EVERETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
EVERETT, WASHINGTON
Regular Meeting
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The Board of Directors of Everett Public Schools, Snohomish County, Washington, held a regular Board meeting on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, beginning at 4:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the Educational Service Center, 4730 Colby Avenue, Everett, Washington. Those in attendance were: Carol Andrews, Sue Cooper, Kristie Dutton, Karen Madsen and Ed Petersen.
[Note: Board member Andrews arrived following adoption of the agenda.]
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ADOPTION OF AGENDA
President Cooper called for any changes to the agenda. Interim Superintendent Karst Brandsma reported that there would be a revised Personnel Report. He also requested that an addendum, Item 9aa—Approval of Superintendent’s Contract, be added to the section Board Action and/or Board Discussion. With that, Ed Petersen moved for adoption of the revised agenda. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
[Note: Board member Andrews arrived at 4:35 p.m.]
| | ADOPTION OF AGENDA
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APPROVAL OF MINUTES
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It was noted that the minutes of the special meeting of February 21, 2009, contained a typographical error in the last sentence of the next-to-last paragraph. The estimated duration of the session should have read 8 ½ hours. With that, Kristie Dutton moved to adopt the corrected minutes of the special meeting of February 21, 2009. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
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Kristie Dutton moved to adopt the minutes of the special meeting of February 22, 2009. Ed Petersen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
| | APPROVAL OF MINUTES
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Karen Madsen moved to adopt the minutes of the regular meeting of February 24, 2009. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
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Carol Andrews moved to adopt the minutes of the special meeting of February 25, 2009. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
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Ed Petersen moved to adopt the minutes of the special meeting of February 28, 2009. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
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Kristie Dutton moved to adopt the minutes of the special meeting of March 3, 2009. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
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SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMENTS
Mr. Brandsma commented about yesterday’s snowfall. The District operated two hours late today on normal bus routes. There were no incidents. He expressed his appreciation for District staff members who travel the roads early in the morning to assess road conditions when there is inclement weather.
Mr. Brandsma circulated proclamations from Governor Gregoire announcing that March 9-13 is Classified School Employee Week and March 16-22 is School Retirees Appreciation Week. Next, Mr. Brandsma reported that the alternative state-of-the-school reviews (SOSRs) are underway and are proving to be very interesting.
| | SUPT’S COMMENTS
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The Consolidated Program Review (CPR) took place over a two-day period in late February. The auditors gave the District a very positive review, with one exception, involving the District Improvement Plan. Chief Academic Officer Terry Edwards said kudos go to the many who worked so hard gathering and assembling information for the auditors to review. Dr. Sue Dedrick, Director of Categorical Programs, spearheaded much of the work. President Cooper commended the staff for their efforts.
Mr. Brandsma displayed a series of charts from the Center for Educational Effectiveness showing data concerning student achievement in the state and how it is tied to poverty rate, more so than ethnicity.
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SUPT’S COMMENTS (cont’d.)
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PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
| | PUBLIC COMMENT
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RECOGNITION OF RETIREES
None.
| | RECOGNITION OF RETIREES
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ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
The Administration presented the attached proposed Policy 3430—Comprehensive Safe Schools Plans (removing access to school & district emergency plans from the website) & deletion of Policies 3423, 3431, 3432, 3434 & 3435 (regarding individual emergency plans) for first reading, with adoption to be recommended at a future Board meeting (E:143/09). The proposed changes are recommended to remove access of school and district emergency plans from the website. The information is now maintained in the Emergency Operations Plans, located at each building. The accompanying procedures to the recommended deleted policies have also been incorporated into the Emergency Operations Plans, located at each building. Mr. Brandsma commented briefly.
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PROPOSED POLICY 3430—COMPREHEN-SIVE SAFE SCHOOLS PLANS
(REMOVING ACCESS TO SCHOOL & DISTRICT EMERGENCY PLANS FROM THE WEBSITE)
& DELETION OF POLICIES 3423, 3431, 3432, 3434, & 3435
(RE:
INDIVIDUAL EMERGENCY PLANS
)
– first reading
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The Administration presented information concerning welcoming environments in the District, including making the schools culturally welcoming. Sue Dedrick distributed copies of the evening’s PowerPoint presentation (E:144/09). At the conclusion of the presentation, Board member Petersen said he appreciated hearing the many anecdotes from all over the district. He went on to ask whether there is research establishing a relationship between welcoming environments and student achievement, to which Chief Academic Officer Terry Edwards replied that there is a great deal of research indicating that students in families that are connected to school do better; there are decreased behavioral problems, increased attendance and students are more likely to graduate. Mr. Brandsma said the District Diversity Task Force may call on outside parties to have panel discussions with student and parent groups.
President Cooper thanked Dr. Dedrick for the thorough, intentional efforts to reach all students and parents.
| | REPORT—WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
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Financial reports as of January 31, 2009 were provided for the Board of Directors’ review (E:145/09). The reports include year-to-date information on revenues and expenditures, General Fund projections, a cash report and an investment summary. Director of Finance Jeff Moore said the financial report is fairly consistent with the prior month’s, with just over a $9 million ending fund balance. The Finance Department staff continues to monitor the budget closely.
| | FINANCIAL REPORTS AS OF JANUARY 31, 2009
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ACTION ITEMS
Kristie Dutton moved for approval of the revised Consent Agenda. Karen Madsen seconded the motion.
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CONSENT AGENDA
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1) Personnel Report (revised) (E:146/09);
2) Voucher Lists (E:147/09);
3) Final Acceptance: Garfield Elementary School Modernization (E:148/09);
4) Approval of the Commissioning Report for Garfield Elementary School Modernization (E:149/09);
5) Approval of the Commissioning Report for Silver Lake Elementary School Modernization (E:150/09).
