Showing posts with label school board. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school board. Show all posts

Shoreline School Board Meeting Summary June 1, 2015

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Meridian Park Students and Art Docent Trish Norton
 present “Our Shoreline” in the style of artist James Rizzi
to the Shoreline School Board June 1st.

By Marianne Deal Stephens

The June 1st Shoreline School Board Meeting covered so many items that the packet provided to members of the Board ran to 381 pages. The summary of the meeting will appear in four parts, with a general overview plus three separate articles on Business and Operations, Equity Committee Recommendations, and Recently-Approved Secondary Curricula. The general overview follows. 

Consent Agenda: Computing, Change Orders, and Camps

The June 1st Consent Agenda, which was passed without review or discussion, included:

Approval of an Interlocal Cooperative Agreement with Northwest Educational Service District for services from Northwest Regional Data Center.
The District uses software that requires external support and processing. (Families see one product of the external processing when they receive student report cards.) The agreement, which includes provisions about confidentiality—the district maintains ownership of the data — outlines an annual fee of $41.41 per average annual student FTE, which comes to an estimated $377,659 for 2015-16. 

Acceptance of gifts from Shorewood Boosters.
$12,875 for Hydration Stations and outdoor ping pong tables, and $33,828 to various sports and clubs for everything from performance flags to blenders. Funds were raised at the annual Shorewood Booster Auction. 

Approval of $106,095 in change orders for the nearly-completed Shorecrest High School project.
Items range from a retaining wall to signage to “infrastructure for science room autoclave.” 

Authorization for Budget and Construction of Safety and Security Systems.
The District will implement electronic access controls at Brookside Elementary and develop a schedule for doing the same at all remaining District facilities. Both everyday and emergency procedures will be streamlined and more secure. The funds for this project, which is authorized to have a total budget of $1,000,000 come from the 2006 voter-authorized Bond. 

Approval of Extended Field Trips.
Requests this month: Shorecrest to State golf tournament; Shorewood Basketball to camp in Bellingham; Shorewood Cross Country to Camp Casey and a Nike meet in Portland; Brookside Elementary 6th graders to Camp Orkila. 

Book Presentation by Meridian Park Students

Several Meridian Park students in various grades, led by Art Docent Trish Norton, described their study of Pop Artist James Rizzi. Rizzi’s “fun”, “bold”, and “crazy” art of New York City inspired the students to create their own art depicting Shoreline. Their art was compiled into a book, and the students presented a copy to the School Board.

Policies Updated

Director of Categorical Programs and Superintendent Intern Ellen Kaje presented a first reading of policy revisions. The suggested changes, which reflect current terminology and practices, will prepare district policies for OSPI review in 2015-16. Eight policies—including #2160 on the Education of Students with Disabilities, #3115 on Homeless Student Rights, and #3210 on Nondiscrimination — will undergo revision, and two policies will be rescinded since they are covered by other policies. The community can look up policies online: Shoreline School District Policy Manual.

Approval of New (Mostly STEM) Courses

The Program Alignment and Coherence Team evaluates proposals for new courses, recommends or does not recommend a pilot year, and then after the pilot year, decides on a final recommendation. Course approval does not necessarily mean that a course will be available; academic offerings vary every year based on enrollment and student requests at registration. PACT approved the following courses: AP Japanese; Chinese Mandarin 2; Walking/ Yoga; English 12; AP Computer Science A; Intro to Engineering and Robotics; Exploring Computer Science; Robotics 1 and 2; Technology and Innovation 1 and 2. 

A sample of PACT’s course evaluation. This middle school Introduction to Engineering and Robotics pilot course enrolled 41 female and 137 male students. See Intro to Engineering sample. 

Board Reports and Communications

Director Richard Potter noted that Shorecrest and Shorewood school marching bands and drill teams participated and placed in the Victoria Days parade (see SAN article ). Debi Ehrlichman enjoyed the final Shorewood Culinary Arts Dinner and the Shorecrest Interact Club Dinner. She noted that the Lake Forest Park Rotary recently hosted Shoreline School District Homeless Education Liason Pamela Kinnaird (See Homeless Education). Director Ehrlichman extended congratulations to “all students who are graduating, and all who have won awards” in sports and other competitions. 

Director Dick Nicholson, who is a retired accountant, is the Board Representative to KCDA (a procurement cooperative owned by public school districts) and reported that we are “on track and on budget”. Outgoing Student Representative Nicola Gerbino volunteered at Highland Terrace’s recent Art Walk and watched state tennis and baseball events. President Mike Jacobs, an avid baseball fan, noted that though the state final baseball game did not go Shorewood’s way, the team did very well. He praised the Shorewood Girls’ Fastpitch All-Academic team and noted that the district is “on the ascendancy” sports-wise.  

Superintendent Rebecca Miner introduced new Shorecrest Student Representative to the Board Rachel Semon. Rachel and her soon-to-be-selected counterpart from Shorewood will share the student seat on the School Board for the 2015-16 school year.



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Shoreline School District to extend AVID to Middle School

Sunday, June 7, 2015

By Marianne Deal Stephens

During its May 11 regular meeting, the Shoreline School Board heard an update about the district’s AVID program. Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) is a global program that has been in the Shoreline Schools for several years with dedicated AVID classrooms (one per grade) in the high schools. The first AVID cohort in Shoreline graduated in 2009. Recently, the district has begun expanding AVID strategies to the middle schools. Director of Teacher and Learning Teri Poff along with other district educators and guests presented data and firsthand accounts. 

AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. (See What is AVID?.) The nonprofit organization trains educators in the use of research-proven strategies in order to serve students, particularly those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. 

