Issaquah School District Board Meeting 10/09/2025

001wasn't. Everything will go wrong because we're waiting for Calling this meeting to order of the Isquas School Board. Today is October 9th and it is 6:30 p.m. We will start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you very much. Uh we will begin with public comment. Uh wanted to note my always first thing is that public comment is really public input and there's not any output which can feel very dissatisfying but we are listening. If you see us with our heads down we will be taking notes. Um board meetings are open to the public. Um so that is why we're here but

002it is a the board doing its business in public. Public comment is an opportunity for the board to receive public statements on items not listed on the meeting agenda for possible board action. If you have a point of view for a specific agenda items, first review of levy proposal and monitoring report for operational expectation two, I'll ask you to hold your comment until that particular agenda item. Public comment is not intended to raise an issue unique to a particular student, staff member, or administrator. Rather, it's your time to provide your insights on issues more generally and of wider concern. As a general rule, the board will not respond to public comment. I ask you begin your comments by clearly stating your name and your attendance area. Please limit your comments to two minutes. We will

003be using a timer. The board neither endorses nor censors any opinions expressed during public comment. Please keep your comment civil and respectful and avoid personal attacks on others. We are here trying to demonstrate civility to our students. Um so that is our hope that you would do that. In place of applause, you can acknowledge a speaker by lifting your hands and waving in motion. And we will start public comment with those in the room and then goes to those with uh who have their hands raised on Zoom. So I will begin with Shannon Mayo. Hi. Is this thing on? Okay, good. Um, hi, my name is uh Shannon Mayo. Um, hello Superintendent Tyek and schoolboard members and student representatives. Um, this is my colleague Jennifer Jones, treasurer. We're both with Endeavor PTSA and I'm here

004today to speak on behalf of our board. Um, some of who are also uh watching from home. Uh we recognize that the recent lawsuit involving our school is a legal matter and we firmly believe that all parties deserve a fair and unbiased process. We also want to acknowledge that our experience with all and I want to underline all here the endeavor staff has been consistently positive. However, we are deeply concerned how the situation is being managed, specifically the role of executive director of elementary uh Susan Mandel because she's named in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to act on concerns of potential danger for students and staff. But despite this, she continues to have served as the primary liaison for staff and families, attending endeavor events, attending faculty meetings, and also sending communications to our families.

005From a human resources and organizational best practice standpoint, we find it inappropriate for someone named in a complaint to oversee the response. This creates a conflict of interest and undermines trust. It has sent a message that serious concerns may not be taken seriously and that unfortunately is now and in the future if the person responsible for addressing them is the same individual who allegedly did not act previously. We urge the district to reconsider this approach both in this case and moving forward. Our staff deserve to feel safe, heard, and supported so they can focus on what matters most, our students. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Next I have Courtney Bey. Hi, I'm Courtney Bey. Um I have been a Skyline teacher for 23 years and I also am a parent. I have a

006junior at Skyline and I have a seventh grader at Pine Lake. Um, and I'm here to express concerns um over oe14 um and specifically around comments and discussions around uh college credit bearing classes at Skyline. Um the mission of our school district states that our students will be prepared for and eager to accept the academic, occupational, personal, and practical challenges of life in a dynamic global environment. That is our job as educators. making sure students are prepared for the next step, not fixated on bringing that next step into the high school. Kids put enough pressure on themselves and each other. And I don't believe that adults need to be constantly telling them that they need to be doing more. I also believe that the narrative that Skyland's IB program, which I have taught for 11

007years, um is some type of disadvantage to our students academically or economically compared to other schools in this district is actually problematic. I believe this statement is disingenuous. Every student in this entire district has access to Running Start in order to curb college costs. Every student in this district has access to AP classes through the district online program if they want them. Every student in this district can take any AP exam that they want to take to earn college credits without taking the course. Only Skyline students have the access to IB classes, exams, and diploma and the superior academic preparation for college they provide. Skyline students are not at a disadvantage going to college. Lastly, despite I don't think this should matter, I think there needs to be an acknowledgement of what we have done

008to act on OE14. Every student in the junior class at Skyline is now taking an IB class. We can offer that because there are standard level IB classes. We also have multiple AP classes, which I'm well aware of cuz my student, who is a junior, who is my daughter, was forced into one. She didn't sign up for it, but had to take it. Good evening. My name is Tyler Jones. Uh I am the father of two Endeavor students. I want to begin by thanking you, the board, for your swift response and the concerns raised two weeks ago regarding the litigation involving Isiqua School District and the allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, and negligent supervision tied to an employee at at Endeavor Elementary. I returned tonight because I and many other parents remain deeply concerned. The

009district's handling of these allegations have felt inadequate and dismissive. The district email that was sent to families stated there were there was no credible evidence to warrant an investigation. That email, however, was sent by an employee named in the lawsuit, an undeniable conflict of interest. Even more troubling, public records show that the district was already aware of the behaviors outlined in the lawsuit, directly contradicting what was shared with families. See the handout that I have given you. I have three requests tonight. Number one, engage a third party investigation to determine the validity of the claims. Number two, appoint an individual to manage the district's respon the response to these allegations who is not named in the lawsuit to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure integrity. Number three, outline what support is currently being offered to

010Endeavor staff. What is the district planning to do to ensure the staff have reasonable outlets to share their experience and feedback anonymously? Parents who have emailed the district have received templated responses which state, "We are monitoring the situation closely." How? Your own policy states that the district will promptly investigate allegations regardless of legal proceedings and will take appropriate steps to promptly end harassment, eliminate hostile work environments, prevent recurrence, and protect against retaliation. By not issuing a notice of investigation, the district undermines this commitment. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have Lisa Hudson. >> Hi. Um, thank you. Um, my name is Lisa Hodson. I have two students currently at Endeavor Elementary. Um, very similar to what's been said at the at the last board meeting, I raised concerns regarding a lawsuit filed by

011a former staff member against ISD. The very next day, families finally did receive an email from the district staff me from a district staff member who herself is named in the lawsuit, assuring us that the matter was strictly legal, that no formal complaint had been filed, and that there was no evidence of harm or to students or staff. Yet, this statement contradicts the student's own policy which requires investigations of both formal and informal complaints. Shortly after, we became aware of an internal email part of public record sent by the same district staff member to the individual accused in the lawsuit. This email dated two years ago summarized anonymous staff complaints that mirror nearly every concern parents are raising today. Fear of retaliation, bullying, staff and students being yelled at, and even inappropriate touching. This the

012direct uh this directly contradicts the district's assurance that there has been had been no evidence of harm to staff or students. The evidence existed, was documented, and was acknowledged by the very same administrator who now denies it. Meanwhile, dozens of parent emails that have been sent voicing these concerns. Um the only responses received have been a generic copy and pasted statement that the situation situation is being monitored closely. How exactly what does that monitoring consist of? Please tell us where is the evidence of action. At this point, I am demanding and desperate that the district initiate a third party investigation. Only an independent review can provide teachers and staff with a safe space to share their experiences without fear of retaliation. If the district is truly monitoring the situation closely, then tangible actions and documented

013results should already ex exist and they do not. So, I ask again, what specifically has been done to monitor this situation? Why was has a third-party investigation not yet been initiated? How many more concerns have gone unreported because of the culture of fear and retaliation at Endeavor? Families deserve trans transparency. Teachers deserve safety. Students deserve protection. Enough is enough. Thank you. >> Next is Paulie uh excuse me, Molly Peterson. Uh, good evening. I'm Molly Peterson, co-chair of Skyline High School's humanities department. First, thank you for all the hard work you do on behalf of all students of ISD. I'm here to share my perspective on the report out from the board members regarding the work study on OE14 that took place on the board at the board meeting on September 25th. The discussion appeared to

014lack nuance regarding the IB program at Skyline, IB's operating model, the benefits to students, the breadth of options available to students, including this year's expansion that added IB language and literature standard level. Furthermore, the word equity was being used in the discussion, but what was being described was not equity, but rather sameness. The board appears to be prioritizing a goal of having the same number of college credit courses at all high schools above other crucial program and teaching and learning considerations. The district has chosen to provide options for students including high schools modeled on both AP and IB offerings. It is important to acknowledge that having two programs will create difference and this difference leads to good things. It is possible for the district to support wonderful learning experiences that amply prepare students for college

015under both systems. We should be looking at ways to develop each of these unique systems to be the best they can be and not getting distracted with a search for sameness that ultimately undermines the hard work being done at each high school. The district is investing in excellent teaching and learning through the IB program. As a teacher myself who is part of the expansion of the IB Lang and the offerings at Skyline, I can tell you that I'm energized. Teaching IB makes me a better teacher. It provides better opportunities for all of my students. Please extend an invitation to teachers like me for your next work study on this topic. I'm asking that your actions and discussions reflect an understanding of the input provided by teachers. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Next,

016I have Sandy from Pine Lake. I've come here tonight to ask the board administration to reflect on its anti-democratic authoritarian behavior. Every parent that spoke at the last schoolboard meeting highlighted the stonewalling and lack of transparency and communication of two different investigations in the district. And in the prior board meeting, we witnessed you dismiss students and prohibit them from giving public comment twice. You literally silence them. Furba protects students identities and even allows them to opt out of school directories. Your silencing of two students who wish to remain anonymous due to the very real threats of doxing and targeted harassment exemplifies that you have absolutely no no concern for their students safety, privacy, and listening to the very students you purportedly serve. This isn't shocking given the racist record of the district where black students

017are disproportionately suspended and report experiencing more harassment by staff than their non-black peers. However, as it has been demonstrated, this board not only silences students, but Stonewall's parents on their grave concerns and inquiries that range from inadequate substitute teaching of AP level Spanish to the steps being taken to safeguard elementary schoolage children after revelations of sexual abuse within their children's school. I have to ask who do you actually serve when you are sitting up there in that dis. The students who were silenced give the following statement. The suspension of this early sets a harmful precedent of free speech in the district. Expressing opinions on current events should not be shut down just because they don't match your own views. Censoring a teacher like this goes directly against her rights. Recently at Cougar Mountain Middle School,

018a similar situation occurred where a student was reported for expressing support for Palestine. The excuse for this repression is anti-semit of anti-semitism is entirely ridiculous given that nearly 30 children die every day in Gaza in the most horrific ways and conditions and over a thousand teachers have been slaughtered while the schools and universities themselves are often intentional targets of Israeli attacks. By preventing discussion on this ongoing genocide, you are killing them a second time. In closing, it is in is completely abhorrent that students will refuse the right to speak, especially on the issue of freedom of speech. You are not exemplifying to students democracy, but rather authoritarianism. >> Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. Um, next I have Bridget Chapo. Chapo. I'm Bridget Chapet. parent of two current endeavor students and I want

019to discuss the district's email from September 26th. It stated that the district didn't identify any immediate safety concerns and that the district is monitoring the situation at Endeavor, but the message didn't give any details on what measures are in place or how any impact on student safety is being assessed while the separate legal process unfolds. I've read through all the regulations and procedures that the message linked to. I also reviewed last year's OE3 report and the OE2 report on the agenda tonight. Those documents are all really inconsistent and vague when it comes to actual protective and monitoring measures. I emailed my concerns to the board, but only received an assurance that monitoring is in place. Right now, we're being asked to simply trust that everything is fine. But we're not being told what monitoring actually

020means, what protocols have changed, and who is ensuring accountability. I can't make an informed decision about whether my children are safe unless this critical safety information is provided. Our community has a credible fear that our teachers are being subjected to harassment, intimidation, and bullying. This directly impacts them and our students. I'm calling for the board to conduct due diligence and ensure accountability exists and that this is consistent with best practices in public education and workplace safety. Specifically, I'm asking that the school board do two things. First, communicate specific monitoring measures that are currently in place at Endeavor and be transparent about the metrics that you're using to assess student safety, staff safety, and disruptions that this situation is causing in the learning environment. Second, launch an investigation into the allegations and safety concerns. Then, clearly

021communicate the scope of the investigation and timeline for completing it to the community. This needs to be independent. Thank you. >> That comment is over and we will approval of the agenda. [Music] Any board members may move that we adopt the consent agenda. Second >> comments. >> Seeing no comments, all those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. We'll move on to the establishment of the regular agenda. Are there any changes to the regular agenda? >> There are no changes to the regular agenda. >> Okay. Then we will start with item number one, the board retreat recap. Uh so the board held a retreat on September 29th and 30th and so um this is an opportunity for us to recap a discussion of several hours worth

022of conversation. Was there anyone that would like to begin or I can go by major item and we can talk about that. So, um, we began our conversation about the portrait of a graduate and, um, we began that by having hearing from Representative Tiko Santos who is chair of the House Education Committee. Um, so that was a very good conversation to begin with and did anyone have any um, discussions about that particular conversation? Is there any way that that could be broadcast to show what the portrait profile graduate is? Is that possible or that too >> the visuals? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> So, she'll try to pull that up as we begin discussing. So, it was a very robust conversation about um and I'll I'll preface it with we began the work with a

023profile of a graduate as we're looking at their entire time in our system. And so, what do we want a student, the profile of a student as they're leaving us to look like? And so, that's kind of why we focused on graduate. >> Director Coin, I saw your hand first. >> Okay. All right. Um, well, I thought maybe I would speak to some of the pre-work that we did ahead of that conversation, too, while we're while we're waiting to pull up the profile of a graduate. It was interesting. We um, one of the pieces that we were asked to do was to to listen to a podcast on St. Brain Valley uh, schools in Colorado, which is interesting kind of thinking about how other districts are doing things that are a bit outside the box.

024Um, and um, kind of some similar demographics to the Aqua School District. And so it was interesting just again to see what they were doing particularly around workforce pathways um how they were really working to engage the community which is always something that I find intriguing to listen to in terms of how um we can bring the community into the work that we're doing as a district. Uh one area that I thought was really fascinating too was you know these workforce pathways particularly for students who know that they want to pursue uh a career in education specifically in teaching. they really start to work with students at the high school level and um and really think about what that looks through as they move on to college and then continue to keep them um involved

025in school. So it was a really good way I think to set the stage for this conversation that we had around profile of a graduate which will also be it's also neat too to talk about the fact that we will incorporate that in um our board town halls that we'll be doing here later this month. That'll be a great way for us to kind of can start that conversation with the community, share some of the work that um if we're able to get that visual up that will that will highlight these particular areas and really hear from all of you because I think one of the things that we you know that we find in the formality of a board meeting is we can't directly engage with members of the community. Um so the the

026um those town halls would be a good opportunity for us to share this work and then really understand where the community is is at um with the direction that we're looking at as we think about the profile and build this um um uh moving forward. So those are my thoughts. Um I thought this particular conversation was really great. First of all, it it is great to have the opportunity to spend a couple hours to really dive deeply in to a topic, but this particular topic about thinking about education and learning in a different way perhaps for the benefit of all of the kids in our our district is um was really really interesting. Representative Santos is leading a a work group at the state level to kind of think about our state system overall and

027how we could perhaps um think differently about skills that uh we want our kids to learn and you know the system right now. We we also read a book leading into this um work session about mastery based learning well and a whole bunch of other things but that was part of the discussion and it's really you know acknowledging that our system right now is currently set up in a way to for a specific type of learner and if there are not opportunities for us to think broader in order to acknowledge and grow the aptitudes of all of our kids in different ways and to build skills that employers actually now in a changing world are starting to emphasize which is more critical thinking, curiosity, uh a take letting students take agency in what they're learning

028and what they're wanting to study and the skills that they want to build. So I just think it that's the direction that the world is going in and that we would be smart to be thinking the same way. Here is the profile graduate now up on the screen of some of the um skills that we're thinking of. And then >> Yeah. And that's not showing on the Zoom. >> Oh, it's not showing. >> So, it does need to get shared. >> Okay. Um, and really for us then as a board to kind of start thinking about how do we how should our system start being geared towards building more of these opportunities in the curriculum and the offerings that we're making available for our kids and how they learn. So, it's it's a fascinating topic.

