School Board Recap: January 29, 2026

The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, January 29, 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.

 

Report Out About Day on the Hill

Members of the School Board, district administrators, and Student Representatives to the School Board went to Olympia to talk with seven state legislators about legislative and budget priorities as part of Day on the Hill on January 27, 2026. Board directors and Student Representatives shared their thoughts about the day. The Issaquah School District delegation met with Rep. Lisa Callan, Rep. Janice Zahn, Rep. My-Lin Thai, Sen. Victoria Hunt, Rep. Zach Hall, Sen. Lisa Wellman, and Rep. Steve Bergquist.

Student representatives, board members and administrators talked with the legislators about priorities including funding for special education, transportation and MSOC (materials, supplies and operating costs), as well as bills that are important to Issaquah School District and have the potential to impact our students, staff and families.

Board Member Natalie Anderson said the student representatives did a fantastic job presenting to the legislators and that the personal stories they shared were impactful.

 

Work Study Recap

Board directors offered a summary of the work study session held directly before the regular session; directors and staff discussed Results 2,* regarding Academics. Board President A.J. Taylor noted that the board has asked for a considerable amount of data related to Results 2 in past years, and that it’s helpful to continue to assess what data board members would like to receive connected to Results 2. Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick said that the work study helped surface important questions as part of the process.

*In addition to Results 2, directors also talked with staff about the New High School during the work study session. They included a recap of that discussion as part of the regular-session agenda item later in the agenda.

 

Works in Progress

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

• Outreach related to the three replacement levy proposals on the February 10, 2026 ballot has included more than 60 meetings across community groups, parent-teacher organizations, booster club meetings, service club organizations and more.
   
  • If the replacement measures are not approved by voters, the district will have to backfill costs with general fund dollars, which would affect all students.
     
  • The expiring Educational Programs and Operations Levy helps pay for general education needs not fully funded by the state; the expiring Capital (Technology and Critical Repairs) Levy helps pay for technology and for updates to existing facilities.
     
  • Tow-Yick noted that some community members have asked about fiscal stewardship and transparency. “We do take that very seriously,” Tow-Yick said. “We’ve strategically aligned our spending to student needs. ... Our work is regularly reviewed by state auditors, and guided by community oversight groups such as the Capital Projects Oversight Committee and the Financial Advisory Core Team (FACT), and these reviews and controls help ensure funds are managed responsibly, transparently and in alignment with community expectations.”
     
  • Facts about the renewal levy measures are available on the district website.
     
• On the non-student day January 26, teachers and staff participated in professional learning about topics including elementary literacy instructional practices, fluency and collaboration among students; at the secondary level, teachers and administrators participated in a digital citizenship experience and also learned about AI and the implications of AI for curriculum, assessment and instruction.
   
• Food Services teams across the secondary schools rolled out a new dish this week, “Belle’s Thai Curry,” which is part of their work to align with Strategic Plan priority areas that create spaces and environments where all students feel affirmed in their identity and a sense of belonging. Lorna’s Indian Dal will debut at secondary schools this month. The third new dish was inspired by student voice, and will be served for the first time in March, and is a Japanese chicken and vegetable gyoza soup.

 

New High School Update

Prior to the regular session of the School Board, directors and staff discussed the New High School as part of their work study session. They shared a summary of that discussion, and district staff gave a presentation about the project.

Director Matt Coyne said that community members have shared they want choice and access for students to the best programs in the district, and he hopes our educators and community members will “dream big” while they participate in the planning process.

Superintendent Tow-Yick introduced the presentation, noting that the New High School will initially launch as a choice school to help ease overcrowding at the secondary level and to serve as a model for future innovation districtwide. As the district shared previously, the updated plan is to build a 74,000-square-foot facility with flexible spaces including classrooms, labs, an innovation hub, collaborative learning spaces, an outdoor learning space, a library-research and design lab, and more. Some of the potential pathways that can serve as a foundation of discussions will include flexible spaces that could be used for:

• Entrepreneurship and business
• Environmental sustainability including agriculture
• Health sciences
• Networking and cybersecurity
• Robotics and Engineering

Tow-Yick added that the district has partnered and collaborated with a number of organizations to help inform the work and to stay on the cutting edge of learning. These include the XQ Institute Student Journeys Workshop, Cambiar Education, Getting Smart, Digital Promise and the League of Innovative Schools, Chiefs for Change, and the ASU-GSV Summit.

