001are coming in. I would really encourage you that you come in and take a seat. There are seats up in the front row. Everybody loves to sit in the front row. Um if you're going to choose to stand, I'm going to ask that you stop talking. We got lots of people in the room and it's fun to see everyone, but we have a business meeting to run and we want to get through all of the things and all hear all that you have to say. So, if everybody could come in and take a seat, there are still chairs up in the front row. Um and if you are waiting to sign in, we will get everybody signed in to speak. Thank you so much. Okay, good evening. I would like to call this meeting to
002order. If you are so inclined, please feel free to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. On behalf of the board, I welcome all members of the audience to this evening's meeting. This meeting is a working session of the board to conduct the business of the district. The agenda for today's meeting has been published and agenda items to be discussed and are voted on have been studied by the board members. I would like to introduce the people participating in this meeting. We have recording secretary Peggy King, superintendent Dr. Justin Irish, board members Elizabeth Soteg, director Han Tran, Carson Sanderson, and Kimberly Campbell
003is joining us remotely. She is in that world you I'm sure so many of you parents will remember of a child in preschool bringing home every disease that you can imagine. So, we are so glad she's able to participate remotely. I am Sandy Hayes and I currently serve as president of the board. So, [snorts] we are modeling tonight what it looks like not to be dependent on ones and zeros. Our agenda is usually available at boarddocs.com, but it is not operating today. So, we are going to be old schooling our board meeting. Please be patient with us. Copies of the board agenda are also located on the table at the back of the boardroom. There will be an opportunity for in-person public comments to be shared during the association and public comment portion of the
004meeting. Community members who are interested in viewing the meeting with closed captions are encouraged to follow the link on our website to the district's YouTube channel. I believe YouTube is still operating this evening. The YouTube stream includes closed captioning for both regular board meetings and study sessions. Visit nsd.org and under our district, click school board, then board meeting materials and videos. If you are here to address the board on agenda items, please sign in using the sign-in sheet on the table at the back of the room and take a number which corresponds with the line where you are signed in. All right, the first order of business is the land acknowledgement and I get to do it this evening. So, we take this time to acknowledge that the Northshore School District occupies the unceded Coast
005Salish lands that have been here since time immemorial. We honor the ways of knowing and ways of being of indigenous peoples and tribal nations who are still here and thriving in our district community. We also acknowledge that this is a working land acknowledgement that will continue to evolve as our partnership with local indigenous peoples and tribal leaders expands. First up is the approval of the agenda. Does the board have any changes to the agenda as it has been published? Seeing and hearing none, is there a motion to approve? >> So moved. Second. Any discussion? Okay, so we are going to do a voice vote again cuz we are old schooling it this evening. All in favor of approval of the agenda, say I. I. >> I. I. Any opposed? Okay, hearing no and I'm an
006I. That's a little awkward to do that. All right. Okay, the agenda has been approved as it has been published. That brings us to the superintendent's report, Dr. Irish. Thank you, President Hayes. Since our last board meeting, I've had many site visits over the course of the several weeks. I had an opportunity to visit Secondary Academy for Success alongside all of you for our board visit. I have had two opportunities to visit Timbercrest for their staff visit as well as a formal site visit. Wellington site visit and again for a staff visit. Bothell High School site visit. Woodmoor site visit and again a staff visit at Woodmoor. Westhill site visit and again a staff visit. Leota Middle School staff visit, Moorlands board visit. Moorlands staff visit as well. And then a Northshore Learning Options staff
007visit. I've been at several community meetings. One for Woodinville Cascadia College President's Advisory team. The Northshore Schools Down Foundation meeting. A statewide meeting with Chris Reykdal of OSPI. And then attended last Saturday the or Friday evening the Woodinville Rotary fundraiser. I had a great opportunity to participate in North Creek High School's mock interviews. Got to interview students who are practicing interviewing for job skills. And then met with my superintendent student advisory board where we talked through what the students' experience looks like, the ideal student learning experience in a classroom. I also just want to recognize that this is National Public Schools Volunteer Week and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible support our schools receive from volunteers from across our community. Their contributions touch every part of our student experience and make
008a meaningful difference every day. I'm grateful for all they do and I'm going to turn it over to board president Hayes later in the agenda to spotlight more about their impact. That is my update. Okay, thank you, Dr. Irish. We did not rehearse this. You were providing because that's next is the highlights. So, you were going to provide the numbers. Oh, I was going to provide the numbers and then um Yep, so there's 11,000 volunteers and and 1 and 1/2 million hours. So, 11,000 volunteers and 1 and 1/2 million hours of service. Okay, yes, that was less graceful than it probably could have been, but yes, our we take an opportunity once a month to highlight the great work that is happening in our district and this month it's volunteers. As was mentioned, we have
00911,000 volunteers across our 34 buildings and 36 schools and they have contributed 11 What was that again? 11 mil 1 and 1/2 >> 1.5 million hours of volunteer service to our students. So, we are so grateful. In Yes, that is an applause-worthy event. >> [applause] >> They range from our booster clubs, our athletic, our drama, our arts, music booster clubs, our PTAs are hugely supportive of our students. We have classroom volunteers, we have art docents, field trip trip chaperones, recess volunteers. Those of you who have just come back or can remember going to camp Cedar Springs. That's You get extra points for that one. We have sleeping with fifth graders. All right, community That's not what I have Oh. >> [laughter] >> Okay, scratch that. >> [snorts] >> All right, it's okay. All right, it's
010going to be a long day and it's just getting better. Okay, what I meant was serving our fifth graders outdoors sleeping in cabins. It's extra Okay. Community service day volunteers, classroom parent leaders, we just have so and and our um volunteers with our Northshore Schools Foundation. So, we are so so grateful. And now that I've brought the temperature down and lightened up the evening, we are going to then move to association and public comments. So, you have all recognized I am a real human being and not to be someone afraid of. So, I know you're ready. Hold on just a second, Bri. The Northshore School District Board of Directors has set aside a period of up to 60 minutes to receive updates and comments from district association leaders and community members. As referenced in multiple
011policies adopted by the board, we expect all parties addressing the board to present their comments in a way that is civil and respectful. This means whether we are school directors, district staff, students, members of the community, or some other guest, we must all follow the same standard of civility during school board meetings. Please speak directly to the board and address matters related to district operations, policies, procedures, and agenda items under consideration by the board. Washington state law requires that the board limit its business and discussion at the board meeting to only those items that have been captured in the previously published agenda during when Wow, what happened? Okay, what that for us today any public comment regarding items that are included in the published agenda will be taken into consideration by the board when the
012topic is addressed during the agenda. Any topics brought up during public comment that are not included in the agenda cannot by law be discussed at this meeting and so will not be addressed or receive a response during the meeting. In either case, depending on the nature of your topic or questions, a district employee or board member will follow up on any comments that relate to district business. Please note that the board's silence during public comment is neutral. It is neither a signal of agreement nor disagreement with the speaker's remarks. And please note that comments should not make reference to any employee or representative of the district by name or by any identifiable reference. If you are interested in making comments or complaints regarding an individual, you may use the complaint process available through the office
013of the superintendent. Finally, please remember that your words have impact and you, not the school district, are responsible for your words. We caution all speakers that it is possible that your statements could violate the rights of under others under various laws, including laws protecting privacy and laws prohibiting defamation. If you are unsure of the legal effects of your remarks, you should seek independent legal advice. In any case, we ask that you help us model uh for our students what a respectful and inclusive community looks and sounds like. So, uh first up we are going to start with associations. We set um we start with association comments to bring us up to date on um things that are happening within the associations that connect with our students. So, I do see the PTA and she is
014raring to go, so we're going to start with them. Good evening, school board I'm not sure you're on. Is this on now? Okay. Good evening, school board directors and superintendent Irish. Uh I'm Brene Brix, uh co-VP of advocacy for Northshore Council PTSA. Um first of all, we want to thank you for tomorrow's reunification drill. Uh it is an important preparation event in case a real emergency were to happen in our school district. So, if you still need any volunteers, please reach out to us um and we can do a quick call out if if you need anything for tomorrow. Um we'd also like to inform you of some other upcoming council and statewide PTA events. On May 13th, Northshore Council will host another um advocacy coalition meeting at 8:00 p.m. Uh please email Northshore Council
015advocacy >> [clears throat] >> And then Washington State PTA convention will be held from May 15th through the 17th um at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport. The spring conference is an inspiring annual event uh designed to help PTA leaders gain skills, network, and focus on key issues affecting schools and students. And finally, Council will be holding the spring recognition event on Wednesday, June 3rd. It's um it's actually a really lovely district-wide event that celebrates the hard work and dedication by our local PTA, PTSAs, and school community over the year. So, we will send you more information when we have the details and thank you very much. Thank you, Brene. Are there any other associations in the room? Okay. So, don't stress if you're still in line uh to sign in, um we are going
016to go ahead and get started because we want to get through everybody in 60 minutes. So, um I'm going to call speaker one up first. We Is speaker one a student by any chance? No. Okay. So, we have a practice in Northshore uh honoring um and prioritizing our student voice, so we're going to do the students first and then we'll come back and go in order of adults. So, the first student is number 13. Um and so as she's coming up, I'm going to explain what this is going to look like. Again, cuz we're old schooling it tonight, there won't be a timer, but you're going to have 3 minutes to speak. I will warn everyone that hasn't done this, 3 minutes goes really, really fast. Peggy King is going to be keeping track of
017the time. She will give you a 30-second warning when there's 30 obviously, when there's 30 seconds left and then um tell you when time is up. We want everybody to have a chance, so we're going to ask that you really keep to that 3 minutes. I'm a terrible interrupter, so don't make me do that. Um finally, and just couple other thoughts. If you Somebody else has already said what you're going to say, again, so that we can get make sure everybody has a chance, scratch that off your things that you're going to say and cuz it then we can move along and make sure all voices get heard tonight. So, um Let's see. Oh, and then just a reminder, if what you're speaking about is not on our agenda, we will not be discussing it
018tonight. So, just so that nobody's disappointed that you've shared great thoughts and then it doesn't get responded to. Uh we're not allowed to do that by law. Okay. With that, um when you start your 3 minutes, first thing you're going to do is say your name. Sage Comstock. Good evening, members of the school board and Dr. Irish. My name is Sage Comstock and I'm a senior at Bothell High School. I'm speaking to you today as a concerned student on the position of the SRO program. Although I am graduating in less than 2 months, the decision and this decision ultimately won't affect me, I want to express my strong support for the school resource officers. And more specifically, Bothell High School's own Officer Ware. I want to advocate for the students who can't be here today
019and for the students who have not yet had the great opportunity to meet Officer Ware. He has become a strong core of our community and contributes positively towards my school's culture and safety. While I agree it is important to have conversations surrounding law enforcement being involved in schools, I believe it is crucial to highlight the positive impact a dedicated officer can have on our daily school environment. At Bothell High School, the SRO program is not just about security and enforcing the law. It is about building bridges, mentoring, and active support. Officer Ware is far more than just a uniform on campus. He has consistently shown a commitment and passion for my peers that goes way beyond his job description. Officer Ware is a friendly face throughout our school and genuinely cares about the students' well-being.