029It's kind of a seismic shift in how we think about education. Um, but it is something that we need to start talking about because it really registers with me anyway. thinking about making sure again that all of our kids the aptitudes that they have inherently are being um emphasized. So those are my thoughts. >> Director Gallinger. So, I appreciated all the pre-work because I think it I like to be challenged to think and that's why I appreciate our superintendent and all of the work you did ahead of time with your team to prepare us for it. I unfortunately wasn't there for that discussion because I was doing a college visit. Uh but certainly doing the pre-work made me think about a lot of things and coming back to build then see the work the next

030day that you guys had done was really fun and I am really grateful for this and I think it's interesting when we reflect like everyone that's sitting up here we all went the standard pathway of least resistance and yet I love that we really want to broaden like what like what does success look like what are the skills that we think that students need to be prepared for for jobs that don't even exist today and I am really excited that there is uh uniformity and belief across this group that we want to do more for our kids and we want to give them more choice and more opportunities to demonstrate and pursue passions. So, uh, I'm really excited about this and I hope that we can get, uh, some good dialogue in our town halls

031because the intent is to sort of let's let the community see and touch this and students, parents, uh, we want our student representatives at the respective theater patterns to be there with us so you can be part of those discussions. uh because I think it'll be really helpful to hear and uh I think it will serve as a a nice foundation for us as we look ahead uh with another high school opinion. >> And um uh I think it was director uh Taylor that mentioned we read a book called Mastery um and one of the schools mentioned in that was Gibson. Um and I think it was good even from that perspective to look at you know at Gibson their their diploma I mean their their transcript looks completely different um because it's based on

032all of the metrics that you really need and some of these are around you know so so where it's quantitative and qualitative um assessments and um being able to look at a skills-based mastery mastery of skills and I think this is good for us to even be able to say, "Well, holistically, as a district, we need to really consider what are the skill sets that we need our graduates to leave, regardless of what path they're taking, whether they're headed to a four-year college, a two-year college, going straight into work, going into the armed forces. What are the things that we need all of our students to walk away with um to be able to to reach their full potential?" And I think that these are the ones that really kind of stand out as the

033ones that we're hearing all throughout various different industries that are needed. So it goes beyond just what grade point average did you get and what school are you going to that it really gets to how are we ensuring that they're meeting these skill sets that are going to require be required. So, and again, yes, um you can look hopefully it's on our website. Maybe it's been in the e-news as to when the um the three town halls are occurring. I know that the the end of the month in October, the last Monday and Tuesday, but I just can't remember when the third one is. >> 16th. >> The 16th. So, that's coming up next week. I promise I'll be there. Um >> but yes, so that they're coming quickly and we really want to get

034at the heart of what this looks like. And I have to say personally, I'd love to be able to have some of this discussion. I can't wait to hear because this is one of the last things that I'll be walking away from when I leave in in December. So, um this is really important. I did not realize that uh Representative Tamiko Santos was basically my spirit animal that we shared so much about wishing if you could break down education. If you could completely do away with how it is structured today, which was structured a hundred years ago, if we were rebuilding it from the ground up, what would it look like? And um man, I would be love I would love to be in some of those discussions with her about what would what could

035it truly look like? Um, so that was a it was a great conversation. You can see that, you know, our our work is actual work and so this is a product of that and we're continuing that. We want to hear from the community. This, I think, needs to really be the community's determination of a profile of a graduate, which then leads into the restructuring of our um our strategic plan at our next adjustment. So, I don't know, superintendent, if you want to talk more. >> Great. Um we had a really robust discussion and we had a lot of time to really step through different phases of that meaning making. I think what was notable for me about representative um Tamika Santos's um work and this is a it was not it's not a legislative sanctioned

036it's sort of her own compilation of multiple um people that she's engaged with this topic of reimagining education thinking that through she calls it the big ideas I committee um or the big ideas I work group um it's kind of exciting to be able to have those kinds of conversations so um it was great cuz she's been thinking about this for a long time she had a lot of research and a lot of data um about where she had gathered some of her learning um backwards of 10, you know, plus years ago and we got some new resources to to think about as well. Um but these kinds of things are are not new either. Right. While I feel like it's a a newish conversation, we've kind of been building to this in many many

037ways. Uh since the beginning of Gibson EC, um as we think about where we are now, there's been just an acceleration of lots of factors that kind of put this at the forefront. and I hear students say, "Hey, this this this future is a bit uncertain. So, how do I really make sure I can adapt to all of that in the future?" So, that's been exciting for me to think about how we can articulate a lot of the great work that we currently do to tie that and connect that already to these various um skills that prepare our young people for um a very adaptable future, but also to think about new opportunities that could exist to do that even better. So excited about that work and I think we'll find when we talk to

038all of our staff at different levels, they'll have an example. The intentionality that I think many teachers always think about is how do I get my kids to work together and they structure their classroom time in that way, whether it's seating in groups at elementary already or other other ways. Um there are some things that we'll be doing in tandem as well. Um to the point around community engagement, uh we are going to be doing a student voices project that is going to be led by also our student representatives to sort of get other student voice. Um the district uh teams, myself included, will be going to every single school and hosting a staff meeting. It's optional um after hours to get as many voices as possible as well. And we're kicking that off in

039tandem as you're as we're kicking off the board town halls uh next week. And I did allude to it in the community update that I published this week for October just to give some preview to that and some invitation especially to highlight the times and the dates and locations for the board town hall. So excited to be on this journey together. And before I move to the next topic, I know our students were not able to be there for some reason. They didn't get take two days off of school to be at our uh board retreat. Um but did want to see if there was any thoughts that you wanted to share quickly and I do mean quickly. um about what you see here. I know this is probably a first look um but I

040don't know if you have any thoughts. >> And while they're thinking, my hope was is that each one of us as board members would take and do a short video and this could be the foundation of our videos for the fall of 25 of one of these five because I heard they were assigned and I asked it could be assigned not just to talk about the town hall but for us to do a brief our video on like why it's important and then share our reflections that we've heard from the three town halls. So I think it'd be a great way to bring it back together for the community. >> Right. Okay. Well, seeing no hands raised from the students, our next topic, because this was not meaty enough, we started talking about homework. Now,

041um we have had conversations around homework that's actually a part of OE14. It's not just around grading, but it's around homework. um we had invited Thomas Gusky many many years ago to come to our district and work with our teachers along the lines of homework. And so um but that conversation seemed to have not driven anywhere. And so I wanted to bring it back up again to say, you know, this is still work that the district needs to be focused on and talking about. And so this was an opportunity for us to really talk about um homework practices for our students and actually I'm sorry it's OE12 that homework pic practices are in. Um we talk about it being consistent across schools not necessarily including elementary special ed programs and accelerated offerings but that homework

042should not be drastically different if you're in pre-calc at Skyline or at Isqua High. um what you're getting for your um math. I mean, it should be pretty consistent across the board. Um our policies around elementary have been pretty clear that most of the time you're only going to get homework in math. Um that homework really looking at the number of hours, one hour or what is it? 30 minutes for every uh year of school. So that what was that? 10 minutes. 10 minutes for each grade. So that you know you're well that was not my lived experience because my child did not do his homework during school. So it was all homework but um but really taking a look at what our homework policies are that they're consistent across the schools and what is

043homework, why is it given um that it really should be about learning and um and so there was just deep discussion and I don't know if anyone else wants to give their thoughts or impressions. Director Taylor, >> great synopsis. you've pretty much captured it all. But I just this just one point that I thought was really interesting was just the fundamental question which is what should be the purpose of homework. Why are we asking our kids to do you know certain amounts of homework in certain courses and to think of that in a way that you know is maximizing the learning experience but also I think we all worry about the burdens on our kids today with all the things that they have going on. um wanting to make sure that the homework is serving

044a a purpose that isn't necessarily overly adding to that burden but at the same time helping their learning experience. I just that fundamental question I thought was really interesting. Anyone else? Director Gallinger. >> Oh. >> Um yeah. So that's actually a really interesting topic for me. um especially when you were talking about kind of the uniformity of homework across schools. I was wondering um if that was a goal moving forward, how that would kind of be monitored because I do know that uh you mentioned pre-calc a lot of math courses um homework greatly varies between different schools and even the way that teachers kind of like count homework. A lot of teachers um math teachers in higher level courses don't count homework for actual points and it's just um for the students to do work

045if they choose to. So how would that kind of work I think like with the uniformity piece between schools? My question, >> one of the things we discussed was having um having like a repository of of great syllabi that teachers could go to like these are the ones that are really showing um giving good explanations about that. So most of the classes are scoped and sequenced so that they hit all of the material. So all of the if you're in uh I will use pre-calc again um that's already scoped in sequence and so that's what they should be following. like this is the chapter, this is how long you're on there um for that chapter. So there should be some similarity um between when you're hitting certain topics and so what kind of homework is

046related to that should be fairly similar. And I think I had given an example at the work study about um in my son's history class they used to have to write a summary of the chapter like read the chapter do a summary and that teacher was like is that just busy work and so they actually let the students not do that and then came back afterwards and said well how did you feel you did on the test without doing the summary and they're like please give us the summary. So, but that was a decision that was made like okay here's the usefulness of it. Um, so I think there's some of those discussions as well around the usefulness of homework when it's given. So, director Gallinger, >> so I think that we have spent so

047many years focused on grading and equitable grading practices and it's such a big thing to try and align it across for our 6,000 high school students. So I think now we want to dive into the homework part because homework and grading for obvious reasons are like really hard to to separate. So I think in at this stage to answer your question we are more in the early sort of what what is the magnitude and boundaries of things before we say hey here's we'd really like to really do some alignment and I think moving first towards like best practices and it's not necessarily same amount of homework per building but it'd be for like equivalent class. So in pre-calculus across any high school class, we would want it to be similar. Nth grade English, we don't

048want even within one building, uh I think I would say a decade ago, you could have a ninth grade English uh teacher at Isqua High School and you would get this much work and this much grading and another ninth grade English class, you get this much work and this much grading. And like we wanted to reduce that variability and that I think has been largely addressed not perfect across any of our buildings uh when we look at them together but our hope is that through this work we would get towards uh more similar practice because what I think sometimes uh our teachers underestimate how much homework they're leaving for students to do when they like hey we gave you time to start in class and I think they don't always have as much time as

049they think that they give and then also So I think they may underestimate how much time it may take a student to do that assignment at home. And so even if every teacher was assigning 20 to 30 minutes a day of homework over seven classes, that's like three and a half hours. Uh so I think there's a lot for us to sort of start with just the exploration phase. Uh and not, you know, I don't think that we're at any decision point in my mind yet. Any other comments? Um I will say my last point on this is that it is it is a tough discussion. Um homework I think definitely has a purpose in a meeting. Um I think there are some discussions around uh the two perspectives. one from a student's perspective of

050the teacher said this was only going to take a half an hour, it takes me two hours versus other other people that feel like, well, you would have time to do your homework if students weren't spending the number of hours on social media and their their um you know, their little machines. Um so, you know, it there's a lot to talk about. There's a lot to discuss. There's a lot about where where are we at with um the amount of homework that you're doing? Uh really thinking about if learning is your job, why do you have so much that's happening after the workday ends, right? And is that the life that we are we teaching you good life work balance if we're overwhelming you with that? But then it goes into a whole thing of

051what is the expectation? while you do the homework because you need the grade because you need to get into this college because that's what colleges still expect. So, it's very hard to move a needle on something. Um, like director Gallinger was saying, grading is handinhand with homework. So, it was handinhand with our discussion was the next item. Um, really kind of where are we at? We've been we've been uh stressing as a board and this is our operation um operational expectation around grading practices and the consistency of that um that I still feel we're not necessarily meeting and so I wanted to get others feedback from that discussion. >> Dr. Coin, >> I wanted just to circle back on the homework conversation. I was not able to be present for the second day um because

052I had a work commitment. But um I think one thing and director Gallinger made a good point with this too is that I think sometimes teachers may not know how buried a student can be when it relates to homework. So I think for parents that are listening or students that are listening, making sure that you're communicating that to the teacher if you are feeling like you're buried and that homework is becoming overwhelming. I think that sometimes is a piece that gets missed because I think um teachers want to hear that and need to make sure that they're hearing that to make sure that they're um managing what that that homework load looks like every night. So, just wanted to add that piece. >> Oh, and I didn't give you a talk chance to talk about

053homework. >> Yeah, that's why >> Oh, you did. Yes. Push it up. It takes a second or two and it'll be on and then you can speak. Hi. Okay. Is it working? Okay. Um I just wanted to say that uh especially for like people I know like even if we're like open to like you know like spending the time and take all these advanced classes and like we're up for that workload sometimes uh it feels like kind of a mixed bag. Um, and you never really know what you're going to get just because each and every class. I think um, one board member already had spoken a little bit about this, but um, like how the classes vary from like even within the school or with between teachers, even if you're taking the exact same

054like on like paper class. Um, it can feel like you you don't know exactly what's going to like what your workload's going to be because each teacher has like their obviously each teacher teaches in their own way, but like there are some teachers who you might not have any homework for and there's other teachers with that same class where you might have like an hour and it's hard to like, you know, be able to like balance your schedule or balance your time if there's like such a big disparity. And yeah, I guess that's all I really wanted to like bring up, I guess. And um I could just went ahead. >> Does it work? Okay. Um yeah, I feel like that's a really good point of when you're going into a class, you don't really

055know how much homework that teacher is going to give you and sometimes like certain classes like it makes it very hard for you to have another schedule. That's all. >> I know. Um just to kind of give an example to exemplify I guess that phenomenon. Um this is I feel so common at Isqua that I know students who will sign up for an AP class but not exactly know what to expect and then they'll say okay if I end up with this teacher I don't have the capacity to handle that the bandwidth of that work. And then they'll go in the fall and ask to be dropped to like the regular level class. Um, and if it's that unpredictable that students are kind of struggling to even plan out their course schedules for the next

056year and they need to, excuse me, and they need to adapt on the basis of what teacher they get and what that workload looks like. Um, I think it just kind of speaks to the disparity that's still going on. >> Rex, >> uh, thank you. Yeah, I think um this is definitely something that I've seen this year for a lot of the math classes at Isqua High School. And I know that's been a a topic of just a a reoccurring topic, especially for those taking pre-calculus. But with all these new math classes and the addition of CHS into the course curriculum, I think a lot of students have been misled into thinking that CHS was comparable to the onle pre-calc last year when I think there's been a little bit of uh there's been a

057disparity in the course load expectations. And so I I think that's just something that that I thought I'd bring up as we're talking about um just the the equitable courses throughout the district and even within the schools. >> Great. Thank you, Nella. >> Yeah, I just wanted to highlight a little bit more since we were talking about um school in relation to like homework and time at home, it also really affects extracurriculars and the experience that we want to have exposure to in high school. Like personally, I had a friend where we both had the same class, but we got different teachers and we both wanted to do this sport and she just did not have the time for it and she ended up having to drop the sport because she did want to commit

058to having to doing that work and putting in the work for that. So, extracurriculars is another thing that homework definitely affects. >> Thank you, Harlin. And then Chris. >> Yeah. Yeah. And I I think that just to follow up on that, I think that that is why we're talking about it. Just do you understand our why? Like >> is your mic on? >> And it is school I can't get any closer to it. >> Yeah. >> School work is an inevitable part of a school, but to what director Marlo said, you're already in school seven hours a day. Like that's like what we work and you bring all this work home. But there's so much more richness to life that we want you to have that we know is key to those profiles that we

059had that are sports that are extracurricular activities. So there's a survey that comes out in the springish time I think when the district did that provided us data for like how much time there you're you're spending on homework. make sure that you and all your friends and everyone in your school fills that out because the bigger the end size the more helpful it will help us. But I think in thinking about what we're hearing just from our students it would be an added question would be helpful is like did homework limit your ability to fully participate in a club? Did homework limit your ability to fully participate in a sport? I think rather than the time based part that I think all of us will kind of both our teaching staff and us feel like

060are we like how valid is the actual percent or number of hours or reporting that they spend in homework. But what is really meaningful is if no matter what that number is, if that prevented them from having a job or from doing a sport or from being able to participate meaningfully in clubs, that would be really important information, far more important than actually how many hours they're spending. So, as we do those annual surveys, if that could be added because I think that would be really helpful information for me to know because then I don't care what the number is, it's too much. Chris and then Director Coin. >> You um I know we've been talking a lot about homework. My freshman year across like my math classes, at least just within the building at

061Liberty, there's a lot of like inconsistencies between classes. And I guess it's like kind of a good thing, but when I took pre-calculus last year, going back to that example, at least the syllabus was consistent amongst all the other classes. Um you know, each teacher teaches differently. They have their own styles. Some of them are very homework heavy and some of them are also not homework heavy. Another thing is I've noticed this like time spent homework example come up. I think the time is kind of like a flawed analysis for measuring homework. I think you know often I find myself taking 20 minutes on an assignment that takes 45 or you know two hours for a 30 minutes assignment. I think it goes back to like how does this piece of homework tie back into

