MISD Board Regular Meeting - 2026 -3-26

001start. Go ahead and get started. Board director announcements. Um, it's been a busy couple of weeks. It feels like it's been a really busy couple of weeks. Last night we had the fine arts showcase and I had the pleasure of MCing it. It was a lot of fun. The students were amazing. There were so many incredible music groups. I was really, really, really impressed. It was so fun to see get to see the middle school orchestra a lot, but it was really fun to see the rest of them and um really wonderful community. >> A little stroll down memory lane for you. I remember being a third grader there singing and how fun it was. So um it was just really nice my perspective and uh I've been busy with my work on the safety

002committee have a number of subcommittee meetings and look forward to u collaborating with um the district to provide some updates that will be reporting online next week so that'll be great that we can share with the community and um I had opportunity to attend Gator for a night when the fifth graders can visit the middle school. Um, and that was really exciting to see how excited kids were to check out middle school. >> Nice. Um, I just want to say, uh, director did a fantastic job as MC. She was very comfortable speaking in front of like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people, which was impressive. Um and the other thing that I did for our board in the last two weeks is I went to the entrance um conversation with the auditors. This is

003an annual thing that just happens as a matter of course and um they sort of laid out the parameters of the audit and I was representing the board of that and um in the past our district has always had a perfect result on the audit with no findings. So, I think that that's um this is a testament to how uh well-run our district is um from the financial point of view and how on top of it our uh director of finance and um director Sullivan is on that. So, anyway, that was my big um work. Um I um I I'm also busy with the student safety committees working a lot with that. um attended this past week two days uh the leadership WASA and had the opportunity to sit with as Greek which was a

004fantastic opportunity to learn how uh we can work together and also um some of of the important and also um and I was I'm going to share this with you because I think that that was very very interesting to hear that Washington is one of the states is one of 12 states that collects their superintendent and that gives some um some freedom to decide how we want schools and the rest of the state is appointed by the governor and I think that totally changes the dynamic. So it helps us in our advocacy to know that because the relationship could shift depending on who the governor is not appointed but also can give us or not some stability or not like there's so many things but I thought that it was really worth to share with

005the community that that's something that is special about Washington education. So uh we'll share with the rest maybe a little bit of a report later on all the things that I have learned through that. So you can also get some of that. um and uh um attended the art show uh the portion of the art the visual arts uh which was fantastic. There was some art that was very provoking um we'll share it. I think I'm still digesting. Um I don't know if you have the opportunity but I had um I I did reflect and and there were some students that um shared some of their experience both with what's happening has happened with with uh the safety of students. Uh and there were other and and and other things that were really it it

006moved me. I am fully uh I respond very well to art. It's good. And um and that's it. I think that's that's pretty much my very I can I'm here to announce feveries for sure. Um I attended uh the Lidge cap last week on Monday and um there were some really great discussions going on there about a lot of the issue topics that we've we've had kind of like on our agenda recently regarding like math and you know uh how we're how we're tracking how students do and what we're doing with that information. Um and uh also was able to attend the the middle school musical which was um ambitious for like as all of these middle school musicals are like so many set changes for like a you know junior level production like I

007was very impressed by the fruit and the cast um and of course showcase last night. It's just always lovely to see how how hard our students work and how hard our staff works to um kind of pull together uh their musical endeavors when I think of how terrible my seventh grade band experience was and how how like we sound like a caricature of you know students not coordinating their musical sound. Yeah, first try out on that. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to the uh governance uh process monitoring part of the meeting. Uh starting with work 18000 10 instructional program fourth version of adoption for the 2026 2027 school year specifically with regard to English. >> I'm going to invite uh director Prescott up as long as well as how many of you are

008representing both of you come on up. English department and a little bit later on um Miss Thompson will be here as well for some recognition for some students who also >> So some of you have been reading I know some of you blazed right through the text uh that uh was brought forward uh ongoing and so I'm going to turn it over um to the team to talk a little bit about the text um and the process there and I think Andre is bringing up some slides on it too. So Ann, you want to start? >> Sure. >> Hi, I'm Ann Filmore. Um I teaching English 12 and also AP micro economics. Um and this is my fourth year teaching English 12 courses. Um and I've had this book last year. So following up on

009this year, I'm Carrie Thompson. I teach English and writing publishing and English 10. Um, this is my first year teaching English as well. So, I'm gonna let most at the point completely support the idea of using it. Um, have you all read it or it somewhat? >> Okay. Um, maybe a little bit. Um, so one of the reasons I'll give you some background of why this book and Danielle Melgar and I piloted it last year in the English 12 courses and the English race and literature courses. Neither of those classes are running in this year or in the next year. Um, but I was also the teacher of English 12 last year and have developed that course over five years and trying to figure out this is a book that's needed for that course. Um,

010a little bit more about that background. um one of my before I came to work status district I was in Belleview and developed a college and high school course for their English 12 curriculum. So really looked at what is required for freshmen um in college and universities looked at like the western curriculum and the UDub curriculum and mirror the course to meet those standards. Um and one of the things I think is the niche of English 12 is that it's usually the students who are not striving for AP lit and loving English and going to be going come on becoming um English majors. So um as we looked at this curriculum and then when I started to teach English 12, there was no curriculum like five or six years ago. It was whoever was dependent

011on teaching it. There was a lot of um non-adoptive materials being read. It was when I was like what should the curriculum be and it was a thank you for making a curriculum. Um so this has been devised really thoughtfully over four or five years. The entire English department is really well aligned like 9 through 12 to make sure that we are teaching um sort of a scaffold of text and then how the different classes work together. So the English 12 courses right now are English or AP lit. Um literature you guys you AP lit. Yeah. >> Okay. So like literature this is love like diving into how books are written and challenging literature and then film is lit also fabulous at focusing on the writing discussion. So English 12 um it's officially called English

01212 critical composition and discussion. So focusing more on crosscurricular reading and writing skills. It tends to veer especially in the middle of the year towards research and inquiry and blending non-fiction with fiction. So it's not your traditional novels. I feel like our students get a lot of that. Read the novel, write an essay. Um and we're really trying to branch out with this just in the >> um the inquiry aspect of it, the student choice aspect of it is pretty strong and um you know it it's just a slightly different look in terms of a traditional strict English. Ours I think is a little more humanities. Well, yeah. So like I put over here these are the different sort of units by quarter. So we start off with literary lenses, literary criticism, which would be

013like college level everybody gets Marxism, feminist critical lens. We talk about what literary lenses are. Um we've done 1984 with that a lot of short readings. And then we move into a graphic novel mo uh graphic novel unit and readilus and the best we can do. Those are both memoirs about Iran and the mines family. And these are also I should say the other thing scaffolded with English 12 is seniors are taking comp and with those sections at the same time we've also hit like there's Iranian background in history and that syncs with the comp class um and then some of the Vietnamese history they're using when they're looking at the Chinese unit. So really trying to um some of those courses and then we had this middle area that over the last couple years

014it's like we need something to fill this. had kids reading Enrique's journey which is also about Mexico and immigration and it's really non-fictionheavy. It's it's a challenge like for me to get through and stick with it was really challenging for kids. So we found ourselves reading more excerpts of that but it's a good non-fiction research bridge. And then third quarter we're in the midst right now of having kids write their own research. So not a text heavy. And then we ended with more philosophy and sedartha and press. So we have this gap of blend going from memoir and a real human and personal experience and trying to understand lots of different perspectives and apply these critical lenses and gear chips towards actual research and history and understanding. Um, so that's why this book, okay, um,

015a nutshell, you guys have read it, but it starts with EA and Essie and their two sisters that don't know their sisters or half sisters and then follows eight generations. It's like 20 page chapters. Um, and you get to see their descendants and lineage all the way to present day America. And so I mean I'd love to talk >> um I think it's a more holistic and multi-perspective understanding of transplant slave trade kids for the first time seniors like we had no idea that African nations were involved in slave trading amongst themselves. Um and that nothing in this book is literally black and white or right and wrong. There's very few stereotypes of all people are one way. And so every step of the way, it's about how humans respond to their context, how we

016don't look at and judge in history and say, well, this was bad and this was right and this was wrong. Um, but trying to understand how humans would rationalize being their experiences. Um, and so I feel like students got a really good understanding of that. Um, and then modern history in the US. um things like the comic leasing system and coal mines in the US south and no concept of how that has equated to like modern day commies um and then even in the sense so not even like racial history but the sense of belonging the use of names um everybody's identity and so there's like what expectations about relationship suffering who gets married so not too much into the book um can you provide a little more information on how it fills the gap.

017>> Yes. Like for for units. Okay. Um so after looking at graphic novels and like the like how to analyze a graphic novel, but then how the two books we read tell their stories in really different ways. And so do you tell a story more through facts and history or do you tell a story more through personal reflection? And kids do a lot of their own processing and writing through this and all these other clips. And then to get them to the research and inquiry. This every chapter we have like it starts with the idea of the castle and where the slaves leave through this port in Ghana. And there's we look at footage of the actual castle and blueprints and Anderson Cooper the Obama family there. And so we watch that and for kids

018to realize like this is a real place and read some excerpts um of stories of families who had gone back to remigrate back to Ghana or visit the castle and how that felt. So they saw this place in history as a story but they didn't realize they were doing this actual research through it. So we're like well how would you find on a database? How would you find actual documents about this? How would you site these things? So building these small research skills so that when they have the research paper as a whole course over a quarter um and it's a like 15 page 15 20 source research paper like it's legit. They can't it's fine. um they know how to do that small like we find like how would you find original video footage

019and then how would you site that how would you find archived information in the national archives and how would you site that um so I feel like as we go through here that's a really good way for them to find sources um and then also setting up debates like with the comic leasing system is this a remnant of today's justice system or not um especially really trying with seniors not to get them an answer, but what do you think and why and what's your claim? And you're going to be going off to college with people with all sorts of different opinions and how do you have this conversation? And um so I feel like that's the gap is it's a really engaging book. It's it's it's not easy, but it's a Lexile that's at 12

020grade level, which um I have five I have five children who have gone through the high school. I will say um some of them like my son probably told me he never finished a book. He's a very good student. Uh but I do think if we're believing that students read every book we give them, that's a a long shot. And when I read this had really good conversations with students and many of my seniors were like, "This is the first book I've ever finished." >> Yeah. And so they were like, "Yeah, like we actually really love this book." So I think by giving them something accessible and right we had the family tree and we were talking about the characters like they really read it and because they were really reading it they were interested

021in then doing the history and learning about it and having debates and discussions. >> It's like the missing the connection link that takes them from the it's hard to teach those research skills in isolation. >> I think it makes a ton of sense. I love that approach and I I love the book. Um, it was I love historical fiction and the way it brings you know history to life. I learned a lot from it um as far as how the slave trade worked in Africa and with tribes and I also looked up the castle and started my own research because it was just so interesting and um I I love the idea of encouraging them to come to their reach their own conclusions and that you know seeing history decisions made at the context of

022what was going on at that time and life challenges each person experienced and so um I I was really by the book I thought it was wonderful good choice I I read this book for my book group uh when it came out and then I was like well I have this book I don't need a copy for it and then um of course I had given it away to someone so I was like um it was it's fantastic and it's such a great the narrative point of view and just the way that it weaves um you know as director Bernett was saying that just weaves our American history into this like beautifully accessible um piece of literature is just something I think that all of our students would enjoy. I've been trying to push it

023on to my senior, but it's not on his syllabus and he is frankly done learning. Um they say he doesn't need to learn anymore for the time and uh so um I just think it's a fantastic choice and I really commend you for identifying a gap in our sort of infrastructure of this 12th grade um English class and really filling it in a beautiful way that I think make a profound effect on our students. And I quote, there's a but I think that that you also with what you share today, you also share with the community how this this when we talk about critical thinking and and sending our kids to the world with that that's how it looks like. This this is how we we help our students get there. So, so thank you

024for sharing and >> I'm really enjoying reading it. I'm only the way through. Um but my undergraduate major was history was literature in a historical context. It was American literature in a historical context and in particular I focused on the writings of black women at the beginning of the 1900s. I recently unearthed my kind of like senior thesis from from my undergrad years and was like oh my gosh I don't know if this is going to have held up ac you know since 1993. Like how embarrassing is it going to be what I wrote? Actually, it was okay. It was okay. Um, but I I I did not, even though you're an excellent high school, I did not have that preparation that you're talking about of making that jump to like sort of that that

025like independent research ability and kind of trying to figure out how to make the connections myself. So, it was a heavy lift for me doing that work as like a sophomore and a junior in college, kind of learning on my own, like through trial and mostly error, right? like how to write about history and how to think about literature in a historical context. And so I think it's just fantastic that we're kind of like sending our kids on on their way with with that baked in. So yeah, a great choice. >> I totally agree. I haven't read the book at all, but this is making me want to read it. And it's so good. And we just finished reading Beloved and that I got to say has been one of my favorite books I've read

026in high school. This seems like a more accessible version of Beloved or touched on similar topics to that book. For me that has been like it kind of builds upon um like what you learn in American history the year before and kind of contextualizes it for me and it seems like this book would do a similar thing where you you know American US history doesn't focus a ton on the slave trade. So having that context for me has been really great. Um I learned a lot and I think that it's a really really important thing for people to learn about and have that critical thinking about our history in their past. So the biggest thing >> I think also in ter in terms of course offerings at our school I know that different courses focus

027on different things especially in the English department and I think that foundational skills in the curriculum like research are so important for students and everyone going off to live a life in the real world whether they're going to get more education or not. And so uh just reinsure reassuring once more that we have those sorts of things that are really foundational which is really important. I appreciate that. anything else you wanted to share with us? >> I just want to highlight um one of the things that was submitted to the IMC for approval was the student feedback. Um there was more than this. These are just a few um highlights, but that students this book was piloted last year. Um and students gave lots of feedback and overwhelmingly students want this book to continue and

028I think that speaks volumes to the need to include it. um they're seeing value in it. Um I just think about I get a motion to approve the book Homegoing by Ya Yasi as part of the core curriculum for the 2026 2027 school year. So moved. >> Students I >> director Tucker moved and director Martine second and 200 favor. >> Thank you. >> One quick question just because I know community has been interested in technology and access to hard copies versus technology and students will have choice or whatot that's or mostly hard copies available or mostly copies. We have the audio book and the PDF and we have hundreds copies. So we have security already. >> Thank you. >> I'm sure we'll all be just as enthusiastic about this cyber security textbook coming up next.

