BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 23, 1998

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., April 23, 1998, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.

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

At 7:34 p.m. President Elaine Lynch called the meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

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

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the April 9, 1998 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                  GENERAL FUND:

                                     $637,500.00               LGIP, withdrawal, April 8, 1998

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS

                                       $24,200.00               LGIP, withdrawal, April 3, 1998

                  DEBT SERVICE

                                       $75,700.00                LGIP, investment, April 9, 1998

                  ASB FUND

                                        $2,200.00                 LGIP, withdrawal, April 8, 1998

                                        $1,700.00                 LGIP, withdrawal, April 8, 1998

                                        $4,000.00                 LGIP, withdrawal, April 8, 1998

Out-of-State Travel

• Gaye Lynn MacDonald, to attend “Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace” workshop in Chicago, Illinois, May 14-16, 1998.
• Pam Pottle to present a workshop at the 43rd International Reading Association in Orlando, Florida, May 3-8, 1998.

School Board Reports

Whitmyer attended a presentation this afternoon at Fairhaven Middle School. The speaker was Dr. Alan Burke of Yelm School District. His topic was scheduling options and effective use of time.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Report

Superintendent Kinsley reported on the two-day seminar that he attended April 8-10 at Microsoft. Twenty-five superintendents from across the nation were invited to the event where they met with the senior management of the company, including Bill Gates, to discuss how technology can be used in the classroom to help kids learn.

There will be a Board study session next Thursday, April 30, beginning at 5:30 p.m. to review and discuss the Middle Schools of the Future document and recommendations.

Kinsley asked the Board to begin planning for scheduling their individual participation in one of the high school’s graduation ceremonies.

REPORTS:

High School Task Force Recommended Options for Three Attendance Areas

Assistant Superintendent Greg Cowan and members of the High School Attendance Area Committee presented the three boundary options they are recommending to the Board. The committee began meeting last fall to develop their proposals using the following criteria established by the Board:

• Provide overall student numbers (1000 at Bellingham, 1200 at Sehome, and 1200 at Squalicum) which relate to facility size and taking into account future growth patterns.
• Provide a reasonably balanced socio-economic relationship in all schools.
• Provide the most efficient and feasible means for student transportation to and from schools, minimizing travel time and transportation costs.
• Whenever possible, keep neighborhoods together.
• Where possible, maintain feeder school networks so that elementary/middle school boundaries coincide with those of high schools.
• When possible, follow natural boundaries. Utilize physical boundaries such as railway right-of-ways and major arterials.
• Provide guidelines for student choice during transition to new boundaries.

Members of the committee explained how each of the three recommended boundary options met the established criteria. The committee is also recommending that students who are seniors during the 2000-2001 school year remain at Squalicum and Sehome. There will be two public information and hearing sessions prior to a final Board decision on an attendance area. They will be held Monday, May 11, at Sehome from 5-7 p.m. and Monday, May 18, at Bellingham High from 7-9 p.m. The Board is expected to take action at the May 28 meeting.

The approved plan would begin the 2000-2001 school year.

ACTION ITEMS:

Baseline Classified Staffing Approved for 1998-99

Stender moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to approve the recommended baseline classified (secretarial/instructional assistant) staffing for 1998-99. The motion carried

unanimously. These recommendations came from the staffing subcommittee and are based on student enrollment and previous support needs identified at District schools. Any additional classified staffing would need to be submitted to the District Budget Advisory Committee.

Elementary Report Card Pilot Extended

Assistant Superintendent Susan Zoller reported the feedback and recommendations from this year after using the pilot report card. Last fall, the Board approved the use of a pilot report card for the 1997-98 school year. After using the card for one year, and receiving feedback from teachers and parents, the Report Card Committee identified some areas that still needed some additional refinement. The committee recommended that the pilot period be extended for an additional year with the following contingencies:

• Revise the pilot card for use in 1998-99 to included clearer descriptions of student reading, writing, and mathematics standards for both teachers and parents.
• Select a cadre of teachers in each building to use the pilot report card.
• Incorporate the District’s new student record keeping system into the report card structure.
• Incorporate the District’s work in mathematics.

Whitmyer moved and Diaz seconded the motion to approve the recommendations of the committee. The motion carried unanimously.

Out of State Travel

Stender moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to for approval for two students from Sehome High School to travel to the National DECA Conference in Denver, Colorado, April 24-29, 1998. The motion carried unanimously.

Diaz moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to approve a trip to Michigan for the Sehome Science Olympiad team to compete in the National Tournament, May 14-16, 1998. The motion carried unanimously.

Call for Bids

Stender moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion for approval to call for bids on TVs, VCRs, and scan converters for Squalicum High School. The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations Approved

Stender moved and Diaz seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Kinsley announced the selection/ recommendation of Marcia Shirm for principal at Carl Cozier Elementary.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.