The school board held a public hearing on the 2009–10 fiscal year budget at its July 23 meeting, then adopted the 2009–10 budget, which it is required to adopt before Aug. 31. Two public hearings were held in May to provide interested citizens with information and to gather public comments on the recommended budget.
New Stadium principal
The board approved Gail Barnum as the new principal of Stadium High School. Barnum served as director of Athletics and Activites for the Highline School District prior to coming to Tacoma. She served as a principal and assistant principal for Highline from 1999–2008. Barnum also worked for the Peninsula and Tumwater school districts. She will replace Jonathan Kellett as principal of Stadium High School.
Assistant director of Special Education
The board approved Linda Darling as assistant director in Special Education. Darling served four years as assistant director in Special Education in the Lake Stevens School District from 2005–09. Darling was a teacher in Lake Stevens from 2000-05 and in the Seattle Public Schools from 1998–99. She will replace Nancy Fitta as assistant director in Special Education in charge of psychologists.
Zina Linnik Project
McCarver Elementary School teacher Sheila Haase and several students, Metro Parks Foundation Executive Director Drew Ebersole and Charles Bingham, volunteer campaign co-chair, gave the board an update on the McCarver park project in memory of a former McCarver student Zina Linnik, who was abducted from near her home on the Hilltop area and then killed. The Zina Linnik Project is a proactive plan to raise $3.5 million to renovate and build new amenities for two parks that bookend the Hilltop: McCarver Park and Wright Park.
The parks are expected to strengthen and revitalize the Hilltop and Central Tacoma neighborhoods by offering free, open, accessible family-friendly spaces and facilities to some 30,000 people, including more than 6,800 children, who live within walking distance of the two parks. The renovations at the parks are designed to:
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Improve neighborhood and community aesthetics and stimulate economic development
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Enhance safety by relocating play areas and attracting more family and community gathering
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Increase youth and family participation in park-hosted programs and at park events
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Increase the number of organizations who partner to help build and maintain the parks as well as provide park programming
Fifth graders from McCarver have testified in Olympia and helped give input to the McCarver Park design.
Board actions
The board approved:
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Submission of the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund grant to the Department of Ecology (DOE) to help with the assessment and cleanup of an underground oil tank contamination from a pre-existing gasoline service station at the McCarver Elementary School property. This property is the foundation for the development of the Zina Linnik Park in cooperation with Metro Parks Tacoma. The cleanup is being conducted in cooperation with Tacoma Pierce County Department of Health and DOE.
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Submission of the Student Planning Initiative to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), which would provide all middle schools, including Bryant’s middle school, and all high schools with funding from OSPI to continue the implementation of the Navigation 101 program. Five key elements of Navigation 101 are advisory, portfolios, student-led conferences, student-driven scheduling and data collection.
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Submission of a Head Start continuation grant, an expansion grant and a one-time funds grant Administration for Children and Families. The district’s Head Start program serves 563 low-income students and their families at 17 sites throughout the district. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Head Start programs are being given the opportunity to apply for expansion funding to serve more families. The district is applying for 17 additional slots to serve three-year-olds at its Madison site. The district would use one-time funds to improve some Head Start playgrounds, provide sheds for playground equipment, purchase furniture for classrooms and pay for coursework for teachers working towards their bachelor’s degree.
The board adopted:
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The revision to Policy 2410, “Instruction,” to reflect the minimum requirements listed in WAC-180-51-066. The new state law requires three math credits to graduate. The changes will be effective for students entering ninth grade or beginning an equivalent of a four-year high school program after July 1, 2009.
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The revision to Policy 3410, “Student Health.” This revision eliminates the scoliosis screening requirement and the no-nits and lice eggs section of the policy.
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Policy 3423, “Anaphylaxis Prevention.” In March 2009, OSPI completed the manual, “Guidelines for Care of Students with Anaphylaxis.” Schools have a responsibility to students with life-threatening health conditions and anaphylaxis under state law and to students with disabilities under federal law.
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The amendment to Policy 2180, “Parent, Family and Community Partnership.” The revisions better align with and reflect district efforts to improve involvement and partnership with parents, families and the community.
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The 2009-10 Student Rights, Responsibilities and Regulations handbook that is part of the district calendar and Parent Resource Handbook.
The next school board meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m. in the fourth-floor auditorium at the Central Administration Building, 601 S. 8th St., Tacoma.