029Come on. >> Okay. Next we will be turning to uh continue with board policy OBV10 instructional program and we will be looking at core curriculum adoption for 2026 2027 school year for AP cyber security. The book is computer security principles and practice by William Stalins. >> Great. We have Mr. who's here uh this evening who has been teaching at the high school and then this year he's been um also teaching at our middle school uh some courses there but um we have a very exciting new opportunity for our students and so maybe a little bit about the course as well as the text that you've chosen there. >> Perfect. Um well I promise it's not near as exciting but it does have a story behind it. It's a little clinical and dry, but I thought

030the course um we actually I came up with a centr course probably about I think it was three or four years ago that we started out there was a semester one and we had ideas of making it a year long and actually getting certification CT field. We're going to get a job only for like 60 $80,000 coming out of high school as long as they got certification in that. is such a needed field right now and going forward. And so, um, it had a lot of actually a claim. I think you recognize the students won up two years ago because we didn't run it last year, but we actually took like 50th in the world and first in the nation different ones. So, we've actually had a really big group of students go through um,

031and it's also needed, but luckily right now the AP board just put out the AP cyber security course. So, of course, we jumped on that right away. um especially the AP island. So jump on that bandwidth as long as you put that AP in part of it. So it's a year long. Um it covers a lot of stuff that we already did, but we're also going to add some of the more fun projects that we have because sometimes AP courses are a lot more like you don't have as much freedom if that makes sense because you're so restricted. This one actually is since it's a new one that's coming out. Um but obviously our biggest thing is we have to put the frameworks for the AP that's also not just okay through the school work

032here through the district but also through college board right that is the school text um that we needed. So I started looking um and researching for a lot of different ones of like what would be the best text for this class that not matches what my vision of the security should be but also for college board frameworks and this one quickly came to the top the security principles and practice. There's some other ones that were also associated with or thought around. College Board still doesn't put out the recommended list yet because it's so new. They really piloted for the first time last year. So, this is the first year next year that you can be run anywhere in the country. Um, and this one, the best thing about this book from Sons and Brown is

033the fact that it's really made for an educational setting. So it talks about as in the depth of an AP course material and the clinics and everything you need to know but also has all like a bunch of practices projects hands-on experience you know for the kids and made for that type of area because really made for actually undergraduate at a college university level introductory and there's actually a ton of universities that already adopt this as their core textbook at the university level itself and so that's why it goes to there's another one that's called um computer and internet security and It's very dry and clinical as well, but it doesn't have any of the educational side of it. Makes it really easy as a teacher if that makes sense. Um, but it' be great

034for like more supplemental material. And there's another one that also comes up which is like cyber security essentials which that one's good for like more introductory just trying to get a certification but not so much for AP or course at like a school or that type of effect. >> Interact to ask you to pass the book around. give an example of what a project would be. >> Actually, perfect. Do you have the um by chance? >> Oh, there's there's um we actually have a whole online copy in the appendex and show all those projects that are listed on there of the teachers resources, which is really good. And I think it's the same password. So um and we can pull that up on the board and you guys can actually see all the educational values

035whatever we mean about how that education is really a part of this book. It's not like a byproduct where some of us add on like a second level just like hey let's throw some stuff that this is really made for educational course not just a textbook of how it works. So um it covers pretty much the frameworks it actually goes hand in hand with a lot of what the course is pretty much talks about mainly about computer security itself. It talks about more of a user um security and the internet security and besides that it talks about malware which is like your worms all stuff you know these days they're just taking your computer down ransomware type attacks and then also goes into more like cryptologology like hashing and that type of stuff they're going

036to also need to know. So um all the way most of the context starting with the pandem so uh reading level is about that beginning college level um about standard with all the rest of the AP course materials so it's not like too hard um tech but at the same time I'm really biased I've been doing it for so long I don't have that same concept as like a brand new high school student that's coming in and checking it out. Um yeah, >> for the courses they bring that up. Um what skill sets are or what you know are juniors interested in this course, sophomore, seniors and um what credits are they getting for your course? Can you give some background on that? >> Yeah. Um we actually have it's kind of the whole spectrum.

037Before it was a lot of like more 10th to 11th graders. They had that flexibility a little bit to do that. Um and it's usually mostly our 10th level because even our students that were joining that class quickly usually graduated. We have like tried to get that education offered. That makes sense. Most of it was transferred through the club since we didn't have an official course. So is that speaking of cyber security send you a code for >> make sure you I make sure See, there it is. 312. >> I think they say never share those. >> It's gotten a lot. And um and can actually talk. We actually have a great partnership with the district um as we do a lot of these and we actually run like fishing attempts. So like one of

038the national the high school was literally the students actually had to really try to fish a staff member. So we actually set up like fake email addresses and we track we sent the district too to sort of see how that was done because we know that fishing is a problem high school. Um and we did a lot of tools and toys that they really enjoy. But one thing I always tell them is people always think like these exercises these days are still like those worded emails right being sent out. We're sending out these high school students out to a culture of universities without very much understanding of what's actually out there. They're supposed to have all these devices and understand this world. They don't and like I told a very short story a few years

039ago, but it really the point especially with this code you just talked about in the aspect of the fact of like you calls you and tells you like there's this fraudulent transaction from Malaysia, right? Malaysia and so what do you want to do about it? The first thing you have to do is make sure you are you right like they did here with me. And so they give you your code, you know, your phone from the bank and you read it off to them and then they say, "All right, well, we want to make sure that you get a second way, especially cancel your card." So what was your last deposit and withdrawal to do that second verification? And you do something wrong. They know like, you know, they're the bank, they'll tell you it.

040And then they ask, "What do you want to do? You want to cancel your card? You want to change the password?" And the whole catch there is because convenience, no one wants their card can usually, right? So take the change the password, everything's fine for a month and then their account's wiped out a month later. And the reason why is because as we're learning in this our society today, when you ask for these codes, how often does it tell you what it's for? And so what these people do is they actually go into the bank, they put in, I forgot my password. They're on a phone with you saying that they're bank and you get the code from the actual bank, but if they don't tell you, change your password and they think it's you.

041So you actually tell them the code from the actual bank. They get in, they see it, they can verify your transactions, and then they change the password, they know it, do anything for a month because they don't want that to be the highlight of it. and then they come in later on like a month or two later and those are the type of things that people are dealing with these days in addition to the medical you know stuff that's out there particularly dagger shut things down so it is a big problem in the world that we need that's sort of why I introduced this course in the first place I'm really glad that they came out from college board making like an EP course for this especially to alert the kids more and was even

042best we're trying to have a certification to this as well especially this is a year long so that way they can actually have certification which is what CTE is supposed to be about right that they can actually leave instead of working at a college university like a lunch group or something like that they can really be doing remotely working for a cyber security company making a lot more money that way or continue it. So I think it's a big win either way but like I said no matter what before we the big steps which we need at least some textbook has that course to get that authentication from your college board. So you go back um yeah we go down to the appendix right there. Can't you tell? >> Okay. See the first one it

043says project A has projects and other student exercises teaching and already has like these fully mapped out of the book that you do has the exercises. It has like um taking care of shares everything the teacher needs and for a price is actually not bad. I think um the cost straight from Pearson's is about $85, but you can usually get anywhere from 60 to 80, right? We only need about two to three copies. So, we actually handle that in the CT budget really easy. Um you'll get about, you know, $150, $250. The nice thing about this since it is really approached towards the education side, they actually have a $10 a month fee reading actually the e textbook. So, the students have optional the capability going online and reading or even you as a teacher

044giving out experts or parts of it that they can take as the assignment. It's all part of that e platform. So it's very long really nice in that cheap side of it where it's really easy reach place it in. That's not to say that the books are in nice to look for supplementary material to sort of add to that that the kids can take from there. Um but since it's going to be a classroom model type approach we only need two or three most of it since it will be online and actually taught in the classroom. It won't be like they all have this big textbook that goes around questions. Um so I do first um given that it's uh you know cyber security do we feel like the textbook shelf life is going to

045be shorter than for >> other textbooks and how are we doing how are we pushing that >> it will definitely um you can't get around that I mean it's such a changing field especially with AI how that's approaching and changing it um I mean cyber security is like this working between the two right it's constantly evolving at all times but it's not too bad this is actually going to the fifth um edition of it right now has been out for quite a while. The good thing about this is if you actually look through the book, a lot of the mechanics and the parts of this book don't change. So like the protocols, the internet, the layers, what really changes is how we approach or try to, you know, mitigate that. And some of that though,

046especially online books, they can change and work with it. The other good thing about that is that's also why we're thinking we're not trying to send, you know, copy every student. We have two or three classroom models. So everybody switch those out like two, three, you know, four years back. My guess is two, three, four years going to have some, you know, big changes in the subscript field, especially these days. So, it was a good question. >> That's and that's why we're doing digital copies and not doing hard copies. We'll have a few hard copies to have in the classroom, but by and large, they'll be the digital copies. And publishers often will allow us just to move to the next um version. And so, um we're not going to do a six-year agreement, spread

047it over time because we think this is going to be the same text for six years. It will change. Um, so we're doing a small purchase just of eex. >> So can you explain how that works? Um, do you purchase a digital purchase for three years or something or what do you mean by we say >> it depends on the the publisher? So we'll have to like once once the text is determined approved, then we work with the publishers. We talk about deals. So like on our last uh elementary literacy adoption, we did like a six-year adoption. We paid over the course of multiple years. We knew that was something that was going to be around um and stable in its implementation. Right now with this knowing this content um we're not going to try

048to negotiate spreading the cost out or amortizing over a number of years. We're going to go for a one-year purchase um for the number of texts we know that we need and then we can revisit again next year. >> And I'd say that's very common in college programs is it's usually one year adoptions. Um and that's similar with our Microsoft Office testing as well. So we can make sure that students are getting exposure to all the latest versions of of the software and the materials. >> Okay. I just wanted to ask um what the prerequisites are for the cyber security class. >> There's actually none um which is why that was all. We actually have incoming nth graders that are already signed up for the course all the way up to our seniors now. In

049fact um my field is actually on open up to it because before it used to be only that program AP computer science AP was the only one open to nth graders. So now this is a second one that's a to which is going to impact you know dynamics because it's one of the hard things I would tell the parents that um even if they're great programmers the same thing if they're working security usually how well they do if that class grades n graders is actually more the social class with juniors and seniors right can you advocate yourself you know those things deal with the social dynamics is more what leads to because I know graders are the best class too so it's a hard one to carry so and also for the the book funing

050and those years target there's also more of a change now of AP models especially with this one of actually going towards those certificate you know the of using actually their certificate as an actual course material too so we're also looked at that we're using supplemental right now to try to get that certification but depending on how goes we might even migrate to just go that certification route and it becomes actually the textbook I think we're trying to change that so that would be interesting to watch as that develops so >> any Any other questions? >> I just want to say that this sounds like a really interesting class and I think it'll be a welcome addition to our curriculum, especially for students who are interested in computer stuff. Not to get too technical, but yeah.

051So, I mean, >> thank you. They like the toys and all the projects and stuff. >> It's a great example of how our school is really like sort of changing and and keeping on top of what what might be of most interest to our students. I can't say how grateful I am actually to the school and in that district because everything we asked there's a lot of schools who be like no like this is it worth this every single time and um the kids are the ones who really came out for it strong so it's a great place for >> it sounds like an interesting course to me and I like that there's projects and I think it's great timing that you were here because literally just this afternoon my eighth grade son who's in

052your intermediate robotics class this trimester was saying do you know that Mr. He's was a marine teaching. >> I was tall was the one is in the class and he's a student down there. He's kickboxing, right? So he's talking about like um how great it is to be herself and so I sort of came in to show like there's a lot more simpler things that are a lot more better off than kickboxing than you know. I've done a lot of different things in my life. That's for sure. three different >> but interesting that you've worked in other kinds of security. >> Yeah. And now >> I'm >> um would someone like to make a motion to approve the uh AP cyber security computer security principles practice by William Stallings as a part of the fourend.

053>> All right. So move. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Um, speaking of cyber security and I'm now blocked from it and then it kicked me off and it me refreshing it like I shut my laptop down and started it up again. >> Yeah, refresh it and see if you're still in because I was >> but then not like going to fix it. afterwarding discussions like if you want to restrict me from my work email that's fine but >> actually I'm on now I shut it down shutting down and restarting >> you should I do that or >> should I do that or are you gonna Yeah. >> Okay. While he's working on that, we will move on to the next portion of our multiple governance process monitoring looking at board policy 1800

054OE1 facilities and capital assets. >> Great. Um it's your annual um update and monitoring of OE1. Um later on in the meeting we're going to have uh a partial monitoring of this um so it's timely but this is your full monitoring of OE1. So I'm going to turn it over to assistant superintendent Sullivan uh to walk you through facilities and capital assets. This is O1 specifically state superintendent will assure physical facilities and capital assets support the accomplishment of board policy 001 and are safe and are properly built, renovated and maintained. Uh there are um eight items in this OE. Uh number one, establish a schedule and set priorities for capital construction, replacement, renovation, and maintenance projects. Uh we believe this to be in compliance. Items two, three, and four are really applicable if we are

055in the process of bond construction. So we are in compliance. We're kind of not not in compliance. Uh item five, six, and seven is a compliment to director and his team. We believe these three to be in compliance. Specifically, number five, not allow facilities to be unclean, unsanitary, or unsafe. Uh item six, not unreasonably deny the public's use facilities as long as students, functions, and the academic programs are not compromised. And then seven, develop and consistently administer detailed facility use guidelines and delineate. And then finally, I tip the hat to director Ronzer and his team. Item 8, provide and maintain comprehensive and functional technology infrastructure. We believe that to be in compliance. So items one through eight, we believe all to be in compliance. >> Does anyone have any questions or comments? I think that

056my only comment is that I have seen all the effort that the district has done to maintain all the facilities in the in the school and I appreciate uh because I know that has not been easy that's that's in compliance. Okay. Uh in that case, we would be I want to clarify making a motion to approve >> to find it in compliance. Okay. Yeah. And I have that we find that superintendent in compliance with um OE1 disloal capital assets monitoring. Can I have a second? Second. Okay. Students. Okay. So, director Tucker motionedly seconded. 2040. Passes. And now we are going to move over to board policy 18001 facilities capital assets preliminary bond discussion. And I guess I would say before you get started that we've you brought this to the board um Dr. RD recently

057and um this is an initial conversation about how we sort of move going forward and you know from just initial discussion it was clear that that we have a lot to learn and to talk about and so this is that first chance to get that information. >> Exactly. >> Yeah. >> Great. I'm gonna bring forward uh Brandy Bots who is our honorable representative on our projects. Director, are you coming up too or just why don't you go off to >> um I'm going to start just by building off of assistant superintendent Sullivan. Um especially with OE1 section one. uh you know, you the board really um expects your superintendent um so me to make sure that we're establishing schedules for construction and and capital projects, renovation um and so the things like the Merryway pool

058that have come through recently is an example of that. Some of these projects take four and five years because they come with grant dollars. Others um we get done in one summer uh such as carpeting and paint um uh and some of those but all of it takes planning and you have to start um uh in the rears and then start working forward. If we take a look at uh the last 12 months, obviously we brought before the community a proposal um on a bond initiative that was um successful in the in the sense that over 50% were be excuse me were behind it but not quite the 60%. Um, and so we feel like we need to make sure we bring back to you rather than just sitting back and saying, "Well, then I

059guess we'll just keep doing our capital projects through the levy. We owe it to you. We owe it to the community to come back and say, um, we still feel like there are cans that if kicked are going to be really problematic at some point." And so tonight is our opportunity to kind of remind you where we were a year ago and then think about what might be some new priorities that if that bond wasn't what our community wanted to support, then what might be a bond package in the future. I want to reiterate what um President Bernett did say in that tonight is not about asking you to make any definitive decisions or signal to the community that we have the plans. Tonight is really for us just to re-elevate this, remind ourselves of

060this important work um and then lay the groundwork for some future conversations. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to our team. We have a slide deck for you um as well and uh let's get going. >> Okay. You want me to just run through this? >> Sure. >> Okay. Um this is a bond calendar that you've seen before uh and just really sets forth the the quarters that we are uh able to do an election the November or obviously the general election. Um we've shown here the EPO levy and the cap tech levy and then other things that we know are happening. Um we've sort of uh shown August in a different color because that is not traditionally a time that school districts run on uh or levy. Um so that really