Director Poff presented demographic information about AVID in the district.


The charts depict information about the 2012 AVID cohort. In the same year, the general student population in the district was 55% white, 7% African American, 11% Hispanic/ Latino, and 27% other Races/ Ethnicities. 

The program seems to be gaining momentum. In 2010, 56% of Shoreline AVID graduates enrolled in college, in 2011, 62%, and in 2012, 72%. The last figure of 72% exceeded the 66% average percentage of U.S. high school graduates who enrolled in college in the same year. 

College persistence rates are also notable.

The 95% Shoreline AVID persistence rate for the second year of college compares favorably with a national first year overall persistence rate of 69.2% for the same year cohort. (NCS Research Center

Of the 2010 Shoreline AVID cohort, 30 students enrolled in various colleges.

Though the official numbers reflect 9 college graduates, the presenters noted that the actual figure is much higher, and they acknowledged the need to be more diligent in tracking statistics and verifying the status of Shoreline AVID graduates. 

Shorecrest and Seattle Pacific University graduate Carly Cressman spoke about how AVID helped build character and “gave her a badge” that enabled her to be confident in college. Ms. Cressman described how, for most SPU students, going to college was a given and they felt entitled to be there. Since AVID went well beyond a regular high school routine, Ms. Cressman was at least as, if not more, equipped for college than her peers. She earned her right to be there. 

Sarah Mondragon Flores, who graduated from both Shorecrest and the University of Washington, said that “AVID was an amazing, amazing course.” Before becoming a part of AVID, she was not thinking about college. AVID taught her that “we can learn and work hard together” and the experience gave her backbone along with tools for success in college. 

Because of the record of success in the high schools and the interest of the Kellogg and Einstein Middle School Principals, AVID has already expanded to the middle schools with teacher training and school-wide strategies.

Kellogg Principal Lisa Gonzales was an AVID teacher at Shorecrest and had both Ms. Cressman and Ms. Mondragon Flores in her graduating class in 2010. Einstein Principal Stephanie Clark has been implementing AVID-inspired strategies for several years. Her “look to the future” 8th grade field trips to the University of Washington and Shoreline Community College stem from her interest in setting up middle school students for post-high school success. 

In 2013 and 2014, a total of 33 Shoreline middle school teachers, 6 administrators, and 6 instructional specialists attended the AVID Summer Institute to learn about school-wide strategies. This summer, 19 more teachers and 3 administrators will attend. Einstein Math Teacher Garth Riley attended the Institute, and explained the use of interactive notebooks in his classes. The notebooks help students process what they are learning in class, and students keep them up since they have a vested interest. Mr. Riley explained that the notebook and AVID tools lead to effective student and life habits, and bring together staff in different departments with common goals and language.

Einstein Middle School will pilot an AVID elective in 2015-16 that will provide additional support for a select group of 32 8th grade students. Einstein Assistant Principal Nyla Fritz, who also has experience as an AVID teacher, reiterated the high college persistence rates of AVID students, and explained that the new middle school group will commit to a future in college.

As of October 2014, AVID programs operated in 70 districts at 246 sites in Washington State. With the addition of Einstein, that number is now at least 247 sites. No doubt the district and parents will follow this latest group to see if the AVID track record of success continues.

More Information



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Shoreline School District 2014 Healthy Youth Survey Results

Sunday, May 24, 2015

By Marianne Deal Stephens

Director of Assessment and Student Learning Michael Power, Ph.D. presented district results of the state’s biennial Healthy Youth Survey at the Shoreline School Board meeting on May 11, 2015.

About the Survey
The Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) is administered statewide to grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 in even calendar years. The anonymous survey asks students about: nutrition and fitness; mental health; school climate; safety and violence; community, family, and school issues; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; related risk and protective factors. Students are randomly given different versions of the survey. (See the 2014 forms here.)

Parents may preview the survey before it is administered and can opt out. In 2014, 76% of 6th graders, 89% of 8th graders, 84% of 10th graders, and 68% of 12th graders took the survey in Shoreline. Dr. Powers made it clear that the survey is not an intervention tool; individual students do not experience any consequences for their replies on the survey.

Reliability
The final question on every HYS form asks: “How honest were you in filling out this survey?” and offers five answer options, from “I was very honest” to “I was not honest at all.” High school students themselves question the reliability of the HYS data because they hear classmates talk about exaggerating their responses.

However, when asked about survey reliability, Dr. Power answered that he has “been working with this survey since it was first administered and [is] very confident in the accuracy of the results … The consistency of the results over time is an indicator that the data are accurate.” Dr. Power explained the state’s data cleaning procedures (surveys that are detected through these measures are not counted) and described the reliability range of for most items at the district level as +/- 2-3%. District results are more reliable than school results, and state results are more reliable than district results.

How the Data is Used
Building, district and state data is shared with school counselors, principals, and community support providers to identify how local trends compare with state patterns and to inform their educational programs. Statewide, agencies use the data to guide policy and programs that serve youth. The Department of Health releases aggregated grade results and an analytic report for each year of the survey. (See the 2012 Survey Reports)

Privacy
Students are not asked for names or any identifying information, and the surveys are not tallied locally. Results from districts and individual schools are not readily available to the public to prevent any possibility of connecting responses to individuals. Dr. Power explained that in a district like ours, 3% would be about 18 students and 1% would be about 6 students, so the data is sensitive.

Results
Dr. Power presented 47 graphs and charts of Shoreline results, a representative sample of the entire report which runs 54 pages with 6 tables/ graphs per page. In nearly all of the categories presented, Shoreline School District results closely parallel state results. Overall patterns: substance use increases with grade level while measures like “how much do you enjoy school” decrease with grade level.

