board to board
January-February 2023
News from the Board of NWESD
A Note From Our Superintendent As I’ve interacted with colleagues across the region this fall, the description most frequently shared is “normal” – as in the rhythm of the school year feels the most normal it has since the start of the pandemic. After nearly three years of disrupted schooling and premature pronouncements of COVID’s demise, we may be able to safely say that we can see the other side of the pandemic. That certainly doesn’t mean that COVID is behind us. But it may mean that COVID has reached a place where it will no longer disrupt learning and lives the way it did for the first 18 to 24 months of the pandemic. It is undoubtedly welcome news that COVID, the illness, no longer needs to dominate our every waking (and unwaking) moments. However, the consequences COVID wrought for our young people should continue to dominate our thoughts and efforts in the months and years ahead. While some students fared relatively well during the pandemic, many more students experienced disruption, loss, disconnection, and isolation that may take years to remedy. Some of the signs of COVID’s consequences are plain to see and quantify. Assessment scores in most districts and schools regionally, statewide, and nationally have declined from pre-pandemic levels, in many cases erasing years of hard-fought gains. Post-secondary enrollment is down and not rebounding as quickly as anticipated. Similarly, many districts’ K-12 enrollments remain down from pre-pandemic levels as families opt for different educational opportunities and modalities. Dozens of early learning centers and daycares have closed their doors and have not reopened, leaving a growing number of young families with limited or no options. COVID’s other consequences are harder to see, but perhaps even more impactful and concerning. Many more students than pre-pandemic report struggles with mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma. Many students – particularly younger students – struggle with socialization and adapting to the norms and expectations of belonging to a classroom and school community. Older students who graduated over the past three years missed out on major life experiences that can never be replicated. A growing number of educators are leaving the profession or opting for an earlier retirement than they may have intended a few years ago. So the feeling of returning to a greater sense of normalcy is not the same as education returning to its pre-pandemic state. And I would argue that there may be something positive and constructive within that. In our rush to welcome a return to normalcy, I would hope that the enduring consequences of COVID challenge us to fundamentally rethink how, when, where, and why we educate young people. Nearly three years of a global pandemic ought to prompt some deep reflection and reconsideration of longstanding paradigms. Because even in the supposedly “normal” times before the pandemic, our schools struggled to provide equitable and meaningful learning opportunities for all students. COVID highlighted and exacerbated those existing disparities. Returning to pre-pandemic levels of achievement and opportunity will be a positive step from where we’ve been over the past three years. But none of us should be content to simply return to a pre-existing status quo that was already not optimally serving too many students. All of us should insist upon, commit to, and work tirelessly towards an even better educational experience that enables each and every student to unlock their limitless potential and pursue their greatest passions. That would be an incredible new normal to welcome and celebrate. Larry Francois NWESD Superintendent
January: Board Appreciation Month
Presidential Scholars Initiative www.washington.edu/boundless/presidential-scholars/ Help identify students for the presidential scholars initiative by sharing information and linkshere: To share the name of an outstanding student with us, please scan the QR code or use this link: Share the Name >> https://bit.ly/3ufIA7g
Opportunities
Employee of the Year Nominations Teacher of the Year and Classified School Employee of the Year Nominations open in January 2023! https://bit.ly/2SiM4Cr
Questions? cgarrison@nwesd.org
Welcome New NWESD Employees
Sally Wegner
Toni Acfalle
Donovan Tate
Mary Powers
Admin Assistant I & Science Kit Restock Clerk
Special Programs & Services Admin Assistant III
Career Connected Learning Specialist K-8
Career Connected Learning Specialist High School
Faviola Martinez-Bautista
Ana Mendoza
Caylie Edlund
Christopher Gardner
Migrant Family Engagement & Early Learning Coordinator
Migrant Academic Coordinator
Threat Assessment Coordinator
Student Assistance Professional
NWESD High School Art Show Chelsea Wolbert
Special Education Teacher Behavioral Health
Andrew Rockwell School District Business Services Manager
Out and About Important Dates: March 1 – Online artwork entry deadline March 14 – NWESD Virtual Gallery live March 28 – NWESD winners announced May 26 – OSPI Statewide Art Show Ceremony & Recognition CASE Conference Salt Lake City, UT. Pictured from left to right: Tony Smith, Executive Director Sedro-Woolley School District; Rae Allen, NWESD Early Learning Program Specialist; Sarah Dahl, Early Learning Director and High School Assistant Principal Sedro-Woolley High School; Fran McCarthy, NWESD Special Programs and Services Director; Amberly Gregg, Early Learning Intervention and Special Education.
For guidelines, artwork registration or more information Jennifer Longchamps jlongchamps@nwesd.org https://bit.ly/3rSsJLI
Charels Crabtree, District 1 Bellingham*, Burlington-Edison, Meridian
Jack Thompson, District 2 Anacortes, Blaine, Ferndale, Lopez, Oak Harbor, Orcas, San Juan Island, Shaw Mark Venn, District 3 Bellingham*, Conway, La Conner, Lynden, Mt. Baker, Mt. Vernon, Nooksack, Sedro-Woolley Oscar Escalante, District 4 Coupeville, Everett*, Lakewood, Mukilteo*, South Whidbey, Stanwood Alan Erickson, District 5 Everett*, Marysville
Cory Duskin, District 6 Arlington, Concrete, Darrington, Granite Falls, Index, Monroe, Snohomish*, Sultan Ann McMurray, District 7 Edmonds*, Mukilteo*
Sue Phillips, District 8 Edmonds*, Mukilteo*
Merle Kirkley, District 9 Everett*, Lake Stevens, Snohomish*
*Partial representation
Educational Service Districts have served Washington State for over fifty years, providing vital services and functioning as advocates for local districts. Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD) serves Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, and San Juan counties. NWESD’s more than fifty programs are organized into seven departments to serve you: Administration, Early Learning, Fiscal Services, Prevention Center, Special Programs and Services, Teaching and Learning, NWRDC, and Technology Services. Please visit us on our website at nwesd.org for more information on each of these departments.
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