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

Board President 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:

• Director Cochran shared she has heard wonderful things about Hornet Days, meet your teacher days, back to school activities, and other school events taking place in August.
• Director Fisher shared appreciation to Superintendent Wenzel and staff for all the extra efforts put in to preparing for the start of the school year. 
• Director Gamblin shared that he wished he could be in classrooms to hear students share about all the activities they did over the summer. He expressed excitement for students returning to the schools. 

Superintendent Wenzel shared the following in his Superintendent's Report: 

• Welcome Dr. Scott Tatum, Director of Secondary Education, noting he began his role in the district on August 3 and is actively connecting with secondary leaders and leading learning initiatives.
• The district will feature a back-to-school spread in The Courier Herald. The communication will have a focus on student attendance and a Q&A with Superintendent Wenzel. The communications team will continue sharing intentional district news, and the Board was encouraged to share content ideas. 
• The month of August has been filled with active leadership planning and teachers coming together for math, literacy, and grade book professional development. These opportunities are all in alignment with the school-year theme, Rowing Together, which will be shared at District Day on Thursday, August 20. 
• The Rowing Together theme offers opporunities to reflect on direction, alignment, and commitment. There will be opportunities for the board to explore the theme's meaning at the planned retreat in October. 
• Facilities and maintenance teams completed a variety of projects over the summer, preparing for students and staff to be back in buildings. 
• The Board received an update on the budget in their packets, and tonight they will hear more about the district resources alignment to the strategic plan and priorities.

Phil Iverson presented an update on the Evergreen Elementary Project, which included a photo of the cleared project site. Mr. Iverson reported that the project is progressing extremely well, noting that building permits have been submitted, footings have been poured and formwork is in place. He reviewed the project schedule, highlighting that construction remains on budget and ahead of schedule. Preliminary planning for building move-ins is underway to ensure sufficient time to prepare the interior for staff and students. Mr. Iverson noted that a resolution will be presented on the September agenda for Board consideration. 

Superintendent Wenzel added that the current occupancy date is July 27 which leaves minimal room for schedule adjustments. He noted that the district team is actively monitoring the risk and planning ahead to mitigate potential delays.    

The Board asked clarifying questions and thanked Mr. Iverson for the update.  

Superintendent Wenzel presented a draft of the District Improvement Plan. The administration plans to present this in depth to the Board of Directors during the October retreat, demonstrating clear through lines connecting the district goals to individual school improvement plans.  There will be alignment among the mission, vision, Five Commitments, district improvement plans, school improvement plans, and teacher goals. This will allow the Board, as governors of the district, to monitor progress and assure constituents that we're leaning into important improvement work this year on behalf of the students we serve. 

The district improvement plan is grounded in three big ideas designed to drive student success: 

• Shifting central office focus to support and assist principals as instructional leaders. 
• Strengthening the capacity of principals to become stronger instructional leaders. 
• Empowering teachers to collaborate and refine their instructional practices through professional dialogue. 

Superintendent Wenzel shared strategies behind each of these goals that includes a book study by District Office leaders titled, From Tinkering to Transformation, based on University of WA research that is about transforming and shifting central office work to provide more support for school leaders.  

The second body of work surrounds principal leadership. The team is leveraging the AWSP framework (Association of Washington State Principals) for principals to set goals. Principals and Superintendent Wenzel will meet one on one to review school improvement plans and goals. Monthly classroom walkthroughs with principals, directors, and the superintendent are being scheduled to view instruction and discuss instructional feedback. 

The third body of work is Collective Efficacy, which is working better together or, Rowing Together, within the Professional Learning Communities (PLC). To optimize this practice, we need to understand effective PLC operations, deliver targeted training, and establish common practices. To support this initiative, a three-year partnership is being introduced with PLCs at Work. For the first year the leadership team will identify essential standards in math and language arts. This work will start with the leadership team and shift to include teachers and embedding it in the district. 

Five goals have been identified for this year that are tied to the Five Commitments and what the state is measuring in terms of district effectiveness. District goals have been set for math, language arts, attendance, graduation rates, and a specific goal concerning the opening of Evergreen Elementary. Metrics for the district goals, not including Evergreen Elementary, have been developed by comparing with eight other districts in the region that have been selected as demographically similar to the Enumclaw School District. The school goals will align with the district goals. The October retreat will support the Board in connecting the Superintendent evaluation to this important work. 