Concerns
A few matters were identified as particularly concerning: e-cigarette/ vaping use, marijuana use; screen time; sleep habits, and mental health issues. The increased presence of e-cigarettes and vaping in the larger community has spread to students.

Marijuana use is in a year's long upward trend (from 2004 when the survey began to 2014). While it is low in middle grades, marijuana use goes up significantly with grade level (in the 30 days prior to taking the survey, percentage of students reporting use: 0% in grade 6, 5% in grade 8, 17% in grade 10 and 31% in grade 12).

The survey also asks about perceived harm, and the number of students who think that there is not great harm in using marijuana has increased. Dr. Power speculates that the legalization of marijuana has affected both use and perception.




Alcohol and prescription drug use also go up with grade level. Use is almost not present in grade 6, and use of several substances increases noticeably from grade 8 to grade 12.

From 2004 to 2014, grade 12 use of marijuana has gone up while the use of alcohol has gone down slightly.



Like most teens, ours are spending too much time on screens and not enough sleeping.




There are also troubling numbers of students who report feeling depressed and having thoughts of suicide. Dr. Power explained that the state can conclude from the surveys that troubling behaviors often go together; there is overlap among students who engage in substance abuse, report sexual activity or sexual abuse, and report depression. 

Positives
Across the grades, about 90% of Shoreline students surveyed feel safe at school. About 95% say they have lots of chances to for involvement in school activities. A vast majority (from 69-88%) know how to report bullying at school. And, a high percentage have someone they could talk to about something important.


The Takeaway
Though the presentation involved sharing data and not proposing an action plan, Director David Wilson asked about the takeaway. Dr. Power explained that while we are where the state is on nearly all of the behaviors measured, “we want to do better” and hoped aloud that “perhaps we can leverage the community support to help with the troubling trends.” Student Representative to the Board Nicola Gerbino, noting the numbers of students reporting depression and/ or suicidal thoughts, articulated a hope that attention will be focused on teen mental health. 

More Information on the Healthy Youth Survey
Supplemental Data Briefs with 2014 HYS results, assessments, suggestions for parents and educators, and referrals to available resources. 


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School Board Summary May 11, 2015

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Shoreline School Board
From left Dick Nicholson, Richard Potter, David Wilson,
Debi Ehrlichman, Board President Michael Jacobs
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

School Board Summary May 11, 2015
by Marianne Deal Stephens

The Consent Agenda included:
• Resolution No. 2015-9, Delegating Authority to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) for 2015-16.  [The district pays approximately $7000/ year for the middle and high schools to participate in WIAA, which oversees athletics and fine arts in Washington. See WIAA.comhttp://www.wiaa.com/ ]

• Resolution 2015-10 honoring Shoreline Teacher of the Year Faye Rasmussen and designating the week of May 11-15 as Shoreline Teacher Appreciation Week. President Mike Jacobs read the resolution. An excerpt:  “Whereas, Faye Rasmussen has provided distinguished service and leadership … as a special education teacher for more than 30 years, nearly all at Parkwood Elementary; and …Faye is an instructional leader and collaborator, helping set the standard of excellence for the District’s special education programs…” 

• Approval of Extended Field Trips, including:  Shorecrest Culinary Arts to Whidbey Island; Shorewood Track and Field State Championships in Tacoma; Shorecrest Boys Basketball to camp at Central Washington University. 

Shoreline Fire Benefit Charge and Capital Bond Information

Shoreline Fire Chief Matt Cowan spoke about the upcoming ballot measures. Schools are exempt from the charges, but Chief Cowan is making the rounds to all community groups to inform voters and answer questions. Information at www.shorelinefire.com.   http://www.shorelinefire.com/2015_ballot_measures/ballot_measures.html

AVID, a secondary school program and the biennial Healthy Youth Survey will be covered in separate articles. 

Community Comment Period

Usually, the comment period is a time for students, parents, teachers, or residents of Shoreline / Lake Forest Park to speak on any topic for up to two minutes. With advance arrangement, a community member may have five minutes instead of two. 

Parent Lara Grauer spoke about the current situation facing Cascade K-8 Community School. In 2012, the school was asked to raise enrollment and test scores, and the school has met all targets. As Ms. Grauer explained, they are now “victims of their own success” and face overcrowding at Meridian Park Elementary. The school would like to grow, but cannot since enrollment is capped due to facility limitations. Ms. Grauer requested that the District “be proactive about possibilities” and presented a few options for relocation, including Cedarbrook, Aldercrest, and North City facilities. She assured the Board that the Cascade K-8 community is “flexible and nimble” and appreciates the Board’s commitment to the school. 

Others also spoke about Cascade K-8, and requested that the school be moved from its current location. As described, a move would be a “win-win” for both Cascade K-8 and the existing programs at Meridian Park. 

A student group from Cascade K-8 spoke one after another requesting permission to go to a Technology Student Association national competition. They had been denied the option because the event is out of state and the district does not sponsor out of state events for middle school. However, the students used the example of the Einstein orchestra attending the Northwest Orchestra Festival in Gresham, Oregon as a precedent. 

David Guthrie of the Shoreline Education Association spoke about that day’s showing at the teacher one-day walkout. Educators are asking the legislature to amply fund public education. 


Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs

Director of Career and Technical Education Gene Wachtel offered an update on the District’s CTE programs. CTE currently serves 341 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) in secondary school programs; many more individual students participate in CTE programs. (See definition of FTE ) Director Wachtel noted that CTE has multiple sets of learning standards, including academic (Common Core and Next Generation standards), industry, State, career, and more. 

