| The Board of Directors is GOING GREEN |
Date Posted: 11/26/2012 |
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Beginning with their September 7, 2012 board meeting, the Yakima School District Board of Directors transitioned to paperless board meetings using BoardDocs, an online eGovernance system.
To access the agenda and meeting materials, please:
1.Follow this link: BoardDocs
2.Choose ‘Public Site;’
3.Select the desired board meeting;
4.Select ‘View Agenda.’
Take a minute to check out the other tabs for additional information!
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| CONSTRUCTION STATUS UPDATE. . . |
Date Posted: 10/17/2012 |
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To the Yakima Community:
On behalf of the Yakima School District Board of Directors, we would like to provide you with an update on current and upcoming construction projects within the school district and some more specific information about the Davis High School renovation and modernization project.
First of all, we want to once again extend our deepest appreciation to the Yakima taxpayers for their approval of the bond in 2009. Due to your confidence in us and your approval of the local funding element of the bond we were able to secure matching funds from the state construction budget. Once all the construction is completed, we will have state-of-the-art high school facilities for every high school student in Yakima.
Eisenhower High School’s construction project is half-way completed. As community members drive by the location at 44th Avenue and Tieton Drive, they can see the new building taking shape. The school district continues to vigilantly monitor this project’s budget and schedule.
The students at Stanton Academy started the school year in a brand new building within the boundaries of the Yakima School District. The Stanton students now have access to more vocational and technical classes and instructional offerings than ever could have been provided in their former location.
Throughout these various construction projects there has been much interest on the part of district staff and students and the community as a whole about our new high schools. Most recently the interest has shifted to the modernization and renovation of Davis High School. The plans for Davis High School are that the construction be completed in phases, with the first phase beginning later this Fall.
Based upon the initial pre-bid cost projections for Davis High School, it was believed that all improvements could be accomplished within the identified budget. Unfortunately, when the initial bids were received, the lowest bid was about 8.5% above this budget, representing roughly a $7 million overage. It would not have been fiscally responsible for the Board to approve a project that was $7 million over budget. To avoid losing the state matching funds which were already appropriated, changes needed to be made to the construction documents so they could be re-bid within the allotted timeframe. The Board’s goal was that the re-bidding process would result in bids that were at or under budget while maintaining as much integrity as possible to the original plans and to what was promised to the community during the bond campaign, which included:
An enclosed campus with one main entrance providing a safe and secure learning environment;
All new infrastructure replacing aging heating, cooling and plumbing systems and providing electrical capacity to support computers and other technology required to prepare students for the 21st century;
A new permanent structure to replace the portables; and
A new gymnasium.
The Board requested that these items be addressed in the re-bidding process as well as providing equitably-sized classrooms throughout the campus.
The new bids were opened on October 9. Fortunately, the revised project was bid within budget. The overall budget also contains contingency funds to address unforeseen circumstances that may arise. Based upon the information received on October 12, the Board approved an overall construction budget of $97 million for the Davis High School project and awarded the contract to the low-bidder, Absher Construction of Puyallup, Washington. Groundbreaking will occur on November 1, 2012.
In the current plan, about $1.8 million is allocated for improvements, including infrastructure, to the performing arts area. Throughout the three-year project, various options will be considered as possible modifications to the performing arts area. It is a priority of the School Board to attempt to fund further building modifications for performing arts through budget savings that may accrue. In spite of what does or does not ultimately occur with the building, there is no intent on the part of the Board to cut back on the performing arts programs at Davis High School.
Information on the Davis project can be found at: BoardDocs
These documents include information about the bids, the detailed Davis construction budget and the various pieces of information provided to the School Board by the architect.
We will continue to keep the community informed on the progress of our various construction projects through district publications and on our website. Information is available on the district’s webpage at Construction Update
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| 3-11-2011 Press Conference: Status of State Funding for Capital Projects |
Date Posted: 3/15/2011 |
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Yakima School District Board of DirectorsPress Conference ~ March 11, 2011
In response to questions raised by many community members, the Yakima School District Board of Directors scheduled a press conference to discuss the status of state funding for capital projects and its effect on the Yakima School District.
