The Enumclaw School Board will leave signing on with Washington’s Race to the Top to the discretion of Superintendent Mike Nelson, but if he sees red flags they want to know.
“It does make sense for us to sign on,” Nelson told the board at its regular meeting April 20, but he was also hoping the state could provide more information.
Districts are being asked to sign a partnership agreement to join Washington’s Race for the Top. Washington state has the opportunity to compete for a share of $3.4 billion in federal grant funds.
The grant is to reward states that develop and adopt common standards, create data systems for increased access and use of data, support effective teachers and school leaders and turn around struggling schools.
Washington has outlined four goals: students should enter kindergarten prepared for success, be competitive in math and science nationally and internationally, attain high academic standards regardless of race, ethnicity, income and gender and graduate college- and career-ready. The state has outlined a roadmap for achieving those goals and measures for reporting.
Enumclaw’s portion, should Washington receive money, would be about $98,000 each year for four years.
The state would be more competitive if Nelson, along with the school board president, teachers’ union president and principals’ association representative sign the agreement by May 17.
The board let Nelson know it would rather not have the money if it’s going to slow the district’s current momentum, cost more in staff time than the grant provides and have strings attached that create financial hardships in the future.
Nelson said grants should be awarded in September.
In other business, the board:
• received information from curriculum director Terry Parker about the district’s high school science book adoption process. The board is expected to adopt five science textbooks at its May 17 meeting.
Parker and a team of seven high school science teachers and middle school assistant principal Ed Hatzenbeler began the process in January. The group has selected books for physical science, biology, chemistry, physics and Advance Placement biology.
“The science department feels really good about these selections,” said EHS teacher Kent Basting, who served on the committee. “We all feel really good about the choices of these materials.”
Board member Cathy Dahlquist said selecting textbooks is one of the board’s most important duties.
Textbooks typically cost between $60 and $85 apiece, Parker said after the meeting, although a final cost was not available.
The books are available for review in the district office.
• shared its goals from its recent retreat. For the 2010-11 school year, the board plans to continue its Professional Learning Communities with emphasis on “How will we respond if our students don’t learn?” and “How will we enrich and extend the learning for students who have learned it?” It will also continue its math goals and revisit its literacy work, especially for new staff who were not on board during those years when the concentration was on literacy.
• was told to expect about $600,000 in state funding reductions. “We’re breathing a little better. They’re not as horrific as we thought they could be,” Nelson said, referring to projections that would have left the district with a $1.8 million shortfall. The double whammy, he said, is the district anticipates losing another 60 to 80 students which equates to between $300,000 to $400,000.
When 85 percent of the budget is staff, it does impact people, he said, but not like last year’s $2.1 million in reductions. He said district leaders are talking with staff and there are retirements and leaves. The deadline for staff notification is May 15. The district can also lift its levy lid to 4 percent, but has not made that decision.
• approved a leave of absence for Sunrise Elementary School teacher Nicole O’Brien.
• approved the retirement of Randy Gallatin, Enumclaw High School safe and civil schools director.
• accepted a donation of almost $5,000 from the Sixth Grade Camp Boosters Club to reserve Camp Seymour for the 2010-11 school year; a donation of $5,500 from Sunrise PTA to Sunrise Elementary to be used to purchase computers; and a donation of $7,000 from the Muckleshoot Tribe to the Native American Club to be used for the pow wow and ceremonial blankets for graduation.
