BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

August 26, 1999

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., August 26, 1999, 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 Ken Gass, Don Leu, Elaine Lynch, and Ann Whitmyer, President David Blair, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.

At 6:31 p.m. Lynch moved to begin Executive Session; Whitmyer seconded. At 7:14 p.m. Whitmyer made the motion to move to regular session; Lynch seconded.

At 7:29 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 August 12, 1999 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                  GENERAL FUND:

                               $154,500.00                           LGIP, withdrawal, August 9, 1999

                                 $56,500.00                           LGIP, withdrawal, August 16, 1999

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS

                                   $2,900.00                           LGIP, investment, August 16, 1999

                                   $4,000.00                           LGIP, withdrawal, August 16, 1999

                            $2,388,100.00                           LGIP, withdrawal, August 16, 1999

                  DEBT SERVICE

                                 $25,000.00                           LGIP, investment, August 16, 1999

Personal Services Contract:

• Bill Attebery to manage the Elementary COPS Grant from August 16, 1999, to July 31, 2000.

Out-of-State Travel:

• Margo Montague to attend the National Association for Gifted Children-Pathways to the Millennium Conference November 2-7, 1999, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• John Getchell to attend a user group meeting for School Net in San Jose, California, August 19-20, 1999.

Contract:

• Contract for Personal Services with Catholic Community Services Northwest (Martin Center) for the 1999-2000 school year.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Board members reported on the Board retreat last Thursday, August 19. Gass also reported on the middle school boundary meeting at Carl Cozier Elementary held on August 23.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports

Dr. Kinsley highlighted some of the events leading to the first day of school on Wednesday, September 1. The annual teacher orientation will be tomorrow, August 27. Monday, August 30, will be the first state inservice day for teachers. Several elementary schools will hold their open house on Tuesday evening.

Kinsley provided copies of the education section from the City of Bellingham Benchmarks for Progress report, which provided indicators of educational progress data. He also shared the new District Board of Directors information sheet and provided information for obtaining WIAA activity passes for Board members.

REPORTS:

Communication about WASL Results

Susan Zoller, Deputy Superintendent, reported on the District’s plans to provide information to parents and students about the results of the 1999 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Parents will receive a preliminary letter that provides information about the tests and scoring procedures. After teachers in grades 5, 8, and 11 have an opportunity the review the scores, parents will review individual score reports. These reports will provide a basis for student goal setting. At the September 9 Board meeting there will be a report and analysis of the results. The results will be released to parents through site council meetings. Members of the community will be invited to view Terry Bergeson’s “State of Education” address in late October.

BHS Mascot

Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller explained the review and selection process for the Bellingham High School mascot. Sehome and Squalicum Site Councils met in April 1999 to review District policy and procedure on school mascots and colors. The group then considered if the colors, names, and logo met the definitions in the policy. The members voted on each question and recommended that the logo for Bellingham High be changed, but that the colors remain red and white and the name remain “Red Raiders.” Students who will attend the school in 2000-2001 will participate in development of a mascot/logo and will present their recommendations to the Board this November.

Information on Initiative 695

In November 1995, the state will vote on Initiative 695, the “$30 license tab fee” initiative. Superintendent Kinsley provided information and two legal reviews that outlined how passage of the initiative would impact K-12 schools. After reviewing the information, the Board requested that a resolution opposing Initiative 695 be prepared for approval at the September 9 meeting.

Second Step Program

Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller provided information about the Second Step violence prevention curriculum. The program is designed to provide children with knowledge and skills to deal with conflicts. The curriculum, which is taught by a classroom teacher, reinforces the social skills that are commonly lacking in people prone to violent and aggressive behavior: empathy, impulse control, problem solving, and anger management. During the 1998-99 school year, Sunnyland Elementary, Parkview Elementary, and Fairhaven Middle School piloted Second Step in their buildings. The program appeared to meet the needs at both elementary and middle school levels. Teachers were pleased with the materials and the impact on student behavior. The Board will take action on expanding the Second Step program into all elementary and middle schools in the District at an upcoming meeting this fall.

ACTION ITEMS:

Approval of Policy #5146

Gass moved and Lynch seconded the motion for approval of Policy #5146 – Salary Schedule for Nonrepresented Extracurricular Activity Positions. The motion carried unanimously. The Board heard a first reading in July. The policy was updated to reflect the salary increase, which was provided for other extracurricular activity personnel.

Resolution 12-99 – Budget Revision for 1998-99

Whitmyer moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve Resolution 12-99, authorizing a revision to the 1998-99 budget. The motion carried unanimously. The revision was necessary due to a number of unforeseen expenditures incurred during the year.

Purchase Agreement Approved

The District is pursuing the purchase a 15.6 parcel of land for a new elementary school. The property is located at the end of Magrath Road, adjacent to Squalicum High School. Lynch moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve a purchase agreement, contingent on securing a lot line adjustment and legal description of the property. The motion carried unanimously. The agreement will allow a 60-day due diligence period to conduct assessments of the site. The purchase price is $1.1 million.

Bid Award

Leu moved and Gass seconded the motion to award the bid for bakery items for the 1999-2000 school year to Gai’s Northwest Bakeries. The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations Approved

Leu moved and Gass seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Superintendent Kinsley recognized the efforts of the Human Resources staff over the past months.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.