BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

 OF THE

 BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

September 29, 2005

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., September 29, 2005, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.

Present: Directors Ken Gass, Jeff Haggen and President Elaine Lynch, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Janet Kennedy. Directors Ann Whitmyer and Steve Schoenfeld were excused.

At 7:30 p.m. President Elaine Lynch called the regular meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Ken Gass moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the September 15, 2005 Executive Session and the September 15, 2005 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

  GENERAL FUND

  CAPITAL PROJECTS

  DEBT SERVICE

  ASB FUND

Personal Services Contract

• Jan Resick to plan and deliver an enrichment program for students in the Highly Capable Learners' Program during October and November 2005.
• Eileen Andersen, Barbara Campbell and Linda St. Andre to work on library, media, and technology curriculum projects on an as-needed basis effective September 2005 and continuing through August 2006.
• Laura Jimerson to present an after-school Spanish enrichment program at Lowell Elementary School during the 2005–2006 school year.
• Melanie Rieck to serve as the choir accompanist at Roosevelt Elementary School during the 2005–2006 school year.
• Laura Carney and Terri Pauli to present before- and after-school Japanese and Spanish enrichment programs during the 2005–2006 school year.

Out of State Travel

• Marie Little to attend the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol II Institute in Phoenix, Arizona on October 13–14, 2005.
• David Engle to attend and co-facilitate Project Inkwell's Fall Conference on Pervasive Computing Initiatives in K–12 Education in Portland, Maine on October 16–18, 2005.

Donations

Approved donations exceeding $1,000 consistent with Board Policy 6114, and 2004-2005 Store and PTSA sponsored-field trip donations to the Mt. Baker Theatre.

Resolution 6-05, Allowing Newly-Elected Board Member to Attend Annual Conference

Authorized Resolution 6-05 allowing a new board member to attend the WSSDA Annual Conference prior to their official seating.

Federal/State iGrant Applications

Approved the following Federal/State iGrant applications:

• Title I, Part A – basic skills support, federal grant
• Title II, Part A – teacher and principal quality, federal grant
• Title II, Part D – technology support, federal grant
• Title V – innovative programs, federal grant
• Indian Education – student support, federal grant
• Emergency Immigrant – student support, federal grant
• Learning Assistance – basic skills support, state grant
• Transitional Bilingual – non-English speaking, state grant
• Highly Capable – student support, state grant

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Elaine Lynch reported that the first meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the bond was held on September 28, 2005. The committee will meet the first three Wednesdays in October.

Lynch announced an upcoming event—on October 6 th the Bellingham School Board will host the WSSDA Regional Meeting at Bellingham High School. Lynch also announced she attended a county-wide committee meeting on Readiness-to-Learn. The next meeting will take place on October 28 th and will address issues of poverty and homelessness.

Lynch congratulated School Information and Communications Director Tanya Rowe on the addition of eNews to the Bellingham School District website. It is an excellent and efficient way to receive current school news.

Jeff Haggen served as a chaperone for Carl Cozier 5 th graders attending the North Cascades Institute's Mountain School at Lake Diablo. It was an excellent experience for 5 th graders and a great outdoor camping facility. The purpose of the trip was to study eco-systems and the natural and cultural history of the mountains. Haggen highly recommended this field trip in the future.

Ken Gass attended Back-to-School Night at BHS. It was a good event with lots of student engagement.

Superintendent's Announcements/Report

Dale Kinsley reported on a power outage that occurred on September 29 th that caused Sehome High School to lose power. There was a report of smoke so students were evacuated for a short time as a safety precaution. The District's new emergency procedures were tested and all went well.

Kinsley will be attending the fall WASA conference on October 3-5, 2005.

Kinsley reminded Board members that the first school visit of the year will be at Fairhaven Middle School on Friday, October 7 th at 7:30 a.m.

REPORTS:

District Work Priorities for 2005 – 2006

Superintendent Kinsley reported on the work priorities for the 2005-2006 school year. The work priorities were categorized under Powerful Teaching and Learning Strategies, personalized learning in the schools, family and community engagement, and other priorities. Many tasks are already underway.

“Additional Support” for Students Not Yet At Standard

Executive Directors for School Administration Sherrie Brown and Doug Kyles reported on the interventions that are being provided to students in middle and high school who are not yet at standard. As outlined in the Progress and Promotion policy and procedures, students are expected to make progress at every grade level and meet specific standards at 5 th and 8 th grade in reading, writing and math. Kyles outlined some of the interventions at the middle school level including developing Student Success Plans, Extended Day opportunities, small group work, parent contracts and other family support, etc. Some of the interventions at the high school level include after-school tutoring, study skills elective courses, reading seminars, individual support, extra classes in algebra, English and science, online Digital Learning Common courses, etc.

Bellingham High School teachers Fontaine Phillips and Amanda Shearer-Hannah reported that they are teaching a Community Connections course that is required for 9 th graders performing at level one in reading, writing and math. The goal is to teach 32 students per semester for a total of 64 students for the year. The course includes a community service-learning component and working with the elderly. Another project includes surveying students and collecting and analyzing data on ways to improve Bellingham High School. President Elaine Lynch noted that Phillips and Shearer-Hannah received a $500 grant from the Bellingham School District Foundation to help support this project.

Summer Maintenance Projects

Maintenance Manager Mike Anderson reported on the summer maintenance projects that were completed this past summer. Anderson described the various projects at many schools including removing and re-grading the old playground at Sunnyland and installing new playground equipment. At Squalicum, the Maintenance Department replaced a failed skylight and removed some failed vinyl flooring. The concrete floor was refinished and stained and turned out very well. Asbestos abatement projects were completed at various schools including abating the boiler room at Alderwood. New carpets were installed at Carl Cozier, Columbia, Geneva, Lowell and Shuksan.

ACTION ITEMS:

Approval of Resolution 7-05, Washington School Bond Guarantee

Jeff Haggen moved and Ken Gass seconded the motion to approve Resolution 7-05 allowing the District to refinance our current bonds. The motion carried unanimously.

The District will request a Certificate of Eligibility from the state treasurer to participate in the Washington State School District Credit Program. Refinancing the bonds at a lower interest rate will save taxpayers approximately $1.4 million.

Award of Bid – Food Service Beverages

Jeff Haggen moved and Ken Gass seconded the motion to award the bid for Food Service Beverages to Sound Beverage and Walton Beverage for beverages and specific products. Businesses were informed prior to submitting bids that their products needed to be in compliance with the District's nutrition specifications. The motion carried unanimously.

Student Trips

Ken Gass moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion to approving the following trips:

• Squalicum High School Orchestra to travel to New York City, New York to work with musicians from the New York Philharmonic and experience other types of musical and cultural tours, February 22–26, 2006.
• Sehome High School Debate Team to travel to Walla Walla, Washington to participate in a debate tournament, November 3–6, 2005.
• Ten Squalicum High School Future Business Leaders of America students to attend the National FBLA Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, November 10–14, 2005.

The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations

Ken Gass moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion approving the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.