Superintendent: Safety, Funding, Priorities. More

Dear Issaquah School District Parents, Caregivers, Students, Staff and Community,

We have had a wonderful first few days together and look forward to welcoming our incoming kindergarten students tomorrow! As a district, we believe every student deserves the chance to thrive and make a meaningful impact on the world. Our goal is to empower every student with the skills and confidence to succeed in life after graduation. This takes meaningful partnerships between students, families, educators, community members and our School Board.

We take pride in providing strong programs and one of the best K-12 learning experiences. Thanks to the support of our staff and community, we are among the best-performing school districts in Washington, ranked No. 4 by Niche, earning top marks from GreatSchools.org, and recognized nationally by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, 13 of our schools were recently honored by the Washington State Board of Education for closing gaps and improving growth. While we have much to celebrate, we must continue to innovate, expand supports and close achievement gaps so every student can thrive.

Our schools work hard to provide welcoming learning environments for all students, and safety remains one of our highest priorities. Each year, we review safety protocols, hold regular drills for active threats and weather events, and collaborate with first responders and law enforcement to ensure coordinated support is in place. We know incidents elsewhere can affect our community, and our counseling teams and resources are available to support students. We also ask everyone to report any potential threats to law enforcement or school officials immediately.

One of the biggest challenges we face each year is making sure our budget adequately supports student outcomes. Our annual state and federal funding does not cover all services, programs and resources for students and we must rely on levy support from our community. We have started important conversations about our February 2026 renewal levies. These levies close the gap between state funding and the actual cost of operating our schools by supporting essential programs such as classroom support, technology, building repairs and transportation. As one example, the Educational Programs and Operations Levy makes up 16.6% of the district's yearly budget and without renewal, students, staff and programming will be directly impacted.

To guide this work and ensure our priorities are aligned with our students’ needs, we will begin our strategic plan refresh during the 2025-26 school year. Our priorities focus on student well-being, academic opportunities, diverse talent, authentic engagement and organizational effectiveness. It is a privilege to serve alongside the educators and administrators who guide our Strategic Plan and keep our work focused on what matters most — positive outcomes for students.

At the same time, we will take a deeper dive into building our “Profile of a Learner” and identifying the durable skills students need after graduation. We will host community conversations about youth mental health, explore the evolution of artificial intelligence and how it fits into our district for both educators and students, and continue to engage families in meaningful ways that strengthen learning. As a highlight, this spring we will also welcome districts from across the country to our region as we co-host a national convening of the League of Innovative Schools, by Digital Promise.

Together, with joy in learning and a shared commitment to partnership, we can ensure our students are not only prepared for what comes next but also inspired to shape a brighter future for us all.

In partnership,

 

Heather Tow-Yick
Superintendent
Issaquah School District