[1. Call to order]
[00:00:03]
YOU'RE GOOD TO GO. >> GOOD EVENING I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE NOVEMBER 15, 2021, LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL BOARD STUDY SESSION.
LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT AND PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.
UNDER PROCLAMATION 20-28.15 OF THE OPEN PUBLICS MEETING ACT AND PUBLIC RECORDS ACT THE PROHIBITION ON IN-PERSON PUBLIC MEETINGS IS EXTENDED BUT THERE'S AN EXCEPTION FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT CAN COMPLY WITH THE GUIDELINES FOR BUSINESS MEETINGS FOUND MISCELLANEOUS VENUE GUIDANCE. THAT GUIDANCE PROVIDES THAT GOVERNING BODIES MAY HOLD IN-PERSON PUBLIC MEETINGS WITH NO RESTRICTIONS ON CAPACITY OR PHYSICAL DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS ALL CURRENT APPLICABLE FACE COVERING REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET.
THE BOARD VALUES PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND BOARD WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS RELATED TO OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CURRENT EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO MISCELLANEOUS VENUES.
IF THE GUIDANCE AND ALL REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO COVID CANNOT BE MET THE BOARD MUST HOLD A MEETINGS REMOTELY PROVIDE ACCESS VIA LIVE STREAM OR AUDIO.
DUE TO RECENT NONCOMPLIANCE AT BOARD MEETINGS THE BOARD HAS DETERMINED TO HOLD MEETINGS REMOTELY.
THE BOARD WILL HOLD -- EXCUSE ME, THE BOARD WILL NOTIFY THE PUBLIC OF THE LOCATION OF MEETINGS THROUGH THE MEETINGS TAB ON LWS WEB PAGE.
THE TAB FOR BOARDDOCS. AT THIS TIME IT'S PLANNED THAT ALL BOARD MEETINGS SCHEDULED IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WILL BE HELD REMOTELY UNLESS THERE ARE CHANGES IN THE GUIDANCE PROVIDED.
BOARD MEETINGS STUDY SESSIONS AND SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIVE STREAMED AND VIEWED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE. IF YOU UNABLE TO LIVE STREAM THE MEETING YOU MAY CALL TO LISTEN.
THAT PHONE NUMBER IS 425-936-212813.
[1. Discussion of 2022 Legislative Priorities]
THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR TONIGHT'S STUDY SESSION IS A CONTINUED DISCUSSION AROUND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. DIRECTOR SAGE WILL BE LEADING THIS DISCUSSION BUT DR. HOLMAN DO YOU WANT TO GET US STARTED WITH A SUMMARY OF WHERE WE'RE ATAND WHERE WE'VE BEEN. >> I'LL DO MY BEST THEN DIRECTOR SAGE WILL VALIANTLY LEAD US THROUGH THIS
CONVERSATION. >> I WILL SAY LOOK AT YOUR E-MAIL. [LAUGHTER] OKAY. I SENT IT JUST A FEW MINUTES
SO, TONIGHT ANOTHER STUDY SESSION FOR THE BOARD TO CONTINUE DISCUSSION OF LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND THEN TONIGHT AT THE BOARD MEETING ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT BARBARA WILL ACTUALLY PRESENT SOME DATA AND INFORMATION AROUND THE TOPICS THAT ARE RELATED TO REALLY THE OVERALL LEGISLATIVE WORK AS WE THINK ABOUT THAT MOVING FORWARD. THE BOARD WILL START TO NARROW IN AND IDENTIFY THOSE PRIORITIES AND THEN AT THE DECEMBER 6TH BOARD MEETING WILL BRING FINALIZED LEDGE PLATFORM FOR THE BOARD TO ACTUALLY TAKE ACTION ON AT THAT MEETING. SO AGAIN, APPRECIATE THIS CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION BECAUSE THIS DOES REALLY HELP ALL OF US THINK ABOUT AS WE'RE MEETING WITH AND WORKING WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS HOW ARE WE REMENTING THE VALUES AND THE PRIORITIES OF THE DISTRICT AS IT RELATES TO STUDENTS. THAT REALLY HAS BEEN THE LENS THAT I THINK THIS BOARD HAS VIEWED THIS WORK THROUGH. WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT TO
SO YOU ALL HAVE A RECENT E-MAIL FROM ME THAT SHOWS HOW THE PRIORITIES SORT OF CAME OUT WE ALL STACKED RANK. WHAT HAD MADE IT TO OUR I THINK TOP 20 AND THEN I TOOK THE TOP 10 AND TURNED THEM BACK TO EVERYBODY AND SAID OKAY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THESE AND EACH OF YOU ALSO STACK RANKED THE TOP 10.
SO, I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH JUST SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALONG AND MAYBE ERIC, YOU CAN PUT THIS UP ON THE SCREEN IF THAT MAKES IT EASIER, AND WE CAN DISCUSS WHAT MADE OUR TOP 10 AND THEN I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE JOHN, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED BARBARA WOULD SPEAK TO THIS AT THE FORWARD MEETING.
BUT IF YOU MIGHT WEIGH IN A LITTLE BIT WITH WHERE YOU SEE DISTRICT NEEDS FALLING OUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE YOU IN THIS CONVERSATION.
AND ALSO, THERE'S SOME POSITIONS THAT MADE IT TO OUR TOP 10, THANK YOU, BARBARA, THAT KIND OF OVERLAP WITH OTHERS AND WE MIGHT LOOK AT COMBINING ONE OF OUR POSITIONS TO INCORPORATE, YOU KNOW, THE OVERLAP. SO KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND WITH THAT, HOPEFULLY WE CAN WALK THROUGH IT.
[00:05:06]
>> WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SHARE MY SCREEN NOW OR DO YOU WANT TO START HAVING CONVERSATION FIRST?
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD SHARE YOUR SCREEN THEN WE CAN ALL LOOK AT WHAT DID COME OUT IN RANK ORDER. THEN, ALSO, HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHERE THERE'S SOME OVERLAP BETWEEN THE POSITIONS. AND I KNOW DIRECTOR YOU WILL BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON SOME OF THIS AS WELL.
WHERE YOU SAW SOME OF THE POSITIONS COMING TOGETHER, THAT REALLY WERE ADVOCATING FOR FUNDING BUT IN ADVOCATING IT FOR THIS AREA WE'RE ALSO ADVOCATING IT THEREFORE IN OTHER AREAS THAT WE ALSO RANKED IN OUR TOP 10. SO, TRYING TO SORT OF STREAMLINE WHAT IT IS. I'M GOING TO PULL IT UP ON MY OTHER SCREEN SO I CAN SEE IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
OKAY. >> IS IT HARD TO SEE, I CAN
MAYBE. >> YES YOU COULD BUMP IT UP
IF POSSIBLE. >> PROBABLY NOT GET IT ALL
ON ONE-PAGE. >> SO WHAT I DID WAS I TOOK EVERYBODY'S TOP 10 AND THEN TO FIND OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY SINCE IT WAS A PRIORITY OF NUMBER ONE AND DOWN TO NUMBER 10, THEN I LOOKED AT WELL, WHAT HAS THE LOWEST COUNT AMONGST ALL OF US.
SO, OUT OF THE FIVE OF US THE LOWEST COUNT, WHICH MEANT TOP PRIORITY ENDED UP BEING SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS , FOLLOWED BY FUNDING BEHAVIOR SUPPORT SERVICES AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WE ALL KNOW THAT WE DID NOT GET ENOUGH FUNDING IN S.R. DOLLARS TO PROVIDE THIS WITHOUT GOING INTO LEVY DOLLARS AND EVERY STUDENT NEEDS IT. AND THEN THE COST OF FULLY FUNDING THE SCHOOL EMPLOYEES BENEFIT PLAN.
I BELIEVE IT WAS A YEAR AGO, BARBARA, WHERE THE LEGISLATURE CHANGED WHAT WE NEEDED TO BE OFFERING AND WHAT F.T.E. WHAT WE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THAT.
>> THEY ACTUALLY PASSED IT IN 2017, BUT IT WENT INTO
EFFECT IN JANUARY OF 2020. >> OKAY.
AND THAT, THAT HAS COME AT A SIGNIFICANT COST BECAUSE WE HAVE NOW PROVIDE FULL BENEFITS FOR PART-TIME EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING SUBS IS THAT CORRECT?
>> SO, I'M OPEN TO ANY DISCUSSION LOOKING AT THESE TOP 10. SOMETHING JUMPS OUT AT YOU, OR SOMETHING THAT -- YES, JOHN.
>> CAN I ALSO JUST KIND OF QUALIFY THIS WHOLE PROCESS WITH THIS ISN'T A PRIORIZATION OF ISSUES OR PUTTING ONE ISSUE OVER THE ANOTHER, THIS IS ABOUT OUR WORK WITH OUR LEGISLATORS AND WHERE ARE THE GREATEST LEVERAGE POINTS FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THERE ARE LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS THAT A, THEY'RE A STRETCH TO REALLY KIND OF BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND HAVE COMMON UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT ON AN ISSUE, OR IT'S SUCH A NUANCE THAT IT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON YOU KNOW, FOR US LAKE WASHINGTON, BUT REALLY K-12 IN GENERAL. SO, AS I THINK ABOUT ALL OF THESE I THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE HIGHEST LEVERAGE POINTS FOR US AS A DISTRICT AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF GOES TO WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF GREATEST IMPACT RIGHT NOW AND SO FOR ME, ONE OF THOSE AREAS IS SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING. BECAUSE WE KNOW RIGHT NOW WE'RE PAYING FOR THAT TOTAL PROGRAM 30% OF THAT PROGRAM IS FUNDED FROM OUR LOCAL LEVEE DOLLARS.
I BELIEVE BARBARA CORRECT ME I BELIEVE THAT'S ABOUT $20 MILLION ANNUALLY, THAT WE'RE FUNDING TO A PROGRAM THAT WELL, ULTIMATELY, IT'S A FEDERAL PROGRAM.
BUT, ALSO, COMES WITH STATE DOLLARS.
SO WE'RE HAVING TO ACTUALLY SUPPLEMENT BASIC EDUCATION WITH OUR LOCAL LEVEE DOLLARS TO A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE.
THAT'S WHY THAT, FOR ME, IS ONE OF THOSE HIGH PRIORITY AREAS BECAUSE OF THE MAJOR IMPACT IT HAS ON OUR ABILITY TO USE THOSE DOLLARS FOR OTHER THINGS.
[00:10:01]
SO IT'S NEVER ABOUT REDUCING SUPPORTS FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES BUT IT'S ABOUT HOW IS THAT ACTUALLY BEING FUNDED KNOWING THAT THAT'S A REQUIRED SERVICE THAT IS STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENT. SO IT'S KIND OF AS I THINK ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THERE'S THINGS ON THIS LIST THAT ARE PRIORITIES FOR ALL OF US. BUT IT'S ALSO THESE ALWAYS AREN'T LEGISLATIVE HIGH LEVERAGE ISSUES BECAUSE THEY'RE THINGS MAYBE THAT WE'LL DO INTERNALLY OROTHERWISE. >> AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR MOST VULNERABLE LEARNERS AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE COST TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEM WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN PERHAPS THE LEGISLATURE UNDERSTANDS. DIRECTOR SO IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THIS THE ONE THING THAT CAME TO MIND IS AS WE LOOK TO THE LEGISLATURE SORT OF WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES THESE ARE SORT OF BIG GLOBAL IDEAS BUT THAT'S OUR MIGHT BE VERY SPECIFIC ITEMS I THINK SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION I SEE THAT BEING A GREAT PIECE IN SORT OF THOSE PIECES. ATTRACT RECRUIT, AND RETAIN HIGH QUALITY DIVERSE STAFF. WHAT SPECIFIC THINGS UNDER THERE DO WE LEGISLATIVELY BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT FOR HOW WE ARE ABLE TO BEST ATTRACT AND RECIPROCITY BETWEEN STATES HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT.
SO I THINK WE NEED, IF THERE ARE E-ANDS.
THAT RES ALL VERY LARGE WAS SORT OF MY CHALLENGE.
IF WE HAD, IF THEY FULLY FUNDSED BASIC EDUCATION WE WOULD TAKE CARE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT ONE WOULD BE DONE, SO YOU COULD ARGUE THAT THAT'S THE ONE IT AND EVERYTHING FALLS. AS PART OF BASIC EDUCATION AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THEY PLACED IT UNDER THAT.
SO IN REALITY IT SHOULD BE FUNDED AT THE FULL COST FOR WHAT IT WAS IN WHICH TO COME IN.
SO I THINK OF THAT THE CHALLENGE HE ACTUALLY WHEN RANKING. AS I WAS LOOKING FOR A MORE WHAT SORT OF SPECIFIC PRIORITIES IN A SHORT SESSION BECAUSE WE KNOW WE ONLY HAVE A SHORT TIME CAN WE LEVERAGE. AND THAT WAS THE HOLD HARMLESS PIECE THE BUDGET STABILITY.
PERHAPS SOME OF THAT S.R. DOLLARS WHAT HAS BEEN THE POST PER PUPIL FOR ACTUAL COVID-19 MITIGATION? THAT IS THE PIECE THAT IN WHICH WE SHOULD BE WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO ENSURE THAT IS ADDRESSED.
>> WELL SAID. >> SO I GUESS MY QUESTION TO BEGIN BEFORE WE TRY AND NARROW IT DOWN TO SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR DISTRICT, WHAT WOULD MAKE THE MOST IMPACT WHEN WE ARE ADVOCATING WITH THE LEGISLATURE WOULD BE WHERE CAN YOU SEE SOME OF THESE COMBINED SUCH AS THE ATTRACT, RECRUIT RETAIN, HIGHLY DIVERSE AND QUALIFIED STAFF, AND THE SUB OR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORTS? I THINK CHRIS HAD HIS HAND
UP NEXT. >> IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. THE SHORT SESSION MATTERS BECAUSE WE SORT OF WORK ON A BIANNUAL SYSTEM IN THE SHORT SESSION THEY TEND TO BE MORE TWEAKS RATHER THAN MAJOR INITIATIVES. THAT WAS WHERE I WAS LOOKING AT THESE AND TRYING TO FIND SOME VERY SPECIFIC ASKS.