Many CTE courses count for equivalency credit, meaning that they are not simply electives: the district accepts certain CTE courses to fulfill core academic requirements. CTE courses with equivalency credit include (but are not limited to): Video Production, Digital Photography, Interpersonal Relationships, Principles of Technology, Financial Algebra. More classes in the future, primarily related to engineering, will allow students to earn equivalency credits.   

The biggest recent CTE change has been the addition of Middle School classes, including: Chef School at Kellogg; Engineering and Robotics at Einstein and Kellogg; Digital Communication Tools at Einstein; DesignMaker at Cascade K-8. Two grants assisted the implementation of Engineering and Robotics courses: a $44,072 Federal Perkins Grant, and a $25,000 CTE Grant. 

Following the current effort in Technology and Industry 2015-16, Shoreline CTE will add courses in Health and Human Services 2016-17, and Business and Marketing 2017-18. 

Students can earn both high school and college credit for some courses. Last year, students earned over 1250 credits, worth a value of $130,575 in tuition.

Shoreline School District CTE Courses that earn dual high school and college credit, and where the credits apply. Director Wachtel explained that they are in the process of getting Shorewood Auto Tech courses to count at SCC.


Director Wachtel has developed detailed programs of study by Career Clusters such as “Arts, AV/Technology and Communications” or “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”. The plans include pertinent high school courses by grade, related occupations, certifications or advanced degrees, and more. View the programs on Shoreline CTE  


March 2015 Financial Update

Deputy Superintendent Marla Miller and Director of Finance and Business Services Mark Spangenberg presented the most recent summary of district finances. Revenues are tracking close to projections. Major expenditures are coming up, primarily related to curriculum. Current enrollment is 9,125, which is 244 more students than March 2014. 

Board Requested Discussion and Board Reports

Director Debi Ehrlichman attended the recent STEM Fair where she saw Ridgecrest’s recycling demonstration. She requested that the district look at overall recycling efforts. The Directors noted many recent school events attended, including Shorewood and Shorecrest drama productions and the Shorecrest Astronomy night, which was well-attended.

Director Ehrlichman drew attention to Einstein student Athena Pentcholov, who won a National PTA Reflections Award. (See District News Release) Board President Mike Jacobs noted that in recent days, several Seattle Times articles have mentioned Shoreline high school students for athletic and filmmaking achievements. 

Shorecrest student Rhys Kroehler in 3-Minute Masterpieces
Shorecrest’s Wurrie Njadoe breaks three school records in Top Performances 
Shorewood’s Devan Kirk in Shoreline Invitational track and field results 
Shorewood’s Ian Oxenad in Six errors, so what? Shorewood rolls into 3A district title 



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“Future Shoreline” Enrollment, Demographic Trends and Projections

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Shoreline School Board April 27, 2015
“Future Shoreline” Enrollment, Demographic Trends and Projections
By Marianne Deal Stephens

The April 27 Shoreline School Board meeting consisted mostly of a Study Session by Demographics and Research Consultant William L. Kendrick, Ph.D. Dr. Kendrick consults for most Puget Sound school districts. The figures and explanations presented below are from Dr. Kendrick’s slides and verbal presentation. 

Previous Projections
Dr. Kendrick last presented to the Shoreline School Board in 2006, and stated then that “The general trend should be one of flat/ declining enrollment between now and 2013 with enrollment increasing after that.” Things did follow that general trend, with enrollment declines 2006-2012, but the school age population increased earlier and more than expected. District enrollment from 1991 to the present is a gentle wave. 

Shoreline School District Enrollment Graph


Demographic Trends 
Dr. Kendrick placed the current trends in historical and geographic context.  
  • In the 1990s, the Puget Sound area experienced growth related to Microsoft’s expansion.
  • Growth in 2000-2010, related to Amazon.com’s expansion, was not as dramatic as that of the 1990s.
  • The 2003-2007 housing boom turned into a housing bubble that burst.
  • After the housing bubble popped, people stopped moving as much and home sales and prices declined. Seattle, Bellevue, and Renton all had increases in school enrollment.
  • People used to migrate out of the city when they had kids, but that trend is changing. 
  • Seattle used to enroll about 50% of kids born in Seattle, and now the trend is about 60%.
  • Economists and demographers would have expected births to decline during the economic downturn, but births started to increase even before the turnaround in 2012. 

King County School Enrollment
Most school districts have seen increases in enrollment. King County has 275,167 kids in public schools (2014 figures), which reflects an increase of about 4000 students in each of the last four years. Public schools are growing slightly more than private schools. If birth trends continue to increase, Dr. Kendrick would expect more new private schools in the Seattle area. 

Births
In King County, average annual births from 1996-2005 were 22,173, while the average 2006-2013 was 24,810 (Washington Department of Health Birth Files). Snohomish and Pierce counties also have upward trends. Shoreline and Lake Forest Park account for 2-3% of King County births. In the last 13 years: the low for Shoreline and Lake Forest Park births was 483 in 2003; this year’s kindergarten cohort reflects 615 births in 2009; the high was 657 in 2013 (the most recent year shown). 

Projections
Since there are now more people of childbearing age in the district, Dr. Kendrick projects slow steady growth in the population of school-aged children. He attributes the increases both to an overall demographic (the grandchildren of baby boomers are having children) and to the current growth in the Puget Sound area. Enrollment in King County public schools will increase; in 2014, Shoreline had 3.34% of King County’s public school enrollment. While the Shoreline population is expected to increase in the next 10-15 years and the current real estate market has improved, new housing may or may not be good for K-12 growth. Decisions about rezoning and the configurations of new housing will affect the types of new households. 

