No report. 

• Deena Bayoumi: Efforts are underway to schedule a DEIB Task Force meeting that accommodates all members' availability. The SOCA end-of-year ice cream social at Lincoln Middle School was well attended and provided a positive opportunity for community engagement. Several legislative updates affecting public education were also shared.
• Craig Nelson: Attended the Pullman High School Class of 2026 graduation ceremony. The senior elementary school walk-through was highlighted as a meaningful tradition, providing graduating seniors an opportunity to revisit their elementary schools and celebrate with students and staff.
• Lisa Waananen Jones: Attended the Pullman High School Class of 2026 graduation ceremony and commended the students and staff for a well-organized event. Jefferson Elementary School's end-of-year celebration was well attended. Attendance at the Jefferson Elementary fourth-grade Wax Museum was also noted, with recognition of the students' preparation, presentation skills, and engagement as they shared their research projects.
• Arron Carter: Attended Pullman High School Awards Night and graduation, noting positive feedback from students, families, and community members regarding the organization and quality of the events. The senior celebration at Zeppoz was well attended, with students enjoying the opportunity to celebrate together. Lincoln Middle School’s eighth-grade promotion activities were also highlighted, including the send-off event recognizing students as they transition to Pullman High School.

Dr. Maxwell provided an update on end-of-year activities across the district, including graduation celebrations, school events, and the districtwide staff appreciation barbecue. Information from a recent state webinar was also shared with the Board via email. Legislative topics discussed included potential statewide cell phone restrictions supported by the Governor and OSPI, possible changes related to High School and Beyond Plans, and proposed updates to graduation requirements being considered by the State Board of Education for the upcoming legislative session.

Report: Special Education Services Update

Presenter: Dom Ventresco, Assistant Director of Special Services

Assistant Director Ventresco provided an update on Special Education enrollment trends, implementation of the OSPI-funded RREI grant, and planned program improvements for the 2026–27 school year. The report highlighted professional development, coaching, and implementation supports made possible through grant funding, resulting in increased student engagement and strengthened behavioral and instructional practices. Upcoming enhancements include the addition of a special education teacher at Kamiak Elementary’s Developmental Learning Center (DLC) to support caseload management, implementation of the TeachTown curriculum to expand access to core credits for students with higher support needs, and development of a transition-to-adulthood learning program for students ages 18–22. 

During Board discussion, members asked how the proposed improvements would address concerns regarding high school special education services that were identified during community listening sessions. Assistant Director Ventresco indicated that the planned enhancements are intended to directly address those concerns and improve services and opportunities for students.

Report: English Language Development (ELD) 

Presenter by Ryan Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent & Kelli Dahmen, District ELD Teacher

Assistant Superintendent Mulvey and Kelli Dahmen provided an overview of the district’s English Language Development (ELD) program, including enrollment, staffing, budget and expenditures, instructional models, and program goals for the current school year. They shared that the program remains significantly underfunded and understaffed relative to student needs. 

Ms. Dahmen reviewed the student identification process and described instructional models used at the elementary and secondary levels, including push-in services within general education classrooms, secondary ELD class periods, and strategic student clustering to maximize instructional support.

Student language growth and program exit data were also presented for each school. In addition, Ms. Dahmen highlighted ongoing professional development efforts to equip staff with instructional strategies that support multilingual learners across all classrooms.

During Board discussion, members asked about family engagement and ways families are supported in reinforcing learning at home. Ms. Dahmen shared that family surveys and communication letters are regularly provided, and noted plans to reintroduce family engagement opportunities such as family literacy nights. She also highlighted the use of ParentSquare’s translation features to communicate with families in their home languages and strengthen school-home connections.