UNFORTUNATELY, VERY FEW OF THESE ARE VERY SPECIFIC ASKS.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IN A SHORT SESSION WE OUGHT TO BE TRYING TO GO IN THERE THERE WITH I WANT THIS LINE ITEM TO CHANGE. IF WE CAN DO THAT THAT WOULD REALLY BE A SUCCESS FOR THIS SESSION.
I ACTUALLY, I MEAN, IT'S NOT THAT I FEEL LIKE SPECIAL EDUCATION IMPORTANT ARE UNIMPORTANT BUT RATHER SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE REALLY LIKELY TO CHANGE MEANINGFULLY IN A SHORT SESSION THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM I DON'T SEE IT MEANINGFULLY, SO WE CAN PUT A LOT OF ENERGY INTO DOING SOMETHING THAT I DON'T SEE THE LEGISLATORS PAYING A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THIS YEAR.
NEXT YEAR PERHAPS. SO IT MIGHT BE A LONG GAME.
BUT ANYWAY, SO, YEAH, I AGREE WITH THE HOLD HARMLESS MATTERS A LOT. THESE ARE THINGS WHERE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE JUST NEED TO KEEP THE PEDAL TO THE METAL YEAR IN YEAR OUT ESPECIALLY WHERE WE'RE STUCK WITH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION. THIS IS SOMETHING FOR OUR DISTRICT VERY SPECIFICALLY. OUR LEGISLATORS NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM US EVERY SINGLE TIME WE TALK TO THEM.
BUT OTHER THAN, THAT I MEAN, I ACTUALLY TOLD CASSANDRA I WAS SOMEWHAT TARDY GETTING MY NUMBERS IN ON THIS.
PRACTICALLY I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO A GOOD JOB WITH. IT'S NOT A FINE-TUNING OF THE RANKINGS IT'S RATHER FINE-TUNING OF THE MESSAGE WHEN WE TALK TO THE LEGISLATORS BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THIS EVENING.
>> AND MAYBE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF JOHN YOU COULD
[00:15:02]
PULL UP LAST YEAR'S PLATFORM, IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE IT ANYWHERE NEAR YOU. OR ERIC WHOEVER IS FASTEST.BARBARA. >> YEAH, LET ME, LET ME JUST
GIVE ME TWO SECONDS. >> SO KIND OF HAVING LOOKED AT WHAT ROSE TO THE SURFACE FOR US IN THE BROAD CATEGORIES. MAYBE IT'S TIME TO LOOK AT WHAT OUR PLATFORM WAS LAST YEAR AND SEE WHAT WE MIGHT WANT TO TWEAK TO FOR A SHORT SESSION.
SOMETHING, SOME MEASURABLE GOALS THAT WE THINK WE HAVE
FOR THE SHORT SESSION. >> THAT IS A GOOD TRANSITION TO WHAT I WAS WANTING TO TALK ABOUT, TOO.
>> OKAY. >> I WAS ACTUALLY JUST LOOKING AT, NOW I'M HAVING TROUBLE LOADING IT.
I'M GLAD BARBARA WAS ABLE. TO OUR PLATFORM FOR LAST YEAR AND I WAS WILLING TO PROPOSE THAT WE ROLL IT OVER FOR THIS YEAR. AS I LOOKED AT IT AND THOUGHT THAT IS WHEN I THINK OF WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE AND WHAT REMAINS UNADDRESSED IT'S BASICALLY ALL OF THIS.
NOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HELD HARMLESS AND RESPONDING TO COVID-19 AND I THINK THAT, IT'S DIFFERENT NOW THAN IT WAS. I MEAN THE PRINCIPLES REMAIN THE SAME THE SPECIFICS ARE DIFFERENT.
BUT EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT FOR IN YEAR WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT LAST YEAR.
>> SO THE THINGS THAT WERE IN THAT URGENT CATEGORY AND SORT OF THE REDDISH MAROON COLOR I THINK SOME OF THAT HAS SORT OF BEEN DETERMINED FROM LAST YEAR.
SO I'M NOT SURE THAT LIKE THE EMERGENCY LIABILITY RESPONSE. SOME OF THAT HAS BEEN WORKED OUT. AND I SEE LOTS OF HANDS UP AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE ORDER, BUT, ERKICK YOU WANT
TO CHIME IN ON THAT? >> -- ERIC DID YOU WANT TO
CHIME IN ON THAT. >> JOHN MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING HE WANTED TO RESPOND TO BECAUSE HIS HAND
>> SO MINE WAS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT CHRIS SAID.
TO ME, THIS SESSION ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT GETTING THINGS ACCOMPLISHED BUT MAKING SURE THAT THE SEEDS THAT WE'VE SOWN ALONG THE WAY GET WATERED AND NURTURED AND PULL A FEW WEEDS AROUND IT BECAUSE NEXT YEAR THERE COULD BE SOME MOVEMENT ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES OR PROGRESS BEING MADE. SO, TO ME THE SHORT SESSION YOU KNOW IF THEY DO HOLD TO A SHORT SESSION IT'S YOU'RE RIGHT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME ABILITY FOR THEM TO MAKE LARGE SCALE DECISIONS IT'S TECHNICALLY NOT A BUDGET YEAR FOR THEM. EVEN THOUGH THEY ALWAYS LOOK AT BUDGET AND DO SOME MODIFICATION.
IN TERMS OF URGENT CATEGORY I THINK THERE ARE ALL URGENT ISSUES IN TERMS OF HOLD HARMLESS.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO ADVOCATE FOR IF YOU WILL, HOLD HARMLESS-TYPE ACTIONS. WE ALSO CONTINUE TO BRING FORWARD THE ISSUE AROUND FUNDING AND INEQUITIES THAT OUR DISTRICT EXPERIENCED IN THAT PROCESS, AND EVERY TIME I SEE THE CHARTS FOR WHAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVED ACROSS THE STATE, BARBARA HAS A DATA CHART THAT SHE'LL SHARE DURING THE BOARD MEETING TONE.
IT ALMOST TAKES MY BREATH AWAY THAT THIS IS, I'M NOT DISPARAGING ANY OTHER DISTRICT.
SPOKANE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ABOUT 2000 STUDENTS SMALLER THAN US RECEIVED $124 MILLION OF SER FUNDS WE RECEIVED ABOUT $12 MILLION. LIKE THAT IS SUCH AN ASTONISHING DIFFERENCE. SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT URGENT FOR LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS AROUND HOLD HARM TOLLS ME IT'S ALSO THOSE FUNDING STREAMS TO ACTUALLY RESPOND TO COVID IN THE WAY THAT WE KNOW WE NEED TO.
BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE $124 MILLION YOU THINK OF ALL OF THE ANCILLARY SUPPORTS THAT YOU CAN BUILD IN FOR STUDENTS AS THEY'RE TRANSITIONING BACK.
SO, THERE ARE THINGS THAT DISTRICTS CAN DO WITH THOSE DOLLARS. IN TERMS OF THE EMERGENCY LIABILITY, THAT -- PROBABLY IS A PIECE THAT CAN PROBABLY BE TAKEN OFF BECAUSE THAT IT WAS SORT OF DEALT WITH AND MOVED ON AT THIS POINT. SO BUT IF WE WERE TO ADOPT THIS PLATFORM I THINK THERE'S A NEED FOR US TO CONTINUE THE URGENT CATEGORY IN THAT CONVERSATION.
>> BARBARA DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU WANTED TO
WEIGH IN ON THAT? >> I JUST WANTED TO ON THE ATTRACT AND RETAIN I KNOW THERE WAS THE STATE TO STATE
[00:20:04]
RECIPROCITY BUT I THINK THERE WAS A BILL PASSED AND I'M TRYING TO FIND THE BILL. TWL WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SOLVED LAST SESSION AND SO THAT -->> I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT AMOUNTED TO WHAT KIND OF OPTIONS THEY HAD FOR BEING CERTIFIED IN OUR STATE. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT IT ALL CONTAINED BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A STEP TOWARD MAKING RECIPROCITY FOR CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN OTHER STATES EASIER IN WASHINGTON STATE SO THAT THEY COULD COME HERE AND ACTUALLY TEACH.
YEAH, SO I THINK THAT ONE THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT GOT
ADDED THAT WAS HELPFUL. >> RIGHT.
>> I THINK THE -- CAN I JUST COMMENT ON THAT.
I THINK THE LAST TIME I HEARD WHILE THERE WAS WORK DONE I'M NOT SURE IT OPENED RODS BETWEEN STATES.
IT MAY HAVE -- ROADS BETWEEN STATES.
IT MAY HAVE PUT A U-TURN HERE AND THERE MAYBE A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT THAT WASN'T WORKING.
SO I THINK THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE IN THAT REGARD. WHEN I THINK ABOUT RECRUITMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THAT RECIPROCITY CONCEPT REALLY ALLOWS US TO RECRUIT, HAVE SOMEONE ACCEPT THE JOB AND BE PLACED HERE IN WASHINGTON STATE VERSUS ACCEPT THE JOB, GO THROUGH A WHOLE TESTING PROCESS THAT POTENTIALLY COULD THEN CAUSE YOU NOT TO BE QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION. THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABSOLUTE RECIPROCITY BETWEEN STATES.
>> I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON ANOTHER BALL AS WELL THAT'S THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING FOR A LEVY IN FEBRUARY. IF WE ABANDON WHAT OUR PARENTS WANT IN THE WAYS OF SPECIAL ED, AND S.E.L. AND SOME OF THOSE STUDENTCENTRIC ISSUES AS OUR VITAL CONCERNS I DON'T THINK OUR AUDIENCE OF PARENTS ARE GOING TO BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF US JUST GOING FOR WHAT THEY LOOK AT IS TECHNICAL. I THINK A LOT OF THE TECHNICAL OR THE CONSTRUCTION ISSUES NEEDS TO BE PUT UNDER AN UMBRELLA, UNDER URGENT BUT TO BE QUITE FRANK, AS ERIC SAID I COULD LIVE WITH THE TOP FOUR STAYING THERE IF WE NEED TO TWEAK THE MIDDLE BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXACTLY FIT THESE DAYS THAT'S FINE.
AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED TO PROBABLY LOOK AT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR PARENTS. IT'S A SHORT SESSION, YES BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP SAYING IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US EVERY YEAR YEAR IN YEAR OUT TO SAY DO AWAY WITH 60% AND GIVE US 50% THEN I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING GOES FOR OUR STUDENTS. IF WE DON'T DO IT FOR OUR STUDENTS OUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO SAY WHAT IN THE
HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE. >> I THINK THE ONLY THING COMING OFF OF THIS IS THE EMERGENCY LIABILITY RESPONSE ISN'T NECESSARILY WHAT IT MEANT LAST YEAR.
SOME OF THAT HAS BEEN RESOLVE.
NOTHING ELSE HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF THIS PLATFORM.
>> I'M JUST SPEAKING TO WHAT CHRIS WAS SAYING EARLIER.
>> I THINK CHRIS YOUR HAND WENT UP NEXT.
>> YEAH I WAS GOING TO SAY, MARK, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK I SAID THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID.
>> TRY AGAIN. >> YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A YEAR WHEN WE NEED TO MAKE BIG CHANGES.
YOU MAY BE RESPONDING TO MY RANK ORDERING OF THINGS ON THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET BUT TO ME THRANK ORDERING DOESN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE. VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING STAYS ON HERE. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED THE ONLY TINKERING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS I WANT SIMPLE MAJORITY TO GO TO THE TOP OF THE ONGOING LIST RATHER THAN THE BOTTOM OF IT. IT'S OUR LAST PRIORITY.
WHEN THAT WOULD SOLVE A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PROBLEMS IF WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THAT TO HAPPEN.
IT'S EASY TO SAY IT'S A SHORT SOUNDS BITE.
I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF BREAKING OUT THE VERY EVEN HIGHLIGHTING WITHIN THESE THE STATE TO STATE RECIPROCITY THE WESTERN STATES CONSORTIUM.
IF WE CAN JUST GET OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TO HAVE RECIPROCITY WITH THIS STATE THAT WOULD BE ENORMOUS.
THAT'S WHERE OUR WORKFORCE OF NOT JUST TEACHERS MIGRATES UP AND DOWN THE COAST.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE IT WOULD BE A BIG DEAL TO ALLOW THOSE STATES TO TEACHERS LICENSED IN THOSE STATES TO WORK HERE. IT WAS NEVER A MATTER OF REMOVING ANYTHING FROM THE VITAL LIST.
I JUST DON'T SEE ANY OF THOSE CHANGING MUCH IN THE
SHORT SESSION. >> I HEAR YOU CHRIS.
TO BE QUITE FRANK, WHAT I THINK WE COULD DO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ATTRACT AND RETAIN STAFF SO FORTH, DIVERSE STAFF IF WE ZEROED IN ON WHAT WE REALLY THINK WOULD BE THE DEAL BREAKER OF RECIPROCITY LET'S CALL IT
[00:25:05]
OUT. LET'S GO FOR THAT.AND SAY THAT THIS WOULD ENABLE US TO DO BING, BING AND BING BUT CALL OUT THAT THE PRIMARY ITEM AND SAY HOW THIS WILL SUPPORT US IN ATTRACTING, IF I COULD READ THAT SMALL PRINT, ATTRACT RECRUIT, RETAIN HIGH QUALITY DIVERSE STAFF. LET'S, BASICALLY FLIP THE TOPIC, IF YOU WILL AND GO FOR RECIPROCITY SAY HOW THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON THOSE KEY FACTORS.
IF WE ARE LOSING LIABILITY I CAN SEE THROWING YOUR TECH NEEDS UNDER THERE. UNTIL THEY GET BROADBAND A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE OUT OF LUCK.
