Board President 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 good news of the district:

• Board members attended the Enumclaw Schools Foundation dinner on Friday night. It was a terrific event with fun student participation.   
• The EHS Girls Tennis Team had players compete in Districts on the weekend. Four athletes earned spots in the State tournament. 
• Advanced Placement (AP) Testing wrapped up last week at the high school.
• An EHS athlete broke her own record at Districts in the pole vault. 
• Congratulations to Peter French and the maintenance crew for their award on energy savings by cutting back run times district wide. These efforts created electricity and gas savings in district schools. 
• Congratulations to the equestrian team. At their weekend competition they earned five first place buckles and beat two state records. 
• After a multi-month superintendent search, the Board is excited for Dr. Mark Wenzel to start as the next superintendent in the district. Thank you to board members, staff, students and community for participating in the surveys and forums. The full day interviews with two candidates were last week and there was great participation and interactions throughout both days. 
• It is "Senior Season" for the Class of 2026. Prom was held earlier in the spring. Senior exit interviews was a celebratory time with students and so humbling to listen to their stories and perspectives. The district has amazing students! 
• The art show was last week and it's always really awesome to see all the art in the district representing students in grades K-12.  
• Graduation for the Class of 2026 is on June 9th.
• The Agriventure field trip for 4th and 5th grade students will be at the Expo Center this week. Students will have hands-on, age appropriate learning with interactive exhibits and live demonstrations from local farmers, FFA and 4H students.  A big shout out to Rene Popke for organizing this event and to ESF for their support. 
• Thank you to the Enumclaw School District community for their participation and input during the superintendent search. There were hundreds of responses and comments in the surveys. The information and feedback was invaluable to the board.   

Superintendent Jill Burnes shared the following in the Superintendent's Report:

• We begin with our "why" to keep us grounded in our purpose, establishing a clear through-line to our mission, Theory of Action, and Five Commitments.
• Thank you to the Board of Directors for your time and commitment in selecting Dr. Wenzel as our new superintendent. Thank you for your dedicated service especially in this process.
• Thank you to Makhya Walls for your service on the Board of Directors as a student representative. We have enjoyed your participation and are excited to see what the future holds for you.  
• Three of our district schools were recognized by the Washington State Board of Education recognition program for specific areas of growth: Sunrise Elementary, Westwood Elementary, and Thunder Mountain Middle School 
• Enumclaw High School seniors participated in meaningful exit interviews, sitting down with adults answering questions about who they are, where they see themselves and their next steps to get there. 
• EHS had 21 students participating at the FFA State Events this weekend. The students stayed five nights in the dorms and participated in many career and leadership events. 
• The Kibler Book Warriors unseated the reigning champions in an exciting, all-district Battle of the Books competition. 
• Connie Aigner, EHS Art Teacher, successfully collaborated with schools across the district to bring together a wonderful art show featuring work from grades K-12. 
• The National Honor Society welcomed 39 new members from Enumclaw High School. 
• A Senior Cultural Celebration was held on Saturday to honor graduating students who were recognized with their families and received regalia specific to their cultural history. 
• Library media specialists enjoyed a release day to review, align, and plan together around educational standards.  
• The annual Enumclaw Schools Foundation (ESF) dinner was a fantastic opportunity to see the enhanced learning opportunities that ESF partners with the district to provide. 
• The Agriventure field trip for 4th and 5th graders will be this week. The schedule of events and activities will be a great learning time for these students.  
• A meeting will be held on Thursday of this week at the Ten Trails community center to share about the building of the new school and the construction planned in the area. 
• Friday, May 22 is a scheduled make-up day, and three of the district schools will be in session. 
• For families with a graduating senior, the school website has a page dedicated to the Class of 2026 and the upcoming dates and activities. 

Sunrise Principal Ashley Ferguson introduced herself to the Board of Directors and shared that for her first year at Sunrise she had three goals for herself: to listen, learn and build relationships. The school's theme for the year is "Growing Together" and she stated that the Board would see a through line with the district's five commitments.  She shared the process the staff invested in by sharing individual values and then creating values and a mission for Sunrise.  The mission created is, Our mission is to provide a safe and engaging learning environment where all students develop the academic and social foundations needed for lifelong success. 

Ms. Ferguson and staff assessed school culture using data from the Hope Survey and the Psychological Sense of School Membership scale. They shared about the implementation of the leadership club with 48 fourth and fifth grade students voluntarily sacrificing their lunch recess and free time to participate. The students have created posters for spirit days, helped sort toys at the Expo Center, and organized a food drive to support local families. They are learning about teamwork, responsibility and helping others.

These student leaders are participating in mentoring younger students. Staff have been intentional about pairing students together as recess buddies, math mentors and fourth/kindergarten reading buddies. Run for Hope is a running club available to students and now new clubs are being formed such as a crocheting club, garden club, art club, and book club.  Service projects included the students participating in a domino-style cereal box donation, sending the cereal to a local food bank. Additionally, staff members volunteered at Full Bellies. 

The school has utilized effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to ensure consistent, sustainable processes by evaluating meeting agendas, reviewing student support processes, improving goal setting, and increasing communication with families. Fall and winter reading data showed that almost all grade levels achieved excellent growth. This success was aided by WINN time and increased interventions. 

Ms. Ferguson stated that she is excited about the Sunrise staff continuing to grow together and that they are proud of the recognition the school recently received for growth. 

The Board thanked Ms. Ferguson and the Sunrise staff for their great presentation. They offered thanks to all of the students in attendance for their leadership and mentoring on the playground and in the classroom. 

Board President asked Mrs. Strand to share with the Board her classroom project that has received national attention. Mrs. Strand shared that her classroom has created art for their own Macy's Day Parade. She filmed the class parade which went viral. Crocs saw it and after communicating with her, sent all of her students a pair of crocs and a variety of Croc charms.  

Director Gamblin shared that naming a school is a board level decision and that the board will take action on the naming tonight. Board President Gamblin reviewed the process the Naming Committee went through and shared that they met several times and reviewed community feedback.  The Naming Committee presented to the board a few weeks ago with final three recommendations.

The Board of Directors acknowledged the first reading of Policy #1006-Board of Directors Operating Principles, #2140-Comprehensive School Counseling Program, #5410-Sick Leave, #6910-Construction Financing, and #6920-Construction Design. 

Board President Gamblin offered thanks to the Board for their hard work and input to create the new Operating Principles. 

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 - May 2026

The regular session was dismissed at 7:34 to move into executive session to review qualifications of a public employee. Board President Gamblin stated that the regular session would reconvene at 8:05 p.m. The Board asked for additional time for the executive session and the regular meeting reconvened at 8:56 p.m.