential essential parts of student experience and deeply connect our school. To wrap up, I would just like to state it has been an absolute privilege and joy to work in this with this

073incredible group of people within the student advisory council, the board of directors, and all the amazing people within ASC and the district. Their commitment, honesty, and vision for a better school experience have been inspiring. I'm deeply thankful for the time, energy, and thoughtfulness they have brought to each meeting. I found a very this to be a very very valuable lesson. With this being my last year in Evergreen, I'm moving on to the University of Portland and staying in the district as as I'll be coaching at dance next year at Heritage. One thing I've learned from this experience is that even behind the scenes, the district is constantly working with students to hear their voices. So, thank you. Do you have any questions? Well, congratulations on the dance job and going to University of Portland. Yes.

074Excellent. Um, you did a fantastic job this school year. I thank both of you for your input. We had some really heavy topics throughout the school year and I know that one of the first meetings you tackled attendance and you know thinking back throughout the school year we had a report on attendance where a lot of our schools are doing much better overall the percentages are increasing at we even had a rec night of recognition for some of our schools that were like top performers. So the input that you give and that the students will continue to give and I love your idea about reaching out to more of the student groups is fantastic. So, um, NE, I just want to thank you for all of your work. Um, you are a blessing to work

075with. So, thank you. Um, we'll see you next year on student advisory. You're going to apply. You're a junior. I'm a senior. You're a senior. Okay. Well, then we'll see both of you at graduation. Yes. We were going to do this later. Um, but it was a pleasure to work with you this year. And thank you very much for all the time and effort and hard work you put into this. Lori has a basket for you. Um, which I think we can give to her now. Yeah. Congratulations on being accepted to college. Congratulations on the job at Heritage. I'm really proud to know that you're going to continue on working with the district and good luck at what are you going to study at University of Portland? Um, elementary education. Thank you very much. Good.

076Thank you guys. Good job, baby. [Applause] The next item on our agenda is our teaching and learning and equity update. There it is. Good evening, President Weatherspoon, members of the board. For the teaching, learning and equity update. This evening, we will continue to focus on data that we can use to inform decisionmaking. And so, director of student equity, and family engagement, Dr. Dr. Jamila Singleton will be sharing student feedback data from the survey tool called youth truth and research and assessment coordinator Nathan Lee will bring you results from the focused interim assessment block for mathematics which was administered earlier this spring. Uh Dr. Singleton, hello. I'm emotional because um definitely proud of how our student leaders have done work this year. So um thank you for that. So I'm here u to talk about Youth

077Truth. And so first I just want to say um Youth Truth provides insight for us into student perceptions of belonging relationships school culture and engagement. And we've prioritized some questions. There's probably dozens of questions, but we've prioritized a handful for our district improvement. So, I'm going to report out on that. So, this presentation will also have disagregated data so you can see by race and we've also included our LGBTQ as um we are continuing to focus on their experience across elementary, middle, and high school levels. So, I'll start first with belonging. Um so, belonging for each success for all. Um we're making some progress here and we definitely have seen um statistically significant growth. And so you'll see those gold arrows which represent uh 3% or more and then green which is 1 to 2%.

078Equal means no change and in a couple slides you'll see some red for where we've seen declines. So high school belonging held steady at 42% overall with small gains. Um over time we've seen statistically significant growth for our um students in high school who are black, latina, latinext, and then native Hawaiian Pacific Islander. You'll also see that as NHPI. So our black and native Hawaiian Pacific Islander middle school students are also seeing uh growth with belonging. So, we're really excited about the fact that the work that's been happening to develop our student voice and leadership is making a difference. And I apologize if there are any errors. There might be some arrows. I'm looking right there. It says 41% between those and it's actually only a 2% growth and I still have some errors. So,

079apologize for that if you see a couple arrows that are the wrong color. So, elementary school belonging. Um, so do you feel an important part of your school? And so, we are seeing again statistically significant growth for some of those focus groups, black, latinext, and um, NHPI, which are focus groups a lot of our schools have been prioritizing through school improvement and through their efforts to improve their school cultures. So force culture um this is a question that we ask that looks at how students feel like adults in the building value people from different backgrounds. For example, different races, ethnicities, genders. And so for our high school, um the highest agreement is our white students who are are rating 79% which is similar to last year. um and um our LGBTQ students, we're seeing actually

080pretty statistically significant growth um in how they're experiencing that question. And if we go over to middle school, um we're also seeing some gold. So, we're seeing our groups um having a better experience in terms of adults recognizing and honoring folks from different backgrounds. So despite some of the gaps between groups um many groups are showing significant growth um from last year. So for secondary engagement we asked this student this question. My teacher's expectations make me want to do my best. So for this high school has seen some fluctuation. However, we're seeing our NHPI students having the highest response with 64% and we're seeing increase over time for um Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander in both middle school and high school. I'm able to create my own goals. So for this one, we like to ask