The Puget Sound Regional council expects the annual rate of growth in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park to exceed the overall County growth rate, though Dr. Kendrick regards that projection as overly optimistic. He expects Shoreline and Lake Forest Park to grow slightly slower than King County overall. Shoreline will have about 0.5% more growth than Lake Forest Park. 

Though Dr. Kendrick outlined low, medium, and high enrollment forecasts, he supports the medium forecast and expects the Shoreline School District to have 10,000 students by 2020 and 11,000 by 2030.

Shoreline School District Enrollment Projections


Planning
Following Dr. Kendrick’s presentation, Deputy Superintendent Marla Miller and Superintendent Rebecca Miner explained that the district will meld three factors for facility planning: this demographic data; facility assessment (happening currently); and legislative class size decisions.

For further information
The minutes of the 4/27/15 meeting have a more thorough summary of the demographic data. Shoreline School Board Agendas and Minutes 



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School Board Summary 3/23/2015

Thursday, April 2, 2015

School Board Summary 3/23/2015
by Marianne Deal Stephens

Shoreline School Board President Mike Jacobs introduced the meeting’s Consent Agenda by acknowledging “the great generosity of our community” as demonstrated by the acceptance of financial gifts: 
  • $7500 from the Cascade K-8 PTSA for Field Trips and Enrichment for all classrooms; 
  • $5000 from Americans for the Arts (Washington, D.C.) for Arts Education; 
  • $7898 from the Microsoft Matching Gifts Program for Shorewood Robotics.
The Board recognized the ongoing support of the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation by adopting Resolution 2015-3. An excerpt: 
WHEREAS, the work of the Foundation, with its theme this year of “Growing Great Minds,” impacts every student and educator in the district through generous building, classroom and community-wide grants, support for summer school and scholarships; 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Shoreline Board of Directors designates the week of March 23 to 27, 2015 as Shoreline Public Schools Foundation Appreciation Week.
Other items on the Consent Agenda included: 
  • Approval of revised School Board Meeting Schedule. Find schedules, agendas, and minutes on the Shoreline School Board page.  http://www.shorelineschools.org/school_board/
  • Final Acceptance of the Aldercrest Annex Gym and Electrical Building Demolition Project, which has been completed by KD&S Environmental Inc.
  • Approval of an Interlocal Agreement with Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) for Cooperative Educational Services for Vocational-Technical and Basic Education 2015-2020. This is a 5-year continuation of an existing program in which students ages 16-21 who have dropped out of or who have been suspended from the Shoreline School District and would still like to graduate receive services from LWIT. Shoreline counselors advise students regarding graduation opportunities and training in a Career and Technical Career Cluster. See CTE.  http://learn.shorelineschools.org/spec/ceducation/index.php
  • Approval of Extended Field Trips: 
    • Shorewood Hip Hop Team to the State Dance/ Drill Competition in Yakima;
    • Shorecrest DECA Team to the DECA Inter Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida;
    • Shorewood 10th-12th grades Culinary Arts students to the Westin Hotel in Downtown Seattle;
    • Parched 6th graders to Camp Seymour for Outdoor Environment Camp.
Draft Pre-Hazard Mitigation Plan

Director of School Safety Don Dalziel presented regarding this planning document, which is intended to raise awareness of the potential impacts of natural disasters and help the District address natural hazards in a pragmatic and cost-effective manner. The plan does not change District policies, codes, or ordinances, but may reduce the negative consequences of future disasters.

The document identifies three potential hazards for Shoreline: earthquakes, floods, and landslides. The District’s buildings, like most buildings in Puget Sound, have an increased risk of earthquakes. Director Dalziel related that our buildings are currently rated excellent or good in regard to earthquake soundness.
Three buildings—Brookside Elementary, Lake Forest Park Elementary, and Syre Elementary—are listed in the “low” risk category for floods.
One campus—Brookside—has been identified with a moderate level of landslide hazard. The public is invited to comment on the Draft Pre-Hazard Mitigation Plan at the April 6 School Board Meeting. Citizens interested in reviewing the plan may contact Director Don Dalziel

Following public comment, Don Dalziel and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Chuck Goodwin will oversee revision and then present the final Draft Pre-Hazard Mitigation Plan to the Board on April 27. After Board approval, the plan will go to OSPI and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for approval. 

Program Alignment Coherence Team (PACT), Policy 2120

Director Teri Poff described the purpose of PACT and presented slight revisions to its procedures. PACT receives requests for and approves new courses for a one-year pilot, reviews courses after the pilot, and, if deemed successful, sends recommendations for course adoptions to the School Board. 

PACT’s goals reflect broad aims of providing effective basic education for all students and ensuring flexibility for the special needs of individuals and groups. PACT has established procedures guiding proposals from initiation through discussion with appropriate parties—departments and learning specialists, counselors, building leadership teams (including department chairs, counselor, and assistant principal)—and onto the PACT team itself, which includes principals, counselors, an SEA representative, a content instructional specialist or content area teacher, and an administrator.

PACT also oversees the review and elimination of outdated materials. Though courses are usually proposed by teachers, last year a group of students at Shorewood proposed an AP Computer Science course, which is now under pilot. 

Financial Update

Deputy Superintendent Marla Miller and Director of Finance and Business Services Mark Spangenberg presented the January and February Financial Update. They noted that, due to higher enrollment than budgeted, State General Revenue projections have been increased. February’s report reflects the beginning of 2015 levy collections. To review budget and enrollment reports, see the District Budget page.