020He has been such a positive presence and helped in high emotion situations. I have seen firsthand how Officer Ware has had such an influence over the student body. This past year, I was driving on a common road near my school heading back from lunch with a friend of mine. We were driving behind another student's car and within that second, a peer of mine got T-boned by another student from my school. I immediately pulled off to the side and then saw two different groups of kids get out physically and emotionally distressed. A few were assessing the damage and others were contacting law enforcement. In under 2 minutes of that crash, Officer Ware was the first at the scene. Without a doubt, he provided strong support and guided all these students through the right steps as the
021more law enforcement arrived. There have been many situations Officer Ware has been involved in that I have witnessed, some big, some small. The common factor between these is that he has found resolutions and gave support to all of them, putting the student body first. Going back to my statement that he is not just a uniform on campus, Officer Ware participates in the majority of our school events, further building these bridges and connections with a vast amount of students. He has changed many students' mindset and beliefs about law enforcement and deepened the knowledge of our safety. The presence of an SRO allows for quick response times in emergencies, strengthens prevention, and builds stronger connections with law enforcement. By building these connections with the student body, Officer Ware is able to recognize students in crisis and support
022them with the resources they need. Eliminating the SRO program will simply create a less safe environment at Bothell High School. I urge you as the members of our school board who are making important decisions that impact over 20,000 students can consider the personal human element of this program. Officer Ware is a safe place to many of us. His presence makes Bothell High School safer and more welcoming place to engage in our learning. I appreciate your time and dedication to all the students of Northshore School District. I hope as a board you all choose to maintain the SRO program and keep Officer Ware at our school. Thank you. Thank you, Sage. >> [applause] >> Okay. In In addition to 3 minutes going really fast, 60 minutes is going to go really fast. So, if we want
023to get through everybody, I know they're amazing and we're going to want to celebrate each one that speaks, but if we keep our applause to a minimum. So, next is 14 and then to try to move this along, we usually only have like one person. Um if 15 can be on deck, if you will. I'm going to use a sports analogy, which is a bit risky. So, 14, you're next and then 15 is going to be right after that. So, 15 can be ready to go. Hi. My name is Natalie Banks. I'm a freshman at Bothell High School. I'm also our school's main student photographer, which means I spend a lot of time around campus for sports, student life, and school events. And because of that, I see more than most students do. I hear
024conversations not just about our campus, but about students' personal lives and opinions. I see what goes on day-to-day and I understand how students actually feel about being in school. Before high school, I started the Black Student Union at Canyon Park Middle School to give students of color like myself a sense of community. Being this involved showed me how important it is for students to feel safe, supported, and comfortable on their campus. For a lot of people, a school resource officer might just sound like a type of security. But for Bothell students, our SRO is someone we can talk to, someone our students can confide in in times that might feel tough. While being someone who makes our school feel safer just by being there. School safety was never just about reacting to emergencies, it was
025about preventing them before they started. When there's a trusted officer on campus, situations can be handled early and effectively before they become something bigger. It creates a sense of accountability but also support. Knowing there's someone trained to handle serious situations gives students and teachers a peace of mind. Taking away our SRO doesn't just remove a position, it removes the person who a lot of students rely on. Officer Ware has changed so many negative perspectives on law enforcement while also keeping students on the right track. >> [sighs] >> He makes an He makes an effort to learn students' names even in a school of over 1,800 students and that matters more than you think. I understand that decisions like this understand and involve different perspectives, but from a student's point of view, feeling safe at school
026is not optional, it's a necessity. And when students feel safe, we have the support we need to focus, learn, and actually enjoy being at school. Officer Ware is an amazing SRO and mentor. February 2nd, 2026 was a day where Bothell High School students came up and stand together for what we believed in. And while we were exercising our rights and using our voices, Officer Ware was right there beside us. Even if he didn't necessarily agree with 700 students leaving campus, he was still chose to put our safety first. And because of him, we were able to exercise our rights without fear, knowing someone genuinely cared about our safety. So, I'm asking [snorts] you as school board members to consider what this role really means to us, not just on paper but in real life, in
027our lives every single day. So, I ask you again to really think about what this role means to us and our families. Thank you. Thank you, [applause] Natalie. Okay. Um I don't see 15 up here ready to go. I'm uh assuming that 15 has decided not to speak. Oh, okay. Sorry. So, let me be clear. Um the next up after 15 is going to be number 17. If you can be up here ready to go as soon as he's done speaking, then we can get through everybody uh this evening. Okay. Thank you. Sorry. Please go ahead. Yes, thank you. Can you hear me? Yep. Okay. Hello everyone. My name is Mo Balal. I'm a senior at Bothell High School and during my time at Bothell, I've had the pleasure of playing football on the football
028team for 4 years and the varsity team for three, all while earning a captain position. I've also had the greatest pleasure of getting to know me, Officer Ware, during these 4 years as well. Officer Ware has impacted and shifted the way that I view police officers and law enforcement, proving to me that there are people out there who do care for your personal well-being and physical well-being, whether it was Oh, hold on a second. Officer Ware is not only an SRO, but he's also a mentor as he is very uplifting, easy to talk to, and approachable. Officer Ware has helped me a lot throughout these 4 years as I attended Bothell. Whether it was me needing someone to talk to and get a laugh out on a bad day or whether it was needing life
029advice as a graduating senior. Every single day at lunch, you think I'm anticipating lunch and socializ- in a socializing time period with my friends, but in reality, every day at lunch, I spend the entirety of my lunch talking to Officer Ware, Eric Banner, and Ms. Rachel. Through these lunch talks, I've come to really get to know Officer Ware and really learn his his person and his character. I've also learned how well-mannered, funny, and respectful he is and never once have many people Oh, wait. he is. Uh My bad. Officer Ware, to many people who are not from Bothell, Officer Ware is just seen as an SRO on campus, but if you were to ask any student at Bothell on their opinion on Officer Ware, they'd have a plethora of positive things to say. Officer Ware
030is not only makes me feel safe as a student but also as an athlete. At Bothell, we have a a tradition where we walk down to the pub, which is where we play our football games at, uh down the main road, and it's on this main hill on this big hill where a lot of busy traffic goes. And as we fill the streets with students, fans, players, cheerleaders, coaches, and the band, I've never felt more safe walking down the middle of a usually busy street. That is because Officer Ware is there ensuring our ultimate safety. As a student of color at Bothell, knowing that Officer Ware is Officer Ware is on campus has always made me feel the utmost safe as I know there's someone who's professionally trained to efficiently handle any situation at short
031notice. Officer Ware goes above and beyond his part when it comes to being an SRO. He actively uh participates in many school activities and events with some of his most notable being the Bacon Bowl game where students play against uh the basketball play a basketball game against Bothell PD and his iconic lip sync performances. I've gotten to know Officer Ware for 4 years and I've come to realize that he is a safe haven and a role model on campus. I feel if everyone got the chance to meet I feel if everyone got the chance to meet Officer Ware and really get to know him and talk to him, they'd realize how much of a good person he is and how impactful he can be as he is a great resource, having an answer and solution
032for any occasion. Releasing Officer Ware and letting his contract expire from Bothell would prohibit that and create a sense of unsafety throughout the school as we would lose that immediate on-hand protection from a licensed professional from law enforcement. We would also lose someone who's a friend, a mentor, and again, a safe haven for us all students, especially students of color like myself, and for the general population of students on campus, Officer Ware has made an impact on my life over the last 4 years. Oh. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [cheering] >> Okay. [applause] Uh number 17, number 18 will be right after this. Uh number 17, if you could go stand right in front of that uh computer screen that's over there, just off of Director Sotak. Could you wave and show where and
033that way then we can move along here. Okay. Everybody will get to No, I'm on the other side. You don't need to be on that side of it. Thank [laughter] you. Uh in front. In front of There we go. Now, okay. There we go. Now we have an assembly line of speaking. >> Okay. Yep. Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Layla Wallace and I'm a sophomore at Bothell High School. I believe that having a school resource officer provides protection that benefits myself, my peers, and my school. In the place we're on in the world right now when concerns about school security are very real, I believe it's 100% necessary for there to be a school resource officer on campus. Especially having an open campus throughout the school day, anything can happen. I feel safer
034I feel safer and so much more at peace when I get to school come to school and see Officer Ware's police car. In my opinion, Officer Ware should stay for the 2026 to 2027 school year and years to come after that. I don't believe it's a good or safe decision to cut Officer Ware from Bothell High School. Officer Ware is an upbeat, positive role model, always ready to listen and solve any problems. Since my freshman year, I've always made it a priority to get to know Officer Ware in case I ever need him in an emergency. Our daily chats and fist bumps during passing periods and lunch ease my anxiety of going to school and having something happen to me. To me, it's not a question in my mind to have Officer Ware back. It's
035important to have somebody protecting me at all times when all that I should be on my mind is learning. I shouldn't have to worry about going into lockdown and I don't have to because I know Officer Ware will put his life before mine in any emergency situation. Bothell High School should be a place where students and teachers feel protected, not scared. A school resource officer can help make that possible. I wouldn't be here speaking to you all today if I didn't care about if I didn't care about the future of my school. I'm here today because I truly do care and I want nothing but the best for myself, my peers, and my school. I believe the best is Officer Ware. Thank you for your time. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Come on
036up and then next up will be number 21. So, if you want to go stand over there, number 21. Members of the school board, my name is Julia Millick. I stand before you today to advocate for the continued presence of our school resource officer, Officer Ware. Officer Ware is more than just a law enforcement figure. He is an important part of our school community. His daily presence serves as a deterrent to potential threats, ensuring a safer learning environment for our students. I have witnessed firsthand Officer Ware taking action and ensuring that issues are handled safely and effectively. My best friend, who unfortunately couldn't make it tonight, wanted me to share that she has been afraid to go to school with the spike of gun violence and school shootings that have grown across our nation. In
037quotations, "Every little noise I hear, I think is a gunshot." This is alarming and school should never be a place where people feel threatened or unsafe at. It's for reasons like these that we have Officer Ware to protect us in all cases of emergency if they do happen. I'll admit, I once held a fearful view of law enforcement. However, witnessing Officer Ware's Officer Ware's dedication firsthand has transformed my perspective. Because of him, I now know that law enforcement is here to protect us. Beyond safety, Officer Ware builds positive relationships with student and staff. He serves as a trusted mentor and approachable figure, fostering a climate of trust and respect. By removing this position, we risk losing not only a vital safety measure but also a valuable asset in the social and emotional development of our
038students. Our school thrives on culture and spirit, such as the walk down to Pop Keeney for football games. This is a long tradition and an important part of our school. Without him, we would not be able to continue these walk downs and we will lose part of what makes Bothell High School so great. He ensures our safety while providing security for us to continue such traditions. Therefore, I urge you to consider the immense value Officer Ware brings to our school and vote in favor of retaining his position. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay. After this young lady will be number 25. Uh hi, I'm Hannah Muller and I'm an eighth grader at Northshore Middle. Um I just want to say that my opinion on the HiCap system, I think that like cooking and
039art, I think that HiCap should be an elective and not something that you're tested into. HiCap is not easily accessible past elementary and allow and having this uh would allow every kid at my school to be able to participate in High Cap. And the kids that don't want to or the kids that don't need to um not have to. And this I think would not allow would not cause large groups of kids like me and my peers um to lose this chance of having highly capable learning. Thank you. Thank you, Hannah. Uh 20 [applause] five. Okay, and then after 25 will be 26 and if you want to go stand over there so you're ready to go. Hey, my name is Mati. And I'm a student at Bothell High School. I'm a junior at the
040school and I play sports such as football. I was at Bothell High School my freshman and sophomore year. My brothers went to the Bothell High School and knew Officer Ware really well. When I came back from Arlington High School, it felt like home. I was going through one of the hardest times in my life. I had a really bad knee injury. I tore some ligaments in my knee and was in a deep depression. I still remember when I told Officer Ware why I came back and he said I'm here for you and tell me if I ever needed to talk to him about him I can. I remember a time I was feeling down and needed somebody to talk to and hold on. And Officer Ware was there and gave me good advice about life
