The board recognized graduating seniors who were named as National Merit Program Scholars, WAVE Scholars, Washington Scholars and Gates Millennium Scholars, and the Shading Tree Foundation for donating more than $5,000 for the Tone Resource Center for district homeless students.
At its May 28 meeting, the board:
Approved:
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The agreement between the Tacoma School District No. 10 and the Tacoma Principals Association effective, July 1, 3009, through June 30, 2012. There will be no salary increase for principals. Superintendent Art Jarvis publicly thanked the principals for deferring pay increases a year and supporting that concept.
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The adoption of the core materials for 6-12 social studies
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The submission of an Early Learning AmeriCorps grant
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The purchase of rekeying services from Washington Architecture Hardware
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The video taping of school board meetings
Adopted:
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Resolution No. 1842, certifying that the new Baker Middle School will be new in lieu of modernization of the old Baker Middle School and that the old Baker will not be used for future instructional purposes and will be demolished.
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Resolution No. 1843, certifying that the construction of a new Baker Middle School on the Baker Middle School site will not create or aggravate racial imbalance.
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Resolution No. 1844, requesting a one-year waiver for grades K-12 from the State Board of Education for WAC 180-16-215 for the minimum 180-day school year for the Tacoma Public Schools. The district is requesting three waiver days which would bring the student year to 177 days.
Emmy Murphy, a second-grade teacher at Washington-Hoyt Elementary School, talked about the school’s recycling program and the $300 Terry Husseman Sustainable Schools Award the school received from the state Department of Ecology for its Green Schools program.
Board President Kim Golding announced that the PTA award for the Outstanding Educator went to Christine Koval at Truman Middle School.
The superintendent and administrators updated the board on:
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Science and Math Institute (SAMI) enrollment. The 140 students have been selected and a waitlist has been started. The students come from middle schools throughout the district and homeschoolers. Fifty-three percent of the students are minority students.
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School enrollment. The district has worked to bring the student populations at Edison and Manitou Park under 600 and the student count at Arlington above 300. Sheridan E.S.’s student body is more than 600, and the district will continue to address the enrollment issue of schools whose count is too high or too low.
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Green schools. The district is using performance contracting which will guarantee savings over time.
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Budget. There is no new news on the district budget. Due to the cost saving measures the district has been implementing, it should be in stable condition for several years to come.
The next regular board meeting will be held Thursday, June 11, at 6 p.m.