SO THE TECH COULD MOVE OVER THERE AS WELL.
DIRECTOR SIRI BLIESNER. >> SORRY.
IN LOOKING AT THESE PRIORITIES FROM BEFORE AND THE TWEAKS I DO THINK TARGETING THOSE SPECIFIC THINGS UNDER EACH OF THOSE IS WHERE WE CAN TIGHTEN IT MORE EFFECTIVELY. JUST REALLY START TO UNDERSET SPECIFICALLY AND REALLY START TARGETING THAT IF THERE'S SPECIFIC LEGISLATION THAT'S OUT THERE AND THEY'RE DEALING IT WITH HOW DO WE THINK BY THE.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE COULD BE A LITTLE MORE STRATEGIC THROUGH THIS. I ALSO THINK THAT TECHNOLOGY FUNDING BASED ON EVERYTHING WE JUST DID WITH COVID IS A KEY CONVERSATION TO BE HOLDING THIS YEAR.
IN RELATION TO OUR LEGISLATURE.
JUST BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT 90% OF OUR FUNDING IS THERE.
WE KNOW THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT FOR OUR STUDENTS IN BEING ABLE TO ACCESS BE IT THE HARDWARE, SOFTWARE INTERNET ALL THOSE COMPONENTS ARE ONE.
IT'S NOT JUST ITEM IT'S ALL THE ABOVE.
SO I DO THINK THAT'S ONE WHETHER IT'S ON AN URGENT ONGOING I THINK JUST THINK IT NEEDS TO BE THERE THAT WE ACTUALLY DO HIGHLIGHT THAT PIECE.
BECAUSE THAT'SLLY A SHOCK TO PEOPLE.
THAT 90% OF OUR FUNDING IS THROUGH LEVY DOLLARS.
>> AND I THINK JUST THE SHEER COST FOR TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE HARDWARE, OR THE SOFTWARE, IT'S ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNT OF MONEY AND IT IS A STATE ISSUE TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS.
>> FOR ONCE. IF WE CAN GO THROUGH LOOK AT THE BILLS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE FOR THIS THEN LOOK AT THE AUTHORS. IF IT'S BILL A, B, C THAT WE NEED TO TARGET. THAT THAT WILL TAKE CARE, THAT WILL ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS. IT WON'T TAKE CARE OF THEM BUT IT WILL ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS UNDER SPECIAL ED OR UNDER SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING OR FOR THAT MATTER THE EMERGENCY -- PARDON ME NOT THE EMERGENCY BUT THE TECH ISSUE.
THERE IS I'M BLANKING ON THE REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME THAT HAD A BROADBAND BILL LAST YEAR THAT DID VERY WELL.
IF WE CAN WORK WITH HIM AND OTHERS WHO HAVE A BIG INTEREST IN THAT, AND BE VERY SPECIFIC, AS OPPOSED TO THESE GENERALLYITIES WE TENDED TO TRY TO BE VERY POETIC, IF AND YOU WILL DO IT FROM THE 10,000 FEET REALM. AS OPPOSED TO GOING THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO ON THE GROUND, BING, BING, BING.
>> WHEN WE ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND STRATEGIZE FOR OUR MEETINGS WITH LEGISLATORS, THAT'S WHERE MORE SPECIFICS WILL REALLY COME IN. YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS ACTUALLY WE CHANGED THE FORMAT SO THIS LAST YEAR THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A DIFFERENT FORMAT THAN WE TYPICALLY LISTED OUR WHEN IT GETS DOWN TO SPECIFICS AND
[00:30:01]
WE SEE THIS IS A BILL REALLY ENCOMPASSES ALL OF OUR NEEDS MAKE SURE WE'RE TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO PUT THE BILLFORWARD, FOR SURE. >> MY THOUGHT IS RATHER THAN HAVE THEM TELL US WHAT BILL, WHAT FIT OUR NEEDS HAVE US MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW IT GOING IN SO WE CAN ADDRESS A SPECIFIC BILL. BECAUSE THE LEGISLATORS, ESPECIALLY IN SHORT SESSION WILL HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WASTE. IF WE CAN GO IN THERE AND ZERO IN ON CERTAIN FACTORS AND CERTAIN BILLS I THINK WE'LL BE LISTENED TO BECAUSE IT WILL SOUND A LITTLE BIT MORE PROFESSIONAL TO BE QUITE FRANK AS OPPOSED TO GOING IN THERE WITH OVERALL UMBRELLA TOPICS.
>> THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING.
THAT'S SUPERHELPFUL TO HAVE NOT JUST OUR MEETS WITH -- MEETS WITH OUR LEGISLATORS. SO WE CAN ALL COMBINE OUR ADVOCACY AND SAY HEY, WE REALLY NEED TO NOT SPEND 90 PER OF OUR TECH LEVY DOLLARS ON THESE THINGS.
SO THAT'S ONGOING BUT THERE ALSO MIGHT BE SOME NEW THINGS THAT DROP THIS YEAR THAT WE SAY HEY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD REALLY MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
JOHN? >> SO I'M JUST SITTING HERE KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE PLATFORM THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE THIS MORE ACTIONABLE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BOARD AND STAFF.
SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ALMOST TWO PIECES TO WHAT WE'RE DEVELOPING HERE. ONE IS THE LEDGE PLATFORM AND THEN ALMOST A SUPPLEMENT TO THAT IS HERE'S OUR LEDGE PLATFORM AND HERE'S WHERE WE BELIEVE THE DIRECT LINKS ARE TO THE CURRENT LEGISLATIVE WORK THAT'S OCCURRING AND THAT COULD ALMOST BE BECAUSEDY A FOLLOW-UP E-MAIL TO EVERY LEGISLATOR WE MET WITH LAST YEAR, I'M WONDERING IF THAT COULD, WE COULD DEVELOP THAT OUT SO THAT'S THE FOLLOW-UP. BUT I'M WONDERING FOR LIKE SPECIAL EDUCATION, AS I READ IT, YOU KNOW, INCREASED BY $308 MILLION. OKAY THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY.
BUT I'M WONDERING IF WE GET MORE SPECIFIC TO THAT, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE STUDENT MULTIPLIER IS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION. BARBARA, DO YOU REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT IS? LET ME JUST SO I BELIEVE
IT'S AROUND LIKE .98. >> IT WENT FROM LIKE I.9309
TO LIKE .95. >> LET'S SAY IT'S .95 RIGHT NOW. SO SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FULLY FUND THE COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION BY INCREASING THE STUDENT MULTIPLIER FROM .95 TO $1.15 OR WHATEVER THE RIGHT NUMBER IS TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVE FULL FUNDING OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN WASHINGTON STATE BECAUSE THEN THAT ALLOWS US TO ADVOCATE FOR OURSELVES AND IT'S VERY, VERY SPECIFIC AS TO WHAT WE ARE ASKING. THEN KIND OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL IS THEN WHAT'S THE LEGISLATION THAT WE BELIEVE IS RELEVANT TO THAT SPECIFIC STATEMENT.
IF WE DID THAT FOR EACH OF THESE YOU KNOW MAYBE RELEASE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS UNDER SPECIAL ED.
BUT, THEN, IT PROBABLY SHORTENS THE LANGUAGE ON THE PLATFORM. BUT I THINK IT ACTUALLY GIVES ALL OF US SOME MORE ACTIONABLE LANGUAGE TO BE ABLE TO TALK WITH OUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT.
SO YES, INCREASING IT TO 100%, 110%.
>> AND I THINK, TOO IT'S REALLY HELPFUL WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING WITH OUR LEGISLATORS AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO HAVE THAT STORY ON HOW IT IMPACTS US AND OUR DISTRICT AND OUR STUDENTS. SO, IF WE CAN HAVE A SHORT NARRATIVE THAT GOES WITH THAT CONCRETE EXAMPLES.
SO, -- GO AHEAD BARBARA. >> SORRY.
AND THE SECOND PART OF THAT IS THE SAFETY NET OF ONE AGAIN IF WE WANTED THE SECOND BULLET POINT IT WOULD BE LOWERING THE THRESHOLD TO QUALIFY FOR SAFETY NET.
>> THAT'S EXCELLENT IDEA. SO IF, IF WE WERE GOING -- FIRST OF ALL, I GUESS I SHOULD ASK HOW DO PEOPLE
FEEL ABOUT ADDING THAT? >> I'M GOOD WITH IT.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE JUST POINTED OUT THE FACT THAT WHAT JOHN WAS SAYING IS THE SPECIFICS OF HOW IT APPLIES TO THE BILL. THEN TURN IT AROUND AND SAY IF WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THIS INSTEAD OF .995 WE GET TO .WHATEVER, THEN WE COULD, WE COULD FUND THIS PROGRAM
[00:35:02]
AND THIS PROGRAM AND THIS PROGRAM.SO YOU TURN IT FROM OKAY, HERE'S THE SPECIFIC THINGS WE NEED IN A BILL AND HERE'S HOW IT WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON KIDS. AS OPPOSED TO JUST KIND OF SOME OVERALL UMBRELLA OF SAYING FUNDING SPECIAL ED WHICH EVERYBODY KIND OF JUST ROLLS THEIR EYES AND SAY OH, HERE YOU ARE YOU WANT $320 MILLION OH, GEE, I LIKE THE IDEA OF WHAT JOHN HAS GOING SPECIFIC.
THEN WE SHOWED WHERE THAT CAN HAVE AN IMPACT AND WHAT KIND OF STUDENTS, WHAT STUDENTS WHETHER IT'S SAFETY NET, OR BEING ABLE TO CHANGE THE THRESHOLD FOR A SAFETY NET. I THINK THAT WOULD APPLIES TO THE REST OF THE ITEMS ON THE BOARD THERE, AS WELL.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE A LOT OF AWARENESS ABOUT SPECIAL ED FUNDING NEEDS JUST WITH OUR SHORT TWO MINUTE VIDEO LAST YEAR. SO I THINK THAT STRATEGY REALLY KIND OF GAVE THEM THAT MESSAGE AND NOW, ALL OF OUR, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATORS THAT TOUCH OUR DISTRICT AND EVEN THOSE ON THE ED COMMITTEE IN OLYMPIA UNDERSTAND MORE SPECIFIC OF HOW WE WERE IMPACTED AND PERHAPS GOING FORWARD THAT'S ALSO A STRATEGY TO DEVELOP.
>> I THINK THE VIDEO IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA.
AND SOMETHING TO UTILIZE GOING FORWARD.
I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THE THRESHOLD IN 504. BARBARA I'M NOT SURE I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT APPLIES TO AND WHAT YOU MEAN BY WHICH THRESHOLD. A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION
WOULD BE HELPFUL. >> SO IN ADDITION TO OUR SPECIAL ED FUNDING BASED ON OUR ENROLLMENT WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO APPLY FOR WHAT WE CALL HIGH COST SAFETY NET FUNDS. SO FOR OUR SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH COST STUDENTS SO ONES THAT WE MAY HAVE TO PUT IN PRIVATE PLACEMENTS, OR HAVE ONE ON ONE AIDES WE ARE ABLE TO APPLY TO THE STATE TO RECEIVE FUNDING ABOVE THE REGULAR, THE FUNDING FORMULA. SO ANYBODY WHO'S KIND OF ABOVE AVERAGE IN COST, ABOVE WHAT WE'RE FUNDED FROM THE STATE AND THAT THRESHOLD ISN'T JUST YOUR STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING IT'S ACTUALLY 35 -- I CAN GET THE EXACT NUMBER LATER IT'S ABOUT $35,000 PER STUDENT.
WHEN WE AREN'T FUNDED $35,000 PER STUDENT.
SO IF WE WERE TO GET THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THRESHOLD AND WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY FUNDED I THINK WE COULD GET $2 MILLION OR $3 MILLION MORE BECAUSE WE APPLY FOR 200 STUDENTS EACH TIME WE APPLY FOR SAFETY NET. SO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY WE ONLY GET PAID ONCE WE SPEND 35,000.
>> THE OTHER PIECE IF I REMEMBER TO ADD ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PIECE IS THERE'S, I THINK THEY INCREASED IT WHEN THEY DID -- WAS THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THAT YOU GOT REIMBURSED OR YOU GOT SPECIAL EDUCATION IT WAS LIKE 13% OR 15%?
>> YEAH, -- 12%. >> 12.5% I BELIEVE.
>> WE CURRENTLY SERVE -- >> LESS THAN 10% RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE NOT HIT THAT THRESHOLD.
THAT'S NOT TRUE FOR EVERY DISTRICT ACROSS THE STATE BUT IT IS TRUE FOR OUR DISTRICT.
>> AND THAT 10% INCLUDES OUR 504.
>> NO. >> DID IT US NOT INCLUDE THE
504 SAFETY NET. >> SO AT THIS POINT IT SOUNDS LIKE SORT OF KEEPING THIS PLATFORM TAKING OUT THE EMERGENCY LIABILITY RESPONSE MOVING SIMPLE MAJORITY TO DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT.
>> I THINK WE'RE MOVING TECH WEREN'T WE? YEAH, I THINK THAT WAS MARK, MARK SAID ADVOCATED FROM MOVING IT FROM ONGOING TO VITAL.
THE VITAL CATEGORY OR URGENT. JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, ITS IMPORTANCE AND ITS -- CHRIS HAD MENTIONED ABOUT TAKING SIMPLE MAJORITY AND PUTTING IT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST SO IT DOESN'T GET BURIED IT'S ALMOST AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
>> YOU KNOW. >> GO AHEAD, SORRY.
DIRECTOR SIRI BLIESNER. >> NO GO YOU GO AHEAD.
