April 17, 2023: Budget and Student Wellness and Safety Task Force

MESSAGE FROM THE INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT

April 17, 2023

Dear Northshore Staff: 

Whether you were able to take time off or just took advantage of the slower paced work week - I hope everyone had a wonderful and rejuvenating spring break. I was thankful for a quieter week in the office and the opportunity to catch up on email and other projects. I also got outside and took some long walks in the sunshine. After a cold and snowy winter - last week’s weather was just what I needed. 

We are now entering the home stretch of the school year and there is a lot to do. Budget development continues to be at the forefront of my mind. As I mentioned in my last staff message, the legislative session is scheduled to close on Sunday, April 23. We continue to closely monitor the discussions and activities in Olympia. 

In the meantime, we need to continue to prepare for multiple budget scenarios. Eighty-three percent of our budget is associated with staff. One of our guiding budget reduction principles is to keep cuts as far away from classrooms as possible. This doesn’t mean there won't be any school-based reductions, but they will be limited as many of our reductions will be made at the Administration office. As an example, within my cabinet I will be combining positions and not filling positions left vacant because of retirements. It will be a hard and challenging process.

I also want to recognize that any position reduction - whether it is a central office or a school position - is difficult. Especially for the individual affected by job loss or reassignment. I will be working with Human Resources to discuss support options, including resume support and job counseling. As hard as these next couple months will be, I am confident that we will navigate our current situation with grace and care. 

As a reminder, the Communications Department has launched a 2023-24 Budget Development webpage that includes a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section. The webpage also includes a video of the budget development presentation and an opportunity to submit comments and questions. The budget webpage will continue to be updated with common questions and responses. 

In other news, prior to the regular April 24 Board Meeting, there will be a special Student Wellness and Safety Task Force study session. The charge of the Task Force is to present a recommended continuum of student services and support that uphold the commitments outlined in Parameter 7, Student Learning Environment. The Task Force has been meeting since early November, and this will be an initial report with final recommendations communicated in June 2023. The Board Study Session will be 4:30-5:30 p.m. with time for questions of the Task Force facilitators and members. You can tune in to the Study Session by visiting the Board meeting webpage. You may also read past meeting minutes on the Task Force webpage. 

Finally, this week the Communications Department will publish the 2022-23 Listen and Learn Report and key findings. The Listen and Learn sessions were conducted over the course of six months with students, families, staff, and community members. I want to thank everyone who participated and shared your thoughts and wisdom with me. Findings and next steps will also be presented in upcoming spring engagement sessions. The full schedule of sessions will be published in next week’s Connection Newsletter. I hope to see you there! 

In partnership, 

Michael Tolley
Interim Superintendent

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT

2023-24 Budget Development Information and Feedback Form

Thank you to the many staff and families that participated in our 2023-24 budget development meetings. The community meetings concluded on April 5th. 

This is a reminder that if you weren’t able to attend a community meeting, you may still learn about the 2023-24 budget development timeline, projected shortfall, guiding principles for budget reduction, and provide feedback. 

Information and the feedback form can be found on the 2023-24 Budget Development webpage. The budget feedback form will remain open until further notice. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the webpage will continue to be updated to address common questions. 

We recommend that you:

• Watch the following presentations prior to providing online feedback: 

  • March 13, 2023 Board Study Session: Budget 

  • Budget Development Process Presentation

• Review the budget reduction guiding principles listed on the budget development webpage. 

Summer School Registration Now Open

Summer School is an opportunity for secondary students to strengthen skills, retrieve credit, and build flexibility into their schedules. High school students can earn .5 or 1.0 credit (course dependent) per class in approximately six weeks. Students must make a serious commitment to the experience in order to successfully complete the requirements. All classes will be held virtually from June 26-July 28, 2023. If you know a student who would benefit from learning about our Summer School options, please direct them to learn more on our Summer School 2023 website. Classes are available in the following areas:

• Accelerated Courses

  • Accelerated Math 

  • Chemistry 

  • Drawing/Design

• Credit Retrieval Courses 

• First-Time Credit Core Courses

• Additional Courses

  • Online Health

  • Life Fitness

  • Physical Education (PE)

  • WA State History

Provide Your Feedback: Inglemoor High School Phased Replacement Community Survey

A committee of students, staff, and community members are working with a team of architects to help design the new Inglemoor High School. The overarching goal of this project is to replace the existing school buildings in a phased approach resulting in improved health and safety of the learning environment. In 2023, the team will develop a master plan and preliminary design for the entire replacement project and then determine the scope of the Phase 1 construction based on project priorities, construction logistics limitations, and budget constraints. This replacement project was made possible due to the generous support of Northshore voters, who approved the 2022 Capital Bond.

