5-8-01 Board Meeting

EVERETT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
EVERETT, WASHINGTON Regular Meeting

The Board of Directors of Everett Public Schools, Snohomish County, Washington, held a regular Board meeting on Tuesday, November 22, 2005, beginning at 4:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the Educational Service Center, 4730 Colby Avenue, Everett, Washington. Those in attendance were Kristie Dutton, Karen Madsen, Paul Roberts and Roy Yates. Absent: Sue Cooper.

ADOPTION OF AGENDA
President Yates called for any recommended changes to the agenda. Superintendent Carol Whitehead reported that there would be a revised personnel report. With that, Kristie Dutton moved for adoption of the revised agenda. Paul Roberts seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Paul Roberts moved for approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of November 8, 2005, and the special meeting of November 15, 2005. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMENTS
Superintendent Whitehead opened her comments by calling on the District’s Athletic Director Robert Polk to announce the November scholar athletes for Jackson High School. Amber Pleasant is a member of the girls’ swim team, has a 3.97 GPA, scored 1780 on the SAT, was selected as the team’s MVP and won district championships in two different swimming events and also placed at state in those same events, and serves as a volunteer swim instructor with the Parks Department. Eugene Song has a 3.66 GPA, scored a 1750 on the SAT. The doubles tennis team, of which he is a member, placed second at districts and helped JHS win the district team championship this year. Eugene also participates in the JHS spirit group (Leaders of the Pack) and is in the Honor Society.

The Jackson High School girls’ soccer team made it to the state playoffs and qualified for the semifinals but lost to Tahoma, who won state. JHS prevailed over Lake Stevens the next day to take third in the state to go along with their fourth place finish from the year before.
SUPT’S COMMENTS
In football, Everett and Jackson High Schools qualified for finals for the first time in many years. Although they ultimately made an early exit, both schools had a lot of student spirit and are looking forward to next year. Cascade High School qualified for the state semifinals, also for the first time in many years. They will play against Woodinville (in the Tacoma Dome) on Saturday at 10 a.m. The school’s student body and parent community are very excited. Dr. Whitehead said that she recently received information from Robert in which he provided a positive report about the behavior of District students, coaches and fans throughout the fall sports season. They conducted themselves as good models and good sports. Congratulations to all.

Next, Dr. Whitehead reported that Everett High School’s Thanksgiving food drive this year gathered over 35,000 cans of food and almost $8,200 for the purchase of perishable food items, enough for approximately 80 families. In addition, other District schools and offices have been accepting donations of food and money for those less fortunate. Indeed, many of the families in need have children who attend Everett Public Schools.

Mike Gregoire, husband of Washington’s Governor Christine Gregoire (and a graduate of Everett High School), will be visiting View Ridge Elementary School on December 2 to talk with children about the importance of reading. During his visit, Mr. Gregoire will read with 5^th grade students in the library and then present 500 books at a school-wide assembly. Mr. Gregoire’s visit celebrates “Read for 2006,” a worldwide reading day sponsored by the spouses of 40 of the nation’s governors as well as by Scholastic Book Clubs.

District Curriculum Specialist Peter Hendrickson also serves as the president of the National Association of Test Directors (NATD). In the December 2005 issue of the newsletter published by the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), Mr. Hendrickson has an article which focuses on the growth in assessment that has occurred in the state of Washington during the last few years (E:63/06). Dr. Whitehead congratulated Peter.

Dr. Whitehead reported that Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Ann Stine is quoted in an article in the November 2005 issue of Learning and Leading with Technology (published by the International Society for Technology in Education) (attached). Entitled “Computer Tutors Get Personal,” the premise of the article is about software packages being used to tutor students. Ms. Stine’s quotes concern the effectiveness of these programs at the high school level. Dr. Whitehead congratulated Mary Ann.