>> IF WE'RE ONLY HAVING TO AND ONGOING AND THEY'RE BOTH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION-RELATED WHICH IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IF WE'RE KEEPING THE STRUCTURE, I'M FINE WITH THE
[00:40:01]
ORDER. TALK ABOUT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I DON'T HAVE PREFERENCE EITHER WAY BASICALLY IS WHAT I WASIAMERING ON ABOUT.>> CASSANDRA ANY ITEMS FROM THE TOP 10 LIST THAT WE HAD THAT DON'T FIT NEATLY INTO ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES ALREADY OR ONE OF THESE TOPICS THAT WE HAVE IT THAT
WE NEED TO INSERT? >> SO IF WE LOOK BACK AT THE E-MAIL I SENT AND I DON'T KNOW ERIC IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO EASILY POP IT BACK UNONTO THE SCREEN.
BUT BASICALLY WE SAID SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL ED PROGRAMS, THE SEL, THE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, WE TALKED ABOUT SAID WE TALKED ABOUT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION. WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD ED. THAT CAME YOU KNOW WITHIN SORT OF THAT TOP SIX. AGAIN, IT'S NOT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND NEXT IS MOST IMPORTANT THING IT IS THESE SEEM TO BE SOME OF THE MOST VITAL THINGS OUR STUDENTS NEED. SO WE DIDN'T REALLY TALK
ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD ED. >> I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE IT FALL INTO THAT CATOR OF BEING VERY STUDENT OR SCBREND FAMILY-ORIENTED AS OPPOSED TO A LITTLE BIT MORE
CONSTRUCTION, IF YOU WILL. >> IT WOULD BE INTERESTING KNOWING THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION THERE'S POTENTIAL FUNDING FOR UNIVERSAL PRE-K AT THIS POINT IN TIME AND DIFFERENT COMPONENTS AS AN ONGOING PIECE I COULD SEE IT BEING PLACED THERE. THAT --
>> MY, MY VIEW IS NOT TO ADD ANYTHING IN ADDITION TO OUR
CURRENT PLATFORM. >> SO WE'RE TAKING OUT THE
ONE ITEM OUT OF URGENT. >> YEAH, I KNOW.
>> SORRY I'LL JUST SAY THREE WORDS ON THAT RATHER THAN BE SO GLIB. THE THINKING IS I JUST THINK SHORT AGAIN, I LIKE HAVING A FOCUS MESSAGE.
THESE THINGS AND I, NOT TO MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. WHEN I VIEW OF WHAT ARE THE THINGS FOR OUR DISTRICT TO BE FOCUSED ON AND ADVOCATING FOR WHAT'S ON OUR PLATFORM RIGHT NOW FOR ME IS THE
PRIORITY. >> BARBARA, FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THAT'S NOT BEING FUNDED BY THE
STATE OR BY FED? >> ARE YOU ASKING ME IF WE WERE TO OFFER PRESCHOOL. ARE YOU ASKING ME IF WE WERE TO OFFER UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL I HAVEN'T PUT A PRICE TAG ON
BARBARA I'M SORRY. I THINK NOT DECLARING IT RIGHT. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW MUCH UNDERFUNDED WE ARE IN SPECIAL ED.
HOW MUCH ARE WE UNDERFUNDED IN IN OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION AREA? >> THE CURRENT PROGRAMS WE OFFER ARE SPECIAL ED, PRESCHOOL AND IT'S ABOUT $
SO WE'RE PROVIDING LOCAL FUNDING FOR.
>> OKAY. I SEE SORT OF THAT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND KIN KEN READINESS, YOU -- KINDERGARTEN READINESS WE DON'T HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY CALL IT EARLY CHILDHOOD BUT I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT KINDERGARTEN READINESS AND S.E.L., YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE HELP STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIOR SUPPORT I THINK PRE-K DEFINITELY FITS IN THAT BUCKET.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CALL IT OUT YOU CAN STILL ADVOCATE FOR IT IN FRONT OF THE LEGISLATORS.
>> ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? >> OPERATIONALLY IT'S A SHORT SESSION. LET'S NOT CHANGE TOPICS LETS JUST REMOVE THINGS THAT WERE ACCOMPLISHED AND KEEP HITTING ON THE ONES THAT WE'VE GOT.
I MEAN AS IT WAS IT WAS ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT WORDY LAST YEAR, I'M SORRY, SO ELIMINATING ONE AND NOT ADDING ANOTHER ONE I'M VERY GOOD WITH THAT.
>> I'M GOING WITH THAT APPROACH, TOO.
LOOKING AT SPECIFIC PIECES AND THEN SAYING WHAT SPECIFICALLY THAT WOULD DO FOR US.
WE CAN HAVE THIS DISCUSSION AGAIN AT 7:00.
[00:45:01]
AN ABBREVIATED DISCUSSION. >> SO MAYBE NEXT STEPS ON THIS CASSANDRA MAYBE BARBARA SHANNON AND I WILL SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH YOU LATER THIS WEEK TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THE CURRENT LEDGE PLATFORM KIND OF DO THAT WORK AROUND SOME CONSOLIDATION OF LANGUAGE.
WE'LL DO SOME WORK AHEAD OF TIME AROUND SOME OF THE SPECIFICS THAT WE SEE UNDER THOSE PIECES SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT FINALIZED AND THEN GET THE BOARD A PREVIEW OF THAT BEFORE THE DECEMBER 6TH MEETING.
>> WOULD YOU ALSO BE CONNECTING OUR SPEAKING OF GRACE WHO HAD DONE A LOT OF THE I'M NOT SURE IF SHE'S STILL ONE OF THE ACTIVE LOBBYISTS, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS I SHOULD SAY, OR CHARLIE BROWN EITHER.
I KNOW WE HAD WORKED WITH THEM IN THE PAST.
SO WILL THIS BE WORKING BUT WITH THEM AS WELL THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO PRIVILEGE SOME OF THAT INSIDE SORT OF WHAT'S
LYING COMING THROUGH. >> YEAH.
THAT'S PART OF THE PREWORK. THAT PROBABLY OFF THE TOP OF THEIR HEAD THEY COULD POINTED EXACTLY.
I WISH I WAS PLANNING ON GOING THROUGH EACH BILL PERSONALLY SO MAKE THAT CONNECTION BUT THAT I'M SURE
I HAVE THAT SKILL SET. >> AND I KNOW YOU AND I, JOHN, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT OVER THE SUMMER HOW TO MAYBE BETTER INCORPORATE THE LEGISLATIVE REP POSITION WITH GRACE AND CHARLIE AND PEOPLE IN THOSE POSITIONS.
AND THE SUMMER WAS VERY BUSY WITH PRIORITIZING KIDS AND GETTING BACK TO SCHOOL AND CREATING AN ON-LINE SCHOOL.
BUT AT SOME POINT I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ALSO FURTHER DEFINE THAT ROLE.
>> GREAT. >> JOHN, IF I COULD, I WOULD LIKE TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT MEETING ONLY BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE A BRIDGE AS CASSANDRA IS DEPARTING WE NEED TO HAVE A BRIDGE OF CONTINUITY FROM THE BOARD.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SIT IN ON THAT MEETING AS WELL.
>> OKAY. WE WILL GET THAT ON THE
CALENDAR. >> OKAY, ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER ON THIS TOPIC?
>> I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO CASSANDRA IN RUNNING THIS THROUGH AND HAVING TO GET TO THIS POINT AND THE SHIFTING SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE WILL DO OUR BEST IN MOVING IT FORWARD.
THE SECOND TOPIC FOR TONIGHT'S STUDY SESSION IS AN UPDATE ON INTHE INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES PILOT. DR. HOLMEN COULD YOU KICKIS
OFF ON THAT. >> ABSOLUTELY I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE SOME TIMING THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW. SO WE HAVE A TEAM THAT'S COMING TO MEET WITH US DR. HITCH, HER TEAM, WE HAVE THREE PRINCIPALS FROM THE INCLUSION PILOT SCHOOLS.
SO MIKE, I SEE YOU JUMPED ON DO WE WANT TO WAIT UNTIL 6:00 SO THAT THEY'RE ALL. I THINK THEY ALL HAD A MEETING AND THEY'RE JUST TRANSITIONING RIGHT NOW.
>> YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. THEY ARE.
SO THEY'RE COMING OUT OF A MEETING THEY'RE ALL EXPECTING TO JOIN US AT 6:00.
>> SO WE WANT IT TO BE MEANINGFUL BY HAVING THE EXPERTS THERE. GEE GHEE WHAT A CONCEPT.
>> I WOULD JUST PROPOSE WE TAKE A QUICK BREAK COME BACK A COUPLE MINUTES BEFORE 6:00 THEN WE CAN GET STARTED
SO WE'LL BE ADJOURNED UNTIL 6:00 EVERYONE TRY TO BE BACK ON ABOUT
>> IS THERE SOMEONE WHO WILL HAVE THE POWER POINT UP AND
RUNNING. >> ERIC DO YOU WANT TO GO
[2. Update on Inclusionary Practices Pilot]
AHEAD AND GET US STARTED. >> YEAH, SURE.
6:01. THE NEXT TOPIC ON OUR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT IS AN UPDATE ON THE INCLUSIONARY PROSECUTES PILOT. AND I THINK DR. HOLMEN YOU WANT TO GET US SNOORD WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE AN UPDATE. TRULY THIS UPDATE PROBABLY COULD BE LIKE A THREE TO FOUR HOUR UPDATE SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT AN HOUR OF UPDATING A FULL-SCALE PILOT AROUND INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES IT'S A PRETTY TIGHT TIMELINE. SO I KNOW WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION TONIGHT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PLEASE DOCUMENT THOSE SEND THOSE TO ME WE'LL MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE FOLLOW-UP TO THE BOARD IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ACTUALLY ANSWER A QUESTION TONIGHT. SO, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT MIKE TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM AND TO BRING US TO A PRESENTATION.
>> THANKS. I'LL JUST SHARE A FEW WORDS FOR SOME CONTEXT THEN I'M SURE YOU WILL HEAR SOME OF THE SAME MESSAGES AS WE'RE COMMUNICATING TONIGHT.
I THINK TO START WE WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR WE KNOW THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM AND HAVE A RIGHT TO A
[00:50:01]
GENERAL EDUCATION WITH THEIR PEERS.WHETHER THEY HAVE A DISABILITY OR NOT.
THERE'S A LARGE BODY OF EVIDENCE THAT POINTS TO IMPROVED ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY'RE EDUCATED WITH THEIR PEERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. SO, THAT'S A GOAL THAT WE'VE SET FOR OURSELVES IS TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW, OUR STUDENTS ARE SERVED MANY OF OUR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES ARE SERVED IN REGIONAL PROGRAMS. THERE ARE BENEFITS TO THAT. THERE ARE EFFICIENCIES AND SOME SPECIALIZATIONS. BUT AGAIN, KNOWING THAT THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES WE REALLY DO SEE, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
>> THAT BEING SAID WE ALSO HAVE AN ON-LINEGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR EDUCATORS, SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES ARE PREPARED TO PROVIDE THE BEST EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE WHEN STUDENTS ARE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS WITH THEIR PIERCE. FINALLY, JUST A COUPLE OTHER THINGS TO MENTION IS THAT WE'RE NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT THE BENEFITS TO STUDENTS WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIES BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT ALL STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM BEING IN SCHOOLS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIVERSE EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES AND TAKES ON THE WORLD BECAUSE THAT'S THE WORLD THEY'RE MOVING OUT INTO.
SO, OUR WORK IS TO FIND THAT LINE AND TO THREAD THAT NEEDLE BETWEEN MAKING SURE OUR SCHOOLS ARE PREPARED ENOUGH TO WELCOME STUDENTS BACK INTO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND TO NOT TAKE SO LONG THAT WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY IN THE CYCLE OF PREPARATION BUT NEVER ACTUALLY MAKE THAT SWITCH AND THAT TRANSITION. SO THAT'S KIND OF A LINE WE'RE WALKING RIGHT NOW. SO TONIGHT WE HAVE REALLY THREE OR FOUR, I'M SORRY, AMAZING NOT LEADERS WHO ARE HELPING PAVE THE WAY FOR US THEY'RE GOING TO SHARE SOME OF THEIR EXPERIENCES. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT BY DOING WORK ON A SMALLER SCALE TO START, WE LEARN SO MUCH FROM THAT THAT WE CAN USE AS WE SCALE UP TO ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS. AS YOU WILL HEAR TONIGHT REALLY OUR GOAL IS TO WELCOME OUR STUDENTS BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS WITH THEIR PEERS BEING EDUCATED IN GENERAL EDUCATION.
WITH THE SUPPORTS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND THAT INCLUDES TRAINING, AND THINKING ABOUT OUR STAFFING AND OUR FACILITIES AND SO. WE REALLY APPRECIATED THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES TONIGHT BECAUSE THOUGH YOU MAY HEAR SOMETIMES THAT WHEN PROVIDING THIS INCLUSIVE TYPE OF EDUCATION MAY BE BECOMES COST NEUTRAL IT REALLY IS COST NEUTRAL OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THERE'S AN INITIAL INVESTMENT OF RESOURCES, TRAINING, STAFFING, FACILITIES THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AT THE BEGINNING. SO, THAT'S PART OF OUR WORK AS WELL. SO TONIGHT DR. H WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW THEN WE HAVE OUR AMAZING BUILDING ADMINISTRATORS HERE TO SHARE THAT'S EXPERIENCES IN THEIR SCHOOLS. THEY'RE PART OF A PILOT PROCESS THAT WE'RE USING TO LEARN.
THEN WE'LL WRAP UP AND TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
SO SHANNON I DO HAVE THE POWER POINT IF YOU WANT AND I CAN PUT IT UP AND LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU WANT ME TO TRANSITION TO THE NEXT SLIDES.
>> THANK YOU. >> GIVE ME ONE SECOND TO GET
THAT UP AND RUNNING FOR YOU. >> ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, ACTUALLY. SO EXCITED TO HAVE OUR PRINCIPAL PARTNERS HERE BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES LIVING AND BREATHING THIS WORK ON A DAILY BASIS.