081this question because we want to see the extent to which students are starting to feel empowerment and there's and we've actually seen this be over the national average um in the way that our students in this district respond compared to the other youth truth uh schools. But all middle school subgroups showed improvement, which is great, which means that goal setting and helping our students to start to set their goals is part of what they're experiencing. And we're also seeing LGBTQ students seeing double digit growth um as well since 2022. So for the next question acade in academic challenge most of my teachers don't let people give up when the work gets hard. So this is really helping us think about the extent to which there is high expectations and high support. And so with this

082question we see um that there has been growth and again statistically significant growth is 3%. If you notice, we're seeing three times that and four times that with some of our groups. 10 12% growth. 10% for our high school Latino, Hispanic, 12% for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander. So there are high expectations as well as that high support that are really happening and showing how much the efforts around um that are making a difference in the classrooms and how much our teachers are working um to provide those high expectations and high support. And then for elementary, same thing. We're seeing growth 5% for Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander. Okay. So the last question for academic challenge is my teachers explain things in a way that I understand. So, we see white students highest at 54% and black

083students lowest at 44%. However, we're also seeing growth for our Latino Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students again and in middle school um we're seeing that there's been 11% growth for our Latino um Hispanic students. And I know that there have been a lot of efforts in the multilingual department to have some meaningful access training and supporting educators to be more supportive for students um around their academics. And so I'll highlight I know there's a lot of numbers but here are some of the headlines. So for belonging and culture um we are definitely seeing a significant growth and we're feeling positive about the fact that students are feeling seen and valued and particularly seeing that growth within those subgroups when we disagregate by race for our black students and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students and also

084our LGBTQ students for academic challenge. Um the headline here is that we are going to continue on this path of growing our efforts to hold high expectations and support perseverance because it that is the way we want our students to believe that they can do the work even when it's hard. Um so that when Nathan shares the next part around the actual results with the academic achievement, the belief and is there for students and their perseverance. And then we also are seeing um that we might be improving our instructional clarity and our responsiveness, which is why we're seeing growth in middle school for um those populations who are multilingual um and who have historically had some gaps with academic outcomes. And then I added this one on as well because it's a question around safety,

085but we are seeing some growth and how our students are experiencing safety in the classroom. And so I wanted to name that just as we continue to make efforts to address bias um and create environments that are inclusive and safe um for all of our students. So, I'm going to hand it off to Nathan because I want to quickly pivot to acknowledge that efforts to improve school climate are intended to improve instructional and student achievement and outcomes. And so, we're hoping that now that we're starting to see this growth with our students belief in themselves, their sense of belonging, their sense of safety, that we'll also start to see that growth in our academic outcomes as well. So, Nathan to talk about that. Good evening. Nathan Lee, research and assessment coordinator, um, formerly digital learning

086coordinator. So, transitioning to this role this year and, um, getting into continuing working with data for our students across our district. Um, thinking about assessments. as our students are required to complete assessments, we need to ensure that we're assessing their content knowledge and what they understand um versus their understanding of a platform. And so that's really been an emphasis on using um focused interim assessments with Smarter Balance this year because we want to to ensure that they are they know understand the vocabulary, the layout of the test questions, how to navigate from question to question and the types of questions that are being asked so that students can demonstrate what they know in math or in reading. And so, um, tonight I'm sharing a little bit about our math interims that we completed in March.

087And so, the emphasis again was on skill and vocabulary practice um, for fractions, number sense, and alignment with the standards. So, making sure that their end ofear state standards that they're being assessed on, they've had experience with and exposure to. and then any manipulatives or tools that students uh need to use on the Smarter Balance that they've had practice using those tools um earlier than the summit of assessment. So that was kind of the the overview and the purpose behind doing the math interim in March. We had over 99% of our state uh of our testing grades work on the interims this year, which was wonderful because this is our first year districtwide completing interim assessments and practice. We had 78% of our students from third grade and above complete an interim, which means that

088again they're getting that practice, they're using the tools, and they're getting the aligned vocabulary. um we have our state summitive scores that will be available um as of June 1st. And so we'll be able to look at how our interim results, which are on a specific skill versus our math and ELA summitive scores, how those compare, how we can use that to inform our instruction next year. This is a snapshot of for the particular skills on the interims that they completed where we were as a district. Green being above standard at that point in March at or near continuing to work on those skills, below continuing to work on those specific skills. And so this can help us continue to support students throughout the year versus waiting until getting the summitive results at the end