062the learning? You know is it is it busy work or is it something that's expanding your knowledge? Right. Thank you, Director Coin. >> Um, I want to go back to uh Director Gallinger's point on asking the question on did homework prevent you from having a balanced high school life? And I do think it's a good question to ask. I'm wondering though, is there a distinction between um homework and I guess maybe preparing for an exam or a major project that maybe is tied to the course itself? because I don't I I think there's a lot of time obviously that's spent preparing for exams that may be separate from just the daily homework component of it. I don't know if you if you have a thought on that. >> Yeah, I agree. I don't but I

063think we need to broadly define it in a survey. Homework is not just like because you're bringing home assignment that you didn't finish in class. >> Yeah. >> Like in our house >> like see what's Thursday. So already from Sunday night through Thursday, there's been well over 25 hours of at home time to do biology test, uh, social studies timed right, math test, all in these first four days of the week. And yes, so to your point, it's a lot of it is the prep time. >> Yep. >> Not quote like I got a homework assignment. >> Yep. Good point. Thank you. Okay. Um so, so that's why it's very difficult. You start to talk about grading and it goes back to homework. Um, so going back to grading I think is really um kind

064of some cons consistency and I um I think even director Mullings had had flashed back to um former board director um Anne Moore and her twin daughters taking the same class at the same school but different teachers much to what we've heard from our students in a significantly different experience. And one of the things that we are trying to do is to create some sameness as was mentioned in public comment. We want some sameness because we want the expectations to be similar. I don't want vastly higher expectations at one school and lower expectations at another. I don't want to be saying um if you take these classes from this teacher, their whole gimmick is that it's super hard and that this teacher is all about relationships and you going and having opportunities to spend time

065with your family, right? So that kind of distinct variability is what we're trying to get away from in homework and we're trying to get away from in grading. In this class, homework is 50%. In this class, homework's only 10%. um you know in this class you know this pre-calc we have tests after every unit but in this pre-calc you know we only have maybe every other unit or we get to take retakes this class doesn't get to take retakes those are the things in this system they're systematized that we're trying to clear up and so we had a whole discussion again around grading and wanted to hear if there was any other feedback director Taylor >> just two points just on the concept of grading too that I I think we were we are interested

066in from principal standpoint which is wanting to make sure that grading practices allow our students to maintain hope wherever they are in the class the the time of the class. Um meaning that one grade early on doesn't necessarily sink your possibilities of getting a good grade in the class. So wanting to make sure that the system allows for that. And then also wanting to make sure that the grade is a reflection of mastery of the subject matter at the end of the course. Not at some point in time during the course, but that at the end of the course that a student if a student has mastered and had opportunities to continually reflect that mastery that their grade reflects the end product, so to speak, not a point in time. So >> maybe you could

067give your example >> because then I would love to respond to that example. >> So my example that I shared was let's say you have a student in class and they get a se there's five tests. They get a 70 a 70 a 70 a 70 and a 70. Basic math. They're getting a C in the class. But imagine if the student goes from a 90 to an 80 to a 70 to a 60 to a 50. they're still getting a C in the class. But if they go from a 50 to a 60 to a 70 to an 80 to a 90, you average that out, they're still getting a C in the class. Completely different measurements, completely different issues that really need to be dealt with for the student. And again, I will

068also go back to my it seems that grades are currency that you earn to spend at the college of your choice and not communication. And they should really be about communicating have you achieved the mastery needed? Do you understand the concepts that this then the standards that this class is trying trying to teach you? And then we can get in a whole discussion of does it take 150 hours to get there? But that's another topic. Um so then director Gallinger >> I think it's this is the hard part is like how do you actionize and operationalize this with a teaching staff as big as we have? good luck. But I think it's like we want it to be philosophically on a reflection of what the student like knows or can do like to be really

069skill-based and less performative of like oh did they turn in that homework assignment from the first week of school. And I think it's really hard and yes, there's a connection between like certainly there are certain like as you've alluded to in math like if you don't do the math homework and do the math practice, you're probably going to have harder time performing on the test. So some of those things are related and do matter. But then there's the parts about hey you're learning how to write and if you already knew how to write then you wouldn't be learning how to write. So why does the C you get on your first time right reflective of if you're then to your point getting a B and then an A and yeah actually the genres could be

070nuance and different but still the basic concept of like how you write is how you write and so if over the course of that semester you've demonstrated like wow you started and you had all these gaps on the rubric and then now like you're nailing it like why should that that be averaged out and like oh your overall grade is a B minus like when really you've ended the class and to the teacher's credit like they've filled those gaps for you and you've performed it doesn't make any philosophical sense why nor does it incentivize I think the right kind of learning that we want our students that is lifelong like for all of us that are do day jobs like it isn't like oh our first product that we decide to turn in or not

071turn in like it's we work on it till we get it to the finalization that we want and then we present it or do what whatever uh and that's more real world in real life and so I feel like grading as it currently exists is a challenge and I don't know if we'll ever get to that idealized state because how do you actually then do that for 6,000 students with fidelity I I don't know. >> Well, learning is iterative is what you're saying really. I mean, if if you know of any video game publishers out there today, they never come out with a product that's done. There's always the first day a huge patch of all the bugs, right? Because they're iterating on their learning. Um, and it goes back to my other statement of

072your pointsbased grading is pointless. It is all subjective. Even when you do it with maths and decimal points, it still ends up being subjective at the end of the day. Director Taylor, Director Coin. Okay. Did the students Oh. Oh. Is it okay if I go to the students? Okay. But remind me to let you speak. Did the students have anything to say around the grading portion of our discussion? Rex. >> Uh yeah, thank you. Um, I think the one thing that I've noticed when I talk to teachers about like their opinions on uh these grading policies is they feel so concerned that they're going to have to drastically change their curriculums, that they're going to be forced to teach a certain way that they aren't used to teaching and they feel that they'll inadequately prepare

073their students for achieving mastery in those subjects. So, I guess I'm wondering like how will we still preserve these teachers ability to teach in the way that feels most right for them while still balancing that out with um what we've been talking about keeping these equitable grading practices so that you don't end up with the bad teacher that gives all the homework. >> Well, and I think that's much of the discussion is how do you operationalize uh some of this Superintendent, >> I think the important um piece that came out was sort of philosophy and sort of the goal of why homework is an extension of learning and sort of what's the purpose. And I think that's an important thing to reset on versus what are the tactics of the amount of hours, that kind

074of thing. So, I think that's number one. Uh number two is as it relates to both homework and grading, limiting variability is helpful because then you're not too out of out of line from each I don't think we're aiming for standardization, which I think is a different thing. And I think that's a helpful clarification that was discussed um at the board retreat. Um I do know that there was a lot of progress made in terms of actually helping to gain more clarity um for our teachers and our district together through the collective bargaining agreement that was just recently signed for the next couple years. And there's also a grading practices committee. And that's actually another opportunity to work through some of these really big questions because operationalizing this does take that kind of dialogue back

075and forth. um resetting on some of the conversations that have been had over the years but also taking any new instances of question that are at hand um and saying hey how do we tackle this and or discuss what implications there might be from um uh the expectations that are currently in the collective bargaining agreement. So all of this is good good topics and I know that we are continuing to get to the next version or version 10. I'm not sure what version we're on but um that we take every year then you know that is certainly probably a version 10. There's two technical pieces that I would love clarity on so that 12 months from now we would hopefully be put these two to bed. One is uh I would like to see uniformity

076for the concept that I hear about at Isiqua High School is uh AP tests and your performance on AP tests affects your grade. So I think it should either affect your grade or it shouldn't affect your grade. And then if if the collective amongst all the teachers it affects your grade, then it should be that uniformly across our whole district. I don't have any skin in the game for what the decision is, but I have a hard time with it being scattershot on what teacher you happen to draw out of the bag because as a student, you don't get to choose that. So it is unfair and inequitable for there to be a different grading practice for the quote grade month. So that's something that I think should be put to bed because that continuing

077inequity is not good for students. The second thing is is I would love there to be clarity on the status of an A minus because for Seamish that is split exactly in half. If you happen to go to East Lake High School, if you have a 90, you have an A. If you happen to live south of 8th and you go to Skyline, you have a 90, you have an A minus. So, in the same city, your transcripts will look different. And over the course of uh the accumulation of your transcript, if you have 90 all the way through, at Skyline, you graduate with a 3.7 and at East Lake, you graduate with a 4.0. that 0.3 difference in GPA whether we all probably collectively disagree with that concept of pointsbased currency like it's revolting

078but nonetheless that's the current currency system that we have and so until that currency system changes which I will be happy to send onto any letter to advocate for that change at the higher ed level I think we need to not be putting isqua school district students at a disadvantage from our surrounding pure districts in the region that they're directly competing against for college. >> Director Taylor, >> I just want to make a couple more comments. It's um I think all the comments we've had from our student reps is great anecdotal evidence of why this matters and why we're continuing to have this discussion because it's their lived experience. So, um I hope that we, you know, continue down the path of trying to find solutions to these things. The other thing I do want

079to say is I do believe that most of our staff and our teachers are also interested in fairness and sometimes you know maybe not have do not have the the visibility of the entire system or anything like that too. So I I I I know teachers also want to try to strive for fairness as well. So I just I don't want teachers to think I'm out there bashing on them necessarily. >> Anything else? uh Chris and then Alpha. >> Thank you. I want to go back to a point that director Gallinger brought up about the bumping your grade up based on the AP test score. So my experience with that at Liberty is that no teachers use that to bump your grade down rather up. Um it goes back to a point that director Moralda

080brought up about promoting continuous progress and improvement. Um but it is not uniform though. Last year I took a class an AP class. I struggled at the start of the year. Um, but I got better as the year went on and I got a grip on it. However, you know, that grade bump on the with the AP test would have definitely helped me out. And I was kind of frustrated that this year when a couple of my friends took the class this year and now all of a sudden, you know, if they score highly on the AP exam, their grade will be bumped up uh to reflect that. I think that's also something that kind of needs to be uniform. And I think that's a great way or a great start at least to to

081promote that continuous progress and improvement. Ava. >> Okay, thank you. I just want to start off by building on that point about AP grade bumps and them kind of being a good benchmark for students improving throughout the year and being able to demonstrate their mastery at a certain end point um that students are also aware is coming. My main question here is I know a lot of teachers use AP test grade bumps to kind of even out the class. Like they'll make the class harder than the AP test so that students are well prepared and then bump students when they do well on the test. Um, and I know that's common especially amongst like upperassman AP classes or classes that are typically taken by upper classmen. So my question there is if we are saying

082okay now every class has an AP grade bump or no class has an AP grade bump. How do we proceed to then kind of even out those differences amongst teachers? Um and then how does that impact student performance on the AP test if say the class is now on level to the test as opposed to harder. Um, my other thought here is when it comes to students being able to demonstrate mastery on the tests, I know there's also a lot of students who put in a lot of really great, thoughtful work outside of class. They're really dedicated to a certain subject matter. Um, and that is reflected in their homework, but they're someone who is maybe not a great test taker or struggles to demonstrate a certain skill in that timed environment. Um, and for

083students like that, homework can provide kind of that padding for a grade and the reflection of their efforts. Is that something that we're seeking to preserve? And if so, how? Well, to the answer to your second question, that has been so much of the conversation over the years around homework. Um, so it is where's where is the fine-tuning that can happen there. Um, and so I think that that's a very real issue that we are, you know, would need to also deal with with how do you operationalize this? What is homework? How is it meaningful? For some people, it is the the key thing that they need to to support the their their grade and their overall work. Um, as far as for your first question, I think that's some of what we would need

084to discuss is how, you know, that director Gallinger is speaking to is what are we doing about the grade bump and how would we go about systematizing that? So, that's an unanswered question that we'll need to be working on because we did not hit enough third rail topics. Oh, did you I'm sorry. Just briefly, um just wanted to quickly ask about um the idea of moving away from a pointbased system for grading. Um I just wanted to see if the board had any idea right now on like what that might look like cuz I know that that's such a foundational element of our education system and it's what's what most colleges look for um around the world. So is there any idea of what that might look like and how that kind of might fit

085into our system or is that just kind of like an idea right now? If I had my perfect dream, you already have it. And you can ask our Gibson X students what their transcript looks like cuz they actually work on it starting in day one. They get to actually add things to it. So any project they do goes into their transcript. And our staff has been actually because we've were some of the uh groups piloting that transcript. It's called a mastery based transcript. You can look it up online um that there are colleges that are accepting that masterybased uh transcript. So if I had a solution, I think I would already have one in play. But how that would look, how it would operationalize again is a big big ask. This is Marne and her

086big dreams. So if I were to change education today, it would not look like it does today. So along all of the topics, you think those were hot topics, we ended with accelerated learning. Um where we really talked about what is a success block? um uh why do we need separate pullout systems for um accelerated learning? Um how do we really determine um much of that? Um who governs us? We're our own governors as to whether or not we're following the laws. What is enrichment versus um accelerated learning? What does that look like? Um, for me, before I go send it to everyone else, for me, what I thought was most surprising is because 40 to 60% of our elementary students operate at a level four in math, our math is automatically higher, harder, excuse

087me, harder. And so, we are already operating at a higher level, making sure that they're stretching. So that my big aha is like, well, maybe that's why our students who are at level one and level two are struggling so much in our schools is because maybe our math isn't actually on grade level but advanced in the elementary system. So I thought that was interesting. Wanted to hear of other um discussions or items that you wanted to bring up about this not very hot topic. That was sarcasm. I do too. it. Yes. Go ahead, Micah. I guess um one concern that I had or not concern but a question that I had was I know a lot of students in the ESCO school district are interested in like going to college or like some sort of

088post-secary education and obviously uh as like the board and the district uh continues to refine the education system to like suit the needs of everybody um uh And if were more unconventional like ways were continuing to be added onto like the learning system, would there be any like concern about how like college preparedness would be um thought about especially because in generally like I know in college systems things are very much like a certain way of like test based or like based on one final exam and obviously uh like the school should um cater to all students, not just collegebound students. But I know for a lot of people like college is like the primary concern. And I just want to make sure that like in the reforms of uh the education system that like

089people still feel like ready once they go to like college and like the system like prepared them for that. >> Yeah. Director Coin, >> thank you for that that comment. And I think I just want to mention to folks too when we had the conversation around the profile of the graduate we looked at um the you know different directions potentially that we could go in the future and I think it's really key to say future and nothing would be overnight and it would you know and I'm not even sure how dramatic the changes would be. I probably lean more um on the more traditional side I guess I would say um from a grading standpoint but I do think that there are opportunities I think there's opportunities for us to learn from um a Gibson

090model but I just want to make sure that for our students and for parents that are listening none of this is happening immediately um this is just conversation and that's actually one of the reasons why we want to bring the the concept of the profile of a graduate to our upcoming town hall meetings because we want to hear from the community we want to hear what our community thinks about um how we think about education moving forward. So again, I just want to stress for folks, nothing will be changed overnight by any means. >> Sure. >> And and this is a yes and so like we know through an adult and data that our students go on to college who choose to do so and do very well for themselves. So that represents a little

091over six in ten of our graduates go directly on to a four-year college. Many more go on to a two-year college. But it's we want to do more than that. Like in for me it's two parts. One I think we can do more for the students who choose not to go directly to a four-year college. And I think we should do it because six and 10 that means four and 10 don't. That's a significant number. Two, I think I would love there to be a more reflective process. And I hope that when we talk about what were our ideals in the profile of graduate that through the process of learning in that time from when you enter our system as a kindergartener all the way through high school, then there could be pauses for you

092can actually stop and reflect on like like why am I learning what I'm learning and how is it going to best scaffold into what my future is? Because I think sometimes the pace of our coursework is such that there's no time for reflection. It's just I have to move on to prepare for the next test and the next exam and the next paper and the next whatever versus I'd love for there to be more time for you to be like, "Oh, okay. So, I think that after I've been through my freshman year at Liberty that now I'm really interested in like what a career in electrical engineering is." And then I can have time to be okay well these are the courses that I should take and that there's someone to support me in that

093school to help me to know hey maybe I could go shadow and like spend some time with and all the great parts about Gibson that allows them to get that realw world learning like we want that for every student. Now, we know we can't do Gibson X for 6,000 high school students. We can't afford that. But what we do know is that we can start taking nibbles at that so that your learning is more meaningful. And it's just like when you have a teacher that is really passionate about their subject, it's a lot easier to learn from. Likewise, when you're choosing a subject that like, wow, because I know this is going to be something that I want as part of my future, it's going to be that much more engaging just by virtue of

