School Board Recap: February 12, 2026

The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, February 12, 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.

 

Work Study Recap

Board directors offered a summary of the work study session held directly before the regular session. During that session, directors and staff discussed updated demographic information and projections for the district. Board members shared their thoughts and reflections about the fresh data.

 

Works in Progress

Superintendent Tow-Yick shared highlights from recent projects and activities throughout the district, including:

• A look ahead at upcoming community, education, heritage and cultural events and observances.
• Incoming ninth grade information nights are happening across the district, and Superintendent Tow-Yick had the opportunity to attend the event at Issaquah High School recently. The evening included information about the Course Request Process, as well as a preview of the spring musical, “Mean Girls Jr.,” which will run at 7 p.m. March 4-7 in the theater at I.H.S.; on March 7, there will also be a matinee at 2 p.m.
• In the first year of girls flag football in our district, all three of our high school teams had great seasons and were proceeding to the state competitions.
• Staff are working on a refresh of the Strategic Plan.
   

Update About Levy Proposals

All three levy renewal measures are passing, according to results from King County Elections. Each measure was passing with more than the required 50% plus one vote. Results were scheduled to be certified by elections officials on February 20.

“I feel so grateful to our community and to our voters,” Superintendent Tow-Yick said.

Staff offered an update about the campaign to share facts about the proposed renewal measures with the community. The three measures will replace the expiring levy measures that were approved by voters in 2022. Next steps will include budget development, to bring planning in alignment with enrollment trends and other factors that affect the budget. The district will continue budget planning with regular updates during School Board meetings, as well as sharing budget facts during Capital Projects Oversight meetings and FACT (Financial Analysis Core Team).

Board members and district staff also thanked community members and Volunteers for Issaquah Schools for helping to share factual information about the measures with the community.

 

Monitoring Report for Results 2: Academics and Foundations

District administrators shared the monitoring report for Results 2: Academics and Foundations.

“We are excited to share tonight’s Results 2 Report, which shows that our district continues to perform at a high level overall, while also making measurable progress on one of the most important priorities, closing opportunity gaps,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jacqueline Downey said.

Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Services Rich Mellish said the data shows:

• At the elementary level, student performance on state math and literacy tests remains strong. Results from the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) show that ISD elementary students continue to perform at or above the level of peer districts, and above the state average.
• At the middle school level, results show solid performance in English Language Arts and math SBA.
• At the high school level, several leading indicators are strong: the number of ninth grade students passing all classes remains above state averages, and four-year graduation and continuing graduation rates are among the highest in the state for districts with multiple schools.

“Most notably, this report shows ;clear opportunity gap closure in graduation and continuation rates over three years, sustained improvement,” Downey said. “Gaps have narrowed substantially for our BIPOC student group, low-income students, and students with disabilities. This is an important proof point, with focused strategy, aligned supports and consistent monitoring, gap closure is possible at scale.”

Board members shared comments and reflections about the data from Results 2, then voted unanimously to approve the report.