089of the year and make some instructional moves throughout the year. So next year we're working on a comprehensive assessment system. So really identifying what kind of assessments we're giving, why are we giving them, what how do we use the data, and what is the purpose um for students in the classroom? why are they spending their time on the assessments and what does it mean for their instruction and um how are we supporting them? So that takes us to empowering staff with data. So really emphasizing how we're using data as a district, how we're using data as a school, and how how we're using it as a PLC team to support students in the classroom. And so to uh continue to build, we're looking at two ELA interim assessments and two math interim assessments next year,

090combining a non-standardized assessment where teachers are using instructional strategies, talking through the questions with students, thinking about how do I solve this problem? What would you do to solve this problem? and then also a standardized so that we can get some progress monitoring data throughout the year to see how students are doing. So we're not just waiting until that end of year um summit of assessment to see how students are progressing and where we can support. Thank you to Nathan and Jamila. In teaching learning and equity, we want to make decisions based on data on factual information. And as you know, databased decisionmaking is also an important component of the equitybased multi-tered system of supports I've been sharing uh with you over the last few months. Educators and teams at all levels of the system

091use data to help us make decisions. There are different sources of data that we use. This evening we heard about progress monitoring data from Nathan. Interim assessment data helps us measure rate of growth for individual students and for groupings of students in a school. We also heard about perception data from Jamila. The youth truth data is valuable because it also helps us measure progress in ways that are sometimes difficult to quantify like climate, sense of well-being and belonging. and we can celebrate growth and try to maintain some momentum in what is going well and evaluate our practices and make adjustments. Using the data is as important as giving the assessments and taking surveys. That's why I highlight that for us all to look at this evening. At your next meeting in June, on June 10th,

092we will hear from Director of Student Services Kale Piland, who will share an athletics review for the 2425 school year. And this concludes the TLE update. Any questions? Thank you. Next, the next item on our agenda is textbook adoptions. Which one are you doing? This one. This one. Yeah, it's that one. Y good evening. Oops. Just one moment. Not there. Go back. Got here. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. Good evening, President Weatherspoon and directors. Um, tonight we're here to present the proposed adoption of core instructional materials for our high school AP pre-calculus and physics courses. These core materials play a vital role in ensuring equitable learning opportunities and preparing all students for success beyond high school, whether in college, career, or post-secary paths. Before we divi we dive into the specific materials and the

093process that we followed, I'd like to highlight key components of our district's policy and procedure 2020 that guide this work. Curriculum review committees are formed as needed and are led by content area specialists under the supervision of the superintendent's design, a position I hold as the director of curriculum and instruction. These committees assess the current state of curriculum in each subject area by reviewing the student data, instructional trends, academic standards, and research-based best practices. When the review indicates a need for new materials, the committee may recommend forming an adoption team. So in this case, the team found that the existing instructional materials were outdated or they needed to be revisited um to align with the course's rigor and learning objectives. So once the adoption process begins, the content area specialist leads a team of professional

094staff through a structured criteriabased review of a available available excuse me available instructional materials. Any materials recommended must align with the selection criteria and meet the learning standards for the course. In this process, we were fortunate to identify highquality open educational resources that are either lowcost or free, helping us to move the adoption process forward efficiently and equitably. The instructional materials committee or we refer to this as the IMC is responsible for reviewing those recommendations of the adoption team and bringing forward final proposals to the board of directors for approval. The IMC is made up of administrators, teachers, content specialists, community members, and parents of enrolled students, ensuring a balanced and and representative review process. The committee evaluates the selection process for the curricular materials to ensure compliance then with procedure 2020. Tonight we will

095hear from two cont content area specialists, Crystal Wolf and Deian Morris on the proposed adoption of new math and science materials. You will have the chance to ask questions about both the materials being proposed and the process that was followed to select them. At the next board meeting, you will have the opportunity to approve both the proposed materials and the selection process used. So, with that, um, I'm going to invite Deian Morris. Good evening, uh, President Weatherspoon and members of the board. Uh, I'm Deian Morris, the secondary math TOSA, and as Tilly mentioned, I am here to talk about the AP pre-calculus adoption. I think maybe I need to figure out the clicker now. There we go. Uh, so AP pre-calculus is a new course that is going to replace our currently existing nonAP pre-calculus

