School Board Meeting Recap: January 16, 2025

The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 16, at the Issaquah School District Administration Building. The meeting was open to the public, and was broadcast live on the district’s YouTube channel, where a recording of the meeting is available.

Today we’re sharing a summary of a few of the topics the board and district staff discussed and actions the board took at the meeting. It is not an official record or meeting minutes. To review official minutes from all board meetings, please visit our board meeting archive webpage. Or, for other board information such as upcoming meeting dates, times and agendas, and more, visit our School Board page.
 

Work Study Recap

Before the regular session, board members and staff met for a work study about Results in Academics and Foundations. Sharing out about the work study, board members said the work study session gave the opportunity for the board members to talk about data they would like to see before the Results process moves forward.

For the full recap about the work study, visit our YouTube Channel.

Report from the 2025 Legislative Conference

Board members shared about the 2025 Legislative Conference on January 11 and 12 in SeaTac; the conference was hosted by the Washington State School Directors Association, the Washington Association of School Administrators and the Washington Association of School Business Officials.

Student Representative to the School Board Milo Walsh thanked the board for the opportunity to attend, and said it was an interesting experience. She said students on a panel talked about gaps in funding and what being an engaged student looks like. Student Representative to the School Board Havah Alcorn said she enjoyed learning about the history of funding in Washington state and what the education leaders in the state want to do to fix the gaps in funding. Alcorn said she enjoyed a presentation about “Dignity vs. Contempt." Other student representatives also noted that they found value in the conference discussion of the “Big 3” funding gaps that affect all school districts: Special Education, Transportation and MSOC (materials, supplies and operating costs).

Board member A.J. Taylor reflected that it’s going to be a tough legislative session this year, and that there was a frank acknowledgement of that at the conference. Taylor said he appreciates the clear-mindedness of focusing on the “Big 3” issues of gaps in funding.

Mullings expressed frustration with people who purposely share misinformation about school funding issues and committed to continuing to share facts and important information about funding and persistent gaps with the public.

Tow-Yick said she appreciated the panel about student voice and student engagement, to foster relationships that encourage authentic connections and help collect genuine feedback from students.

For the full report about the legislative conference, visit our YouTube Channel.
 

Works in Progress

Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick offered highlights from recent activities and events from throughout the district, including:

• Technology and AI: We are assessing our effective use of technology, as well as use of information and data sources, to better support students and teaching and learning.
   
• Enrollment: District staff are studying enrollment patterns because of the important role of enrollment as an indicator of the health of the district.
   
• Strategic Plan: We are in the second year of implementing the Strategic Plan and are already looking toward the final year of the 3-Year Strategic Plan. We are also planning for the next three-year plan, which would begin in the 2026-27 school year.
   
• Budget cycle: District administrators are working to develop the 2025-26 budget, while also working with other districts to support legislative efforts related to the “Big 3” funding requests.
   
• Secondary grading: A third meeting of the secondary grading practices group happened in partnership with the Issaquah Education Association.
   
• Staff have been working to share facts about the February 11 school bond.
   
• In February, the district is upgrading the Skyward 2.0 system to Skyward Qmlativ. There will be no access to Skyward from February 11-23 during the transition. Most of that time falls within Second Winter Break.

To hear the full report about works in progress, visit our YouTube Channel.

 

Update about February 2025 School Bond

Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney and Executive Director of Communications Mark Sherwood shared a presentation about Proposition 1, the updated school bond measure to fund projects related to safety, security and high school overcrowding.

The $231.6 million bond was refined based on community feedback. It will:

• Address safety and student learning needs.
   
• Ease capacity to alleviate overcrowding.
   
• Maintain the current projected tax rate.
   
• Have stronger project oversight and accountability.
   
• Allow for immediate construction of the New High School.

Details about the projects by location are available on the website, Turney said. The presentation also included information about high school enrollment. Each of the comprehensive high schools is above permanent building capacity as of October 2024 (OSPI Report Card):

• Issaquah High School:
  • Current enrollment: 2,494
  • Permanent capacity: 1,987
     
• Skyline High School:
  • Current enrollment: 2,265
  • Permanent capacity: 1,547
     
• Liberty High School:
  • October enrollment: 1,502
  • Permanent capacity: 1,121

Additional comments and discussion occurred about the listed OSPI enrollment from October for ISD and other high schools is not a true representation of headcount. The chart on slide 6 of this presentation has been updated to compare total headcount enrollment with other large high schools that now includes both Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) and all Running Start students at each school location. This OSPI Report Card sourced headcount is higher and demonstrates each school is operating at a larger percentage above permanent capacity than just considering the October 2024 FTE enrollment.

Turney shared information about the costs for the New High School project, which currently total an estimated $292.7 million. Of that the district has:

• Spent $20 million so far on project costs.
   
• $90 million in unspent capital project funds available for the New High School.
   
• $44 million in capital levy construction funds from 2022.

The remaining amount needed to complete the project is $138.7 million. This is the amount reflected in the updated February bond package.