041and for that I'm thankful. Officer Ware is not only a person to keep me safe in school but also my mentor. He was there for my brothers too. They all had their experiences with Officer Ware and they loved him. So please reconsider this decision as if taking Officer Ware, you're taking away someone's mentor, friend, and someone that is great to talk to. Thank you, Monday. >> [applause] >> Okay, and then next up on deck will be number 33. Good evening, school board. I'm Aaron Gonzalez and I attend Bothell High School as a junior. I'm also a police explorer for the King County Sheriff's Office. Here are some reasons to keep Officer Ware. He is a great guy and an amazing officer. We need more SROs in schools to keep students and faculty safe. Student safety
042is the utmost important thing at school. So I'm not sure why you would want to jeopardize our safety by trying to get rid of our only officer in the district. Since he's on campus, he's able to respond much faster to have a much faster response time than his other colleagues in in the case of an emergency, he's able to respond immediately whereas um other officers may take up to 5 minutes and a lot can happen in those 5 minutes. He is also a vital part of Bothell's community. He often walks around campus greeting students with a smile and a head nod. Even when he's in his office, the door is always open for anyone to walk in and have a chat and get advice from from him. He routinely drives around the campus and walks
043down the halls. He's done an amazing job and I'm thankful he's fulfilling his duties here. Thank you for your time and I hope you consider your student voices to keep Officer Ware. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Okay, and then after this person will be number 36. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Valeria Nava and I'm a junior at Bothell High School. When you make decisions like this, you're not just deciding on a position. You're deciding what kind of environment students walk into every day. I'm here to ask you to keep that environment safe, supportive, and strong by keeping our school resource officer. An An SRO is more than just a security presence. Yes, safety is a huge part of their role and in today's world
044that alone makes them incredibly valuable. Knowing there is someone trained and prepared to respond in emergency gives students and staff peace of mind. It allows us to focus on learning instead of worrying about what could go wrong. But Officer Ware does so much more than keep us safe. Even for students like me who haven't had many one-on-one conversations with him, his impact is still clear. In my three years of high school, I have never had a negative experience with our SRO. And more importantly, I have never felt unsafe at school. That consistency matters. It shows that kind of environment he helps create every single day even in ways we don't always notice. He builds relationships. He talks to students in the hallways, checks in on us, and makes himself someone we can trust. For a
045lot of students, having a trusted adult at school who isn't a teacher or administrator can make a big difference. Some of times it's easier to open up to someone like him, whether it's about stress, problems at home, or just needing someone to listen. He's also part of our education. He teaches us about real-world issues like safety, responsibility, and decision-making in a way that feels real and meaningful. Those are lessons we don't always get from textbooks, but they're just as important for our future. Removing Bothell's SRO wouldn't just take away a layer of safety, it would take away a mentor, a role model, and a trusted presence in our daily lives. You have the power to take something away from students or to protect something that's already working. So I'm asking you clearly, please keep our
046SRO at our school. Keep the safety, keep the support, and keep the environment that allows students like me to feel secure every single day. Thank you for your time. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, up next will be number 37. You're first and then 36 is next in line, whatever that sport analogy thing would be. Go ahead. Uh good evening. My name is Malik and uh I am a junior at Bothell High School. And I am also the president of the school's Black Student Union. I'm here today because we've heard that the board is considering removing our student resource officer program citing the discomfort of black students as a factor. As a leader and of representing those students, I want to tell you that this is not the case. Firstly, um I want to talk
047about the reality of our SRO's role in this building. They aren't just a uniform. They are a mentor and community member. Officer Ware always sends us into the weekend with good energy by playing uh music in the weekend or music sending us into the weekend with good energy by playing music on Fridays. Um he always has snacks in his office to give to students and in every community event, he is always wearing his blue and showing his spirit. Our experience with Officer Ware has been about relationship building and early intervention that keeps students out of the system and not in it. Removing our SRO program doesn't make us safer. It removes a bridge between our community and the new law or and the law that we have worked hard to build. Secondly, the idea that
048black students are a monolith who all feel discomfort is a misrepresentation. When you make decisions for us based on our assumptions, you are effectively silencing the students who feel safer and more supported with an SRO on campus. In all fairness, during our club meetings, at least one student has expressed discomfort with our student resource officer being on campus. However, it's not like we just remove a teacher whenever one student feels uncomfortable. If the goal is to truly support black students, then our diverse opinions, including those of us in the BSU, must be the foundation of that decision, not an afterthought used to justify a predetermined goal. Relating to this idea, I'm afraid that this isn't just about one program. It's about the precedent you are setting. If you can axe a program that we value
049by claiming you're doing it for our benefit, then you open an avenue for other institutions to ignore our voices in the future. You are teaching us that our actual lived experiences matter less than the narrative of our experiences. Real advocacy for black students means giving us the seat at the table to speak for ourselves and not deciding what's best for us behind a closed door. Again, my name is Malik and thank you for listening. Thank you, Malik. >> [applause] [cheering] >> Okay, 37. >> [applause] >> Hello. Um my name is Rey Harless. I'm a 16-year-old sophomore at Bothell High School. As a freshman, I I faced significant challenges and felt overwhelmed. Officer Ware played a crucial role in helping me navigate my school life by guiding me to my classes and simply and simply talking
050to me about my weekend every single Monday. This meant more to me This meant more to me than he could ever imagine. Officer Ware embodies the best qualities of our school community, kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness, and an unwavering dedication to Bothell High School. Since his election as the school resource officer in 2017, he has demonstrated a steadfast of commitment to building a strong, positive relationships among police officers, students, and staff. Officer Ware Officer Ware's presence goes far beyond enforcing safety protocols. He actively works to transform Bothell High School into a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone who walks through our doors. His daily interactions, whether offering guidance, lending an listening ear, or simply checking in with students, creates a sense of belonging and security that is truly irreplaceable. When students encounter difficulties, Officer Ware is often
051the person that they turn for turn to for support. His belief in every student's potential and his genuine care for our well-being makes a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals at BHS. He is not just a protector, but a mentor and a trusted confidant who can help who helps students navigate both academic challenges and personal struggles. By fostering trust and understanding, Officer Ware builds bridges between law enforcement and our school community, helping it dispel fear and encourage open communication. The SRO program is not just about security. It is also about creating an environment where students feel feel safe and support supported and empowered to succeed. Without this program, we would lose not only a vital safeguard, but a crucial member mentorship and encouragement that Officer Wera provides every single day. I urge you
052to recognize the profound and lasting impact of the SRO program. Keeping it in place is essential for maintaining secure, nurturing, and inclusive atmosphere at Bothell High School where every student has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, so that is all of the self-identified students on my list. So now we're going to go back to numerical order. We're going to start with number one. And then if number two can be up and ready to go when he finishes, that would be great. My name is Doug Hakala. I'm actually a retired Northshore School District High School teacher. I taught at Bothell and at North Creek. And uh I taught classes like marketing, robotics, website design, finance, and I started the aviation program at North Creek High School. And I could talk
053for hours and I'll choke up about how proud I am of the students. [laughter] Uh I didn't know so many of you were going to be here. Uh I am a uh resident of the Aspenwood community, which is adjacent to uh Timbercrest. And so that's what I'm here to talk about tonight. There's a situation that's unfolding at Timbercrest and I don't know who is pushing it. And specifically, it's not only the refurbishment of the football field, but the illumination of that field. The issue here is that conditions were established by King County specifically for Timbercrest in 1994. You may not know this, but the conditional use permit for that school prohibits the illumination of that football field. Let me give you some history. In 1994, when I and other neighbors learned that the school was
054going in, of course we attended the public meetings. We started to learn about the school. We learned that the school would be accessed via one of two roads, or two roads actually, uh that are over a mile long and are away from a mile away from the arterial, the nearest arterial by the time you get to the school. Those two roads are torturous. They're twisty turny. And they are not illuminated by street lights at night time. It is very dark. And so we met and we discussed our concerns and we decided to provide testimony at the hearings that took place 1994. Only one concern that I'll talk about tonight was the impact to traffic safety that's brought about having unfamiliar drivers come to a school as though there is like a football Friday night lights
055event, congestion volumes, um and everything else that's associated with that could cause not only congestion, but traffic accidents. And I'm providing additional testimony in the packet I delivered to your executive assistant tonight that backs these claims. King County heard us and they established a condition upon which they school district was given the permission to go ahead and construct Timbercrest. And that is no athletic field illumination. I don't know who's forcing this. I don't know what the justification is, but I say yes, maintain the school, but don't impact uh land use compatibility, don't impact traffic safety, don't push King County to overturn these common sense mitigations more than I've mentioned here. This would be an egregious misuse of your station. And I'm wanting you to consider me your friend and your ally. I have been so
056for decades. I'm looking forward to collaborate and please read the packet that I've left with your assistant. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Doug. Number two. >> [applause] >> And then next up will be number three. Hello. Good evening, everybody. My name is Dr. Austina de Bonte. I'm one of the original founders of the Highly Capable Parents Council, as well as the president of the statewide Washington Coalition for Gifted Education. I have the rest of my bio on paper. I didn't want to waste your time. Um as a professional in this field, I have grave concerns about the integrated model being proposed for middle school science and social studies. Uh this change is tantamount to removing highly capable services in these subjects, which is decidedly going in the wrong direction. And as you're going
057to hear tonight, not what the community wants. Please stand if you're here and concerned about this issue. I've been here long enough to have witnessed this very same debate come up in Northshore not once, but twice before. Every time it is a small group of teachers who wish to remove advanced courses in middle school uh and parents who insist on putting it back. In the background are other teachers who share concerns privately, but fear repercussions of speaking publicly. Uh this is now the third time. The teachers' main argument boils down to three things. Uh there are too many Highly Capable students. Uh tracking is bad. And we don't have an advanced middle school curriculum anyway. Uh let's take that last one first. It's true we haven't had a defined advanced middle school curriculum aside from
058what teachers have pulled together on their own, which is neither sustainable nor equitable. That was the whole point of this task force, in fact, to create a true advanced curriculum for our Highly Capable students. This work desperately needs to happen. It's a big work item on its own, but it does not require changing the delivery model. Uh second, it's true that Northshore identifies quite a lot of Highly Capable students, some around 35%. It's possible that the criteria need to be adjusted a bit. There have already been some changes, especially around the first grade Iowa math test, um which I think has been positive. However, Northshore has in- earned a strong reputation, has become a destination district for Highly Capable with families moving here specifically for our programs, which supports property values, increases our district population
059of Highly Capable kids. All that said, in the big picture, Northshore's Highly Capable identification is right where we'd expect. There are multiple studies now showing that many students nationwide are ready for the next grade level curriculum. You have this handout in front of you. Uh 34% of fifth fifth graders in Wisconsin, 38% of seventh graders in California, 24% of fifth graders nationwide are ready for two grade levels ahead in reading. Lots more data points on the handout you have. We are not unusual. We are not identifying too many kids. That's what we see here, too. The big difference is that our universal screening program actually identifies every student ready for advanced work, whereas many districts overlook students, and especially students with disabilities, multilingual, and low income. Northshore has developed nation-leading practices to find these students,
060but note that because of these wider backgrounds, many identified Highly Capable students will no longer be the stereotypical model students that teachers are expecting, which leads some to wonder if the designation was correct. It It is. Uh finally, perhaps most importantly, the research on tracking is not nearly as clear as people think. There's one conclusion I think everyone agrees on. Remedial tracks below grade level are harmful to students in every way. However, it is a rare school system, and certainly not Northshore, that has used remedial tracking for several decades now. That's not what's in debate here. We're contemplating removing an advanced program, not a remedial one. I'm going to hand the rest of my comments to my colleagues. Great. Thank you. And then up after uh number three will be number four. >> [applause] >>