096in Evergreen Public Schools. This new course having the AP designation um provides students an opportunity to earn college credit. Uh we established the need for new instructional materials because our currently existing pre-calculus textbook for the non-AP version that we offer is outdated. It's a textbook from 1994 um and is is not relevant anymore. And the College Board requires naming a print or digital textbook for use in AP courses. Uh our process actually started last school year when we knew that regardless of whether or not we were going with the AP version of pre-calculus, our curricular resource was uh very much outdated. And so we uh looked at some different options that were out there, some for pay, and the print textbooks tend to be quite costly, like upwards of $200 per textbook. We looked at

097some just to try to get an idea of what's out there. And then this year once we knew we were proceeding with offering AP pre-calculus we narrowed down the list of options to three low or no cost options. And each of those three options that we looked at uh more deeply are preapproved by the college board for use in AP pre-calculus. So we know that they would satisfy um part of the AP audit process which every AP teacher needs to go through. Um, each of those were rated using the math text rating sheet, which I'll explain in more detail on the next slide. And then we've compiled the scores to determine a recommendation of which resource to move forward with. So, the math text rating sheet was developed based on three sources. the EPS procedure

0982020P which outlines criteria for the adoption of curricular resources. Um OSP guidance on steps that should be taken to adopt new resources and the Oregon instructional materials criteria. Um Washington state does not have like a a adoption criteria. So we looked at Oregon's because they have a a a very clearly laid out criteria specific to different levels. So they had a specific high school math criteria which aligns with our procedure 2020 but is specific to high school math. In that rating sheet there's uh 26 criteria grouped in four main categories. Alignment and rigor, equity and access, technical usability and standards and assessment. And by far the the resource with the highest ratings in all of those areas was Mathematic AP AP pre-calculus. This is an online resource. Um, it's fully aligned to the AP pre-calculus

099course and exam description. It's the only one that followed exactly the units of study in AP pre-calculus. Um, there's lesson plans available which align with our um instructional vision with the workshop model that incorporate high leverage practices and um have student centered experiences where they're making sense of the math as they're doing the math. This uh resource provides practice problems, reviews, assessments, and those lesson plans. There is a cost, but it's quite minimal compared to traditional print options. Uh it is $225 per teacher per year. Um this year we have seven teachers for AP pre or for our regular pre-calculus, but it varies a little bit from year to year. One place where the mathematic was a little bit lacking is in a studentf facing resource. So like the lesson plans in mathematic are teacherf

100facing and then it would depend on the teacher to push out those resources for the the in-class experience. So we're also recommending as a supplemental resource that we adopt this online textbook pre-calculus and investigation of functions that would um offer a print resource for students say if they're absent or want to read a little more about a topic they have an option at the ready for them. uh each chapter is uh available through a PDF file file or editable doc file and there's no cost for this resource. So that that ends my uh information but I I'll pause now for questions or comments. Any questions? No, I'll reserve until we've seen it all. Thank you. Yeah, I think so. There we go. Thank you. Uh, good evening. My name is Crystal Wolf and I'm the

101district science TOSA and I'm here, um, to, uh, tell you a little bit more about our high school science program, but also, um, make a recommendation for adoption of our physics curriculum. Um, and so, uh, with that, um, I want to just give a little bit of background because, um, while Deian's, uh, adoption represents more just a single course, um, the adoption I'm bringing to you today with physics, um, really represents, um, a larger body of work with our high school science sequence. So, in 2022, um we came together with a district team that um included all of our building principles, um district leaders, as well as every science teacher in the district because one of the things that we knew is that in our comprehensive high schools, each high school was um had different

102pathways and different opportunities. And we knew that we wanted to create a more equitable comprehensive science progression in our high schools so that all students can experience success. And so um through that process we arrived at 9th grade as our foundational course. And so this is a course that is offered to our freshman followed by 10th grade biology and 11th grade chemistry. And so along with that um if students choose to take that three-year progression, they receive all of the high school science standards including the integration of our environmental and sustainability standards um along with engineering and technology and earth and space science. And so, um, that was a long process to get to that consensus among our our different buildings who had a lot of variety. Um, and so with that, we knew we

103needed to, um, do some work to shore up those courses and make sure that we had, um, curriculum for them. Um, along with that, I want to make sure that everybody understands how that sits in the larger offering um, in our high school science program. And so, here you can see just a snapshot of our high school course catalog. You can see along the left hand side that core science progression, but students also have other options as well. And so in ninth grade, for example, um our students if they are feeling up for a challenge for some more rigor, they have the option of taking AP Physics 1. It's an algebra-based physics course, but it does have that AP designation. And then we also have some CTE um electives, uh science electives that um have

