School Board Meeting Recap: January 30, 2025

The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 30, 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. 

 

Update about the February 11, 2025, School Bond 

The board shared a video highlighting five things that Proposition 1 will do for our community, then highlighted the bond fact sheet that was mailed to all households in the district. 

Superintendent Tow-Yick also shared three “Day in the Life” videos recorded by students from Liberty High School, Issaquah High School and Skyline High School. 

Executive Director of Communications Mark Sherwood shared key dates for the February 11 Special election. Sherwood highlighted the common questions section of the district’s bond website, and a few of the communication methods that the district has used to share facts about the bond measure.  

Director Mullings asked about key upcoming communication items, and Sherwood shared that he and his team are continuing to share facts at community meetings, working with local media on potential coverage, and more. 

Director Gallinger highlighted a post that shared the facts related to three myths or untruths being shared about Proposition 1. Those myths include: 

Sherwood said that the Communications team will continue to share facts in response to misinformation about the bond. 

Director Coyne asked about NextDoor and misinformation that he has heard of from concerned community members. Sherwood shared that the district is posting links to facts; and has also received messages from residents asking for facts to share in response to misinformation on NextDoor. 

For the full update about the February 11 school election, visit our YouTube Channel. 

 

Works in Progress 

Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick shared highlights from across the district, including: 

• We continue to engage in the “5,000 Days” Project, and are currently accepting applicants for the next group of students to participate.  
• Our cheerleading teams from Skyline, Liberty and Issaquah High School competed at the state championships last weekend. Skyline placed first in traditional and gameday categories; Liberty placed first in gameday (during the school’s first-ever trip to the state competition); and Issaquah High placed second in the gameday competition. 
• Tow-Yick and other administrators are in mid-year budget conversations. Those include conversations about data, technology and process improvement that can help the district be more effective across systems and departments. This also includes conversations about Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to best serve students across the district; and about Special Services. 
• The National Center for Education Statistics released the “Nation’s Report Card.” Not every district participates in Washington state every year. Our district has had a handful of schools participate in years past. Generally speaking, Washington state outperforms the nation, and ISD students perform at a higher level than the rest of Washington state. 
• Cabinet had a wonderful visit to Discovery Elementary, with the opportunity to see Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive practices. Their focus is on opportunity gap closure, with effective use of data. They also saw intentional work to make math fun. 
• Tow-Yick had the chance to visit Issaquah Valley Elementary during the school’s Lunar New Year recognition, where she read a book to kindergarten students; and the opportunity to visit Briarwood Elementary, and enjoyed seeing the flags of the many countries of students and their families 
• “We are completely unwavering in our commitment to serving and welcoming all students and their families to our schools for a high quality educational experience and partnership,” Tow-Yick said. “Our teams across all positions treat each student and family with dignity and respect and recognition of their unique identities and their strengths, and we will continue to do so. That’s our job every day.” Quoting Board President Marnie Maraldo, Tow-Yick said, ‘All means all, and that’s what all means.’” 

To watch Tow-Yick's full report about works in progress, visit our YouTube Channel. 

 

Highlights from the “Funding Our Schools Forum: A community Conversation on Budgeting, Capital Projects and Oversight” 

Tow-Yick said that she and Turney hosted this event on January 21 at Cougar Mountain Middle School. Turney shared some of the slides from the presentation, including an overview of the types of funds in the general fund, sources of revenue, types of enrollment. Other information shared during the forum included: 

• How levies are used compared to how bonds are used. 
• Gaps in state funding, including Special Education, Transportation and Materials, Supplies and Operating Costs (MSOC). Together, those three areas have been underfunded in the Issaquah School District for a total of $102 million since 2020. 
• An overview of the annual budgeting process, including expense management. 
• What different types of measuring enrollment mean, including full-time equivalent and headcount. 
• Audit findings and actions the district has taken. 
• The district is accepting volunteer applications for the Capital Projects Committee through February 11.  

Board members shared their response to the information shared at the forum.  

For the full highlights about the funding forum, visit our YouTube Channel. 

 

Recap from the Work Study Session 

Before the regular board session, the board members and staff met in a work study session about “Results 2: Academics and Foundations.” Directors shared their reflections about the work study discussion, including student data and results. 

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

 

Recap from the School Board Town Hall 

Director Dr. Harlan Gallinger said that the board members hosted a town hall on January 23 in person at the district office, with a virtual option available on Zoom. About 40 people attended altogether, with half in person and half online. 

Director Matt Coyne said the town hall was interesting, and expressed gratitude that community members attended. Many of the people who attended in person were from the Providence Point community, Coyne said. 

To listen to the discussion and recap of the town hall, visit our YouTube Channel. 

 

Update About the Student Representative to the School Board Program 

In the fall, the board approved updates to Governance Policy 12 (GP-12) the Student Representative to the School Board program. 

Board Directors and Student Representatives to the School Board shared their reflections about the program and the adjustments that were made in the fall. 

The recruitment process for the next year of student representatives will begin in March. 

To listen to the full discussion about the Student Representatives to the School Board, visit our YouTube Channel. 

 

Capital Projects Update 

Director of Capital Projects Tom Mullins updated the board about capital projects that are underway. He shared highlights including: 

• The 2018 Capital Levy: 25 projects are complete, six projects are substantially Complete, 11 projects are in process and two projects remain. 
• Update about the 2022 Capital Levy projects. 
• Other projects: 
  • Continued repair after the November windstorm 

To watch the update and discussion, visit our YouTube Channel.  

 

Legislative Updates 

Director Taylor shared that the Legislature has several bills about the “Big 3” funding gaps in Transportation, Special Education and MSOC (Materials, Supplies and Operating Costs). Taylor noted that Gallinger and Turney have both testified in Olympia about the Issaquah School District’s experiences and how underfunding affects the district. 

Taylor will also travel to Washington D.C . to meet Board President Marnie Maraldo and learn about federal advocacy for education. 

For the legislative updates discussion, visit our YouTube Channel.