Report: Highly Capable Services Program Update

Presenter: Joni Stevens, Instructional Coach

Joni Stevens presented an overview of the revised Highly Capable Program referral and identification process, including the implementation of universal screening, cognitive abilities testing, and expanded communication with families. The updated process resulted in an increase in the number of students tested and identified for services, improved representation of low-income students within the program, reduced the number of appeals, and increased overall program participation. Ms. Stevens also reviewed current program demographics and highlighted successes in creating more equitable identification practices. Future areas of focus include strengthening program services, enhancing communication with families, increasing staff understanding of highly capable learners, and refining testing and identification procedures.

Report: Summer School 

Presenter: Ryan Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent

Assistant Superintendent Mulvey presented the district’s summer school plan. Pullman High School will offer a credit recovery program for core classes staffed by one teacher. The program has a $150 fee per student, with waivers available for qualifying students. There will be no general elementary summer school program offered this year. Extended School Year (ESY) services will be provided for qualifying students, with elementary ESY held at Kamiak Elementary and secondary ESY held at Pullman High School.

During Board discussion, clarification was provided that ESY services are offered at no cost to eligible students.

Report: Safety

Presenter: Juston Pollestad, Executive Director of Operations

Director Pollestad provided an update on district safety efforts, including staff training, environmental and food safety, outdoor spaces, building security, social-emotional learning, emergency preparedness, and transportation safety. He also reviewed the district’s compliance requirements related to Alyssa’s Law (SB 5004), focused on improving emergency response times, including plans to provide live district security camera access to the Pullman Police Department.

During Board discussion, clarification was provided regarding the Police Advisory Committee, noting that district representation on the committee has been a longstanding practice of the district.

Reminder, 2026 NEWESD101 Regional Equity Summit is June 23rd at Gonzaga University. Clock hours are available. 

Speaker: Megan Itani

Topic(s): Upcoming unified baseball game, Challengers Division. Substantiated violations from the Clear Risk Report and ask for transparency on board's response.

The following vouchers as audited and certified by the auditing officer, as required by RCW 42.24.080, and those expense reimbursement claims certified, as required by RCW 42.24.090, are approved for payment. In addition, payroll warrants in the amount of $3,165,466.34 are also approved. 

Fund: ASB 

Voucher numbers 252600196 through 252600196 totaling $1,616.80

Voucher numbers 252600197 through 252600197 totaling $2,992.67

Voucher numbers 252600198 through 252600198 totaling $11,362.75

Voucher numbers 26737949 through 26737962 totaling $11,636.78

Voucher numbers 26737963 through 26737963 totaling $137.38

Voucher numbers 26737964 through 26737966 totaling $10,181.43

Fund: Capital Projects

Voucher numbers 252600195 through 252600195 totaling $420.12

Voucher numbers 26737976 through 26738027 totaling $2,592.49

Fund: General

Voucher numbers 252600199 through 252600199 totaling $45,089.73

Voucher numbers 252600200 through 252600202 totaling $51.76

Voucher numbers 252600203 through 252600211 totaling $7,554.75

Voucher numbers 26737967 through 26737975 totaling $990.44

Voucher numbers 26737976 through 26738027 totaling $379,403.52

Presenter: Diane Hodge, Finance Director

Director Hodge presented a comprehensive overview of the recommended 2026–27 budget. The presentation included an overview of district funds, projected enrollment, and staffing for the upcoming school year. Continued efforts to maintain a 10% fund balance in alignment with Board policy were highlighted.

Additional information was provided on each district fund, including revenue and expenditure breakdowns by program, as well as a summary of bond activity and property tax levy collections over time. The four-year FTE enrollment and financial projections, as recommended by the Finance Committee, were also reviewed.

A public hearing and recommendation for adoption of the 2026–27 budget are scheduled for the June 24, 2026, board meeting.

For 2025-2026 School Year 

Budgeted FTE: 2540 

Current FTE: 2586.93

Current Year Average FTE: 2619.90

The board meeting reconvened into an open session at 9:00pm, and the chair announced that the executive session end time would be extended 20 minutes before returning to executive session.