SUPT’S COMMENTS
(cont’d.)
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
PUBLIC COMMENT
RECOGNITION OF RETIREES
None.
RECOGNITION OF RETIREES
ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
The Administration provided an update concerning the District’s categorical programs.
Terry Edwards, the District’s Executive Director for Curriculum Alignment and Implementation, presented a PowerPoint presentation summarizing grants administered in Everett Public Schools (E:64/06). Amounting to over $10,800,000, these grants represent a substantial supplement to the District’s basic education program. Dr. Sue Dedrick, Director of Categorical Programs, heads up the District’s grants management program. Terry went on to talk about the sources of grants; the supplemental services that grant monies make possible; the audiences and purposes of grants; rules and restrictions for grant expenditures; the definition of entitlement grants; and the competitive nature of some grants. So far this year, the District has applied for slightly more than 30 grants. Most have been funded and a few are still pending. The status of grants changes almost daily at this time of year.

CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS UPDATE
Dr. Dedrick described Title I Part A LAP (Learning Assistance Program) grants; Title III LEP (Limited English Proficiency) grants; and the Title X Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant, which is a competitive grant for $50,000, but the District actually spends much more than that. In fact, it is a large grant in terms of the impact on students who are at risk. The District’s transportation department plays a big part in this grant.

Board member Dutton asked what percentage of the $10.8 million goes to staff, to which Terry replied that it depends upon the grant; it mirrors District staffing in some cases, but not in others. Some positions do not involve teaching students directly. For example, the funds may offer a way to provide staff development.

Board member Madsen asked for clarification about the definition of Title I schools. Terry said when 40 percent of a school’s population qualifies for free-and-reduced lunch status, then the school must complete a year-long self-study and application process in order to receive Title I funds. President Yates asked how free-and-reduced data is collected internally, to which Terry replied that the District’s Food and Nutrition Services department collects the data. It is a self-identification process by which parents complete a form which is returned to Food Services for analysis for qualification. The District takes the process one step further by looking for older siblings of elementary school children who have qualified because oftentimes the older children do not want to be identified as someone who needs that sort of assistance.

Ms. Madsen then asked about the meaning of “sheltered classroom,” to which Dr. Dedrick said these are classes where ELL (English Language Learner) students receive the same class content and curriculum as other students, but with an emphasis on language development.

CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS UPDATE
(cont’d.)
The Administration provided an update concerning the District’s math programs. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Ann Stine shared a copy of her PowerPoint presentation for the evening (E:65/06). Although a great deal has been accomplished in the District’s math programs, there is much to do. The initial adoption for the current K-12 curriculum began in 2002 with Investigations in Number, Data and Space being adopted at the K-5 level; Connected Mathematics at the middle school grades 6-8; and the Discovering Series (algebra, geometry, advanced algebra) being adopted at the high school grades 9-12. Mary Ann showed charts displaying the increase in student achievement on the WASL at the 4^th, 7^th and 10^th grades. She talked about next steps for the program that include a different curriculum to assist students who are at risk of not meeting standard on the WASL in mathematics. She described additional support for the program that has come in the form of four math facilitators who spread their time among approximately a dozen schools. Further interventions include providing an extended school day, online and summer school opportunities, and an 8^th period. Future considerations include adding math staff, providing additional time and focusing on the GLEs (grade level expectations).

President Yates asked how the math facilitators spend their days. Mary Ann said that, among other activities, they assist with lesson planning and debriefing; review data to focus on particular students; and identify areas where students are struggling. Board member Dutton asked what “ drives” the growth in the algebra courses, to which Mary Ann said it is a natural next step for students. Students are more ready to take the courses because the groundwork has been laid for students to access mathematics earlier and be more successful.

Next, Mary Ann displayed the District’s math website which has had over 56,000 “hits” since it was put in place two years ago. People across the nation have provided feedback about the site. It has been mentioned at conferences and Addison Wesley Scott Foresman (publishers) have featured it as a school link, as has SchoolKit.

In response to a question from an audience member about how gaps in learning are addressed in the transition from elementary to middle school (for example), Mary Ann said feedback loops have been established. Trimester common assessments have been created, so all of the teachers give the same assessments three times per year, thus providing further data with which to be more accurate. There are a number of challenges, but the presence of the math facilitators will help with communication among the different levels (elementary, middle and high school).