104that CTE designation as well. And so our equivalent courses in CTE are physics through engineering, biology, animal science, you see material science listed there as well. Um so we um really developed the sequence with a broader picture in mind that students could have options at each grade level for advanced coursework and also college, career and technical education. Um we still have a variety of electives um as you can see down there. I know some that's a little hard to read, but you can access our high school course catalog to see the rich offerings we have. Um and then of course Henry at Alax um our biomedical science and health um high school has some um specialized programs there that students select based on their program of study. Um so with that um starting with that

105foundational science course um I convened a re a review team to look at our resources. Our current district provided resource is the textbook you see on the right there inspire science. Um so this uh book we started using in 2020 um and it does include some some earth science but it's not widely used and one of the things that the committee really recognized is that um that resource has not fully supported us in our shifts to the new science standards. Um we want science to be more than just memorizing a bunch of science concepts and facts. Um science education should really be about developing science skills. Um so there are eight science and engineering practices that include investigations and analyzing data and arguing from evidence um modeling and so um we went first um to

106send a team to um look at open sed um the state of Washington had a lot of esser funds that we put towards um uh educating teachers in some high quality curriculum and so a number of our teachers engaged in some workshops there and got really excited about open sed again open educational resource. It's completely free though with science there's always lab equipment that comes along with things. Um so we looked at that first and then we also looked at patterns which um comes out of the Portland metro area. Um another engaging phenomena based curriculum that is also an OEER and it is um it is free as well. Um so those are the three that the resource review team looked at. Um when we evaluated them we similar to Deian's process um with following

107policy 2020 um we also used the EPS science adoption rubric which again we we borrowed from the state of Oregon and there are a number of criteria that fall into several categories. So criteria one is about that alignment so alignment to our science standards but also not just science facts but also science skills. Um, another piece of that criteria is that our units are um connected to engaging real science phenomena and that students build their learning over um a progression of science learning throughout a unit. Criteria two is about engagement. So, are we picking real world topics that students are actually going to be engaged in? um is the science going to speak to all of our students um and draw from the rich experiences that they have in their own lives so that they

108can really see themselves as scientists and have that as part of their their um student identity that we can do science, we can build things, we can problem solve. Uh we also look at technical usability for teachers and for students um and is the the product actually usable and um adaptable and able for teachers to to use. And then we also have assessments so that teachers can um over the course of a unit really see what students are learning, give feedback to students and help them to grow. So those were the the criteria that we looked at with our um our three curricula and patterns physics was by far um the highest rating. And so you can see a summary of the units that are there. Um, we've been using this curriculum in most of

109our high schools this year and we've had some really great data um with seeing students actually using the materials um doing the lessons. I believe we have a couple of of students that you know personally who um have been doing for example our our climate and power unit where they are looking at the Washington's energy plan and learning all about science through that lens. Um, in the engineering a shoe model, for example, we learn about physics and collisions and momentum, but we're also thinking about clients as a shoe designer um to make that real world and accessible. And so those are the um the units from patterns that that we're taking a look at. And so we'd like to um move forward with hopefully with your approval um to adopt patterns physics for physics one

110two as our foundational course for our three-year sequence. Um, we think that that will really help us to actualize our strategic plan, operationalize that. Um, when we have robust scope and sequences and and high quality curriculum, it really supports all of our educators and empowers our students. Any questions? I do. One of the uh one of the things that a couple of my kids went through was uh experiencing the AP, not the AP, um the physical science curriculum as eighth graders. Uh will this curriculum be presented to eighth graders uh who find themselves in the quote unquote advanced uh science track uh and bent on getting basically high school credit while they're in the eighth grade? Yeah. Yeah. So, if you think back into like the history of EPS science, um we did at one

111time offer a physics course in the eighth grade for high school credit. The current um eighth grade course offering. So, we have an integrated approach in our middle school. We have sixth, seventh, and eighth grade integrated science. And then there's an advanced course in the eighth grade as well, but it's environmental science. And so, the environmental science course is an option for eighth graders. um if they choose to take it and they pass it, they get transcript credit for their high school um pathway as well. Okay. So um we have we do have a high school offering in the eighth grade, but it's not physics. Yeah, that's changed since that changed in 2020 2021. So around there. Yeah. Other questions? Yeah, Crystal. Um two weeks ago at the board workshop you presented and I believe

112there was a cost involved here. It was Yes. Yes. 25,000 I believe. Yeah. So, um I did a little uh breakdown on the one pager that you guys have. Um so while the OEER itself, the open educational resource is free. Um with implementation, there's always um a requirement to train our teachers, right? And so along with that are some associated costs. Um for science, there's some lab equipment involved. So that's one of the costs. Um there is um a release day that I've planned for before August in service and some release days throughout the year. Um, if you look at the current cost for the textbook we're already providing, um, it's about $30,000 a year per students. I think it's $23 per student per year is the actual amount. And so about $30,000 a year

