The board secretary or recorder will call roll of board members.

Presenter:

Denny Waters

Superintendent

Background:

Policy 1250, Students of Governing Boards states that each new student representative shall take an oath of affirmation to support the constitutions of the United States, the state of Washington, policies of Battle Ground School District and to faithfully discharge the duties of her office to the best of her ability. Julia Stiffler's two-year term is effective through June 30, 2025.

Superintendent Denny Waters will administer the oath of office to Julia Stiffler.

Presenter:

Board Members

Background:

Legislative Committee: 

Mary Snitily serves as the Board's Legislative Representative for the 2023 and 2024 calendar years. She will give a report to the Board on current legislative news and events.

Audit Committee Report

Audit Committee members are Mark Watrin and Mary Snitily. The audit committee will meet with Business Office staff prior to the first scheduled board meeting each month to review vouchers, the superintendent's and board of directors' budgets, payroll and the superintendent's time sheet. The committee will report back to the Board on the first board meeting of the month. 

Battle Ground Education Foundation

Andrew Lawhon serves as the Board representative on the Battle Ground Education Foundation.

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Committee

Ted Champine serves as the Board representative on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) committee.

Washington State School Directors' Association Updates 

Board members who serve on various Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) committees will have an opportunity to provide an update to the Board.

Tours Committee

The Board tours every school in the district by splitting up into three separate groups and visiting classrooms and offices. Tours have been completed for the 2022-2023 school year and will resume in the fall of 2023.

Background:

An opportunity for board members to report out on their activities associated with their respective positions.

Presenter:

Denny Waters

Superintendent

Background:

Denny Waters will provide periodic updates on events and/or recognitions throughout the district.

Presenter:

Shelly Whitten

Deputy Superintendent

Background:

Shelly Whitten will provide an update to the Board on the Teaching and Learning Department.

Presenter:

Michelle Reinhardt

Executive Director of Human Resources

Background:

A human resources report will be provided to the Board by Michelle Reinhardt.

Presenter:

Michelle Scott

Chief Financial Officer

Background:

Michelle Scott will give an update to the Board on finances.

Presenter:

Kevin Jolma

Executive Director of Facilities

Background:

Kevin Jolma will give the Board an update on current projects.

Presenter:

Amanda Richter

Director of Communications & Community Outreach

Background:

Amanda Richter will report on district events and promotions.

This is a meeting of the Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, and it is open to the public to attend, view presentations, and hear the discussion between board members during open session.

The Board welcomes comments from citizens during Citizens' Comments and asks that those wishing to address the Board sign in on the sign-in sheet provided which is located close to the entrance.

Please follow the procedures for Citizens' Comments by stating your name, limiting your time to three (3) minutes, and refraining from discussing confidential matters. 

Board members do not normally respond to questions or petitions during Citizens' Comments. They will listen and give direction to the Administrative Team if action is deemed necessary.

Thank you for your comments.

Minutes become official after approval by the Board.

Minutes become official after approval by the Board.

Background:

Vouchers and payroll reports are presented to the Board at the first meeting of the month for approval. A summary sheet for both items is attached.

Background:

Personnel reports are prepared by the Certificated and Classified Specialists for Board approval. The reports, attached, may contain items such as New Hires, Terminations, Assignment Changes, Resignations, Retirements, and Recommendations for Permanent Employment. Coaching assignments are listed when appropriate. The specialists will list incumbent employees and reasons for changes or new hires if appropriate. Confidential information is not contained in this report.

Background:

WAC 392-123-115 requires a monthly budget status report for each fund to be prepared and submitted to each board member. The attached financial statements are provided to the board for their review and approval.

Background:

The courses Psychology and Applied Psychology are currently offered in our District in addition to Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology. Psychology is a one-semester course and is offered at Battle Ground High School, Summit View High School, and River HomeLink. Applied Psychology is a year-long (two semesters) course and is offered at Prairie High School. Currently, we have curriculum for AP Psychology but no core curriculum for either Psychology or Applied Psychology - although some of the AP curriculum has been borrowed for these courses. 

A committee of three teachers, three administrators, and three community members met this spring to review and select curriculum to recommend to the School Board for adoption. The committee considered Standards of High School Psychology, current scopes and sequences of Psychology and Applied Psychology, differentiating for diverse learners, and the unique content requirements of these two elective courses. A committee-developed a Core Belief Statement and Decision Rubric were tools used in the decision process. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Bias Screener was used to evaluate and guard against stereotyping and exclusionary practices and presentations within the recommended textbook. A consensus-based decision process was used to come to a unanimous decision.

As with all adoption proposals, our Instructional Materials Committee reviewed our adoption process and found it to be in accordance with current Board Policy 2020 and 2020P. This proposed curriculum, Thinking About Psychology-The Science of Mind and Behavior, 4th Edition by Charles Blair-Boeker and Randal Ernst Bedford, Freeman, and Worth Publishers, if approved, would be used for at least six years and includes both hard copy textbooks and digital online platforms for student study.

The first reading was approved June 26, 2023.

Background:

While we have had Journalism in Career and Technical Education at Prairie High School for about ten years, we have not changed or updated the textbook. There have been many changes as technology has changed and Americans are getting written publications through many sources. This textbook, Journalism: Publishing Across Media, 2nd Edition by Janet Ewell, Michelle Balmeo, Ellen Austin, Randy Hamm, will cover how to think, research, write, record and photograph, as well as how to design and publish as a journalist in today's society.