The motion carried unanimously.
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BOARD COMMENTS
Board member Madsen reported that she was at Whittier, Woodside and Silver Lake Elementaries for the superintendent’s budget presentations. She also attended the Silver Lake Elementary alternative SOSR—the school is doing amazing work with great focus and attention to detail on each student. She then said she attended a District Diversity Task Force meeting where she witnessed an exchange of many good ideas.
Board member Petersen extended congratulations to Betty Cobbs who has been appointed by the Governor as a trustee at Everett Community College. Mr. Brandsma said the District communications staff is working with the college’s public relations person to publicize the appointment.
President Cooper reported that she had the opportunity to attend Silver Firs Elementary’s Alternative SOSR. It was clear that there is a great deal of collaboration and staff members are focusing on each child.
| | BOARD
COMMENTS
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BOARD ACTION AND/OR BOARD DISCUSSION
President Cooper distributed a proposed employment contract for the new superintendent, Dr. Gary Cohn (E:151/09). She and Board member Petersen worked with Dr. Cohn and readily came to mutually agreeable terms of the contract. Contents are similar to past contracts. Board member Petersen said the Board wanted to ensure that there is internal layering of the compensation plan with the Leadership Team while also recognizing the duties of the position. President Cooper said they wanted the position to be in alignment with similarly-sized districts in the area.
With no further discussion, Ed Petersen moved to approve the aforementioned superintendent’s contract. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
President Cooper called for a five-minute rest break at 5:40 p.m.
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ADDENDUM—APPROVAL OF SUPT’S CONTRACT
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President Cooper re-convened the regular meeting at 5:45 p.m. and immediately moved into executive session to review the performance of a public employee. Before going into executive session, it was announced that the executive session would be of approximately 30 minutes’ duration.
At 6:15 p.m., the door to the Board Room was opened and it was announced the executive session would extend for five minutes.
At 6:20 p.m., President Cooper re-convened the regular meeting and called for a five-minute rest break.
| | EXECUTIVE SESSION—REVIEW THE PERFORMANCE OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
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At 6:25 p.m., President Cooper re-convened the regular meeting and began a discussion concerning strategic planning for 2009-2010. Deputy Superintendent Matt McCauley invited input from the Board and noted that a survey to Leadership Team is in process. The results will be compiled and shared with the Board and the Leadership Team. Board member Madsen referred to Item 1.1 from the draft that was distributed at the February 24 Board meeting, saying that she has struggled with the wording for a while (E:152/09). It feels like the focus is on the test rather than each child. Instead, perhaps the wording should be about helping each child “step up.”
Board member Dutton noted that during the meetings with staff and the community last fall and winter, there was an emphasis from parents concerned with the whole child to include music and art, something which is not necessarily measured by an assessment, but is a valued part. This is a piece that Ms. Dutton would like to see included.
President Cooper said if there is reaction from staff to addressing these issues or help is needed to understand that a concept is already incorporated, it would be useful to have dialogue. The Board wants the plan to be successful and they do not want to hinder the work. Matt acknowledged that the Board’s input will not be viewed as mandates, but will be woven into the plan while aligning with the direction of the District and student needs. Drafts will be shared continually with the Board. Regarding Item 1.4, Board member Madsen referred to the new science standards, to which Terry Edwards said those are embedded when kit training is done. Regarding Item 2.3, Board member Madsen said it continues to be important to recruit diverse staff. Matt said it is an item the group would likely continue to feel is important. Matt said there is not an attempt to change the goals; rather, the action steps to accomplish the goals are being considered. Board member Madsen said Item 2.2, first bullet, might better be phrased as just saying, “Focus resources on student learning.” Other than that, she felt the draft looked good.
Karst said Dr. Cohn needs to have leverage to assess the feedback that comes from the Diversity Task Force to determine what points need to be incorporated. There is a strong expectation among the task force members and in the community that the task force’s recommendations need to be acted upon. Key concepts need to be captured.
Board member Petersen said there may need to be an exploration to get to a definition of what it means to educate a child for the 21st century. Oftentimes, our first thought is technology, but children also need to understand geography, cultures, economic implications, world languages and teamwork. The world is changing quickly and it needs to be understood what that mean in terms of educating youngsters. President Cooper concurred that this is an important aspect and part of the reason the Strategic Plan process needs to be revisited from time to time, perhaps with all stakeholders, to determine whether it needs to be constructed differently. President Cooper said it is very daunting to look at the Strategic Plan and think about adding more. Nevertheless, it is valuable to share what has been heard from the community over the past six months and take an external and an internal look. The process of refining and reviewing is very important. Board member Madsen said it would be interesting to see what items have been retired from the Strategic Plan. She thanked the Administration for bringing the Plan to the Board for discussion at this time.
| | UPDATE—STRATEGIC PLANNING 2009-2010
UPDATE—STRATEGIC PLANNING 2009-2010
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The Administration provided a budget update. Karst Brandsma said the District’s budget deficit is projected to be $6.81 million. He reviewed a PowerPoint presentation for this part of the Board meeting (E:153/09). Jeff Moore talked about the work of the District’s Budget Advisory Committee. Matt McCauley reviewed recent information received about the economic stimulus package and the guidelines associated with it. Bob Collard talked about the work of the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Group. Executive Director for Human Resources Lynn Evans talked about certificated staffing timelines. Karst reviewed recommended Basic Education reductions. Terry Edwards talked about possible Categorical reductions and then Karst closed by outlining next steps. More information will be available in late March, including an updated revenue forecast, stimulus rules and House & Senate budgets. Classified staffing will be finalized in late March.
| | UPDATE—BUDGET
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President Cooper adjourned the regular meeting at 8:55 p.m.
_______________________________ ________________________________
Karst Brandsma, Secretary Sue Cooper, President
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