113we've been paying every year. So, you know, five years, it adds up. Um, so this first year of implementation, um, when I did the cost breakdown, it's a a net cost of 5,000, but over the course of even two years, it's a it's a savings for us. Okay. And where I forget were any of these um courses students receive college credit for or um physics one two is not a collegebearing um credit but if I go back to the the course catalog there so um AP physics one if you pass the AP exam depending on the college you go to you may receive college credit AP bio AP chemics all those AP courses um we also do have some other dual credit courses astronomy through Udubs we have some of our teachers who've been accepted

114by UDub to be astronomy teachers there. Um there are a few other options there. Um so when those opportunities present themselves um those are I think really valuable experiences for our students. Thank you. Yeah. Any other questions? Just a comment um on both of these adoption proposals is that um I'm really pleased to see that we're finding open um educational resources that meet the standards and uh the requirements that we've laid out and the state has laid out for adoption. And I I appreciate uh the efforts that you've made to look in those directions over the last few years and to find things that uh shouldn't cost all that much because well, math and science don't change at these levels. Not really. Um I would like to uh have an opportunity in the coming school

115year to uh see how they're being implemented in the classrooms. uh maybe like in the fall and then again in the spring uh just to get a sense of how how things are going. Yeah. Seeing the classroom experience with students is really a true measure of how it's going. Yeah. Yeah. And thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So the next item on our agenda is proposal for action. We have our board um superintendent relationship policies that we reviewed at a recent workshop. The revisions were presented. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I skipped ahead. I'd be happy to make that motion. All right. Um I move that we advance the uh proposed um material uh for the AP pre-calculus uh class consisting of the uh and let me get that name out again. Um I guess just

116say as presented by the by the curriculum folks. Um, so as presented the the materials for AP pre-calculus uh and advance it to second reading. Second. Director Perkins moves that we um advance the materials as presented for a second reading. Seconded by director Benegra. All in favor? I opposed. Motion passes. Do we have another one? Uh yeah. Um it I move that we um move the physics one two curriculum adoption to a second reading. Second. Director Boken moves that we move the physics adoption to a second reading. Seconded by director Perkins. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Sorry that I skipped that step. All right. Next item on our agenda is our proposal for action. The board reviewed and discussed the board superintendent relationship BSR12 and five in workshop on April 24th with revisions

117presented and approved on a second reading at the May 10 meeting. Director Perkins. Okay. Um on the screen we have both uh well first we have the uh BSR1 single point of connection policy. uh and we discussed last time that we had agreed to uh remove uh the last phrase of that in order to make the policy clearer. Um I haven't received any questions from anyone in the public as uh have there been any questions at the district level. Okay. So we've already been through this uh first reading and and had our discussion, but if there are other questions uh I guess we should make the motion. Are there any questions from the audience board? Is there a motion? Um, I move that we adopt the revisions to uh board super BSR1 uh single point

118of connection as presented here for adoption. Second. Director Perkins moves the board accept the revisions to BSR1 single point of connection as presented seconded by Director Benegra. All in favor? I I opposed. Motion carries. So we have the single number two. Now we have number two uh with a similar uh revision uh removing an unless clause uh from the text. The superintendent is neither obligated nor expected to follow the directions or instructions of individual members, officers or committees and we're removing unless the board has specifically delegated such exercise of authority. Um from our discussion previously, we could not think of uh circumstances where we would delegate that kind of authority. um especially given the uh framework of law around open public meetings. Uh and so uh the proposal last time was to advance to this

119second reading uh the language that you see on the left with the uh phrase stricken. Um and I haven't had any questions uh directed towards me. How about the district? We have not received any either. Okay. Are there any questions in the audience? I move for approval of BSR2 board superintendent relationship. Is there a second? Second. Director Boenegra moves the board accept the changes as presented for approval. Uh seconded by Director Perkins. All in favor? I. I opposed. Motion carries. Director Perkins. Okay. The next one is uh BSR5 uh superintendent accountability. And the change that we're uh we've discussed making uh in our first reading and in the workshop before was to if you're looking at item five was to uh strike each May uh and replace it with the word annually. meaning uh that

120uh we're sort of freeing ourselves from exactly a calendar month um for the summitive evaluation of the superintendent and saying that we'll do that once a year. Uh this language is uh probably better given uh the contents of the contract we have with the superintendent uh and enables us to uh to do what we have been doing and and have that reflected in policy which is uh that we do our evaluation and discussions uh pretty much on an ongoing basis with mid-year uh review and uh the final evaluation um which we usually get done in June. So, uh, we'd just be changing each May to annually for that. I haven't received any questions from any of the public. I have not received any either. Okay. Are there any questions in the audience? If not, is

