PHS student representative provided the following update for PHS ASB:

• TOLO Update - Sold 252 tickets
• Next event: Prom will take place in May 2025
• Event forms filled out and turned in for a table to gather suggestions from student body for possible changes to graduation attire policies. Meeting with school board member on February 26 to discuss this topic. Lunchroom table date is to be determined. 

• Craig Nelson: No report. 
• Lisa Waananen Jones: Jefferson PTA is organizing upcoming spring events and preparing for the new "Kids Invite Someone Special" Valentine's-themed event, where students can bring a special guest to school to enjoy donuts and activities.
• Arron Carter: The Finance Committee met last week to continue discussions on finances and the budget. Revenue has increased due to adjustments in enrollment and special education, while utility costs have also risen. Continuing to prepare for the upcoming Listening Session and providing legislative updates to staff and to PTA/PTO/Booster clubs. At the next meeting, will begin looking at the results of staff intent to return forms to start determining necessary personnel steps.
• Nathan Roberts: Attended KES and PHS staff and parent group meetings to present the state of the district and keep stakeholders informed. Provided an update on the Board Communication Plan, which includes a presentation to ASB student group along with efforts to enhance joint communication with staff and the community regarding fiscal concerns. Executive Director of Operations, Juston Pollestad, will write the next Community Update article. Planning to attend a meeting to explore a flexible survey tool to utilize during the listening session.

• Calendar Committee Update – Juston Pollestad, Executive Director of Operations, provided an update on the committee’s first meeting, including committee membership, background, calendar parameters, and discussions on inclement weather days. In response to a question about aligning PSD and WSU spring breaks, he noted that the later start date for PSD pushes K-12 spring break later, but alignment remains a discussion point.
• Finance Committee Update – Reminder that the budget listening session will be held on March 19th. The committee continues to review the budget status report and cash flow summary monthly.
• Parent Resource Partnership – The next session, focused on Data-Informed Decision Making, will take place on March 5th at the District Office for families with students who benefit from IEPs/504s.
• AI Task Force Update – The task force is progressing quickly, with a goal to present a draft for board review at the February 26th meeting.
• Legislative Update – An overview of the legislative session was provided, highlighting bills related to special education, transportation, and MSOC (Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs). Staff have actively provided written testimony on these bills.
  • Special Education Funding Discussion – There is currently a cap on special education funding, with proposed bills seeking to increase the multiplier for funding. While transportation-related costs are being addressed, there are no current bills regarding additional funding for students with 504 plans.

• Lincoln Middle School Showcase 
  • Presenter: Cameron Grow, Lincoln Middle School Principal
    Guests: Yelonda Wilke & Brian Green, SOCA Advisors
  • Summary: Students from the Students of Color Alliance (SOCA) provided an overview of the club’s purpose and activities.
  • Discussion:
    • Meeting Frequency: The club meets 1-2 days per week after school at LMS.
    • There is currently one male participant. Students expressed that having more male members would help ensure representation of all voices. Advisor Green noted that scheduling conflicts with athletics have impacted male participation. To address this, the club introduced a lunchtime meeting option, which allowed more student-athletes to attend. Efforts to increase participation are ongoing.
• Report: Scratch Cooking/Nutrition Services Program
  • Presenter: Jessie Campbell, Nutrition Services Supervisor
  • Summary: An update on the scratch cooking program highlighted current menu offerings, ongoing grant-supported developments, and efforts to enhance culturally relevant meal options. To gather community feedback, a Nutrition Services Open House will be held for families to share input in person. Additionally, the program is partnering with local organizations to launch a community education series in March, funded through grants. Staff training and new kitchen equipment purchases are also in progress, aiming to expand plant-based scratch cooking options and improve meal quality.
  • Free Meals Update:
    • Franklin Elementary will qualify for free meals next year under HB 1238, with renewal required annually.
    • Kamiak (KES) and Jefferson (JES) Elementary Schools will continue to receive free meals since those schools are on a four-year cycle.
• Chromebook Update
  • Presenter: Tyler Craigie, Information Services Supervisor
  • Summary:
    • A project proposal was presented to manage Chromebooks and reduce distractions through the implementation of a program called Linewize. This is to address the current challenges with device oversight and to ensure Chromebooks remain an asset and not a distraction. The Classwize portal provides educators with glanceable control over student screens, enabling them to keep students on task and offer immediate feedback. It also includes a parental dashboard for parents to monitor activity and filtering. The proposal included a cost analysis, projected timeline, and keys to success, such as gathering feedback from a pilot program, in-person training, obtaining parent buy-in, and ensuring unified communication. During the discussion, there were questions about the software’s extendability to third-party devices, and it was clarified that if a personal device is connected to the network, the software will automatically apply. Additionally, parents can obtain a license to use the software on offsite devices. The flexibility of the software and the control it provides parents was appreciated. In terms of competition, it was noted that there are diverse options, but based on feedback, product demos, and usability, this solution was found to be cost-competitive and a good fit for the district's needs. Suggestions were made to consider involving middle school classes in the pilot to gather initial feedback across different grade levels. The original discussion around Chromebooks use started as a policy discussion but has now evolved into the implementation of a tool that meets the district's needs.

