School Board Summary January 25, 2016

School Board Summary January 25, 2016
By Marianne Deal Stephens

The Consent Agenda passed unanimously, and included the following:

• Project and budget approval for Capital Levy purchase of Chromebook computers for deployment in elementary grades and the READ180 program.
• Acceptance of gifts
• $22,190 from The Shoreline Public Schools Foundation for classroom grants, including a Naturalist program at Lake Forest Park Elementary, an Artist program at Syre Elementary, and a Clean Energy Project at Einstein Middle School.
• $5168 from Shorewood High School PTSA for an SAT Prep Course.
• $7510 from The Shoreline Public Schools Foundation for the Kids in Medicine program for 4th graders at Echo Lake, Lake Forest Park, Meridian Park, and Syre and for 8th graders at Einstein and Kellogg.
• Approval of Extended Field Trips
• Shorecrest and Shorewood Bowling Teams to State Tournament in Vancouver, WA in February.
• Shorewood DECA qualifiers to International DECA Competition in Nashville in April.
• Shorewood Band to Victoria, BC in May for annual Victoria Day Parade.
• Shorecrest Leadership to Leadership Camp at Cispus Learning Center in the summer.

Brookside students at the Seattle Science Foundation for hands-on experience with anatomical models, simulators, and animal tissue. Photo courtesy of Shoreline Public Schools Foundation

2016-17 Enrollment Projections
Deputy Superintendent Marla Miller and Director of Finance Mark Spangenberg presented the District’s enrollment projections for next school year. The projections use current January 2016 data and six previous years’ January totals as the basis for projections.

Deputy Superintendent Miller described how the projection formula weights the most recent years more than previous years since the demographic trends showing an increase in the very young population in the Shoreline community are expected to continue. The District examines how students are ‘rolling up’ through the schools to estimate student numbers in each grade. It is most difficult to estimate Kindergarten attendance. The district begins with a flat estimate for kindergarten, though as Deputy Superintendent Miller said, the District will monitor the numbers and be responsive to any changes by adding staff.

Overall, the District expects a 1.1% increase, which will mean 98 more students for a total population of 9280, or 9420 counting Running Start students. The recently released plan (see previous article) will allow the district to accommodate next year’s increase but, as the Deputy Superintendent noted, the work prepping North City Elementary for the 2017-2018 school year will allow the District to accommodate both continued increases in student numbers and reductions in class sizes.

Director Dick Nicholson asked if there is pressure on any particular school. Deputy Superintendent Miller replied that “we should be able to accommodate students at their home school” next year, and if needed, “Meridian Park is our expansion plan”. Meridian Park Elementary will have some classrooms available since Cascade K-8 is moving to the Aldercrest Campus next year.

November and December Financial Update
Deputy Superintendent Marla Miller and Director of Finance Mark Spangenberg stayed at the table to present the November and December Financial Reports, and the December and January Enrollment Reports. Director Spangenberg noted that the head count in December 2015 included 111 more students than the head count in 2014. Board Vice President Debi Ehrlichman inquired about the drop from December to January — from a head count of 9182 to 9156, a loss of 26 students — saying that a major change might be expected at the end of the semester, but not now. Deputy Superintendent Miller replied that the student departures were not concentrated in a single school, and could not be attributed to any one factor.

School Board Reports and Communications
Several Directors praised District Information Officer Curtis Campbell for the 2015-2016 Annual Report to the Community that was mailed to Shoreline and Lake Forest Park households in January.

Director Richard Potter attended STEM for Her at Shorecrest, the series that began at Shorewood. He is preparing for the WSSDA Legislative Conference January 31-February 1.

Director Mike Jacobs recently attended the Shorewood vs. Mountlake Terrace Boys’ Basketball game, the Shorewood Culinary Arts Dinner, and a Rotary Breakfast. He is looking forward to the State Bowling Tournament.

Director Dick Nicholson attended the Shorecrest Flag Team fundraiser and relayed that eleven teachers and “waved the banners in the correct fashion” and “were fantastic” as they performed at the event.

Board Vice President Debi Ehrlichman attended five Martin Luther King, Jr. Assemblies, which were all “unique and thoughtful”. She started her midyear visits to all of the schools, and has heard positive feedback about each elementary school having a counselor: “they are so grateful for full staffing” and are better able to serve families. While at Brookside, she was asked when the school will get its new field.

Vice President Ehrlichman also attended the reception at Shorewood honoring the Artist Dick Weiss for the public artwork in the Commons. (See previous article.) She noted that the world-renowned artist is the same one who created panels at Sea-Tac Airport. Vice President Ehrlichman, along with Superintendent Miner and Board President David Wilson, attended the Schools of Distinction Event at which Lake Forest Park, Brookside, and Cascade K-8 were recognized.

Board President David Wilson brought attention to this “great year for our DECA program”, with 51 students advancing from the regional contest to the State contest. He offered a “shout out to Damon Oliveto and Emily Wray” [DECA teachers at Shorewood and Shorecrest, respectively] and praised the students. He judged in the first round, and attests that “these are great kids.”

Source: DECA Teacher Emily Wray’s website.

President Wilson also met some future students at Kinderfest, saying that the huge crowd “bodes well for us.”

The Board concluded the public part of the meeting to went into an an Executive Session to discuss potential litigation.