061The trouble is that the tracking and de-tracking research often didn't study advanced students at all, sometimes making poorly supported statements about all students, but omitting advanced students from analysis as outliers. Other students demonstrated Other studies demonstrated no harm to advanced students, but with instruments with low ceilings where students' strengths would not be even measurable. In fact, when I dug deeply into this research during Austina's dissertation work, uh I was surprised to find studies that explicitly showed harm for advanced students when classes were de-tracked. And one that even showed harm for all students. The most positive case study, which is often cited, had a lot of things going on alongside a de-tracking program, including significant curriculum adoptions, extensive teacher training, and uncommonly strong leadership. It's not at all clear which of these factors was indeed the
062cause of their success, and the study was not designed to demonstrate cause. It was only a case study. Another study significantly specifically called out social program problems that were caused by having a wide range of ability levels in secondary classrooms. Students working below grade level felt embarrassed, and students working above grade level felt like they had to hide their abilities in order to fit in. Putting students of all levels in core academic classes together makes these social differences more obvious, not less. There's more to creating belonging than just putting on everyone in the same room. The state of California, and specifically San Francisco, is still in the midst of digging out of their grand de-tracking experiment that had them stop offering advanced courses of any sort in their middle school citywide a decade ago. Long
063story short, not only did this actually make equitable access to advanced coursework in high school demonstrably worse for underrepresented represented populations, it also caused a grand exodus from public schools, a school board recall campaign, and ultimately a public ballot measure where whopping 80% of voters voted specifically to reinstate algebra in middle school. Seattle is having their moment of reckoning now as well. They had removed advanced courses in all middle schools several years ago and were planning to close their elementary Highly Capable classrooms. District enrollment dropped so substantially and public trust was so eroded that they have now made a complete 180 and are opening two new elementary Highly Capable program sites and offering advanced math this summer to incoming middle schoolers in order to make it right with their community. Now, Northshore is thankfully not
064proposing changing the math program. However, these broader trends are not just about math, and we'd be wise to not repeat others' mistakes. The last thing we need is for Northshore enrollment to drop and to lose that funding. The research that is mentioned in Northshore's implementation plan is primarily about ability grouping and the benefits of grouping students by ability for both student achievement as well as streamlining teacher workload. Typical ability grouping actually better describes our current middle school program than the new integrated program. So citing this as a research support is an odd choice. There are another couple of articles about cluster grouping, which is a specific method of the of ability grouping Northshore plans to use. However, the vast majority of cluster grouping research and practice has been done at the elementary level, not middle
065school. And when cluster grouping is done at at fidelity per the research, you intentionally build classroom groupings to limit the spread of ability levels in a classroom to simplify teacher workloads. Meaning that high cap students and the highest need students would not be placed in classrooms together. I don't see that reflected in the proposed plan, nor to be clear would I recommend that particular model here. Thank you. Number Uh you gave your name, right? Ashley Watts. Ashley Watts. Thank you. Okay, number four and then number five will be next. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Jeremy Woo. Um and before I continue the comments, I just want to ask two questions. Is uh Superintendent Irish, what is the problem that we're trying to solve here with the high cap changes? And do you consider
066this community uh a thorn in your side or the community that you would like to create a long-lasting relationship with to collaborate with? Okay. Okay. Um what has been left out of the conversation so far is an honest look at the research on differentiation, which shows that even when teachers are trained and have supporting curriculum, differentiation rarely happens with any degree of fidelity, and especially not for advanced students whose needs are not seen to be as urgent as other students, which has been acknowledged by the district. Providing an extension lesson once in a while is one thing, but provide multiple levels of instruction and multiple levels of assignments, to manage that complexity in the classroom and do that every day day in and day out is just not realistic. With large class sizes and limited
067prep time, this degree of differentiation is all but impossible to actually implement in real life. It's not reasonable to ask all teachers to take this on, and what you'll hear from students in these pilot classrooms is that it's not actually happening. The bottom line is that this integrated model being contemplated for middle school science and social studies is not nearly as supported by research as you have been led to believe. It would be a significant innovation beyond existing research to make this new model work, which means it's going to take time and effort and experimentation. And the only way that could possibly happen is with a tremendous injection of training, planning time, and creation and adoption of significant curriculum extensions, and a lot of leadership support. In this time of budget crisis, this seems a
068strange time to be biting off such an ambitious ambitious project. There's no established model to follow. And by the way, I listened to the working model, and I could tell that the current training model is a few sessions with Amity, which doesn't seem like enough at this point. Unless of course the real goal is to say that all students' needs will be met, but tacitly accept that it's all right for our highly capable students to have science and social studies at grade level because well, we've never had a great middle school curriculum here in the past anyways. And it sure would simplify our scheduling and reduce teacher workloads to not have to prep two different levels of classes. And having more student mentors and teacher assistants in every classroom would sure help manage those large
069class sizes. But Washington state law says that highly capable students are to receive accelerated learning and enhanced instruction, which is their basic right to education. Accelerated meaning accelerated meaning it needs to go beyond grade level, and enhanced instruction meaning that it needs to involve different instruction than what is provided in general education. differentiating work products via the mild, medium, and spicy rubric I've heard about is a fine UDL practice, but is not sufficient on its own per Washington state highly capable law. If we identify a student as highly capable, we need to actually provide accelerated learning and enhanced instruction throughout their educational experience. Thank you. Number five and then after number five will be number six. >> [applause] >> Hi there, my name is Laura Newman. Sorry about that. Um I have two kids that
070um are in the high cap or receiving high cap services. We're one of the families that moved to this district um because of the self-contained model. Um and as I mentioned last time, I even took out a map and circled the neighborhood that we could move to to be able to access the services here. Um we have a wonderful neighborhood, and I I'm really happy with the school district right now. Um I'll continue reading this quickly, but I did want to introduce myself. I also wanted to say I really did appreciate the engagement that you um had after we sent a list of questions last time. I thought that was really respectful. So, I I really appreciate that um timely response. So, thank you. So, the National Working Group on Advanced Education specifically calls out
071provide advanced courses in grades 6 through 12 in their synthesis of best practices for advanced students. Remember that high ability, low-income students are counting on public schools to meet their needs. Affluent families can provide enrichment after school or move to private school or homeschooling, which ultimately widens the achievement gap in the wrong direction. This is an equity justice issue. Um it's I guess our the folks that we have been reading this statement opinion um that Northshore has not yet done the due diligence to provide this new to prove this new model is actually functional and needs to do more preparation before that's ready for prime time. Um if it's even possible in the first place given the reality of our class sizes and significant budget challenges. Where is the training program to support this? The
072advanced curriculum plan? This is not something that can be thrown together over the summer and given to staff in September and expected to work, nor is that fair for anyone. Surely we all know this that it it's not ready. Um thank you so much. I am looking forward to continuing to working with you and um I think that's the statement from at least us five. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, after number six will be number seven. Good evening again. Hi, I'm Brene Brix. I have been a parent, a volunteer, and advocate in this district for over 20 years. So, I come to to give you a little bit of a history lesson. Um for those of you who were not in the district 10 years ago, the decision to eliminate the middle
073school advanced academic program for history and science is like history repeating itself. In 2016, the district plan to eliminate the junior high self-select challenge program, a program that supported student agency and encouraged students to take advanced classes. At the time, two students who observed the conflicting opinions of administrators, teachers, and parents decided to survey the students to hear the voices of those who would be directly impacted by the program cut. The students at different junior high schools didn't even know about each other's studies. One survey was conducted online, the other was done in person. And the results were remarkably similar with over 93% of the students wanting to keep self-select challenge rather than move to a challenge for all model. Important. It's important to note some of the comments from the students. A ninth grader
074said, "A combined class may not be effective with a teacher trying to balance different students' paces and curriculums." Another said, "If everyone had challenge, it wouldn't be challenge." Believe me, I have all these reports in my home because one of my students one of my children was that student that did the survey. Um I also want to point out that a group of dedicated parents, notably whose own children who are older and would not benefit from the decision to keep self-select program, did an extensive academic research, community outreach, and produced a thorough report. I encourage you to review the recommendations in this 88-page save our challenge report. The academic studies quoted in this report are still valid today, noting that even with training and supporting curriculum, differentiation rarely happens with any degree of fidelity. Self-select
075challenge gradually, sadly, it was eliminated, and now the district wants to eliminate high cap classes. As people had said before, highly capable students have a legal right to basic education, and that includes accelerated learning and enhanced instruction. Therefore, the burden of proof the burden of proof is on the district to prove and provide evidence that the new integrated pilot classes meaningfully differentiate and support highly capable students. Northshore has been a leader in adopting universal identification of highly capable students, and it's and it is critically important that uh North that NSD not remove services. It is these very students that we sought to identify who will be most impacted by these changes. Families with financial means will provide enrichment at home, pay for camps, and even leave the public school to find a better fit. I
076also want to emphasize that many neurodiverse students are emotionally sensitive, decide not to speak out in class, and hide their abilities to fit into their uh into the school. Additionally, when and incredibly important, this is something very important. It is really important to understand when the con Thank you, Brene. >> you. I will email you. Thank you, Brene. Number seven and then after number seven will be number eight. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Stephanie Corrigan, and I'm a parent at Bothell High School. I have been a part of the Bothell High School community since 2019, and every year we have had um either town meetings or surveys with overwhelming support for Officer Ware and the SRO program at Bothell High School. Over these years, I have learned a lot about what Officer Ware
077does for the students and staff safety and well-being. He's engaged with the students, knowing kids by name, supporting them, and encouraging them. He has helped many students who have broken laws like theft at QFC to avoid arrest by partnering with these students, helping them to make better choices, and avoid criminal records. Without an SRO on campus, these students would not have had an advocate working on their behalf to help them to get what they need. Um some have mentioned that we could have campus supervisors or counselors on campus instead of the SRO, but uh did you know Officer Ware is trained to run into an active shooter situation? I mean, God forbid that anything like that would happen at Bothell High School, but I know that I feel a lot better knowing these students have
078Officer Ware there and ready in case something that terrifying would happen. In a recent survey done the most recent survey to review this year's SRO program by students and BHS families, the results were overwhelmingly in support of keeping the program. I understand that some communities have had problems with SROs, but that is not the case here at Bothell High School. This vote needs to be considered as a very specific situation that it is and not reflect the general attitudes towards some other cherry-picked SRO programs around the country that have failed. It's quite distressing really that um some members of the school board have voted no in the past when the community at Bothell High School is in support. Um as board members, your role is to represent us. This is our community and not your
079own personal preferences or political beliefs, because that would be an abuse of the power that we have given you as voters. So, please do your research and vote in best conscience for what the families, students, and staff of Bothell High School want to preserve. Um the the needs and safety and the voice of our students really need to come first. Thank you. Thank you. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Okay, after number eight will be number nine. >> [applause] >> Hi there. Um [clears throat] back to Highly Cap. My name is Zoe Crow and I am the parent of a seventh grader at Leota Middle School, uh a Highly Cap student and I am here after you have heard all of the research and the highly compelling academic statements with a cautionary tale about a real student.