061leaves us the other three November, February and April. But just to give you a little context for that. Um the next slide and I you know you've seen this slide in some variations. This was in our long range facilities plan that we did four or five years ago. Um I think we showed it as part of the 2025 bond package that we did and I' I've just elaborated on it a little bit, but I think one of the things that is really striking for this district is that the vast majority of your facilities are 60 or 70 years old. And um the first four that you see there are um the elementary schools. So we have one new elementary school, Northwood, which is now 10 years old, occupied in 2016. Um but we have the

062three older elementaryaries that are between uh 62 years and 73 years old. Each one of those received a renovation project um years ago. Um that renovation project did not replace water mains or sewer mains or a lot of the infrastructure. Um those buildings were a series of singlestory buildings um that had an overbuild done, right? So that that overbuild encapsulated the singlestory structures and then built like new corridors and things to connect them. Um mechanical equipment is sitting on top of old roofs. Um we would love to take you on a tour of that. So because I think there's nothing like a visual for that. But we have three in the same age right that um are aging. So that is something to really consider. The next um group that you see is Islander Middle

063School. So the 100 and 200 building um that we refer to as a single building and the 300 building um are both 68 years old. Um the main 200 building had a renovation 33 years ago. Um there's a reason we call it the one and 200 building. It's two buildings that had an overbuild and join together with the corridors, all the mechanical equipment sitting up in an attic on top of the old roofs. Um the the 300 building had some work done in that um 93 it's 93 renovation. Um but then we also did a small addition to that and a little bit more renovation in 2000. So it's a little bit newer. Um, and then the next group that you see is the high school. The high school is 71 years old. Um, of

064all the buildings, it had the most new construction. Um, so 29 years ago was the renovation on the high school. Um, and uh, and then there have been some additions onto that sense. Right. So the music went on, the um, one, two, and 300 extensions went on. One more thing. >> Those are the major ones. >> Major ones. So I think you know of your facilities, the high school has the most new construction. So a little hard to portray in this. Um and then Crest is kind of a similar vintage and similar age. Um Merryweight Pool is 56 years old. Um it just had a pretty significant renovation. Um, and I probably should have put on here the HBAC that we did a couple years before. So, it's it's had a lot of work to

065done to it. Um, administration is 60 years old. Um, last renovation was uh 29 years ago and that was not a full renovation. That was this boardroom >> um that was done. Um and then the other two uh the maintenance operation and transportation modular building that Tony's office is in is noted um as well as the maintenance shop. And I think I think if there's a takeaway from this, it's just that it's a lot of old buildings aging at all all at the same time, right? And and I think maybe if you have a sense of urgency from us about anything, it is a fear that these will all stack up at the same time, right? And that that there's no way financially to do them all at the same time. That they they are

066going to have to be approached in incrementally. >> Anything you'd add to that, Dr. I just I had this strange when I was reviewing this slide and maybe it's just my own crazy mind, but you know, Lacage the from when Lor's remodel was done until I arrived here as principal in 2009. That is a shorter amount of time than I've been here since. So that was 14 years since that and I've been here 17 years. And I was just thinking about that when I saw that about how t how quickly time goes and you feel like it was just like it was done so long ago and then you really kind of put it in context. So anyway, I was crazy what you said last >> I have the same because I worked on the

067high school renovation 29 years ago and it does not feel like it was a girl. Um, yeah, >> I also did because uh most of the high school renovation took place the year after I graduated and so I was like, wait, I'm it's been almost 30 years. That's it. >> But, you know, it is that idea that they are all aging, right? It's not just that you have a couple that are aging. Um, and interestingly, we've had 10 free years on Northwood NMS, right? We've had no need for a capital investment of any kind of significant amount to those, but now those are starting to age, right? And so, um, the cap tech dollars and needing to repaint and meeting like those kinds of things are going to start coming up on those projects. And

068we've we've really had a free pass for 10 years. Okay. Um, not to dwell on the past, but I thought it was just uh important for all of us to kind of remember um what that bond in 2025 was and where those dollars were assigned. So, really the vast majority of it was the middle school. Um and then followed behind by um some program improvements at Merc High School and then HVAC and fire alarm and then some accessibility upgrades that involve this building. Um and then some reimbursement for the conceptual design work that had been done for the bomb trap as well as potentially study. Um, so you know, we've talked a lot since then about what's really essential and what is essential was the asset preservation. And I think the the big piece that

069stands out for us is this partial replacement of the HVAC system, right? That that system is 29 years old. We can't buy parts for it anymore. Um, we servicing it is increasingly difficult. Um we have portions of the building that um that are cold and portions that are not year round. Um and and the cost to do that is more than than the current cap can afford to to do. Um, I think there is some confusion in that our cap tech work has some HVAC work noted on it and we also have HBAC work involved and the HBAC that was in the Ctech is buying thermostats off of eBay. It is it is keeping the system going and this partial replacement. Um, so back on the previous slide, I think we had said that Crest

070in the high school for partial HVAC replacement work and the fire alarm work was about $20 million. That if we were going to go in and completely replace the HVAC and you were all at that board meeting where we looked at those numbers, I mean, it was more in the range of like 60 or $70 million to completely replace and put AC in. So this is by no means a complete replacement of that system, but um I think it is it is the it is it will fail at some point if we don't do something. >> Absolutely. >> Um so I don't know if there's anything to >> I mean to us I think that feels like the most important thing to get addressed. So one thing that you know a question I have is

071what happens if it fails? What happens if we don't have a plan to repair it, right? We don't have nothing in the funds available at that time. Yeah. What do we do? What would happen? We probably have to shut a portion of the high school down. >> That's exactly what we have to do and then probably rob the parts for one piece to bring them in hopefully and then get the other section up and running. It's hard to say what that failure is. So I don't know how, you know, we would adjust to that. But um that would likely be the case that shut down certain area. >> I mean, from a teaching and learning standpoint, things that schools do um is you quickly >> move and you say, okay, sixth grade back into the

072elementaryaries, ninth grade back into a middle school. So now you only have three grades at the campus. So if you have to keep school going, there are things that you can do. it's tremendously disrupted, but in a short-term thing, those are things you start to see. Um, that's kind of where the the year round schooling came out of in California, in Arizona, is that really wasn't a movement that was ever done in the elementaryaries because of great research about year- round schooling. It was because you could get a fourth more kids into schools. They couldn't build schools fast enough and so they would have to go to year round so you could get a fourth more students into a school. So those are those >> that's just fearing right now. You're just trying to scare

073us. >> No, no, no, no, no. I'm just being I'm just being this is how districts respond to crisis like this. Um it's not what we would have to do, but these are the creative things that I've seen in education in my almost 30 years. >> I think if if we had a failure up there, it would be that we lost the 200 hall. We lost the ability to to heat the, you know, to blow air into the 200 hall because we lost an air handle or something. And that might mean that we have to close the 200 hall for some number of months where we make that repair and we have to push everybody into the other spaces and then much more highly utilized or we have to add period to the day can't

074fit at all or something something >> or you're bringing in temporary. I don't know. It's hard to say. By no means is this a a fear. Um, it's just it's just what it is. You know, you could bring temporary heat. I mean, you could, but it means large propane style blowers outside the building that are blowing air. We had to do that remodel at middle school backs. Um, not pleasant for anyone. It's not, but you know, there's things you can try to do, but you aren't gonna these are massive units in the ceiling. These aren't just, you know, the furniture in your closet. They're the size of a Volkswagen and, you know, bus or some, you know, type of thing. You just don't bring it down the stairs. Um, or bring a new one up.

075Um, >> so it's >> so yeah, I think I'm just trying to get my head around and for the community sake also is, you know, what what's the what's the likelihood of that happening, right? And when when when could we look at that? When could it when could that happen? Could that happen any time now? Um, and then what would it be the imp what's the likelihood that the impact would be that large? >> Yeah. And I think that's that's really difficult for us to to give you a 5050 or a 2575. Um, but what we know is that these these units are all past their lifetime of 20 years and they're 11 years in borrowed time that buying parts is increasingly difficult. Um, and and I think any one of those dire scenarios has

076a much larger price tag attached to it. Um, and not not a long-term solution, right? I mean, it's just so frantic trying to figure it out, whereas we would be much better off to go into it plan and figure out how we're going to get in and rebuild all these air handlers um in place over over the summer or over a course of two summers. um you know emergency work is always more expensive than than the plan. And then the other component to that is the fire alarm um which we've talked about before and it um it it is increasingly difficult to keep it operational. Um and it it doesn't have voice annunciation which is required by current code. Um and again it is just so far past its expected lifespan. Um that to us

077those are the those are the components that feel really critical. >> Sorry, what did you just say? It doesn't help that isn't >> um current uh if you were to build a new school or um even I have projects where we are renovating a portion of the school that portion of the school has to have a it's called a voice annunciation. So rather than just go has to say it has to be able to talk to you and tell you how >> Okay. So, I don't want to get ahead of your presentation, but my understanding is that what what you're communicating to us is that the the only way you see to make these improvements is through bond and that the reason that we couldn't handle this through the cap tech levy or if we

078if the community wanted to handle it through the cap tech levy, we would need to increase the next cap tech levy by essentially the cost to do this because it's so much higher. >> I think there's actually a third option to that. Um so a bond allows you to spread it out over a much longer period of time, right? Um so the tax implication is lower. Um I think given the scope and and value of this work if we take the 20 million that it was and escalate it a couple of years. Um there could be a version where you did that as a separate um tax act levy that required 50% submittal or 50% approval because it was a levy. But the the tax implication um on a much shorter period would just be

079higher. But I think there's a there's a number of different ways that it could be done. >> The problem with what's the number on we were calculating that out about 90 cents to for those six years per thousand. So it wouldn't tax it would really impact taxes for those six years because shorter amount of debt. Um but that you know that's why the bonds over time for smaller districts you just see that more often. Um and larger districts are able to pass cap tech led to do their work. But yeah that's the challenge. But >> Dr. Martinez. >> Uh just a question and uh um um so if the Hback were to fail and we have another COVID that's like that is the portion that circulates the the air in the building too. We have

080to know how and we're not going through any other pandemic. So I have stated that that's the rule. We're good. But uh just as a question maybe for for uh director Sullivan and and maybe uh um or or something that I learned during the my trip to to Olympia is that I know that the I don't know that these options have been explored and I was going to send it and share it later on but uh there's three programs that the state has in the treasury department that I don't know if you have uh you know about it or or have learned. I think that all um was also learned during our visit. provided the local program that that is a local option capital asset lending program that is specifically for this type of things.

081Then they have the certificate of participation that does kind of a loan to the district and uh as a part they also have a school loan guarantee program that they uh share your their uh bond rating to schools to lower the bond rating. So that was the three that they were able to I don't know if any of those programs were able to we can explore as an option. If it as an option >> I mean as we settle in on something if that's the direction you go then those are the absolute conversations to say what makes the most sense on that and um getting you actual figures so that you know you can really think through what's that best decision. >> Yeah. And I think that that it might be a mix depending because

082I think that it's also through a bomb is also uh very different than going through the percentage to pass one or the other it totally changes and I think that as you mentioned it's a different portion of need. Yes, different type of need. >> So what I shared with Dr. journal previously is that you know my my concern about this I I hear the need I understand it is that I feel that we need to take a step back and we will take a strategic approach planning of you know what we how we handle the next bond because you know if if we were to say just run this bond next February just for this one thing just which isn't time sensitive and important um then you know what are we looking at you are

083we telling the community that you know when are we going to be fixing at some point we have to address these older schools right and so I feel that the best approach would be for us to take a a you know big picture look about where we're headed and that way we can be clear with the community too right about what we think the vision would be going forward for the next 15 years or longer you know as far as you know our schools and their infrastructure go and so I have my initial sense is just a feeling of real hesitation to just run for just this small amount Um, so but I also know that right now we're at a stage where, and I know you've got a timeline to show that that, you

084know, if were we to run a bond next February, a lot of thing pieces would need to fall into place pretty quickly. A lot of work would need to be done. And so, you know, I I think there are a lot of conversations that need to be had with the community, the board before we, you know, make any kind of determination and that feels like a lot that would need to be done pretty quickly. Um, things that might require a lot of thought. So, I guess my question is, you know, h how much time would do we have before we would need to give you an answer on this? Let's do this. That's a perfect question to maybe hold in obeyance for a second to do um recognitions and then bring Tony and Brandy back

085up to continue that conversation just because we have a bunch of kids. Is that all right? >> Great. Let's start with >> So, we have a little bit of catching up uh from our winter seasons. Um, our boys swim and dive team uh did extremely well on the whole again and uh while uh maybe it wasn't a state championship, third place I believe is not so bad. Um and uh lot to be proud of uh for the entire team. But tonight, uh, we have a couple of our athletes. Um, we have Luke Dunn and Connor Carson, uh, who are here because they did win individual state championship. So, I'm going to start with Luke. Um, Luke won the 200 IM 3A state championship in a time of 1 minute 51 seconds and the 500 free

0863A state championship in the time of 4 minutes 28 seconds. Um, which is a new MIHS record. And then we have Connor who won the onemeter diving 3A championship with a score of 417 uh 0.55 points. Um and um I'm sure you have a lot to be proud of individually, but I know you are as a team too with 3A. So I'm going to turn it over to coach Tim, talk a little bit more about the season and then we'll allow our athletes to talk a little bit themselves. Yeah, it was a very exciting season for these guys and I've seen uh Luke and Connor the last two years uh and it's very very impressive. Every single time that they get in the pool to swim and dive and what these kids have done in

087the pool is very very impressive. And the best part is is that we're only halfway done because they're both sophomores and I'm really really excited to see um what they can do uh their junior and senior year. Uh but what I'm most uh proud of is how well that they are in the classroom. Uh both of them have a 3.95 GPA or higher. And as a former uh high school athlete and college athlete, I know how hard it is to juggle both uh high school athletics um their respective club swimming and diving programs and the sheer amount of work that they put into those programs to get to where they are at this point in their careers. And I know how hard it is to juggle all those two things along with their personal and

088family life and to be able to be really extremely really really good students in the classroom. And I'm just really happy to have these two kids uh represent us at a real really real high level in the pool, but not only in the pool, but also in the classroom. So keep it up, guys. >> Really excited to represent the team. I think this year we kind of came in as a little bit of underdogs. We weren't really expecting a place too high to meet and we end up getting third. We were quite close to getting second. I think that was a big deal. I'm really proud to be part of that and be able to score a lot of the points for individual state championships and the relays. I think it was really fun to

089see all the teammates, all our teammates that kind of get behind us and cheer for us. Everyone was cheering for each other. I think a lot of good energy was brought to state and that was helped us do really good. standard. >> I think a lot of the times swimming and diving feel pretty separate, but I think this year a lot of the swimmers were supporting the divers and the divers were supporting the swimmers. I think the team had a lot of strong bonds made this year. And even if we didn't get first, I think overall we all pushed each other to all do our best. And I think third place is I think yeah we did very well. >> Awesome. >> Anything you're looking forward to next year already? >> Not too much. I