Julia Bamba, Principal on Assignment for Secondary Innovation, shared about some of the engagement work regarding the New High School that has happened during this school year, including student conversations, a student voices project, design sprints, prototype feedback sessions, administrator design sessions, microschool pilots and a pilot of the Career Kickstart program during the summer. “Our students genuinely love their schools, they really do. But they are also excited to start to have conversations and start to dream big,” Bamba said.

A few of the things students have emphasized in their “dream big” conversations include that they would love to see very creative, inspiring learning spaces that lend themselves to collaboration and design thinking; spaces that prioritize student health and well-being, a prioritization on strong relationships and mentors, and an emphasis on social connections with friends and teamwork.

The next phase of engagement includes:

• The CTE Department is hosting a showing of the nationally recognized film “Multiple Choice,” at 6:30 p.m. on February 26 at Issaquah High School. Free tickets are available online.
• Community Design Sprint.
• Student prototyping and feedback sessions.
• Core Team applications open in April for staff, students, family and community members.
• Website live by the end of February.

School Board members asked questions and had a lengthy conversation. While the proposed school is designed to have a smaller footprint and still meet voter-approved goals to reduce high school overcrowding, board members discussed going further to define what “choice” means. They want to explore other programming models, such as magnet programs, selective enrollment and learning centers. Staff asked for board guidance about grade levels, what a successful first year at the New High School would look like, transportation across the district, program options such as part-time and full-time or hybrid, credit flexibility, pathway sponsors and partnerships. Student Representatives to the School Board also shared ideas.

To watch the full presentation and discussion, visit our YouTube channel.

 

Capital Projects Update

Tom Mullins, Director of Capital Projects, shared an update about Capital Projects. Details include:

• All of the 2018 Critical Repair Levy Projects have been completed or are substantially complete, with the exception of the Challenger Elementary School and Newcastle Elementary School HVAC projects. Those were delayed by the board in June of 2023; the funds are reserved for the two projects.
• Work on 2022 Critical Repair Levy projects continue.
• Team members are pursuing active grant opportunities including with the Department of Commerce for an Energy Efficiency grant, and the Department of Ecology for an electric bus and related infrastructure.
• New High School Update: The City of Issaquah Development Commission unanimously approved the Major Amendment in November. A community member filed an appeal, which is currently in process. A decision on that matter is expected on February 6. We expect to begin construction in March and open the school in August of 2027.
• The Capital Projects Oversight Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. on February 11; the meeting will include a presentation by the design-build team for the New High School.

 

Monitoring Report for Operational Expectation 9, Communicating with the Public

Executive Director of Communications Mark Sherwood presented a monitoring report for OE-9 regarding communicating with the public. The report discusses the work done in the 2024-25 school year, and shares evidence of the board’s expectations for the superintendent and district staff.

As part of the OE-9 monitoring report each year, the district publishes an Annual Community Report on the website. The report shares highlights of some of the methods the district uses to update the community about news, updates, challenges and important topics regarding the district, as well as methods of engagement. In the 2024-25 school year, the Communications Department conducted an audit using the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) framework in 2024-25. The overall rating for the district was “established” on the scales of either emerging, established or exemplary based on seven critical function areas. This audit will serve as a baseline for continuous improvement and will be adjusted as new findings emerge in future audits.

The district is continuing many of the communication methods and channels that it has used in years past, and expanding to add new publications such as more frequent print mailings and the addition of a podcast. Engagement efforts also continue work that has been done as well as expanding newer efforts such as the Back-to-School Resource Fair and additional parent and community committees. Additionally, the district’s Language Access work has expanded.

Board members voted to approve the monitoring report.