To stay informed and manage the volume of executive orders and policy changes, a new tab titled "Safe & Welcoming Schools" has been added to the district website. This will list recent updates related to executive orders and federal policy changes, along with resources for the public to stay informed. Regarding Policy 3211 Gender-Inclusive Schools, feedback has been received via emails and during the most recent state Zoom meeting, it was confirmed that the content in the policy and procedure is still aligned with state law and no changes will be made as directed by the state. A bulletin update on the Parent's Bill of Rights is expected. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEIB) Task Force will meet on February 13, 2025 to discuss a survey designed to gather feedback on the district's DEIB efforts.

Speaker: Gabriel Wofford

Topic: Provided comment on gender dysphoria and outlined the negative impacts of policy 3211 on students. Asked for the end of the enforcement and repeal of Policy 3211.

Speaker: John Cassleman

Topic: Provided comment on the incidents of racism within the district and the district's response to those incidents. Thanked the board for the creation of the DEIB task force but requested that the board create additional channels to make this communication public to demonstrate evidence of progress. 

Presenter: Board of Directors

The renewal and extension of the Superintendent's contract through 2028 was discussed. N. Roberts provided an overview of the contract process, noting the March 1st deadline for the board's decision. It was clarified that this discussion is not part of the superintendent's evaluation process, as that occurs in January, June, and July, but the contract renewal was included as a discussion item at the request from other board members.

Key points discussed:

• The contract can be renegotiated with mutually agreed-upon language.
• The contract can be renegotiated before the end of the year, but it would apply to the next contract.
• C. Nelson expressed concern over the concept of mutual consent in the contract and suggested allowing the current contract to run out and then creating a new one, questioning if it might be time for new leadership.
• N. Roberts clarified that not renewing the contract would communicate the board no longer wants the superintendent, but doesn't personally share that view. He recommended adjusting the contract before it expires, as letting it expire would send a different message.
• C. Nelson noted the contract wasn’t agreed upon by the current board, but N. Roberts pointed out it was agreed upon by the previous board, but suggested that any contract adjustments take place as soon as possible for the next year.
• C. Nelson emphasized the importance of the public knowing the board’s stance on issues.

In response to a question by L. Waananen Jones about conducting a market analysis for salary comparisons with similar-sized districts, Director Hodge mentioned that an analysis had been conducted, and provided a hardcopy for the board. L.. Waananen Jones shared that through a quick review it seemed the district was well positioned but suggested it would be helpful to make the salary comparison public for community consumption. N. Roberts noted the board could also conduct their own research or request the information.

Policy 3210 Nondiscrimination was highlighted in the WSSDA December 2024 Policy & Legal News. Policy 3210 has been aligned with the most recent WSSDA sample policy. 

Per the WSSDA Policy News the policy has been revised to reflect the following changes:

• Policy 3210 now includes language about a school district’s obligation to adopt the model student handbook language required by RCW 28A.300.286.
• Policy 3210 now describes discriminatory harassment and how a school district should respond to potential discriminatory harassment. Outlines what constitutes a hostile environment. 

This is part of the district's current practice. 

Policy 3205 Sexual Harassment of Students Prohibited has been revised to align with the most recent WSSDA model sample policy highlighted in the January 2025 WSSDA Newsletter. This revision comes as a result of the rollback of Title IX legislation. To comply with current law, all school districts have been instructed to revert to their prior 2020 Title IX policies and procedures that were in effect until the start of the current school year.

As part of the transition from EduPortal to BoardOnTrack, we have the opportunity to streamline our processes for managing board meeting minutes and other board documents that require signatures by adopting the use of electronic signatures. Currently, our practice involves printing board meeting minutes, obtaining physical signatures, and storing hard copies in the archive room until the end of their retention schedule. 

Washington State law does not explicitly require school board meeting minutes to be printed and signed. However, minutes must be approved and maintained as official records, which we have traditionally done through physical signatures. Under the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (RCW 1.80), electronic signatures are legally valid in Washington, provided the integrity and authenticity of the records are maintained. This includes board meeting minutes, which are among the record types permissible for e-signatures. 

WSSDA adopted a policy (Policy 6225) addressing the use of electronic signatures, which was introduced in 2020. This policy allows for the use of electronic signatures for board documents, including meeting minutes. The adoption of electronic signatures will not only reduce paper waste but will also make document management and public record access more efficient.

A. Carter asked what the extent of the program is? Dr. Maxwell noted that this program relates specifically to Board documents. Other documents, have their own restrictions and limitations. There was agreement in seeing the implementation of e-signing for other documents as well.  

RCW 42.56.070(3) requires agencies subject to the Public Records Act to maintain an index of certain types of records listed in that subsection. However, subsection (4) states that agencies are not required to maintain such an index if doing so would be unduly burdensome. In that case, the agency must: (a) issue and publish a formal order specifying the reason why and the extent to which compliance would be unduly burdensome or interfere with agency operations; and (b) make available for public inspection and copying all indexes maintained for agency use. 

This resolution meets this requirement.

For 2024-2025 School Year 

Budgeted FTE: 2560 

Current FTE: 2588.61

Current Year Average FTE: 2606.62

• 3141F Out-of-District Transfer Form
• 3205P Sexual Harassment of Students Prohibited
• 3205P2 Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment Prohibited - Implementation Procedure - DELETE
• 3210 Nondiscrimination
• 3211P Gender-Inclusive Schools

The board meeting reconvened into an open session at 8:30pm, and the chair announced that the executive session end time would be extended 15 minutes before returning to executive session.