090think our team is pretty young. Most a lot of our scorers were freshman and sophomores. So I think we have a few more years ahead of us. >> I agree. Uh we definitely have a lot of good underassmen. We have good seniors that are going to leave unfortunately, but it's going to be exciting to see the new freshman next year, see what they can bring to the team. And it's always fun to get to meet new people and make new friends when there are freshmen coming because that was us last year. So recently, we knew, you know, what it feels like to kind of not know everybody. So then this year we were really able to make sure that we're including everyone and we'll be able to do that even more next year. I think

091it's going to be fun to meet new people and hang out with our old friends. >> Great. Are you able to stick around for a picture with the board after we announce the other groups or are you two on your way out? Yeah. Somewhere to be. >> Okay. Well, let's at least do a round of applause. two more groups and then we're pictures. Well, uh, our MIHS wrestling, uh, not only crowned two state champions for the first time in the history, um, but also celebrated first ever female state champion. So, on the boys side, uh, Luke Sincock battled through a series of tough matches to claim the 175 pound uh, 3A state championship uh, to stand at top the podium. It's been a mission of Luke's uh since freshman year really trying to overcome some

092tough competition um climb that ladder and get to the top of the podium and so it's pretty awesome that in your senior year you were able to achieve what you set out for. So congratulations on that. and our sophomore Emerson Woods um went undefeated on her way to capturing the girls 110 pound 3A state championship earning her place in MIHS history as the program's first female state title winner in wrestling. Um not many people know um she has a arm in a cast there uh which was uh part of her uh story to the championship there that she may want to share. But um we also had a junior um showing tremendous determination over the turn tournament finishing in sixth place in the 165 pound weight class. So turn over to you coach to talk

093a little bit more about the season and our athletes. >> Yeah know it was a great season. I really emphasize how proud I am with these these two wrestling students. Um they really uh a lot of hard work and a lot of determination. Um, as B touched on, uh, Emerson battled through more than one injury, um, and not only went undefeated in the season, didn't give up a single take down, uh, all season. So, uh, just a phenomenal outing forward. Um, Luke is probably the hardest, um, hardest worker I've had coaching in 10 years. So, I mean, when he's not working out in the in the wrestling room, he's in the gym, he's going for runs, he's going to the club, he's constantly doing something to make himself better. Um, he I truly believe he

094outworked everybody in that class um in this year. And that's was a big attribute why he won. Um, so I'm I'm really excited to have Emerson back next year after she'll be a leader on the team next year. Um, and really looking forward to seeing what she's going to do in the future. And then Luke, the loss leader on the team, but he's gonna be wrestling in college next year because he really gold mines. So, >> off to Golden. >> Yeah. >> Awesome. Uh, tell us a little bit about your journey. >> Um, I mean, yeah, like you said, it's been a a goal since freshman year to win state. Um, and it was super cool to actually do it this year. And this is my second year at the state tournament. Last year I

095got sixth and I, you know, made it a goal of work towards that. Um, first place for next season and uh, like Neil was saying, a lot of like working the off season um, club practices outside of the season, going to the gym stuff. Um they got accumulated in a a really fun season and um it was uh yeah super good season for everybody. >> Yeah. Um, this has been a really big goal of mine to win state. And last year I took four as a freshman and I felt good about it, but at the same time it was like my whole season felt like defined by the state tournament which is where I tore my labor and ended up having to get surgery at the end of July. So I came back really kind

096of last minute before state early January. competed just a couple things to be able to get me ready for state and qualify and then wrestling in state and yes I broke my hand in the semis which sucks but still being able to wrestle through that and win felt really good and I thought that just the team in general this year everyone was really supportive of each other and just it was a fun environment to be in and I think that helped a lot with like everyone doing well even if not everyone wants to say individually Everyone just had a really great season. I think there's a lot of improvement and it's really fun. >> Awesome. Are you two able to stick around too or do you have to? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Awesome. Please join

097me in congratulating our team. >> Our last group coming in is our Pegasus. Uh I wouldn't say just creative writers, I would just say creative artists and writers. um because the awards they won for their um most recent publication, their annual publication of Pegasus um was not only commended for the writing but also the um artistic work as well. And so we have uh our teacher Carrie Thompson who is the teacher as well as a club supervis supervisor. Um I kind of lose track of all of the different um competitions that you continue to seem to win. Um, and so I'll I won't get all the acronyms right, but um, you know, this is a program that we've had before you as a board for the past several years as they've come forward. And some

098of the, uh, students who are part of it aren't here because it's something that's published in the spring and then you don't find out about the awards until the next year. So, we have some seniors um, who graduate on. But our creative arts magazine has been recognized for not one but two first class ratings from two different three now. >> Oh man different scholastic organizations. And so rather than me trying to make these seem impressive, I'm going to go ahead and let someone who really knows how hard it is to achieve what they have. So take it away, Miss Tom. >> Thank you. Um yeah, so uh they won uh all Columbia honors in the fall from Columbia Scholastic Press. That was their first um their first critique result. Um and uh my favorite com

099I'm just going to read you a couple of like few comments from the judges. Um uh Pegasus writers describe the world they know. Sites, sounds, colors, and textures are all vividly painted in words as an artist panel as an artist paints images on canvas. Um the characters they create are the backbone of the grows. the pros is memorable and then they say with it diverse content that both creative and entertaining Pegasus showcases the singular talent of Mercer students. Um so the the magazine is produced by the class and the club and it is um it's work across the high school. um any high school student um can submit writing um visual artwork and then the staff for the magazine selects the best pieces for creative publications. So that's kind of how the the magazine covers

100the voice for the entire school. Um and then their second um was a first class award from um the National Council for Teachers of English for their real program which recognizes um arts and literary magazines and the best comment from there was this is one of the best magazines I have read in a long time. The pros is thoughtful, insightful and creative. The art is whimsical and beautiful, especially photography. Um the art compliments essays and stories consistently. The opening concept um is very well done. So that was the second um uh award and then they won a first class rating from the National Scholastic Press which was the third sort of umbrella organization. So it's been three national recognitions for the magazine this year and I'm super proud of what we do. Um you know

101that's sort of my take on it. Um so you want to introduce yourselves and any other say anything just to um this is a mix of people from the kids from the class and the club magazines produced as a collaboration between um and one of the reasons we have the club is because they can take a class one time then they can be part of the magazine for >> I'm kid I'm um honestly I'll just say because I'm in the class and in the club. I wasn't in the class last year, but uh I'm in it this year and I've enjoyed that like a lot more because it's just I get to do double I do editing and like recording for the club. Um this year I'm actually going to like submit a few pieces

102but that's primarily because like the class has helped me a lot like with confidence in writing and editing and like it's really great having Miss Thompson Carrie as a teacher. Um because I feel like just like in class sometimes it's primarily writing but then every now and then you can like switch into Pegasus stuff. It like learns how to edit and working on website design and things like that. And I just feel like it's really useful. And I also like I played basketball for the school and outside of school. And so that's primarily what was like a big part of my life and still is. But joining the club and having the class just gave me something else and another group of people to be around which I really really enjoyed. And obviously like it's

103just always good to have more things on your record, but I feel like this is something that like I genuinely enjoy the club and I genuinely enjoy basketball and it gives me a really good balance of things to like learn and get better at and I really appreciate it. >> Anyone else want to share anything? >> I don't know. The club has just been a really great experience for me personally because I feel like I made a lot of new connections that I wouldn't have otherwise. And I it's just a great space for me to be able to go after school and talk to my friends and collaborate and work on something that I really enjoy doing. And it's just kind of an outlet for my creativity. And overall, I've just really enjoyed it. It's

104a great club. >> Please join me. Do you want to do all of the students from three different groups together or individually? >> Yeah. And I'm thinking if we do stand behind the board so we're going to bring the group so all the students would stand behind and that way we don't get camera Scooch a little bit this way in the back. Broy's gonna be there. Perfect. Perfect. Right there. >> Okay, everyone ready? >> Oh, yes. Yeah, good idea. Good idea. Three, two, one. Three, two, one. Three, two, one. Anyone else? Any parents? >> For the wrestlers who like each other. >> All right. Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Scooch a little closer. All right. Three, two, one. Three, two, one. There we go. Thank you. >> I apologize. Lucy. All right, you

105can move a little bit. So, you're a little off center with the logo. >> Three, two, one, three, two, one. Thank you. recess for 6:35. Yes. >> 6:35. talking about. So I think the question is a great one that you left us with President and that is um you know there's the timeline that's related to K bond and if we were to work towards February of 2027 um you know what where do we need to be when in order to make that happen but I think the second layer which is even more important is if we're looking at a smaller bond to do some essential things we can't not also think about what are the neutral bonds then that might need to be run and when would those happen? And so a little sneak peek

106on that is um you know we've already had conversations about that um because in the background we're already thinking you know in 2029 and 20 do we have a slide on this coming up >> okay and then in 2029 2030 I think was on that first slide that's when the bonds from 20145 start coming off and so there's some timing that will happen there um but Maybe I'll turn it over to Brandy Antonio to address your question again and really frame it of remembering that even a bond passed in 2027, you're probably looking outwards towards 2030 or so before construction is some I don't know what does that look like in terms of >> so hypothetically if you were to pass the bond or levy in 27 uh we would have to engage engineers. Uh

107we have to go through the process with um the PRC and uh you probably wouldn't do this one. Probably do a design build with the right mechanical contractor. So you would say summer you would do design and permitting and equipment order. Um and so and you can't do all this work with students in the building. You can't cut off all air flow in the building for a month before you do it. So likely it's a two summer project. Um so you could be three, three and a half years out before you've actually been able to work. Um, so that's just and that's true no matter when you start, right? Push it off for a year or two years, you're actually five years out and you're actually So now you got a 35 year old person

108that I think a clarification on that. So, so regardless of where the fund comes, if it's through a bond, capital letter, whatever, once we get the funds, it's two years out that we can start the project or it changes depending on the source of funding. >> Um, I think where that funding that you're talking about will come into play is if you levy, you know, the difference between a bond and a levy is bond and you you sell a bond and you have all the money. If you have a levy, then you're getting that money in equal increments over that four or six year period. And where director Martinez, you were talking about being able to take a loan. Um you if you did a levy, you could turn around, borrow the money, and then

109satisfy the payments with um but I I do believe that the interest has to come out of the general fund. There's a bunch, you know, we can get into all of that when time comes. But the next page um Did that answer your question? >> Well, kind no not really because I think that I it's two things. I think that I'm thinking that even if it's if it's this small one that we're running and we're starting contraction of 30, but we also have to think about the next one's coming too. So, so I'm just thinking like if we're only thinking about the Hback, we're talking that even if we have it like it's all today, >> it takes two years to actually start the process. It's going to be this is going to be a

110really tricky project and it's going to have to be phased in order to keep the building open and functioning through that period of time. >> You can't just >> and and just as like a side comment on that slashquest like I'm assuming that like the risk of kind of failure goes up as the system gets older and as part in the best case scenario of being able to pass something soon. >> Yeah. And I will say our our the equipment that's up there has been very well maintained. You know, our boilers in our elementary schools were, you know, 15 year expectancy. We got 30 years out. Our team does a great job mainting it. Um I got bearings that are up there coming through the ceiling if it's fearful. But you don't know. You just

111don't know. So there's nothing that's glaring at us saying I'm not ready to crumble. But so I just want to be clear. And does that kind of get to your question? I mean yours is kind of maybe even more hangs over the whole thing, but you know that kind of get it. >> Well, I guess I think to the point that you were bringing up um there are other considerations. There are other things to think about. One is that middle school buildings are 65 years old. Um the last renovation was 32 years ago. Um, the carpet, the paint, the equipment in the building is 33 years old. If you don't do something with that soon, we're going to need to start investing capital dollars in it. Big 33 year old carpet in those buildings. Um,

112so, uh, and the three separate buildings makes campus really. We've had lots of conversation about, we talked about this with the elementary schools as well, what their ages are and how long ago they were renovated. We have invested in that elementary schools in carpets, paint, boilers, roof replacements, either ros are replaced or scheduled ones scheduled for the summer, probably one the following summer. I think we have another 10 years in those buildings. Um, but at that point, they're going to be we're closing in on 80 years old for those buildings. So I think you're right and we had some conversation about this in the last right which is that doing doing this small amount of work up front is not the end and and is there a plan for how you begin to attack that

113and then the other thing is to remember as Dr. mentioned there are two tranches of bonds from the 2014 bond. One sold at 14, one sold 15. So those will begin to expire um 29 and 30 and you know maybe that is the target for the first whatever whatever it is you choose to do with the older facilities and then you have you know five years or 10 years beyond that to begin to think about elementary schools. So if you were to try to align it with the expiration of those, when would we pass need to pass that a bond by? So would that be 2030? If you wanted, you could pass it in 29 >> and then sell bonds in 29 and 30. >> So that's how you would avoid >> having any stacked

114bonds, if you will. stacking being, you know, we we don't consider the 29 and 30 stack because it was one long vote, but if you vote if you have another vote while you haven't paid off the that pass one, that's called stacking. Um 28 and 29 or 29 and 30 and you don't have to sell the bonds per se if you delay. Yeah, you have the authority to on the schedule that you want for the projects that you're going to >> um I think that is I wasn't here for the 90s projects but you know this is what they ended up doing after they failed the big one in like 91 1991 that it was three smaller bonds that did all the projects we've been talking about. So it's more >> like in series not

115not all at the same time. >> Correct. They did one in like 93 or 92 93 95 or something like that. >> 93 94 96 back. >> Yeah. So I think that's to me think where I want to start with is you know is that something that we should path we should take is do we want to pass a series of smaller bonds? Do we there's an appetite for that? Do we do we want to take a different approach? And so my one of my big questions is when do we when do you need to know why we're talking about you know potentially a bond a small bond just fix the Asia back when would you need to have that >> Andre can you go back to my slide there it is >> you want

116to work off of that one >> so uh election day in February ballot mailing uh January 22nd resolution filing I think back to you know September we need two board meetings a a decision would need to be made by November. So we would we would need direction from you that this is where you want us to head with a smaller one you know by April so that we can then start working on everything so that in August we can start coming to you with more definitive very strategic so you can spend September then refining um and then October you still have one more meeting in October and then your first reading of the resolution could be October 22nd. that would kind of be a python. So, if we're taking the approach of of sort of

117making some really big decisions as we go into this to be in intentional about how we approach it, um that would be a lot of really big decisions and input needed to be gathered in a very short period of time and that's my concern and so I you know but I also understand the time that we're doing so I'm curious what the rest of >> so I have some questions but I I don't know if you want to answer your question. Okay. So, uh um I'm thinking that I think that we the three of us went through the one the process and I think that that um it's it's intense. There's a lot of information, but at the same time, I see the need of the urgency in the sense that that if we pass

118upon next year, it takes so much time to actually start construction, right? So, so it does uh it is that's the reality. But I I had a question related to kind of the first slide. Um I don't know if you can go to that. So, so on the left side, do you have uh I I'm guessing that is King County that are like those are possible bonds that are coming also or >> No, those are bonds that we will likely see that are exterior to us, but that's when they would run for when they would be expiring if the county were to start running other bonds. That might be windows when the county might be working on some. And then of course the conversation with the city that you had um a month ago or