080Um my own seventh grader who was identified early as Highly Cap, but I was so committed to the PACE program that I felt like I wanted to explore the opportunity for differentiated instruction which was offered to me. Uh over those years in elementary, many teachers tried many different ways, some teachers more than others, to differentiate instruction for the Highly Cap students that were remaining in the classroom, fewer and fewer as each year of elementary went on. Um this is where we come back to the research that Austina was sharing about the uh development of a student who is uh Highly Cap identified where it may be um asynchronous, uh meaning that some of the advanced cognitive abilities may be present in some areas, but with real gaps in others, leading to the social challenges, the
081behavioral challenges, or regulatory emotional issues that can come up with these students. Um it happens that when you put these students in a Highly Cap classroom where the teachers are equipped to handle those kinds of issues, you don't see the same sort of behavioral issues that you do when you try to have differentiated instruction integrated with the general education classroom. I was tempted to invite the administrators of Wellington Elementary to come and speak with me, who were all extraordinarily relieved when my student finally departed to go to a uh contained EAP classroom. Um but during those years, it was very, very clear that um not only was the promise of differentiated instruction limited, um it failed to accommodate the social differences that a student like him might bring to the classroom. Um the behavioral challenges
082that you might find yourself uh encountering when you start intermingling all of the Highly Cap students with the general education students is something that you may want to consider. More and more schools do not have the additional staff that they used to have to handle what will only be identified as disciplinary issues. The disciplinary approach that you might use with another student is not going to work in the same way with a Highly Cap student who is acting out uh because they aren't having their needs met. Um I would close by saying um I really urge you not to make the mistake of assuming that um there will be some level of simplification and to prepare yourself for the inevitable complexity that a move like this would create for schools and for administrators. It will
083not simply solve a problem without creating many, many others. Thank you. Thank you. And after number nine will be number 10. >> [applause] >> Hello, Dr. Leona Stein. Thank you to the district for your response to the questions raised at the March 23rd meeting. We really appreciate um the effort to engage. However, the responses did not fully address our concerns regarding the lack of supporting data that the the district is using to inform their decision about eliminating AP AAP for science and social studies in middle school. In question three, we requested data to support the claim that the integrated model has been successful in elementary. The response provided the percentage of fourth and fifth grade Highly Cap students on track for one year of growth in ELA between fall and winter. The stated conclusion was
084that there was no significant difference in mean academic growth between self-contained and integrated models. As a scientist, I caution against reducing over 1,000 test scores into a handful of percentage points. Nevertheless, digging a little deeper revealed that the integrated model actually resulted in inconsistent outcomes with a range of nearly 50% separating the least and most successful elementary schools. This contrasts with a range of only about 20% in the self-contained model, implying that the self-contained environments produced more produced more consistent outcomes. This variability raises important questions about the implementation of integration and suggests the presence of multiple confounding factors such as class size, the Highly Cap student cluster um size per integrated classroom, and the ability to differentiate that must be rigorously controlled for to robustly interpret our data. To truly understand which learning model produces
085better academic growth, the district must analyze longitudinal longitudinal data to assess the rate or learning velocity at which students are progressing over the course of a few years, and ask how this rate is affected by each learning model. This is what we asked for in question five. The response simply focused on the percentage of students meeting grade level standards. This is not a meaningful benchmark for Highly Cap learn- learners, nor does it align with Northshore's strategic goal three of at least one year of academic growth annually for students at or above grade level. Without data demonstrating that students do not experience decelerated learning in integrated settings, it's difficult to determine whether students are being appropriately challenged or simply maintaining proficiency while lowering their academic ceiling. Accumulating and properly analyzing the necessary data is a huge
086endeavor. Thus, in question nine, we asked the district what they had learned from neighboring districts that had also done this quote experiment and gathered data on student outcomes, belonging, and enrollment. In response, the district declined to comment. Respectfully, we have a responsibility to learn from these other districts and prevent more kids from serving as guinea pigs. And finally, I'd like to address the notion that the Highly Cap label is divisive. Respectful terminology is of course paramount, um but avoiding the use of these labels and models does not eliminate real differences in learning needs. Nor that does it prepare students for a real world in which uh different ability and performance are openly recognized and accepted. If terminology is a concern, please suggest alternative language. If the qualification process is a concern, please revert back to
087challenge classes. Thank you, Leona. Thank you. Up next is number 10 and right after number 10 will be number 11. >> [applause] >> Pres- President Hayes. President Hayes. Yes. What? Yes. Sorry. Um by law, we're limited to 60 minutes for public comment and we're coming up on that time, so I would, out of respect of the community to hear all voices, extend the time. Uh that sounds amenable to me. How long should we extend it out for? Should we say another >> minutes? >> 30 minutes? Okay. Yes. Do I hear a motion to extend So moved. Second. Okay. Uh all in favor? Uh they >> [applause] >> All in favor of extending it out another 30 minutes? I. I. I. >> Okay. Um so, that's unanimous and I noted that we started public comment at
0887:15, so we will extend it out to 7:45. Okay. Thank you. Sorry, and I'm sorry I couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from. I'm good. You're good. >> Okay, thank you. Good evening. I'm here today because I care deeply about our students, our staff, and the kind of environment we're creating in our schools. I want to talk about Officer Ware, not just as a school resource officer, but as a person who makes a real difference on campus every single day. One thing that often gets overlooked is this: Officer Ware actually keeps students from getting arrested. When situations comes up, he uses judgment, de-escalation, and relationships to handle things in a way that avoids pushing kids into the legal system. If we're serious about preventing the school-to-prison pipeline, then we should recognize that he's
089actively working against it. He's also someone students go to when they don't feel comfortable going to administration. That matters. Not every student trusts authority in the same way, and having another trusted adult on campus, someone who listens without immediately judging or disciplining, can make all the difference. Our at-risk students especially rely on that. They come to him and he helps bridge the gap, sometimes even helping them communicate with their own families. That's not policing, that's mentorship. He also works behind the scenes with staff and campus super security to prepare for situations we all hope never happen, but hope isn't a plan. His presence helps our school be ready, not reactive. And let me be clear about something important. Officer Ware does not handle school discipline. He's not there to punish students for typical school behavior.
090That's simply not his role. What he does do is help break down stereotypes. Yes, like any profession, there are good and bad individuals. That's true for law enforcement and it's true for education, too. But we don't throw out an entire program, or an effective one, based on broad assumptions or biases. I spoke here a few years ago as a parent of a black son and daughter who went through this school. They will both tell you this program helped them in ways that are hard to measure. And I'll be honest with you. I've had my own experiences. When my son was a sophomore, a teacher called him the N-word in front of his entire class. I was furious, but did I decide that all teachers are racist? No, because judging an entire group by one experience,
091that's not right and it's not productive. We need to be consistent on how we think about these things. The truth is, most people only speak up when they're upset. They fill out surveys or leave comments when something goes wrong. But when something is working, really working, people often stay quiet unless it's exceptional. I'm here because this is exceptional. If our goal is to prepare students for the real world, then we shouldn't isolate them from it. Law enforcement exists in the real world. Our students will encounter it. Having a positive human relationship with someone like Officer Ware gives them a healthier, more realistic understanding than keeping them in a bubble ever could. We are lucky we have a strong program and we have the right person in this role. So I'm asking you, please listen to
092your community, listen to your staff, listen to your students. Set aside assumptions and look at the actual impact. Vote to keep Officer Ware here and keep this program going. Thank you. Thank you. [cheering] Number uh >> [applause] >> uh Okay, just uh that was Rachel Smith for the record there just spoke. A reminder, please say your name and um so that we can get through everybody, if you could be standing up and ready to go. So we're going to do another 11 and then number 12 will be next. So if number 12 can be up here over by Cedric, ready to go, that'd be great. Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Lori Ferriolo and I um had two kids that went through and I volunteered every year and I was on the HiCap board
093and I was PTA president my my son's senior year. Um the kids did a great job talking about and the other parents about Officer Ware specifically, but one thing that came up when we were going through this 2 years ago is a school board member that I respect said that they understood that we all loved Officer Ware, but it's about the the individual program and not just about the individual that we all care about. I took that to heart and I thought, what can I do to make sure that this program is going to be okay? I um applied and was accepted for the Bothell I never get the name right. Bothell Community Advisory Committee. And in that committee, we go in and we um we meet with the with the Bothell PD and we
094talk about things that have happened in the community and and what the community felt about those things that have happened. And one of the things that we talked about extensively was the SRO um program. And I wanted you to know that it's not just Officer Ware, as much as we we care about him, that believes in this program. The entire Bothell Police Department does. And they they put in the training, they make sure that they pick people that will fit. If there's not a good fit, they will pull them out. The the um current chief was an SRO, so he understands the importance of it. They under they're sensitive and it's expected for Officer Ware to be sensitive to um our minority cultures and to um and to work and to help the kids understand
095what they're going to be dealing with. And he he's done a lot for kids that I know that were into drugs or were on do on their way to the the school to prison pipeline to keep them out of that problem. And the more that I work on this community committee, the more I understand that this is not just a job. It's a way of life and it's a commitment to ensure that students are on the right track and they don't go off track and ruin their future. And I would strongly suggest that we continue this and the fact that he will sit here and let and have his job at jeopardy every time we turn around is ridiculous, but that's how committed he is to to this program and to these kids. And I
096had two kids that went through. They were in HiCap, they Okay, they um they love him. They still come back and they want him to be here. And they're already talking about whether they're going to allow their kids to go to public school if this kind of stuff continues. Between the loss of HiCap and the loss of um the the SRO, they're already talking about putting their kids in private school and they're already putting funds away. So if you want to lose those 25-year-olds' kids, keep this kind of stuff up. Thank you. Okay, number [applause] 12 and then after number 12 will be number 16. Uh good evening. I guess I'm 12 and 12 and a half here. Um Uh thank you for your time, school board. Uh thank you for all the uh decisions
097you're going to have to make. Uh my name is Dr. Kevin Wong. I'm here with my son, Carter, who's a fifth grader. And um it's a little bit like deja vu, but my wife, who's a physician and pediatric educator, and I were here back in December of 2022. And at that time, we were discussing uh what the future might look like with integrated HiCap elementary schools. And we wanted to give you not a statistic, but kind of our first-hand experience. My son told me um if I have an opinion, then I should speak it. Um so I said, "Hey, I'm going to bring him along and and do that with you." Um First off, we're we're big supporters of the school district. Uh uh Carter volunteered to join the first uh Sunrise Dual Language program
098back when it first started. Uh unfortunately, that was cut at the end of that year. He tested into EIP and went to a school called Lockwood. Um at the end of that year, the uh EDTF uh did a reboundary and he was moved to Frank Love the year after. So three schools in three years. Um and fast forward 3 years, he now has a little brother who's also in EIP. Um but perhaps uh of more importance is um the two of them no longer go to school here in the school district. So we were fortunate enough to be able to go private. And a lot of that was due to a lot of the first-hand experience that we heard on a weekly and sometimes daily basis of what happens on an integrated classroom, uh which
099is sometimes duplicate worksheets, doing the same work as the year before, sometimes groupings of kids in one classroom that had to do their own ditto sheets uh without the help of a teacher. Um and lastly, it was mentioned earlier, but the burden it put on the teachers to have to create a new curriculum uh each day and for each subject for each learner. Um and what we wanted to highlight is that in in our assessment, um you know, these uh integration of learning clusters may have actually gone contrary perhaps to um the school board's mission to strive for educational equity um by perhaps trying to make it too equal, meaning um you know, equal being the same. Not all students uh learn the same. And um we ask that you consider maintenance of the current
100middle school program. Uh it already exists today. Um you don't have to change it. Um and we hope that perhaps uh by keeping the middle school EIP program the way it is today, um that we can learn from the the future by looking into the past. Um and it's it's of these efforts and this type of conversation and thinking that has really made the NSD a a really tremendous school district, uh one that we're proud to be a part of, one that we want to rejoin. So thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, number [cheering] 16 and after number 16 will be number 19. >> [applause] >> Number 16. Going once, going twice. Okay. And then after that, it'll be number 19. So if number 19 can be up
101ready to go, that would be great. Sorry, I lost track. There's a lot of speakers. Um Hi, I'm Monisha Sharma and I'm here to speak on behalf of the HiCap program. So a lot of the um kind of points that I wanted to make have been really well made, so I'll try to keep this concise. Um and I wanted to focus on a few arguments against HiCap and kind of my feeling about why those those are kind of not or my rebuttal to those arguments. Um [snorts] So one issue that I that I hear a lot about HiCap is that it creates inequality. So it is true that white and Asian kids are overrepresented in HiCap programs, while historically disadvantaged groups are underrepresented. But HiCap programs are a reflection of this inequality and did not
102create it. So barriers um including [clears throat] um inadequate uh early childhood education, food insecurity, health care access are the drivers of this disparity. And the solution is to address these underlying social issues and not to remove or dilute HiCap services. Um I wanted to share a quote from Jay Beck, who wrote an excellent op-ed um on this issue. And he said, "Parents of HiCap kids who can afford private schools, private lessons, and a wealth of books and other enrichment at home can make up for at least some of what their youngsters are not getting in the classroom. It is the great potential of students from homes with fewer resources that are more likely to be lost forever. And I think this has been made a few times, but I really think it that it's
103worth repeating that this um this decision will hurt uh those who are most dis- disadvantaged the most and not the ones who are speaking often not the ones that are speaking before you today, but the ones who couldn't make it, the ones who are working several jobs, or who maybe speak English as a second language. Um I also want I've heard that parents try to um game the system. So, sometimes you can teach your your child um some of the math needed for the screening questions and you can increase your chances of getting them into Hi-Cap programs. So, I know that some individuals can hire private tutors that promise to get kids into Hi-Cap programs in exchange for high fees. Um But, getting into a Hi-Cap program by gaming the test does not give a
104child Hi-Cap skills. So, it doesn't confer an advantage. If I paid to get my son into a competitive soccer league, that would not make him an elite soccer player. It would put him in a situation where the kids around him are completing drills with ease and he feels overwhelmed and out of place. Um gaming the test is is bad parenting and it hurts kids instead of giving them an advantage. If the Hi-Cap education was a good fit for all students, we would provide it universally without screening. Another thing that I've heard is that Hi-Cap confers a high social status, so that um children that are identified as Hi-Cap have higher kind of um kind of social status in in the in the school. It could hurt students Okay. Um thanks. >> Thank you so much.
