Special Board Meeting
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Shoreline School Board January 5, 2021 6:30 p.m. Due to Governor Inslee’s proclamation, there will not be a site for the public to attend this meeting other than electronically or telephonically Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85295558954?pwd=ZWVhZWdhS0dYVVRjZTFxQTZZd08vdz09 Password: 376893 Call-in numbers: 1-253-215-8782 or 1-346-248-7799 Special Board Meeting Public Comments Submitted Online for January 5, 2021 Special Meeting No contact info- January 5, 2021 Special School Board Meeting Public Comment Form (Responses).pdf (p. 2) 1. Review Superintendent Search Proposals GRRecruiting-SHORELINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL 12.15.15.pdf (p. 5) McPherson & Jacobson LLC Proposal for Shoreline Public Schools, WA, December 2020.pdf (p. 27) NW Leadership-Shoreline '21 proposal.pdf (p. 61) Ray and Associates-Shoreline Superintendent Proposal.pdf (p. 76) 2. Action Item: Selection of Superintendent Search Consultant 3. Adjournment: _________ p.m. Packet page 1 of 102 Name Relation to Shoreline Comment to School Board Public Schools (check all that apply) Steven Johnson Parent/Guardian As the parent of 3 boys who attend various schools in the Shoreline School District, I just wanted to first of all say thank you so much for your leadership to the students, staff, families, and community members of the Shoreline School District. After hearing that Superintendent Miner has decided to resign at the end of the year and as you search for a new superintendent which we know is not an easy job or process to complete and we thank you for your work on that, I wanted to give you some of my thoughts as a parent in the district of what I think the new superintendent should make sure they focus on/pay special attention to. Since 2 out of 3 of my boys have disabilities, are in special education classes, and have an IEP, I believe that the next superintendent should focus their attention and work on a lot of things but in particular special education programs and services and the restraint and isolation policies for all students K-12. Both of my sons who have disabilities have major behavioral issues and have been physically restrained by staff at their school, have come home several times with bruises from getting restrained which is completely unacceptable but has always been dealt with after talking with the school's principal, and have also been placed in isolation rooms by themselves for up to 4 hours a day. These actions taken have severely impacted both of them and I hope the next superintendent will look at these issues. Thank you! Steven Johnson Jaime Anderson Students I know how important it is to have kids in school, but right now is not a good time. You are not only putting students in danger, but teachers and parents as well. U less the schools have funding to test everyone before school each day it won't be safe. Kelsey Beckner Parent/Guardian Please consider immediately opening in-person school for the youngest learners in Shoreline. My son is in first grade at Syre and he is really struggling with remote learning. I KNOW he would do much better if he were in school. Also his teacher WANTS to teach him in school. If we want my son and the teacher is willing to teach him in school and the governor has encouraged reopening schools then YOU are the barrier preventing my child from returning to school. ALSO my son sits in a YMCA program all day with a mask on and socially distancing so you drastically underestimate children if you say that they cannot mask or social distance in school. In my opinion you need to: 1. Have a plan to reopen schools for the youngest learners by the end of January so kids can have at least half of a year of some in school education. The parents and families of this community have given the school district almost 10 months to plan - you don't need anymore time to plan. It is time to implement and announce an opening. Further delay is NOT ACCEPTABLE. 2. Prioritize vaccinations for teachers who want to teach in school. Teachers who don't want to teach in school and want to remain remote, can wait in line with the rest of us. 3. In my opinion you need to figure out these things before even considering hiring a new superintendent. That is NOT a priority. 4. Please stop only listening to the teacher's union. Children should be your first priority, not the teacher's union. The children have not been the priority until now because we only have heard about teachers' safety and that needs to change. Charles Gussow Parent/Guardian This meeting is a waste of time. You should be focusing on your core duty and opening public schools. Your schools have been closed for almost a year. The Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, state Department of Health, Anthony Fauci, and President-Elect Biden all say that public schools need to reopen. If there is a Special Meeting it should be so that you can FINALLY listen to them and give us a reopening date. Not to hire a consultant. Shame on you. 1 Packet page 2 of 102 ANDREW CARR Parent/Guardian People: Plans need to be made to put High School students who have the most at stake as they have only so much time before they leave the system, are missing out on education, sports, activities etc and suffering emotionally and from stress and depression from this lockdown and online school BACK IN SCHOOL, SPORTS, ACTIVITES ASAP. There is NO evidence that kids from High School to lower grades are at ANY significant risk and any risk is far out weighed by the damage being done to them. They and history will NOT look favorably on us as adults IF this is the best we can do for them. Eric Henderson Parent/Guardian Dear Shoreline School Board Members, I know you have a very difficult task ahead of choosing the next Superintendent of Shoreline Public Schools by July 1st which is when Superintendent Miner has announced will be her last day and I greatly appreciate all the work you as board members are doing regarding this issue. i would like to offer my thoughts as a parent of 2 kids who attend Shoreline Schools, one of whom goes to Echo Lake and one of whom goes to Shorewood. I reviewed the superintendent search proposals and after reading them, I thought that I would share that I believe out of the 4 proposals that there are two that should be at the top of the list compared to the other two. I strongly believe that GRRecruiting or McPherson and Jacobson LLC are the best choices because my kids have previously been in 2 of the districts that they have worked with and I feel they are both very good firms as they have choosen excellent superintendents to lead the Edmonds and Blaine School Districts, which is where both of my kids used to attend. However, I know one parent's comments probably won't make any difference but no matter what, I believe that any of 4 search firms will be good options. Thank you for listening to what I had to say. Happy New Year! Eric Henderson Lama Chikh Parent/Guardian Thanks Annamarie Mackey Parent/Guardian Will you also be creating a special urgent board meeting to address reopening plans now that Governor Inslee as well as Superintendent Reykdal have publicly stated that reopening should take priority over all other school board business? Lauren Winstanley Parent/Guardian Please please prioritize returning to school over all other agenda items. The kids are not learning, my special Ed son is falling way behind and we are risking our jobs to manage this. Please, we are within range per Inslee’s guidelines; let’s get them back ASAP. Angela Holthaus Parent/Guardian The mental health of my teenager is in jeopardy! We need schools to reopen! Naomi Hillyard Students, Staff There is a lengthy list of requirements for a superintendent but I know our Member, Parent/ current board will lead the decision making process in a way that is Guardian, Community transparent, collaborative, and involves parents, teachers, and the community. Member 2 Packet page 3 of 102 Kristene Anderson Parent/Guardian Can you please prioritize the discussion for what the strategy is for reopening schools? As a parent to a 1st grader in the Shoreline school district, I can tell you that my son is not doing well with remote learning. It's not just about reading/writing/math skills...there are longer-term effects that are not being talked about. He is dreading going to school each day and prefers to write with his finger on a screen vs. a stylus or pencil. He also can do math problems with a paper and pencil but gets frustrated when trying to put numbers in electronic worksheets. I understand that everyone is doing the best that they can given the circumstances. I really appreciate all of the work his teacher and the school board has put in to make remote learning as successful as it could be. While I know the timing of the governor's announcement was not convenient due to the holiday season, this is something that already should have been planned out by the school board. From a parent perspective, it feels as though the plan was to just complete the entire 2020/2021 school year being 100% remote.