In response to a question from Board member Roberts about steps the District has taken to improve 10^th grade WASL scores, Mary Ann said an accelerated learning support (ALS) class called “Bridges to Algebra,” has been added. In addition, certain problems have been built into math classes that are more reflective of the kinds of questions students are apt to encounter on the WASL. Efforts are also being taken to incorporate the WASL-released items as they become available. Work is being done on ways to help students intentionally think about and understand the problems that are being posed, and then help students solve the problems in a meaningful way. It will be challenging to help students build from what they already know and help them understand the connections within mathematics.
MATH UPDATE

MATH UPDATE
(cont’d.)

ACTION ITEMS
Karen Madsen moved for approval of the revised Consent Agenda items. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion.
CONSENT AGENDA
1) Personnel Report (revised) (E:66/06);
2) Voucher Lists (E:67/06);
The motion carried unanimously.

The Administration recommended the Board of Directors adopt Resolution 841— ;Replacement Levy for School Programs and Operations, to establish a special election on February 7, 2006 (Res. 04/06). The resolution authorizes the District to collect $30,500,000 in 2007; $32,500,000 in 2008; $34,500,000 in 2009; and $36,500,000 in 2010 for school program and operations purposes. On November 15, 2005, the Board authorized the establishment of the dollar amount for the Maintenance and Operations levy. The previous Maintenance and Operations levy resolution was adopted November 21, 2001 via Resolution 735.

Associate Superintendent for Finance and Operations Bob Collard summarized work that has been done to get to the presentation of tonight’s resolution.

With that, Kristie Dutton moved to adopt Resolution 841—Replacement Levy for School Programs and Operations, to establish a special election on February 7, 2006. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
RESOLUTION 841: Replacement Levy for School Programs & Operations

The Administration recommended the Board of Directors adopt Resolution 842— ;School Construction, Renovation and Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition to establish a special election on February 7, 2006 (Res. 05/06). The resolution authorizes the District to issue general obligation bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $198,900,000 for the purpose of providing funds to pay the costs of construction and renovation of school buildings; classroom computers and other technology systems; safety and security systems; and other capital improvements to the educational facilities of the District. On November 15, 2005, the Board authorized the establishment of the dollar amount for the bond issue for technology, security, building construction and building improvements. The previous bond proposition was adopted November 27, 2001 via Resolution 736.

Associate Superintendent for Finance and Operations Bob Collard summarized work that has been done to get to the presentation of tonight’s resolution.

With that, Paul Roberts moved to adopt Resolution 842—School Construction, Renovation and Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition to establish a special election on February 7, 2006. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION 842: School Construction, Renovation & Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition
BOARD COMMENTS
Board member Madsen said this year’s WSSDA conference went well. It was good that all of the Board members could attend. She noted that the presentation by Dr. Whitehead, Dr. Molly Ringo and Gay Campbell was so popular that it drew a “standing room only” crowd. The topic was timely and the information was well-presented. President Yates concurred.

Board member Dutton said tonight’s presentation shows evidence that the combination of technology and instruction has moved the District forward.
BOARD COMMENTS
BOARD ACTION AND/OR BOARD DISCUSSION
Dr. Whitehead distributed copies of the self-evaluation instrument used last year by the Board (E:68/06). After some discussion, the Board determined that they will again use this instrument for this year’s self-evaluation. If the Board sees some “red flags” after the results of the questionnaire are compiled, then they will consider whether to seek additional evaluation data in the form of a community feedback weblink or postcard, for example. Board members will bring their completed questionnaires with them to the December 6 Board meeting.
BOARD SELF-EVALUATION
With no further comments, President Yates adjourned the regular meeting at 5:50 p.m. _____________________________ ________________________________ Carol Whitehead, Secretary Roy Yates, President

