BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Bellingham, Washington
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
May 11, 2000
The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., May 11, 2000, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.
Present: Directors Ken Gass, Don Leu, Elaine Lynch, and Ann Whitmyer, President David Blair, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.
At 7:31 p.m. President David Blair called the meeting to order.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:
Lynch moved and Gass seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
Minutes
Action on the minutes of the April 27, 2000 School Board meeting.
Investments
Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.
GENERAL FUND
$1,663,500.00 LGIP, investment, April 28, 2000
$1,946,500.00 LGIP, investment, May 8, 2000
CAPITAL PROJECTS
$ 900.00 LGIP, investment, April 28, 2000
$ 27,500.00 LGIP, withdrawal, April 28, 2000
$ 19,500.00 LGIP, withdrawal, April 28, 2000
$ 9,000.00 LGIP, withdrawal, April 28, 2000
DEBT SERVICE
$ 893,000.00 LGIP, investment, April 28, 2000
$1,241,400.00 LGIP, investment, May 8, 2000
ASB FUND
$ 3,500.00 LGIP, investment, April 28, 2000
$ 4,500.00 LGIP, withdrawal, April 28, 2000
TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE
$ 5,700.00 LGIP, investment, April 28, 2000
Expenses and Payroll
Action on expenditures and payroll as approved by the Auditing Committee.
GENERAL FUND
ACCTS PAY: 4/07/00 $423,570.81
4/13/00 36,624.26
4/21/00 414,064.46
4/28/00 58,921.01
Total General Fund $933,180.54
CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND
ACCTS PAY: 4/06/00 $ 562,291.41
4/13/00 1,527,712.07
4/28/00 56,093.79
Total Cap. Proj. Fund $2,146,097.27
ASB FUND
ACCTS PAY: 4/07/00 $ 2,500.00
4/13/00 41,646.96
4/28/00 16,556.85
Total ASB Fund $60,703.81
SHS $32,565.13
SQHS $23,674.39
FMS $ 64.69
KMS $ 4,334.60
SMS $ 65.00
EXPENDABLE TRUST FUND
ACCTS PAY: 4/07/00 $905.75
Total Exp. Trust Fund $905.75
PAYROLL $4,509,324.17
Personal Services Contracts:
Contract:
Resolution:
Resolution #5-00 to authorize the District to request eligibility for the State of Washington’s School Bond Guarantee Program.
REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:
School Board Reports
The Board members each reported on the visit to Fairhaven Middle School last Friday.
Lynch has been assisting with the Beethoven in the School program that is sponsored by the Bellingham Festival of Music. Lynch also announced that there is $12,000.00 available in scholarships for high school seniors from the Thomas and Martina Horn Foundation.
Leu reported that his son received an endowment from the University of Connecticut for a global technology and enrichment program.
Gass spoke to Ms. Dooley’s class at Fairhaven about being a pediatrician.
Whitmyer reported on the dedication of the Carl Cozier mural.
Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports
Dr. Kinsley announced that the District received a $4.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation. He summarized the three core objectives of the grant proposal: 1) improve student literacy, 2) engage students, and 3) improve parent communication. Kinsley stated that receiving this grant “affirms the good work” of the District.
The Celebrate Achievement Awards program will be held from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., Monday, May 15, at Northwood Hall. The event recognizes staff/parents in the schools. State Superintendent Terry Bergeson will be a speaker/presenter.
The District will be hosting a training session by the state mediation services on interest-based problem solving on May 17-18.
Dr. Kinsley was the chairperson for the State Superintendent’s Conference in Lake Chelan. The focus of the conference, “What’s Worth Fighting For?” was on leading change.
Kinsley passed out a feedback form from the State Superintendent’s office to be used in preparation for the next biennium budget and an informational sheet regarding an effort to put simple majority for school elections on the next ballot.
Kinsley shared the Board’s attendance schedule for graduation ceremonies – David Blair and Don Leu will attend Sehome’s graduation, Ann Whitmyer and Ken Gass will attend Squalicum’s graduation and Elaine Lynch will attend the graduation for Options High School.
