2021-09-27-minutes.txt

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Blaine School District No. 503
  Regular Board Meeting
Monday, September 27, 2021
  Minutes
  1. Regular Board Meeting
A. Call to Order
In accordance with guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, this meeting was conducted with both virtual and in-person components. President Gibson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

All directors were in attendance at the beginning of the meeting. Director Thomas was out of the area and attended the beginning of the meeting virtually.
     Todd Nunamaker, Dougal Thomas, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
  B. Pledge of Allegiance
President Gibson led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
  C. Board Comments on the Agenda
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Granger informed the board that Megan Schutt's resignation, which was listed in Personnel Matters on the Consent Agenda, will be effective on October 1, 2021.
  2. Public Comment
A. Public Comment
President Gibson read from a prepared statement to provide clarification regarding the board's intent in sending a letter to 42nd District legislators following public comments received at the August meeting. He stated that the board did not intend to demonstrate support for or against the mask and vaccination mandates, but wanted to share their constituents' concerns with the legislators who have the ability to make a change.
  The following individuals addressed the board regarding topics of concern:
Joshua Krenz (virtual attendee) expressed opposition to the board's letter and believes that it actually does imply support for those who are against the mask and vaccine mandates. He depends on the board to support the district's efforts to keep his children safe by following the health authority's guidelines.
Rebecca Wilson voiced support for the board's letter. She reiterated comments she made in August about the impact of masks on students' mental wellbeing and the lack of any effective argument for choice.
Charles Streeter, a 2020 graduate of Blaine High School, shared concerns regarding the mandates for staff vaccinations and universal masking of students. His comments included information and statistics opposed to vaccination and mask wearing.
Marilyn Martin expressed appreciation for the board's letter and commented on the directors' responsibility to the electorate. Ms. Martin removed her mask while speaking and refused to put it back on despite being asked several times. President Gibson indicated that the meeting would need to be stopped if she would not comply with the requirement. Ms. Martin refused and proceeded to direct critical comments to Superintendent Dr. Christopher Granger.
Due to Ms. Martin's disruption of the orderly operation of the meeting, President Gibson recessed the meeting at 7:15 p.m. He indicated that the meeting would resume with virtual-only public observation at 8:15 p.m., providing one hour for public observers to relocate to a place where they could attend remotely.