119so um you know obviously they're thinking about something and we have a meeting coming up with the city manager um the vice president the president myself with the city manager the mayor and the deputy mayor and so maybe we'll work a little bit more there but that's what that >> and then the red ones are that are expiring right correct >> yes those are the retirement of those bonds will you hit cancelled is on the the screen the the red there that um that Brandon's put together the red are our bonds and the expiration dates of our bots. >> And I think that another thought that I'm having right now as we go through this is that um uh through the process I think the appetite of of the different groups of what they wanted

120and the bond or not uh shifted. Um but at the same time the reality is that right now the city just uh that they through their strategic roadmap um they have to have a plan of how they're going to uh uh increase their affordable housing and I think that their plan is coming in July. So I think that also we have to kind of plan um what are their envisioning to see what also we are going to have to prepare for in terms of if we're going to have an influx of elementary students middle school like depending on on what their plan is is also how we will have to adjust our our bond planning. So so that puts a little bit of a another variable in because we're thinking about schools in the next

121seven eight years because that's how long we want them to last. So uh so that's just one of my thoughts. Yes, I think I think it's it's a really important point that we need to be coordinating with. >> Yeah, population grows. I think that is is not only the box, it is how how they're planning the city. I think that that totally changes how the capacity of our buildings. So, yeah, directors first. >> Okay. So, so yes, it it it may influence sort of like the shape of our school district in terms of, you know, number of students, number of students of different ages, that kind of thing in the years ahead. But I do think that the the if you take the components of the bond as it was proposed as like a whole

122thing. Most of those are things that are going to have to be done even if you if you postulate no change whatsoever in our in our you know school sizes like things like the HVAC at the high school is going to have to get fixed whether we get a bunch more kindergarteners because of changes in building codes you know on the city that kind of thing you know so I think you can it's something for the board to think about it's like do we need to like we we have learned through hard experience in our district to not over adjust to temporary waves of like more students, less students, right? Like build an extra elementary school and then all of a sudden, you know, the population starts dropping due to circumstances that we couldn't necessarily

123have predicted. But but um so that's just one one thought like I don't want to get too bogged down in saying, oh, we can't make any decisions until we know what the city's plans are and are able to project forward like what impact that's going to have on our population because I think there's a bunch of stuff that needs to be done. Anyway, I also think that that you're right that there's a lot of information that needs to be kind of absorbed and kind of balanced against each other, but that's more true for you and for Julia because the three of us went through many, many, many hours of presentations and reading and watching videos and so forth. And so it's more of like a catch up for you guys that that like over the

124summer for example, you might have to go back and do some or if I could maybe work with you if that is the will of the board, you know, um to kind of catch up on some of the stuff that we did so that because what what's being talked about is like chunks of that, you know, it's like it was a whole meal and now it's like, you know, do we want to do the salad and do we want to do the main course, you know, or whatever. So, so like I don't think it's as big of a lift as if we had never heard of this before. We're totally unfamiliar with the needs and was suddenly like the pressure's on. We have to make a decision right now about like, you know, um I

125also think that we don't necessarily we can have, you know, kind of plans that are firm in the next year that that sort of get less firm as time goes forward because if we if we're like HVAC is a matter of, you know, safety and we might have to close part of the school down if it starts to fail. and that's urgent and if the public is not supportive of that that's some really useful information and that's going to then cause us to recalculate again and like maybe take a different t in the future. So I just think I don't think I I don't want us to get paralyzed by feeling like we have to make all these decisions right now over the next few months. I think too what we what we looked at

126before and and that the board spent so much time on was this ratcheting down the program improvements to what at least felt like it was it was necessary and doable. We're not talking about any of those program improvements. We're talking about um just the HVAC piece, right? there's there's there's not a lot that has to be delved into or discussed around that and and if if the if the plan is to um address those urgent asset preservation kind of needs and then in four years it's time to address the the middle school I think you have some time to understand what's happening with enrollment and what's happening with growth and then if the elementaryaries are pushed out even beyond uh that's you know that's where you'll see that growth um and you have time to

127understand how all that stuff is is coming in fruition. So um >> I would agree we don't want to get lost in the bond that that we just that didn't go so well um we only focusing on these two projects >> of of the necessities of of what we're looking at. It's a very small and the process as as many Tai brought up is it we aren't going to be going through hundreds of hours of things or meetings and and plannings. We will be going through that behind the scenes, but that's not going to be the type of >> and even that we we did so much work for that bond that a lot of this stuff was figured out then um and we don't have a dramatic. >> Yeah, I do understand that and

128I do know you're absolutely right that Julian and I have a lot more learning to do um familiarizing oursel with all of the data that you all took in. That's not what I mean when I say I think there's a lot of conversations to have at um I can't get behind a bond until I know that I feel that the community is ready for it. And I I think that my preference would be to to wait a year before we have these conversations. But I understand we have agent in structure. We have to look at that. So that's why I'm I'm not saying we should wait definitively. I'm just saying that the conversations that I would envision happening are with the community for us to get a sense because it didn't work last time and

129I don't want to set our district up to continue to fail bonds >> or to pass this one bond but then everyone is so burned out that we're never passing another one once for 10 years. I just want to be smart about how we do it. And I do think that just that part alone would require, you know, quite a bit of work in a in a short period of time when we also have other important concerns like our safety. Right. I would add one last thing. It's a want and it's needs. >> This is not a want. >> I hear you. And I'm not suggesting that we don't address it. I'm just suggesting that we be intentional and not reactionary. Um and it's part of our plan. >> And then I guess I would

130I would I would add that I just want to make sure that we're not reactionary to feeling so burnt by our failed bond that we don't address the needs that we have now. I think I would just maybe build on what director Tucker says or just repeat what director was saying. Tucker was saying is that if our community, you know, I remember the um hundreds of hours of work that went into like, you know, meeting with community members and and talking to students and doing all that visioning or whatever you want to call it about, you know, what we should improve and what we should what we should have and what we shouldn't have and people like literally being like, "Okay, well, we'll give up this program so that we can have this program." um

131you know to get what people thought you know were the program improvements that we desperately needed and and that work has been done a lot um I understand the whole we need to bring the community on board obviously because the community is our voters but I also just want to be careful that we're not thinking like oh there was opposition to our bond that was doing what we had heard from a lot of community outreach that people wanted, but there was still opposition from people who just were very resistant to the proceed tax increase or whatever or didn't get what they wanted. I think that if we come to the community and we say, you know, here is an urgent infrastructure need that we can't really wait on and this is we paired it down

132to just these things that, you know, like health and safety things and then we want to be in communication with the community to see what our priorities are to do next. like because we do have the middle school and the high school program improvements and you know one day in elementary school like figuring out what to do with that. Um, I think it, you know, maybe 10 years will give us more vision on what we need to do with our elementary schools, but I just I I think like Maggie Tai maybe or I don't want to speak for you, Director Tucker, but like I feel like I feel very reluctant to I mean, we're here to be leaders and to to some extent and I feel a little bit reluctant to say I want to

133go back to the community and hear a our whole entire vision when what we actually do need is sort of like urgent infrastructure work of a small piece of what we asked for last year. Um, of course we should consult the community. Of course, we want to be educating people on why this is important. Of course, you know, the outreach is important and, you know, I'm a taxpayer and a voter on Mercer Island. like first I want to know what I'm paying for, but also I don't want it to be, you know, who are the people who were elected to serve and lead on this area and I don't want to make sure that we're not seeding that responsibility to public opinion of unelected people in our community. >> I Yeah, I hear you. Um

134and I absolutely think that we need to prioritize our system, right? You know, I I agree with that. Um I don't see it as a lack of leadership. I see it as leadership um and just making sure that we're leading the vision for the future. And I'm not saying that I think we should put all of this on pause definitively to have three months of conversations with people. I'm just saying that I think this feels rushed to me at this moment because it's like all of a sudden, okay, we have to make a choice and uh I want to make sure that we are setting ourselves up for success as a district moving forward. So I think that I would at least personally like to have a little bit more information. I think you know

135I think at least you know conversation with the city I think is important just to have a sense of what they are thinking right. Um I think that you know I maybe perhaps conversations with CIPS. Um, and just a few just personally I would like put a little thought into this and you know I think one thing for me that would be helpful as a new member of board is to know regardless of whether we move this far or not for a second just humoring the idea of strategic planning of these bonds are there some scenarios that you could provide that would be say okay so say we run this bond in February and then we're thinking in three years after that we run a bond to finish the middle school paired down from what

136it was last time and then four years after that or something like that we we run a bond for two elementary schools whatever it is could we see it possible to show some of those so we just I can visualize what that would look like >> okay >> and you know I I think we will maybe even present it differently or whatnot because we had a similar piece in the last bond and some used it against us to say that the bond was a $500 million bond instead of the 165 because they wanted to you know escalate out and say you're going to need to do all these bonds and that's true but we're now going to pair all of it back to make it all even smaller and we'll bring that forward. Absolutely. So,

137I've heard so far because kind of my two essential questions for you as a board is, you know, what do you need to know or want additional information about to help you? Um, and so I'm hearing scenarios, um, city's plans, um, appetite with CIPS and their, um, uh, ability to move forward. And then you can add to that. I can even put that as a question in the board update this weekend and you can just kind of add to it if you want. And then the other question is um what would community conversations or what would community outreach look like to you? You know, if we kind of think done uh we look to the future, we will have done a good job if boom boom boom and then we kind of start making our

138thinking visible to each other. anything. >> Uh well, I I just want to um I think that within the thing that I would like uh there's I would love to see if there's what other options we have if if this didn't work like what alternatives and how does it go financially for us like if we had to go through a different financial process. Uh but I will say that uh I think that you're right that we have to be thoughtful and at the same time I also I'm appreciative of the community. 57% of our community voted yes and I think that that that means that we are ready because they know they see the need. I think that we just have to uh engage and and and understand uh where the other percentage is and

139and and I think that this is this is one that it will be easier to uh move forward because the explanation will be very clear. This is it's it's a it's what it is. Um so but I would like to see kind of if we go through this also what will be the process like on the next one. So I think that that makes sense and financially a little bit of I don't know uh how will that look on both ends but uh I think that >> um I just wanted to make clear for the sake of the the public that and and the rest of the board that that I don't think anyone's trying to like pressure us to make this decision like ASAP. It's more you're just doing your duty by letting us

140know if we wanted to put a bond on for next February, these are the deadlines we would have to meet. Like the same way that like we're having to deal with the potential rift today because there's a state deadline for that. Like we have to take action so that in May if it's needed, the superintendent has the authority. So it's the same kind of thing. It's just like it would be it would be really tragic if we decided in September that we wanted to do this and it was too late because we kind of bet on the ball. So my other ask is I'm sure there was material in some of the in the whole process we went through before about the HVAC system at the high school. I I know there was like a

141video and like a presentation of a video and stuff like that. if somebody could like maybe dig that up and and direct it back at the board so that we could all kind of review that, that'd be helpful. Yeah, >> I really appreciate you saying that because um uh this is your community and these are your schools and the future views will be dealing with these schools as they age. And I think we feel like it would be irresponsible, we would not be doing our job to to not bring it to you. Um, but but absolutely no pressure. It is an issue decision to make and whatever we can do to help you with that, we're here to do. >> Well, I I want to be really clear that I appreciate that you're bringing it

142to us. Also, I I'm not trying to suggest in any way that you're doing anything wrong by bringing it to us now. I'm just saying it just so happens the timing is I I feel like it's moving quickly. Yeah. >> Um because it's a short time in which to make a large and important decision >> and so I appreciate very much what you all are trying to figure out. This is, you know, this is board governance at work because as you just approved OE1 that I did a good job last year, part of that is bringing you these things. And so this is bringing you, you know, uh, a schedule of what we think needs to be done. And it's not about um, pressuring or what we want, it's what we feel like we need

143and for you to be able to make the best decision. And so to know what kind of information you need or reminders about super helpful because that's the stuff that we're charged to provide you. That's our job. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Is there any other discussion that you would like to have would like to have on this this evening? >> Okay. So my suggestion would be that we Sounds like there's some takeaways that we have Dr. Rundle and I are Dr. Director Lee and I are meeting with the city um soon. So that will be some more information and uh so we have some more information to gather and then we can regroup and talk. >> And in our conversation, we were contacted by the city. I'm sure this will come up in our meeting.

144um they'd like to come back to your April meeting if you would like them to for the city manager and a staff member to do some more presentations on the housing high density housing or the density housing projects and what that might look like which informs all of this as well. So it's really well talked. >> Okay, we'll we'll >> then we will move on. >> Um so we are now moving to board of lawy financial administration 2025 2026 financial dashboard in January and February. Is this supposed to be 2026 budget status reports? Uh the 2526 is the So you're getting dashboards. Oh yeah. February 2026. We'll change that. >> 2025 >> the in the heading of B. >> It's the financial dash for January February. >> All right. Um so provided to you obviously

145there's budget status reports through January and February uh the financial dashboard and always I provide the notes the financial dashboard also uh we're through February we're about 50% amazing so the fiscal school year expenditure is about 49.6% 6% we're we're right on track, but we're slightly under 50% month- over-month comparison. Revenues are always lag behind aside from our months in October and April receive our local taxes, but they're 47.9%. Um really I want to kind of couch this the expenditures and revenues there's nothing really anomalous to really point out but we can do a deeper dive to see if there's anything uh beyond that kind of normal expenditures. There was some basic education increases with some substitute costs costs and additional me replacements and then uh support and community services increase to the larger food

146service contracted payment but mind you this is a pass through effectively recognize that expenditures but those fees are paid through student fees lunch fees if you will so it's a wash for the most part and additionally there was some increase in charter transportation bus services and then utility payments given the time year for sewer and storm water fees. On the revenue side, we saw the increase in state aortionment that was going to be a portion advance, the 2.5 million help us spread out that kind of the ups and downs of the EKG, if you will. Uh that is a portion of payments from the state. And then federal grants, we saw a decrease month over month that was due to some minor receipts of our federally reimburseable grant dollars. This is not an infusion where

147we we grants that we submit our information and sometimes receive them 30 60 days later but all depends when we get that money from feds. And then interestingly enough um this is an accounting anomaly via the state OPI manual. We saw that there was 13,788 on the other revenue side. Uh, as you know, once our buses depreciate out 13 years for our large buses, eight for our small, we will typically try a year or two afterward to then surplus set bus and sell that. We were successful this time selling one of our large 84 passenger buses, I believe, to Lake Washington School District. And we, as an accounting, nom cannot receipt that revenue in the transportation vehicle fund. we have to place it in the general and then receipt it out to the transportation. Go

148figure. That's how it operates. But that's why you see that 13,000 in there. And then finally, the month over month fund balance cash on hand as noted there was an increase about 1.8 million. This was due that portion. So, and I noticed on the graph um is that the change that they did in the government they were going to do it more frequently or is >> that's what we're trying to see now. >> Yeah. That that's that's where I'm seeing the difference now. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I have actually I saw a lot in action. So, yeah. For and and I know you know in the past like it was only two times a year, right? And now they're going to even out through the ground. Yeah. Orange. Yeah. No, go ahead. Go ahead. >>

149Using historically also in all my years here in that February tip, we're into the negative typically. So that portion advance that tool has been helpful to hopefully smooth that out. And mind you, there's it's just advance. There's no interest on that. It's not alone. So hopefully it's a tool we can use moving forward if we need to. the other positive news that we uh received around safety net. Um you want to touch on that? Yeah. So the immense amount of work that goes into safety net of course that's a kind of a quasi reimbursement dollars from the state uh for all special education services. uh the special ed team uh director Bolivar assistant director um team did an immense amount of work is submit that information and uh we submit about 2.2 or 2.2 2

150million and we'll probably get most of that but we'll receive that in August. Of course, next year it changes. It'll be quarterly receipt of that money. But one of the reasons we need that a portion that's also because we spend that money now we don't get reimbured till August. But that's a lot of work and congratulations to them and their team and hopefully receive almost all of it from the state. Good. >> Any questions or comments on this? >> And we will now move on to I think ready for 1807 financial information. >> Let me just couch it real fast. I'm going to couch it in assistant superintendent uh uh Sullivan's budget calendar. This is what we start giving you in December. And so just kind of keeping track of where we are in March.

