Highline School Board Summary: 05/17/2023
Board Meeting Agenda
Board Meeting Recording
Board Meeting Transcript
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call: Present: President Van, Director Howell, Director Hagos, Director Garcia (left early)
Excused Absence: Director Alvarez and Superintendent Duran
Recognitions: Community Partner, Reading Partners – serves Beverly Park, Shorewood, Cedarhurst, and Des Moines Elementary
Nikki Fogerty – Community partnership manager for the district, introduced
Joyce Macik – Executive Director of Reading Partners
- Reading Partners Mission – Help children become lifelong readers by empowering the community to provide measurable results for students.
- Partnered with Highline for 10 years to serve students in K-4
Scheduled Communications:
1). Katie Kresly (8.3 Board Policy 9000) Discussed concerns about voting based on equity lens to amend policy 9000 (40-year-old-capital projects policy)
- Referenced the HSD action report, which states unknown fiscal impacts
- Asked, will equity focus achieve goals with HSD capital projects or will it narrow the field of qualified candidates?
- Also spoke about Strategic Plan and the importance of emphasizing academics, first in the wording of goals.
- Requested Directors use educational lens, not equity lens, in board policies.
2). James Payne (8.3 Board Policy 9000) Challenged the vote to revise and rename policy 9000 based on equity. Asked directors to vote no on amending Policy 9000
3.). Alex Myrick (Parental Involvement), Mental Health Counselor, talked about Board Policy 3211, (Gender Inclusive Schools); the policy requires schools to conceal mental health information from parents at the child’s discretion.
- Requested Directors to change policy 3211 and stop withholding information from parents.
4) Heather Pankratz (Supporting Students Mental Health – Tyee 4th Counselor) School Counselor Intern and part-time counselor at Tyee. Advocated for increased funding for a 4th Mental Health Counselor at Tyee.
Reasons were:
- Students feeling the impact of pandemic and lockdown.
- More students struggling to attend and pass classes
- Less access to mental and academic support for all students
- Pointed out: Tyee has a significant newcomer population compared to other schools, and many do not speak English.
5) Andi Newman (Student Mental Health) Shared testimony from four Tyee scholars on how counselors have impacted their academic lives.
6) Linda Lambert (Mental Health) -Reminded Board that it is Mental Health Month. Read an email from the National Education Association with the topic of student mental health
7) Satprit Kaur (Mental Health –Maintain 4 Counselors at Tyee) Biology Teacher at Tyee and also teaches newcomer ML English. Talked about the importance of counselors, according to newcomer students, and reported on the recent school lockdown.
8) Mike Whitfield (Student Mental Health and School Counseling) Appreciated the Board’s general decision to reduce counselor caseloads and increase counselors across the district, but was concerned about the impact of one less counselor for Tyee.
. Superintendent’s Update: Supporting Student Mental Health Update,
Kisa Hendrickson, Chief Engagement and Partnership Officer
Valerie Allan, Director of Student Support and Mental Health
- Mental Health Crisis – Last year, there were many “unknowns” about referrals, mental health data, and how best to support students.
- Make sure families can access services.
- SBIRT, screening is used for brief intervention referrals.
- Panorama screening tool used to survey students.
- Kaiser Permanente provided a grant to integrate mental health supports into existing MTSS (multi-tiered system of support structures) grant ending, but some work is continuing.
- Use of pandemic recovery funds for embedded school-based health services through Healthpoint, currently in our High schools but expanded to middle schools and 6 elementary schools.
- Seneca – Stated model supporting students with the highest needs, but expensive, not sustainable with loss of pandemic funds, looking at other ways to continue the work
Howell: Is it possible to use other community partners to replicate the successful Seneca model?
Valerie: Indicated there are problems with that, one being Seneca is the only partner with licensed therapists.
Howell: Asked how we can see more high school students screened?
Valerie: Schools need infrastructure to put this in place, (originally, the idea was early intervention so 8th graders are targeted).
Director Garcia- question: Is former Super Bowl winning NFL player partnering around mental health?
Kisa: Former Seahawk has a foundation that is piloting an app that would function as a daily screener; Highline is trying to see how it fits into the work of their SEL department.
There are ethics involved. Should we have staff to respond to kids in crisis on a daily basis? Some schools in Highline are piloting the program.
Director Hagos: What curriculum is used in Tier 1 to teach kids to be well together so they are ready to learn?
Kisa: Our work is mostly Tier 3. However, Melissa Pointer, SEL Director, has been working on this with family and community to see what SEL needs to look like in Highline. Next year: reviewing the curriculum.
Director Hagos: What is the outcome of the work you do, any metrics or measurements of success reflected in kids’ education?
Val: Not yet. We will track it next year. This year is focusing on sending referral info to a centralized system. The impact is difficult to measure.
Director Hagos: SBIRT screening, do you look at the Healthy Youth Survey and make a comparison? Does the family have access to see the survey and the questions we are asking the kids?
Val: Yes, families are notified of screening.
Director Van: Have we clearly defined roles for our counselors and partners when the handoff happens?
Val: Working with others to determine what indicators and data move students from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and Tier 2 to Tier 3 interventions.
School Board Reports:
Legislative Report: none
Director Reports:
Director Howell:
- Announced Maritime principal Tremaine Holloway, named Seattle Propeller Club Public Official of the Year for leadership in the Maritime Industry.
