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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-06-12 Special Minutes - City Council and Tukwila School Board Joint MeetingJoint School Board — City Council Meeting Summary June 12, 2014 — 5:30 p.m.; School District Administration Building Board Room PRESENT City Council: From City: School Board: From School District: De'Sean Quinn, Council President; Joe Duffle, Dennis Robertson, Allan Ekberg, Verna Seal, Kathy Hougardy and Kate Kruller Mayor Jim Haggerton; Derek Speck and Laurel Humphrey, Staff Mark Wahlstrom, President; Steve Mullet, Dave Larson, and Mary Fertakis, Directors; Mohamed Abdi, Senior Student Representative Nancy Coogan, Superintendent; Katrice Cyphers, Staff The joint Tukwila School Board and City Council meeting consisted of discussions on the following topics: 1. Preschool, Afterschool, and Summer Programs 2. Equity and Diversity 3. Community Partnerships 4. Strategic Plans 5. Homeless Advocacy 6. Pool /School Partnership 7. Early Learning 8. Legislative Partnership The meeting came to order at 5:39 p.m. and Council President Quinn and Board President Wahlstrom jointly welcomed the group and thanked participants for their time. Preschool, Afterschool, and Summer Programs Dr. Coogan announced the recent hire of an early learning coordinator who is actively working on strategies and partnerships. She also shared details about several summer programs, including those that focus on language acquisition, credit retrieval, and preparation for next year, Read /Math 180, and partnership opportunities involving the scientific and medical fields. All programs provide meals throughout the day. City and District staff recently partnered on a Request for Qualifications that was issued to identify a provider and service model for afterschool programming next year. Community Schools Collaboration, the YMCA and City Parks and Recreation have shown interest. Director Fertakis was appointed to a legislative task force regarding state legislation relating to extended learning opportunities. A report is due by the end of 2014. Equity and Diversity The District has undertaken several initiatives relating to equity and diversity and are working with Dr. Caprice Hollins on cultural competency matters. A task force is currently evaluating discipline policies under the lens of social equity, and one of the goals is to significantly reduce suspensions in favor of other options such as positive behavior reinforcement, emotional support, and interventions. Students that under previous policies would have received suspensions are now given the opportunity to work under the supervision of a teacher at Foster library to prevent interruptions to school work. Keeping students engaged is a key focus in the goal of preventing absences, disrespectful behavior and other behavioral issues. Joint City Council- School Board Meeting Minutes June 12, 2014 - Page 2 Board Directors and Councilmembers agreed that equity and diversity is an area where the City and District can leverage partnership opportunities. They both have groups dedicated to looking at improvements, policies and issues, and Council President Quinn and Board President Wahlstrom agreed to further discuss joint opportunities for those groups. Council President Quinn noted that the City and District share a common goal of providing more equitable access to information and services, and under the Mayor's leadership the City has significantly stepped up its outreach to diverse communities. He commended the City's work with Forterra, Global to Local and Futurewise, and recommended those organizations as partners for the District to consider. Dr. Coogan indicated that she has met with Global to Local on outreach to the Latino community. Mayor Haggerton mentioned that limited public transportation can be a barrier to access, and the recent opening of the RapidRide F line as a key east/ west connector is a positive step for the community. Community Partnerships The City has begun a community liaison program designed to increase public involvement in City matters. A recent success was the "Community Conversations" held at Showalter Middle School on March 6 and 8. These events were designed to engage a diverse group of residents regarding the City's update to the Comprehensive Plan. Similarly, the District has a family liaison program designed to reach out to specific communities. The City and the School District can share information to benefit from one another's success strategies. Dr. Coogan reported on the new Black Student Union at Foster High that will also serve a mentorship service for middle school students. In addition, she has been in talks with Rainier Symphony to explore new opportunities to benefit students. Board Director Larson noted that there are many types of music to tap into in Tukwila's diverse community and it would be nice to see some organizational effort around that. Council President Quinn noted the efforts of Peter Donaldson of Sustainability Ambassadors who is doing work to integrate stormwater management and environmental planning into school curricula. Strategic Plans The District will invite the Council and Mayor to the unveiling of their new Strategic Plan later this month. Councilmembers shared their observations about how the City Strategic Plan has impacted their work in committees, from the code enforcement tour provided to the Community Affairs and Parks Committee to numerous transportation- related improvement projects in Transportation Committee. The City and District share mutual concerns about transportation needs and safety improvements such as safe intersections, stoplights, and traffic congestion around school pickup and drop -off times. Information should be freely exchanged regarding these items and will be included on future joint meeting agendas. Homeless Advocacy Board President Wahlstrom stated that homelessness continues to be a serious problem in the District and would like to see traction on legislative efforts, including a joint trip to visit state lawmakers in Olympia. Director Larson noted that the recent passage of Senate Bill 6074 is an encouraging first step as it will improve tracking and data collection in this area, which will help districts better communicate with legislators about the scope of the problem. One example of future legislative relief is reimbursement for taxi service for homeless students, currently estimated to cost the district $300,000 per year. The group agreed that information should continue to be exchanged as much as possible. Director Fertakis noted the current conversion effort at the County regarding rapid rehousing, which is being piloted at Highline School District. Council staff noted that Mark Putnam, Director of King County Committee to End Homelessness, is expected to present to the City Council in July with an update on County activity and that date will be shared with the District when it becomes available. Joint City Council- School Board Meeting Minutes June 12, 2014 - Page 3 Pool /School Partnership Council President Quinn requested a brief update regarding the District's decision to discontinue physical education classes at the Tukwila Pool. Dr. Coogan indicated that this was a financial decision because in order to issue grades to students, only certified instructors with lifeguard skills qualify to teach. The District would like to find a way to resume this program in the future as it is not only an asset to students but helps relieve overcrowding at Foster High. Research into other school districts that also do not own their own pools will be conducted. Early Learning Director Fertakis provided an overview of the Vroom program, as she sits on the advisory committee. Vroom is a new initiative, funded by the Bezos Family Foundation, that provides creative tools and materials to families with the goal of providing critical brain - building opportunities for children aged 0 -5. Vroom is piloting the program in Southwest King County, including Tukwila. The City Council received a presentation from Early Learning Manager Marissa Kaiser in May and all were enthusiastic about this project. Discussion followed about the need to coordinate information about early learning opportunities and providers between the City and District. This would be helpful to new residents in the City who may be overwhelmed by options and information from a variety of sources. Legislative Partnership Attendees agreed this topic had already been covered in the discussion about homeless advocacy. Miscellaneous Wrap -Up Derek Speck informed attendees that a Tukwila Village groundbreaking event is being planned for the afternoon of August 1. More information will be provided as the date approaches. Dr. Coogan requested a status update on the TIB hotels and asked if there was any information about the opportunity for other uses such as student /family short -term housing. The City Administration plans to seek a developer for the Great Bear, Boulevard, and Spruce properties and a selection process will be coming before the Council this year. The City has no specific plans for the Travelers Choice, and the District is welcome to submit ideas. Vacant hotels present numerous challenges that can inhibit other uses, and state building codes are restrictive. Councilmember Robertson shared that he checked into the legality of the use of an empty hotel for student residences and found that you can't limit the use to the District. Future Discussion Items • Transportation /Pedestrian Safety Projects and Concerns • Facilities /Properties • Joint Equity /Diversity Strategies Meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m. Minutes by LH; Reviewed by DS