105If you want to leave your remarks with Peggy King, she can get them to us. All right, next up is 20 19. I'm now totally lost where I'm at. Yes, it's in 20 and then after that it'll be 22. Uh I'm number 19. Yeah, so after Darn it. Okay, I was so close. All right, 19 and then after that it'll be 20. Okay. >> [laughter] >> Uh hi, my name is Sun. I have two kids currently in elementary EAP. I'd like to add my concern for eliminating the two EAP classes in middle school. Our district has led the way both regionally and nationally in identifying Hi-Cap kids and providing services. We worked hard to equitably identify kids. Why identify them if we don't have something qualitatively distinct to offer them? The district has stated that
106Hi-Cap learners have access to advanced content, but no clear pro- uh process for how the content will be distributed and student work reviewed. A couple years ago, I had supported elementary schools transitioning to integrated classrooms in the hope that more kids have access to Hi-Cap services and are not gated by tests. But, the overwhelming sentiment from my fellow parents is that integrated elementary classes for ELA has become less rigorous even for identified kids, which is very disheartening to accept. One year of growth in the I-Ready data that sent out is not one year of growth for Hi-Cap learning. Simply measuring no regression on core curriculum achievement does not address Hi-Cap education concerns. Self-driven kids who actively ask more are receiving more responsive differentiation, but kids being self-driven should not be a requirement to receive enhanced
107instruction, especially before high school. Rolling out integrated classrooms in middle school will mask this lack of enhanced instruction from teachers, especially if the district continue to not have a way to measure data specifically for Hi-Cap learning. I'd like to ask the district to demonstrate the integrated model works with elementary Hi-Cap, bring parent satisfaction back past EAP levels before eliminating more EAP classes in middle school and generating more incorrect data to to cover problems. Thank you. Thank you. Next [applause] is number 20 and following after him will be 22. Good evening, board members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here because I believe our Hi-Cap learners require accelerated learning and enhanced instructions, which Washington state law explicitly mandates. If standard differentiation in general education classroom were enough, we wouldn't we wouldn't have need
108a Hi-Cap identification process at all. As my kid approach middle school, I want want her and student like her to enter an environment where they don't have to shrink themselves to fit the pace of the room. In science and social studies especially, depth matters. Inquiry matters. The ability to wrestle with complex idea matters. A self-contained Hi-Cap class give students the class the chance to learn with peers who are ready to who is who are ready for that level of thinking. And with the teachers who can design instructions that move at the pace they need. This isn't about separating students. It's about making sure they don't lose the spark they make that make them who they are. It's about ensuring that Hi-Cap students, like every student in NSD, make a full year of academic progress as
109our district promises. As and it's about honoring what Washington state law requires, an accelerated learning and enhanced instruct- instructions for students who need it. As parent, I'm looking ahead. I'm asking you to preserve the self-contained Hi-Cap model so that when my daughter walks into middle school, she walks into a place where she can grow, not slow down. Thank you for your time and your commitment to serve all the students. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Oh lord. Okay, please please please say your name. Could you uh I am the reason why we do numbers and not trying to make me pronounce names. I didn't learn phonics in elementary school and I cannot read names out loud. So, if you could just quickly shout your name into the microphone. Mohit Mohit Garg. Thank you
110so much. Yes, please say your name. Okay. All right. Good evening. My name is Linda Hapner and I'm the parent of two students in the Northshore School District, one finishing, Hannah behind me, the highly highly capable program and going into high school ready and prepared, um and a second about to start this semester um in the in the September. And so, I I'm really concerned um because of what I think the differences will be between my two daughters um of their experience in education. They're very competitive, so they want to be held to the same standard. Um I want to make two points. First, the self-contained program, especially in subjects like science and history, I really believe that needs to continue for all the reasons we've heard tonight. Um our highly capable kids um need
111to be together. I think the magic in a class of um is not just the educator and the content that's provided and differentiated, but also the peer experience. Myself included of like being amongst others that um are pushing as a peer group for those high schools you know, high level of curiosity, high performance. And for example, Hannah, my daughter in eighth grade history this this year completed a semester-long National History Day project at Kenmore Middle School. It was really impressive, um developed complex arguments, deep research, went to the U-Dub. We were volunteers at the field trip doing research. This was to compete at a national level. The um many of the students made it to the state finals this weekend. So, so hopefully some of them will go on to represent Northshore at a national
112level. I was super impressed and it pushed them more than I expected. Um and I don't see how that's practical in a mixed integrated class. Um and my second point is that we need more partnership with parents. This is my first ever school board. I'm here because I care. I'm here because I volunteer in the school in many different ways and the parents are here not to resist change, but to be part of it and to help and to find a way for it that's equal um opportunity and and challenges for all of our students. I'm not here just because it's my kids. I'm here for all kids and that they all get a chance to succeed um in the way that's best for them. And so, I ask please bring us in. I did
113not know anything about changes to Hi-Cap um at all for my next daughter. It was the communicated by parent networks, by some of the folks in this room, um and by the teachers at school who said that they were not feeling comfortable sharing their voice here tonight. So, please don't rush this decision and implementation next year. I don't want my daughter to be the guinea pig. We need time for buy-in to work together um and not rush this decision. It's really important for our kids and for the district and the reputation of North- Northshore. Thank you. Thank you. All [applause] right, next up is 23. And following that will be 27. Good evening, school board, and doctors uh Dr. Irish. Thank you for providing the opportunity for members of the community to share our perspectives
114on the school resource officer program. My name is Amanda Kushiyama and I'm the full-time school nurse at Bothell High School. I have the privilege of working alongside Garrett whose presence and essential work as our school resource officer directly support my role as the school nurse through our shared commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all students and staff. Garrett is a first responder trained in emergency response providing critical support to school nurses during on-campus emergencies. In these moments he can quickly initiate EMS activation helping ensure faster medical response times. During these high-stress situations Garrett also plays a vital role in maintaining scene safety and communication creating a calm and controlled environment that allows me to focus on triage and treatment. In the most critical moments I know Garrett will be there steady calm and
115ready to help. That kind of trust and partnership makes a significant impact on the care we are able to provide on campus. Garrett's role as an SRO is equally important in supporting our school during behavioral and mental health crises. He frequently assists in safely de-escalating situations contributing to a school environment that is safe supportive and well-managed one where students and staff feel protected and cared for. Our school is fortunate not only to have an SRO but to have one who is caring positive collaborative and deeply committed to our community. I ask that you take into consideration the vital role that Garrett plays in ensuring that every student and staff member at Bothell High School can learn teach and grow in a safe and supportive environment. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> 20 20 Oh
116Oh jeez Louise Miriam I'm so sorry. Good job paying attention. >> All good. >> [sighs and gasps] >> Can I go? I can't count anymore. Okay, yes Miriam and then I'm so sorry then 27. Yes, I skipped Miriam. Hello everybody. My name is Dr. Miriam Zurets and I am a parent at Bothell High School and a volunteer for many many many years in the Northshore School District. Uh let's do a little bit of history here. Okay? Uh we have been reviewing and evaluating the NSD SRO program since what 2018 and then another task force in 2021 and then another one in November 22. So we've been here for a while. Uh in November 2022 uh another task force was initiated and I had the opportunity to be part of this task force that run for
117almost 3 years. A lot of time a lot of people a lot of resources. Our recommendation from the last task force was to put forward different models for each school to determine their best fit. For Bothell High School was the current SRO program. Many of the recommendations were actually not followed yet. Hopefully it'll happen. Now instead of uh history let's talk about a little bit of what we learned in the task force. Do you know that the schools call police almost daily? Thanks to uh Henry Simons we were able to receive uh through public record request a lot of data and information and you can see that police officers are called to schools daily. This was a surprise to many of us me included. Thanks to him we got information. So police come to school
118weekly daily. Don't we want somebody who already has a relationship with students staff and teachers and a person who is familiar with the campus? Don't we want somebody who knows how to handle situations involving students with a special needs behavioral issues mental problems? Officer Ware knows particular but if you have an SRO in the school that SRO person will know. Let's talk about training. Despite normal police training an SRO are required to take I believe additional 13 specific trainings to learn how to act in a situation with a students belonging belonging to special groups. Any police officer who shows up at any school may or may not have taken these extra training. What do you think? Well, I think that probably not. But Bothell Police Department requires that our BHS SRO takes even more training
119that those 13 required by law. Another point we have heard as a reason to finish with the SRO program is the infamous school-to-prison pipeline. In our review no local data could be obtained that proved that claim. Moreover there are several reported cases where students were found stealing at QFC and thanks to Officer Ware and the SRO program they avoided the prison the school-to-prison pipeline. Another issue that was mentioned was suspensions. SROs do not discipline students. Finally I would like to suggest that um even though across the nation some officers did not deserve the trust in the SRO program here at NSD particularly at Bothell we do. Thank you Miriam. >> [applause] >> Okay. 27 Thank you and after 27 will be 28. Hi board members. My name is Bala. Uh I have a few short
120points about the Highly Capable program. Uh my I have two kids. The older one is going into high school coming fall and then my younger one is in elementary going into middle school coming fall. Both of them have been part of Highly Capable and I'm I'm really rooting for the success of the school district that goes without saying. But I just have a few short points from my personal experience and also reading the responses uh from the NSD board. So uh I want the board to consider continuous growth alongside current performance. The SBA results over 1 year might show they they're meeting the standards but overall the Highly Capable students need to be genuinely uh challenged academically and also consider their long-term year-over-year growth where they are continuously challenged and uh helped grow uh in
121their thinking process rather than performing well or meeting the standards or able to uh meet the standards at their level whereas the long over time they're not able to uh grow themselves academically. The second point is uh the limitation of standard differentiation. Uh if if there was no need to differentiate uh class-wise we wouldn't we we wouldn't need any sort of differentiation at all. So we need a differentiation because there are kids of different levels of academic um standards and so we should really uh uh cater to the needs of those students at their levels rather than uh standardize as much as possible. Uh the third one is optimized learning environment. Uh in classrooms that have varied and diverse levels of learning levels uh teachers would um would naturally and it's morally and correct logically
122that they adhere to students uh help students who need help more. Uh but then uh that would mean some of the Highly Capable students get missed out. So whereas uh this in advantage disadvantage would mean that the students are repeating their content or not challenged enough. Uh and so self-contained environments will allow for a starting point that is completely different from the other set of students as well. So there's one more where uh there's a distinction of group work where uh in a group setting how would uh Highly Capable students benefit or what will be their role? Will they need to fit to the rest of the group or what will be their contributions and who will pull more and there's a lot of those nuances that we don't know uh by just looking at
123the standard set of scores and results. Uh there's one point about psychological safety which I saw in the um response from the board as well. Uh I want to give a anecdote where uh my older son in his elementary years sometimes would not speak up even though he knows the answers. Uh 30 seconds something. Uh because he doesn't feel uh safe enough to voice out and stand out or he wants to blend in or fit in with the rest of the group. And then there are so many other situations as well. Like my younger son might have sometimes have behavioral issues because he's bored and not because he's he's a bad kid but it's just that he's bored and doesn't know how to express that and he acts out. Some other parent mentioned about acting
124out I want to plus one to that as well because I have seen that firsthand. So in aspect of psychological safety and behavioral issues we don't have enough data it seems so I want to receive more data and poss uh that Thank you so much. >> [applause] >> 28 and then after him will be 29. Let's get a couple more done and then we'll go. >> Good evening board members. Start another 15 minutes. >> Sharath Kotekani and uh my two kids are in the Northshore School District and both are in the Highly Capable program. And um I'm in support for the self-contained Highly Capable program and most of the parents have very eloquently have provided all the wonderful points and whatever I'll be saying will be more of a repetition. But uh I would want
125to just uh ask this question that you know every kid has different potential. And equal opportunity doesn't mean that you have to suppress one kid just to meet the other person provide the opportunity for the kid to grow. As a parent at home we encourage every kid to grow and use their potential to the fullest and school is our next uh we next place we rely upon for the kids growth. And we expect that the same thing will be followed there as well. And and and the second thing I want to emphasize is like as a parent also when we try to provide the uh different potential kids with the same kind of uh you know uh level of education or something it's much more harder than having uh providing the right guidance for each
126kid who has a different potential will help them grow and become a better citizen because they are all going to be part of this country and be representing this country. We want them to use the full potential that they have rather than suppressing it. Thank you very much for the opportunity. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, next is nine and after that will be 30. 29? going once, going twice. Okay, if you discover you have 29, let me know. Uh 30? 31? All right. Good evening, board members. My name is Bhaskar Vetula and I am a parent of a neurodiverse fourth-grade highly capable student who is at Sunrise Elementary. Uh my son made it into the highly capable in the fourth grade and he's currently in a mixed fourth and fifth EAP class. And boy,
127we see him struggling. Even with the best intention of a trained EAP teacher in a mixed class, he's struggling. Extrapolating the same data to the proposed integrated class, I strongly feel this would be a disservice to highly capable students, especially the neurodiverse ones. I urge the board to consider the factual and anecdotal data shared by parents before me on this topic. In the proposed integrated class in the middle school, I feel is nothing but disservice to highly capable neurodiverse students who require a nurturing and a safe space that they share with a cohort who shares common aspirations and interest. The proposal that is being pushed in the garb of being equitable, in reality, I strongly feel is nothing but discriminatory and insensitive towards the highly capable students, especially the neurodiverse ones. Thank you for your
128time. Thank you. 32? >> [applause] >> Two more after this. Good evening, board. Eric Fischer. I will mercifully cut some of this back since there's been so many wonderful comments. And thank you for the students who spoke tonight. Uh as a parent, every year I'm proud to hear them articulate so clearly uh what this program what the SRO program means to them. And they do it better than any of us could. Um So, a couple uh points that worth bringing up. Uh a few years ago, the board expressed interest in using Bothell's program as a model for the rest of the district. Uh I thought that was the right instinct then and I still do. Uh it would be in everyone's interest to hear what's become of that proposal. And uh skipping over discussing process,
129uh I just wanted to express that given the uh imposition of the state that uh placed this this uh burden on the board, I'm sympathetic to the burden this places on the board and on the district staff. Uh you shouldn't have to rejustify common sense every year. Uh but as long as the law requires it, I'm grateful you take it seriously and I'll keep showing up in support of it. Uh in in support of the SRO program. Uh as for my wife and I, we have kids in special education at Bothell High. Uh Officer Ware has taken the time to befriend uh sped kids at at the school and show up for them. That matters because statistically, special needs students are more likely to be targeted or victimized. It's important that their first real interactions
130with law enforcement are positive ones and Officer Ware, of course, has made sure that they are. He's someone our kids trust and he has the depart and he and the department show up at many events like Night to Shine. I can't tell you how many students and alumni light up when they see him there. Because the safety of our children is intensely personal, no no program, no officer, no policy will satisfy everyone, but we should not leave our school with no defense at all. Other high schools in the district district no longer have an SRO. Either either nobody fought for them or they were shut down by a vocal few. I don't wish Bothell to go that way. Please renew this program and revisit the idea of making it the model for the rest of
131the district. Our students, all of them, deserve that. Thank you for your time. Thank you. >> [applause] >> 34? Uh we have two more speakers left to go, so with the board's indulgence, we'll just wrap it up. Okay, thank you. Go ahead. >> Hi, I'm Amy Markwell. I'm a parent of three elementary students in the Northshore School District. In the interest of time, I'll actually just submit my comments, but I came here tonight to talk about more teachers and less tech. And the comments of others have been really inspiring because it shows me how much parents and at this district care students about our teachers and our people. So, um my comments ask for a divestment in tech and an investment in our people because that's really what makes Northshore great. Thank you. Thank you.