The press conference was held on Friday, March 11, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Yakima School District Central Services, 104 North 4th Avenue, in Conference Rooms A & B. You may view the press conference in its entirety via SchoolTube at www.schooltube.com/user/yakimasd.
When the Yakima voters approved the district’s bond measure in May of 2009, it was with the understanding that approximately $105 million would be allocated by the state to support the construction and/or remodel of Eisenhower and Davis high schools, and Stanton Academy. It is the district’s current information that those state dollars may be in jeopardy, which could affect the construction of these and other capital projects around the state.
All five Yakima School District board members were in attendance, as well as representatives from East Valley and Wapato school districts whose voters recently approved bond measures.
What can be done? Contact members of the House Capital Budget Committee, all legislators, the Governor and encourage them to invest in education in our state by funding the Capital Budget.
For the board’s Press Conference Talking Points, go to 'Documents’ on the Board of Directors home page. [Expand Story] |
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| 2010 Federal Relations Network (FRN) Conference Report by Martha Rice |
Date Posted: 2/25/2010 |
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2010 FRN Conference ReportJanuary 31 - February 2, 2010
For many of the delegates to the 2010 NSBA Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference, just getting to Washington, DC was an accomplishment. The conference was due to start on January 31 and many folks were scheduled to arrive on January 30. It snowed most of the day on the 30th and many of Washington's delegates were either stuck at the local airports trying to get ground transportation to the conference hotel or stuck at another airport across the country waiting for the local D.C. airports to re-open. Eventually, everyone made it in but most were several hours later than they had planned.
Our state had 24 delegates this year - down about 113 from last year and nearly 112 from several years ago. Economic conditions seem to be the predominant reason for the decline in representation from our state.
There were 831 registered delegates for the conference. That number, too, was down by about 100 from the last few years.
But once the conference started on January 31, the cold temperatures and snowy streets were soon forgotten and we moved on to the more pressing matters of education reform, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (formerly known as No Child Left Behind), educational funding and the Race to the Top (RTTT) grants.
There were two preconference committee meetings during the morning of Jan. 31, both of which I attended - the Pre-K Legislative Committee, which has been operational for several years, and the Teacher and Principal Quality Legislative Committee, which is new this year. Both of these committees are open to any school director to join and serve as an advocacy group for those particular topics. Members receive regular updates from NSBA staff and can log in to webinars on these topics. Both of these sessions provided delegates with updated information in these areas and the work at the federal level.
At the afternoon sessions on January 31, delegates heard from NSBA Staff - Executive Director Anne Bryant and Government Relations Director Mike Resnick - as well as political commentator Norman Ornstein.
The breakout sessions during the morning of February 1 focused on the following topics where delegates learned about NSBA's positions and gathered important information on how to advocate for them with their Senators and Representatives during the Day on the Hill.
> Federal Funding for Education
> Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
> Teacher and Principal Effectiveness
> Investing in Early Childhood Education
A delegation of six from Washington State (Yakima, Pasco, Port Angeles, Tukwila, Kelso, and Mukilteo) met with representatives from the Department of Education that morning to discuss how department decisions are affecting us in Washington State, We have held meetings like this for several years and for the most part they prove to be helpful. This year we shared information about the impact that the federal accountability models and the parameters of the
School Improvement Grant (SIG) program will have on our districts and our communities. The Department of Education lead at the meeting promised a followup teleconference because of questions we raised about the SIG and RTTT grant programs.
We also met with a representative from the Native American Education grant program. These meetings generated a more extensive meeting with the Native American Education representative that afternoon and a followup conversation with those of us who were concerned about the accountability models and school improvement grants.
