VIBRANT SCHOOLS: SCHOOL BOARD BRIEFING FOR MARCH 24, 2016

VIBRANT SCHOOLS TACOMA COALITION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING THREE PAGE

BRIEF FOR MARCH 24, 2016:

THE VIBRANT THREE: TOP THREE PRIORITY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS

(ALSO IN THE BODY OF THE REPORT).

1)    Vibrant Schools would be interested in a needs-based assessment building a rationale for the Jason Lee Academy and is also interested in how the program will further equity and access for youth of color and those impacted by poverty.

2)    Will the new school within a school displace natural Jason Lee students and redirect resources to students who do not live in the current service area? The coalition would like this to be tracked over time.

3) Vibrant Schools is interested in the nature of the data that will be accessible based on the findings of the climate survey.

VIBRANT SCHOOLS TACOMA COALITION

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING THREE PAGE BRIEF

FOR MARCH 24, 2016: TOPICS AND ISSUES

1. Wainwright Delays and Parental Responses

Staff explained the reasons for delays in construction at Wainwright school site which was driven by soil remediation (Asarco plume impacts), the large amount of rainfall, the shortage of subcontractors and delays in procuring materials. Parents who testified were universally critical over the decision to place students originally designated for the new Wainwright in the basement spaces of Whittier due to water leakages and overcrowded conditions. Several school board members raised concerns around the lack of parental input around the decision balanced by the need to make building decisions that are fiscally sound and stay in budget.

2. Minority Contractors

Patrick Hughes of the Hughes Group was there to represent contractors of color.  An agreement has been reached and signed, that includes goals and measures for minority contractor inclusion.  Nathaniel Hartley and Grover Johnson spoke about this during public comment.

Follow Up: Vibrant Schools applauds this commitment and believes that It will be important for the contractors to track the statistics that demonstrate inclusion.

3. Superintendent’s Report

Enrollment for the first ninth grade class at Industrial Design, Engineering and Arts (IDEA) is now complete.  No demographic or geographic data were provided for the 9^th grade enrollment. The Jason Lee Academy will be a school within a school and the district plans to flex enrollment policies for students outside Jason Lee’s service boundaries for this Academy. The program will also take part-time off campus home students.

School Board Questions:

Director Ushka asked for special education student data and Director Cobb asked for the timeline for completing staff hiring.

Vibrant Schools Question:

1) Vibrant Schools would be interested in a needs-based assessment building a rationale for the Jason Lee Academy and is also interested in how the program will further equity and access for youth of color and those impacted by poverty.

2) Will the new school within a school displace natural Jason Lee students and redirect resources to students who do not live in the current service area? The coalition would like this to be tracked over time.

4. Climate Survey

Dr Jennifer Kubista, Director of Student Life, reported on the new climate survey.  developed by the Center for Educational Effectiveness.

Director Cobb asked what parents will see in the way of reported out data once the surveys are done and compiled.

Clarification: It was not clear if Director Cobb’s question was fully answered, Vibrant Schools is also interested in the nature of the data that will be accessible based on the findings of the climate survey.

Other School Board Questions and Responses:

Director Heinze said that the District wants to own what it needs to do.  President Vialle asked if the District was getting a good cross-section of responses, since self-selecting to fill it out might result in skewing of data.

Dr. Kubista responded that the number of responses (staff, students, parents) is being tallied. It was not clear from the response if a tally of other demographic categories such as race, families representing ELL (English Language Learners (ELL) and other categories would be tallied in the report.

5. Curriculum and Instruction. 

Library books for school libraries are being purchased.  Director Cobb asked if the book selections were taking into account cultural groups and relevancy. Staff responded that cultural relevancy was a factor in the selection of books

6. Other Topics: (See Full Report for More Detail)

• Attendance tracking systems
• Six new principals were introduced to the Board
• Seismic improvements at the Broadway and 9^th space
• Artificial turf replacement and concerns around materials used
• Concluding board comments

VIBRANT SCHOOLS CALL FOR ACTION:  None at This Time

Here is the full report:

2016 March 24 School Board Meeting Briefing and Full Report Combined 5.31.16 FINAL