BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

January 29, 1998

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., January 29, 1998, in the Board Room of the Administration Building. Prior to the regular meeting, there was an Executive Session at 6:30 p.m. Purpose of the Executive Session – negotiations.

Present: Directors, David Blair, Mary Stender, and Ann Whitmyer, President Elaine M. Lynch, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp. Excused: Director Becky Diaz

At 6:35 p.m. Blair made a motion to move into Executive Session; Stender seconded. At 7:30 p.m. Stender made a motion to move to regular session; Whitmyer seconded.

At 7:35 p.m. President Elaine Lynch called the meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Stender moved and Blair seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the January 15, 1998 School Board meeting.

Investments

        Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

              GENERAL FUND:

                                   $360,500.00                   LGIP, withdrawal, January 8, 1998

                                   $259,000.00                   LGIP, withdrawal, January 23, 1998

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS

                                        $4,800.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                                    $831,300.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                                      $27,700.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                                 $3,489,000.00                  LGIP, investment, January 16, 1998

                  ASB FUND

                                        $1,800.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                                        $7,400.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                                        $3,200.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 15, 1998

                    TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE

                                      $62,700.00                  LGIP, withdrawal, January 20, 1998

Warrant Reissues:

• Warrant #512323, issued on December 31, 1997, in the amount of $183.50 to Penni Schroeder.
• Warrant #512225, issued on December 31, 1997, in the amount of $183.65 to James French.
• Warrant #512072, issued on December 31, 1997, in the amount of $189.24 to Barbara Marie Knavel.

Out-of-State Travel:

• Ken Ericson to attend a national conference of physical education teachers in Reno, Nevada, from April 5-9, 1998.
• Don Wilson to attend a three-day training in Boulder Creek, California, from February 20-23, 1998.

• Gretchen Erga and Kathy Dooley to attend a wellness conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 5-8, 1998.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Whitmyer welcomed Bobbie Crawford and Kathy Shuster PTA legislative representatives to the meeting. Whitmyer gave the following legislative update. The House passed and sent to the Senate E2SHB 2019, which appears to be the same as last year’s charter school bill. The Senate Education Committee is working on a substitute version of the charter school bill SB 6345. Whitmyer also reported on HB 2894 which would implement recommend recommendations of the Commission on Student Learning regarding 4th grade reading accountability. The House Transportation Committee passed HB 2894, a proposal which would amend Initiative 601 on a one-time basis in order to fund transportation projects.

Whitmyer and Stender will attend the strategic planning meetings on January 30-31.

Lynch reported that she had been participating in speaker’s bureau presentations for the levy. She thanked the Board for their participation in levy efforts. Lynch also attended one-act plays at Sehome and Geneva Elementary’s DARE graduation.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Report

Superintendent Kinsley shared a draft of Voice Poll™ information that will be sent next week to all District staff and 2,000 randomly selected parents. The data will be used to obtain feedback to identify priorities for the District’s plan for the next five years. The 48 member strategic planning committee will hold its first series of meetings January 30-31 at Sudden Valley. Kinsley recognized the work of Lavelle Freudenberg, Susan Zoller, Nancy Messmer, and Ed Scott in preparation for the meetings.

On Monday, February 2, (Ground Hog Day) Dr. Kinsley will be “shadowed” by a student from Bellingham High School. The event was organized by Junior Achievement. Whatcom County students will be spending part of the day with a professional person in the community. Approximately 130 students from Bellingham High and Sehome will participate.

The Board will visit to Sehome High School on Friday, February 6, at 7:00 a.m.

The WASA/WSSDA Legislative Conference will be held February 8-9, in Olympia.

Kinsley noted some remodeling changes in the administration building. The hallways are being cleared out, and some extra space is being added for storage. Some walls in the Board room and other areas of the building will be redone with tackable materials to allow more areas for posting student work.

REPORTS:

Update on Development of State K-12 Education Accountability System

Dr. Kinsley gave an update on the State K-12 accountability system for education that is being developed in response to HB1209. Kinsley outlined the recommendations of the Commission on Student Learning to the Legislature, Governor, State Board of Education and SPI:

• school, district, and state reports;
• a school and district assistance program;
• a system to intervene in schools and school districts; and
• an awards program to provide incentives to school staff.

Steps are currently being taken to develop the complete system and to implement a K-4 Reading component immediately. Kinsley stated that districts across the State believe that the system should measure the same group of students over time rather than comparing progress at a specific grade level.

Math Curriculum Implementation Update

Wendy Barrett, Director of Curriculum, reported on the District’s efforts over the past two years to improve math instruction and performance. During the 1996-97 school year, elementary, middle and high school Math Assessment Committees were formed. Their goal was to develop math assessments consistent with District curriculum, aligned with the State assessments, and measure student progress toward meeting State Essential Academic Learning Requirements. In October 1997, pilot assessments were administered to all students in grades 3 and 5 and to a sample of grade 9 students. This October all students in grades 3,6, and 9 will be tested and individual scores reported to parents.

Three math programs have been selected for pilot for grades K-5. Seventy-five teachers will evaluate the materials for their alignment with the State learning requirements and District curriculum. The final selection will be recommended to Board for approval in May, pending approval of funds through the district budget process.

Significant efforts are being made to provide ample support for teachers to develop consistent practices to move all students toward meeting the standards of proficiency in mathematics. Also, opportunities for parent education and involvement are being developed. A monthly parent newsletter focusing on mathematics will be available to all elementary parents.

ACTION ITEMS:

First Reading of Revised Policy/Procedures 3420 – Physical Safety of School Children

This policy was revised to incorporate the elements of student safety into one policy. The procedures cross-reference other related District safety policies and manuals. A section was added to encourage the use of bicycle helmets. Every effort will be made to find helmets for students in need. In addition, the Fire Department has agreed to provide helmets as part of their community project efforts.

Personnel Recommendations Approved

Stender moved and Blair seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.