151This is why you get your property tax document. And all of this, remember, builds towards the final budget that you pass in June. So, we start giving you bite-sized pieces. Um, and then build towards the end. But that's where we are in the calendar. So, provided to you is roughly page 18 of the budget summary. It's about a 40 odd page document that we will walk you through page by page at the end of May, but hopefully we'll provide as many pages as possible throughout the next couple of months. Um, this is the kind of a fun page, interesting page, the first on the property tax rates for 2026. Also provided to you just as a reference is the 2025. So you can see the ups and downs. It's a three parts to this page.

152The top is obviously the tax uh pie and it shows you the total rate of 651. That's actually down 3 cents from the previous year of 654. Um we dropped by about 10 cents as a local taxing district, the Muran School District. We saw a real big increase from King County about 8 cents. Dig into that. That's of course was in parks. I think it was a parks b or a parks le came out of King County. I believe at least that and then uh there was also the drop from the city by about 4 cents but overall combined a 3 cent drop al together from 684 to 651 the middle section is historical and current le rates a 10-year look if you will from 2017 to 2026 and that basically encompasses mainly the bond

153the cap tech rates and the EPO uh but way back in 2017 the transportation le of about 6 cents And then also noted in there that was asked a couple years ago from a former director was the place um and kind of explanation of what happened 2018 2019 that was new query decision. So I kept that language in here because it's still applicable in regard to our 10ear look back. And then lastly, uh we added a few years ago also historical and current assessed valuation, a 10-year look, uh specifically from 25 to 26, we saw an increase of from a 21 billion assessed valuation for the island to a 22.8 billion increase. And typically when you have that increase, tax rates, it's dropped because there's more new construction, etc. Page 18. Any comments or questions?

154>> Thank you. >> All right. Moving forward to board policy 180009 communication and support to the board revisions to board policy 1400 meetings. >> Great. So, we listened in on your conversation at the last meeting and then tried to take into account a number of the changes. I'm going to turn it over to uh to Michelle to help us out with the revisions that she was able to capture and then further conversation if there's any other tweaks or if it's ready to be passed. So, >> okay. So the first item um that's just to provide a little uh additional clarity because um when you guys have an item on a special meeting agenda that requires discussion or action, it's supposed to be made very clear to the public what it is uh when included on

155the agenda or in the notice uh to of the agenda, I should say. So uh that's for clarity. um the additional language included under agenda. So the purpose of the language is um that the okay I'm going to explain this well um the the superintendent president president and vice president will work on the agenda and that's consistent with the model policy language and um if somebody wants to propose an agenda item they can bring it to the attention of the board president and that can be for the next upcoming meeting or coming for a future meeting and then um the president will decide I guess whether that is added. If the proposed addition uh is within 24 hours of a meeting then a director would consult the president uh couldn't add it to the agenda

156before the meeting. So then it would be brought up at the meeting and at that time uh the vote would be to establish the agenda as modified and that would be by majority voted board and the next part is attendance. You guys had asked about um defining what an authorized absence is. And um statute basically says that an authorized absence can be due to illness or due to uh or by resolution of the board and separately is um exceptions for military training for um GB. So we put that in there. Uh, and I guess the the law the law makes it is very flexible because it basically says somebody who misses four consecutive regular meetings would be at risk of having their their suite vacated. But um but that's uh that provides some flexibility for

157so for example director Tucker you had mentioned what if there's an emergency and your car breaks down then even if that happened it's it's highly unlikely that you would then miss the next three subsequent regular meetings you know that would put your seat at risk so I think there's already flexibility in there that um but but if somebody wants an excuse absence in advance and that would be allowed by allowable by you guys if you by resolution. >> So, sorry. >> Oh, yeah. Go ahead. >> Yeah. So, my question about that is it seems really formal. Like I know I'm I'm one of the people that really wanted this language sort of made more specific and had more teeth, but it seems very formal that the board would have to have a resolution. Like I

158like it the president should be able to just excuse the absences unless the board wants to take an issue with that. like like Julian isn't able to be in tonight's meeting because of like transportation problems, right? And emailed Stephanie and just CC the board, the rest of the board on that. Like I can't imagine a scenario where we would have to have like spend time discussing that in a board meeting and everyone vote yes. Okay, he's excused because he can't be on scrutiny, you know? >> Yeah, I feel the same way. That's what I was going to say because this just came out or rallied today. is a great example that he he sent an email saying, you know, like please excuse his absence because he literally could not attend for even. And so, you

159know, I think it's I don't want it to be overly cumbersome. I think I'm wondering if there's a way we could build in a mechanism that it says she'll give an advanced notice and the president may excuse it and if there's an objection, there be a vote for something like that. >> Yeah, that seems very reasonable. Like if there's an objection to excuse me and if it's like oh you know I heard I heard that word members like on a beach in Hawaii for fun like you know like if somebody wanted to quibble with it then we could have a discussion of that and like have a vote I guess the vote could overrule the president. >> I mean what we could do is we could add a procedure where in the event there's an

160excuse the president would announce at the beginning of the meeting so >> like you did. Yeah. And and can I add something? I think that um u I will say um the absentee to be announced to the for president or secretary of the board because I if the only time that I have uh needed to do the excuse it was a family emergency and I was not going to figure out who I was going to conduct. So it's an or I think that that is I think that both of you can communicate if there's an emergency or something that needs to be happening. I think it should be the board president because the board president is running the but I mean if it was an emergency so this is okay maybe this is a new

161board member thing but I'm sort of questioning I understand the board not superintendent I'm putting that position instead of superintendent secretary of the board because as secretary of the board you will support you in that >> space but is it still the board my job to give it to the So they inform me I can't act on it because I would have to >> but my responsibility will be to figure out who am I going to contact. So if you can if I cannot reach out to you it's like well it's it's either or and you like your responsibility will be to share it with the chair. Okay. So I understand the importance of documenting this forms for success in the future depending on different scenarios but say someone is just traveling for business and

162has a meeting that conflicts with the board is that the presumption that that is not excused and you just don't care. This is my question as well. Like I I feel like in the past we have excuses and it's I mean that's just the way it goes and sometimes you can't make meetings and there's I mean and we can say you know I can text you and be like hey Stephanie I can't come to the meeting in May whatever because my kids graduating or because I'm going to be on a beach in Hawaii or because you know whatever and you can be like sounds good see you next time. I just don't feel like I don't know. I feel like limiting it to like military service and illness is a little bit like >> it

163feels >> there's a lot more things that can go wrong that could keep you from coordinating. What if what if we added if it was like three number three those authorized by by the the chair or those authorized by resolution of the board. Like if the whole board feels like it's important to make it like to set a standing rule that you can miss a board meeting for your own child's graduation for example then that leaves the opportunity open for the board to resolve that in the future you know >> right and also like I mean you know we've had like you can be out of out of pocket I mean you can just be like I'm not able to come to board like it's and I think that the what we were trying to

164address like what we're trying to get at here is the idea that someone might just skip three or for board meetings and you know not have a really good reason and just not be feeling it and it's um that's something we need to address but I I just don't want this it just feels it does feel rigid to me as you said >> I do I think that I like your idea director of sort of expanding item three to say those authorized by the chair or president or resolution of the board because then it then the president could say yes that's right that's excused. >> Yeah. Um, and then if there was in the future a president who the rest of the board disagreed with that the board could vote to enroll, >> right? And

165I think what what a lot of this is trying to get at is if you have someone just ghosting the board, which has happened on boards in Washington state in the past, like somebody just like doesn't show up for six meetings in a row, >> right? >> Without any kind of prior authorization, then we've covered all our bases here. We've been like, "Yeah, sure. You were ill or you were on active duty, but you didn't make the arrangements ahead of time, so we are replacing you." you know, like >> Yeah. I also think yes, I I think that makes sense. I also think the sentence afterwards says, "If a board member isn't on active duty or training, the board will grant an extended leave of absence to cover the period of service or training." I

166feel that the board should have the ability to grant an extended leave of absence if the board so desires for any reason. I mean, what if what if a board director had a sick child? >> Yeah. >> And for two months they were going to be unavailable. I think that that should be in the discretion of the board. >> Yeah, I think so. >> Yeah. >> Does that fall under three? >> Yeah. Well, but we sentence I think what you say is different. >> You take out the active duty or training in that next sentence. You say if a board member, you know, needs an extended leave of absence, the board may grant, you know, an extended leave and appoint a temporary replacement who will step down when the board members are. I think that's

167actually really nice so that you so that we we don't end up in a situation where we have like four board members two and two in votes, you know, but also like respecting the person that the that the person who was elected is actually more representative of the of the people of Mercer Island. >> We'll double check the RCW. may not give you that authorization because you're all elected officials and there may not be authorization for you to grant >> and then appoint someone like you could grant an extended leave and just go with four but I don't know in that circumstance. We'll we'll check the RCW if you would have the ability to do that or not come from somewhere. Yeah, it's got temporary successor in there >> from military. >> So that's already

168in the RCW. >> Yes. >> Okay. Yes, I think that was a model policy. I didn't find the statute on that one specifically. There are several service I bring back. Um, so well I think regardless of but that's we should that's confirm that but regardless I think that sounds like there's agreement that we would take the uh take away the limitation of the board member on active duty or training. Does anyone have any concerns with doing that? And then so it sounds like I think where we're leaving this and I don't think we need to vote on this because this part because we're just giving Michelle feedback and then we can vote on it next time would be just to confirm Michelle that what we're talking about is uh adding or taking away this portion

169of the sentence that says if a board member is on active duty or training um eliminating that portion and then following that instead of saying the board will grant, it should say the board may grant. And then in the previous sentence where it says absences are considered authorized if resulting from one illness, two active or training military duty or three those authorized and then we would add after that after those authorized we would add by the president by the board and president. Are there any other changes that anyone would like to see made to that paragraph? >> Just a question on that. Um, if it's the board president who's add authorizing that or something, >> I was just Yeah. looking at you guys and wondering if you're super right. You're thinking about identifying holes. That's

170great. So >> well I think in that case then the board can do it >> yeah the vice president would be just be I mean do we have other regulations to say the vice president specifically is acting on behalf of the president >> we do so then that's >> just follow the vice president >> okay yeah >> okay I want to look at also the earlier change >> the president never can get disc No, she's absent for the president. >> Where was the other change back to this? >> Okay. So, I just want to be clear on the the portion that's addressing the agenda. >> First of all, do any of you have any comments? No, not that one. I'm right to you. I think I have different versions and I find uh my brain

171is getting tired. Um I think it's fine. I think that I'm seeing that there's a path for board members to put items in the agenda within 24 hours and that's what it's saying through uh the board chair. Um I think it's just that you can't vote on it then, right? It's not something >> uh if it's not 24 hours, >> right? >> A special meeting. >> That's change on a regular just a special. >> Okay. >> And on the regular meeting, there's a path for um for board members uh if it's not through the chair like if it's a majority vote to add things to the agenda. I think that that's that's clear. There's a pathway in governance. Why is it limited or why does that apply in special meetings special meetings >> for why

172you can't vote on it? Um because you haven't you haven't like your regular meetings you've set in August before the year starts going so the comm the community knows that those are set meetings. I think that is in there to keep boards from announcing a special meeting in two days and then putting something on there and rush not giving the community time for public input and to come in about an action. >> That makes sense to me. Michelle, I think that in that paragraph where it says except just as follows, it should be a I just prefer just to be really clear that that would be a colon and then this guy was following that instead of having a period there. Okay. Any other feedback on this document? Do you have any other us forward?

173Board policy 18009, communication and support to the board revisions to board policy 1420 agenda and consent agenda. >> I'm going to turn it over to Michelle again, although this might be this is going to be dependent on the changes that we also discussed perhaps, but I'll let you take it from there. Um I think the only change for this one would be to add that colon in u >> oh that's right >> the same language that was under the agenda section in 1400. >> So I think just add the colon and then the only other item that's under consent agenda was just to um clarify uh when removing when somebody wants to remove an item from the consent agenda. It doesn't have to be done prior to the agenda. That's just making that. >> Yeah,

174I think everybody only one board and I think that was totally fine. >> Yeah, >> I agree. So I think we could go ahead and and vote on this. The assumption that that fun structural be made. So can I get a motion for that? >> Motion to approve. >> All in favor? Okay. Director motion seconded 4. So we are now at board policy 18009 communication and support to board report on non-staff budget reductions for 2026 2027. >> Great if you would hold up item 5 uh that slide deck that I see you can come on up because you're going to follow right away. Um, in our last meeting, you received additional information from assistant superintendent batter speed. Um, and she referenced and explained it a little bit that before we make any sort of reductions

175to our staff, there's a number of things that we consider and go through um, with that. And so I wanted to um outline some of that in greater detail before we get into our next agenda item which is going to be um the first reading of the RIFF resolution. So prior to reducing anything but remembering that 85% of our budget is um in staff. If we go to the next slide um there um you know there are many places we can look um where we can look at um you know the way we do assessments, how we purchase curriculum, perhaps our transportation routes, um are we going to change the walking route for our school buses? Um are there technology changes? So there's lots of things that go into consideration and it's not just at

176the central office, it's in each of our buildings. Next slide, please. >> So, I want to have Andre Drees kind of talk a little bit about copers and printers. Um, you don't have to I I put all the the wording on there just so you have a chance to take a look at it, but I wanted to just hone in on one example of how, you know, I feel like our district um does an exceptional job with not only maximizing the dollars we spend, but actually being able to rework things so that when we spend a dollar one year, it actually goes further the next year. And so, um, Director Bronzer, if you kind of walk us through how we've managed our copers and printers and an example of how we're saving money, but even

177having more output. >> Yeah. So, um, we have, uh, generally fiveear leases on our copers. And then we use a a service called a manage print service to manage our our purchase of the copers. And we pay for page printing. Um, and it doesn't matter if there's a single letter on the page or if it's an entire picture. We pay the same amount whether it's a black and white or a color copy. Um, and so last year as we were looking at ways to reduce uh expenses, we did an analysis across our printers and copers. Um, and it's actually quite a bit uh cheaper to print to copers versus printers. Um so through our uh through some efforts last year uh we worked with principal you know building cabinets uh sharing information with staff and

178really encouraging them not to necessarily not print materials but when we're making those prints printing them to copers of which are significantly less than than printers. Um ways that we've been able to do that we redistributed copers uh throughout the high school. Generally there were uh three in the work group uh which was a little bit easier for staff in the 100 to 200 hall again too. We placed an additional copier back to the 400 hall so it's a little bit closer to them. We placed an additional copier to the 300 hall. We actually uh moved one of the printers and then moved a printer from the administration building to the high school uh to help support that and just redistribute the copers throughout the building uh just to help encourage using the copers a