BUT I JUST FEEL HONORED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME OF THESE KNEW LEARNING FOR US AND REALLY KIND OF A VISION FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT KIDS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO THIS REALLY IS ABOUT INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES. AND YOU WILL HEAR OFTEN THE TERMS DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION USED TOGETHER.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THESE MANIFEST IN OUR SCHOOL BY KIND OF BREAKING THEM DOWN INDIVIDUALLY. SO WE KNOW WE LIVE IN AN INCREDIBLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
IT'S SEEN IN ALL THE DIFFERENCES IN OUR STUDENTS.
COULD BE GENDER, COULD BE ETHNICITY, COULD BE LANGUAGE, ABILITIES, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IT'S REALLY ABOUT JUST THIS RICH TAPESTRY THAT'S IN OUR COMMUNITY.
EQUITY WE KNOW IS REALLY ABOUT ENSURING THAT THERE'S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE CAN SUCCEED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S THE RECOGNITION THAT THERE'S A HISTORY OF OPPRESSION AND INEQUITIES AND IT IDENTIFIES HOW TO BRING DOWN BARRIERS WHICH REALLY IS GIVING EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
BUT INCLUSION IS REALLY A TRANSFORMATIONAL WORD.
BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT ENSURING THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, OR WHAT STRENGTHS OR NEEDS THAT THEY BRING WITH THEM.
WE CAN LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT'S DIVERSE WE CAN HAVE EQUITABLE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IF A STUDENT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG THEN THEY FEEL ALONE AND UNTETHERED AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A
[00:55:03]
WONDERFUL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.SO THIS IS REALLY WHERE WE'RE FOCUSING OUR WORK.
NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE'S SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT I WILL GO OVER WITH YOU AND THEN HOPEFULLY SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE SO YOU CAN HEAR FROM OUR PRINCIPALS TONIGHT. BUT I DO WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION THIS HAS BEEN A JOURNEY THAT WE'VE BEEN ON FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT SOME OF OUR CURRENT CHALLENGES ARE. WE'LL PROVIDE YOU JUST WITH A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CRITICAL BENEFITS OF INCLUSION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDSING TO RELATIONSHIPS AND EQUITY AND INSTRUCTION.
WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PROGRESS AND OUR GROWTH AS SOME OF OUR MISTAKES AND SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES. WE'LL HAVE OUR PILOT SCHOOLS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES IN LEARNING WITH YOU AND THEN WE HOPE TO HAVE SOME TIME FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END.
SO THIS IS REALLY A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE ARE NOW IN LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THAT WE HAVE SELF-CONTAINED LEARNING PROGRAMS WITHIN EACH OF OUR ELEMENTARY REGIONS. THEY MIGHT BE A LEARNING CENTER THAT SERVES KIDS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES OR THEY MIGHT BE AN INTERVENTION CENTER THAT SERVES KIDS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES. AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL WE HAVE THOSE CONTINUUM OF SERVICES IN ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS WITH JUST A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS RELATED TO INTERVENTION PROGRAMS. BUT AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WE VERY MUCH HAVE THEM CLUSTERED IN REGIONS.
IN THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE LEARNING CENTER PROGRAMS THEY TYPICALLY HAVE ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO THREE CLASSROOMS AND USUALLY THE RATIO OF STUDENT TO TEACHER IS ONE TO EIGHT FOR A CLASSROOM. SO, THE MAJORITY OF OUR PROGRAM SCHOOLS TYPICALLY WILL HAVE UPWARDS OF ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT TO 24 STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT NEEDS. AND INCLUSION IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF YOUR STUDENT POPULATION WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES AS WE SEE IN OUR CENTER-BASED SCHOOLS AND IT'S ALSO EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT IN OUR SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE THEIR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, OBVIOUSLY.
SO, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE STRUGGLING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THESE STUDENTS IN A WAY THAT IS MORE EQUITABLE. WE ALSO HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE IN OUR DISTRICT ABOUT DISPROPORTIONALITY. SO WE CURRENTLY OVERIDENTIFY THIS HISPANIC LATIN X STUDENTS ABOUT FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY AND WE OVERIDENTIFY BLACK STUDENTS AS LIKELY TO HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY OR AN EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITY.
WHAT INCLUSION IS ABLE TO DO IS IT'S ABLE TO HELP US ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE DISPROPORTIONALITIES.
BECAUSE THE MORE TIME WE HAVE STUDENTS ENGAGED IN CORE CONTENT INSTRUCTION THE LESS LIKELY THEY ARE TO MOVE DOWN A ROUTE TOWARDS SPECIAL EDUCATION AND PERHAPS MISIDENTIFICATION OF HAVING A DISABILITY.
NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS A GRAPHIC I DESIGNED THAT REALLY IN MY MIND SPEAKS TO THE HEART OF THE OPPORTUNITY GAPS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DISTRICT.
WE'REN ALONE OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE THEM AS WELL -- WE'RE NOT ALONE OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE THEM AS WELL.
IF WE WANT ALL STUDENTS TO BE FUTURE READY I BELIEVE WE HAVE TO ATTEND TO RELATIONSHIPS, TO EQUITY AND TO INSTRUCTION. IN THE AREA OF RELATIONSHIPS WE KNOW THAT KIDS NEED POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND THAT SENSE OF BELONGING AND A GROUP OF FRIENDS.
IN THE AREA OF EQUITY WE KNOW THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH IMPLICIT BIAS AND ABLISM. WE KNOW WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH BELIEFS AND STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT INTO PLACE THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL LEARNERS. INSTRUCTION WE'RE REALLY HOPING TO MOVE TOWARDS A UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING, ENCOURAGING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES THAT INTEGRATE BOTH GENERAL EDUCATION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF. ENGAGING IN INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES AND ULTIMATELY, REALLY USING EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION. INCLUSION IS INTERTWINED THROUGH ALL OF THESE CONCEPTS JUST AS MTSS IS INTERTWINED IN THESE CONCEPTS.
THE HOPE IS WHEN YOU BRING THEM ALL TOGETHER YOU START TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF PRACTICE WITH OPPORTUNITY GAPS. NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE QUOTE ON THE LEFT HAND OF THE SLIDE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A VERY EASY WAY TO UNDERSTAND DIVERSITY VERSUS INCLUSION.
[01:00:02]
BECAUSE DIVERSE IS REALLY ABOUT HAVING A SEAT AT THE TABLE INCLUSION IS ABOUT HAVING YOUR VOICE AT THE TABLE. BELONGING IS KNOWING THAT THAT VOICE IS HEARD. SO EVEN IF WE HAVE CHILDREN IN LEARNING CENTERS AND THEY'RE ENGAGING IN GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES, IF THERE'S NOT A SENSE OF BELONGING, A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT TEACHER, A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR GEN ED PEERS THE BELONGING IS MISSING AND THE INCLUSION IS NOT AVAILABLE.SO THAT REALLY IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE ENGAGING IN. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE DRAFTED UP AN INCLUSION KIND OF DOCUMENT THAT STATES REALLY WHAT THE PURPOSE OF MOVING FORWARD IN THIS WORK IS. SOME OF THE RESEARCH BEHIND THIS WORK, THE VALUES THAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE THAT REALLY EMPHASIZE THE WHY OF THIS WORK AND THEN WE BEEF WEAN WORKING WITH VARIOUS GROUPS TO TRULY TRY AND UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO BRING THIS OFF THE PAGE.
WE ALSO ARE HELPING TO HELP OUR PRINCIPALS AND OUR STAFF REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS DEEPLY INTEGRATED WITH MULTITIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT.
THEY CAN'T REALLY SEPARATE THEM, CAN'T REALLY WORK APART FROM THEM. THEY'RE VERY MUCH APART OF THE SAME PICTURE. AND MTSS IS AN INCLUSION MODEL. IT ENSURES THAT KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO CORE CONTENT WITH PERSONALIZED INTERVENTIONS.
THIS WORK ALSO ALIGNS TO THE POLICIES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THAT RECENT PASSAGE THAT YOU GUYS SHARED AROUND THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND EVOLVE A CULTURE OF INCLOO SCPUGS HIGH EXPECTATIONS.
THE VALUES AND RESPECTS THE DIVERSITY AND LIVED CONCERNS ANDS OF ITS STAFF, STUDENTS AND FAMILY.
SPECIFICALLY, THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL IDENTIFY AND ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATORY, AND EQUITABLE AND BIAS SYSTEMS POLICIES AND PRACTICES.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE HOPE OUR INCLUSIONARY WORK IS ABLE TO DO. AND IT ALSO CLOSELY TIE INTO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. THAT INDICATES THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE SAFE WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE PLACES FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF TO LEARN IN ORDER FOR US TO REACH OUR ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF ALL STUDENTS BEING SUCCESSFUL. NEXT SLIDE.
>> SO THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY OF BENEFITS OF INCLUSION AND NOT EVERYONE MAY BE AWARE OF ALL OF THEM.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS INCLUSION INCLUDE POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES, NOT ONLY ACROSS CONTENT AREAS, SO THEY SHOW AN INCREASE IN THEIR PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, AND IN MATHEMATICS BUT THEY ALSO SHOW BENEFITS ACROSS GRADE LEVELS FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL.
THEY ALSO VERY CLEARLY SHOW MORE PROGRESS IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT THAN WHEN THEY ARE PARTICIPATING IN A CONTAINED LEARNING PROGRAM.
AND THAT DATA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE TRUE ACROSS MULTIPLE STUDIES. SO THE BODY OF EVIDENCE FOR THAT IS PRETTY STRONG. WE ALSO KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES REALLY HAVE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL GAINS FROM PARTICIPATION IN GENERAL EDUCATION. CREATING THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY, THAT SENSE OF BELONGING, THAT IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO SEE THE KIDS ON YOUR STREET, ON YOUR BUS AND IN YOUR CLASSROOM AND HAVING A RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM STARTING AT OUR EARLIEST GRADE LEVELS.
WHAT'S INTERESTING THAT I I FIND SO FASCINATING AND I HAVE SHARED WITH THIS SPECIAL EDUCATORS IS THAT WHAT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN US IS THAT STUDENTS IN GENERAL EDUCATION WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES WHEN THEY'RE IN AN INCLUSIVE MODEL THEY ACTUALLY RECEIVE MORE INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION AND MORE INSTRUCTION THAN WHEN THEY'RE IN A CONTAINED LEARNING PROGRAM. WHICH IS FASCINATING INFORMATION AND NOT PERHAPS WHAT ONE MIGHT EXPECT.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, I THINK THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL STATEMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
IS THE REALITY THAT WE SEE POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITHOUT DISABILITIES.
BY HAVING THESE STUDENTS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT ENGAGING THEM WITH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND DEVELOPING EMPATHY AND ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEM, IT ALSO INCREASES THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE SIGNIFICANTLY. SO THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION AS WE SEEK TO BUILD UNDERSTANDING
[01:05:03]
AND ENGAGEMENT IN OUR GENERAL EDUCATION COMMUNITY.NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR TIMELINE JUST SO THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED IN.
IN THE YEAR OF 2018-2019 THAT YEAR WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON PRESCHOOL PROGRAMMING. WE HAD A TEAM COME TOGETHER THAT WORKED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO REALLY DESIGN AN INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. BECAUSE REALLY THAT EARLIEST INTERVENTION WITH TYPICAL PEERS IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STUDENTS.
IN THE 2019/20 SCHOOL YEAR WE IMPLEMENTED THAT FULLY INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. SO OUR PRESCHOOL PROGRAM IS 50% OF THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS, 50% OF THE KIDS IN THAT CLASSROOM ARE TUITION-BASED STUDENTS. AND THAT WAY WE HAVE A FULLY INCLUSIVE MODEL FOR STUDENT LEARNING.
WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THAT LAST YEAR, DUE TO COVID, WE DID NOT HAVE THE STUDENTS WHO TYPICALLY ARE TUITION-BASED STUDENTS IN OUR PRESCHOOL PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THE NEED TO HAVE REDUCED CLASS SIZES AND THE NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THE COVID PROTECTIONS IN PLACE.
WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT STUDENTS DID NOT MAKE THE SAME ACADEMIC GROWTH AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL GROWTH AS THEY DID WHEN THEY HAD THOSE PEERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO IT WAS REALLY JUST A HANDS ON EXPERIENCE THAT SHOWS US THE POWER OF HAVING INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES.
WE ALSO BEGAN SOME INCLUSIONARY PROGRAMS AT OUR THREE PILOT SCHOOLS 2018, ROCKWELL AND KIRKLAND MIDDLE. WE ALSO RETURNED NEIGHBORHOOD STUDENTS TO ROSA PARKS, CLARA BARTON AND TIMBERLINE. SO WE LOOKED FOR NATURAL TRANSITION POINTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED TO US TO SHIFT MORE AND MORE OF OUR STUDENTS BACK TO NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. IN JUST THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE GONE FROM HAVING ABOUT 30% OF CHILDREN WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES ACCESSING THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS TO ALMOST 50% OF STUDENTS ACCESSING NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO BUT THAT'S WONDERFUL PROGRESS EVEN DESPITE ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE FACED IN COVID. IN 2020/2021 MIND YOU THIS WAS A REMOTE SCHOOL LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR MOST OF THE YEAR, BUT WE ENGAGED OUR PILOT WORK AT ROCKWELL, 2018 AND KIRKLAND MIDDLE. WE INCREASED CO-TEACHING AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL AND A CO-TEACHING MODEL HAS A AGAIN EDIT -- EDUCATOR, WE WORKED AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH CAST.
WHICH IS A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING.
AND I WILL ADMIT I COMPLETELY GEEKED OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO I HAVE READ THEIR BOOKS FOR YEARS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF MODULES THAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRINCIPALS TO UTILIZE IN THEIR SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE ALSO SPENT SOME VERY FOCUSED TIME WITH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WITH OUR PROGRAM SPECIALISTS, OUR TEACHERS ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT AS WELL AS CENTRAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS BUILDING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING.