The Board of Directors of Everett Public Schools, Snohomish County, Washington, held a regular Board meeting on Tuesday, November 22, 2005, beginning at 4:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the Educational Service Center, 4730 Colby Avenue, Everett, Washington. Those in attendance were Kristie Dutton, Karen Madsen, Paul Roberts and Roy Yates. Absent: Sue Cooper.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA President Yates called for any recommended changes to the agenda. Superintendent Carol Whitehead reported that there would be a revised personnel report. With that, Kristie Dutton moved for adoption of the revised agenda. Paul Roberts seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.		ADOPTION OF AGENDA
APPROVAL OF MINUTES Paul Roberts moved for approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of November 8, 2005, and the special meeting of November 15, 2005. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.		APPROVAL OF MINUTES
SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMENTS Superintendent Whitehead opened her comments by calling on the District’s Athletic Director Robert Polk to announce the November scholar athletes for Jackson High School. Amber Pleasant is a member of the girls’ swim team, has a 3.97 GPA, scored 1780 on the SAT, was selected as the team’s MVP and won district championships in two different swimming events and also placed at state in those same events, and serves as a volunteer swim instructor with the Parks Department. Eugene Song has a 3.66 GPA, scored a 1750 on the SAT. The doubles tennis team, of which he is a member, placed second at districts and helped JHS win the district team championship this year. Eugene also participates in the JHS spirit group (Leaders of the Pack) and is in the Honor Society. The Jackson High School girls’ soccer team made it to the state playoffs and qualified for the semifinals but lost to Tahoma, who won state. JHS prevailed over Lake Stevens the next day to take third in the state to go along with their fourth place finish from the year before.		SUPT’S COMMENTS
In football, Everett and Jackson High Schools qualified for finals for the first time in many years. Although they ultimately made an early exit, both schools had a lot of student spirit and are looking forward to next year. Cascade High School qualified for the state semifinals, also for the first time in many years. They will play against Woodinville (in the Tacoma Dome) on Saturday at 10 a.m. The school’s student body and parent community are very excited. Dr. Whitehead said that she recently received information from Robert in which he provided a positive report about the behavior of District students, coaches and fans throughout the fall sports season. They conducted themselves as good models and good sports. Congratulations to all. Next, Dr. Whitehead reported that Everett High School’s Thanksgiving food drive this year gathered over 35,000 cans of food and almost $8,200 for the purchase of perishable food items, enough for approximately 80 families. In addition, other District schools and offices have been accepting donations of food and money for those less fortunate. Indeed, many of the families in need have children who attend Everett Public Schools. Mike Gregoire, husband of Washington’s Governor Christine Gregoire (and a graduate of Everett High School), will be visiting View Ridge Elementary School on December 2 to talk with children about the importance of reading. During his visit, Mr. Gregoire will read with 5^th grade students in the library and then present 500 books at a school-wide assembly. Mr. Gregoire’s visit celebrates “Read for 2006,” a worldwide reading day sponsored by the spouses of 40 of the nation’s governors as well as by Scholastic Book Clubs. District Curriculum Specialist Peter Hendrickson also serves as the president of the National Association of Test Directors (NATD). In the December 2005 issue of the newsletter published by the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), Mr. Hendrickson has an article which focuses on the growth in assessment that has occurred in the state of Washington during the last few years (E:63/06). Dr. Whitehead congratulated Peter. Dr. Whitehead reported that Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Ann Stine is quoted in an article in the November 2005 issue of Learning and Leading with Technology (published by the International Society for Technology in Education) (attached). Entitled “Computer Tutors Get Personal,” the premise of the article is about software packages being used to tutor students. Ms. Stine’s quotes concern the effectiveness of these programs at the high school level. Dr. Whitehead congratulated Mary Ann.		SUPT’S COMMENTS (cont’d.)
PUBLIC COMMENT None		PUBLIC COMMENT
RECOGNITION OF RETIREES None.		RECOGNITION OF RETIREES