At 8:15 p.m., the meeting reconvened. Director Thomas did not return to the meeting due to the late hour at his location. The remaining member of the public who had signed up to address the board also did not return to the meeting.
  3. Reports
A. School Administrator Reports
Each school administrator provided a brief report to the board. Comments were shared regarding engineering lessons in Mrs. Shapiro's STEAM class at Blaine Primary School. Principal Darren Benson added comments about academies at Blaine Middle School targeting interventions for students who need assistance in reading and math. There was discussion regarding this year's state testing and the establishment of a new baseline after not having any state testing last spring. Student clubs at the middle school were discussed, as well as Blaine High School's Student Success Agency.
  B. Enrollment Update
Executive Director of Finance and Operations Amber Porter reported on enrollment for the month of September. Kindergarten enrollment is lower than expected. Ms. Porter provided statistical information about students who have withdrawn from the district, and discussion followed.
  C. Budget Status and Financial Report
Amber Porter provided a report on revenue and expenses through the month of August. The district's financially conservative practices have helped to absorb the loss in apportionment revenue resulting from lost enrollment. Ms. Porter explained possible ongoing impacts to revenue, including the potential delay of grant and/or federal funding. Director McKinney asked about expectations for program adjustments, but Ms. Porter doesn't anticipate any at this point in time for this year.
  D. Superintendent's Report
Dr. Christopher Granger provided an update which included information on the following topics.
Disability Awareness Month will be observed in October.
Director District boundaries must be redrawn following the new 2020 US Census data. Sammamish Data Systems will again assist with this process. A public hearing will provide an opportunity for the board to hear comments from patrons. Discussion continued regarding the level of public involvement desired by the board to ensure the process is transparent. Director Lotze commented on concerns about this process that have been expressed by certain Birch Bay residents.
Efforts are underway to communicate with local families regarding the statutory age requirements for kindergarten placement. Students who are six years old as of August 31, 2022 will be placed in 1st grade, regardless of prior school experience. Thank you to the Teaching & Learning Department and Blaine Primary School for assisting in review.
Thanks to a grant from the CDC, school nurse positions will be increased to full time with additional support positions starting on October 11, 2021. The grant specifically funds labor costs directed at keeping students in school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Later in this meeting, the board will be asked to approve an increase for the certificated substitute rate of pay. This will allow Blaine School District to be more competitive with other districts in the region.
At this meeting, each director was provided with a USB drive containing WSSDA's updates to the 1000 series of the policy manual. There are a few policies that need further review and will be shared in the coming weeks. The board will take action on First Reading of these updates at the October meeting.
The district is working with staff in order to process requests for vaccine mandate exemptions, with the goal of keeping all staff members employed either by vaccination or exemption. Current community disease transmission is especially high among school age children which makes it important to address community exposure. At this time, there have been no school based exposures identified in the classroom setting, however the challenging areas have been in athletics and on buses. Director McKinney asked about the reaction of unions to the vaccine mandate and she expressed frustration with their lack of response. Dr. Granger reported positive feedback from many of the employees who have gone through the district's exemption process, and he reiterated the district's desire to work with employees to ensure compliance in a way that matches their individual needs. Discussion continued regarding the district's implementation of the new vaccine mandate.
  4. Consent Agenda
The board voted to approve all items listed on the Consent Agenda.
  A. Approval of Minutes - August 23, 2021 Board Work Session
The board approved the minutes of the August 23, 2021 Board Work Session.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  B. Approval of Minutes - August 23, 2021 Regular Board Meeting
The board approved the minutes of the August 23, 2021 Regular Board Meeting.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  C. Approval of Minutes - August 31, 2021 Special Board Meeting
The board approved the minutes of the August 31, 2021 Special Board Meeting.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  D. Approval of Minutes - September 1, 2021 Special Board Meeting
The board approved the minutes of the September 1, 2021 Special Board Meeting.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  E. Personnel Matters
The board approved Personnel Matters as detailed on the Consent Agenda.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  F. Financial Matters
The board approved Financial Matters as detailed on the Consent Agenda.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  G. Student Travel
The Board approved the High School Varsity Volleyball team's overnight
travel September 10-11, 2021 to a tournament in Auburn, WA.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  H. Contracts & Agreements
The board approved the following service contracts:
2021-2022 NWESD Multilingual Learner Cooperative Agreement (formerly ELL)
2021-2022 WA Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth Consulting Agreement
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  I. 2021-2022 Minimum Basic Education Report
After having an opportunity to review the district's 2021-2022 Minimum Basic Education Report, the board authorized President Gibson to sign the report along with Superintendent Dr. Christopher Granger.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  5. Action Items
A. 2021-2022 Highly Capable Program Plan
Dr. Granger shared summary comments regarding the district's REACH program plan which is now being led by Director of Federal Programs Dawn Walker. There was discussion regarding new offerings in the program as well as funding. Dr. Granger clarified that the program's plan, not its funding, is being considered by the board at this time.
  The board approved the District's Highly Capable Program Plan for the 2021-2022 school year.
Motion by Joan Lotze, second by Todd Nunamaker
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  B. BEA Memorandum of Understanding: 2021-2022 COVID-19 Agreement
Dr. Granger provided an explanation of the MOU's purpose as it relates to working conditions specific to the pandemic emergency. Director McKinney questioned if the MOU was necessary and whether it adds any responsibility over and above the CBA. Discussion followed regarding the agreements specific to COVID-19 which were negotiated with BEA and are represented in the MOU. Director McKinney continued to question the need for this document. Dr. Granger asked the board to approve the MOU in order to ensure that the district had bargained the terms of the agreement in good faith.
  The board approved the Memorandum of Understanding with the Blaine Education Association for the 2021-2022 school year regarding terms related to the COVID-19 crisis.
Motion by Todd Nunamaker, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 3-1, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson
Nay: Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  C. Policy 6630 Driver Training and Responsibility: First Reading
President Gibson reminded the directors that second reading of this policy update would be on October's Consent Agenda, but it can be moved to Action Items if further discussion is desired next month. Dr. Granger explained the updates, including the removal of the reference to volunteers driving district vehicles because they are not covered by the district's insurance. There was discussion regarding the requirements for someone to drive students in a district vehicle.
  The board approved "First Reading" of updates to Policy 6630 Driver Training and Responsibility.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Todd Nunamaker
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
  6. Board Comments and Future Meeting(s)
A. General Comments
President Gibson asked for discussion regarding what happened during this meeting's Public Comments. All agreed that the public should continue to have the opportunity to address their comments to the board. It was also agreed that all participants must adhere to the orderly operation of that process. President Gibson summarized the discussion by stating that the board does want to hear from the public, and the rules provide a framework for how that can be achieved during the current pandemic emergency. There needs to be consistency in implementing the rules, as well as observing them, so that a quality exchange of ideas can take place. Dr. Granger informed the board of the option to return to the virtual-only meeting format, but the directors expressed a preference for in-person meetings.
  B. Future Meeting(s) and Agenda Suggestions
The next regular board meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 25, 2021.

Suggestions for agenda items include:
School Administrator Reports
Enrollment Update & Financial Report
Superintendent's Report
2021-2022 CTE Program Plan
Policy Updates
There was clarification that the current directors will continue to serve on the board at November's meeting.
  7. Executive Session
A. Executive Session
There was no executive session at this meeting.
  8. Reconvene and Adjourn
A. Reconvene and Adjourn
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:52pm by a unanimous vote.
Motion by Laura McKinney, second by Joan Lotze
Final Resolution: Motion Carries 4-0, 1 not present at vote
Yea: Todd Nunamaker, Joan Lotze, Charles E Gibson, Laura McKinney
Not Present at Vote: Dougal Thomas
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                                      BOARD PRESIDENT                                                               SECRETARY/CLERK