Board President Tyson Gamblin led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Board President Gamblin read the following statement, We acknowledge we are gathered upon the ancestral lands of the Seattle area's Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, who historically lived throughout the areas between the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sounds, what is also known as the Salish Sea.

The Board of Directors shared the following Good News of the District:

• The Equestrian Team had their second meet of the year. Gabriella Hernandez broke her record from last year.  
• Thank you for the Black Diamond Police Department for their commitment to the DARE program.  
• Black Diamond Elementary hosted Donuts for Grown-ups and it was a great, inviting community event with happy parents in attendance. 
• The elementary schools word of the month from the Character Strong program is "cooperation".
• Last week was Education Support Professionals Week.  Thank you to our staff for the work they do for our students. 
• Thank you to music programs for all the special events for Music in Schools month. A special thanks to the music program for changing dates for their district event due to a WIAA play-off game for boys' basketball. 
• There were many activities in schools last week for Read Across America.  
• Thank you to those community members who have participated in the Superintendent Search survey.  
• Thunder Mountain Middle School has added a Cooking Club.
• On March 18th the Superintendent Search Firm will be meeting with focus groups in the district. The community meeting is at 6:00 p.m. in the EHS Media Center. 
• Thank you to Enumclaw Police Department. 
• Spring Running Clubs have started in all elementary schools. 
• There is a parent workshop starting soon, Guiding Good Choices. Information is in school newsletters.  

Superintendent Jill Burnes shared the following in her Superintendent Report: 

• Superintendent Burnes started with the reminder of the district's "why" and the work centered around around the district's Theory of Action, Mission, and Five Commitments
• The State Champion Cheer Team for 2A/3A Tumbling Small was in attendance and honored with certificates of achievement.  The coaches and team captain spoke about the highlights of their season and winning back to back state championships. 
• For CTE Month in February a breakfast was held for CTE students and their families. Students were for recognized for their professional skills.  
• For Music in Schools month, an all district choir festival was held at the EHS gymnasium with a full crowd in attendance. Participants were in grade 4th through 12th grade. This was an amazing job by the district's music teachers and students. 
• Education Support Professionals Week was last week. These staff members keep the district running smoothly in so many areas and we are so grateful for these professionals. 
• It is a time of transitions as preparations begin for the upcoming school year are underway. Eighth grade students from Enumclaw Middle School and Thunder Mountain Middle School visited Enumclaw High School. Students participated in a goose chase and attended an assembly. Current high school students are also in the process for registering for next year. 
• Schools in the district celebrated Read Across America week by participating in read-a-thons, book fairs, and Family Reading Nights. 
• Students in EHS Culinary 1 classes participated in a French Toast Competition.
• Kindergarten registration is open.  Kindergarten Orientations are scheduled for this week and next week at the elementary schools. 
• The Five Commitments Dashboard has been launched on the ESD website. This is data from last year and it will be updated on an annual basis. 
• ESD Elementary #6 is moving forward and progressing well.  The design committee met last week and there were first drafts of renderings of the school shared. The Naming Committee has also been formed and their first meeting is tonight. There were 173 responses collected for the suggested school name and mascot. 
• The Superintendent Search firm will hold a Focus Group for the community on Wednesday, March 18th, at 6:00 p.m. in the EHS Media Center.  There will also be a link for community members to participate online.  
• Soup with the Supt has been going well with Superintendent Burnes meeting staff during lunch at each school.  Six lunch meetings have been completed and there are three more scheduled. 
• The EHS Spring Musical is Cabaret. The shows will begin on March 26th and run through April 4th.
• School will be in session on Friday, March 20th. This day was scheduled as a potential day off for students, but because of closures for weather it will be a regular school day.  

Stacy Lucas introduced herself as the proud principal of the Birth to Five Center. She shared that play is a big part of their learning environment and wanted to share with the Board of Directors how this play is tied to academics. 

Ms. Lucas shared with the Board that there are 170 students at the Birth to Five Center (BTF) with 48 students in Developmental Preschool, 68 students in the Early Childhood and Education Assistance Program (ECEAP), 40 students in Transitional Kindergarten, and 14 in Speech Therapy. She shared that at BTF there are free meals for all students, they hold 4 parent-teacher conferences each year, have 3 staff collaboration days, and serve students in the three through six age ranges. 

Ms. Lucas shared she was presenting data to the Board that aligns line with three of the district's five commitments.  Student Well-Being, Literacy Proficiency, and Algebraic Reasoning are being measured through TS Gold. Ms. Lucas shared goals for students concerning interacting with peers, recognizing letters and counting.  She reviewed data from WaKIDS assessments and the ongoing impact of early learning and kindergarten success for students who attended their programs. 

Ms. Lucas shared that a focus strategy for the year is powerful, purposeful play for students. She spoke about the different levels of play such as free play, guided play, games, and playful instruction.  A video was shared of students playing and learning in the classroom and outside. Ms. Lucas encouraged board members to visit the school.  

The Board of Directors asked the following clarifying questions. 

Question: What qualifies a student for developmental preschool?

Answer: Children are evaluated through Child Find, an evaluation tool used in the United States. Children are screened for speech, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social behaviors and other developmental milestones.  If a student meets requirements for specialized support, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is created and students are enrolled in the preschool starting at age three. 

Question: Share highlights of the Transitional Kindergarten program.

Answer: This program is structured and the teachers hold students accountable to high standards. The district's Transitional Kindergarten data shows that students from BTF are outperforming others in the state, but the state is cutting funding to this program.  

Question: What is the demand for programs at the Birth to Five Center?