This survey is open to all community members, parents, family members, staff members, former students, and neighbors. An additional survey has been shared directly with current students to gather additional information. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Your responses will be compiled and shared with the design committee. Thank you for your interest.

Take the Survey: Inglemoor High School – Community Survey for Phased Replacement Project

Sharing Thanks for our School Volunteers

The week of April 16-22 is Volunteer Appreciation Week. With more than 10,000 volunteers districtwide, now is a wonderful time to celebrate this amazing group of dedicated individuals. One way to do this is through this Padlet tool on our website. You can use the Padlet to show your appreciation for individual volunteers, volunteer groups, PTSA, booster clubs, and more. We invite staff at schools and in departments to post throughout the week, as many times as you’d like.

The District will be sharing this in a variety of ways, and we would love to make sure your volunteers are recognized. Thank you for your continued support in welcoming volunteers as an important part of our Northshore community.

Students Advance to WA State History Day Contest

During the month of March, many of our Northshore students participated in National History Day. This year’s theme was "Frontiers In History: People, Places, and Ideas" and students from across the state and nation engaged. Northshore students independently select a historical topic related to the annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research. They accessed libraries, archives, and museums, conducted oral history interviews, and visited historic sites to gather information. After they analyzed and interpreted their sources and drew conclusions about the significance of the topic, they presented their work in one of five ways: as a paper, an exhibit, a performance, a documentary, or a website.

The regional competition for National History Day was hosted at Northshore Middle School this year. The contest featured 294 students with 197 entries from 13 schools from Seattle, Shoreline, Northshore, Mercer Island, and Bainbridge Island school districts. There are two divisions: Junior (6-8 grade) and Senior (9-12 grade). Students entered either as an individual or in a group. Northshore advanced 53 projects to the WA State History Day Contest that will be held on April 22, 2023, at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland. Congratulations to the students and staff who supported their efforts. See more information about the student projects advancing to the state contest.

IMPORTANT DATES

Key Dates

April 19: Wednesday Early Release

April 24: School Board Meeting 7 p.m.

April 26: Wednesday Early Release

May 3: Wednesday Early Release

May 8: School Board Meeting 4 p.m.

May 10: Wednesday Early Release

Additional Religious and Cultural Observances

**Passover, April 5 -13

Orthodox Easter April 16

Lailat al-Qadr April 18

Birthday of Guru Angad Dev April 18

Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) April 21

*Ridvan April 21 (Ends May 2)

*Ninth Day of Ridvan April 29

*Begins at sundown of previous day/ends at sundown

**It was anonymously brought to the attention of the Communications Department that we unintentionally omitted Passover from our most recent staff and family communications. We are committed to making sure Northshore is an inclusive and supportive District. To our Jewish colleagues, students, and families - we apologize for the error and will make great efforts to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future. The Passover social media post and acknowledgement can be viewed here. A full list of recognized District holidays and observances can be found on our website. 

Nondiscrimination

Northshore School District is enriched by the many experiences and perspectives each individual member brings to our District and community. Therefore, our District prohibits discrimination based on age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, cognitive, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

Civil Rights and ADA Coordinator for Staff
Abel Ghirmai
Director of Human Resources
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7622 or 7604
aghirmai@nsd.org

Title IX Coordinator
Abel Ghirmai
Director of Human Resources
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7622 or 7604
aghirmai@nsd.org

The Northshore School District shall provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the District’s academic, activities, or employment programs without discrimination. In addition, the District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups in its programs and activities.

Section 504 and ADA Coordinator for Students
Rick Ferrell
Director of Student Services
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7632
rferrell@nsd.org

Any Northshore School District staff and community member has the right to raise concerns or make a complaint regarding discrimination under this policy without fear of retaliation. The above-listed employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged unlawful discrimination.