BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

September 27, 2001

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., September 27, 2001, in the Board Room of the Administration Building. Prior to the regular Board meeting there was an Executive Session at 6:30 p.m. Purpose of Executive Session – negotiations and personnel matters.

Present:  Directors David Blair, Ken Gass, Don Leu, and Elaine Lynch, President Ann Whitmyer, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.

At 6:30 p.m. Blair moved to begin Executive Session; Gass seconded. At 7:50 Gass moved to regular session; Lynch seconded.

At 7:55 p.m. President Ann Whitmyer 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 September 13, 2001 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                    GENERAL FUND

                                          $402,000.00                     LGIP, withdrawal, September 14, 2001

                                          $38,500.00                       LGIP, withdrawal, September 21, 2001

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND

                                          $732,200.00                     LGIP, withdrawal, September 14, 2001

                                          $5,200.00                         LGIP, withdrawal, September 19, 2001

                  DEBT SERVICE FUND

                                          $23,000.00                        LGIP, investment, September 14, 2001

                                          $24,000.00                        LGIP, investment, September 21, 200

                  ASB FUND

                                         $9,500.00                           LGIP, investment, September 14, 2001

Personal Services Contracts:

• Janet Oakley to work on third grade curriculum development between September 10, 2001, and January 31, 2002.

• Yafei “Fiona” Osburn and Khanh Pham to serve as foreign language interpreters on as-needed basis during the 2001-02 school year.
• Gavin Grant to serve as sign language interpreter on as-needed basis during the 2001-02 school year.
• Mike Anderson to conduct required inspections of School District buildings during the 2001-02 school year.
• Joan Rudd to serve as a piano accompanist for Squalicum High School choirs during the 2001-02 school year.
• Cynthia Hartle to direct a Children’s Choir at Happy Valley Elementary beginning October 2001 and continuing through the first week of May 2002.

Contracts:

• Reading Recovery® Agreement for Interdistrict Services between Bellingham School District and the Northshore School District.
• Interdistrict Cooperative Agreement for the Health Care Services Program for the 2001-02 school year.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Leu reported on a WSSDA Achievement Gap meeting that he attended in Yakima.

Lynch advised the Board regarding information that she had emailed to them from WSSDA regarding vouchers and the Public Disclosure Commission. She will be attending Bellingham High School mock interviews beginning next week.

Whitmyer reported on the Fairhaven 6th grade breakfast.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports

Dr. Kinsley reminded the Board of the school visit to Sunnyland next Friday at 7:30 a.m. He also reported on the Gates team meeting that he attended yesterday at Sea Tac along with Adrienne Nelson, Sherrie Brown and Nancy Messmer.

REPORTS:

“Just for Kids” Website – Duane Baker

Dr. Duane Baker reported and demonstrated the “Just for Kids” website. “Just for Kids”  is a data system that provides online comparative information for Washington State schools.  The project is based with the Washington Research Center at Pacific Lutheran University and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Washington Mutual, and Boeing. The system provides three functions– analyzes data, publishes reports, and establishes a database analysis system that compares the WASL scores of schools with others that are similar. The screening factors used for comparison are socio-economic status, English proficiency, student mobility, testing inclusiveness, and school size. The website can be accessed at www.spu.edu through the Research Center link.

Assessment of Student Learning

Curriculum Director Wendy Barrett summarized the results of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED). Her report to the Board was focused on the WASL tests that were given to 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students last spring. Bellingham students performed above the state average in all areas of reading, math, writing, and listening. Eleven of the twelve elementary schools have met their reading improvement goals. While, middle school scores were above state averages, they were still much lower than elementary and high school scores. However, cohort comparisons from seventh grade to tenth grade show gains in all areas. Math scores across all grades continue to lag behind reading and writing.  The District will provide further support and focus in this area.

Elementary Extended-Day Programs

In the interest of time, the Board postponed this report until the next meeting.

ACTION ITEMS:

Policy #9301 Approved

Blair moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve of Policy #9301 – Pest Management. The motion carried unanimously. No changes were made to the policy. Some minor edits were made to the procedures since the first reading at the September 13 meeting.

BASE Contract Ratified

Blair moved and Lynch seconded the motion to approve the BASE three-year contract. The motion carried unanimously. BASE members ratified the proposed contract on Tuesday evening, September 25. Dr. Kinsley commended both bargaining teams for their handling of this process.

Kindergarten Report Card

Gass moved and Leu seconded approval of a new kindergarten report card. The motion carried unanimously. Director of Federal and Special Programs Margo Montague and kindergarten teachers Donna Aarstol and Kathy Shore provided information about the report card and the parent handbook. This effort was the final piece of the K-5 reporting system. The new report card closely matches the card used for grades 1-5 and is based on the state EALR’s and the District kindergarten standards.  Teachers piloted the card during the 2000-01 school year and made recommendations. After Board approval, this revised card will be used.

Approval of Additional Release Days for Shuksan

Gass moved and Blair seconded approval of a request from Shuksan Middle School for two additional early release days for this school year. The motion carried unanimously. Buildings are given an option to request two additional early release/late arrival days for exceptional needs beyond the eight days that are granted each year. 

Student Trips

Blair moved and Lynch seconded the motion to approve the following student trips:

• approval in concept for Sehome students to go on the “Zodiac” cruise May 10-12, 2002.
• approval in concept for Bellingham High students to go on the “Zodiac” cruise May 17-19, 2002.

The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations

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

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.