November Meeting Recap
On November 2, the Board welcomed special guest, 2021 Classified School Employee of the Year, Nancy Baldwin to share about her work as Kelso School District’s McKinney-Vento Liaison. Watch her inspirational segment on SBE’s YouTube channel.
Also at the meeting, members talked about legislative platform priorities and adopted the official platform for the upcoming 2023 session (graphic below). Other topics for discussion included graduation requirements alignment, system health and school climate, and basic education compliance. One private school was approved. Find the full agenda and supporting materials on SBE's meetings site.
Official Seal Name – It is with great pleasure that SBE announced the winner of the “Name the SBE Seal” contest. Payton from Mrs. Shevchuck’s fourth grade class submitted “Snorkels,” and won the state-wide vote. If you don’t know, SBE is required by law to adopt an official seal. So, we did that (from the WWF). Snorkels has an Instagram account where they share about their journey through Washington schools, connecting with partners, and more.
Graduation Requirements Alignment – The Board discussed recommendations and reviewed a draft report for aligning graduation requirements with the Profile of a Graduate. Members also discussed findings of the third year of graduation pathway research. Approval of both reports is planned for December 1.
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2023 Legislative Priorities – Staff and Legislative Committee members presented platform priorities, and the Board adopted them for the upcoming 2023 legislative session. Last meeting, the Board approved the legislative requests presented by the Legislative Committee and staff, which have been submitted to the Governor’s Office for review. The Board’s request bill would add two options to the graduation pathways that a school district may offer: a performance-based option and a work-related option. It would also clarify the purpose of graduation pathways and establish ongoing data and monitoring requirements at the state and local levels. The Board’s budget request would add funding to continue and expand the Mastery-based Learning Collaborative (established last session).
Basic Education Compliance – At the July and September meetings, the Board certified 155 school districts and local education agencies (LEAs) for the provision of basic education. They met all mandatory and required elements of basic education. At the November meeting, the Board approved the certification of 162 school districts and LEAs. All districts are now certified as in compliance. Learn more about basic education at sbe.wa.gov/basiced.
Required Action Districts – The Board and OSPI have a shared responsibility to provide additional resources and support for schools and school districts identified that need greater supports. At the March 2020 Board meeting, the Board designated seven schools in six school districts for required action as recommended by the OSPI. After receiving the results of a performance audit or needs assessment, the schools and school districts developed Required Action Plans with support from OSPI, which were approved in July 2020. In November, OSPI staff gave an annual update on progress made by the Required Action Districts through Fall 2022.
Private School Approvals – Log Church Christian School in Brewster was approved by the Board.
Upcoming Board Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for December 1, 2022, on Zoom. The agenda and materials will be posted one week in advance of the meeting on SBE’s meetings page.
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