179little bit more. Um and then through those efforts, we also renegotiated some local rates um that we were being charged for our our prints. Um and so by reducing the rates and then just shifting more volume over copers, uh we were able to reduce overall spending even though the total number of pages that we're printing has gone up. Last year we averaged about 600,000 pages per month. Um and this year we're averaging about 750,000 pages per month. Um, but again, that's that's not by saying don't print. It's by shifting those those prints to uh more cost effective options. >> Questions on that? >> That's so clever. I figured that out. It just seems so like um not uh intuitive, but it seemed, you know, Yeah. >> I love the graphic. It does a lot to

180help us understand. >> Yeah. How do you print again? What's a copier? This is great. Thanks for sharing. It's it's nice to hear things like this. >> Wait, I'm just a little confused. What does it mean when it says the total percentage of coffees made at the high school increase from 87 to 93 and then right below it was 86 to 90? >> Yeah, that's a great question. So, when we did our analysis, um I want to say the high school would print somewhere around it was like 250,000 pages and last year 87% of those 250,000 pages went to copers versus printers. uh we were able to increase that 6%. Um so now there's a larger share of those uh pages being printed to copers. Uh so we're seeing a uh you know smaller number

181going to printers. Uh >> so that's the middle school. Sorry, it's high school. The top one's the middle school. >> So high school went from 87 to 93. The middle school went from 86% to 90% of their total pages go into copers. So, other things that we do, if we go to the next slide, um you know, as we've discussed with you and we'll be bringing you later this spring, updates on our rent, uh student fees. And so, thinking about um what are ways that we might be able to um change our fees, uh which allows us to keep programs and not reduce them. Um, anytime we reduce programs, we are talking generally about staff. That could be a supplemental position, a coaching position, or um as you see in a little bit um some

182considerations for certificated. But um these are ways that we also think about how to reduce um uh cuts in our staffing and that is by raising uh our fees. So, we did a uh an example of this is we brought to you not too long ago a a fee change to our rentals and our rent room rentals and building uh building use rentals and we think we're going to be able to capture back some decent revenue from that um which is really helpful. If we take a look um just kind of over the past several years, you know, the material supplies and operating costs uh big topic obviously down in Olympia, a big push that we've had. Um though our costs have been escalating, our buildings, our departments, and our business office have really um

183pushed us to think about I think maybe in the words of director you know, what are our what do we need versus what do we want? And I think we in these times of budget cuts, we've really honed in on what do we need to run the building? And that's allowed us to over the last several years um since um I became superintendent and and assistant superintendent Sullivan joined us, we reduced MSOC by $500,000 um and that's amidst uh you know all of the increases in costs, but just year-over-year trying to look at how can we reduce our costs. So, that's another example of where we've continued to try to cut back. This year, we even did some video reductions. Um, and then something that you've heard at your board table, um, I certainly hear

184from time to time is the we have too many administrators or we have an administrator bloat, um, if you will. And so, we took a look, um, at two different districts. So, the first two columns are two different districts on the east side, but they're large districts with four or more high schools. The two columns on the right are two districts that were often compared to, and these are districts that are one high school district similar to ours. Um, the reason we wanted to do that was just to see do economies of scale kind of change the support for from administrators that we have in the building. So if we look at the first column there with elementary schools um in our two large east side districts um they have an average of 492 students

185and this is headcount in their schools and they have an average of 1.63 administrators. We have an average of 385 students in our schools headcount and we have one principal in each of our schools. >> How many are the head count? Sorry. >> Headcount for us is 385. Thank you. >> Yep. And the the neighboring districts, their average headcount, yeah, for their schools is 492. >> If we stay in elementaryaries and we go over to the two school districts that we compared ourselves with who have one high school. Um those school districts are averaging 424 students in an elementary with one and a half administrators. um we have 385 with one administrator. Our middle school then if we jump down um 811 is the average middle school size um in our neighboring two districts with

1862.75 administrators. Um Islander Middle School this year is 920 with two and a half administrators. Next year it will be 880. Um I didn't put that on there, but we'll be dropping to two administrators. Uh but we will retain a D um in kind of comparing us to >> sorry I'm trying to get better numbers >> because is it so so we have you know we have one administrator in our schools right now but they also these other schools have more students so I was just wondering what the actual >> ratio is. I'm just curious. But then on the middle schools, okay, so other middle schools have an average of 811 students and we have 920. >> Yes. >> Okay. And they have 2.75. And then Oh, and I see you changed it for a

187year. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I just did a second. Um when we compare, moving over to the right, when we compare average enrollment to those two comp districts, um uh one high school districts, they're averaging 760 um students in their middle schools with 2.3 uh administrators. We have 920 with our 2.5 and then next year we'll be with two. We will have a dean um and there may be some deans in their schools too. Um but that kind of captures that. And then our high schools, our neighboring districts, um like I said, these are large districts. Um larger high schools, 1,840 students with 4.4 administrators. at our high school with 1,366 um students um with three administrators um remembering that we also then have added a director of high school in our high school rather

188than working out of the central office. The reminder there is that these other districts have equivalents of high school directors. They're just in their central office serving more than one school. In our neighboring districts, um high schools are a little smaller. um in our in those one high school districts um with three administrators um and us being a little larger with the same three plus the director of high school. Um I've also poured over lots of um uh I don't know if I have them here they are lots of org charts for neighboring districts to try to figure out how our central offices organized. It's a little harder to compare because everyone calls their position something a little different. Um but when I'm looking at especially the one high or the the one high school

189districts um in and around the area um you know I can do a deeper dive on that but you know we're running pretty in our administrators. Um and you know we've continued to do that to try to put as much money uh into the schools into the classrooms. Um, but I just wanted to provide you with just a look at, you know, we are looking everywhere to make sure that we're not cutting just out of classrooms or just out of somewhere else that we're doing our due diligence to really look throughout the system. Um, as we move forward, >> do we know, can you go back on the two comparable districts at the high school level, do we know that they have the equivalent of a director of high school in their um, central office?

190It's not they it it's not a director of high school. It's either a secondary. They call them different things. Either a secondary maybe a secondary or another director of teaching and learning elementary director of teaching and learning secondary. So it might be more middle school, high school. Um they call few different things. >> They have similar types of roles. >> Yeah. In fact, like one of them has um they're teaching. Uh here's an executive director teaching and learning elementary, executive director teaching and learning with secondary um as they go through. So that's one district. >> I appreciate seeing this. >> Yeah, thank you. >> Very useful. So with that, um the last piece here is uh WASA put together uh just some this is more in the legislative update, but um this has a hyperlink

191to it and I'll put it in the board update this week, but um they've done some analysis on just kind of the underfunding and overburden of schools and they went back to 2017 and found 101 basically unfunded mandates that have come out of the legislator legislature. Um, not all of these pertain to us. Some of these are to maybe a grant that we don't necessarily receive, but it just paints the picture that even if you're a small district or a larger east side district, um, a lot of these mandates we're all required to do, they may have a larger scale, but we still need someone in teaching and learning or business and ox or an HR to do a lot of the late work. So, um I'm going to put this as a link for

192you if you want to take a look with that. Um that's that agenda item which really sets up the next one. >> Yes. So, moving on to uh the OE7 financial administration draft resolution number 70426 2027 reduced achievement. want to thank all of our school teams, our finance team, HR, um you know, for for doing as much work as they have as early as possible, but as diligent as possible to make sure that you know, what we're putting up here um really reflects a potential and this is seeking riff authority, not seeking exactly what we're going to do. And this is your first reading tonight. And so we also know that there's a certain amount of sensitivity because behind these numbers are people. Um and we don't take that lightly. Um it's very um difficult

193conversations that are handled with a lot of care. Um but I I commend all of our leaders and and even our our staff who's falling off to this impacts for the professionalism throughout. So with that, thanks a lot. Assistant Superintendent Battersby, it's all yours. >> Yeah. So, um, just to echo what Fred said, I want to start by acknowledging that this is hard, right? It's hard on you. It's hard on our school culture. It's hard on our administrators for having to have these conversations with staff. Um, but most significantly, it's hard on people who are being directly impacted, which, as I explained last week, isn't just the 2.5 FTE certificate of staff you see here. There are other people impacted who don't have rights to ongoing employment who are still not coming back next year.

194Um and the decision reflected in the proposed resolution reflects impact on people that we all care about. They're our colleagues. They're our friends. They're your kids educators. So they these are people we care deeply about and they care deeply about our kids and about us. So this is not something we take lightly. And to echo again what Superintendent Rundle was saying, um it's something that we try to do with care and that's not lost. I know that it's not lost to you, but I I want the community to hear that that these are not decisions we're making like um tonight we're bringing draft forward. This is a draft resolution 754 for you to consider. Again, this is a first reading only. So, you're not being asked to take any action tonight. Um it's an opportunity

195for you to view, ask questions, opportunity for discussion, and it's also an opportunity for our staff and the community to hear what the proposed reductions are. Have you seen in the prior presentation that I gave last board meeting the district is facing a projected budget gap of roughly $2 million and before getting this point um as superintendent RLE and uh director Roser sort of highlighted we spent a significant amount of time looking at other ways to close that funding gap that's you know everything copers to our MSF reductions to changing how we do um job searches so instead of going to job fairs how to post those virtually. Um so we try to review all Nstaff expenditures and looking at operational adjustments turning off those lights you'll see those stickers to do that. Um but

196at the end of the day the gap still remains because when 85% roughly of your budget is people that's where you have to get to um because we can't close the gap any other way. So what this uh resolution does is it establishes your authority. So that doesn't mean we have to um use all of that. So I want to be clear and often we haven't. So this is the maximum amount if it were to be approved today or it won't be approved today but at the next meeting. This is the max amount we could cut within um within certificated staff and everything is backing up against the May 15th deadline which is why you're getting it now. But it's also the respectful and right thing to do for our staff because if they're going

197to be losing job opportunities here, we want them to find uh success elsewhere and at least have the best shot at doing that in terms of timing. Um as I highlighted the proposed uh risk would be 2.5 certificated FTE. Um and the resolution itself which is up there sort of identifies the area. So if it's a point 2 reduction in language arts, um I want to be clear that that may not be a language arts person who's actually losing a job because the language art that's a reduction in the program, but the human occupying that job may be endorsed in a different area and have seniority therefore woo someone else. So the impact could be at the middle school. So it might be a middle school staff member who actually loses their their opportunity for

198that 2 F. Um if you look at the CTE, it's a.3 F, but then there's four things listed on it. I do want to highlight that. That's because CT has something that is called V codes. So you need specific um endorsements to teach classes and the classes that are being reduced can be taught with those codes. And so many of our CT staff has multiple endorsements. So that's why you reflect multiple codes for only.3. How you get to.3 instead of the round twos and point 4s you normally see is because if you have a one semester course is a one. So that's how you get there instead of running for a full year. Um, at this point we uh we have a strong sense as I said of where we think we're going to have

199reductions and that's really based on student enrollment and align aligning that with available staff and making reductions to make sure we still have opportunity for our kids where they've indicated they want to be um what they want to take next year and trying to take care of programs um so they they have the possibility to continue in those programs. Um can you ask a question first? >> So for example when there's a 2 FTE for English language arts correct >> what's the practical impact of that? How do you arrive at point two for that subject? So how you so you essentially you have a target reduction um and then you look at here's where all my kids my kids sorry they are our kids here here's where our high school students have enrolled in class

200we can fill up this n number of classes and we don't need this extra section and so we close that class and and now since it's not there we don't need that so it's to the equivalent of one last >> correct always the rule or is it depend >> in middle school and high school that's always the rule is long as it's a full year class >> okay >> 0.1 is a semester at the high school you get into trimesters it gets really confusing about that that so we won't go into how all of that works on the trimesters but yes essentially a point two because a full-time teacher teaches five classes and each one of them is a 02 which makes up one Okay. So essentially based on enrollment for next year classes high

201schoolers have selected in particular there need for one less English class one less or two less social studies class. >> Just remember this is 612 so it's middle school. >> Well and that may not actually be accurate in terms of there's need for one less because there may in fact be further reductions that are not resulting in rift. So there may be reductions taken from where a staff member who doesn't have a right to ongoing employment. That's not we don't need that. That's not adverse action. So the class there may be two classes that have been reduced. So two fewer sections but what we need authority for is the point two before we impacting the staff member. I mean the middle school is a good example. We have our first kind of small or we

202have our next smaller group coming through the middle school >> and so when you have less students then you start looking at >> I think as you guys director or assistant superintendent as he said this is just a a piece of the puzzle we probably are are talking about nine fewer staff members but a lot of them are um are not guaranteed continuing employment and so that's why these this number is so much smaller than that. um we we'll be able to um not renew some things based on either retirements or resignations um or people or um other means but but it's a lot bigger as director said um there's there's probably more than one English class that we're not going to fill there probably four or five or six based off fewer number of

203students enrollment choices and things like that But I also caveat that and remind everyone that that doesn't mean class sizes go up. It just means that we don't have as many students who are in there because we still have class size caps at our high school or middle school um in our contract. And in our elementary schools, we've continued to have some of the lower class sizes in the region. Um and though we've continued to try to push for those. So, it's because we have fewer students signing up for those. Not that we have all of a sudden big classes. So, that's important for community. >> Any questions or comments? Okay. Thank you. >> Do you have uh other questions about this? And just I just want to add one final thing that just know

204that everything we do has to conform with and we will follow sort of our contractual obligations with respect to bargaining agreement and we do have backing up on that um May 15th deadline which is approval requirement which is why we'll bring it back for a second reading um on April I think it's 23rd on April 23rd for final actions living action at that point in time um just because every year I've done this Um unfortunately I had to find the flex in this economic environment. There have been slight adjustments in the proposal and that's because as this process goes on we are looking there may be additional resations or leaves that allow us to make adjustments. Um and our goal is ultimately not to adversely impact people we care about. Um so don't be surprised

205if that changes. Um I just didn't want that to be alarming to you or the community. >> Thank you. >> How's everyone doing? Do you need a break or we've got a couple more things? We don't have any break. >> Sure. Let's take a rule for you Look at the look at the craft language. Did we already look at the draft language of that draft or did we just look at the numbers? >> We like language. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Now moving over to the consent agenda. I have a a motion to approve it. >> I move that we have approved the consent agenda as posted. >> Second. Okay. students 2040. And with that, we are going to turn over to the >> few items tonight. Um, first off, just an update on the

206hiring process for our middle school principal. Um we went through the search process, then we went through screening interviews. Um and then our panel uh met with the candidates that we brought forward on Monday that was composed of parents, students um and staff members um with administrators and they narrowed it down to two. um had a chance to meet with those two with uh my cabinet on Wednesday and then I spent today doing reference checks. Um I expect that probably to continue tomorrow um and hopefully be able to uh reach out to and make a decision early next week. So that's where I am there. Um and then that means that I we'd be offering the position but um they would then um whoever is the person would come to your April 23rd work. So

207that's kind of the timeline there. Um wanted to just extend appreciation to director Ronzer and assistant superintendent Williams and the entire um teaching and learning team. You might have seen there was a teaching and learning update that they published and then director Ronzer has been uh rolling out the technology updates to the different levels. Um and we've been getting some really nice um feedback on the work for that. And so um that entire team is trying to really make sure that we're getting information. So hopefully got a chance to see those. Um these are very eclectic as I'm going through these. There's no water here. >> Um I'm going to switch to trees. Um about a month uh ago, um maybe a month and a half ago, coming out of mid winter break, someone cut