FINALLY, THIS SCHOOL YEAR WE BEGAN THE SCHOOL YEAR BY ADDING MORE STUDENTS TO A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL AT CARSON ELEMENTARY. WE AGAIN INCREASED CO-TEACHING CLASSES, AT REDMOND HIGH SCHOOL, KIRKLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND OTHERS.
THE PRINCIPALS HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME WORK WITH ME IN AUGUST AND INTO THIS SCHOOL YEAR ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND INCLUSIONARY PRACTICES.
UDL MODULES ARE UP AND RUNNING FOR PRINCIPALS AND WE SPENT SOME TIME WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS ON DEVELOPING COACHING AND THAT SCHOOL SET FOR OUR TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE STAFF IN OUR BUILDINGS AND INCLUSIONARY PRACTICE WORK. WE ALSO IMPLEMENTED IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS. KIND OF IMPLEMENTED IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS. BUT WHAT I'VE DONE IS I'VE CREATED TEAMS THAT ARE BASICALLY LIKE SOUNDING BOARDS WHO ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH FEEDBACK, GUIDANCE, RECOMMENDATIONS, CRITICAL FEEDBACK THAT IS POWERFUL AS WE SEEK TO DESIGN AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN MOVING FORWARD. THOSE GROUPS INCLUDE A GROUP OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, A GROUP OF GENERAL
[01:10:03]
EDUCATION TEACHERS, A GROUP OF PRINCIPALS AND A GROUP OF PARENTS. THOSE GROUPS ARE GOING TO BE OPERATING THROUGHOUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR.NEXT SLIDE. I WANT TO TOUCH BRIEFLY ON THE CONCEPT OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE HEARD THIS TERM AND YOU MAY NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH IT. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A VERY FOUNDATIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE TERMINOLOGY HAS BEEN USED MORE FREQUENTLY LATELY.
ACTUALLY YOU COULD SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY REALLY DIVING INTO THIS GREATER EXTENT TO DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING BUT JUST FUNDAMENTALLY IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK BASED ON RESEARCH AND THE LEARNING SCIENCES.
IN PARTICULAR, COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE THAT REALLY GUIDES THE DEVELOPMENT OF FLEXIBLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND LEARNING SPACES THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE AND CELEBRATE INDIVIDUAL LEARNING DIFFERENCES.
IT TRULY IS THE BEST PRACTICE FOR TEACHING ALL STUDENTS WITHIN AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT.
BECAUSE THE REALITY IS THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A QUOTE/UNQUOTE AVERAGE STUDENT.
EACH AND EVERY CHILD BRINGS THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND NEEDS INTO THE CLASSROOM. SO U.D.L. IS MEANT FOR ALL STUDENTS NOT JUST SUPPORTING KIDS FOR DISABILITIES IT'S ALSO MEANT TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO SPEAK OTHER LANGUAGES. THOSE WHO COME FROM IMPOVERISHED HOMES. THOSE WHO ARE HIGHLY CAPEABLE. U.D.L. IS MEANT TO DESIGN INSTRUCTION THAT MEETS THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. THE COMPONENT OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN ARE FOCUSED ON ENGAGEMENT, REPRESENTATION AND ACTION AND EXPRESSION. ENGAGE.
IS ABOUT REALLY ALLOWING CHOICES AND EXPLAINING WHY A LESSON IS RELEVANT. HAVING CULTURAL SUSTAINING STUDENTS WHO SELF-ASSESS HAVING LOTS OF LEVEL OF CHALLENGE. REPRESENTATION IS ABOUT PRESENTING THINGS IN MULTIPLE MODALITIES AND GIVING SCAFFOLDING AND ACTION AND EXPRESSION IS ABOUT HELPING KIDS USE TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER RESOURCES TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE TY CENTER UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HEARING CENTER, OSPI AND CAST. WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE THE ONE DISTRICT IN WASHINGTON STATE SELECTED TO WORK WITH THE CENTER. THEY'RE OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES. FUNDING IS PROVIDED THROUGH THIS PILOT WORK AND REALLY IT'S FOCUSED ON DISTRICT VISION, IMPLEMENTATION, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND COACHING AND MASTER SCHEDULING.
NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'VE REALLY BEEN MAKING SOME PROGRESS THAT WE'RE QUITE PROUD OF.
WE DO HAVE A FULLY INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL MODEL.
WE HAVE INCREASED INCLUSION CONTINUE OF SERVICES AT NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. WE'VE SEEN INCREASES IN CO-TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED THIS YEAR IN TRAINING OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUMS. BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO FOCUS HAVING KIDS IN CORE CONTENT INSTRUCTION.
SO OUR PILOT SLIDES ARE MARK 2018, NORMAN ROCKWELL AND KIRKLAND MIDDLE. THIS IS ACTUALLY MY OPPORTUNITY TO TURN IT OVER TO THE REAL EXPERTS IN THIS CONVERSATION AND WE'LL START WITH MARK 2018.
YOU'RE MUTED CRAIG. CRAIG IS TELLING ME HE CANNOT UNMUTE. [LAUGHTER] WELL HOW ABOUT WE GO TO NICKI AND MAYBE CRAIG YOU CAN POP OUT AND POP BACK IN AGAIN AND MAYBE IT WILL --
NICKI CAN'T UNMUTE EITHER. >> DIANE SINCE YOU'RE THE MEETING ORGANIZER WOULD YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO HOVER OVER THE MICS AND UNMUTE THEM.
JUST LEAVE AND RESTART WILL QUICKLY RE.
SO. I THINK WE'RE STARTING WITH
MICHAEL. >> YEAH, I'VE RESTARTED.
>> I KNOW THAT WHEN I RESTARTED YOU HAD TO CHECK THE UNMUTE BUTTON BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY ENTERED THE MEETING. DID YOU TRY THAT? OKAY. MAYBE YOU GUYS CAN TRY THAT.
MICHAEL YOU GET TO GO FIRST. >> ALL RIGHT.
[01:15:02]
WELL, THANK YOU. MIKE IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND BRINGING THE SLIDES UP I HAVE A FEW SLIDES TO PRESENT AS WELL. WHILE THOSE ARE COMING UP I JUST WANT TO SAY REALLY QUICKLY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING THANK YOU FOR LETTING ROCKWELL BE PART OF THIS WORK BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL TO THE CULTURE.I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND WE HAVE SIGNS UP ALL OVER OUR SCHOOL THAT SAY ALL ARE WELCOME HERE. ONE OF MY MAIN GOALERS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS 100% TRUE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THIS HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT WORK.
SO ON THE SITE WHERE IT SAYS INCLUSION EQUALS ALL OF US.
THIS IS HEARTS AND MINDS WORK AS MUCH AS THIS IS TECHNICAL PEDIGOGAL WORK. WE HAVE CLEARLY EXPLAINED OUR WHY. IN ADDITION TO OUR TEACHERS AND OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM TO OUR STUDENTS, I PRESENTED TO ALL OF OUR PARENTS USING 10 REASONS TO SUPPORT INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS. WE DID A WHOLE PRESENTATION TO ROLL THIS OUT ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OUR INCLUSION SITE TEAM. WHAT YOU ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS A POWER POINT THAT I PRESENTED TO ALL OF THE CLASSES. I WENT RIGHT TO THE STUDENTS. IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE I VISITED EVERY SINGLE CLASS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHY. IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE I HAVE DONE READ ALOUDS WHEN CHARLIE MET EMMA WHICH IS A STORY ABOUT A FRIEND WHO NEEDS A ANOTHER FRIEND WITH LEARNING DIFFERS AND IT OPENS UP THE CONVERSATION FOR US TO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT IS DIFFERENT AND DIFFERENT IS GREAT. THEN FOR THE THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE CLASSES I PRESENTED A POWER POINT THAT THEY HELPED PUT TOGETHER WHAT IS INCLUSIVE PRACTICE.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS. WHAT ARE WAYS WE CAN BE GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD SUPPORTERS FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
THOSE HAVE BEEN SOME OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THIS ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR. I'LL TELL YOU ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS WHEN I THINK ABOUT OUR VISION JUST LIKE DR. HITCH SAID THIS IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD.
ARE AWARE OF AND SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO COME FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE WHO PRESENT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
THESE ARE ELEMENTARY KIDS WHO WILL BECOME HIGH SCHOOLERS AND WHO WILL BECOME MOMS AND DADS WHO ARE GOING TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WITH DISABILITIES AND BE ADVOCATES.
SO I'M RETAIL PROUD OF THAT. SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR WORK OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. SO WE'RE IN YEAR THREE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS GOAL.
AND OUR FOCUS IS ON HELPING OUR STUDENTS TO ACCESS THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM CURRICULUM AS MUCH AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. WE MADE SOME REALLY GREAT VIEDS IN THAT END. ONE OF THOSE IN THAT SECOND BULLET POINT THERE ARE INCLUSIVE LEARNING SPACE.
SO WE ROLLED OUT A BRAND NEW PROTOTYPE PROGRAM.
ON PAPER IT LOOKS LIKE A LEARNING CENTER.
BUT THE IDEA BEHIND IT THAT IT'S A HOMEBASE REALLY.
THE IDEA IS WE'RE BRINGING STUDENTS BACK TO THE HOME SCHOOL LIKE DR. HITCH WAS TALKING ABOUT.
HOWEVER YOU PRESENT COME TO ROCKWELL THIS IS YOUR HOME SCHOOL WERT AND YOU SCAF FORD YOU OUT -- SCAFFOLD YOU OUT. THAT STARTED LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE FULLY REMOTE. WHEN WE WERE FULLY REMOTE STUDENTS WERE ACCESSING THEIR GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM. WE WELCOMED IN FRIENDS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAD THOSE KIND OF SUPPORTS. IT WAS PRETTY OUTSTANDING.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THAT ROOM IS I CAN NEVER FIND ANYBODY IT'S GENERALLY BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE OUT IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM WHICH IS GREAT.
SO WE USE THAT AS A BOUNCING OFF POINT FOR HOWEVER WE NEED TO TO SUPPORT OUR KIDS. OUR BIG LEARNING AND OUR BIG WORK THIS YEAR IS AROUND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AROUND COLLABORATIVE PLANNING. SO TWO PIECES.
THE FIRST ONE IS HOW DO GENERAL AND SPECIAL ED -- EDUCATORS PLAN WITH ONE ANOTHER.
SO WE HAVE A PROGRAM TEACHER AND A RESOURCE TEACHER THEY ARE SERVING US POINT PERSONS FOR OUR GRADE LEVEL TEAMS AND MEETING WEEKLY WITH OUR GRADE LEVEL TEAMS TO PLAN AND LOOK AT THE PIECES THAT DR. HITCH WAS TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF HOW CAN WE CREATE ACCESS.
WE ARE DOING THIS PIECE ON THE LIFE CYCLE TO SALMON HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE TO SOMEBODY WHO IS DEVELOPING IN THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS OR DEVELOPING IN THEIR TECH SCHOOLS. SO I LOVE.
THAT WE'RE USING 515-45. WHAT'S THE CONVERSATION YOU HAVE WHEN YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES WHEN YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES WHEN YOU HAVE 45 MINUTES.
SO OUR OCTOBER FULL DAY LEAP SESSION WAS ROLLING THAT OUT AND PRACTICING THAT IN SCAFFOLDED WAY.
AND THE SECOND PIECE HERE IS WE'RE INTRODUCING INTERVENTION BLOCKS SO THESE BLOCKS ARE TIME FOR OUR STUDENTS TO GET WHAT WE CALL CORE PLUS.
IT'S VERY SCAFFOLDED TIME THAT'S EITHER FROM LITERACY OR MATHEMATICS SO THAT STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING AND EXPERIENCING THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM AND THEN WE'RE GETTING THE PLUS OR MORE.
OUR STUDENTS RECEIVE SPECIAL DESIGN INSTRUCTION ARE NOT
[01:20:02]
BEING PULLED OUT FROM MATH TO RECEIVE MATH SOMEWHERE ELSE. THEY'RE GETTING THEIR MATH AND THEIR MATH EXPERIENCES IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT THIS IS THE TIME FOR MORE.THE THING IS THIS IS THE TIME FOR MORE FOR EVERYBODY.
WHEN WE THINK OF INCLUSION WE'RE THINKING BY THE AS A SPECTRUM OF SERVICES. OUR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE MULTILANGUAGEAL LEARNERS AND HIGH CAP SERVICES.
SO THIS IS A TIME FOR EVERYBODY TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT THEY NEED. SO WE'RE JUST ROLLING THIS OUT NOW. OUR OFFICIAL LAUNCH IS NOVEMBER 29TH . SOME TEAMS ARE ALREADY DOING IT, OTHERS ARE SLOWLY ROLLING ON.
BUT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO DO BOTH IN TERMS OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVING THAT MULTITIERED SUPPORT AND AS A WAY FOR US TO REALLY USE THE FIDELITY OF OUR STAFF ALL OF OUR RESOURCES.
SO IT'S NOT -- IT'S A VERY SCEF FOLDED WAY TO MAKE SURE WE ARE USING ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM.
WE ALSO HAVE AN INCLUSIONAL SITE TEAM THAT INCLUDES PARENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THAT GUIDES THE WORK OF OUR TEAM AND I LOVE THAT. THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT VOICES IN THE ROOM ARE OUR PARENTS IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL HEARING WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
THIN, AGAIN THE PARENT ENGAGEMENT PIECE WE HAVE BEEN PRESENTING AT P.T.A. MEETINGS I HAVE A MONTHLY COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL SHARING 10 REASONS WHY THE INCLUSION HELPED US. I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT.
THAT WAS AN EXTRA NICE WOULDN'T IT BE NICE.
I ASKED TY TO GIVE US A REALTIME SUPPORT FOR INCLUSION FOR US TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAD.
SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE MAYBE IN SEPTEMBER AND AGAIN IN OCTOBER WHEN WE HAVE TIME. TEACHERS SIGN UP FOR AND CLASS MEMBERS SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY SLOTS TO TALK ABOUT I'M WORKING THON PROJECT I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT I.E.P.