2015 Legislative Areas of Focus

Board Member Richard Potter discussed the District’s priorities, which fall into two major areas, Financial and Reform. In regard to school finances, the Board supports the McCleary decision and at the same time does not support any proposal to increase state funding which simply redistributes revenues that are currently approved and collected locally.

The Board does not support the Levy Swap idea since local taxpayers would pay a disproportionate share of the State’s obligations. In regard to Reform, the Board and District are committed to the success of every student, and notes that since several recent initiatives “have our systems operating at our full capacity,” they “encourage the legislature to reject any legislation that adds to the reform overload.” 



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March 2, 2015 School Board Meeting Summary

Thursday, March 5, 2015

School board honors all-state musicians
Photo by Marianne Deal Stephens

March 2, 2015 School Board Meeting Summary 
By Marianne Deal Stephens

Two occasions made the beginning of Monday's School Board Meeting more lively than usual. Prior to the regular meeting, the District held a ceremony honoring Gary Eneberg, Briarcrest Nurse and 2015 Support Person of the Year. See the District's February 12 Press Release for more on Mr. Eneberg.
 
The other reason for the liveliness was the presence of scores of student musicians and parents for the Board's recognition of the All-State and All-Northwest Musicians. 

Before the Board turned to the musicians, President Mike Jacobs began the meeting in the usual way, with the adoption of the Consent Agenda, which included:
  • An official resolution honoring Mr. Gary Eneberg, noting that he "cares daily for students who get bumped and bruised" and serves Briarcrest with "good humor, kindness, and excellence in nursing."
  • Acceptance of $13,556 from the Shoreline Foundation for elementary nonfiction books and $7220 for the secondary DBQ Project, a supplementary social studies curriculum. President Mike Jacobs expressed thanks and praised "the generosity of the community and the hard work of volunteers."
  • Approval of the June 2015- July 2016 Board Meeting Schedule. The Board meets approximately every three weeks. The schedule, agendas, and minutes can be found on the School Board page 
  • Approval of change orders for the high school building projects. The list of changes included adjustments to the Shorewood Athletic Fields, a demonstration mirror in the Shorecrest Food Lab, and bird deterrent on the main Shorecrest building parapets.
  • Approval of Extended Field Trips, including: Shorecrest Hip Hop travel to State competition in Yakima; Meridian Park Math Club to the Math is Cool Masters competition in Moses Lake; a Shorewood UW Geology Class trip to Orcas Island in order to see "evidence of Puget Sound glaciation [and] terrane accretion"; Shorecrest Marching Band to Ireland in 2016 to march in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade, walk the Titanic Trail, see the Book of Kells, and kiss the Blarney Stone. 
Recognition of All-State and All-Northwest Musicians 

District Music Coordinator Frank Halferty explained that students statewide produce more than 6000 audition recordings in the fall, and that Shoreline continues to have a high number of students in the honored groups. The 20+ middle and high school students present at the meeting introduced themselves with their year, instrument, and honor group. For the full list, see the District News Release

Emergency Preparedness

Look for a separate article coming up dedicated to the district's review of the January 7 lockdown incident.

Pre-Hazard Mitigation Plan

The District will undertake a revision of its Pre-Hazard Mitigation plan, which anticipates natural disasters and assesses potential impact on school buildings. In Shoreline, the main risks are earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Having the plan current will allow Shoreline to receive FEMA disaster mitigation funding should the need ever arise. The public is invited to to comment regarding this matter at the March 23 or April 6 Board Meetings. For more information, contact Director of School Safety Don Dalziel.


Revision to Health Policies

Director of Student Services Amy Vujovich explained revisions to three health policies. The changes will bring the following policies up to current health protocols: Policy 3413, Student Immunizations and Life Threatening Health Conditions; Policy 3414, Infectious Diseases; and Policy 3417, Catheterization.

Board Reports

Members of the board drew attention to recent events and news: 

Members of the Board mentioned several events they are looking forward to:

Spring Sports, which began March 2.



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Workshop: Become a School Board Member

Wednesday, February 25, 2015


The Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) will hold a series of 14 workshops throughout Washington in March and April to encourage citizens to serve on their local school boards.

The Become a School Board Member workshops are free and will last two hours. They will provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a school director and how to file to become a candidate. WSSDA encourages anyone who has an interest in school board service to attend, especially potential candidates from ethnic and cultural groups that are traditionally underrepresented.

“We want to help people feel comfortable with the election process and understand the work of school directors,” said Alan Burke, WSSDA’s Executive Director. “We encourage anyone who has ever thought about running for school board to come and learn. There is no obligation to run after attending the workshops, but the workshops will be very informative for anyone considering it."

The workshops are scheduled for March and April, well before the May 12th filing week. Each workshop will run from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

Thursday, March 26

Seattle Public Schools, Auditorium
2445 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98124-1165

Online registration is recommended.


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Summary of School Board meeting Feb 9

Saturday, February 14, 2015

February 9, 2015 School Board Summary
By Marianne Deal Stephens

 The meeting began with unanimous approval of Consent Agenda items, including:

• Acceptance of gifts from Shorewood PTSA EQC (Education for Quality Classrooms) for: books; cooking equipment; transition and life skills training; orchestra coaches for orchestra; and many other projects.

• Adoption of DIMIC (District Instructional Materials Committee) recommendation for the DBQ Project.

• Change orders for Shorewood Athletic Fields.

• Approval of extended field trips:  Shorecrest DECA to Bellevue for state conference; Cascade K-8 6-8th graders to Technology Student Association Conference; Shorewood Drill Team to Yakima for state competition; Shorewood DECA to Florida for marketing competition; Cascade K-8 6th and 7th graders to Camp Delaney for outdoor education; Shorewood and Shorecrest ASB to CIspus Learning Center for leadership camp.