208down a number of our trees on the hillside to the east of West Mercer Elementary. So, as you come down the big pitch into there up on the left hand side, um someone came in and and cut just >> bunch of trees. >> We're not sure. Um we do not have any cameras pointed up that hill. They didn't come from the the school side. We are working with the police department on that um to see if we can't find any information. And so that's ongoing. Um in addition to the trees, the bigger issue is that's a big hillside and we need the vegetation on that hillside um to maintain that. And so um we'll be continuing through that process. I will tell you that the city had an incident with this um uh over at

209Luther Burbank Park and this was some number of months ago and the case is still sitting over at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. which is not like something that moves quickly. Um there certainly are civil sides, but we need to figure out who did this. And so we're going to be working with the police. If that doesn't work, we might be messaging out to the community a little bit more, but I did want to go public enough to say um yeah, it's a issue for our property. >> And when did it occur? >> Um this was over mid winter break, coming out of mid winter break. Yeah. So, we've been trying to stay on the lower the down low side, but I think we're going to have to be a little bit more public

210now and try to figure out um our community uh our safety um team. Uh I think we'll have some updates um here. We continue to do some great work. Um something that um I I reached out following this past weekend's news um with a soccer coach to about five different six different um local organizations and I focused on athletics and I asked leaders um from those different groups, Mercer Island girls basketball, lacrosse, soccer um if I could get at least just even a core groups would be willing to meet because something that worked really really well was how quickly MLC had contacted me last Friday so we could work in partnership throughout the weekend. Um but it also made it really evident that that work that we're doing in the the safety committee is excellent

211and rather than waiting to bring our community partners in, I've scheduled a meeting with about six of them to start that conversation of where we can start partnering. Now, I'll have more updates for our committee there, but I wanted you just to kind of know some stuff that we're going to start accelerating um with respect to that. Um around the EPO levy, I know I think there's been a couple questions that have come my way around, you know, reductions and we just passed the levy and what does that look like? And just a reminder to you as a board, we're still a year away from the first tax collection on that increased levy. So, we don't realize the impact um and the benefits of that levy for a year. Um and even at that with

212escalating costs and and the levy being tied to enrollment, not to tax, not just to home values like the cap tech levy, um or a set amount like the cap tech levy. Um you know, it doesn't solve all of our problems, but it certainly it certainly helps. Um, and then, uh, just I think you said it earlier, but, uh, just what a great couple nights, uh, over at the fine arts showcase. An excellent job by our president, uh, representing all of us and then the students, the staff, and the fine arts advisory council. Just a great celebration of our community. So, that's my change. >> Um, yes. So let me just uh I think that you saw um the the electrical techno um so the the ledge session is over and we we are almost

213as we started the session I think they're a little bit worse in that sense uh I think that at the end uh there's a little bit less funding uh on transportation we lost transportation uh uh the depreciation schedules are longer so that means is that that portion of our budget will look different and the rest remain the same. No changes in special education of which are our biggest. Um so I think that that that being said is how are we going to well and there were two other areas that that affect education that are important. I think that it was one reduction on uh TTK is is procrastinating uh that um but there was there was a reduction on from um was point4 to uh it looks like right now that is only uh.3 one

214from 1.4 for FT to 133. So this will affect primarily I think that our ST but mostly uh colleges are smaller colleges will be affected tremendously because they may not be able to provide uh programs in the summer or something like that. So, so I think affects education pass. So, um, >> so can you just clarify? This is what I was ask. So, what what cap are we talking about? It's like the cap of like staff funding. >> It's the amount of FTE that a student can can enroll in at the at the community college >> and and students were enrolling in more than 1.0 >> because they're on the quarter system, many of them. Um, and then they can enroll the summer as well. So, this is going to impact that summer enrollment is

215probably where it's going to hit them the most. >> Okay. >> And I think it's just an overall feature of how education is looking. >> Yes. >> Uh, and at the same time, I know that it it says uh from one 1.4 FT to 1.3. The this law was to 1.2. >> Yeah. >> But the the the millionaire tax pass. So, it goes up to one to three. If the governor think that that is the allocation that we'll have. So it's it's not earmarked in that sense. It goes to the district. So I think that that is al something that we will still have to work with the governor to even if it's not necessarily for uh K12. Um I think that is education as a whole saying like don't forget that this this matters

216and I will not think that that uh that that's it. And now um in general most of the leisurers are shifting uh the eyes towards the federal government because I think that those are the shift that the president will be putting uh forward this project and that is going to be how it's going to be affected um funding at the federal level and we do not receive as much from the federal government. However, it's a ripple effect depending if our the neighboring district do not receive as much or uh different programs like title one or others. The the state has to figure out how how those needs are being met and I think that that is where we have to uh partner with our neighboring districts to to advocate also for them that because uh

217their needs are our needs too. So, so um so that's it's interesting how it really shifted now to the federal government. Uh on the federal side, I think that there's a good thing that uh they're pushing towards better uh more science education and and there's a push on on that which is an evidence-based education from both parties. So, so that was on the good news of that side. But that's pretty much what is happening there. and and um we went to the town hall uh um director Bradley and I on um Sunday and pretty much the same news like there's there's no um >> Martinez, can I ask a question? >> Absolutely. Now that the session is over, how do you feel about the linkage session that we held and you know the our representatives

218you know expressed interest in helping in one way or another in various topics. Were they do you feel they were able to do anything for us the district? How do I feel or how what do I feel very angry? So that is so true. I think that that um they they said that they were going to at least try to hold what they they passed last session and and and I think that that the Senate did not push enough. I think that they put only one bill and it was not pushed and and then they compromised for I don't know what the house I think that that they try a little more in different ways but but at the same time they were focusing in different things and I think that this is where and

219I know that that Dr. Bradley uh Dr. and I will meet very soon to discuss uh how the strategy works because we this is a this is a ultramarathon. It's not a a K5. It's not even a marathon. So coming up we have the the next session is the bianual and this is where they put the budget. Okay. So we have to really be very strategic because whatever they put on the table is going to be for the next two years and we saw that this it was a supplemental year and we didn't we don't realize that we at least we wanted to hold it but so that is coming up and at the same time they there's a task force going on at uh the state level that they had three years to kind

220of redesign or decide what changes the the funding formula that needs to happen. So last fall they had a first session. This year it will be the second and then they will have a third one and they will bring recommendations to the to the senate. And I think at this point where we have to be very strategic and do our partnerships not only with legislators but uh with with uh like branch out continue our partnership with with the district that we have built because of they're going to write the verb and I think that our voices has to be be heard. So even if I feel frustrated and angry that doesn't mean that I don't see what what is the end goal and where we have to keep building those relationship that the relationship can

221be built and and I will say that that I think that in the house portion uh we I have a stronger relationship right now and um and I think that in the senate I think that we we have to figure out just because we know that Senator Wman sits on the education committee And I think that that I don't think that she's heard here hearing our district. I don't know. That's how I feel. But I think that uh also there's it is a tough year. I think that there was also there's a a a deficit in the state and the compromises also came with knowing that SNAP benefits are are being cut in the state. Uh health insurance are going up for the community. So I I also understand that it was not an easy

222thing. I'm just looking for the education portion and in that portion I am actually that's how I feel. But I think that that there's a plan and I think that we're going to have to on all the strategic ways to to build up and and and capitalize all the efforts that we have done. So uh I don't know if that helped but uh yeah. Yes. Um, so so that's that's that's what it is. It's it's Yes. Yes. So, uh, that's the kind of the update related to to that portion of the ledger reps. So besides the legislation, we are also moving into um what WASA and and being involved in in was and and the thing that you also received in front of you is the resolution that I shared um but you have your

223problem and this is something that uh we have been working um the students and I started working with some portion of this with a legislator labor and very quickly realized that that the best move forward was to back up on the legislation part because we need the backup from WASA to whatever we wanted to do. So, um, and I think that that, uh, director Rosner, you might have that in in kind of I don't know if for anybody that wants to see what it says and, uh, in the screen, but it's okay if not. I think that, and I don't know if you want to share. I think that both of you have been part of this process, but I know that I've kind of uh worked on the last um edits since I'm part

224of the resolution community was like what will look best for from your point of view. Um but I don't know if you do you want to share something or just in the position and we talked about kind of why we think this is important. You know, our district's gone through a lot of um kind of sexual assments. So we want to make it better for the entire state. >> Yeah. >> So um there's two sides. So the first one is the the proposal and then on the back is uh is the rationale. So so that we will submit. So so pretty much is that Washington school districts are responsible for maintaining a learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. This is also that is there's another uh position that talks about safety but this is

225strategically talking about harassment under federal under title n uh and it is related to sexual harassment and the reason why I am not um merging it with the the uh the other position is because I think that we have to own that this is an issue that is not happening only to to mercile happens everywhere in the states. I talked to different uh directors around the state about what they were going through and we all feel that there's a need that uh districts need more support specifically in this area related to safety. So it is um it is focused a lot on giving support to directors on training on what is the the the the requirements uh for the district that related to uh title N and our uh responsibilities in the government process of

226that and and the oversight when there's any issue related to that. Um and also uh supporting more uh the students on and administrators on how to report like different different ways. Uh so so this policy what it it says is uh will allow WASA if approved to both support um schoolboard directors but also in the case that through our work as in the safety committee that we recogni that we identify a need that needs to move all the way to the state to change a law or amend something. they cannot locate it via our partners but without anything in re written they will only be neutral because it's safety and we're not talking about sexual harassment so it is very strategic in that sense they could say you have to merge with the other but

227I think that if we amend the other there we have we risk that they will not approve it so I think that putting it by itself is very strong um and and I think it's something that that that needs to be recognized at the state level. uh that this is this this this gap that that uh because I think that as you you encountered this all this information and learning about title N uh of regarding on on on the job I will say like this is not my training this is not what I background so I have learned so much but it's a lot on the job and I think that that if we're over having the responsibility of doing oversight of the district we we have to have u some support on the on

228boarding process when we do that. So >> yeah, it's a that's pretty much what it is and I think that um and and my my request is to approve this to submit to WASA with also uh we have from April 1st and April 30th and if I can share with our district if they want to with the how it's written if they want to sum their names they can add it but if not it's all us and it's okay but uh but I I am submitting with to you first because I don't want any of this from them. >> Um, >> so who is that? >> The other district talking like if I I reach out to Belleview, Lake Washington or or different networks. Um, so to see if they want to it will it

229will be submitted. If like this right now, if we approve it and nobody I don't reach out to anybody else, it will be as it is uh only submitted by Versail Island. if it's approved and I can uh go and ask other um district it will be submitted by vers and it just has more support but at the same time it doesn't need to but because a lot of districts already know that I'm submitting this and uh there was support on um on the need of having something to support the district. So, so um and so Lucy and Ray for is that >> we have been working on on the issue of uh bringing more support for for for school boards. Yes. Yes. So it is uh definitely there's a lot of u student input

230in in this public conversation. uh um started with the idea of bringing more support for for uh school board directors uh first for a legislative position but then was shifted and now things have shifted but started there. So, so it has been our work that we have done since um do we have comments? >> I'm not in any way asking for any change like this is not this is just a question. Um does school directors would this include our student boards? >> Uh do you think in the in the training on the on boarding? >> Yeah, I don't think so. I don't know. uh was to oversight the district on that because I think that that is definitely not there and and well the only difference here I'm sorry there's one edit in the categories

231as governant learning the topic that you have but that the final version is only governance I'm going to submit it under governance uh they might I I may they might just they will review all the positions and if they have a change or a recommendation they will just send it back to us with I recommend this change but because of this and that's So just >> this is something that currently does not exist, right? >> I like it. I think it's a great addition. >> Yeah, I think I would support you um trying to collaborate with the other districts like you, you've had such a collaborative relationship with those other districts that I think it's, you know, this is the time when you call on it to get support for something like this that you've

232done this so far. >> Can you just clarify for me if they want to make edits to it? >> No, no, they cannot. >> They cannot. So they can either support it or not support or not support it. >> Have their name or not. That's that's that's yes I am yeah I think that >> a lot of uh there I don't think they have gone through what we have gone uh >> in the process and also as a district with that committee there's a lot of language here and for example like there's a lot of learnings that I know and it is within the the the background like the title N and then the the Arens law that like there's a lot of information that that has come through the learnings through the community and

233the work that both the students that I don't want um that you don't want to >> understand totally get it >> someone like to make a motion that the board or authorized Martinez to submit >> I think she just submitted it but we have to make a motion for it >> she was just advising us >> I think just you're getting like a consensus from all of us that we'd all like to see this don't we need to come we'd all to see this on a future. >> When do you have to submit it back? >> Uh the 30th of April. I want to >> if you want to vote on it, we would have to put on the next agenda because we didn't put it on as an action item. We might put it

234underneath the report. >> I don't know. >> Why do we need to put this as an agenda item? This is just us as a board deciding to that we authorize to submit. But I do think we should vote on it. But we have a sense of the meaning that we all we all like the idea. >> Yeah. Basically, we have to post anything in advance if it's not on the agenda. Correct. So, we're just right at consensus that we all like the idea, >> which means you guys can choose to put it on the next agenda. We don't need to, right? Like she can go ahead under her review as ledger rep and just do it now that she's consulted. I I don't think that if we're submitting the name of the school board there

235should be >> and well in previous years like when Christ and I were like together and I I don't feel strongly about this either way but I'm just but I'm saying that we worked on you know this kind of thing not this big of a thing but like other positions and as led reps we had the authority of the board because we were named lead repres and I think in that case we just emailed it to everyone and being like, "What do you think of these things that we decided when when we went through like other positions?" We sort of like we were helping come up with a position. >> I think that's when you're adopting your positions maybe >> when this goes up. Director Martinez, does it go up as Mercer Island School District

236is recommending this? Like are we named as the district? >> We are named. My recommendation would be to vote on it then because you are taking action as it were. >> So then you wouldn't be able to do that until April 23rd. Is that a problem? >> Uh can we vote on the special meeting that we have? >> We could we can put it on the special meeting because I do want to ask the other districts but I but if I well I could I don't know if if there will be since we have more they will have more leverage to say I want to let it >> I don't know. You can still reach out to other districts and say this is you know but you can reach out now and you can say

237we have this we're going to have this on the agenda for the next thing but yeah and we do have that special meeting on the night >> yes put it on that agenda and then I also think that I just want to say not only do I think I do think it's appropriate for us to vote because it's coming out but I also think it's a positive statement right it's a positive thing for us to say the school board voted on is to add this this is in the way that we have learned as a district. So I think that's one of the reasons >> the other thing and I would say that there's two things one is that I want to ensure that through the process uh if it's only the district but uh

238uh let us know that you were part of the process I think that that is important and uh the other is that I am once we submit it also uh talk to the learning portion of the planning be the event of that even if it's not approved through general assembly that they start thinking about training relating to something and I think they said that this is the time that we have to start talking about ideas and and or if we want to present something is the time start thinking what we would like to present in the uh general no general but the general meeting yes we'll be for vote on special meeting that is all we have this evening I have a motion to adjourn I move. >> All right. Director Martinez.