Shoreline School Board Meeting Monday, November 17, 2014

By Marianne Deal Stephens

The November 17 meeting of the Shoreline School Board began like most meetings: after a call to order by Board President Mike Jacobs and a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, the board passed several items without discussion.

Most meetings begin with a Consent Agenda, which consists of standard items already processed through appropriate school district channels. This week’s agenda included approval of: 

• A contract with the Everett Events Center for June 2015 high school graduation ceremonies;
• A Waiver Renewal Request to the State Board of Education to waive the 180-day regulation for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 in order to have up to five professional development days;
• A Resolution to set aside $500,000 of levy funds annually for curriculum adoption for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018;
• A Capital Levy purchase of Chromebooks for use in grades 5-8;
• Acceptance of gifts from Cascade K-8 PTSA for fall camp, field trips and enrichment, and from Meridian Park PTSA for miscellaneous activities, including 6th grade camp and assemblies;
• An agreement between the district and the City of Shoreline regarding sidewalks around Einstein Middle School as part of the Safe Routes to Schools Project;
• Several extended field trip requests, for:  State Cross Country Meet, Shorewood Math Team, Shorewood All-State Music, Shorewood Robotics, and Echo Lake and Highland Terrace Outdoor Education.

Four major items appeared on the main part of the agenda. The first item was a brief introduction of Dr. Cheryl Roberts, who began her duties as the new president of Shoreline Community College on August 1, 2014. See previous article. Dr. Roberts and SCC will continue the college’s well-established pattern of success and focus on helping people live up to their potential. Dr. Roberts noted that, though Shoreline is the smallest college district in the State of Washington, SCC was recently recognized for its success in helping students make the transition to college.

The Shoreline School District and Shoreline Community College have a close partnership. Many Shoreline School District students attend Shoreline Community College as Running Start Students in their junior and senior years of high school, and others attend after graduating from Shorecrest or Shorewood High Schools. The latest ERDC data shows that 47% of 2012 Shoreline School District graduates enrolled in in-state two-year public institutions. This figure includes all in-state public two-year institutions, and is not limited to Shoreline Community College.

Three other major items on the November 17 School Board agenda will be discussed in separate articles: Teachers in STEM Programs; Emergency Preparedness; and School Improvement Plans.

During the Board Reports section of the agenda, several of board members mentioned attending the high school drama productions and encouraged others to attend. Matchmaker by Shorecrest Drama and Anything Goes by Shorewood Drama.