094regardless of the content and who's teaching. So, we want there to be time for the reflection. So, you can really know, hey, here's where I think my destination is and it's okay to change, but this is then therefore my path that I have individualized for that. So, it's not a instead of, it's really to be able to deepen your sense of like and purpose of learning that I think sometimes we don't have time for because the fly wheel is spinning so fast from one assessment to the other. Does that make sense? >> Any questions or comments on the accelerated learning piece? I know one of the questions I asked, you know, or talked about was that we have um certain programming that we do for students who um achieve certain measures on um cognitive and

095nonverbal, non-written uh tests that evaluate them. that's done in second grade to determine whether or not they're in a self-contained classroom with um accelerated learning and we call that Merlin in our district. And right now the cutoff I think is 97%. And I'm like what would happen if we change that to 96 because again we police it ourselves. We make that determination. It might be 95 in another school district. And so when we're looking at well what would the difference in learning would that student who is in the 96th percentile not be able to achieve the same results as the students that are in the 97th and up. So why are we closing it? And of course I made my other quip comment which is it's called a gifted program because it's a nice gift

096of programming wrapped in a box and only given to certain students. So how is the learning happening in that classroom that only those students can achieve or is there a way that we can take that same type of learning whether it's project based learning um you know is there a way that we can provide that to all students and that all students will have access to it. Um, I think that's really an important piece to me. Or are we sure that the students that are in there are the only ones qualified to do that work? And is there something we could do to break down some of the barriers, reduce the number um, you know, the the percentile that you have to be? What if it was the 96th percentile or the 95th percentile? How

097would that change our system? What students would it then include that it's not including today? Um, so those were some of my questions around that. I don't know if there were any other comments related to the accelerated learning piece. >> I'll just add on to that. I think that that was a big takeaway from that conversation that I that there seems to be opportunities for more acceleration in our elementary schools. And so then that, you know, begs the next question which is so what does that look like? Yeah. But to your point, >> so I I think just for clarity, I think that the percentiles you're using actually it's much higher than that actually to qualify for Merlin. Um I think it's like 99.99, but be wrong. Uh, I worry that as much as we

098focus on ensuring that all of our students can hit academic milestones that I don't want to get lost on to what you started the conversation off with when the the largest bucket of students is already above grade level and I want to make sure that they still get challenged and have learning opportunities. So I hope and part of my part of the discussion at the retreat was for when they do uh the differentiated learning that there's targeted learning for our uh students that can then challenge themselves more because then the discussion was how do we then open the doors and create more opportunities for our older elementary students as they get ready to prepare to go into middle school so they can be more equipped if they want to so choose a higher level math

099pathway because we know that certain math pathways in middle school allow you to hit certain high school course targets and tracks and we want students to be able to widely and broadly choose how that is. And so that's my hope is is that as you look at success blocks that it will be inclusive of how our highest performing students in our elementary grades um can still get challenged. Um, from my perspective, the whole purpose of the conversation, which I think actually we were all very aligned with and the topic was around how do we continue to have more opportunities for all of our learners, but also our learners who are ready to be pushed and challenged. So, that was a really great outgrowth of that conversation and there's no action right now back to sort

100of clarifying where we are with different topics. It was really an important step to say we all have a shared commitment to ensuring we create more opportunities for all of our students in particular focusing on in that conversation um those that are willing and and ready to be challenged. So thank you for that conversation. So that just shares with the public how indepth our conversations are that it took us an hour and a half to summarize um two days worth of meetings. Um but thank you for all of that. that really is the key work that we have not been able to do for a long time to really get into those deep philosophical discussions. So, I do appreciate that. So, next I'm only like an hour behind. Um, works in progress. Oh, work study

101recap. See, look, I'm just thought I'd skip the whole What did we talk about? So, um during the work study, we had an opportunity to um take a look at performance metrics for the district, uh looking at some top five things that we wanted to, um make sure we had a good baseline and then be able to track over the next several years. Um so, looking not only at academics, but the responses from our community and from our staffing that um the Isqua is a great place to be. So, I don't know if there's anyone that wants to give their thoughts on tonight's work study. Director Coin, I >> think you summed it up well. Um, I think it was good to look at some of those key metrics. I think it'll be interesting as

102we think about um what I'm sure folks have heard about before, a net promoter score. Um, so essentially um how likely are you to recommend the Siagua school district to a friend or colleague? um and really leaning into you to um surveying our community uh parents and non-parents of of of current students in the district and then also um looking at that um net promoter score from staff as well. So was interesting to think about those metrics in align with some of our academic metrics that we look at too. So good conversation tonight. >> Any others? Superintendent, >> I always do love a good discussion around metrics and what those mean and how uh how both there's all these different ways to to go deeper with one metric and we also did a good job

103I think talking about where all the different sources are because we have the OSPI report card, we have our own dashboards. There's actually a lot of data that we track in education. So being able to simplify um what we're looking at at a at a very high level and at a very public level is I think very important. Of course, we will always track all these other data points behind the scenes uh in our day-to-day practice to sort of continue learn and grow and get on short cycles of continuous improvement, but it's these big public measures that I think are really helpful to say what what are important and what they mean and what they signify throughout the learning journey. So we all know um through research and sort of through time that third grade

104is a really critical pivotal moment to be able to have strong English language arts foundations. So you're moving from learning to read to reading to learn and that sets you up on a really important pathway through the rest of your educational journey. Um having good foundations in math by the end of middle school and then those early uh that first year in high school being able to really be on track um right away is an important um opportunity to assess and help support kids um if they need it. So helpful conversation on the learning journey and milestones throughout the educational um experience uh K12. >> Anything else? Um I think the final piece for me was the discussion around um whether or not to look specifically um as we're tracking like tracking the metrics for

105um our opportunity gap meaning the difference between all students and then students um um either receiving like special services or students um of color to make sure that we're closing those gaps or are we going to look at the overall aggregate number and focusing on the overall aggregate number because you will not achieve growth without actually having intentional work towards our populations that are not doing um achieving at the same level. And so um that was part of that discussion. I really appreciated that. Okay, now we can move to works in progress. Okay, great. Well, I was going to talk a little bit more about the profile of a graduate, but we did talk about that quite a bit um already. Uh however I do want to note that I am part of the a

106Google um GSV which stands for global Silicon Valley fellowship and I'm tying the work that's happening with a profile of graduate in particular around the aspect of um what actually is needed now with the very rapid rise of artificial intelligence and agentic AI that is different from sort of these very timeless characteristics and skills that have been uh really transferable and that have been acknowledged in the past that are very important for all young people to know as they go into the workforce. Um, so I'm using that to really think about that and had a tuning session with a mentor assigned to me, a superintendent from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Had an introduction meeting with a coach, um, a superintendent from Oakland, California, and then a session to tune with another peer in my fellowship group who

107is an an area superintendent in New York City to just continue to make progress on that one. Um, I want to make note that uh on a monthly basis and sometimes because we only have one meeting a month, it will happen on that one meeting that I always want to make sure I acknowledge all the different amazing things that are happening uh for this month in the upcoming sort of sixish weeks. Um, to say what we're seeing, how we're recognizing different holidays whether we're in school or not. Um, but I want to make sure that we raise awareness of the various ways our community celebrates um, based on their identity and their culture. And so this is an important moment to just recognize that we will always have this on our agenda. Um I'll probably

108make sure it comes forward at least verbally from my point of view once a month to highlight this. There are so many different ways we recognize this uh upcoming set of weeks that it's it's hard to do all in in on an individual level. So I want to make sure everyone has that visibility into what's happening and it's a lot. So, um I appreciate that and we can honor that and recognize when people are celebrating um cultural or religious holidays that we make sure that those are respected and valued and and that our students are seen for what they're um bringing to our our school community. Um I do want to talk about an important fun event that happened this past weekend because I would be remiss if I didn't talk about it, which is

109Salmon Days. Um it's a it's not only when the salmon run, but it's also a unique opportunity in the Isiqua community and the greater surrounding in our district areas, greater surrounding areas in our district to um just be in community and to highlight this amazing area. So uh I want to thank Director Taylor who volunteered with our team for a couple hours and I saw some great pictures of you um engaging with families and and people stopping by our our uh tent. I know that President Moralda was actually around all weekend in another leadership capacity, but was doing some double duty at various moments. I know. And um got to sort of walk by all the different by our tent as well. So that was great. Director Coin helped stop by and I think he

110came by just to chat for a little bit. We I enlisted him in some additional help. So appreciate your your support in helping to uh break down the tent for the day as we prepared for the next day. And I know that director Mullings was um in the parade as well. So really kudos to the Greater Isqua Chamber of Commerce for leading this incredible effort. It's an all volunteer event. It is the largest festival um in the state of Washington. Uh so that's a pretty amazing honor in our in our community here. We had some students in the parade. We had a bus in the parade. Um so really a great way to showcase the talents of our staff and our students and to promote our district by having uh a tent on the field

111of fun. I also want to say a special shout out to our district, my district colleagues who staffed that tent over the course of the weekend. Um, I have a lot of names on my list of people to thank, but really it's an opportunity not only to represent our district to talk to families. I got a lot of uh new information from families and I already followed up on some of those items that were raised to me, but it's just an opportunity to also see our uh our colleagues outside of the day-to-day work and have a fun time. So, luckily the weather was also nice, so we didn't have to be huddled underneath the tent. Um uh in other news, there is a government shutdown and I do want to make sure I always say

112what's happening as that relates to our work. Um we are in week two of that government shutdown and there currently is no impact to us but we are looking ahead at the next two to three weeks and and if that does start to continue to persist we will start to um u maybe have some impact but I'll keep the uh board and the district apprised of that. Um I'm also participating on an OSPI K12 funding work group which I've talked about before. I'm on the uh student weighted funding subgroup and we are finalizing tomorrow a summary of our discussions and suggestions for next steps. Uh our goal was not to make recommendations for what to do but it was to discuss and align on what some core values might be and what some possible recommendations

113for further exploration andor discussion would be. So some highlights that we're going to be recommending include uh conducting a thorough and methodical study of states that have transitioned to weighted funding models that focus on students needs first. Second is that we are uh recommend that we prioritize currently available solutions in the upcoming legislative session to address the urgency of making sure that we are improving equity in our current funding model. And then finally is to identify a list of student weights that are important to be considered in a possible um funding model. So that's just where we are in that one and that's um some of our recommendations. It's been a um um it's been a very quick and rapid process. And then um we are planning for the next high school. So, we are

114waiting for round two of comments to come back from the city of Isiqua um based on the review process that we're currently in uh to modify our current permit so that we can move forward with a phased approach to build a um high school that is um based on our current available funding. And so, after we do receive that round two of comments from the city, we'll have one week to respond, but we're on track with the original timeline that was laid out um in our prior capital projects updates and in the last board meeting specifically. Um, and the board can expect more information and the community can expect more information about this in our next meeting, but also we will be planning to launch information about how to engage on both the design values

115for this next high school that would impact programming um, starting as early as December. And um, I was going to talk about the levy advisory committee, but that is actually up next. And so, um, I do want to say that that that's been work that was pretty powerful and incredible, um, in terms of the power of that group, the process that we went through. And I'm going to pause there and turn it back to President Moralda. >> Great. Thank you so much. Uh the next item on our agenda and sorry for those of you that are public speaking and um had to wait this long, but it's the first review of our levy proposal and levy advisory committee update. Um there we'll start this off with a motion, then a presentation from the um from

116staff. Then we will go to public comment and then we'll go to comments from the board and superintendent and then any action if applicable. Would you like a motion on all three? >> Oh, what's it? >> Um, there is. So, that's usually we start with a motion. So, why don't we do the presentation and public input and then we'll go to the motion discussion and we'll wrap our discussion as a board around each motion. >> Makes sense. Great. >> Okay. >> All right. I'm going to kick us off for one second here. Sorry, I was Martin was stepping up there and I I lost a minute in my in my head. Um, but I wanted to say thank you to the committee and to the team. Again, great work and kudos especially to the core

117team and I'll name those members. Martin Turney, Mark Sherwood, Marcel Hower, Jacqueline Downey, and Wendy Castleman with um incredible operational support. And I I missed Nancy, she just left, but uh Nancy France has played a key role in supporting that group to be um wellfed and well cared for. Um as you um as you know that we are excited to put forward this motion. I did accept um the recommendation of the uh of the committee and I'll pass it over to Martin to talk through a bit about where we were and lead us to where we are. Um and I'll talk more about that when we when we get to that point. Thank you, Superintendent Talia. Um, as mentioned, we are here to summarize the work of the levy advisory committee and their final recommendation.

118Um, transitioning to the superintendent levy recommendations for your review and then also, uh, introduce the levy resolutions that go along with these for your consideration. Uh just a reminder for you and the public, um there's a February 10th ballot date and we potentially will have three levies on on the ballot. A four-year EPO, four-year uh capital levy, uh combined technology and critical repairs, and a one-year uh transportation levy. So, that's what we'll be talking about. Um where are we in the big timeline of of the levy? So, we had meetings one through four at the levy advisor committee in September. wrap that up. Uh meeting number five was two nights ago, so wrap that up here in October. Um we're talking to you tonight and um potentially levy resolutions passing in this month, either tonight

119or potentially another meeting. Um we will file those with the county as soon as we have those in hand. And then that kicks off kind of our community update and engagement phase, right? uh we need to uh it is our responsibility to advertise for procon committee members. So that's one aspect that we need to do. Uh ballots go out in January and then of course uh the ballot election day on the 10th and certified usually 10 days later. So just a reminder of that timeline. So now I'll get into the work of the levy advisory committee. As I mentioned, there were five meetings that we conducted and the first being kind of a foundational meeting talking about some of the basics of the of what levies are and what school funding is and then getting

120right into discussion of the first transportation levy. Then we move sequentially through meeting number two was all about the capital levy, technology and critical repairs. Um, meeting three dedicated to the EPO, big topic. Um, meeting four, we got to bring it all back together, talk through each one of these again, finalize and give a final recommendation, and then we were able to talk about communications in uh, the fifth meeting. Um, one really cool thing, and um, Mr. Hower was instrumental in helping set this up. We got bonus material before each of these meetings, which we haven't done before. So, we got to allow folks to ride an electric bus at the first meeting. We did a tour of May with the second meeting. Um we had a panel about nursing and counseling and of course

121we had a very popular student panel at one of our meetings which was was very good uh student input on this uh committee was excellent and it was extremely valuable. So just to expand on that we had um over 60 students, parents, caregivers, staff, community members from across the district that applied and we accepted all of the applicants. So, I think we had a pretty good um representation throughout the district. Uh and most folks showed up um as they could, which was a pretty good turnout. We already kind of talked about what we went through and the cadence purpose. We want to make sure that uh the committee was aware. They were there to advise the superintendent on her recommendation to you. It included those three um levy areas. And there were some parameters like

122keeping the tax rates stable. So I had to work within those parameters. But we also wanted to make sure you know we have correct resources uh to meet mission and student goals, maintain facilities, prioritize safety and security and also have uh potential future opportunities. So, we kicked it off with kind of grounding in the um parameter to keep the tax rate stable. Later, I'm going to explain to you that we got some uh new information in the past week and so the the superintendent's recommendation is going to take that into account. Um this was a consensus model. So working with the shared purpose, inclusive voice, collaborative process, um we defined that consensus model and a uh collective recommendation. So to be more specific, uh here's kind of the the general process we used in this

123committee was we brought initial proposals to the committee. uh we use polling and other feedback methods um to gather input and feedback from the committee members and based on that we either made a modification to that proposal or we kept the proposal as as is to become a final proposal. So what I'm going to show you is u the committee feedback and the final proposal which they voted on. So we'll walk through that starting with the transportation levy. So the transportation levy there was some broad support for um kind of stepping into the next phase of electric buses uh along with um replacing our diesel buses as most of our fleet is. But we came across the the sense that you know we the committee would like to see this roll out not just in

124one area of the district but more generally throughout the district. So, if we could pilot this, uh there was a sense that it would be wellreceived to uh add a charging station to our main facility and try these routes out around the district. So, with that, there was a modified uh final proposal that said, hey, we can rearrange the amount of electric buses we purchase. We can add an electric uh charging facility potentially at the main main facility um by Isabella High School. Um so we can actually uh continue our piloting of these buses uh but we can do it throughout the district. And then there was a choice right? So during the committee meetings one of the things that came up was well could we just not run this? So one of the decisions

125was do you like the final proposal as modified per your feedback or would you like to not run a tech a transportation levy? And so this overwhelmingly the votes were to run the modified transportation levy uh package. So that's what it looks like. Um reflecting back. So what we did was kind of walked through how we built out these uh little pieces that go into the uh tax rate. So this is how that shows up. $2 million three. And we work our way through. Right? So we went through these sequentially. So the capital levy we took in two parts. The first being uh technology and essentially it was about do we continue what we're doing and do we try to make room for some new initiatives and so we tested those with the committee. Um

