Kent School District  | November 22, 2019

Dear KSD Community: This month I reflect on the responsibilities that lie on the shoulder of board members every day to meet our mission to: " Successfully Prepare All Students for their Futures ," and to safeguard our assets in all of its forms.  Board members had a chance to thank and honor the services of former President and current Vice President Debbie Straus; former President and current Director Karen DeBruler; and Legislative Liaison and Director Ross Hardy this past board meeting. Debbie and Karen have served multiple terms and their goodbye statements reminded us of the commitment, care, and personal sacrifices we make to serve on the school board. Their long history with the district contributed to the start of iGrad, all-day kindergarten, cops in schools program, dual-language program, and many more positive changes at KSD. Director Hardy also discussed the positive changes we made the past two years of his term. While as board members, we at times, have differing viewpoints, one area of agreement is that we serve on the Board for the students and our community that we love. Many of us raise or have raised our children in this district and the choice to serve is imbued in the sense of obligation we feel to give back to the district that has well-served our own families. As we get ready to welcome our three new board directors, our district looks forward to accomplishing many more positive changes for our students. Our st ellar finance team and executive leadership have led us to an admirable fiscal condition ( Kent School District’s credit rating outlook improves ) to begin anew and continue to correct the mistakes of the past. We thank Debbie, Karen, and Ross and look forward to their participation in our district in different capacities. It is my hope that our district will become stronger as a result of the contributions of our collective efforts. Please continue to stay in touch and let us know how we are doing. Most Sincerely,

Maya Vengadasalam President, Board of Directors Kent School District

Messages from Board Members Straus and DeBruler

Message from Director Debbie Straus : I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the community, staff, and my family for their support over the past 12 years as I have served on the Kent School District Board of Directors. It has been my honor and privilege to serve. As I reflected over the years, I am proud of the things that we have been able to do to improve our district. Things like being able to offer all-day kindergarten ahead of the requirement, iGrad, dual-language, and partnerships with colleges for college credit in high school to name just a few. I am confident that the district will continue to evolve as it strives to “Successfully Prepare All Students for their Futures.” I am looking forward to spending more time with my family including my four grandchildren. As I leave the Board, I would like to encourage everyone to strive to learn something new every day and encourage others around you to do the same. Continually look for the good in those around you. I truly believe that we all have potential to positively influence others. The children in our district need us to continue to work together to provide opportunities for their growth and success. Again, thank you for all your support over the years.  

Message from Director Karen DeBruler: I feel extremely grateful and humble to have been given the opportunity to serve our Kent School District students for the last nine and a half years. Looking back on these years at KSD, we accomplished some great things. We implemented all-day kindergarten for all kindergartners before Washington State made it the law. A dual-language program was started to help our Spanish-speaking students achieve in school as well as to give our English-speaking students enrichment and fluency in a second language; it’s now in its eighth year. The concept of iGrad was realized and opened for dropout recovery. We opened Kent Valley Early Learning Center for preschoolers and kindergarteners to relieve the heavy enrollment of Kent Elementary and Neely O’Brien Elementary. Teachers were given an early release day each week for planning and collaboration, something that they had been saying was a top priority for years.

We brought our minutes in class for elementary schoolers up to the level of our surrounding districts. We have steadily increased our four-year graduation rate in the last few years to above 80%. All students have been given access to electronic devices to expand their learning as a result of our 1:1 goal. All teachers are being trained in a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) which will give students a common language and understanding around acceptable behavior, and offer more support for those needing a higher level. MTSS is in its third year (of five) of rollout. More of our highly capable elementary students are being served through two programs: the Odyssey Program (self-contained) and ACE (Accelerated and Clustered Enrichment). Paraeducators are being offered opportunities to become elementary teachers through partnerships with several colleges. Teachers are earning ELL (English Language Learner) endorsements through a partnership with a college. Most importantly, KSD overcame two serious financial periods, the recent one thanks to Dr. Watts and our incredibly diligent budget and finance team.  We passed two maintenance and operations levies along with a bond, the latter which has allowed us to build three new schools: Covington Elementary and the two new schools which are underway right now. A new facility for The Outreach Program (TOP) was built. We expanded the parking capacity for our buses as a result of relocating the TOP facility to another site. We are in the process of completing nine multi-purpose rooms for elementary schools. Hundreds of “unglamorous” but necessary projects are being completed or are slated to be in the next few years.  Thank you to the citizens of KSD for allowing me to be a part of the growth of our district. I step down with mixed feelings. I love being a part of Kent School District, working with the staff and for the students. I hope that the incoming board members will approach their new responsibility with minds open to learning and hearts open to collaboration.

