An Uplifting School Board Meeting on September 14th

This summer the Cascade School District (CSD) school board, superintendent and school administrators put in extra hours preparing for the beginning of the school year, having to react to evolving public health recommendations about how to safely conduct learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school board meeting on September 14th, in contrast, was relatively short. With the schools’ flywheel gaining momentum for three weeks, there were fewer time-sensitive issues to discuss.

During the Policy Review, the board had a brief discussion of the Highly Capable Program, made more robust in the last year. Superintendent Tracey Beckendorf-Edou clarified that Mike Janski, Icicle River Middle School (IRMS) principal, administers the program, while Tyler Cox, district school psychologist, serves as the coordinator and advisor. Board member Cindy Puckett praised the improvements, saying, “We should have done this years ago.”

When discussing a policy about charge cards, Dwight Remick, executive director of finance and operations, explained there were about ten accounts, including for himself, the superintendent and each building.

The board did a first read on an updated policy about HIV-AIDS prevention education, which hadn’t been updated since 2006. “Similar to our current pandemic, it is and has been important to provide accurate and age-appropriate information about the HIV epidemic,” Beckendorf-Edou said. “Avoiding misinformation helps people keep themselves and their communities safe, and also helps us treat people with dignity and respect.”

The policies on both student teachers and administrative internships spurred a brief discussion. When asked how many administrative interns the district tended to have each year, the answer was about one every year or two. Currently, Flor Murgui-West is completing an internship under Kenny Renner-Singer at Alpine Lakes Elementary (ALE).

The school board approved the new Public School Employees (PSE) contract for 2020-2023. This contract covers classified staff, including bus drivers, paraprofessionals, food service workers, custodians and some administrative positions. The contract is complex and required input from administrators and PSE co-president Debbie Nelson and vice president Kathryn Praye.

The meeting ended with a number of accolades and other good news.

The Kodiak Cubs preschool was accepted to be a Preschool Inclusionary Demonstration Site, which will allow for the sharing of knowledge with a network of sites overseen by the University of Washington’s Haring Center for Inclusive Education. Inclusion in education refers to a model wherein students with special needs spend most or all of their time with non-special needs students. One feature of the Kodiak Cubs that stood out was the utilization of high schoolers in the preschool classroom. Student who take the child development course level one and two get to observe and participate, respectively, with the preschoolers on a frequent basis.

Beckendorf-Edou shared the news of several recent grants, most having to do with internet connectivity. “InvestEd helped us purchase the equipment to put in a public Wi-Fi access point at the Dryden Softball Field,” she said. A $5000 grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington will go toward hotspots for families who need access. Parent Tracy Bowerman helped the district apply for that grant. 

“Upper Valley MEND provided funding, on behalf of the school district, to LocalTel to be able to put internet directly into the homes of fifteen families in need,” Beckendorf-Edou continued. “LocalTel is also providing two months of free internet, technical support and coordination efforts to make this possible.”

IRMS librarian Amy Massey and choir director Mindy Wall applied for a grant with Guitars for Hope. The district received five ukuleles, one guitar, six cases and some tuners.

Board members and the superintendent expressed deep satisfaction with the very successful launch to the school year. School board member Cyndi Garza was praised. “Cyndi is doing so much good work at Upper Valley MEND [for which Garza is also a board member],” said school board member Zachary Miller.

“I’m impressed with this community, which surrounds this district with so much support. The community is always asking, ‘What do we need to do for our students?’” said Beckendorf-Edou, who has now lived in Leavenworth for just over one year.

Peshastin Dryden Elementary principal Emily Ross shared a story that highlighted the success. “Bonnie Phipps, the ESL teacher, reached out to all the families she works with. Every one of them is proud of what is happening, and their kids are learning.”

It was noted that not only are teachers working really hard, with new platforms and methodologies, but they are isolated. They are not connecting with students in-person, which is one of the driving factors of why they entered the education sector. Ideas of how to show teachers gratitude were shared. “The PTO is bringing coffee to all staff in all of the buildings,” Ross said. 

Parents and students are encouraged to share appreciation through positive expression of gratitude, whether through email or social media. And almost nothing beats a hand-written note from a child to cheer a teacher during these challenging times.