board to board News from the Board of NWESD
A Note From Our Superintendent
March-April 2019
A Note from Our Superintendent This year marks my 29th year in Washington State public education. While much has changed over those years, one constant is the narrative that each year presents the most challenging time public education has ever faced. Logically, that can’t be true. But I believe that narrative speaks to the very nature of our work. As soon as we surmount one set of challenges, new ones emerge, thus repeating the cycle and feeding the ongoing narrative. As I interact with colleagues across our region and State, there is definitely a sense that this moment in time differs from prior years. Perhaps that’s revisionist history, but I also believe there may some truth in that perception. For starters, we are in the very beginning stages of a fundamental shift in how public education is funded resulting from the McCleary decision. As the State Supreme Court has stated, time will now tell if the McCleary fix has met the constitutional standard of an ample basic education for all children. At this early stage, there remains deep concern that McCleary may serve to widen inequities across communities, and deeper concerns that McCleary did not adequately address all aspects of basic education funding, particularly critical funding for students with disabilities. In the NWESD region alone, districts last year spent $68 million in local levy funds providing a basic education to students with disabilities. Despite billions more in State funding, many districts are facing budget cuts to fund higher employee salaries and a new statewide health benefit program that resulted from McCleary. Combined with lower local levy collections that reduce district’s spending flexibility, it remains to be seen whether the billions more in State funding will appreciably improve programs, services, and opportunities for kids. Likewise, the statewide labor unrest experienced last summer is likely not a one-time event. When looking back to the late 1970s – the last time our State undertook such a fundamental change in school funding – labor instability stretched over the ensuing several years. What also seems different this time is that against this McCleary backdrop, every district leader I interact with is deeply and sincerely focused on student equity. Districts are looking beyond test scores and other performance indicators that may show “on average” how students are doing. Districts are instead digging deeply into their data to understand which students are doing well, which are not, why those differences may exist, and how to best address them. It cannot be overstated how difficult this work truly is. Under the best of circumstances, change can be incredibly hard. When tackling decades of institutional, structural, and societal factors that actively contribute inequitable student outcomes, changing the perspectives, attitudes, and practices of educators can be daunting. There is no patented action plan or established road map that will magically shrink and eventually eliminate the range of persistently inequitable outcomes that continue to predictably fall along lines of race, income, native language, or disability. Each district’s journey will be as unique as its students, families, and communities. At the NWESD, our mission, vision, values, and goals are anchored to promoting and supporting the work of the districts we serve as they progress on their journeys of continuous improvement and better outcomes for all students. As your partners, we remain committed to supporting districts through our services and programs, particularly as they may help districts find efficiencies and savings in the face of budget cuts. Further, we continue on our own journey to overlay an equity focus on all of our work in support of your districts. We recognize that our worth is measured by your success.
Larry Francois
NWESD Superintendent
Threat Assessment The Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD) is working to continue building it’s Student Threat Assessment program. Currently, we are piloting the Salem-Keizer Threat Assessment model in four school districts (Marysville, Mount Vernon, Orcas, and Stanwood) and three counties (Snohomish, Skagit, and Island) and have completed Level I trainings in these districts. Recently, we conducted Level II trainings with our community partners including Law Enforcement, Division of Children, Youth, and Family (DCYF), Juvenile Justice and Mental Health partners. Community members are eager to assist in creating a safe school environment.
Maurene Stanton, NWESD Threat Assesment Champion in the Stanwood School District.
The NWESD looks forward to expanding the threat assessment program in more districts and counties in 2019-2020. For more information contact: Maurene Stanton, 360-317-0213 | mstanton@nwesd.org
Para-Ed Certification Pilot Update During the 2018-2019 school year, the NWESD will administer a paraeducator certificate pilot program. The two programs under the pilot are the Fundamental Course of Study and paraeducator certificates. Twenty-seven paraeducators from the Stanwood-Camano, Burlington-Edison, Mount Vernon School Districts, and the NWESD cooperative programs in partnership with the Professional Education Standards Board (PESB), and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) are set to participate. The NWESD pilot is a hybrid including both online and in-person classes. The program pays not only for the training, but also for some of the substitutes from the participating districts. All of the paraeducators in the program completed their Fundamental Course of Study this fall. The paraeducators are now taking the Special Education content strand and the English Language Learner (ELL) content strand course work. They are currently half-way through the course work and will complete their certificates by the end of June. The NWESD is currently exploring the best options to support districts. If the funding bill passes the house and Senate and is signed into law during this legislative session. More information can be found on the website for the Professional Education Standards Board at pesb.wa.gov
35 Years of Service!
Migrant Program Serving Western Washington: 22 migrant project school districts in five ESDs, and 4,326 total identified migrant students in project districts. The goal of the migrant program is to ensure all migrant students reach academic standards and graduate, to prepare them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.
Pictured: Steven Dahl, Assistant Director Special Programs; Brian Brown, Education Specialist; Larry Francois, Superintendent; David Forsythe, Assistant Superintendent Operations.
Brian Brown, Education Specialist with the NWESD’s Special Programs and Services Department was honored at a recent staff meeting for his 35 years of service, educating students, and for his dedication to the NWESD! Thank you Brian for all you have done and for all that you do! For more information contact: Enrique Lopez Regional Coordinator, 360-299-4048 | elopez@nwesd.org
Bellingham, Meridian
2019 NWESD REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ART SHOW
Dr. Jack Thompson, District 2
Congratulations to the NWESD winners who are headed to the State High School Art Show at OSPI in Olympia!
Charles Crabtree, District 1
Blaine, Ferndale, Lopez Island, Lynden, Mount Baker, Nooksack Valley, Orcas Island, San Juan Island, Shaw Island Mark Venn, District 3 Anacortes, Burlington-Edison, Concrete, Conway, Darrington, La Conner, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley Claudia Talmadge, District 4 Coupeville, Lakewood, Mukilteo, Oak Harbor, South Whidbey, Stanwood-Camano Dr. Alan Erickson, District 5 Everett
Cory Duskin, District 6 Arlington, Granite Falls, Index, Marysville, Sultan Claudia Buxton, District 7 Edmonds, Mukilteo
Cover artwork from left to right, top to bottom Cherie Romona Miller “Guatemalan Family” Oak Harbor H.S. Instructor: Kit Christopherson Soma Andrews “Purification” Friday Harbor H.S. Instructor: Andrew Anderson Soma Andrews “Spot Light” Friday Harbor H.S. Instructor: Andrew Anderson Annamarie Edith Thomas “Freedom of Flight” Friday Harbor H.S. Instructor: Andrew Anderson Lucas Samuel Chevalier “Raging Bull” Friday Harbor H.S. Instructor: Andrew Anderson Loralai Marie Snyder “Primroses and Lilies” Oak Harbor H.S. Instructor: Kit Christopherson Carina Michaele Stiglic “Hidden Bandit” Anacortes H.S. Instructor: Carl Dellutri Kelsey Rae Benson “Natalie”Snohomish H.S. Instructor: Latona Minish
Gordon W. Griggs, District 8 Edmonds, Mukilteo
Merle Kirkley, District 9 Lake Stevens, Monroe, Snohomish We are pleased to present NWESD’s 2017-2018 Annual Report. View online: www.nwesd.org/communications