ITEMS FOR INFORMATION The Administration provided an update concerning the District’s categorical programs. Terry Edwards, the District’s Executive Director for Curriculum Alignment and Implementation, presented a PowerPoint presentation summarizing grants administered in Everett Public Schools (E:64/06). Amounting to over $10,800,000, these grants represent a substantial supplement to the District’s basic education program. Dr. Sue Dedrick, Director of Categorical Programs, heads up the District’s grants management program. Terry went on to talk about the sources of grants; the supplemental services that grant monies make possible; the audiences and purposes of grants; rules and restrictions for grant expenditures; the definition of entitlement grants; and the competitive nature of some grants. So far this year, the District has applied for slightly more than 30 grants. Most have been funded and a few are still pending. The status of grants changes almost daily at this time of year.		CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS UPDATE
Dr. Dedrick described Title I Part A LAP (Learning Assistance Program) grants; Title III LEP (Limited English Proficiency) grants; and the Title X Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant, which is a competitive grant for $50,000, but the District actually spends much more than that. In fact, it is a large grant in terms of the impact on students who are at risk. The District’s transportation department plays a big part in this grant. Board member Dutton asked what percentage of the $10.8 million goes to staff, to which Terry replied that it depends upon the grant; it mirrors District staffing in some cases, but not in others. Some positions do not involve teaching students directly. For example, the funds may offer a way to provide staff development. Board member Madsen asked for clarification about the definition of Title I schools. Terry said when 40 percent of a school’s population qualifies for free-and-reduced lunch status, then the school must complete a year-long self-study and application process in order to receive Title I funds. President Yates asked how free-and-reduced data is collected internally, to which Terry replied that the District’s Food and Nutrition Services department collects the data. It is a self-identification process by which parents complete a form which is returned to Food Services for analysis for qualification. The District takes the process one step further by looking for older siblings of elementary school children who have qualified because oftentimes the older children do not want to be identified as someone who needs that sort of assistance. Ms. Madsen then asked about the meaning of “sheltered classroom,” to which Dr. Dedrick said these are classes where ELL (English Language Learner) students receive the same class content and curriculum as other students, but with an emphasis on language development.		CATEGORICAL PROGRAMS UPDATE (cont’d.)
The Administration provided an update concerning the District’s math programs. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Ann Stine shared a copy of her PowerPoint presentation for the evening (E:65/06). Although a great deal has been accomplished in the District’s math programs, there is much to do. The initial adoption for the current K-12 curriculum began in 2002 with Investigations in Number, Data and Space being adopted at the K-5 level; Connected Mathematics at the middle school grades 6-8; and the Discovering Series (algebra, geometry, advanced algebra) being adopted at the high school grades 9-12. Mary Ann showed charts displaying the increase in student achievement on the WASL at the 4^th, 7^th and 10^th grades. She talked about next steps for the program that include a different curriculum to assist students who are at risk of not meeting standard on the WASL in mathematics. She described additional support for the program that has come in the form of four math facilitators who spread their time among approximately a dozen schools. Further interventions include providing an extended school day, online and summer school opportunities, and an 8^th period. Future considerations include adding math staff, providing additional time and focusing on the GLEs (grade level expectations). President Yates asked how the math facilitators spend their days. Mary Ann said that, among other activities, they assist with lesson planning and debriefing; review data to focus on particular students; and identify areas where students are struggling. Board member Dutton asked what “ drives” the growth in the algebra courses, to which Mary Ann said it is a natural next step for students. Students are more ready to take the courses because the groundwork has been laid for students to access mathematics earlier and be more successful. Next, Mary Ann displayed the District’s math website which has had over 56,000 “hits” since it was put in place two years ago. People across the nation have provided feedback about the site. It has been mentioned at conferences and Addison Wesley Scott Foresman (publishers) have featured it as a school link, as has SchoolKit. In response to a question from an audience member about how gaps in learning are addressed in the transition from elementary to middle school (for example), Mary Ann said feedback loops have been established. Trimester common assessments have been created, so all of the