126ran through some table exercises. There was a preference for maintaining the onetoone device. Um and there was uh a sense that the new initiatives were wellreceived. um Wi-Fi and buses ranked a little bit lower. So we took that into account in a modified final proposal for the committee and um we were doing a lot of these things already uh and the committee said there's value in providing for these new initiatives being leveraging AI for education data warehouse crisis alert safety platform digital security testing and training and device upgrades and modernization. This is the vote for technology. So out of a five possible score, 4.7 said strongly agree with that package, that final proposal. And this reflects again, this is the resulting potential tax rates. And we're going to build that into a final how it

127all adds up at the end. Moving into critical repairs, there was quite a bit of consensus that what was in the package, things like roofing, HVAC, safety, fields, vestibules, even project management, miscellaneous repairs, it all felt like it was necessary and high priority, right? So overall, essentially the proposal was thorough and fiscally responsible. So in that case, this was not modified. So we brought back as a final proposal what we had brought originally. um adding up to about $55 million. And the final vote on that from the committee out of five got a 4.7. Strongly agree. Again, reflected back what that's going to look like in terms of a tax rate and that rounded out capital levy. So then we got to move into EPO. Now, obviously, EPO know the educational programs and operations levy

128is a big one for us. That's at almost 17% of our operating budget. Uh, so we broke it into kind of three strategic areas, right? So, the EPO touches on all of the strategic areas, but three primarily. So, we kind of bucketed it that way. I talked about student well-being and some examples uh of what typically is paid for there. Um, academic opportunities and organizational effectiveness. Couple of things that came out of that conversation was some top rated priorities being mental health and learn variability supports. Uh that's things like MTSS. Um also strongly endorsed were early learning opportunities, safety and security and uh expanded dual language in including Mandarin. And so overall all of these uh potential expansion areas tested very well. So we did not modify based on that the final proposal. So, in

129terms of continuing what we're doing in those three uh bucketed strategic areas, um that was wellreceived and also the committee felt that um they thought the air potential areas for expansion um were a good idea and they would be willing to um see that uh in the next in the next four years. So, this is how that turned out. 4.8 out of five. strongly agree with that package being what was um ready to be sent to the superintendent and this is what the resulting tax rates would look like. So then we brought it all back together. So built the puzzle, put it together, um showed the committee. Now when we talk about our combined tax rate, we have to add back in the existing bond debt so we know how we get to the 317.

130So here we are making it to that parameter of 317 that we set for ourselves. What happens is the capital levy oh everything disappears. There we go. Uh the capital levy gets combined. So technology and critical repairs actually are one on the proposal or excuse me on the proposition. So we uh show this as a as the three buckets transportation capital levy and EPO all combined at 317. If you remember, part of that is bond. Um, and so that kind of got us to the committee. Now, what I forgot to put on there was a slide where we actually voted on this. So, not surprising. The others voted, you know, that were wellreceived. This got a 4.8 out of five as well as strongly agree. This is what the committee recommended to the superintendent. So,

131um, I'm going to pause here. I'm let Mark Sherwood talk a little bit about kind of that fifth meeting and some communications. Thank you, Martin. Thank you, Superintendent of the Board. Um, put a couple notes together because I think at the last meeting, you guys wanted to hear a little bit uh from some of the committee uh committee sentiments and some of their feedback on messaging. Um, as Mr. Attorney said, you know, this this process reflected the board's challenge to go beyond a simple renewal. You asked us to think differently to explore how levy funding can support innovation, equity, and the evolving needs of all students and families. That challenge guided us uh through every part of this process and our exit survey reflected overwhelmingly that this process was preferred by the committee. In our

132last meeting on October 7th, uh we did a recap of the levy levy packages as you've seen tonight, funding and some budget context. We went through the public disclosure commission regulations and statewide ballot trends. We uh did a review of lovely package strengths and challenges. Uh some recent voter perception studies and community attitude data and then a little bit about messaging framing tactics and some community uh uh engagement strategies. Couple themes definitely emerged. Um renewing and responsible. These levies replace expiring ones and maintain a stable tax rate at a fixed amount. Funding what the state does not, including programs, student support services, technology, safety, security, and critical repairs. transparency and accountability, strong fiscal oversight ensures responsibility, use of community funds, and they wanted to make sure that we demonstrate past levy project success. And then

133ultimately, student experience and community strength. Strong schools build strong communities and enrich overall quality of life. One one word that I I tend to hear throughout the entire um certainly more in the last meeting and through the entire process is there was kind of one theme and word that was kind of being defined but used in a variety of different capacities and that was hope. Um they were sharing things like hope that our community understands what it means to sustain a strong high performing public school district that serves every child providing academic excellence social emotional supports and opportunities that prepare students for life beyond graduation. hope that property owners and homeowners understand that when county assessments increase, it's not the district raising taxes, but rather a reflection of strong, healthy community, build on solid infrastructure,

134labor force, a strong market, low crime, rich community amenities that attract and retain families and quality schools. Hope that homeowners recognize that increased assessed values mean increased equity. Their investment is growing and the strength of our public schools is a direct contributor to that growth. hope that residents, including many of our senior citizens who no longer have children in our schools, continue to see how investing in education strengthens neighborhood and builds community connections for everyone. Hope for our teachers and support staff that they have the tools and resources to do their best work every day, and continue to inspire students to think critically, take risks, recover from setbacks, and thrive. hope that together we will accept the challenge on behalf of our students to be more engaged, visible, connected throughout this levy process. That it

135will take committee and community members, families, students, staff, district leaders, union partners, and the board working purposefully to share facts, building understanding, and strengthening trust by being present at community, attending civic and municipal meetings, connecting with our professional organizations and associations, and engaging with faith-based and neighborhood groups. and most importantly hope that we always remain student centric because it is our shared responsibility as adults and leaders to help students see that their potential is limitless. And then kind of in closing that, you know, the committee shared that almost uni unanimously student voice uh impacted them the most. And um several of our student board representatives also participated on our student panel. And I think each of them modeled leadership and confidence and uh and hope and that the community members saw in themselves and and

136I think um this is probably a good time if they wanted to share any of their comments that they learned from the committee as they were a part of that panel uh with the board and whoever's listening tonight. if that the board will >> we have some public comment and then I can definitely hear from from uh other students that were participating. >> Sure. Thank you. >> We do have more slides. So would you like us to continue through the slides? >> Yes. >> Okay. Yeah. So we'll move into well a big thank you to all the committee members before we leave the committee the levy advisory committee section. A lot of time given and a lot of important feedback. Uh we'll move right into the superintendent recommendation portion. >> All right. So with that

137um and I just want to build off of what Mark said. I I Mr. Sherwood said which is that even though there was a lot of hope and sort of coalesing around at the end sort of the the package that was recommended by the advisory committee which um I appreciated um there was a really great diverse group of voices and everyone engaged in really thoughtful ways provided sound feedback throughout and not everyone agreed as you see right not everyone agreed on everything um but the use of a consensus model there was a really strong ability to say okay we see the directional feedback of and the will of the group and that sort of was a helpful way for the whole to come together. Um the process was uh as I also saw from some

138of the exit survey from the last meeting this week was a positive one for participants and that's reflected in their feedback. Um our students on the committee were amazing. they contributed and were valued by their um adult peers. And then recommendation as it worked through the committee I think is where I am, which is that I I took that whole recommendation unmodified um because I thought the process um was a good one and I trust it and I stand by it. So, um, as I'm passing it to the board for consideration tonight and possible action, I just want to make sure I say that, um, it really felt like there was some good conversation. And again, you're you're not going to get 100% agree on everything, but there was some very strong agreement, uh, by

139the majority of the group and that was helpful. So, um, there was also some new information this week that allowed us to make some adjustments. We got new evaluations for our assessment. So, I'll pass it over to Martin to show how that then actually um, plays out. mathwise. >> Sure. Thank you. U so again we saw a version of this earlier when we began the slides on levy advisory committee. So in the last up up until um few days ago uh we were working off an estimate. We now have a preliminary assessed value amount from the county which means we can pinpoint a little bit closer where we think that uh assessed value uh or excuse me that tax rate will be in 2026 which is a year before this four-year uh levy. So that

140means that we can project out what we think we're going to keep the tax rate stable at. Uh so it's nice because when we have the objective to keep it stable, uh it doesn't need to adjust. The amounts that we put out don't need to adjust because it will remain with what we already set. We were set to stay at 317. When it lowers to 309, it automatically is there. So, just pointing out that the only thing that's going to change um as the superintendent said, she took the recommendations from the levy advisory committee, the only thing you're going to see change is the estimated resulting tax rate. Uh and that's because this changed. All right. So, for transportation, uh essentially, I mean, superintendent mentioned aligned with the committee recommendation. Um again, this one didn't

141need to change because it's only $2 million. It doesn't change much based on uh those swings. The rationale of course uh again I think we mentioned this uh committee consensus student safety and reliability sustainability uh objectives and a balanced approach. It's part of the rationale uh moving into the capital levy first technology um aligned with the committee recommendation sustains those things that we're already doing and allows for some new initiatives. uh the new additions, three of those were aligned out here, but of course it includes all the ones we looked at earlier uh on the committee recommendation. Uh rationale is similar. Um the consensus from the committee, equity and access, security and stability, future ready learning, operational expectations alignment and a balanced approach. Um critical repairs. I sound like a broken record. Aligned with the

142committee. Uh focus on those highest priority facility needs. I will throw in here um this is a balanced uh these projects are balanced throughout the district. Um when you slice up the percentages um the Liberty feeder pattern has uh just over a third. Uh Skyland and about a third and um is Aqua High School coming in a little bit lower than that. And the uh main reason for that is we have done some recent field uh and turf work at Isiqua High School. And that means that it's time for those other two high schools to get that done at their you know within that four years. And we also have just the aging of the roofs in the feeder patterns of those schools. Uh means that there are more there's more roof work to do

143um in say the south end of the quarter. So wanted to throw that in there. uh similar consensus from the committee safety and well-being, preservation of assets, community benefit uh and a balanced approach as the rationale bringing us to the the big one here, the EPNO. Um again, we looked at these in those three bucket areas. So essentially sustaining those things that the state doesn't uh necessarily fund or that we as a uh a local school district find valuable to make sure we provide. We provided some examples. So levy investment examples um in student well-being revolve around health and safety supports, student guidance, connections and activities. in the academic opportunities uh section. Those include expanded instructional time and supports, specialized pathways and bridging state uh shortfalls and funding. And for the organizational effectiveness, um when

144we talk about staffing and conversation, that helps support and retain staff and lower class sizes. uh operational um things like custodial and maintenance. Obviously, clean and safe schools and transportation allows students to arrive safely uh at school. So, again, this was structured to be below our full legal authority. Um I'm going to show you a little bit about that in just a second. It aligns with this the uh committee recommendation. And this very busy slide is actually fairly simple. So I'll just explain it real quick. Uh we pulled an estimate from uh OSPI in early September and said what did what they expect or um projected our full authority might be under this new um levy authority that we're given as districts um from the last legislative session. and that was about 33 uh 333

145uh million would be the result over four years. This is structured to be less than that um in the amounts that we talked about earlier. So what we're showing here is just the difference between what that full authority potential might have been versus what uh this package is structured at and that's about 5% difference or um just over $16 million over four years. So rationale obviously strong committee consensus um the areas within student well-being to continue same with academic opportunities organizational effectiveness um that financial stewardship being you connected to that slide we just looked at uh and again just general alignment with our strategic plan. So this should look familiar. This is the version of the superintendent's recommendation that mirrors the levy committee where it's all pieced back together with the note at below saying

146that these amounts or the tax rate uh estimates have changed based on the the change of assessed value. However, the amounts above the dollar amounts stayed the same, right? Um and so that gives us that that stability at $39. and grouping the capital uh two together. This is what's going to correspond to what you see on the resolutions uh tonight that we crafted for you. So those are uh resolution 1248 related to the EPNO uh 1249 related to the capital projects and 1250 related to transportation. And that wraps up the slide deck. If there are any questions, I can take those now. We'll save the questions for later. I'd like to open it up to public comment. So, uh, first I have Mudra Mashawa, who's been waiting patiently and probably has homework that needs to

147be done. >> Good evening. My name is Mudra Machawad and I'm a sophomore at Skyline High School. Being part of the Levy committee process has been one of the most meaningful experiences I've had so far. What I enjoyed most was seeing how different voices, parents, staff, community members, and students came together to focus on what really matters for our schools. It showed me that levies aren't just about numbers. They're about people, opportunity, and the kind of school experience we want for every student. The student panel was a highlight for me because it gave me the chance to share my perspective and hear from other students across the school district. We spoke about things that directly shape our daily lives. Smaller class sizes, counselors and mental health supports, AP and STEM classes, extracurriculars, and reliable transportation.

148Hearing the similarities in our stories reminded me how clearly these resources connect to equity and access. This process also gave me a new appreciation for the three levies, EPNO, capital, and transportation. Each one touches daily student life in ways I haven't truly realized before. From teachers and nurses to laptops and safe buildings to buses that ensure we all can participate. I want to thank Superintendent Tao Yik for her leadership and make and for making space for student voices. Thank you as well to Martin Turney, Mark Sherwood, and Marcel Howser for your guidance and support throughout this process. And finally, Robert Miller, thank you for helping me capture my reflections on video so these student insights can reach even more people. Most of all, I leave this experience proud to be a part of a district

149that not only invests in students, but also listens to us. I'll close with the personal motto that guides me. the heart to serve, the call to lead, and the courage to engage equals to service leadership. To me, that's what's true. That's what true service leadership looks like. And this levy process showed me how powerful it is when we live those values together. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Next, I have Katherine Coffin. Is she still in the room or she probably had to go after? Oh, you are here. Great. But thank you. I wouldn't miss it. Um, hi, Katherine Coffin, principal at Beaver Lake Middle School. I'm sharing from the perspective of a staff member that was able to collaborate with the greater community as part of the advisory committee. Uh, as mentioned, the

150committee was teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members filling this room. There was great energy every time we came in. People were excited. Um, I really appreciated how the process allowed us for a lot of reflection with each other before providing feedback or input. Um, I've been a part of this district as an employee for 22 years and then a student before that. Um, this was one of the first committees I was a part of that it didn't feel like a dump truck of information was dumped on us and then we had to figure out what the answers were. it was given um in edible pieces and then we could discuss and there was an opportunity for anonymous feedback which I think was really important. Uh and then every meeting following addressed the questions that

151we had from before. Um my favorite part was the students. The panel was mentioned a couple of times. There were if you picture the room there was a healthy representation of students that were a part of the committee itself. um not just a panel giving voices but were able to give feedback regularly. Um and then I also was struck by how many community members that had had students in the district before and were still deeply invested in the district were a part of every week as well sharing their perspective from that part of the community. Um I have a deep sense of gratitude for the thoughtful transparent process. Um and the strong and wellresource that we want to have for every student and again I just can't emphasize enough how transparent I felt it was

152which was a refreshing uh part for me. So thank you for the board and for your time and care and attention you give this work. >> Thank you. and then Donna Usel. Good evening, uh, members of the board, student representatives, and superintendent Tawyak. I'm Donna Uzel, the IEA president, a parent of a student at Isqua High, and a committee member. I am here to offer a sincere appreciation for the levy committee and all those who worked on the committee materials. I want to share my opinion about how effective the approach was um to this critical process. This was not just a workg group. It was a deeply collaborative effort uh by all committee members that resulted in a truly representative and strong proposal for the board to consider. From the start, the district and committee

153members set a high standard of engagement. Many committee members prioritized outreach, ensuring that all voices uh were heard and brought those insights to each of our meetings. This allowed us to gather a comprehensive perspective on what the district truly needs. There were also some realizations that the state doesn't fund some of our basic needs like our substitutes. How does the this directly improve the experience and outcomes for our students? It was a question that I and others had as a centered part of the conversations around ways to improve and enrich students experiences at our schools. Even hearing from our very own students brought a better perspective to why the committee was dedicated to getting the right recommendation for our superintendent. I don't know what you will decide on the package that's put forth you, but

154I want you to know the committee's work was thorough, thoughtful, and transparent. Thank you. Were there any other uh public comment regarding the levy at this time? That would be if you were a student rep on the committee. Milo feel like that normally goes during like your discussion time, but yes, sure. Absolutely. Um, so I was a student rep who came to the like levy student panel and first of all, it was amazing. The other students who showed up, I was so impressed. We definitely have some future student reps on our hands. Um, but I thought it was amazing. I really, really appreciated the questions that were asked. A lot of them were very focused on like things that we might have not even known that we get out of the levies like our clubs

155and the additional uh like seven period days and whatnot. And so it was it was pretty insightful to have us be able to reflect on that too and be like, "Oh wow, yeah, I do get all of this because of the levies that we have." Um and so that was really amazing. And then I I loved being able to share. And I think what left me pretty like what left me and soaked in my brain was at the end um one of the like panel members or one of the like levy members um got up and said that we should continue to not just say the stuff to them but to say it to all of the community like us as students. And I think that's something that we really want to do this year.

