Schools
Issaquah School Board Meeting Updates For October 29
The following is a summary of the topics the Board and district staff discussed and action the Board took at the meeting.
October 29, 2021
The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting Thursday, Oct. 28 at the Issaquah School District Administration Building. The meeting was broadcast live on the ISD YouTube channel, and a recording of the meeting is available.
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The following is a summary of the topics the Board and district staff discussed and action the Board took at the meeting. It is not an official record or meeting minutes. To review official minutes from all board meetings, please visit our board meeting archive webpage.
- Wendy Castleman, Assistant Director of Communications
Wendy Castleman, Assistant Director of Communications
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Prior to the regular meeting, the School Board conducted a work study with District leadership to discuss a potential replacement measure for the existing Capital Levy for Educational Technology and Critical Repairs. Several District leaders weighed in about the implications of specific measures on their departments as well as ways the levy impacts our District as a whole. Of special concern is the potential of transitioning to a 1-to-1 model. Currently our Educational Technology and Information Technology departments are considering:
- Kindergarten: 3 students to 1 device, learning stations set up in classrooms.
- First and second grades: 2 students to 1 device, learning stations set up in classrooms.
- Third–fifth grades: Class set for each classroom, used for productivity tasks.
- Sixth–twelfth grades: Each student assigned a device, able to take home and further integrated into future curriculum planning once device access is predictable and reliable.
Director Dr. Harlan Gallinger shared his concern about our District meeting Ends for Students, especially in the areas of physical, mental, emotional health and risks posed by digital technology and social media. As we assemble our Levy Development Committee, President Suzanne Weaver encouraged community members of all beliefs and backgrounds to apply to serve on the committee, with a hope that we create balanced perspective and where hard questions are asked.
Director Synde Mullings wrapped the conversation up by asking two essential questions as it pertains to the discussion on the 1-to-1 technology model: “Why one to one? What additional outcome will it bring?”
- To listen to the Work Study, watch our YouTube Channel.
- To listen to the School Board review the work study, watch our YouTube Channel.
Weaver, Director Marnie Maraldo and Superintendent Ron Thiele met with members of City of Issaquah leadership at 5 p.m. on Oct.19 via Zoom. Weaver shared that they discussed:
- The city’s Climate Action Plan.
- The District’s school safety planning, including the conversation on School Resource Officers (SRO) versus School Security Officers (SSO).
- COVID-19 update.
- Progress on District construction projects, including hiring an outside expert consultant as the District’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Responsible Official for the High School #4/Elementary #17 Project located on the Providence Heights property.
Thiele further shared that we have been grateful for our ongoing relationship with Issaquah Police Department and that we are excited to expand our SSO program. Issaquah Police Department will continue to be a good partner in ensuring the safety of our students.
The Board discussed the roles and responsibilities students have when acting as student representatives to the Board. Currently a pair of students comes from the Associated Student Body (ASB) of each of our four high schools. Student pairs rotate and each attend around three meetings per year. Maraldo shared that she would like to engage students in a more consistent manner as a vital part of the Board’s work.
Members of the Board and Student Representatives Skyline junior Rishi Hazra and Skyline sophomore Pranjal Palave discussed various formats to potentially transition to as we seek to develop further and more consistent student engagement. Palave said that it is important to her to share what changes they would like to help make in the school system as opposed to simply sharing what is going on in their schools.
Board members Maraldo and Mullings shared they would like to attend the Interdistrict Student Council in January to gather student input about their plans for Board Student Representatives for the 2022-23 school year.
A motion was unanimously passed by the Board to adopt a proclamation in support and respect of the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement.
Thiele read the proclamation at the meeting. Executive Director of Equity Alaina Sivadasan and Elementary Social Studies Specialist Dawn Harper presented an award to Assistant Director of Government Affairs and Special Projects McKenna Sweet Dorman of the Snoqualmie Tribe. The plaque presented is in appreciation for Sweet Dorman’s collaboration on our social studies elementary curriculum adoption and land acknowledgment.
The Board unanimously approved a motion to accept the annual internal monitoring report for EL-3 Personnel Administration. EL-3 Personnel Administration focuses on items that include but are not limited to:
- Making mandatory background inquiries and checks prior to hiring any paid personnel.
- Conducting reasonable background inquiries and checks prior to utilizing the services of any volunteers who have unsupervised contact with students.
- Selecting the most highly qualified and best suited candidates for all positions.
- Effectively handling complaints and concerns.
- Providing appropriate due process.
- Preparing staff to deal with emergency situations.
- Protecting confidential information.
- Maintaining an organizational culture that positively impacts the ability of staff to responsibly perform their jobs and allows them to work in an environment of professional support and courtesy.
Thiele shared the revisions made since the last Board meeting, which include additional information and data about misconduct and complaints, data charts on our certificated evaluation ratings, and also shared that we will consider how we can map our evaluation criteria back to the District ends in the future.
Capital Projects Update
Director of Capital Projects Tom Mullins presented an update about various active construction projects in the District including:
- Cedar Trails Elementary
- Cougar Mountain Middle
- High School #4
- Elementary #17
- Maple Hills Elementary
- Beaver Lake Middle
- Issaquah High Stadium
- Holly Street Early Learning Center
For information on Issaquah School District construction projects, please refer to the ISD Capital Projects webpage.
Gallinger, who is currently serving as the Board’s Legislative Representative, presented two letters for Board discussion and reworking.
The letter to OSPI is in reply to an unsatisfactory response from State Superintendent Chris Reykdal in early October. Specific areas of concern include the amount of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds that will be allocated to Issaquah students, the discussion the Board had with Congressional staff, and the algorithm that will be used to determine distribution of ESSER III.
The letter to King County addresses additional funding given to Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC), while additional funding has not been distributed to the District. While PHSKC has been a valuable support to ensure the necessary COVID-19 mitigation, the implementation of such measures has fallen solely on the District.
Works in Progress
Thiele provided a brief status report of various projects and activities in the District.
As a friendly reminder, the Issaquah School District will send official District communication using only the channels listed below:
Other Facebook accounts or groups, websites, or media channels are not operated or endorsed by the District.
You can view recordings of this and other past board meetings on the ISD YouTube channel. You can also see future meetings on this channel or via Zoom. Check the District website for more information on attending meetings, giving public comments, or reading the minutes of past meetings.
This press release was produced by the Issaquah School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.