The first reading was approved June 26, 2023.

Background:

The District has entered into cooperative service contracts with Educational Service District 112 over the past several years. It is cost-effective in some areas to enter into cooperative service arrangements. Below is a spreadsheet detailing those cooperative services, which the Business Services and other Departments recommends entering into for the upcoming fiscal year 2023-24. Each contract is reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer and the Program Director for the specific areas affected. The contracts noted in 2023-24 were in place in 2022-23.

*TV ETC is under review and will increase 2-4% to bring the program to a breakeven.

Background:

On August 12, 2019 the Board of Directors approved the award of the food services bid to Sodexo. The contract was for a one-year period, with the option to extend for additional four, one-year terms as allowed by federal and state regulations. 

Sodexo is completing its fourth year of the latest bid award as the district’s food service management provider. The District will be issuing a RFP during the 2023-24 school year.  

The fixed price per meal component increase of the contract is based on CPI for Food Away from Home for a 12-month period. The fixed price per meal is increasing by 8.8% or to $4.496. The fixed price per meal increase relates to food and labor cost on the rise. For fixed price per meal purposes, each reimbursable lunch shall be considered one (1) meal/meal equivalent, each reimbursable breakfast shall be considered two-thirds (2/3) of a meal/meal equivalent, and one reimbursable snack shall be considered one-third (1/3) of a meal/meal equivalent.  

The contract guarantees a $325,492 return to the district. This return will be used to provide free universal meals for all students in grades K-4 who do not qualify for free or reduced meals and not covered by the new state grant for universal meals.  In 2023-24 the District has three schools qualified for the new state and in 2024-25 it is anticipated that all K-4 schools will qualify for the state grant providing free meals to all K-4 students. The balance will be used to fund  which will cover the program permits, maintenance, repair and replacement of existing equipment, such as refrigerators, and ovens, and purchase of small-wear items and indirects.  

Chief Financial Officer Michelle Scott will be available to answer questions if they arise.

Background:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires all school districts to calculate their weighted average paid lunch price using the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Tool. This tool is necessary to make sure that paid lunches are not subsidized by federal funds provided under the NSLP (National School Lunch Program).  Under the PLE tool Battle Ground School District may raise meal prices for 2023-24 by $0.44 cents on average but is not required to do so because the USDA is offering an exemption from PLE pricing requirements to programs with a positive or zero balance in the non-profit school food service account as of June 30, 2022. 

Recommended paid meal prices for 2023-24: No charge to primary school students for breakfast and lunch and no increase to meal prices for middle and high school students.

Alternative Learning Experience programs follow middle school pricing.

All school districts must keep a copy of their PLE calculations (either electronic or paper) on file.  Ensuring that all school districts have made this calculation will be part of administrative reviews conducted by OSPI.

Chief Financial Officer Michelle Scott will be available to answer questions from the Board if they arise.

Background:

Lynden School District has requested permission to utilize Battle Ground School District cooperatively bid contract 1920-03 Warehouse Consumables, Furniture and Equipment to meet their school district’s purchasing requirements.

Pursuant to RCW 39.34, local governmental units may enter into cooperative purchasing agreements to make the most efficient use of their powers.  Battle Ground School District contract 1920-03 with School Specialty does contain language allowing school districts and other public entities to utilize the contract. Cooperative purchasing potentially will generate a larger dollar volume of purchases and the lowest unit costs available, benefitting all participating school districts.  School districts and public agencies that choose to utilize the cooperative bid/contract are required to execute an Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement (ICPA) with Battle Ground School District to satisfy legal requirements.    

It is recommended that the Board of Directors approve the ICPA with Lynden School District to purchase consumables, furniture and equipment utilizing BGSD cooperatively bid contract 1920-03. This new agreement shall continue in force until August 31, 2024.

Chief Financial Officer Michelle Scott will be available for questions.

Presenter:

Background:

Presenter:

Michelle Reinhardt

Executive Director of Human Resources

Background:

Policy 5161 Civility in the Workplace, is discretionary, but is being recommended to the board because staff conflict has been strained by outside forces brought into the school environment in recent years. This increase in tension among staff could be addressed with staff through this policy. Its implementation could help ensure the district is able to maintain a work environment that is safe, civil, and grounded in both orderly conduct and mutual respect so as to contribute to a quality educational environment for students before situations escalate to a hostile environment.

Presenter:

Shelly Whitten

Deputy Superintendent

Background:

Policy 5254 Staff Expression, although discretionary, is being recommended to the board due to an increase in questions from staff about what are the guidelines they can use to determine if free speech for them exists in their role as a district employee. The policy focuses on employees speech that occurs as a result of the employee's employment with the school district. For instance, while performing job responsibilities, using district facilities as employees, or appearing to be acting in their role as a district staff member. The policy does not provide an exhaustive list of permitted or non-permitted speech but ensures that implementing this policy and procedure does not conflict with other district policies.

Presenter:

Scott McDaniel

Director of Technology Services

Background:
The Department of Technology Services requests the approval to spend $161,613.61 to purchase Fortinet Network security equipment or firewall and filtering needs. This is a partial E-rate purchase so the district will receive reimbursement in the amount of $63,029.30 with the remainder being paid out of the Technology Services 2023-24 budget year. 

Background:

Board members will have an opportunity to add agenda items to upcoming board meetings.

Board members separately participate in many community and district events throughout each month as they are able. Each meeting they will review the calendar of upcoming events and discuss their participation.