156not only as student reps, but just as students in general, is that I mean, students are the ones that most people want to hear from when they're considering voting on an item. And so, I think it really let us kind of take in the fact that it is our responsibility to help get these things passed because they're for us. And yeah, I I just think it was it was an amazing experience with lots of great people. I got to see my old principles and teachers and community members. So, it was good to be able to see the representation in the meeting of not just like board members. >> Right. Thank you. Okay. So, we will start with a Oh, Chris, you got to raise your hands higher. I can't. >> Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. >>

157I'll do better next time. Um, I'm going to keep this really short, but it was a great student panel. There are tons of diverse voices. I really liked how I got to show what's important to me, but more so hearing, you know, what was important to other students. I think going in, I knew what I liked and what I want to do. Um, but going out of it, a big takeaway was that each student values different things and so what might seem extra to me or unnecessary is something that another student, you know, might find vital accord to them. And that there really isn't like a one-sizefits-all approach. And so, you know, continuing these levies and supporting them is, you know, essential to making sure that every student can keep and maintain the programs that

158they value and, you know, hold so special to them, >> right? Thank you. >> Yes. Good day. >> Yeah. Uh yeah, hopping off of that, um I I guess I didn't really realize how much stuff that I um how much stuff I appreciated about like our schools. And I guess the panel was a really good way to reflect on that and reflect just with everybody, talk about all the activities and like luxuries that we have and just how much that they build my experience in the district. And so I think it was really good for like just some self-reflection and then also just to like get my voice heard out there and everybody's voice out there. >> Thank you. Okay. So I will um look for a resol uh motion on resolution 1248 the replacement

159for the EPO levy. Will we begin there? Okay. >> I move the board adopt resolution 1248 authorizing a 4-year 2027 through 2030 educational programs and operations levy. This proposition authorizes the district to levy the following excess taxes on all taxable property within the district to m maintain current educational program funding and support the district's general fund program and daily operation expenses teaching classroom materials technology extracurricular activities buildings and transportation. Uh for the collection year 2027, approximate levy rate uh per thousand assessed value of $1.25. Levy amount $75,200,000. For 2028, a rate of $124 at $78,200,000. 2029, a rate of $1.22 at $81 million. And 2030, a rate of $119 for $82,800,000. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. Open it up to discussion. >> Director Coin. >> And are we just discussing the EPO

160levy? Okay. Just Okay. All right. Well, that's where head notes. So, great. So, first and foremost, I want to thank the Levy community. It just reminds me again around the reason why I live in this community. I've lived in this community for over 20 years. One of the reasons that uh my wife and I initially bought in this community is because of our schools. And um I am so glad that um our students, our staff, members of our community really um took the time and put together this very thoughtout um uh recommendation and I just want to thank everyone for that too. I also just want to remind the community, I know those who participated in the levy committee know this and I know we've talked about this several times, but the EPO levy um

161specifically represents 16.6% of our general fund revenue. So, it's really important when we think about the importance of this particular levy. Um, and I think it's um again good for our community to to know that. And I think Mark, as you said, I think for all of us as we're communicating to the community the importance of these levies, um that in particular is a is an important piece. And I think uh Milo, you said it well too. It um you know, students have a lot of um you know, we're going to be looking at our students to really help us, but it's all of us. It's parents, it's members of the community because again, our schools um you know, strong schools build strong communities, strong communities build strong schools. So it's it's it's interconnected and

162um I think as a community we have to remember that. again all of those of us that moved here because of the schools. It's really important that we continue to support um our levies. So, thank you again. Good work. >> Director Gallinger. >> So, each year we have rolled back uh our amount essentially from what our authority is versus what we actually collect. This is two parts. One that you see that our overall request to community is less than our legislative authority is. But the numbers that director Taylor just read out. Is that going to be what we actually collect or is it going to be where we theoretically still will collect less than that >> given our pattern over the past at least the decade I've been here. I just need clarity on that

163for >> Yeah. says we have a new gap that we've never had before. >> Yep. So what what it does is um we are estimating what we believe we can collect. So there is a scenario where um the variables that go into the calculation could work into uh such a way that we would collect less um and that would probably be related to enrollment. But it goes up sufficiently over the course of the four years that should enrollment should we be off enrollment the other direction that we will be okay. >> I mean because what right up until >> co it was always our biggest fear was four years out we could be exceeding our levy authority. >> Sure. >> So I just want to make sure that it has that capacity as well. >>

164Absolutely. So one of the things is when when we first um take this into consideration um there is new there is new authority right so there is new legal authority for us so when we considered you know what does that what should those numbers look like it wasn't to um reduce them to such a a manner that we wouldn't be able to accommodate some of that new enrollment if it did come. So we are utilizing some of the new authority to say uh if we were able to um pick up students in the out years we would be able to collect enough to maintain these services or these enrichment services but we are not going to uh necessarily go out for the full amount that we legally could. So to answer your question yes I

165believe that we have enough in those out years that we will be able to um adjust to that. So it would just be helpful for me to I don't expect you to give it to me at this moment but to know like how much enrollment cushion there is in those calculations uh which would be helpful and I should have asked this earlier but I hadn't ever had to think about it in terms of where we're coming in with a levy that's >> under authority and then under authority like in in two ways. So this has been like new way for me to think about it >> and then this is probably more for Mark or maybe you but uh this is going to be an interesting one to message in that this is certainly there's

166a need thing of all the things that the state doesn't fully cover for basic education but there's also things that are unique to the quad that we really want. Uh but how are we going to message community like yes this is a wants list because we believe this is what our students deserve from an education standpoint but we didn't go and like say we want everything and are going to do everything. We are still measured in our wants because you know we aren't requesting the full le authority that I know some of our peer neighboring districts are doing. So have you given any thought to how that is going to be meaged especially in the context of I think how we were characterized a year ago? >> Yeah, thank you um director Gallinger. They um

167the committee said that they you know on the on the balance of tax sensitivity but also in trying to come to this table with a with a a conservative approach based on the enrollment numbers potentially where we'll be in the next four years but also understanding that that trying to how do we elevate the experience and like what you do you you guys challenged us with try how do we get innovation into a renewal. So, I think part of it is going to have to elevate some of the innovations, um, but still showing it that we're still at at a at an affordable levy package that is still meeting the tax sensitivity of the community. So, it's it's we're going to have to sell the a little above the standards and some of the options,

168but but to say that we're still going to operate within the within the the projected package. So, it's it I don't want to say that it's going to be easy because I think it depends on which audience member or community member we're talking to is going to want to understand little nuances how it might affect them more whether it's a parent or if it's a community member who doesn't have children in the district who might be older and how does that impact them. So, we're I'm definitely working on it. That is that is the the the next step that we're taking from the feedback we got at the last meeting. >> Yeah. I because I worry like sometimes it could be so complex and they think we're hiding something or trying to like fool them

169and we're actually not. We're trying to transparently say we're not asking for every dollar >> y >> that we could theoretically ask. So I think that this slide Martin would probably be an important one to include in future uh annual budget reports that highlight because I think the gap will be bigger than what that is meaning like the variance for max authority to propose because I think we'll end up because of enrollment collecting less than our even even more so. So I think we'll show an even bigger gap. So I would love over the course of time for us to see how this marches out because I think that will inform future boards for how they will approach us four years from now and you know this board will look very different four years and

170how we turn that last bracket into more layman terms for our community to understand doing more with less I think is our goal. >> Any other comments? >> I'll just add on to that. I think that's actually a really good point because I mean if we go back to the bond, you know, we went out to the community with a long list of what were really pressing needs. I mean, at least for our buildings and and upkeep of our buildings and we're with this levy obviously not going to be able to cover all of those needs, but those needs still exist. So, I do think that is important messaging for sure that if we've tried to be very, you know, conservative and responsible um in what we're addressing with this, but still we can't address

171everything that the district needs or knows is coming down the pipe um so to speak. Um so, just on that point, I I too just want to, you know, express my gratitude to the community, the folks that served on the committee. I served on a uh levy committee in 2020, I believe 2021. Um and really understand the time commitment and appreciate the thoughtfulness of what appears to be a very thoughtful um proposal. And also thank you to the staff to you folks. Uh there's a lot of preparation that went into this running five weeks of um of presentations and discussion and programming. Um so thank you for that and the input is is incredibly valuable. Um, as to the EPO stuff, I'm just gonna beat the drum that Director Coin already brought up, but we

172are just so absolutely dependent on this funding uh for this uh these programs that these levies are going to fund primarily because of falling state funding creating larger and larger gaps. Um, so I hope the community understands that, values the great work that the district is doing, the programs that we're providing, and understands that this is really in in the current environment the best way to fill a lot of those gaps that are so important to our kids. So, um, I think that's all I had to say about the uh, EPO. Oh, one last thing. Uh, obviously recognize too that there's some innovation in here and some new programs. Particularly excited about AI for education as you know that is the future. So, Thank you. And I' I'd like to say thank you to the

173committee, to staff for getting all of this ready, for bringing an approach that the committee was very eager to participate in. Um, feeling like their voices heard. Uh, I appreciated hearing comments from committee members that felt it was very transparent and that they had a better understanding. Um, I too feel like it wasn't like here's what we want you to vote yes on and now I'm going to spend five meetings to convince you to vote yes on it. Um, so I do think it's really important that they felt like they had real ownership around making those decisions. Um, I think for me the hardest part and I don't I don't think it would be included in the messaging, but what I know is the reality is that the system that the legislature has built forces

174us to go out to a levy. They they purposely do that, right? And they purposely made sure that they gave us more levy authority because they didn't want to raise taxes on their end. They wanted us to come and ask the voters. I think they were hoping because we are closer to the voters that the voters would be more likely to do that. And I do appreciate the measure at which the district is like, well, this we're really going to calculate what our need is and not just ask for anything we can get. So for the for the public to know that we are being judicious about this. Um, I'm still frustrated with the legislature because um, hidden in those dollar values is special ed that we are required to provide because it's the right

175thing to do, but that is not it's not funded by the federal government who promised they would fun uh um, fund 40% of it. They fund 13% of it. And it's not fully funded by the state who keeps trying to just say, "Well, we'll let you include more kids. I only have so many kids. They just cost me more than you give me to be able to really help them reach their full potential. Because when we talk about all students, it includes all of them. The other thing that this is wrapped in this that we don't see is the state benefits to our teachers and our other staff members that we have to pay out of levy dollars because the state said, "Oh, you must use our SEB." created SEB said you have to use

176it. Even if your spouse gets insurance benefits, the district has to pay as if you were getting those benefits, put putting money into it. And is nearly half of it has to come out of our levy dollars. So those are things that are unfunded by the state that the state requires us to do. And so when people go, well, what would happen if this didn't pass? It's not just that you would lose like all athletics and activities, right? There's a lot of stuff that gets lost six period day instead of seven. What would happen to Gibson? There are some things for me that are dramatic if this doesn't pass. We have to cut even deeper because there are things that this funds that we're required to do. We don't get to cut special education in

177half. We don't get to cut benefits in half. So that means those cuts are even deeper. So, um, I appreciate this and I hope the public really understands the ramifications of this. This is 16ome% of our overall budget. So, if it's not there, we have to make adjustments that are significant. >> Yeah. And I would welcome student input and how we can communicate, how you guys can communicate and do efforts. Right. you have a senior class of many of which will be 18 and can vote in February. So like that's important. Uh I can't imagine us changing our high school from a seventh period day since we did it for acceleration and remediation and enrichment. I worry that, you know, for us, we believe that having a mental health counselor embedded in every one of

178our secondary schools is essential, even though the state doesn't. That we believe that having nurses available for our students everywhere is essential. And the state would say like, "Oh, you have three nurses for 20,000 students." So, I just uh would love to have you guys think about how you can help support us and messaging this out to your peers because uh I I do believe that just like we listen to you a lot, we are not alone. we are representative of the parent and the adult community that student voice is really important and I think you all as students have a unique opportunity to leverage your voice and really share out the really important parts and I really love what Chris talked about like hey just because this part of it wasn't important to me

179I realized by going to that committee that there are are other parts that are really important to other people and I think that that's why having a message that comes out across um the broad spectrum of students I think would really helpful for our community to hear. >> Any other input from students? Rex, >> um I was just going to follow up on what um board member um younger was saying. Uh h how would you like us to uh give that information out to people? like what do you think is the most effective way that we can leverage our voices to project what needs to be heard by the students and not just the students but the parents and teachers. You guys have figured out how to leverage social media in the ways that I

180can barely turn my phone on. So, uh, really short sound bites that people don't have to spend a lot of time on that get through the I think the emotional message, not just the, uh, financial message, I think are really helpful because it's like real world connection to, you know, your everyday lived experience. So, I think you've heard us say it be 16% like that's like that means it touches about every part of your school day. So it's hard for us to be like, "Oh, like this is levy funded. This is levy funded. This is levy funded." It'd be easier for you to say like, "Hey, these couple things are." But it's throughout your whole day. And I think that's the part where we've grown so accustomed to it that sometimes we um have gotten

181lacadasical and how deep and broad the investments are that this community has made. And you know, I remember back uh in 2018 when we first made these investments in the high school day, it was a really significant community conversation that we had and a lot of them. And I think that what we learned from a year ago is that we don't want to take for granted any part of what the community may need to be um inspired to remember. But also, it's easy for us to forget that in six, seven years, half of our student body has literally turned over because they've gone through and graduated from our system and a whole bunch of new families are here. And so, like, it's how do we continue to renew the message of the importance and value

182of the isqua education and that's how you can help us because you have shared with us what rises the top and is important to you that we at least I don't always have awareness of. uh Ava and then director coin. Um just something I was thinking about on the topic of how we as students can better convey information regarding the levy to our peers. I think when we were using social media to do things like the day in the life videos for the bond, those ended up having an enormous amount of reach. Um, and social media is a great platform in that way, but we also tend to prioritize communication that comes directly from the district. And in my experience, students who aren't necessarily already very invested in district affairs have a hard time seeking

183out and gaining that information. So, just something to throw out um as student reps is doing things like working with um ASB within our schools and those channels that students who may not be necessarily invested in things like levy funding are already going to check and already going to have access to. There's so many like daily communication channels within our schools, whether that be things like or notinks, that's PCMS. um but morning news or daily announcements where all of this information is pushed out to students on everything from colleges to like social and emotional well-being. And I feel like we as student reps can definitely talk to our administr our administrators at our schools to kind of build in district information into those spaces. I agree. >> I think these are all really great ideas

184and I'm glad you're all asking um how you can help. Um and so I'm going to give everybody a little bit of an assignment, all of our student reps, where I want you to start, and it's late tonight, so this probably won't happen tonight, but I would love for you to take this presentation home and talk to your parents about it because um we want to make sure students know about the importance of this, but if we're not going back and telling parents who have the ability to vote, that's where I think there's a bit of a disconnect. And I think we had and I want to thank all of our students who helped us last year with our bond efforts. But I think that there may have been a disconnect with some of that

185information getting home. So I think it's good for students and please continue to talk amongst yourselves about it, but encourage students to talk to their parents because it's their parents who have the ability to vote. So that's really important and you can all help us by starting with bringing this presentation home, sharing it with your parents, and even more importantly coming back to us with questions that they have or even concerns. um and we can talk through that. So, thank you again for offering to help us. >> Anything else? >> Would would you mind if I just gave him one sure >> additional point in addition to obviously doing in your school and maybe talking about voter registration opportunities for students who are becoming 18. There's two sides of this coin. There's what the district

186can do and you can do as student reps. We can tell facts, but there are volunteer groups here in Isiqua. you can do. There's more activity that can that can occur with those groups that go a little above and beyond what we're able to do as a district. And I know many members of our our school board are very familiar with our volunteer groups here in Esqua. >> Yes, the district is just the facts. Anything else? >> We have a motion. So, Director Callinger, I >> I guess I wonder like I I I know it's important for us to move forward because we need longer time to message out to our communities. I wonder just about how the committee was broad-based and representative, but how much reaching out have we about these packages to our