132>> [applause] >> 35? Hello. Good evening. Thank you. I'm actually I made it. I didn't think I would um I'm Anna Dubinsky. I'm a parent of two students at Northshore. Uh both in highly capable program. So, one, my older son is a freshman at Inglemoor and he started highly capable in fifth grade. So, bef- that year was very transformational for us. Before that year, I would hear a lot of teachers' comments about his misbehavior, silly jokes, uh some play time. So, in fifth grade, when we entered the self-contained highly capable program, he focused. And he really started getting to math and reading. He started asking for me to take library books uh that were outside of curriculum, something he heard from teachers or friends. It was very something special. Uh somebody mentioned in middle school
133the history project he was also part of when they researched that the deep analysis went into U Dub. Uh I had a chance to work as a team and really uh present that poster. That was such a great experience for him. Uh so, we are big fans of the program. So, my younger daughter, on the other hand, she's also part of highly capable in third grade, uh but she's part of the uh you know, just the general classroom. Uh so far, we haven't had that unlock yet with her. Uh every time I try to ask her something about school, there's nothing about academics or something exciting that she read or studied. Um so, so far she says the school is boring and the other night we were having a conversation and she actually asked me
134to look for private schools for her. I'm like, where did this idea come from? I'm not a big big fan of private schools because I don't want them to grow up in isolated environment and be fenced up. Uh but she said, um I I just want a more interesting and engaging environment that makes school. Uh and so, I kind of pushed this idea a little bit and asked her if she's ready to leave her friends, which is very important topic for her right now. And to my surprise, she said yes. So, uh I care really uh deeply about highly capable and um having all the kids um ability to be stretched and challenged and engaged at school. That makes it a fun place for the for them to come and and stay curious and stay
135uh inspired. So, please consider keeping the highly capable program. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, that concludes public comment. Thank you all so much for your participation in the process. Just a reminder, anything that was brought up tonight is on our agenda, so we will not be discussing anything that was discussed tonight uh through public comment as a board this evening. Um I do just want to give a shout-out to the students. I know that's very scary to come and share that and every >> [applause] >> single one of you modeled that civility and respect in a difficult topic that we would hope for in our adult leaders. So, thank you so much for being here. Um we're getting some really exciting construction approval projects, but we understand if you wish to go
136home and go back to your busy lives. We will not be offended if you choose to leave at this point. Oh, no no no. No, we have no nothing nothing that was brought up tonight will will be voting on. Yes, correct. Are you okay? You're all all right to keep going? Okay. Thumbs up? Okay. Mr. Hackle out, can you We need to [snorts] go. Yes, so we can get back to our very exciting consent agenda. Yeah, that's awesome. Okay, next up on our agenda is the adoption of the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve? >> So moved. Second. Any discussion? All right. Hearing none and I it's a little noisy here and here Dr. Kelly uh Director Kelly, I hope that uh you didn't have anything you wish to share cuz uh it's
137a little hard to hear. Plus, no bar dogs. It's a little complicated tonight. Um Okay, great. So, seeing no discussion on the consent agenda, I am going to uh move to a vote. It's a voice vote, so all in favor say I. I. I. I. I. Okay, that passes unanimously. Up next are two action items. The first is a project acceptance of over a million dollars, Dr. Irish. Two projects were completed during this reporting period. They consist at Kokanee and Frank Love playground improvement projects. We recommend your approval. Thank you, Dr. Irish. Uh, is there a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Okay, any discussion on these two construction projects? We're all trying to flip through papers to find them. Uh, hold on. We'll get there. There's not printed copies of those present. Uh, it's
138Leota phase two, the architectural agreement. Is that right? >> not it. This is This is Kokanee and Frank Love playground improvement. >> Yay, playgrounds. Okay. Kokanee and uh, Frank Love playground uh, improvement approval of those. Okay. Any discussion? Thank you to our voters who approved the 2020 two >> [laughter] >> bond so that we could update the playgrounds for these kids who always always need it. Did I already do a motion? Do you want to do a motion on that? You Oh, look at me. All right. Where was I? Okay, any further discussion? Okay, again, thanks to our voters. Um, I'm going to call for a vote. All in favor, voice vote, say I. I. I. I. I. Great, passes unanimously. Up next is what? Second action item. Uh, it's amendment number two for the
139Leota phase two architectural agreement, Dr. Irish. Yes, this is the attached amendment. This is a supplement to phase one negotiated contract uh, for the replacement of Leota Middle School and we recommend your approval. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Okay, any questions or discussion on this? I'm so excited we get to do phase two of Leota. Thanks, voters. Thanks, voters. >> [gasps] >> Okay, hearing no further discussion, I will call for the vote. All in favor, say I. I. >> I. I. I. I. Thank you, Director Kelley. >> [laughter] >> It's okay. We're getting there. All right, so that also passes. Up next is a performance review. It is the monitoring report for Superintendent parameter 14, facilities, very timely given our action items. Um, we have again, since normally we'd
140be using this in our digital world, uh, we have printouts of the the report. Uh, but I'm going to first turn it over to Dr. Irish. Yes, presenting for your approval this evening is the monitoring report for Superintendent parameter 14, facilities. I certify that the information contained in the report is true as of April 27th, 2026. I also do hereby certify that with the information and evidence provided within this report that I comply with the requirements set forth within the parameter. Thank you, Dr. Irish. What questions comments does anyone have? More of a curiosity than it is uh, anything else. I'm looking at the utility and energy usage, specifically natural gas and electricity and the total water. Um, it makes sense that the four comprehensive high schools are at the top of the chart in
141terms of amount of usage. I am curious what has pushed Woodinville High's total electricity up by I want to say one and a 1.5 more than the next comprehensive high school. Duryee will have a explanation for you. >> [snorts] >> You'll know that Woodinville High School does not have any gas. Oh, it too. Is it on? No. It's red. Uh, Woodinville High School does not have any gas in that uh, for they use more. Oh, makes sense. Interesting. Thank you. >> [snorts] >> To other board There's a lot of pages here. Um, board members have other comments or questions on this very robust It it is robust um, and that's about my comments. It is robust and I appreciate the the you know, cuz this this policy requires a lot of information and and facilities
142require a lot of things, so it would make sense that this is a large um, document. Um, and I as always, I appreciate the um, thought and planning that has gone into this um, as a part of the work of the district. We're looking into the future and sort of um, knowing how buildings degrade over time and having a really thorough, well thought out plan as to how to address the aging of all of our buildings over time and how we're maintaining them um, and keeping them safe for kids. Yeah, I would also like to echo that um, there's a really like cool um, chart in here that talks about proposed bond cycles and when like each school is going to need to be touched next um, and it goes to like 2054. And I
143don't expect that I will be up here by then, but I have really appreciate the work that has gone into making plans for that far into the future. I also really appreciate um, the work that was done um, to perform seismic assessments on schools, which was not necessarily a thing that was required at the time that they were built, but it's the right thing to do and so we're doing it. Um, and I also uh, thank the voters for allowing us to repair things that we found when we did that assessment. Thank you, Director Carson. Director Kelley. Do you have anything to add? >> I Sorry, I don't have any comments. Okay. Just want to make sure we didn't forget you. Um, yes. I will just echo everything that's been said as we we've spent
144several decades adding buildings and so it's a lot more to keep track of and to maintain. Um, so I appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into all all of the buildings and making sure that they are safe, healthy spaces for our students because while it seems unrelated, it is very core to um, student success, having a healthy, safe place to go to school that is joyful in the way it looks is so important. And then we are going to see [snorts] that our forward thinking on our geothermal schools is going to pay us great dividends in the future. So thank you for looking ahead at a time where it seemed an unnecessary addition has really paid off. So we we look forward to what new innovative ideas that our capital projects department will come up with
145and as always, we couldn't be where we're at without our voters. So we thank them for their support and we we will have more more buildings and more work with the new bond that just passed two months ago. Okay, any final thoughts? So this is uh, policy governance review. We have three options. We can find the superintendent in compliance, making adequate progress towards compliance or not in compliance. Do I have a motion for one of those? Based upon the information provided, I move the board finds that the superintendent has reasonably interpreted the provisions of the relevant policy and the superintendent is in compliance. Is there a second? Second. Great. So, uh, we are still in analog land. So we will do a voice vote and then take a minute to write and Director Kelley, I
146believe you have the document sent to you and so you can fill it out and then send it to Peggy King. Okay, I'm going to call for a vote. All those in agreement with finding Dr. Irish in compliance, say I. I. I. I. All right, so we're going to take just a minute to fill out our papers. >> It's the purple folder that they all go in, right? Okay. I have so many papers and I'm trying not to hang up on Director Kelly here. She's balanced on top of all the papers. Okay, it looks like board members are wrapping up their thoughts. So, we will move on. The next is the policy review of the parameter. Um, again, just a reminder to board members that we have Director Tran and Director Soetek putting in a
147lot of work of completely redoing all of our parameters. But, if there's anything that jumped out to you in this uh parameter on facilities that you would like to gently suggest to our hardworking team on redoing our parameters, um now would be the time. So, if there's something that comes to you later, please send it to Dr. Irish and he can get it to um our our parameter revision team. Okay, up next is our information items. First is the district budget status report for February 2026. Dr. Irish. Yes, attached for your review, as you said, is the information for the district budget status report. >> [snorts] >> Okay, this is way more fun cuz we have to remember what we saw. But, again, we need balloons and confetti because that little line is not going
148below zero and that makes us so happy. There was a lot of heartache and a lot of hours and a and a lot of everything. It was like the most dramatic rose ceremony for a long time to get us here and it's a really big deal. I feel like we've climbed 10 mountains to do this. Um, and and so, really hats off to everybody who gave up so much and worked so hard to make this happen because um you know, I say this all the time, but it's so important that we have that safety net for ourselves so that we get to make the choices for our district as opposed to having to relinquish that to the state, which is not going to make the same choices that we would. Um, so uh really huge
149hats off to all the people, I'm looking at you, that worked so hard for so long to get us where we are today and it was not easy for anyone and thank you to all our labor partners who dealt with all the changes that have been made. Um, it's just it's a really, really, really big deal for us. Um and I'm so proud of everybody. Yay. I echo that sentiment. Yep. I also want to just add that like it's still important for our community to make sure that their state representatives know that they're still not fully funding what we need from public education and though we have made great progress in bringing ourselves back to a place of financial stability, if they choose to add unwise unfunded mandates to us in the future, that can
150change really quickly and it's a lot faster to fall than it is to come back. Um, so, I would ask that you would think about that when you talk or vote. Thank you. Hearing [snorts] nothing else other than great celebratory joy, um that brings us to the capital projects fund allocation report for February 2026. Dr. Irish. It is the you got it, capital project funds allocation report for February 2026. I have no memory of the numbers and >> [laughter] >> we know we know we're on the right track, so. Isn't that the the colorful No, that's the next one. That's the project status report is our pictures. Capital project status report. I sent it. Okay. Oh, okay. Got it. But, we'll use that as an opportunity to move to the capital project status report. Dr.