I WANT TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THIS MORE ACCESSIBLE.
MEMBERS OF THE SPECIAL SERVICES TEAM, MEMBERS OF MEET WITH OUR TEACHERS TO PROVIDE THOSE RESOURCES.
WE'RE BUILDING UP A BANK OF RESOURCES FROM ALL OF THOSE SESSIONS THAT WE SHARE ON OUR SCHOOL TEAM SITES THAT WE CAN USE IN PERPETUITY. ONE OTHER BULLET POINT THAT I DIDN'T PUT ON THERE BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE WITH OUR STUDENTS IN PROGRAM AND HIGH SCHOOL GETTING READY FOR WORKING CAREER.
THEY JOIN US EVERY SINGLE DAY TO HELP US TO IN THE OFFICE, TO HELP US IN THE LIBRARY AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DIRECTOR MCGRAGG TO ACTUALLY EXPAND THAT. -- MCGRATH TO ACTUALLY EXPAND THAT. WE WILL UTILIZE THIS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODULES THROUGH CASS.
I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO MY COLLEAGUE PRINCIPAL MOTT FOR HEARING AND WORKING TOGETHER ON DEVELOPING PRECURSORS TO BUILDING THAT ON OUR KNOWLEDGE AROUND THAT THIS YEAR. OUR STUDENTS HAVE VOICED IN I.E.P. MEETINGS IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT OVER HERE.
KIDS HAVE WONDERFUL THINGS TO SAY AND ALSO SENDS THE MESSAGE WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER ALL OF THESE GROWN-UPS ARE SUPPORTING YOU.
AGAIN I PRESENTED IN ALL OF THE CLASSROOMS. HE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AT TWO CONFERENCES AT THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS NATIONAL CONFERENCE OVER THE SUMMER WHERE I JOINED CRAIG AND DR. HITCH IN PRESENTING, AND THEN LAST MONTH AT THE COUNCIL OF STATE OFFICERS WHERE THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THEIR INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR DISTRICT'S WORK WITH SEVEN OTHER STATES. ACTUALLY OUT OF THAT CAME A CONNECTION WITH THE INCLUSION DIRECTOR FOR THE AWSP OR THE ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL PRINCIPALS.
I'VE BEEN INVITED TO WRITE AN ARTICLE WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT. SO MOVING AHEAD THE NEXT PIECE HERE WE WILL DO MORNING WALKS.
I WILL PROVIDE TIME FOR OUR TEACHERS TO SEE ONE ANOTHER AND I WOULD LIKE TO I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE MYSELF AND HAVE PEOPLE COME OVER AND SEE OTHER SCHOOLHOUSES WHO ARE DOING THIS WITH FIDELITY SO WE CAN GET SMART ABOUT THAT. THEN I WANT TO EXPAND OUT THAT COLLABORATIVE PLANNING PROTOCOL.
THAT'S WONDERFUL THAT OUR GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATORS ARE PLANNING TOGETHER.
I LIKE TO ADD OUR SAFETY NET TEACHERS OUR MULTILINGUAL TEACHERS OUR SPECIALISTS WHO SEE OUR KIDS IN VERY UNIQUE WAYS. AS THE MONTHS GO ON WE'LL START ADDING THOSE VOICES AS WELL.
THEN EXPANDING OUT THE LITERACY AND INTERVENTION BLOCKS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO THANK YOU EVERYBODY. IT'S SUCH A TREAT TO SEE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME OVER TO SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
WE HAVE SOME GREAT THINGS IN PLACE.
YOU ARE WELCOME ANY TIME TO COME OVER AND SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU OVER AND AGAIN, THIS IS I THINK THE KEYWORD HERE IS TRANSFORMATIONAL. THIS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL TO OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE HAVING THIS AS PART OF THIS WORK.
THANK YOU. >> IT LOOKS LIKE CRAIG'S MIC
IS WORKING. >> CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME.
>> OKAY, GOOD JUST ADAPT AND MODIFY HERE THAT'S ALL WE DO WITH TECHNOLOGY. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.
I'M CRICK MOTT PRINCIPAL AT MARK TWAIN.
MALIA GOODFELLOW. WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ON
[01:25:05]
THIS JOURNEY FOR QUITE SOMETIME.THIS IS YEAR SIX FORMALLY FOR US.
ALTHOUGH WE WERE DOING SOME INITIAL WORK PRIOR TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH BOTH TIES IN THE HEARING CENTER.
BUT, REALLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED OFFER THE LAST I'LL SAY THREE AND A HALF YEARS OUR WORK HAS BECOME MORE FORMALIZED AND SUPPORTED NOT ONLY BY THE DISTRICT BUT ALSO BY TWO GREAT PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
WE ARE YEAR THREE IN BEING IDENTIFIED AS A STATE DEMONSTRATION SITE FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION.
THAT'S GIVEN US SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO DO A NUMBER OF WEB ANNIVERSARIES BOTH -- WEBINARS BOTH DURING COVID AND PRECOVID DURING OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE AT TWAIN. IT'S ALLOWED US TO SHARE BUT ALSO GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER SCHOOLS AROUND THE STATE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND SOME OF THE ROADBLOCKS THEY'VE HAD. BUT ALSO ALLOWS TO US GENERATE SOME IDEAS AND REALLY FOR US OUR JOURNEY STARTED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO VISIT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND REALLY KIND OF PICK AND PULL AND IDENTIFY SOME THINGS THAT TWAIN COULD DO IMMEDIATELY OR DOWN THE ROAD WITH A LITTLE BIT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MOLD MOULDING OF OUR STAFF. FROM THAT WORK IN TERMS OF THOSE OBSERVATIONS AND WORKING WITH THE HEARING CENTER WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT FOR THE LAST, THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR INTERVENTION BLOCKS.
OUR INTERVENTION BLOCKS ARE CALLED POWER GROUPS.
WE ALIGN THEM WITH OUR E.L.A. IN MATH.
THEY ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE DATA-DRIVEN INTERVENTION.
THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR FLUID IN THE SENSE THAT WE USE AND IDENTIFY A TEAM OF TEACHERS THAT GO IN AND PROVIDE INTERVENTION TO A GRADE LEVEL TEAM. FOR EXAMPLE, MY KINDERGARTEN TEAM RIGHT NOW HAS 14 POWER GROUPS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
WE UTILIZE SAFETY NET AND WE HAVE CLASSIFIED STAFF THAT HAVE A SCHOOL SET THAT WE DEEM NEEDED AND ABLE TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AND THEY GO IN AND PROVIDE JUST IN TIME INTERVENTION OR AT TIMES THEY MAY BE PROVIDING S.D.I. AND WITH THAT, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE DECLASSIFIED WHAT OUR TITLES ARE WITH OUR STAFF. OUR STAFF AT TWAIN TEACH ALL KIDS WHETHER YOU'RE COMING OUT OF SAFETY NET, WHETHER YOU'RE COMING OUT OF SPECIAL ED FUNDING YOUR JOB IS TO TEACH ALL KIDS AT TWAIN. SO IT HAS ALLOWED TO US HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY AND SOME INGENUITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE DELIVER SUPPORT TO THOSE KIDS.
WE, WE HAVE REALLY EMPHASIZED THE NEED TO MEET EVERY KID' NEEDS IN OUR SCHOOL.
WHEN IT'S TIME FOR GROUR GROUPS YOU SEE EVERY STUDENT MOVING IN THE BUILDING EVEN IF THEY'RE LEVEL FOUR BECAUSE WE ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR HIGHLY CAPABLE STUDENTS AND CHALLENGE THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAN WHAT THEY MAY BE RECEIVING IN THEIR CLASSROOM. BUT THE KEY TO OUR POWER GROUPS AND THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS HAS BEEN THAT WE'RE, OUR GOAL IS THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS ACCESS TO CORE INSTRUCTION REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOURED INDICATIONAL NEED IS ON A DAILY BASIS. SO, SOME OF THE WORK THAT HAS NOW COME OUT OF THE POWER GROUP NOW ARE PARTNERSHIP WITH TIES IS TAKING OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN PROGRAM-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS SO OUR LEARNING CENTER CLASSROOMS AND CREATING AN INCLUSIVE AUTHENTIC EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SO OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE TYPICALLY IN THOSE PROGRAMS ARE ACCESSING CORE INSTRUCTION.
THAT IS OUR GOAL. EVERY STUDENT AT TWAIN WILL ACCESS CORE INSTRUCTION REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS ARE ON A DAILY BASIS.
WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY AND I WOULD SAY WITH ACCURACY HAVE 97% OF OUR KIDS ARE INCLUDED IN ACCESSING CORE RIGHT NOW IN OUR BUILDING. WE NO LONGER DO A PULLOUT MODEL WHICH IS HISTORIC IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
OUR INTERVENTION BLOCKS ARE ALLOWING TO US MEET S.D.I.
WE'RE TEACHING AND WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AS COLLABORATIVE TEAMS TO ENSURE THAT SPECIAL S.D.I.
IS EMBEDDED INTO CORE INSTRUCTION.
WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO EMPOWER TEACHERS AND EMPOWER GRADE LEVEL TEAMS TO HAVE A COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY TO HAVE THOSE
[01:30:01]
CONVERSATIONS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE, IT'S A LITTLE MESSY THIS YEAR.I THINK IT'S IN ALL REALITY IT'S BEEN EASIER IN PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT THIS IS MESSIER THIS YEAR.
WE'VE CREATED COMMON PLANNING BLOCKS.
OUR COMMON PLANNING BLOCKS DO NOT JUST INCLUDE GEN ED TEACHERS THEY ALSO IDENTIFIED IDENTIFIED INTERVENTION TEACHERS THAT WE PUT ON THOSE TEAMS. SO THOSE TEAMS COULD HAVE UP TO 10 PEOPLE PLANNING ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THEY'RE DESIGNED WITH INTENTIONALITY. WE WANT TEACHERS TO HELP BOOKEND. OUR GEN ED TEACHERS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT EVERY STUDENT IS ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE -- THAT CORE CONTENT THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WE'RE PROVIDING. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW FOR US IS IDENTIFYING AND CREATING MEANINGFUL ACCESS AND INCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IN PROGRAM. WE'RE STILL.
WITH REPARTNERING WITH TIES WE'RE STARTING A NUMBER OF CASE STUDIES. WE HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITHIFIES AND NAOMI FAIR FROM THE UDUB THEY ARE COMING IN TO PROVIDE US SOME COACHING STAFF.
WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN. IT'S HARD WORK.
IT'S REALLY HARD WORK. I DON'T WANT TO UNDERSCORE HOW HARD THIS WORK IS. WE LIVE AND BREATHE INCLUSION EVERY DAY. AND THAT IS, THAT'S A MIND-SET THAT WE NEED TO ADOPT AS A SYSTEM AND I MEAN A SYSTEM AS A WHOLE IN ORDER FOR THIS TO WORK.
BECAUSE, WHAT I DON'T WANT IN MY STAFF KNOWS THIS, AND ANYBODY WHO HAS WORKED WITH ME, INCLUDING MIKE, AND DR. HOLMEN AND SHANNON I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE A VAPOR EFFECT. WHERE IF I EVER LEAVE TWAIN IT DISAPPEARS. THIS IS A SUSTAINABLE GOAL AND I KNOW THAT'S MICHAEL'S. FOR ALL I KNOW THAT'S NICKI'S GOAL AS WELL. SO WE ARE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KEEP IT VERY ACTIVE IN OUR LANGUAGE ON A DAILY BASIS. SO WE ACTUALLY LEARNED FROM MICHAEL LAST YEAR THE HELP DESK WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US ALSO TO SHARE AND PULL A RESOURCE AND IDEA FROM A COLLEAGUE. WE'VE MADE IT OUR OWN AND WE'VE ACTUALLY ALIGNED IT NOW WITH OUR EQUITY WORK AS WELL. SO ONE WEEK WE DO A SPECIAL ED HELP DESK THE NEXT WEEK WE DO A EQUITY HELP DESK WE TRY TO MERGE BOTH OF THEM IT'S NOT ONLY INCLUSION FOCUS IT'S ALSO AN EQUITY INCLUSION A FOCUS AS WELL.
AND THEN MOVING AS FAR MOVING FORWARD YOU KNOW, WE REALLY NEED TO STILL GET SMARTER.
WE CONSTANTLY ARE USING LANGUAGE AS BARRIERS.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR ALL OF US IN THE EDUCATION WORLD THE ADULTS TEND TO BE THE BIGGEST BARRIERS TO THE WORK AND CREATING INCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO WE'RE HAVING INTENTIONAL CONVERSATIONS AND HAVING TO PUSHBACK ON STAFF TO SAY HEY IS THIS AN ADULT PROBLEM OR CHILD PROBLEM. 99% OF THE TIME IT'S AN ADULT PROBLEM. WE'RE TRYING TO NAVIGATE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND ALSO THE SYSTEM TO HELP SUPPORT KIDS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. WE ALSO WILL BE WORKING TO GET A GREAT INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK.
I THINK IT'S THE INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK THAT MEETS ALL OF OUR NEEDS IN TERMS OF EQUITY, INCLUSION.
WE NEED TO GET SMARTER WITH IT.
WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY THIS SUMMER TO WORK WITH SHANNON AND CASS 2 WITH MY STAFF TO LOOK AT A NUMBER OF THE MODULES. WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME AT THIS POINT TO REALLY DIVE DEEP.
THEN ANOTHER PIECE OF IT IS IS WE JUST WANT ANY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WE CAN.
WE KNOW EACH STUDENT WHO COMES TO TWAIN, THIS IS THE MAIN POINT FOR US, TOO IS WE WANT ALL STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE TWAIN ATTENDANCE AREA TO ATTEND TWAIN.
THAT'S OUR MISSION AND VISION.