teachers give the same assessments three times per year, thus providing further data with which to be more accurate. There are a number of challenges, but the presence of the math facilitators will help with communication among the different levels (elementary, middle and high school). In response to a question from Board member Roberts about steps the District has taken to improve 10^th grade WASL scores, Mary Ann said an accelerated learning support (ALS) class called “Bridges to Algebra,” has been added. In addition, certain problems have been built into math classes that are more reflective of the kinds of questions students are apt to encounter on the WASL. Efforts are also being taken to incorporate the WASL-released items as they become available. Work is being done on ways to help students intentionally think about and understand the problems that are being posed, and then help students solve the problems in a meaningful way. It will be challenging to help students build from what they already know and help them understand the connections within mathematics.		MATH UPDATE MATH UPDATE (cont’d.)
ACTION ITEMS Karen Madsen moved for approval of the revised Consent Agenda items. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion.		CONSENT AGENDA
1) Personnel Report (revised) (E:66/06); 2) Voucher Lists (E:67/06); The motion carried unanimously.
The Administration recommended the Board of Directors adopt Resolution 841— ;Replacement Levy for School Programs and Operations, to establish a special election on February 7, 2006 (Res. 04/06). The resolution authorizes the District to collect $30,500,000 in 2007; $32,500,000 in 2008; $34,500,000 in 2009; and $36,500,000 in 2010 for school program and operations purposes. On November 15, 2005, the Board authorized the establishment of the dollar amount for the Maintenance and Operations levy. The previous Maintenance and Operations levy resolution was adopted November 21, 2001 via Resolution 735. Associate Superintendent for Finance and Operations Bob Collard summarized work that has been done to get to the presentation of tonight’s resolution. With that, Kristie Dutton moved to adopt Resolution 841—Replacement Levy for School Programs and Operations, to establish a special election on February 7, 2006. Karen Madsen seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.		RESOLUTION 841: Replacement Levy for School Programs & Operations
The Administration recommended the Board of Directors adopt Resolution 842— ;School Construction, Renovation and Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition to establish a special election on February 7, 2006 (Res. 05/06). The resolution authorizes the District to issue general obligation bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $198,900,000 for the purpose of providing funds to pay the costs of construction and renovation of school buildings; classroom computers and other technology systems; safety and security systems; and other capital improvements to the educational facilities of the District. On November 15, 2005, the Board authorized the establishment of the dollar amount for the bond issue for technology, security, building construction and building improvements. The previous bond proposition was adopted November 27, 2001 via Resolution 736. Associate Superintendent for Finance and Operations Bob Collard summarized work that has been done to get to the presentation of tonight’s resolution. With that, Paul Roberts moved to adopt Resolution 842—School Construction, Renovation and Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition to establish a special election on February 7, 2006. Kristie Dutton seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.		RESOLUTION 842: School Construction, Renovation & Technology General Obligation Bonds Proposition
BOARD COMMENTS Board member Madsen said this year’s WSSDA conference went well. It was good that all of the Board members could attend. She noted that the presentation by Dr. Whitehead, Dr. Molly Ringo and Gay Campbell was so popular that it drew a “standing room only” crowd. The topic was timely and the information was well-presented. President Yates concurred. Board member Dutton said tonight’s presentation shows evidence that the combination of technology and instruction has moved the District forward.		BOARD COMMENTS
BOARD ACTION AND/OR BOARD DISCUSSION Dr. Whitehead distributed copies of the self-evaluation instrument used last year by the Board (E:68/06). After some discussion, the Board determined that they will again use this instrument for this year’s self-evaluation. If the Board sees some “red flags” after the results of the questionnaire are compiled, then they will consider whether to seek additional evaluation data in the form of a community feedback weblink or postcard, for example. Board members will bring their completed questionnaires with them to the December 6 Board meeting.		BOARD SELF-EVALUATION
With no further comments, President Yates adjourned the regular meeting at 5:50 p.m. _____________________________ ________________________________ Carol Whitehead, Secretary Roy Yates, President