Cascade board receives Highly Capable Program report, approves three hires

During their May 29 meeting, the Cascade School Board received a report regarding the district’s Highly Capable programs.

Highly Capable Program Director Mike Janski explained the program had 36 students across the board, which is two more than last year.

At Peshastin-Dryden Elementary School first-graders students are tested at the end of the year. Second-grade students in the program are placed in cluster learning groups. Alpine Lakes Elementary School students, grades 3-5, are particpating in Math is Cool (MIC) and Lego Robotics competitions.

Icicle River Middle School students were also placed into clusters and participated in MIC, Lego Robotics and the Technology Student Association (TSA) club. This year, five students will attend the National TSA conference in Washington D.C.

Another component of highly capable programs at IRMS is project-based leased learning. Sixth-graders focused on earthquakes while seventh-graders ran a space expo. Eighth-graders will have a Civil War Museum Night on June 4.

Janski noted the high school highly capable programs include speech and debate, and knowledge bowl. The high school is also partnering with local colleges for college credit opportunities. CHS has 63-64 college credits available to high school students.

As for recruiting EL students, Janski said staff is utilizing the Naglieri Cognitive Ability Test, a non-verbal and cultural neutral assessment of general ability, to recruit kids. After using the test, staff recruited two EL students to the program.

Janski said as the program moves forward, staff will continue classroom differentiation, cluster grouping, middle school acceleration and integrate high cognitive teaching.

In action items, the board approved two hires at the high school - Ashley Bartanen as a counselor and Jill Weil as an EL teacher.

Superintendent Bill Mostenbocker said Bartanen was the counselor at IRMS and has experience working with high school students while Weil is a certified in EL teacher.

The board also approved the hiring of Aaron Hansen for highly capable programs. Janski said Hansen has four years of career-to-education (CTE) and 10 years of middle school teaching under his belt.

They also approved the resignation of Alpine Lakes paraprofessional educator Brianna Fischer. Motsenbocker said Fischer resigned due to family reasons.

The board held the first reading of several policies and procedures, the first two being Policy 1000 “Legal Status and Operation” and Policy and Procedure 1114 “Board Member Resignation and Vacancy.”
Motsenbocker said the only change to Policy 1000 was the addition of language about the school board’s mission.

For Policy and Procedure 1114, Motsenbocker said the board must acknowledge a member’s resignation when they receive it. However, they are not required to fill the vacancy because they still have a quorum with four members. Another addition was a board member’s resignation is considered immediate, unless they state a date in their letter.

If the board decides to fill the vacancy, they must post a public notice and hold interviews in a public meeting. Candidates who are appointed to fill a board vacancy will remain in the seat until the position is up for election.

The third document was Policy and Procedure 1620 “The Board-Superintendent Relationship.” Motsenbocker explained the superintendent’s role is to act as a secretary for the board. Superintendents may delegate staff to perform duties, but they are still responsible for making sure the school board is taken care of.

For Policy 630 “Evaluation of the Superintendent,” Motsenbocker said school superintendents can request no less than three confidential conferences with the board for evaluation.

Finally, Policy 1810 “Annual Governance Goals and Objectives” provides five areas of criteria for school boards to create goals. 

In other business:

• The board approved the second reading of policy and procedure 1105 “Director Districts,” and policies for “Oath of Office,” “Executive or Closed Sessions,” and “Proposed Agenda and Consent Agenda.”
• They also approved renewing Cascade School District’s membership to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).