School Board Recap: August 27, 2026

The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, August 27, at the Issaquah School District Administration Building. The meeting was open to the public and broadcast live on the district’s YouTube channel, where a recording of the meeting is available. This recap highlights selected topics of discussion and board actions. It is not an official record of the meeting. Official minutes can be found on the district’s board meeting archive webpage, and additional information about future meetings is available on the School Board page.

 

Introduction of New Administrators

Administrators who are new to the district and administrators who are in new positions in the district were introduced to the School Board and the community. They include:

• Will Paananen, Executive Director of Secondary Education, Admin
• Stephanie King, Executive Director of Special Services & Integrated Supports, Admin
• Tamra Scheetz, Director of MTSS and Student Well-Being, Admin
• Sarah Talbot, Director of Special Services – Secondary Schools, Admin
• Brittney Lee, Director of Early Learning and Specialized Programs, Holly Street
• Megan Steinman-Neal, Assistant Principal, Skyline High School
• Jessica Springer, Assistant Principal, Issaquah High School
• Daryn Walter, Assistant Principal, Issaquah High School

 

2026-27 Budget Adoption

At the August 13 meeting, Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney, and Executive Director of Finance and Budget Moriah Banasick presented context, background information and facts about the 2026-27 budget. The School Board also hosted a public hearing about the budget during the August 13 meeting. The draft Annual Budget Guide is available on the website, and budget documents are available in the full agenda on the website. For a longer recap of the budget discussion during the prior meeting, read the School Board Recap for August 13.

Board members shared feedback about the budget process, which occurs every year across many months with multiple opportunities for students, staff, families and community members to learn about the budget process and provide feedback.

The board members unanimously approved the budget for the 2026-27 school year.

 

Work Study Recap

Before the regular session, the members of the board and administrators met for a work study session about a schoolwide behavior plan. Board members shared that the information and conversation were useful and a good foundation to build upon. They also would like to ensure that the district works to adopt it uniformly and communicate about the work and the process so that the community members are fully informed and aware of the work.

 

Works in Progress

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

• The first day of school for grades 1-12 on August 27 was great. Tow-Yick and Newcastle Principal Julia Dorn were interviewed on KING5 news as part of their back-to-school coverage. Tow-Yick also visited Pacific Cascade Middle School, Beaver Lake Middle School, Endeavour Elementary, Cascade Ridge Elementary and Issaquah Valley Elementary.
• Mayor Mark Mullet also visited Issaquah Valley Elementary on the first day, and had the opportunity to visit a Dual Language fifth grade classroom and another fifth grade class.
• Kindergarten students and families have been meeting with teachers across the district for Kindergarten Connection meetings so that students can begin to build relationships with their teachers and begin to be more comfortable in their new classrooms and schools.

 

Bond Refunding

Executive Director of Finance and Budget Moriah Banasick introduced the agenda topic and shared that in June, the district refunded 2016 bonds, resulting in $18.6 million in tax savings. Piper Sandler's Managing Director of Public Finance Trevor Carlson shared a presentation and update about the bond refunding process. Refunding (refinancing) bonds provides debt service savings by reducing the borrowing cost on outstanding bonds. Carlson said that the June refunding of the 2016 bonds was the first of three opportunities.

The other two possible refunding opportunities are for savings on the 2015 and 2017 bonds. Board members approved potential refinancing for all three options during a public meeting earlier in the calendar year.

 

Capital Projects Update

Director of Capital Projects Tom Mullins shared updates about projects throughout the district, including:

• Beaver Lake Middle School elevator modernization is complete.
• New High School: The footings and foundations of the high school building are complete, and other work continues Mullins shared updated photos from the site. Construction is progressing on schedule, with the building’s “substantial completion” estimated for June of 2027. The substantial completion of the site is estimated for August of 2027.

Board members asked questions and shared feedback about the projects.

 

New High School Update

Administrators shared the latest information about the New High School. The application for the Advisory Team opens Monday, August 31. Additional details will be shared in the district bulletin on August 31.

Principal on Special Assignment Julia Bamba updated the board about the timeline for the Core Team (a group of district staff who are helping to design programming and curriculum), the Advisory Team, operational planning, engagement and enrollment. Executive Director of Communications Mark Sherwood offered an overview of the Communications plan for the New High School.

Board members asked questions and offered specific feedback and direction.

 

Monitoring Report for Operational Expectation 13 (OE-13), Facilities

Administrators presented the monitoring report for OE-13 for the 2025-26 school year. Board members asked questions and discussed the information in the report, then voted unanimously to approve the report.

 

2026-27 BEA (Basic Education Allocation) Compliance Report

The board removed this item from the Consent Agenda for discussion. After discussion, the board members approved the compliance report with a vote of 3-2.