Update from Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts

In this season of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the time and talent that our incredible educators share with our students and families. I wish to thank our teachers, paraeducators, school-based administrators as well as our support staff at the local school, district office and school board levels.  I also want to extend a special thanks to our outgoing Board Directors Straus, DeBruler and Hardy for their service to our students, schools and community; I know you will continue to support our schools and district as members of our KSD community and I appreciate all that you have done and will continue to do. I look forward to continuing to partner with our newly elected school board members, working together to realize our district's mission, vision and living out our core values of equity, excellence and community. Kind regards, Dr. Calvin J. Watts Superintendent

Recent Board Meeting Highlights

Board meeting agendas, minutes, and policies are accessible through the BoardDocs site. Regular meetings of the school board are held in the boardroom of the administration center located at 12033 SE 256th Street, Kent, at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

Work Sessions and Special Sessions: Board/Superintendent Governance Team discussion on Board goals for 2019-2020. Decision was made to discuss and finalize Board goals with incoming board directors. Board/Superintendent Governance Team Meeting to discuss superintendent evaluation goals  Capital projects update and viewing of a presentation on the bond financing plan Professional Development Plan Board/Superintendent Governance Team meeting with WSSDA Director of Leadership Development, Tricia Lubach, to discuss the superintendent evaluation goals and key performance indicators New Valley Elementary School Architectural/Design presentation Presentations included the following: May, June, July 2019 Financial Statements Non-profit partners from Children's Therapy Center, KentHOPE, and ICL Strategies 360 presented the results of the public opinion research conducted to determine the public’s funding priorities, better understand how the district is perceived by the public, and determine how the district’s audience gets its news and information Safety Services Quarterly Report presentation - summary of the 2018-2019 school year including year-end data through June 2019  Student Discipline Quarterly Report presentation - a trend overview of student discipline for the past three years, highlighting progress and areas in need of continued growth, and identifying steps being implemented to systematically address behavior in Kent School District The Smarter Balance Assessment Results presentation - how Kent School District students performed on 2018-19 Smarter Balance Assessments, how their results compare to results in peer districts, and how this data connects to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) results Current student enrollment and demographic trends Dr. Watts’ report on his participation in the Broad Academy 2018-19 Cohort as well as his attendance at the Leading Ed Solutions Superintendent Gathering on November 7 and 8, 2019. 2019-2020 Budget Update 2018-2019 Year-End Financial Update Board Discussions and Approvals: Approvals of renewed software, programs, contracts, and resolutions including passing resolution No. 1568, a Board of Directors Resolution, to call for a Special Election on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, in order to submit to the voters in the Kent School District the proposition for a replacement levy to support the educational programs and operations of the Kent School District Public hearings on sale of properties Proclamations to celebrate America's Safe Schools Week of October 21-27, 2019; October LGBT History Month; October National Physical Therapy Month; National School Bus Safety Week October 21-25, 2019; American Education Week November 18-22, 2019; November National Native American Heritage Month; and School Psychology Awareness Week November 11-15, 2019

Upcoming School Board Events

December 11: Board Work Session at 5:30 p.m. December 11: Board Meeting at 7 p.m. December 23- January 3: Winter Break January 8: Board Work Session at 5:30 p.m. January 8: Board Meeting at 7 p.m. January 22: Board Work Session at 5:30 p.m. January 22: Board Meeting at 7 p.m.   Board meeting agendas, minutes, and policies are accessible through the   BoardDocs Site .

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