High School Schedule Alignment Update

Director of Human Resources Tam Osborne with Shorecrest Principal Pat Hegarty and Shorewood Principal Bill Dunbar briefed the board about two aspects of the high school schedule: cross-registration and the flexible instructional period. Currently, about 13 Shorewood students take a class at Shorecrest, and about 35 Shorecrest students take a class at Shorewood. Auto shop, astronomy, upper level math, and other courses draw students across the boundary. The new 30-minute flexible instructional period, called Highlander Home at Shorecrest and SAS (Student Academic Support) at Shorewood, began as a typical homeroom model and has since developed. Assemblies, student meetings, video bulletins, spirit activities, and community building activities take place during SAS/ HiHo, and the principals have begun offering directed academic support. The schools implement differently, but students with any failing grades attend a session with an academic coach to get them back on track.

Synthetic Turf Report

Director of Athletics, School Safety, and Facility Use Don Dalziel presented a report on Synthetic Turf Safety. The board had requested information following an October 2014 Dateline NBC story raising the possibility of a link between turf rubber and cancer. The district has 20 fields with at least some synthetic turf. Director Dalziel has reviewed scientific studies, investigations conducted by athletic organizations, and industry information, none of which have found a link between exposure and cancer. Neither have they found evidence of negative environmental effects.

Boundary Exception Policies

Executive Director of Schools Brian Schultz presented changes to the Non-Resident Boundary Exception Procedure. The district announced a few days after the meeting that it is closed to new non-resident applications for grades K-6 for 2015-16.  Please see the February 13 news release for details.   

Legislative Conference Planning

Superintendent Rebecca Miner and other Shoreline educators will attend the Washington State School Directors Association Conference in Olympia on March 1 and 2. Superintendent Miner outlined two areas of focus: financial and reform. Financial considerations include: support for the McCleary Decision; lack of support for any proposal to increase state funding for K-12 that simply redistributes local funds [the District will protect local levies]; and support for a budget as early in the legislative session as possible. Regarding reform, the District is operating "at full capacity" carrying out multiple legislative initiatives and so discourages "reform overload" from the legislature.

Community Comments

Four Cascade K-8 parents spoke about the boundary exception procedure revisions. Cascade K-8 has a high proportion of out-of-district families, with many out-of-district parents in leadership positions. One mother described how her daughters are better served in Shoreline than they were in their home district. All parents expressed devotion to the family atmosphere at Cascade K-8.

Shoreline Education Association President David Guthrie expressed his support for Superintendent Miner's legislative priorities and reviewed the SEA's own priorities.

A Shorewood parent announced a Shorewood PTSA presentation by Dr. Laura Kastner on March 11. The presentation, aimed at parents of juniors and seniors, will help parents guide their students through senior year and beyond.


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School Board Meeting Summary January 26, 2015

Friday, February 6, 2015

School Board Meeting Summary January 26, 2015
by Marianne Deal Stephens

The Consent Agenda of the January 26, 2015 School Board Meeting included:
  • approval of several change orders for the Shorecrest and Shorewood construction projects;
  • acceptance of $33,581 in gifts from the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation for Classroom Grants [financing projects in every school, ranging from a square dance to naturalist lessons to a Shakespeare workshop];
  • adoption of Resolution No. 2015-1, Temporary Waiver Request from High School Graduation Requirements [would give the district until 2021 to implement the new state-mandated requirements]; 
  • approval of extended field trips for Cascade K-8 8th graders to Fort Worden and Meridian Park 6th grade to Camp Orkila.

District Equity Committee Update
In 2014, the District created an Equity Committee to examine and improve racial equity in the Shoreline Schools. Deborah Northern from the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) is facilitating the committee, which is part of an expansion of a program originally impelemented in the Road Map Project region in South King County. 

The Shoreline District Equity Committee consists of 28 principals, teachers, parents, students, family advocates, counselors, district administrators, and a school board member. Currently, the group and the many staff throughout the district are working on an extensive Racial Equity Self-Inventory that will assess current district practices and identify barriers or gaps. The primary goal is to increase student academic achievement. Particular recommendations will be presented to the School Board in April. 

District Instructional Materials Committee (DIMIC) 
Director of Teaching and Learning Teri Poff briefly presented the latest DIMIC recommendation for a Document Based Questions (DBQ) Project for grades 6-12 Social Studies. The district plans to implement the DBQ Project this fall as a supplement to the core textbooks.

Enrollment Projections for 2015-16
Mark Spangenberg, Director of Finance and Business Services, presented projections for next school year. Overall, the district expects enrollment to increase by about +3%, or approximately 266 students, between 2014-15 and 2015-16. Enrollment declined 2009-2013, and began to increase in the 2013-14 school year. 

December 2014 General Fund Cash Flow Report
Director Mark Spangenberg updated the board on the state of the budget. No major items of interest. 

Referenced above:
  • The Puget Sound Educational Service District includes 35 school districts and more than 200 private schools in King and Pierce Counties and Bainbridge Island.
  • The Road Map Project is a community-wide effort that aims to improve education in South King County and South Seattle.
  • The DBQ Project uses primary and secondary sources to help students develop critical thinking skills. The project emphasizes reading, writing, and discussion and debate. 