The Board asked the following questions: 

Director Fisher asked for a definition of Instructional Leadership.

Answer: Traditionally school principals were asked to be adept business managers and asked to create school schedule, oversee finances, and ensure buses were on time. These things are still important and part of a principals' framework, but new research supports the principal as an Instructional Leader. Student learning increases when principals understand what good instruction looks like, understand curriculum, and are able to give teachers feedback that can spur growth and reflective thinking. Many of our principals identify as instructional leaders already and are excited about diving deeper into this. 

Director Cochran: Will the schedule allow the principals to be in the classroom more?  

Answer: That is the goal. There was discussion today about setting goals around this and making sure this is a priority on principal schedules. 

Director Stouffer: What are school-based goals?  

Answer: The school improvement plan is annual and this may be drilled down to grade levels. The principals will review data and align goals for their school in connection with the district goals. 

Board President Gamblin shared excitement for staff to get a glimpse of this on Thursday and thanked Superintendent Wenzel for the efforts and information. 

Director of Business Kyle Fletcher presented the proposed 2026-27 budget to the Board of Directors. Mr. Fletcher shared that the business office's budget process supports the district's Five Commitments. The five funds covered in the district budget presentation include the General Fund, Capital Projects Fund, Debt Service Fund, Associated Student Body Fund, and the Transportation Vehicle Fund. 

Mr. Fletcher outlined the primary revenue sources for each fund:

• General - State General, State Special Purpose, and Federal Special Purpose
• Capital Funds Project - Local taxes (specifically the technology levy) and select Federal Grants
• Debt Service - Local tax 
• Associated Student Body - General student body fundraisers
• Transportation Vehicle - Washington state depreciation schedule

The presentation included enrollment history and projections, highlighting increased student enrollment over the past five years. Mr. Fletcher demonstrated how the budget aligns with the District Improvement Goals and detailed how the district plans to utilize funds from the Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy. Key strategic alignments include a shift in instructional leadership, instructional technology support, and ESA support staff. 

Per-student spending comparisons were reviewed alongside peer districts. The data shows that Enumclaw's per-pupil spending is slightly lower than the average for the eight-district comparison cohort. 

Mr. Fletcher shared the revenue and expense projections for all five funds, along with a draft of the 4-year budget summary. The presentation concluded with the MSOC (Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs) disclosure, confirming that planned expenditures exceed the State's MSOC allocation, as required by law.  Mr. Fletcher noted that the District's ending fund balance is projected to be $11.9 million. 

Board President Gamblin asked Mr. Fletcher to review how the construction of Evergreen Elementary is funded. Mr. Fletcher explained that $40 million comes from the district's land sale back to Oakpointe. This will pay the 2026-27 expenses for the construction, and then the district will utilize mitigation fees from the developers up to $25 million. The funds to create the playfields at the site will be paid by Oakpointe, and the district will receive some SCAP (school construction assistance program) funding from OSPI. 

The Board of Directors asked clarifying questions throughout the meeting.

Director Cochran: What percentage of the budget is for staffing? 

Answer: 83% of the district's expenses is for staff salary and benefits.

Director Cochran: Will the Technology TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) position be aligned with math and literacy outcomes?

Answer: Yes. This role will be a K-12 position with a wide scope for student impact. For clarity purposes, the district has very few TOSAs as compared to other districts. Many districts refer to these positions as Instructional Coaches and these positions have proven to be effective in building and improving instruction. 

Board President Gamblin shared that the Enumclaw School District maintains their own bus fleet and doesn't lease vehicles. The district drives more square miles than most districts so more money is spent on transportation compared to other districts. 

There were no further comments or questions. Board members thanked Mr. Fletcher for his presentation. 

No one in attendance requested to make a comment on the budget proposal. 

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. 

Director Stouffer shared appreciation for the donations from Walgreens, Enumclaw Stationers, and Rosemary Dunkle for her generous gift to the AVID program.