THAT'S WHAT STARTED THIS PROCESS ALONG THE WAY WAS HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH SIBLINGS WHO SAID HEY, WE HAVE AN AND EVEN THE SIBLING WOULD SHOW UP I DENY KNOW YOU HAD A SIBLING OH, THEY GO TO ROCKWELL OR THEY GO TO LAKE VIEW OR THEY GO TO RUSH WHY AREN'T THEY COMING TO TWAIN? THIS WAS WHERE OUR INITIAL PUSH TO SHANNON AND THE DISTRICT WAS TO HAVE PROGRAMS AT OUR SCHOOL BECAUSE I WANTED THOSE KIDS AT OUR SCHOOL. IT'S DEFINITELY POSITIVELY EVOLVED INTO SOMETHING WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I SEE VERY BRIGHT THINGS BUT AS I SAID IT'S HARD WORK AND WE NEED TO KEEP THE LANGUAGE VERY ALIVE.
>> NICKI WERE YOU ABLE TO -- >> CAN YOU HEAR ME.
[01:35:01]
SO, WE HAD -- IS IT ECHOING ON Y'ALL'S END AS WELL?>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. WANT ME TO TRY TO REJOIN
AGAIN. >> I MUTED CRAIG SOMETIMES WHEN THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT MUTED THAT'S -- TWO PEOPLE WHOSE MICS ARE ON THAT'S THE ISSUE.
>> OKAY, PERFECT, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT SO AT KIRKLAND MIDDLE SO THIS MY SECOND YEAR AS PRINCIPAL OF BUILDING THAT. THE LAST YEAR THERE'S A LITTLE TINY BIT OF CO-TEACHING HAPPENING.
ABOUT THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE STARTED TO TALKING MORE ABOUT INCLUSION AND WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE AT KIRKLAND WE EXPANDED OUR CO-TEACHING.
WE ARE CO-TEACHING ALL OF OUR ENGLISH CLASSES.
AT THE SENG SIXTH, SEVENTH. EIGHTH GRADE LEVEL WE STILL HAVE ONE RESOURCE ENGLISH CLASS AND THAT CLASS IS SOLELY FOCUSED ON TEACHING STUDENTS TO READ.
IT'S THROUGH A SOFTWARE COMPANY WHICH IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM. WE ARE ALSO CO-TEACHING ALL OF OUR ENGLISH SAFETY NET CLASSES.
STUDENTS ARE WITH THEIR PEERS AND GETTING ADDITIONAL ATTENTION FROM TEACHERS. SO THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO HAVE STRUGGLED. SO THEY'RE GETTING EXTRA HELP AS AN INTERVENTION. WE'RE ALSO CO-TEACHING OUR MATH 6 SAFETY NET CLASS. THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING THAT I THINK IS ACTUALLY PROBABLY ONE OF THE STRONGER PIECES IS THAT IN A LOT OF SCHOOLS STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY FOR SERVICES IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL SKILLS, BEHAVIOR ARE PULL INTO A SEPARATE CLASS WHICH RESEARCH SHOWS DOES NOT WORK.
SO WE ARE DOING A PUSH IN MODEL AT ALL GRADE LEVELS THROUGH OUR SCIENCE CLASSES WHERE OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER PUSHES IN AND JUST IN TIME, SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION. SO STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO TRANSFER THOSE SCHOOLS. WE DID IT AT MY PRIOR MIDDLE COOL IT AND WORKED SO WE DECIDED TO BRING THAT TO KIRKLAND AS WELL. LIKE I'M PRETTY SURE MICHAEL SAID, BUT I COULDN'T QUITE HEAR EVERYTHING HE SAID, AND WHAT KRIG SAID WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY -- CRAIG SAID WE ARE WORKING WITH TY THEY CAME OUT AND DID P.D.
FOR OUR CO-TEACHERS. AND REALLY TALKED ABOUT WHAT CO-TEACHING IS. THERE'S A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WHAT CO-TEACHING IS AND HOW IT SHOULD LOOK. SO THEY DID THAT AND IT GREAT. THEY WILL DO A FOLLOW UP FOR US IN THE NEW YEAR CO-TEACHING.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE TY CENTER AND HEARING CENTER WITH WRITING INCLUSIVES I.E.P.S.
GOALS SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE FULFILLED AND WORKED IN AND WORKED ON. NOT DIRECTLY RATED TO INCLUSION. THIS IS FIRST YEAR KIRKLAND IS RUNNING AN INTERVENTION PERIOD.
IT'S CALLED ACADEMIC PREP. IT'S A 30 MINUTE PERIOD THREE TIMES A WEEK WHERE STUDENTS CAN BE CALLED BY TEACHERS TO GET EXTRA HELP WHERE THEY CAN DO ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES OR JUST ORGANIZE THEMSELVES.
SO I THINK THAT'S PROVING VERY USEFUL FOR A LOT OF STUDENTS. CHALLENGES WITH INCLUES.
I THINK STAFFING IS A BIG ONE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.
THINGS LOOK VERY, VERY DIFFICULT THAN ELEMENTARY.
SO, I THINK IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE MORE STAFFING THAN THE STATE ALLOCATES. THAT MIGHT JUST BE AS WE'RE GETTING GOING I THINK AS SHANNON MENTIONED THAT SOMETIMES THE START-UP STAFFING IS A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE'RE ALSO REALLY REEVALUATING WHAT INCLUSION LOOKS LIKE FOR DIFFERENT STUDENTS. SO IF WE HAVE A STUDENT IN OUR TRANSITION STUDENT PROGRAM.
WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT IT'S A RESOURCE PLACEMENT FOR A CERTAIN CLASS MORE APPROPRIATE THAN STAYING IN THE TRANSITION CENTER. SO THAT'S A BIT OF A NEW PRACTICE AT KIRKLAND. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I THINK WE'RE FACING IS AROUND IT BEING A SERVICE NOT A PLACE. ALL TEACHERS ARE TEACHERS OF ALL STUDENTS, STUDENTS ARE GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS FIRST THEN RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION AS A SERVICE.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. THEN OF COURSE PARENT EDUCATOR STAFFING. IT'S JUST HARD THIS YEAR.
THINGS ARE JUST HARD THIS YEAR BUT IT HAS BEEN HARD TO FILL OUR OPEN PARENT VACANCIES.
SO THAT'S A CHALLENGE FOR OUR ADDITIONAL LEARNING.
WE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON MTSS AND WHAT TIER ONE AND TWO INTERVENTIONS LOOK LIKE. WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON MASTER SCHEDULE. NEXT YEAR WE'RE HOPING TO EXPAND CO-TEACHING TO MATH AT BOTH THE SPECIAL
[01:40:01]
EDUCATION AND SAFETY NET LEVELS.I WOULD LOVE TO VERTICALLY ALIGN WITH OUR FEEDER SCHOOLS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT OUR INCLUSIVE PRACTICES LOOK LIKE. THE ELEMENTARY COMING UP AS WELL AS CONNECTING WITH ABOUT WHAT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING LOOKS LIKE AND OUR CONTINUUM OF SERVICES. WE'RE ALSO WORKING HARD ON MTSS JUST IN GENERAL. AND WE ALSO WANT TO DO LEARNING. SO THAT IS WHAT'S HAPPENING
AT KIRKLAND WITH INCLUSION. >> THANKS.
I KNOW SHANNON YOU HAD A FEW LAST COMMENTS BUT I ALSO KNOW WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE 7:00 BOARD MEETING SO I DID WANTED TO LEAVE TIME FOR AT LEAST A FEW QUESTIONS IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU.
>> TOTALLY FINE. SO WE DID WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
WE CAN ALSO FOLLOW UP TOO REQUEST RESPONSES IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TONIGHT WITH A BOARD BRIEF
OR A FUTURE MEETING. >> REAL QUICK, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING THESE KIDS BACK TO THE MIND THAT SCHOOLS, I TOOK A FEW NOTES EARLYER ARE WE MOVING THEM BACK INTO THE FULL CLASSROOM, ARE WE MOVING THEM BACK INTO [INAUDIBLE] CLASSROOMS IN THEIR LOCAL SCHOOLS?
>> ULTIMATELY IT WILL BE A CHILD BY CHILD DECISION AS TO HOW MUCH TIME THEY'RE ACCESSING GENERAL EDUCATION HOW MUCH TIME THEY'RE ACCESSING SPECIAL EDUCATION.
OUR GOAL IS TO MOVE THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS TOWARDS SPENDING THE MAJORITY OF THEIR DAY IN GENERAL EDUCATION. BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CAN'T GO FROM 0 TO 60 WE KNOW THAT IT NEEDS TO BE A THOUGHTFUL PROCESS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL CHILD.
AS WE CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH SUCCESS WE CAN FIND FOR THEM IN JEN ED, WHERE -- GEN ED, WHERE WE NEED TO FIND MORE DIRECT INSTRUCTION FOR THEM.
THAT'S THE BEAUTIFUL PART OF CREATING SCHEDULES WITH INTERVENTION BLOCKS IS WHEN YOU HAVE INTERVENTION BLOCKS YOU ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM CORE CONTENT. IT'S CORE PLUS MORE.
THEY'RE ABLE TO GET THAT INSTRUCTION THAT THEY NEED.
>> I CAN SEE THE NEED FOR THE IDEA OF THE PILOTS AND HAVE BEEN EXPANDING THEM AND SO FORTH.
WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO HAVE THE CO-TEACHING.
I'M CURIOUS, IT SEEMS LIKE A WAY TO KIND OF PREP THE CLASSES OR THE STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING INCLUDED IS TO HAVE FULLY INCLUDED HOME ROOMS. I FOUND I RECALL AT REDMOND HIGH OUT OF THE ENTIRE CLASS OF SPECIAL ED KIDS ONLY THREE WERE INCLUDED IN A HOME ROOM. AND THAT PROVIDED THE STUDENT ALL THE STUDENTS TO GET TO KNOW THESE KIDS IN A SETTING WHERE YEAH, THEY'RE DOING SOME WORK BUT THEY'RE NOT RECEIVING DIRECT INSTRUCTION, NECESSARILY.
TO BE QUITE FRANK IT CAME VERY APPARENT WHEN THEY DIDN'T HAVE THESE KIDS IN THE HOME ROOM BECAUSE ON THE CALL FOR SENIOR CLASS PICTURE ONLY A COUPLE SHOWED UP BECAUSE THEY ARE CALLED BY THEIR ROOMS NOT FROM SPECIAL ED. SO THEY WERE LEFT OUT TOTALLY. ALSO, LET'S SEE.
AGAIN WHEN WE'RE NOT EVEN DOING THE PILOTS YET.
IF WE COULD HAVE THE KIDS IN THEIR OWN, AND THEIR SCHOOLS START THEIR DAY IN PUTTING THEIR COATS, THEIR LUNCH BOXES, WHATEVER IN THE GENERAL ED CLASSROOM AT LEAST SOCIALIZE FOR THOSE FEW MINUTES SO EVERYBODY GETS TO SEE EACH OTHER. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WOULD AGAIN BE LAYING GROUNDWORK AS YOU WANT TO EXPAND YOUR CO-TEACHING. IN A VERY SIMPLE WAY IN A NONINVASIVE WAY TO BE QUITE FRANK.
SIDELINES. >> APPRECIATE IT THAT.
THANK YOU. >> ONE LAST QUESTION.
AS WE'RE CHANGING TRYING TO ADAPT TO MAKE IT BEST FOR EVERYBODY, IS THAT BEING INTRODUCED IN FOR OUR READING PROGRAMS SINCE THAT BENEFITS BOTH THE DYSLEXIC STUDENT STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA AS WELL AS THE
TYPICAL DEVELOPING KID? >> YOU ACTUALLY, HAVE I BELIEVE THAT'S ON THE BOARD AGENDA TONIGHT.
THE CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF A READING
CURRICULUM BASED ON THE -- >> IT'S BASED ON --
>> IT'S NOT PUBLISHED BY ORTON GILLINGHAM BUT IT'S THE METHODDOLOGY OF ORTON GILLINGHAM.
[01:45:01]
>> I THINK WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE LAST QUESTION FROM
CASSANDRA. >> BRIEFLY BRIEFLY MY OLDEST SON ENTERED KINDERGARTEN IN 1995.
I HAVE SEEN SO MUCH INCREDIBLE PROGRESS IN ALL OF EDUCATION AND ESPECIALLY WHEN I THINK BACK TO SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN 1995. MY YOUNGEST SON AT THE TRANSITION ACADEMY IS HAVING THE BEST YEAR OF HIS LIFE.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR WORKING ON THIS INCLUSION BECAUSE IT IS SO VITALLY IMPORTANT TO ALL STUDENTS AND ESPECIALLY HOW OUR STUDENTS WHO NEED SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES WILL THEN NAVIGATE THE WORLD.
SO I'M GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOU.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU CASSANDRA, I
APPRECIATE THAT. >> DIRECTOR SIRI BLIESNER WE
ARE OUT OF TIME. >> I'LL BE REALLY QUICK.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE WORK YOU'RE DOING WITH INCLUSION.
RECOGNIZE THE CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH YOU ARE DOING THAT AS WELL THROUGH ALL OF THIS.
AND I'M EXCITED TO POTENTIALLY GO OUT AND VISIT SOME OF THESE TO SEE THEM IN PERSON, TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF ALL THOSE ADDITIONAL EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING ON SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING AND I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME.
>> THANK YOU. >> GREAT, THANK YOU.
I GOT TO SAY THANK YOU AS PART OF WRAPPING UP THAT'S IT FOR THE PRESENTATION I THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING US FOR FIGHTING THROUGH THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS. SO THAT IS THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR THE STUDY SESSION TONIGHT FOLLOWING TONIGHT'S STUDY SESSION MEETING WE HAVE A BOARD MEETING STARTING AT 7:00. SO IN TWO MINUTES.
IF EVERYONE WILL SWITCH OVER NOW WE'LL TRY TO START AS CLOSE TO 7:00 AS POSSIBLE. THIS NOVEMBER 15TH, 2021 STUDY SESSION IS ADJ
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.