KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 415 KING COUNTY KENT, WASHINGTON February 24, 2016 The Board of Directors of Kent School District No. 415 met on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Administration Center located at 12033 SE 256th Street, Kent, Washington with Board Vice President Debbie Straus presiding. Other board members present: Agda Burchard, Russ Hanscom, Maya Vengadasalam, and Karen DeBruler. Also present: Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts. Call to Order Vice President Straus called the special meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. for the purpose of a work session for presentation of the Martin Sortun 2015-16 School Improvement Plan. Vice President Straus excused Karen DeBruler from the work session due to her attendance at the University of Washington P3 Leadership Institute. Karen arrived at 5:45 p.m. Work Session: Martin Sortun School Improvement Plan Principal Greg Kroll provided an overview of the school improvement plan for Martin Sortun Elementary and answered questions from the Board. Adjournment Vice President Straus adjourned the special meeting at 6:00 p.m. and announced the regular board meeting would begin at 7 p.m. Reception Members of the Board assembled for a reception at 6:30 p.m. to honor National Board Certification Award recipients. Call to Order President DeBruler called the regular meeting to order at 7 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance President DeBruler asked a Boy Scout from Troop 410 to lead the pledge of allegiance. Welcome President DeBruler welcomed the audience to the meeting and explained the process for public comment. Agenda Review The agenda was amended to add a supplemental personnel report and acceptance of School Improvement Plans for Martin Sortun and Millennium to the consent agenda. Motion No. 23-16 That the Board of Directors adds a supplemental personnel report and acceptance of the School Improvement Plans for Martin Sortun and Millennium to the consent agenda. Recognition (1) National Board Certification Awards Twenty-three KSD staff members have achieved National Board Certification. Seventeen teachers and counselors have recently achieved certification through the National Board Certified Teachers. Six
Page 2 staff have received certification as Educational Support Associates (ESAs) that include speech and language pathologists and school psychologists. National Board Standards were created by teachers for teachers and based on five Core Propositions. National Board believes higher standards for teachers mean better learning for students. It is the gold standard in teacher certification and is offered in 25 certificate areas. National Board Certified Teachers are nationally recognized as being among the best teachers in the profession and they comprise approximately three percent of the national teaching force. Dr. Pam Ansingh provided a brief presentation and then introduced the National Board Certification recipients. (2) 2015-2016 ASBO Meritorious Budget Award The Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International has awarded Kent School District its Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation during the 2015-2016 budget year. The MBA program recognizes excellence in school budget presentation and enhances school business officials skills in developing, analyzing and presenting a school system budget. After a rigorous review by professional auditors, the award is conferred only to school districts that have met or exceeded the program s stringent criteria. Interim Chief Business Officer Ralph Fortunato and Lisa Tylor, supervisor of budgeting and fiscal planning, presented information and answered questions. Reports (1) Safety Services Monthly Update School Resource Officer Jeff Williams and Safety Services Supervisor Tim Kovich answered questions and reported on calls for service, trends, and noteworthy items for the month of January 2016. (2) School Discipline Data Monthly Report Executive Director Randy Heath provided a trend overview of student discipline during the month of January and answered questions from the Board. Presentations (1) School Improvement Plan for Millennium Elementary School Principal Janes and members of the school improvement team provided an overview of the School Improvement Plan for Millennium Elementary School and answered questions from the Board. (2) Race to the Top Project 2 and Program Evaluation Race to the Top Project 2 invests in the creation of a data system for all seven districts in the Road Map Region to coordinate the collection of student data (demographics, academic, health, social and family history), facilitate the flow of that data from district to district as students move, and to present that data in a meaningful form to students, parents, educators and other stakeholders. The Program Evaluation (PE) fund provides school districts the capacity to evaluate the efficacy of the Race to the Top investments, specifically looking for the projects that provide the greatest results for the grant funds invested.
Page 3 Public Hearing for Resolution No. 1484, Endorsement of Proposition 1, Capital Improvement and School Construction General Obligation Bond President DeBruler recessed the regular meeting and opened a public hearing to hear comments for or against Resolution No. 1484, Endorsement of Proposition 1, Capital Improvement and School Construction General Obligation Bond. President DeBruler called for any person wishing to submit written or spoken comments for or against the proposed resolution. As there were no public comments, President DeBruler closed the public hearing and resumed the regular meeting. Board of Directors Discussion & Approval (1) Resolution No. 1484, Endorsement of Proposition 1, Capital Improvement and School Construction General Obligation Bond If approved, the resolution would be a public statement of support for Proposition 1, Capital Improvement and School Construction General Obligation Bond, going before the voters in the April 26th Special Election. Since 2008, the state of Washington has allowed elected bodies such as school boards to collectively vote to support or oppose a ballot measure at properly noticed public meetings. By adopting the resolution, board members can then speak publicly regarding the measure on behalf of the District. Without adopting the measure, board members must clearly state their opinions and support or opposition to a measure are those of a private citizen. Passage of this measure does not change the prohibitions for the Board and other District personnel on using district resources for promotion or opposition of a ballot measure. Motion No. 24-16 That the Board of Directors approves Resolution No. 1484, Endorsement of Proposition 1, Capital Improvement and School Construction General Obligation Bond. (2) 2016-17 Student Calendar Collective bargaining units voted on two options for the 2016-17 student calendar. Option #2, with the full week off in February, was selected by a majority of the votes cast by members of seven bargaining groups. Motion No. 25-16 That the Board of Directors ratifies Option #2 for the 2016-17 student calendar. (3) Asset Preservation Program To protect the public capital investment of all post-1993 state assisted facilities through appropriate levels of maintenance and to be eligible for future state capital funding assistance, the Board adopted Resolution No. 1341 on December 9, 2009, to show the district s commitment to maintain the school facilities to a safe and healthy standard through the implementation of an Asset Preservation Program (APP).