121there a motion? I'll move adoption of the revisions to uh super uh BSR5 superintendent accountability as we've presented it here. Second. Director Perkins moves that we accept changes as presented for approval. Seconded by Director Wilson. All in favor? I I opposed. Motion carries. The next item on our agenda is anformational item. Our financial statements from April 2025. Also, we have our clean buildings performance standard investment grade audit phase one for our Evergreen High School Boilers. Now, we have our good news report. Hello. Mr. Bernbuck, thank you very much. the button by accident. There we go. There we go. Good evening, President Weatherspoon, board director, superintendent, Dr. Maloney. Thanks for having me. I'm just going to hope my computer lasts just long enough. I put a little charge in there. Um, we're going to start. We

122have plenty of good news. Uh, I'm going to start with at Marian Elementary School where they celebrate Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a uh special um assembly where they had I don't know if anyone's ever seen them. I've seen them a couple times. They're amazing. The renowned Portland Tao drum group and they came out and performed for the students. Uh the best part of course is when they invited some students up to perform with them. Uh so that was a a wonderful celebration there. I want to go to BBC Elementary School. If my computer will uh where they uh May is a little bit different. They're calling it Marathon Month. They have a new initiative called Busters Marathon Challenge. It's called Busters Marathon Challenge because they're the Bulldogs and Buster is their mascot.

123That's actually a new mascot outfit this year with students actually get in the mascot. That's a cool little aside. But what they're doing there is at recess there's a different choice. Rather than maybe play just basketball or uh hang out on the jungle gym, they are taking part in Busters Marathon Challenge. Uh kids and staff are walking and running the track every day uh every Wednesday in May. And the goal is for students to get to 26.2 miles a marathon during the month of May. Um, and they do it uh by recording their laps in little cards. Uh, the cards go in this sheet. It's a you can watch it on the video, but it's also a perfect example of how we can integrate our strategic plan into to almost anything. Um, the blowing for

124each success for all works here because they're invited, they're asked to invite friends or maybe someone that they want to know better to walk or run the track with them. along the track there's little signs that say um how many siblings do you have? Do you have any pets? What's your favorite ice cream? Little prompts to help the students get to know each other better. So they walk around and you hear them asking these questions. Well, what ice cream do you like? Um so a very uh cool initiative. It's a first time initiative this year. Uh they were they will be as the uh kids told me we're getting real medals like rate of real metal if they make it to 26.2 miles. So, uh, that should be wrapping up this month. Um, I want

125to now move over, uh, you guys talked about it last, uh, week, um, Director Weatherspoon and Director Perkins that you were part of the the culture parade. Um, so we have great pictures there, but uh, before that, I want to talk about Ellsworth Elementary School's family culture and tradition event. Um, this event uh was a great success for them. As you could see from the pictures, people brought in food. They dressed to express their cultures. There was arts and crafts. Um, so a wonderful event event there. I did and I want to end with the Shahala Middle School's commute. I'm not going to end. I have one more thing. Shahala Middle School community mediation services. You might have seen an article in the Colombian about students um studying to become mediators. So students at Shahala

126are part of that program, the community mediation services. Uh Jessica McD McDow um helps train them for two full days. Uh so 23 sixth and seventh graders um got to learn and take lessons on how to resolve non-violent conflicts between their fellow students. At the end they earned certification as peer mediators which they'll be able to use in the future to help um settle conflicts between students there at Jahala Middle School. And there is what I had promised, the annual children's cultural parade pictures. Uh our very talented Aaron Winter Song uh took these wonderful pictures on a beautiful day out there. And then finally, um Dr. Maloney mentioned the art show. Uh some wonderful art right at the library across the way. And teacher appreciation week was May 5th through 9th. Hopefully you guys got

127to check out our social media. This is one of our campaigns where uh to honor our teachers, let them know what how much we appreciate them. Um the three uh three of us in communications do a campaign to make sure we get to every single one of our schools so that we can get representation of teachers that are working so hard at each one of our schools. So that is my good news report. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next item on our agenda is our board comments. Anyone want to go first? Yeah. Um I want to thank those that came tonight and spoke. Um I know two weeks ago at our other board meeting, last board meeting, three people came and shared about theater and I know we've received some emails and tonight 21