At the Awards Luncheon that day, delegates recognized Senator Susan Collins (Maine) for her work to ensure that education was not forgotten in the allocation of ARRA and state fiscal support funding.
The three afternoon sessions focused on various aspects of RTTT funding and concluded with a keynote speech by the Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, where he talked about the RTTT program and told us we had to be courageous in addressing education reform issues.
On Tuesday we hit the Hill. The four school directors from Congressional District #4 met with Doc Hasting's aide, Kate Woods. We shared with her our request that ESEA be reauthorized, our concerns about the SIG program, and a request to maintain the level of Title 1 and IDEA funding provided by the ARRA funding. All Washington delegates were able to meet with their representative or the aide.
As a delegation we all met with our senators in separate meetings. We encouraged both senators to draft, sponsor or co-sponsor the ESEA reauthorization bill. Between both of them, they serve on all the necessary committees through which the bill would have to travel. Senator Murray encouraged us to work with her to identify the key components and seemed receptive to our suggestion. We also shared information about the importance of maintaining education funding and the impact that the ARRA funding had on school districts across the state being able to retain staff last year.
It will be important to maintain the open lines of communication with our representative and Senators throughout the year as we move into the uncharted waters in areas of accountability, education reform and reduced funding.
All in all, I felt this was a very productive conference and during the time spent with our senators and congressional representatives, we were able to share information about our individual districts and the issues we would like them to address on our behalf. I would like to thank the Board for approving my travel to this worthwhile conference. I would also like to thank the staff for compiling the information about our district that I took back with me and especially Sharon Surbrook for coordinating the information packet. These information packets are always well received by the legislative staff.
Copies of the issue briefs on the four areas of focus at this year's conference were provided to each member of the Board of Directors and the Superintendent’s Cabinet.
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| Martha Rice Testifies before State Legislature on Education Reform |
Date Posted: 2/24/2009 |
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Yakima School Board member and WSSDA President Martha Rice Testifies before State Legislature on Education Reform
On Monday, February 23, 2009, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee held a public hearing on SB 6048 the new vehicle for a new education finance system. Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) President, Martha Rice, spoke out in favor of the bill on behalf of school directors, saying SB 6048 is a good foundation upon which to build a new system. She reiterated WSSDA's strong support for: a new, strong (and funded) definition of Basic Education; a new, flexible funding system using a prototype schools model; and the creation of a nonpartisan oversight commission to watch over the implementation and funding of a new education finance system. Rice thanked legislators for bringing this bill forward, but reminded them that this is only the beginning and we remain committed to working towards an ultimate solution. Barbara Mertens, WASA, summed up the issue by stating the introduction of this bill was like “hitting the reset button.” She remarked that through this process stakeholders and legislators need to ask and answer three basic questions: 1) Where are we today? 2) Where do we want to go? and 3) What are the individual steps we need to take to get there?
Video of the committee meeting can be viewed in its entirety at TVW:
TVW Video of Committee Meeting
SB 6048, as introduced, only includes one section, an “intent” section which describes what the Legislature hopes to accomplish with a new education finance system. Sen. Eric Oemig, prime sponsor of SB 6048, began the hearing by speaking on behalf of his bill. Oemig described how the previous bills had become contentious and there was a growing “us versus them” mentality about the bills and legislators who wanted to seriously address education finance believed the best approach was to start over with a “clean slate.” The concerns about the state’s funding woes are understood; however, Oemig and others strongly believe that the Legislature should not “punt” and avoid addressing a new funding system, rather they should begin to establish a new foundation now. Following through on the intent to act, immediately following public testimony on SB 6048, the Committee moved to executive session and quickly passed the bill out.
Much work is left to be done to establish a new, flexible, stable and fully funded education finance system. However, today’s action and continuing movement on compromises behind the scenes is a positive sign. WSSDA will continue working with legislators in an effort to forge a compromise that will bring positive change for school directors, other educators, the public, and most importantly, the students of Washington.
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