Perhaps the ultimate measure of our success as a school system is the attainment of a meaningful high school diploma by our students that prepares them for college and career success. Earlier this month, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction released the most recent data on the on-time graduation rate for the class of 2015 and the extended graduation rate for the class of 2014.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) recently released statewide data on chronic absenteeism.
On Jan. 26, the Northshore School District Board of Directors approved the final boundary adjustment plan to accompany the opening of North Creek High School and grade reconfiguration in the fall of 2017.
This week the Northshore School District Board of Directors spent several hours wrestling with detailed and difficult plans for addressing continued elementary school enrollment growth and optional state funding for full-day kindergarten in 2016-17.
On Nov. 10, the Northshore School District Board of Directors approved a purchase and sale agreement with Snohomish County to acquire the former Wellington Hills Golf Course as a site for future schools to address expected enrollment growth in the coming years and decades.
Welcome to the first week of the 2015-16 school year. As I assisted with 330 kindergarten students and families at Frank Love Elementary on the first day of school—and have visited several other schools during these past days—I continue to be amazed and impressed at how quickly our teachers, students and support staff are settling into another year of powerful instruction and learning.
Earlier this year I informed you that the district entered into an agreement with Eastlake Community Church to lease classroom space at their facility adjacent to the Administration Center to house the Northshore Primary Center (NPC). The NPC is part of our strategy to respond to continued enrollment growth significantly impacting north end schools.
On January 31, we released the draft boundary plan to be implemented along with the opening of North Creek High School and grade reconfiguration in the fall of 2017. The staff, parents, community members and consultants from the Enrollment Demographic Task Force (EDTF) spent many months thoughtfully developing this plan.
Until the opening of North Creek High School, grade reconfiguration and boundary adjustments to help balance enrollment districtwide in the fall of 2017, several schools in the north/central region of the district will continue to be challenged by significant over-crowding and ongoing enrollment growth.
With the transition to new learning standards in English/language arts and math this year, the expectations for what students know and will be able to do become more rigorous and demanding.
On Feb. 4, King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick issued a historic ruling. Judge Erlick ruled that the state is failing to fulfill its constitutional duty to fully fund a basic education for all children. He further ordered the Legislature to determine the actual costs of providing that basic education and to take the necessary steps to pay for it.
On Feb. 9, residents of the Northshore School District will be asked to consider three ballot measures to support student learning in our local public schools. If approved, it is projected that these three measures would maintain a level tax rate of $4.07 per $1,000 of assessed value for Northshore property owners over the next four years.