Answer: The demand is high. BTF receives phone calls every day asking about entrance in these programs.  There is an ongoing need to frequently complete Child Find evaluations. 

Phil Iverson, Director, and Ryan Oto, Project Manager, from Consertus were in attendance to give an update on the Elementary #6 Project.  They complimented the district, design team, Oakepointe, and the City of Black Diamond for their incredible teamwork on this project.

Mr. Iverson shared that the validation phase of the project has been completed. This phase included developing a validation schedule and cost model along with identifying and mitigating risks. This information was included in the Validation Report. Mr. Oto reviewed the project schedule highlighting the team moving into next phases of the project process.  Each phase will come to the board for approval. The current schedule shows school construction starting in June. Mr. Oto gave an overview of the four resolutions presented for the Board's consideration. These resolutions are required by OSPI.  

President Gamblin reviewed with the Board of Directors the Superintendent Search timeline including dates for preliminary interviews and finalist interviews. 

The Board discussed the online survey for the Superintendent Search. Director Fisher shared that he submitted survey suggestions to Superintendent Burnes.  Superintendent Burnes stated that the search firm is able to make adjustments to the survey.  Director Cochran requested that Northwest Leadership Associates (NWLA) send search items to the Board for review before posting.  There are 87 survey responses at this time. The survey will be left online until the survey edits are made.  All data will be utilized and submitted to the Board for their review upon the survey close date. 

The Board discussed the superintendent vacancy posting/brochure being created by NWLA. Director Cochran requested wording be updated concerning district opportunities and challenges. Suggestions will need to be sent to NWLA.  

Amy Smith introduced herself to the Board of Directors and shared a flyer with them.  She stated that she was in attendance on behalf of the Special Education Advisory Council. The council's purpose is to advocate for special education students in the district and collaborate concerning district programs. She wanted to get the word out about their council in hopes of getting more participation.  She stated the council attended the Birth to Five Resource Fair and that they will be at the HS Resource Fair.  They are working on a district website page and invited Board members to attend their meeting scheduled for the last Thursday of each month at the Birth to Five Center. 

Melanie Harrington introduced herself to the Board of Directors and stated that her family lives in Black Diamond and they have been part of the district for 11 years.  She has two students in the district with one who is a sophomore at EHS and one who is in ILC at TMMS. She read a statement from her sophomore son who was not able to be in attendance due to baseball practice. The statement read: The discrimination that not only TMMS but also our own high school, EHS, showed is a disgrace. The blatant ableism that was on display should make people responsible stop and seriously reflect on what message they're sending not just to students with disabilities, but to the entire community. The fact that many people involved may not even fully understand what ableism is only makes the situation more frustrating. Ableism isn’t just obvious cruelty; it’s also the quiet decisions and policies that exclude people or treat them like they don’t belong. So tell me: why can’t students from Ms. Regina’s special education class come to the high school for incoming freshman day? And please don’t blame it on “staffing”. When a school truly believes in inclusion, it finds solutions instead of excuses. There are plenty of students who care about their peers and would gladly volunteer their time to help out. Some teachers support inclusive education and would step up if given the opportunity. Our community has never lacked compassion or willingness to help—so using staffing as the only answer feels dismissive and incomplete. Inclusion should not be treated as an inconvenience or something that only happens when it’s easy. Students with disabilities are part of this community just like anyone else. They deserve opportunities to participate, learn, and be present in the same spaces as their peers. Schools are supposed to prepare us for the real world, and the real world includes people of all abilities. When we create barriers that prevent some students from being included, we send the message that they are less important or less worthy of being here.

Unless the school provides a clear, honest explanation and works toward a real solution, this situation shouldn’t just be brushed aside. As a city and as a society, we shouldn’t accept systems that exclude people simply because it’s easier. Enumclaw should be better than this. Our schools should be places where every student is respected, supported, and welcomed—not places where some are quietly pushed to the margins. We need transparency, accountability, and most importantly, a commitment to inclusion. Because standing up against ableism isn’t about creating conflict—it’s about making sure everyone in our community is treated with dignity and given the chance to belong.  From Cody Harrington, Proud brother of Eli 

Julie Isom introduced herself to the Board of Directors. She stated she is a parent of three students in the district, that her family has been here for six year, and that they have had many positive experiences. Her daughter is in the ILC program at TMMS and she was thankful to those that assisted with acknowledging there was a safety issue in the classroom and taking steps to improve the situation. For the transition from TMMS to EHS there has been no communication regarding this process. She believes this should be led from the high school and parents should know programs and supports available for students. It is their job to be proactive and she wonders if the student's IEPs have been shared.  Her daughter was not included on the Transition Day for middle school students to go to the high school.  The TMMS teacher was not involved and when she asked for transportation she was told the district would handle it. She stated the district is not working as a team and parents have a need to understand what support looks like for their students. For example, her daughter would love to take a cooking class, but she wants to know what support will look like for her in that specific class. She said that the peer tutor program is amazing and she encouraged the Board to look into it. 

The Board of Directors acknowledged the first reading of Policy #2106-Program Compliance, #2108-Learning Assistance Program, #5010-Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action (new title-Discrimination-Free Workplace) and #5011-Sexual Harassment of District Staff. 

Director of Business Kyle Fletcher submitted the Financial Report to the Board of Directors in advance of the meeting.  There were no comments or questions from the Board. 

Personnel Report - March 2026

Board President Gamblin asked if there was anything the Board wanted to debrief or discuss concerning future agenda items. Director Cochran stated that she would like to add to the agenda a presentation of fall and winter benchmark data to look at date to celebrate and data that will need steps for growth. Superintendent Burnes confirmed that this topic is scheduled for the April Board meeting.