151Irish. Yes, it is the um current status of the 2022 growth projects at Leota Middle School and Inglemoor High School. No, that's not. It's Oh, it is. That is it. Yep. I'm going blind. It's okay. Um, [snorts] I imagine that we'll start to see some new pictures in there before too long. >> Yes, you will. Okay. Okay, sorry. Didn't mean to pressure you there. Um Okay, uh other than silliness. Um, up next is a signed easement at Frank Love Elementary for City of Bothell sidewalk project. Dr. Irish. For [snorts] your review this evening are five project project acceptances under a million dollar. They consist of health services improvements, portable moves from Sorenson to Eastridge Elementary, health services improvements, health service improvements um at Kokanee and then health and at Hollywood Hill, Eastridge and then uh
152kitchen modernization at Woodinville High School. Yeah, that was what was next, not the Frank Love thing. Sorry. He was right. It is hard to read and I'm tired. Okay. Any questions on any of that? Great. Next, now we have the signed easement at Frank Love. Dr. Irish. Correct. It was granted by the board on March 9th, 2026 to sign the attached distribution easement in conjunction with the City of Bothell sidewalk improvement project. As a part of this project, um is required to relocate or reframe the power poles along 224th Street Southwest. Um, and so, the easement including the diagram of the easement area are attached for your review. Thank you and finally in our information items is the signed construction agreements for the 2022 bond projects at Maywood Hills Elementary. Yes, this project have been
153signed during the reporting period under the guidelines of the administration procedure 9246P. Um, notice of the construction easements and agreements for this project was submitted to the board on August 28th, 2023. The agreements are attached for your review. Those are my favorite kind. >> [laughter] [snorts] >> All right, thank you so much. That concludes the information items. Up next is board reports and communication and first is new business. And I believe Director Tran has some new business for us. All right, while you think I'm going to I just make a quick announcement. Um, I got a message today from um Cara Ann Aaron's Aaron's Anderson of the Northshore Schools Foundation um with an invitation to a benefit concert celebrating music education on Monday, May 11th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Um, the admission is free
154and the donations made would benefit the Northshore Schools Foundation's instrument refurbishment program. Thank you and we are sharing that with our public because we will be here working that night, unfortunately. Director Tran, the new business that you wanted to propose was about the WASL votes and Uh the Oh man, that there's two and there's a couple items. >> All right, go go for it. >> Thank you for that reminder. So, by the I would lagging here. Um So, WASDA is looking at their own policies and will be going to their meeting at some point as a board and um voting on some of the policies. So, I am going to look into some of the changes. I had a colleague note some policies around AI that we might want to pay attention to. Um, just
155in case it's out of alignment of what our district values are around tech. So, are you talking about um, legislative and permanent position proposals for the general assembly? >> Yes. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Okay. Um, and so it's there's a window of when we can submit those. And it was the end of April. So, we're pretty much at the end of April. Okay. Got [snorts] it. Yes. Um, so are you what are you looking for from the board? >> I am looking for not a vote because this is new business, but some as a legislative rep, some leeway on what we want to propose. Or communicating that through Peggy and letting people know so they could provide feedback. Okay. I have a couple thoughts and I'm happy to I have full trust in you and
156certainly representing me and I'm seeing head nodding from other board members. Um, at per our conversation at the regional meeting, um, I'm wondering if a proposal around amending the growth management act to include schools as essential. Yes. I was there for that conversation. And and then and then this is just me being annoyed. Um, if we're going to require financial literacy, that there is a component of it that teaches the dangers of predictive markets. >> [snorts] >> Or being financially literate as a state prior to making us teach children that. I mean, I don't know. With funding. Yeah, anyway. Okay. Um, but the I think the more seriously the growth management act. All right, thank you. And then the second item is I don't have the date in front of me, but we did receive
157an email from the Northshore PTSA around organizing for the next legislative session. Um, and I will send the date out through Peggy as a reminder just in case there are people who want to attend and then we just by OPMA laws will need to announce the date and time and location. Does that work? Yeah, that's that sounds great. In um, previous iterations of this work, we let it. Um, I'm totally fine to have PTA lead it. Um, I am actually the liaison to the PTA. So, uh, I also received that email, but yes, let's send that to Peggy and then certainly any and all board members would be welcome to attend. What it is is some they're getting started on their advocacy work. Uh, and I don't want to use the word rialing, but encouraging
158the community to advocate for funding for education. Mobilizing. Mobilizing, that's a great word. Good ad, Director Kelly. Yay, I contributed. You did, 100%. That's all I have. >> That's all you have? Director Okay. So, that brings us to board member reports and Director Kelly, you're up first. Uh, I attended the April 20th WAC Regional Conference in Arlington with everyone else. And that concludes my board member report. Thank you, Director Kelly. Next is Director Sanderson. Okay, on um, cuz it's been a long time since meetings. On March 24th, I attended the school board visit to Secondary Academy for Support um, and had the first of two Zoom cabinet meetings with um, Director Kelly. On the 25th, I attended a Newsome meeting and I had a second meeting that afternoon with um, Snohomish County Council member Jared
159Mead um, trying to uh, share information about the challenges school schools face with that um, growth um, management project. Um, and uh, trying to see if we can get schools to be included in the discussions when they make that state mandated um, program project every 10 years or update every 10 years. Um, on the 26th, I attended the second set of Zoom cabinet meetings. Um, and on the 26th and 27th, I had the fortune of getting to go to a couple of music festivals um, with my students, but getting to see um, students in our area perform uh, in bands. On the 30th, I attended the art show reception here at the district headquarters and we still have our glorious um, dandelion um, out in the lobby from that and I uh, thank the Woodinville
160students who made that and donated that to stay here. On April 13th, I attended Northshore Schools Foundation meeting with Dr. Irish. On April 14th, I attended the school board visit to Moorlands um, and loved their trading cards and the principal asked if the board should have trading cards and I said yes. Um, they they were using them as um, rewards for student good behavior. Um, on the 16th, I attended the WAC New Directors Network Zoom and in the afternoon, I had a meeting um, with Captain Johnson and Deputy Chief Beard. Um, with uh, Director Hayes. On the 18th, I attended the Northshore Schools Foundation retreat at the beginning of their meeting. Um, on the 20th, I was um, working um, at a meeting on Goal 4 planning with Dr. Donham, Dr. Foster and President Hayes.
161On the 23rd, I had a one-by-one with Dr. Irish and um, today we did the um, executive session and our study session. Thank you, Director Sanderson. Next is Director Tran. Ooh, a lot of the same. Um, so let me see. March 24th, Secondary Academy for Success visit. Uh, March 30th, art show reception where we got to make paper flowers. That was very nice. Um, April 2nd, parameter review meeting with Vice President Sotak and members of the administration. April 14th, school visit to Moorlands. April 17th, um, I was uh, I had the honor of hitting the first pitch at the cricket game that our Northshore students play where the tournament started. Um, [snorts] April 20th, the WAC regional meeting. April 22nd, attended the racial educational justice panel where I had the privilege of listening to three
162students share their lived experiences at their schools. Um, April 23rd, a two-by-two with Director Vice President Sotak. April 24th, I attended a Festival of Cultures at an elementary um, in the district and then April 27th, the study session. Thank you, Director Sotak. >> [snorts] >> Mine are all very similar to that. Um, I forgot my glasses cuz >> [laughter] >> it's time for the glasses. Um, so 3/24, it was the Secondary Academy for Success board visit. 3/30 was the art show reception here. Um, on April 2nd, I attended the parameter review meeting with um, Director Tran. On the 14th, visit to Moorlands. 15th, I had lunch with our labor partners with Director President Hayes. Um, also on the 15th, I attended the student advisory board. Um, and it was I'm so impressed by our students.
163Um, on the 16th, I met with Captain Johnson and Deputy Chief Beard with Director Kelly to talk about our vendor contract. On uh, April 20th, I attended the WAC District 1 regional meeting in Arlington. On the 23rd, met with Dr. Irish and Director Tran. And um, then all of the other things today, the study sessions, etc. I forgot I went to the meeting, too. The WAC dinner, too. And and my purpose there, too, was also to try and get some other school boards to join in the conversation with the Snohomish County Council. Thank you, Director Sotak. Again, um, very uh, we spent a lot of time together in the last month even though there was a break there. Um, I also attended the uh, SAS school visit. Um, thank you to Principal Stutz for a
164great visit and all the hard work that they're doing there. Um, I did also attend, this will shock all of you, the NSD Battle of the Books for middle school readers. Uh, it was held on March 25th. It's the competition that encouraged students at each school to form teams of four to six students to read the Evergreen book nominees and compete against other teams in the district. Um librarians lead the club each year and work with the King County Library teen librarians to write questions for the books. This year's student competitions winners was the Page Turners team from Northshore Middle. Uh second place was the Book Cook Bookie Cookies from Northshore Middle. And third place was Once There Was a Bob Club. I'm sure that means something to someone from Leota Middle School. Um teachers
165also formed teams and first place for the teachers went to Northshore Middle, the Fiction Addiction team. And second place was from Kenmore Middle School, the Ranch Hands. So, that filled my soul. Um also attended the art show reception, the school visit to Moorlands, Principal Whitten and Principal Assistant Principal Courtingly. We thank them for all their hard work. It's just a delight to be there and seeing um the opportunity to get back to focusing on students. Uh I'm continuing to attend PTA meetings, met with the Bothell police along with Director Sanderson. Um I attended the Council of School Attorneys to learn all the very exciting and happy things that are happening in the legal world around education. Not really. Um attended uh the foundation the Northshore Schools Foundation retreat as a facilitator and um they've got
166some good fundraising events coming up. So, be looking forward to some invitations in the next school year for us to show our support. Attended the WISTA regional meeting along with all of the board and Dr. Irish up in Arlington. Um I watched the Northshore Speaks, which is our poetry spoken um spoken poetry. And I'm telling you the trees poem was the best. It can have visual hand movements. It was awesome. Um there was also a really good one about somebody's baby brother that was pretty darn great as well. Um and then I attended the REJ community panel at Woodinville High. So, that wraps it up. It is almost May and I'll just gently remind board members May and June are busiest time of year. So, eat your Wheaties, get some good rest cuz we got
167a lot of fun celebratory events that are happening in the next six or seven weeks. So, thank you all for your hard work tonight and sticking with us. Um and I'm going to adjourn the meeting.