128people signed up, 20 people spoke and you know I think maybe um there's enough concern to maybe look at this again. Um, I know Christine, one of your favorite sayings, I've heard you say a number of times, measure twice, cut once. And, um, you know, maybe another little survey, it sounds like maybe accidentally, maybe some of the interest waned because they heard, um, it wasn't going to be offered. So maybe the incoming freshman maybe a one or two question survey might be you know are you interested in drama or um I know measure twice cut once it was important for me when I was residing my house um had T111 or excuse me had um LP sighting and you get a sheet of plywood you want to cut it right and you definitely want to

129measure twice if not maybe three times um and how much more important our students. So, um, yeah, that would be my recommendation. But, thank you. I just wanted to say thank you to the students who came out and shared with us tonight and the families who also came and shared. Um, the one question I do have is I would like to hear more information about how forecasting works and just to get a sense of if students are showing up to an open house and they're writing their name on a list, do they think they're forecasting and what? Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I I share that interest. Um uh especially given the claims that were presented here that there was a a bit of steering away from that or or urging to wait uh and how

130that was interpreted by the students. Um I want to learn about the dynamics of uh what goes on there. Um I uh and I want to make sure uh when we talk about uh theater arts or drama in the high schools um where and we can talk about this later but uh whether or not there's a class offered u that these students can attend. Um whether we call it drama or literature in uh what did that uh the one student call it? Um drama and literature. Um, and that's, you know, based on the experience that I have as a student of Mountain View High School's former uh, drama teacher, and I can't remember the name she used when she retired, but she was Miss D. Uh, when I was a student there, and the fact

131that we had a drama and literature class, and she was able to present Shakespeare and actually get us on stage. And so I'm remembering that as the students are talking uh about their experience with uh drama oriented classes. And uh I I think there's I think there's some work that we could do to uh better connect um student interest with uh the forecasting process. Yes. I'm happy to provide some follow-up for the board. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. I think um you know the sense of belonging that we hear the students have for drama and how that works with our strategic plan. So it it really probably warrants another look. I know um growing up I didn't in school I didn't take drama but um our neighborhood um they used to put on plays and we

132did it for charity and it was really for when I was about from 7 to 13 or 14. It really played a important role in my life and it was a lot of fun and it kind of kept you connected with your neighborhood and um we ended up performing at a nightclub so it was kind of cool. I can only echo that. I come from a family uh my dad was uh big into stage performance. He made sure that we studied the arts. In my case, a lot of that was music, but I also got on stage uh in acting and singing roles outside of school. And so having that experience uh was as formative as these students are claiming and uh was as important to me. Um, so I'm kind of mourning the trend

133downward and hoping that we can uh make sure that students still feel belong a sense of belonging no matter what's being offered. Uh because that kind of thing should be present in your English class and your math class and especially PE. Uh I've got my own sense of that and I I I could keep going on like that, but uh it's just to make sure that people feel safe at school. and that they feel welcome and uh engaged in their interests. We can continue to hear that. I also went to the art show. I was really pleased with Superintendent Maloney's choices uh for the superintendent award. I was struck by the photography award and the ceramics award specifically. Uh and there was one painting that the colors just popped out of that and I saw

134that that was a student who had multiple entries all over the place. Uh, and it's nice to see a recognition of those arts as well. So, no, it's not just music, it's also visual art, performing art, and uh, I remain committed to making sure that we get it have as many opportunities uh, for that kind of engagement as we can. Do you have a comment? Yeah, I have a just a couple of things. Um, I'll start with the boring first. So, I went to Wazda a couple weekends ago and um just one thing for us to kind of think about, but we did have a discussion, an agenda item around um policy development, model policy development. And really what WASDA does is they take legislation and then they form it into a model policy that

135school districts can or cannot subscribe to and decide if they want to take that model policy then revise it for themselves um to then make sure that we're following state law. So, um, but there was just some there are some comments and input about how WASDA gets to that point, how they develop that policy, if they just do it straight from the legal counsel that they have at WASDA and then from the attorney general's office or if they get input from all the stakeholders. So, just something for us to be aware of. Um, I do want to say that uh, President Weatherspoon and myself, we did attend a meeting to start thinking about next year's student board reps and so we're working on that. Not as much as we hate to see NA go, we

136have to think about next year. Um, and then I do want to thank the students for coming tonight. I I don't think there's gone a year that has gone by where I haven't attended a production at Heritage High School. And the students are fantastic. The productions are great. And I can see how much the students um bond through that experience. And so I just want to thank all of you for coming. All right. It is 7:37 and the board is going into a recess to sign documents. After the recess concludes, the board will go into an executive session to review the performance of a public employee under RCW423010G. The start and end times will be announced once the board is finished signing documents and the meeting reconvenes. Thank you. [Music]