- Tyee High School Reunion for Alumni, May 19, before campus is changed and buildings are torn down.
Director Garcia: none
Director Hagos:
- Introduced a new hands-on class offered in HSD, “Cloud Computing and Hardware”.
Director Van:
- Reported Highline has 15 newly National Board-certified teachers
- Highline Schools Foundation scholarships – presented to 34 graduating seniors.
- Announced that Dr. Rebecca Kim would be leaving HSD and going to Kent.
Thanked her for the last 18 years of supporting students, staff, and community.
Director Garcia requested a 2-minute recess and was not present for the rest of the meeting.
Approved Consent Agenda: Approved (3/0)
Approval of Minutes:
- Approval of Accounts Payable Voucher Director Alvarez and Director Hagos
- Approval of Personnel Report
- Approval of Donation to Raisbeck Aviation
Action Items:
8.1 Motion to amend the existing contract with Maxim Healthcare Staffing Services, Inc. to increase contract amount (Approved 3/0)
Approval would approve the contract amount increase of $700,000 with Maxim Healthcare Staffing Services, Inc., which increases the total contract amount from $545,000 to $1,245,000.
8.2 Motion to approve of Non-Matched Endorsements and Limited Certifications for 2022-23 (Approved 3/0)
Approval would approve the non-matched endorsements, according to WAC 181-82- 110, and the limited certifications, according to WAC 181-79A-231 for 2022-2023 school year.
8.3 Motion to approve Revision and Renaming Board Policy 9000
Approval of this motion would approve the revisions to Board Policy 9000
(Director Van made a motion to vote being delayed until June 7th Meeting)
Discussion on Motion 8.3
Holly Ferguson: Chief Policy and Strategy Officer
Ellie Daneshnia: Executive Director of Capital Planning and Construction
Director Hagos: Policy 9000 is a 40-year policy; WSSDA does not have an example. Are there any comparison policies or samples?
Holly Ferguson:
- WSSDA does have a facilities planning policy; it is 6900, not 9000.
- Adopted by many districts in the state. The policy is primarily technical policy; says planning should be aligned with the district’s educational philosophy.
- . Many districts, including Highline, have an equity policy.
- We want to make sure the workforce reflects our communities.
Director Hagos: How does this language impact our CWA agreement if we change the language of this policy?
Ellie – their goal is also to achieve DEI plans, so we are aligned.
Director Van: Are we making sure we are looking at competency and not classes and groups of people but making sure they have the skill set needed?
Ellie – They don’t have the skill sets, so we are going to help them flourish and establish those skill sets to be equal to other businesses out there. We are helping everybody to be inclusive.
Introduction and Action Items:
9.1 Motion to approve 2023-24 Board Meeting Dates
Approval of this motion would approve the dates for the 2023-24 School Board Meetings (Approved 3/0)
10.1 Motion to approve K-8 Proficiency and Growth Assessment Tool Contract
Approval of this motion would approve the contract with Curriculum Associates i-Ready for a one-year contract for $525,729.16.
Director Howell: Secondary teachers struggle with access to iready data and reports. Can we get that access?
Teshon Christie: It’s possible, and we are working on that access.
Director Howell: Will students and families have access to iready scores in order to set goals?
Teshon: Currently, no, but we are working on providing it through parent view.
Van: Questioned: why is it only a one-year contract?
Teshon: Per federal procurement rules, we had to go for a request for a proposal motion after being in the project for five years. It gives us another year with a tool that has given us success, and that we are familiar with across our entire system.
Approval of this motion would confirm the interlocal agreement for partnership and cooperation between Highline Public Schools and the Port of Seattle.
10.3 . Motion to approve Microsoft Infrastructure Licensing Renewal
Approval of this motion would approve the Microsoft Infrastructure Licensing Renewal for $293,820.77.
10.4 Motion to approve the purchase of HP ZBook Laptops for Raisbeck Aviation High School
Approval of this motion would approve the purchase of HP ZBook Laptops for Raisbeck Aviation High School for the amount of $966,127.50
This motion would approve the contract for XXXXX in the amount of $XXX, XXX.XX to conduct testing and special inspections for the construction of the Evergreen High School Replacement Project.
Approval of this motion would approve the $250,000 grant offered by the NFL Foundation Grassroots Community Football Fields Program and the Seattle Seahawks and approve the $550,307 contract with Shaw Sports Turf to replace the synthetic turf at Memorial Stadium. 11. Items added to the Consent Agenda
Director Van: How long does turf last? It seems like we recently replaced the turf.
Scott Logan: The length of turf time varies on use level. Highline Memorial Stadium is our heaviest-used field in the district. Life expectancy was 8-10 years. It was installed in 2010, using an NFL grant to pay for half of it.
Adjourned at 7:17 PM
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NEXT School Board Meeting:
June 7, 6 pm
Central Office Building
15675 Ambaum Blvd SW Burien, WA 98166
General Meeting Information:
- Highline School Board meetings are generally held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 6 PM in the Central Office Boardroom.
- Community members can give New (two-minute) verbal commentary in Scheduled Communications.
- Call the District Office at 206-631-3070 – New (Sign-up begins at 9:00 a.m. on the Monday of the week of a Board meeting; sign-up closes at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting, in order to be included on the agenda.)
- Board meetings can be viewed via Live-stream.