187community, our schools community? Because I thought we were going to try and do that before we actually took up for a resolution vote. Were you talking in uh having more of like an open comment period? Um yeah. So so um certainly upon the request to making sure that um more than just the committee members knew how to reach the board either in public comments or through email or even emailing the committee. We did share that in our bulletins and some of our messaging over the past two weeks so we could actually use that information if we would receive it. So if it was direct email to you, I I wasn't obviously privy to an email to a board member. So, did you get public comment over the past >> I wouldn't say we got we

188got a ton. I'd have to go take a look, but it would it wasn't it wasn't an enormous amount. >> I believe at the the last meeting we talked about reminding people of three ways to give comment knowing that this would be on the agenda for tonight. One was to email uh or come in person to the school board um meeting and or to email the school board directly. The second was uh to or third actually was then to email the uh levy inbox y as well. So come in person for public comment uh email the school board directly or um the alias for the levy information. Correct. >> Questions. Yep. >> Correct. >> Yeah. I'm just trying to look through the all the newsletters for the district that I um receive and so I

189see it today. I'm just trying to look through last week. >> I can find it. I can send I can send it to you. >> So, well, we do have a motion on the floor. Is this something that we you would want to table for a later time? >> I just want to look through the email to see that it went out last week. >> Okay. >> I think for me, if it just went out today in the newsletters, then I would want there to be more time to look at And >> Director Gallinger, you're looking for um what's specifically an announcement because I did see um a series of updates. I see one on the September 8th um ISD bulletin. The levy advisory committee begins meeting. Um are you are you looking for something

190more specific in terms of the package? Uh no, I was just looking for so in it was in October 2nd uh the newsletters that all went out to the whole school uh each individual schools community who sign up for that as well as today. So that's just what I was wanting that so our communities had two opportunities to hear it like see most recently and respond come do whatever. So, I just didn't want to be where it was, hey, we moved to community recommendation and then now we're here we go. So, I needed that reassurance that I can see that came into inboxes and we can't make people come and provide input, but I do want to make sure that they've had ample opportunity and if they say like, well, I didn't even know about

191it. I want to be able to point to like, hey, on this date, on this date and on this date. So, >> I am reassured now, but I wanted to >> Yeah, eyes on it. >> And I'm just going to reiterate, too, I'm looking at the IST bulletins, too. So, it started on September 8th and then every single one of the weekly bulletins had a recap of the levy committee too uh meetings as well. >> And and I I understand that concern. Um, I was, um, I'll just say out there on the interwebs watching a, um, taxing authority be able, they were planning on raising a tax and public input was like, but you didn't involve the community at all in the discussion. So I do feel like between the levy, the report outs to

192the community through our e-news um and I think the work of part of the work of the levy committee is to go out to their sectors and discuss that as well uh the the communities that they have. I feel that there's been adequate opportunities for the public to comment and so that's my opinion. So again, I'll say there is a motion on the floor. Is everybody prepared for their vote? Then I'll ask all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. We will go on now to resolution 1249, a replacement capital levies, capital project levy. So if I can have a motion. >> Patience. This is a long one. Here we go. Uh, I move the board adopt resolution 1249 authorizing levies for technology, critical repairs, improvements. This levy

193funds for critical facility repairs, improvements, replacements, technology for technology improvements, equipment, staffing, and professional development needed to support district-wide technology systems and services, and to integrate technology into teaching and learning to meet the current and future educational programs for its students in updating for safety, security, and efficiency, and authorizes the following excess levies on all taxable property within the district. In collection year 2027, the approximate levy rate per thousand of assessed value of 65 and a levy amount of $39,169,000. 2028 a rate at 60 per thousand, $37 million 86,000. Uh in 2029, the levy rate of 59 cents per thousand for a total of 39,341,000. in 2030, a levy rate of 59 cents per thousand at a $41,194,000. >> Is there a second? >> A second. >> Okay. Open it up for discussion. Director Taylor,

194>> I think my comment about AI is more appropriate here. >> Perfect. >> I was off. Any other discussion? Director Gallinger. >> So, this one has a total package for the critical repairs of $55 million. Can you remind me what that total number was in 2021? See 2022 would have been around 53 million I believe or for the non-technology portion of that levy. >> Yeah, I want the non-technology part of that. And >> I'm going to ask if if Mariah can look that up, but I'm looking at I'm trying off the top of my head to I believe it was uh 53 million. >> He's taking the phone a friend option as I call while he's looking that up. Are there any other comments? >> I'm sorry I missed the question. Can we just repeat

195what we're looking for? >> I'm looking for the total amount we that our critical repairs levy was. Uh, which I actually I think I found it from 2022. So, it looks like it was about 50 5. Yeah, 53 to 54. I guess I can do the math. I mean, it numbers for me. I don't Because what I'm trying to then ask and follow up with is of that part. I know 44 million of that was for dedicated towards the new high school. >> Correct. >> So I'm trying to get a sense on what was the the non- high school part of that. >> Yeah. And it was wasn't zero, but it >> No, no, it was about eight or nine million dollars. That's what I'm trying to remember. Uh, and why I'm asking that is

196because what we heard by, you know, in reflection of the bond not passing was to the community, those critical repair needs, especially like safety and security and whatnot were going to come through then as a critical repair levy because it's so essential things. So, I'm trying to get a sense on how much it went from then till now. And so you said it was so minus 44. So it's 53,800,000 was what I have in my notes. >> And so if we take away the 44 Yeah. $9.8 million is what we spent for for the critical repairs like roof replacement, security upgrades, whatnot. And now we're asking for 55 million. So that's a lot more. Sounds right. and still not even probably getting halfway through our list of the critical needs that the district outlined in

197the bond. So, it's really to say like this is just the beginning, >> right? >> Is this is not this is not the end and this is, you know, when we had $600 million worth of needs, this is just the start, >> correct? >> And that's what I was trying to get a sense of of like >> So, we looked it up. It was 9.8 million. Um and so yes, the increase is substantial and one of the one of the reasons and um is that the bond covered a longer time horizon. So we went the first exercise was to go through and say okay what needs to fit into a 4-year look and the most critical items. So that's one reason why the the bond package would have had a much larger number. Obviously some

198of those other things that um um we needed to prioritize we did. Right. So, we also included uh staff input when we surveyed. So, we made sure that we were up to date, not just relying on the information from the facility assessments. So, then my follow-up question, and this is what I asked four years ago, is is it enough to get the projects done as listed? Like what I didn't see is any sort of contingency funding to complete these projects and obviously it's a levy not a bond so you can just change the list potentially but I I guess I want some assurance that there is enough conservative planning that the projects as outlined like for instance like a roof repair or replacement is a big project >> that we're really confident that the projects

199that we have outlined we can actually complete with the dollars that we are requesting is what I'm really wanting. >> Yes. So what yeah I can expand it. So putting together the project list uh the contingency and a conservative contingency was part of that idea right to make sure that we we we wanted to make sure that we can we can commit to that. Um the but the other thing I will say is that the as we know things can change and things can change pretty rapidly um over a 4-year period. And so we had runaway inflation and and some things that have happened to us in the last four years that are hard to plan for, right? And so they can outpace even our conservative um projections. So that's why one one thing we

200want to make sure that we do is prioritize that list and make sure that we tackle that list by the most important things first. So if we do need to come to you for an adjustment that we are we are taking care of those things that really need to be taken care of first and that we can mitigate um the impact of of any um increase in cost that we couldn't anticipate. >> By the way, thank you to our students. It is getting late so many of them have homework still left to do. So, thank you. Any other comments? I think for me the important thing that I always talk about with this levy is that uh the state funds zero technology. They don't they don't pay for any computers that we have literally even

201in the buildings that our staff use. the network connections we have anything that is technology related is not funded by the state and it's funded through this EPNO so even for us to maintain the licenses we have for electronic textbooks that we have the licenses for the programs we have um all of that comes through this levy as well and that's that is really critical not only that we have to start actually preparing our students for a 21st century that is already here and has gone way beyond um where we anticipated back in 1999 when we started talking about 21st century skills we couldn't even begin to think about what we need to give students and so that's also included in this levy and I think um when we look at how AI will impact

202education over the next four years. We have to be prepared with our technology and that's what this helps us do. Director Taylor, >> and not just our technology, but the training of our staff to use that technology and understand it and help our students understand how to use that technology. >> Anything else from the board? Superintendent, any comments? >> Okay, we have a motion on the floor. All those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. >> We'll move on to the final, excuse me, the final resolution 1250 for the school bus levy. >> I move, >> excuse me. I move the board adopt resolution 1250 authorizing a levy for school buses and electric charging infrastructure. This levy funds new replacement school buses and electric charging infrastructure to sustain

203safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation and authorizes the following excess levy on all taxable property within the district for collection year 2027. Approximate levy rate per thousand of assessed value of 3 cents and a levy amount of $2 million. >> Thank you. >> Any Oh, thank you. Yeah, >> I almost missed that part. Any comments? For the four people who voted no, can you tell me about did you have any sense on what what the hesitation was? >> Um, no. I don't I don't think we heard specifically um in the comments, you know, the comment menty that we did or even on the floor. I think um there was probably just some well I mean actually initially we did hear a little bit about some potential um hesitancy around electric buses. Um so is it the

204right time? Is this what we should be doing? Um we also heard quite a bit uh of the other perspective um that this is a pretty reasonable step into where you know we can continue to pilot and um utilize electric buses while keeping our fleet where it needs to be. So, um, that's probably as much as I can remember of of any feedback as terms of the no votes. Yep. >> Director Taylor, >> also a follow up on that. Um, do I remember right, there were too there was a discussion in the committee about not wanting to pilot the electric buses solely on the plateau, but across the district. Can >> you tell me just a little bit what the discussion was or what the hesitancy was from German using a limited geography? >> Yeah.

205So um we had orig we already have a charging um infrastructure in place. So we we finally got that going. We have capacity to expand it and we have our first three buses. So um the logic was initially well let it let's utilize what we have and expand to the to the number of charging um I don't know what I'm what station yes each each um connector whatever see technically I'm going to stumble over this but um so to us this this was the next step right so let's flush it out up there let's utilize it let's do it up on a more of a flat uh plane to kind of test it out well the committee said, you know, that sounds great for the most part, except, you know, it really doesn't feel like

206we're considering e everyone around the district, right? So, this is one of those areas, hey, there's there's a there's twothirds of the district that's not going to be part of this test that we think that that would be a good thing if we were all included. And so, we took that fe and said, okay, how could we adjust? Uh, and so the only other place we can do this is the main facility um off of second. So uh we adjusted by reducing two electric buses and that's quite a bit of money when you do that right so that freed up enough that we could explore getting that infrastructure input at the main facility. If we do at the main facility that's where all of our buses throughout the rest of the district go so we

207could start a smaller scale at the main facility as well as the plateau and then everyone feels included in this uh piloting of electric buses. I think that was the feel. >> Any other comments or questions? >> Seeing none, we have a motion on the floor. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. So, that was great work on the part of the levy committee. Superintendent, thank you for passing along your recommendation and um thank you to the board for your questions, your thoroughess throughout this process, asking questions um and getting the answers that you need um to put before the public. We will move on now to our next agenda item monitoring report for operational expectation 2 OE2 treatment of people. So I will begin with a

208motion. >> I move the board accept the monitoring report for operational expectation two treatment of people OE2 as presented. >> Do I have a second? >> A second. >> Great. We'll um move that to staff. >> Great. Thank you. So I do want to recognize that we did have a student representative um prepare a report which the board has received in advance of this meeting. Um unfortunately since it's past 9:15 p.m. our board representatives did leave uh depart the building and uh uh I know that she was um hoping to be here for a short presentation but I think that her report does suffice. Um but before I pass it off to Jacqueline Downey and Donna Hood um I do want to thank Jacqueline or uh for stepping in to lead the review and monitoring

209of OE2 treatment of people in partnership with Donna Hood on my behalf especially because she started after the year we're monitoring. So um you know going back and monitoring the year that which you were not here is always a a fun a fun task but more importantly it's a good opportunity to also learn about the work in the prior year. Um our focus on supporting staff learning and development um has been crucial in as we think about this particular um operational expectation because it is about also sustaining and growing our practices to be able to serve all of our learners in our classrooms through tier one and core instruction. Um, I am excited to get new data from the healthy youth survey this year that we can use as we move into the next couple

210years because I do think that I expect that data to move and change and I want to know what that is. I think waiting two years sometimes feels a little bit um delayed for me in terms of having a a stronger pulse on how our kids are doing, what they're feeling and what they're thinking. And I know that um as we think about survey completion, you know, we did see some um much improved rates in our softs skills survey completion over the prior year and that helps us um also generate that kind of data set that we need especially in the year that we didn't have the healthy survey being administered. So um we did get some higher rates and that was something that we had noted in last year's monitoring report was um a

211bit of a um take it with a grain of salt given the low completion rates but that higher rate of completion was for the middle and high school specifically. So, we do look forward to continuing um to update our survey methods overall and our questions as we prepare for this upcoming year and coming out of this board review and discussion. So, over to you um Jacqueline Downey. Um thank you superintendent and good evening directors. Jacqueline Downey, assistant superintendent. Tonight I'm providing a brief overview of the 202425 operational expectation 2 treatment of people report. As I coordinated this report about last year's data and achievements, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about this foundational work in our district. This report reflects how the district ensures that students, staff, families, and community members are

212treated with dignity, respect, and courtesy, and that our schools remain safe, welcoming, and supportive learning environments. Overall, the district is in compliance with OE2 with one exception related to monitoring and controlling student access to electronically distributed information due to a data breach last spring. The breach involved a single student accessing a staff document with student information. It was quickly contained and all affected families were notified per state law. Across the district, multiple data sources show that students report strong feelings of safety, belonging, and respect with positive trends over time. Elementary students report high levels of emotional support and safety. About 80% or more say they feel safe at school and believe adults care about them. Middle school students show steady growth in feeling respected and emotionally supported, though bathrooms and hallways remain areas of need.

213High school students report strong academic expectations and relationships. Over 80% feel they belong and nine out of 10 say teachers expect their best effort. We continue to strive for all students reporting positive feelings of safety and belonging at school. We believe our work with social emotional learning, universal design for learning, comprehensive counseling programs, and additional supports will continue to aid in this progress. This report also highlights robust family engagement systems, including PTSA collaboration, family partnership, advisory group, multilingual outreach events, and parent advisory structures that ensure two-way communication and inclusion in district operational and educational decision-making. Finally, the report outlines our process for complaints, appeals, and anti-discrimination protections. In summary, the report affirms a culture across our schools that values relationships, belonging, and safety while continuing to strengthen transparency, digital security, and family partnership. So, I

214turn it over to you all for questions. So, I open it to questions. Director Coin. Thank you for uh presenting this information. I have a question on uh page 13 of the report. One question that I always find interesting and in this monitoring report specifically, I always go to um the question around a staff member took a genuine interest in me and personally helped me to be successful through my high school years. And it's great to see that those numbers continue to look strong. Um because I think that's very important obviously to have that for students to have that connection. I guess my question though is when I look at that I look at u we had strong participation at Skyline and Gibson and I think okay you know okay participation at Liberty but it's

215quite low at isiqua do you have any sense and and obviously throughout the exit survey look at the other questions too do you have a sense of why that is so sign so much lower >> um specifically why I am not sure but we did identify that right away when we reviewed the survey results so um executive director Sher Cox and I and leadership at Isiqua are learning um from our their peers at Skyline um and Liberty the processes that they use to ensure completion. So we are looking at how to strengthen that and noted that uh low number. >> That would be great. Yeah. Because I I look at it for high being less than 100 and at Skyline it's 474. So it's almost as if like every senior who graduated, you know, had

216completed that. So yeah, I'd be curious to know why that dip took place. But thank you for researching that. That was my question. Director Taylor, >> quick question staying on page 13. Uh, high school soft skills survey places I feel most safe at school. There's 18,000 responses. >> Can you explain that to me? We have 6,000 high school students. >> Yes, I can. So, there are most of the questions on these surveys, um, it's just number of respondents. This is actually one where it's number of responses. And the way the question was worded is that there were about 10 different locations and students could select as many of those locations as they wanted. So overall there were 18,000 locations selected. >> I thought we had annex six more high schools. So I wasn't sure. Okay.