Since 2015, in response to requests from residents at Providence Point (the neighboring community next to the site of the New High School), the district made the following accommodations with these increased costs:

• Increased the setbacks and buffers to an average of 60 feet: $13.5 million.
   
• Moved the football field and stadium to the center of the site, further from Providence Point neighbors: $1.2 million.
   
• Agreed not to use the existing site access on the south side of the property due to neighbor concerns about noise: $1 million.
   
• Agreed to treat stormwater to an enhanced (more expensive) option: $200,000.

The additions to the project total for these accommodations total $15.9 million.

The presentation also included details about the project cost breakdown for the New High School, and the cost escalation. In response to questions about the selection of the site for the New High School, Turney also shared a map showing the possible land parcels that were evaluated for a new high school. Only one site met all of the selection criteria needed for the school.

The district is establishing a Capital Projects Oversight Committee, Sherwood said, to help ensure transparency and accountability. A call for volunteers for the committee will be sent to the community soon.

Community members are invited to two events:

• Funding Our Schools Forum: A Community Conversation on Budgeting, Capital Projects and Oversight
  • January 21, 2025: 6-7 p.m. in the library at Cougar Mountain Middle School.
  • Hosted by Tow-Yick and Turney.
     
• School Board Town Hall
  • January 23, 2025: 7-8:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Administration Building (with a virtual option on Zoom).
  • Hosted by the members of the School Board.

Director Matt Coyne said he has had conversations with members of the public and wanted to emphasize that answers to many questions about the February bond are available on the district bond webpage. Coyne said he has also heard confusion about whether the November bond passed. He reiterated that although the bond received more than 50% “yes” votes, it would have required a 60% supermajority to pass.

“We do need a fourth high school. That need is not going away,” Board President Marnie Maraldo said.

Mullings asked that community members carefully consider the source of any information being shared about the district, the proposed bond measure or the New High School, and the reason that the person is sharing it.

To watch the full presentation about the February bond, visit our YouTube Channel.

 

Contingency Plan for April 2025 Capital Levy

If the February bond measure fails, the School Board may consider placing a capital levy measure on the April 2025 Special Election ballot to help fund the New High School. The possible six-year capital levy would collect a total of $118.7 million. That amount would not be sufficient to cover the needed funds remaining for the New High School, so the board might vote to use $20 million of reserve funds to cover the gap.

Board Director Dr, Harlan Gallinger said the reason for discussing the possible capital levy before the February 11 vote is twofold:

• If the board wants to put a measure on the April ballot, the deadline for filing with King County is in February.
• Board members want to be thoughtful, proactive and transparent about next steps if the February bond fails, Gallinger said.

Coyne emphasized that the reason to consider a capital levy is that the threshold for voters to approve a levy measure is a 50% simple majority, while a bond in Washington state currently requires a 60% supermajority to pass.

Mullings highlighted a similar message, noting that the order of plans is important. The bond measure provides the opportunity for no projected increase to the total combined tax rate. If the bond fails, the capital levy is the next opportunity to collect needed funds for the New High School. At that point, Mullings said, the board members would need to consider other contingency plans to address overcrowding at the high school level.

Board members adjusted the total amount of collection of the Capital Levy to $138.7 million,* and voted to approve a possible April capital levy measure as a contingency plan if the February bond fails.

For the full discussion about the potential capital levy, visit our YouTube Channel.

*When the Communications Team initially published the Board Recap, the total collection amount was included from the original proposal. We updated this figure on January 29 to reflect the motion that the board made and approved.

2025-26 Budget Development Guidelines

At the December meeting, the School Board discussed Budget Development Guidelines for the 2025-26 budget. During the January 16 meeting, the board reviewed requested updates to the guidelines, along with a timeline for the budget development.

Board members voted to approve the budget development guidelines and timeline.

To watch the discussion of the budget development guidelines, visit our YouTube Channel.

 

Monitoring Report for Operational Expectation (OE) 9, Communicating with the Public

Superintendent Tow-Yick shared a monitoring report for OE-9, and highlighted several elements:

• This monitoring report has shifted significantly from prior monitoring reports of Executive Limitation 9, as part of the board’s shift from a policy governance model to a coherent governance model.
   
• Our Equity and Family Partnership team has done significant work to host many two-way communication opportunities and events for the community to receive information, ask questions and give input.
   
• Partnerships such as the new agreement with Care Solace in the 2023-24 school year to connect students, staff and family members with mental health care providers.
   
• Regular work and new methods for communication about the work of students and staff; across digital and traditional media.
   
• The district’s annual report for 2023-24, as required by OE-9.

Board members asked for a few potential additions to the report for the next school year, then voted to approve the monitoring report. Student Representatives to the School Board also took an advisory vote on this monitoring report, and voted in favor of approving the report.

For the full discussion of OE-9, visit our YouTube Channel.

 

Update on Sustainability Policy

Tow-Yick shared progress on the draft Sustainability Policy that was initiated and championed by students, followed by a discussion.

Students who have participated in the process were also at the meeting to answer questions from the board members and hear about next steps for the policy.

To watch the update on the sustainability policy, visit our YouTube Channel.