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School Board meeting January 12: graduation requirements, pilot schedule change

Friday, January 23, 2015

School Board Meeting Monday, January 12, 2015
by Marianne Deal Stephens

The first Shoreline School Board meeting of 2015 began with approval of the Consent Agenda, which included:

  • Acceptance of donations from Echo Lake Elementary PTA for Classroom Enrichment and Field Trips;
  • Approval of Salary Schedules for Shoreline Athletics and Activities Association (pay levels for middle and high school athletic coaches and activity advisors);
  • Approval of Extended Field Trips for Shorecrest (orchestra British Columbia performance tour) and Shorewood (orchestra to Festival in Oregon, band to Queen's Day Parade in Victoria, and tennis State competitors to Kennewick).








Graduation Requirements

Director of Teaching and Learning Teri Poff presented the newest State Board of Education Graduation Requirements. These will take effect for the class of 2019, and include: 24 credits; a non-credit High School and Beyond Plan; Washington State History (usually taken in middle school); and three assessments.

Many of the requirements closely parallel Shoreline's present requirements (see comparison), though the total credits required differ. For more information: State Board of Education Graduation Requirements 

High School Schedule change pilot program 

Director of Human Resources Tam Osborne presented an update on the Pilot High School Schedule currently being tested at Shorecrest and Shorewood. All school days consist of three 100-minute extended periods with a midmorning 30-minute instructional period and a 30-minute lunch. There is a set rotation of "A" 1/3/5 period days and "B" 2/4/6 period days.

The pilot schedule is intended to meet the state's increased instructional requirement (1080 hours) and to allow students to take courses at both high schools, as well as to meet many instructional goals.

Director Osborne presented results from a staff/ student survey in which most results were mixed yet a few questions elicited agreement. No group thought that the schedule achieves an even balance between "A" and "B" days, and most groups would like a day in which all periods meet.

Among the staff, affinity for the period length varied according to subject -- science teachers like long periods for laboratory experiments -- and satisfaction with the A/B rotation depended on whether the staff works full or part time. Overall, when asked to rate their satisfaction with the schedule on a scale of 1-5, teachers rated it lowest (1-2), classified staff was next (2), and students and administration had similar marks (2-3). Director Osborne did not present possible changes to the pilot schedule.

Lockdown report

President of the Board Mike Jacobs spoke about the events on Wednesday, January 7th when all Shoreline Schools were locked down because of an incident at Meridian Park Elementary. President Jacobs praised the professionalism of law enforcement agencies involved and thanked all Shoreline School District staff, students, and families for being "calm and flexible". The board and administration will review the events and make changes to strengthen procedures accordingly.

During the Community Comment period, one parent criticized the District's handling of the lockdown. He praised the staff and law enforcement but had criticism for the board and administration. He questioned the long interval between the incident and the first alert and described confusion at the Shoreline Center about which students were present.

Community Comment on AP classes

Also during the Community Comment period, three parents asked the District to reconsider and reverse the recent decision to not offer AP Government and Politics for Seniors. They compared Shoreline to surrounding districts and Social Studies to other academic departments that offer more Honors/ AP courses.

Ridgecrest librarian has article published

During the School Board Reports and Communications, the last portion of the public meeting, Board Member David Wilson recommended the article "Beyond the Stacks: How Librarians Support Students and Schools" by Joanna Freeman, Teacher-Librarian at Ridgecrest Elementary, in American Educator Magazine. 


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2014-15 District School Improvement Plans

Monday, December 15, 2014

By Marianne Deal Stephens

Every year, the Shoreline School District releases updated School Improvement Plans (SIPs) for every school in the district.

The state superintendent's office (OSPI) explains that “School Improvement is a continuous process schools use to ensure that all students are achieving at high levels . . . each school district receiving state basic education funds MUST develop a school improvement plan or process based on a self-review of the school’s program.” See website 

Why should parents care about SIPs? These plans might appear to be just another bureaucratic requirement that does not have a connection to the classroom. It is true that both creating and making sense of an SIP involves digestion of data: SIPs present student data by subject areas and demographic groups, and set goals for improvement.

However, a careful look at an SIP can give parents a big-picture sense of what happens at their student’s school. What needs have the staff identified? What means will be employed to address those needs? Whose responsibility are those means? What goals are behind the assignments and emphases in the classroom? Parents might discover some of the "why" behind the assignments and activities they hear about at home.

At the November 17 Shoreline School Board Meeting, Director of Teaching and Learning Teri Poff discussed the 2014-15 school improvement plans and Einstein Principal Stephanie Clark presented the plan for Einstein Middle School. The SIPs for district schools are similar but not identical; most schools discuss strategies to address achievement gaps, yet the means to address those varies. Each staff has autonomy to set achievement goals and select proven strategies to meet those goals.

This year, the SIPs come with a caveat. With Washington State changing to the Common Core State Standards and to a new “Smarter Balanced” testing system, setting targets for improvement is challenging since nobody knows how scores on the new tests will compare with scores on the old tests.

Given this difficulty, the District has come up with an overall guideline: if our district was higher than the state average on previous tests, we would like to be at least that same percentage above the state average on the Smarter Balanced tests.

Principal Stephanie Clark explained that Einstein Middle School emphasizes problem solving and perseverance, and has focused attention on achievement gaps with the intention of having an equitable learning environment for all students. Principal Clark described how every Professional Learning Community (teachers’ academic department in middle or high school, or grade cohort in elementary schools) focused on the new Common Core State Standards that include an emphasis on literacy across all subject areas. The staff will encourage all students to think, discuss, question, and problem-solve.

The new School Improvement Plans can be found via the “Schools” tab on the District website

Links to the School Improvement Plans in pdf form below.

Elementary Schools
K-8 School
Middle Schools
High Schools
Preschool/ Elementary Extended Day

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