Page 4 As part of complying with the Asset Preservation Program, the District committed to assess the condition of the APP schools annually and report the findings to the Board. Motion No. 26-16 That the Board of Directors approves the report, required by OSPI, as part of the Asset Preservation Program. Consent Agenda Item 7.06 Vouchers was pulled for further discussion. Motion No. 27-16 That the Board of Directors approves the following consent agenda items: 1. Minutes of the 10 February 2016 regular meeting and executive session. 2. Approval of STEM Grant. 3. Acceptance of School Improvement Plans 2015-16 for Martin Sortun and Millennium Elementary Schools. 4. Personnel report. 5. Travel Authorizations Kent-Meridian Cheer students to travel to Anaheim, California, March 17-22, 2016, to compete at United Spirit Association National High School Cheer Competition. Ralph Fortunato to travel to Toronto, Canada, May 20-25, 2016, to attend GFOA Annual Conference Motion No. 28-16 That the Board of Directors approves general fund accounts payable warrant nos. 149553-149810; and electronic transfer for purchasing card, DOR Use Taxes, benefits, and Vision Trust for a total general fund amount of $6,024,057.50; capital projects fund accounts payable warrant nos. 203411-203418 and electronic transfer for purchasing card for a total capital projects fund amount of $251,260.70; ASB fund accounts payable warrant nos. 409949-410002 and electronic transfer for purchasing card and DOR Use Taxes for a total ASB fund amount of $44,223.79; and fiduciary account electronic transfer for purchasing card for a total fiduciary fund amount of $88.13 for a grand total of $6,319,630.12. Communication from the Audience Members of the audience addressed the Board concerning teacher assaults by students, an update on KSD/KEA collaboration efforts related to expanded training in cultural competency, and the lack of curriculum materials for Dual Language programs.
Page 5 Superintendent s Report The superintendent s report was accepted as presented and included: Dr. Watts noted that the information presented at the meeting reflected how we utilize our resources--financial, time, and staff--and he looks forward to future conversations about maximizing and allocating those resources. Dr. Watts congratulated the National Board Certification recipients and thanked Dr. Pam Ansingh for the presentation. Dr. Watts commended the honorees as inspiring examples of dedication and persistence and who, in turn, accelerate student learning in the district. Dr. Watts reported on the Juvenile Justice Steering Committee and its effort to minimize disproportionality of placement in detention facilities through a preventative frame of reference, using restorative principles, and expanding mentoring opportunities. Board Reports & Discussion Russ Hanscom reported on attending the IB Parent Night at Kent-Meridian and the Pizza & Politics KEA listening session. Russ also reported that, for over a year, student GPA has not been on student report cards; there is now work underway to have the GPA included on the report cards. Russ announced a Bond Rally next Wednesday to inform voters about the upcoming Bond. Maya Vengadasalam provided an update from the Kent Schools Foundation meeting including its work to update communication and new website, and its ongoing recruitment and fundraising efforts. Maya also talked about meetings with representatives from the Kent Schools Foundation, the Kent Community Foundation, and the Kent Chamber to discuss mutual strengths and partnering. Maya reported on the Kent Chamber Girls First Robotics program. Agda Burchard attended the Legislative town hall meetings for the 33 rd and 11 th districts as well as the 47 th district. Agda said that she had questions from a constituent about the bond and Covington Elementary. She received praise from another constituent for the Tech Expo. Agda reported on the monthly meeting with other board members from South King County to talk about equity and early learning issues; one of the Tukwila board members talked about visiting the African American Male Achievement Initiative in Oakland. Agda also reported attending a Dr. Charles Payne lecture at the University of Washington. Debbie Straus noted that the two foundations (Kent Schools Foundation and Kent Community Foundation) have been talking since inception of the Kent Schools Foundation and current discussions are around better alignment of the two interests. Debbie reported on attending the 47 th town hall meeting and is waiting to be assigned a mentee so she can begin her mentorship. Karen DeBruler reported on the meeting of the University of Washington PK-3 Executive Leadership class. It was the first of a series of meetings that will extend over the next ten months. The focus is on the importance of learning from zero to five years old. Part of the group s project will be to determine ways to help pre-schools and parents prepare students to be school-ready and kindergarten-ready.
Page 6 Adjournment President DeBruler adjourned the regular meeting at 9:10 p.m. KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 415 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ATTEST: Meeting Chairperson Dr. Calvin J. Watts Secretary to the Board