217Um I'll just make one other comment just about the report and on the whole as I was reading it. Um, and it's really kind of reflective on my time on the board here that I just really think the district has done a great job, uh, using the words that you just used, valuing relationships in our community. I look at all of these um various programs, family partnership, the uh special education group, student advisory, community advisory, literary I this was new to me, the literary continuum committee, uh highly capable advisory, budget and capital projects, all of these opportunities for um our community to engage with um our district, our programs, the direction that the uh district is going in, and transparency as to how we're financing and budgeting. Um I just think it's really exemplary and

218it real it's been a real growth um in this area. So it really struck me in the report and I just really wanted to um give kudos to the district for all this work because it just the whole report is u really comes across with that engagement. So thank you. >> Thank you. I think my initial observations are So, >> can you share with us why our elementary students don't feel safe in the office? >> Can you point me to the page? >> Six. I think it was like six. >> Six. >> I just thought I was weird. Both fourth and fifth grade. I was like like that seems like a weird thing. Like was it an understanding of the question as a fourth grader or they were to go to the office or get

219in trouble? I I >> The office is a scary place for younger children. Yes. In general. But >> Okay. I was just I thought that was weird. Um >> although it is declining so that's that's good. It's not as scary as it was last year apparently. So >> So then the top of page 10 if you would go to that one. Uh >> that is a question that I I do think the trend is concerning to me. Mhm. Mhm. >> And so, you know, a year ago it was said, well, it wasn't representative because we had so few participating. I'm like, okay. >> But this one is where >> we had the same exact amount >> and it's the same number essentially. >> So, that is a pretty notable decline about a sense of belonging.

220And I know that has been a focus of our strategical plan was belonging. So at least if we take students at their word for perception data and obserception data >> like I'm curious about what the thoughts are about it and what is going to be done to help mitigate this because it has been sort of a core part about what we cared about and we're passionate about. So it >> I noticed this data as well um and was curious about it uh and remain curious and I think it's one we need to explore further um to find out what is underneath that trend um from 22 23 to 24 25 I think um there are some gains with middle school in other ways about being acknowledged and respected for their background um which you think

221would relate to sense of belonging. So, um, it does make me want to inquire further, um, and partnering with executive director and principles to really find out what students mean by that, by the sense of belonging decline on the survey. Well, >> I think you'll also see a decline, a 10-point decline over the past two years in I feel at least one staff member takes a genuine interest in me. >> Yes. >> If I don't feel like a staff member is taking an interest in me, I'm going to feel less connected. Yeah, I just think that uh of all the things that we really focused on in the strategic plan like belonging is a really important one especially at at age and stage. So, >> I just don't want that to be overlooked because >>

222this board especially, we talk a lot about academic data and I for one am super passionate about academic data, but also passionate about >> uh students feeling like middle school is a space and place for them to thrive. And >> this doesn't mean that something's wrong, but I would love for us to explore more about and I'd love to hear more in the springtime about what you guys find. So, I just don't want this to get lost. Maybe if you're taking notes on the little thing for the treatment of people form that we can capture this. >> Thank you, Dr. Coin. >> And and I think back to that point too, just to tack on to it, it surprises me too when I see that because I really believe our middle schools do a really

223good job around belonging. I have always felt like I mean I know for my own particular students, I think that actually uniquely was when they felt the greatest sense of belonging was in that middle school, which is unique. I don't think most of us who went through middle school years ago felt like that. But I think our district does a really good job in that area. So I'm s I am surprised to see that trend. Yeah. >> And it going down. So thank you for for researching that further. >> And that's why the maybe the first step is if you have the disagregation for the 22 23 versus the 2024 by by the six middle schools that may be the first place you >> that was my thought too. >> There may there may be

224where like oh it's stable at three of our buildings and not stable at three of our buildings. Then it's >> ability for you to focus your very limited time that you have. Exactly. Thank you. >> I think some data that jumped out at me because it was at every single level was the number of students who who felt that they could share their opinion was only about 2/3. So we have a third of students who do not feel they can share their opinions in class. >> Now some students have said that's because they're worried about other students. Um that at least that's a high schooler like well I'm concerned that other students are going to attack me. But when it's down in fourth and fifth grade and it's across the board and it's consistent, it

225never reaches above 71%. And that's at the high school. So they feel most confident at the high school is in the 60s in middle and elementary. >> How am I going to feel connected to a school if I feel like I can't share my opinion? Mhm. >> And I think it's something that has really concerned me over the past couple of years as we talk about how do we have dis discord and how do we talk to each other even though we may not agree and we're we're telling students regardless of what it's about that they can't share their opinion because I don't want to be rejected. And so I have a big concern as I leave this board. That is probably one of my concerns is that we are stifling student voice even amongst

226themselves. We're not teaching students that it's okay to disagree and how to disagree agreeably. And maybe it's because the adults in our society aren't doing it well, that it's not being modeled for them. And so how do we reverse course? And we're gonna have to start with this newest generation of rec re reversing course on discourse. >> Thank you. >> Another one. I just came with that one off the top of my head. >> Any other comments? Superintendent reflections? >> I appreciate the data points that you brought forward. We actually talked about that today um in preparation for tonight. So, um, helpful to see that we're sort of seeing some of the data points popping that are areas of interest, uh, further inquiry and some follow-up. So, we appreciate the, um, alignment there, and we

227will certainly go further with that. And thank you to Jacqueline and Donna, but the the whole team that's contributed to this that's also in this room. >> I think that 2.2 too could be strengthened by having um like parents like how do we figure out how parents really feel about if they feel welcomed because I know in our elementary schools parents feel very welcomed and by the time they get to high school uh less so and it's the opposite of where developmentally they need parent support the most even though they don't want it but I think as parents at least now of a parent with two high schoolers, I I feel much more at a loss for how I can engage and support my student like directly whereas you could when you have a kindergartener.

228>> Uh so I I for me like just listing out all like the different like parent groups wasn't really sufficient or scratching the itch. >> Uh and I think knowing more about the lived parent experience would be I think helpful to know. And I don't know if that's through focus groups. I don't know if that's through survey, but because then once you know what the barriers are, then you can offer like a menu of options for how those barriers could be overcome to parents. >> And the way that you're approaching and your your Friday update was talking about how, hey, we're talking about anxious generation and we're going to do this intentional reach out and partnership with PTSAs to equip parents for XYZ. So I think in the same way it would be really helpful

229if our parents could feel like hey this is this these are the things that I could do because then you've already socialized it to the staff and administration so then they know like it's so if we're all swimming in the same direction all have the same language and the same menu I think it it may give the opportunity to increase engagement >> uh in in ways that are not intrusive to our staff and also welcome by our students. I agree that uh parent perception data would be helpful feedback. >> I'll just second that. I wrote that down in my notes as well as to whether we had any survey or data reflecting how our families felt about engagement. So, >> right. Anything else? This was a very meaty report. Great. Seeing no other comments. Oh,

230by the way, I didn't ask if there was public comment online, but I'm supposing that there's none. There's no public here. Okay. Yes. >> The one thing I would do is because uh I thought that uh Milo's >> report was really good, but one of the things that came through, so it was 2.4 about Spanish. So, tell us about Spanish because something obviously came up and I would love to know, is that a a a blip? Is this like a long-term change in the direction for Gibson Act? >> Sure. >> I think it was hopefully recognized that again perception that the communication was was lacking. So, do you want to go to 2.4 and and say that that would be something that totally came up. >> Yes, absolutely. Um, and I had the opportunity to

231speak with Milo on the board prep call um who shared and I had read the report as well. She shared about the concern. Um to summarize for those who haven't had the chance to read it since Milo didn't get to speak um that in her focus groups with students and on surveys some students expressed frustration and concern that Spanish used to be offered as a class at Gibson EC and that that went away with a staffing change and uh that some students felt the communication around that wasn't very clear to students or families. Um and so we talked about how to utilize that information to partner with uh school leadership and her adviser. Um and I looked into it as well. And ultimately the in terms of program uh Gibson is designed to have the

232advisor experiential learning uh take on education. And so the Spanish class emerged sort of as a um a bonus, if you will, that there was an adviser who had the Spanish skills and an endorsement and was able to offer that. But prior to that staff member being on staff, um students would need to pursue running start or online like some other courses not available at Gibson Egg. So when that staff member moved on, Spanish was no longer offered kind of back to the original model. prior to that staff member working at the school. Um so that is the why. Um I still note though the concern and communication about the change and so that's something that we are looking into and supporting the school with >> just because I I no longer know the process.

233When my daughter was at Gibson it had to be Rosetta Stone was how they learned Spanish. Um, so I am wonder is that what we're back to or is there opportunity for us because we have an online school now that we have an online offering of Spanish and that's what they would take or whatever language you know various languages cuz I think that is going to be the biggest barrier for students that are trying to get reach those um requirements for uh post-secary you know if it's if they are going into a program that requires two world language two years of world language that's going to be difficult for them to obtain and so then that limits their ability for higher ed. So wondering about better solutions than Rosetta Stone. Um you know for my

234daughter she's going into a program and hopefully a place where she doesn't need that world language. >> Yes. C my understanding is currently it's uh online classes through our online program uh and running start. Anything else? >> Nope. I just want to bring forward her that I thought what I thought she would say. >> Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Well, seeing no other discussion, we will uh call for the vote. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? >> The eyes have it. Thank you. >> Thank you. I'm hoping my board colleagues are not looking at the minute markers on these items because we're a little bit over. Uh the next item on the agenda is legislative matters. >> I'll be quick, but uh one update. Um I was able to participate

235this week in uh a planning session for uh the town hall that is being put together similar to last year's event which will be inviting um legislators from all over the east side to participate in um kind of a listening session but then also an opportunity to answer questions regarding school funding. Um Shannon Mayo from the PTSA council was also on that call as was uh Donna Huzzle. So we've had some um good participation. Um I'm encouraged by this um year's planning seems to be a little bit more succinct, little bit tighter agenda. uh and the hope to maybe shift thematically from conversations about the big three, transportation, MSOC, and um special education funding, and maybe starting to engage our legislators on a larger conversation about the problems with the funding model in Washington, which

236I think is a good that's going to be a long journey, but to start having that conversation now to try to bring forward some real examples to our legislators as to how the funding model is failing. Um I think could be a good approach. So I will keep all of you informed as to that planning. Two things. Um it will be January 7th for sure will be the date for that. Um that's about the only date before the legislators go into session. That is also after the holidays so we don't get caught up in that. Um, so that I know and uh perhaps I can talk to the superintendent and staff because they are looking for a location and maybe a high school one of our high school auditoriums might suffice. But um last year

237they had almost 600 people. >> Yeah. >> So um anyway, uh I will follow up with you on that. >> We've been looking around. There's some there's a lot of activities. >> Oh, okay. But I think the I think the goal is to have it by an easy on off from 90, but we can I know that the goal was to rotate through different districts and not be in the same district since so many of us are involved. So, we're hoping we can make it work, but it might not be exactly off 90. >> I think they will take what they can get. >> Okay, great. We will continue to uh some of us might be on it looking like Martin Turner already. I will say I do like the perspective of looking at the

238overall funding model. I think being able to be clear to say thank you for anything that has been done. I think a lot of times they make they try to make movements where they can and then we go that's not good enough. So I think being really clear about that and being clear about we're talking about a funding model that most of them were not here when it was developed. >> Very good point. So that it's not a blaming them but a recognition and can we fix this? >> Yeah, that's a great point. Great point. >> Um for me, legislative matters it because it deals with voting. You all should have received an email from WASDA regarding the state board of education votes. This would be online voting that you might have gotten from a

239candidate. Um but so it's not only is the um the WASDA officers and other positions like resolutions, nominating, etc. Legislative committee, but also the state board of education and the Puget Sound ESD. So all of those are are linked with that. So I don't remember when the close date is. Probably a good president would have known that. Um and a good WASA board member might have known that. Um, but I do know that is it opened October 1st. You should have gotten your ballot already. And it's a link that you just click on and then do your voting. It's all on one page. Once you're done, you submit it and you're done. Any other legislative matters? Because I'm sure that the federal government being shut down is not really impacting us. >> I have nothing

240else to report. >> Okay. Uh, we go to announcements and correspondents. Are there any additional announcements and correspondents from those on it? Yes, >> I had one thing really quick and I I'm sorry I know we're late, but I just wanted to make a call out for the new home room huddle podcast. I caught up on it this past weekend. It's excellent. Um, and encourage folks to listen in. There's one on CTE and one on kindergarten. So, great great program. Um, follow it and it'll be in your podcast feed. >> Great. Any others? Hearing none, we'll move move to the next agenda item, which is calendar and future agenda topics. So, um, one of the things we need to look at, can you believe we are already at the time of the 2026 Waso Wazda

241WBO legislative conference on January 9th and 10th at the Hilton Seattle airport. Um, I believe we'll have at least a quorum there. So, we do need to have a motion so we can take action on that. >> I move board 10 the 2026 WABOS legislative conference in Seattle on January 9th and 2026. >> I I second. >> Oh, >> any other discussions on that hearing? None. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? the eyes have it. Uh, next on there is the NSBA Advocacy and Edquitty Institute is February 1st through 3rd. Registrations are open. Um, if somebody would like to attend that or two, I know in the past we've had to so I see uh, Director Gallinger and Director Taylor. >> I believe Yeah, I believe I would like to

242go. >> So, it's February 1st through 3rd, so it's a little bit later than before. Um, I will also be there, but it won't be a quorum because I won't be a board member. >> Yes. >> So, because there's not a quorum, no action is necessary. The last thing is we do need to schedule an executive session. We were not able to hold it today. Um, regarding legal matters. Um, we tried to see if we could get together uh tomorrow, but I am out of town and director Mullings isn't here. out of town >> and you're out of town. So, we're needing to look at for 30 minutes sometime in the next week. >> So, either the the 15th or the 16th, Wednesday or Thursday of next week. I got to get my own. >>

243I'm sorry. This will be online. We'll be doing this online. Yeah, >> we can do it by Zoom. Yes. You said the 15th. >> Yes. For 30 minutes. >> I I think I can make those days work. It just depends on the time. >> And are we looking during the day or I'm not available either of those evenings? >> Well, we have our town hall. >> We have a town hall if we had to do before that, but that would not be fun. >> I can do during the day on the 15th or 16th. It'll be tough for me to do the 15th. The 16th I can do. >> 16th is better for me too. >> Okay. >> Yeah. 16th morning in particular is why >> Yeah, me too. If we could do >> So,

244it sounds like you should just schedule the 16th because then we you know you'll have a quorum. >> Yeah, you have can go great. But take what you >> If not. Yeah. >> Um would 9:00 >> that works that work for me. >> Or earlier or later? >> 9 or 9:30 would be fine. I'm commuting. I'm usually going to the office by 9:00. Yeah. >> Okay. Do you want to make it 9:30 just in case? >> Yes. >> Let's make it 9:30. >> Do I need to make a motion? >> Yes. >> I move that we set a executive session for Thursday, October 16th, starting at 9:30 for approximately 30 minutes. >> Second. >> Any any other additional comments? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have

245it. >> Are there any other items for calendaring or future agenda topics that you would like to jot down or make me note? Director Gallinger, future agenda topic. >> Yes. Where are we going to fit in adding the word equitable into the OE14 language? How are we going to process that? I don't think it's a structural difference. It requires a lot more work, but I do want to figure out how we're going to sequence that for first read, second read, etc. >> We could do first read at the next meeting and second read at the November 11th meeting >> or November, whatever date that is. >> If you've been part of this, I would ideally like to get this sequence and done while you're still with us. >> Yes. >> Yep. I tend to put

246on my agenda for the agenda uh to propose that for the next meeting as a first read and a second read potentially for November. So that lines up well and that's the direction I needed. >> Perfect. And then the second thing is uh I've heard enough questions about this not to the level of middle school boys soccer but to a level of uh why we can't have pets in our schools. uh >> pets uh animals come in like to do like reading with Rover or >> things like that because they occur in Lake Washington. So again in Samish when like things that occur in Lake Washington school district elementary schools that don't get to encourage school elementary schools uh whenever there's gaps that means there's questions. So I would love to hear sort of is

247that up for discussion? Could it be up for discussion? ETA, etc. So I bring it up here because I don't know where else I'd bring it up. >> Yeah, I'll be happy to bring something forward in the next couple weeks. Thank you. >> Yeah, I'd love to see a change to that policy. I think it was changed initially out of a reaction to a specific person and so to open that back up to our community would be very helpful. Anything else? Anything for the good of the order? Having completed our agenda, we are adjourned.