Audience
Cindy Brinn, Adrienne Spinelli, Amy Farris, and Mark Schlichting spoke to the Board regarding the Squalicum High School orchestra trip to Punta Arenas, Chile.
Bill Coates of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association addressed the Board regarding the decision to have an open or closed campus at Bellingham High School.
REPORTS:
Presentation from Seattle Northwest Security for Sale of Bonds
John Rose of Seattle Northwest Securities Corporation outlined a planning schedule for the sale of the $10 million in bonds that were approved in the last election. If market conditions are suitable, he will present a Bond Resolution for Board action at the June 8 meeting.
NovaNET Program
Director of Library, Media, and Technology Nancy Messmer spoke to the Board about the implementation process of the NovaNET curriculum support software. The system allows teachers to customize lessons for each student and allows students to work on a wide range of courses and levels of coursework at their own time and pace. The software is currently installed and in use at Sehome’s SAIL program, Squalicum’s CAS programs, Options High School, and GRADS. The District will be installing the program at various middle schools and expanding high school usage in the future.
District Student Progress Assessments
Wendy Barrett, Director of Curriculum, reported on student performance on District reading and writing assessments for the 1999-2000 school year. She provided data for the Developmental Reading Assessment for grades K-2, the Degrees of Reading Power for grades 3-5, and the District Six Trait Writing Assessment that is given to students in grades 3, 6, and 9. The District Math Assessment has been in development for the past four years. Math assessments were administered to students in grades 4,6, and 9 in March. Scores will be available in late May. These assessments are part of a comprehensive District plan to measure and report student learning.
Annual Progress Reports for Lowell and Shuksan
The Board heard annual progress reports from principals Susan Peterson, Lowell Elementary School, and Chris Stevens, Shuksan Middle School. These presentations are part of the school accountability process. Four other schools will report to the Board on their progress in May and June.
ACTION ITEMS:
Birchwood Strategic Plan
Sharon Camblin, principal of Birchwood Elementary School, presented the school’s improvement plan for 1999-2002. The school community identified the following three priorities for school improvement: 1) increasing student performance in reading, writing, and math; 2) developing common practice across grade levels, and training all people who work in classrooms, and 3) providing specific support for the child at risk of school failure. Camblin outlined action plans in the areas of programs and instruction, school culture, family and community connections, and professional development in order to achieve the goals.
Gass moved and Whitmyer seconded approval of the strategic plan for Birchwood Elementary School. The motion carried unanimously.
Elementary Enrollment Adjustments Approved
Leu moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve two plans for elementary enrollment adjustment. The motion carried unanimously. The plans were in response to current enrollment and projected growth in the attendance areas of Carl Cozier and Happy Valley Elementary Schools. One plan will allow K-5 students living in the area between Carl Cozier and Lowell (the middle school change area from Kulshan to Fairhaven) to voluntarily transfer to Lowell during the next two years. Any new students moving into that area over the next years would be expected to attend Lowell. The second plan shifts some Happy Valley students to Larrabee. Those students live between Harris and Donovan Avenues east of 21st St.
Adjustments to District Certificated Staffing
Gass moved and Lynch seconded the motion to approve adjustments to the baseline certificated staffing for the 2000-2001 school year. The motion carried unanimously. The proposal included the addition of 3.6 FTE teachers for the high schools, and a new District administrative position, Professional Development Coordinator. The Professional Development Coordinator position was recommended by the WASA Management Review conducted in the spring of 1999. This position will be fully funded by the Gates Foundation grant in 2000-2001 and gradually phased into District funding over the five-year length of the grant.
First Reading of Textbooks
The Board heard a first reading of two textbooks recommended by the Instructional Materials Committee for high school Family and Consumer Science. The materials, entitled Food for Today and ServSafe Coursebook, will be available for public review in the Curriculum Office. The Board will take action on the textbooks at the May 25 meeting.
Call for Bids
Whitmyer moved and Gass seconded the motion to call for bids on the following:
The motion carried unanimously.
Personnel Recommendations Approved
Lynch moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Kinsley noted the retirements of Dale Hulbert, English teacher at Sehome; Larry Vanderpool, 6th grade core teacher at Shuksan, and Anna Marlene Jackson, instructional assistant at Happy Valley.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 p.m.