Aberdeen Schools
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Aberdeen School District No. 5 -- July 26, 2019
Miller Modular for 6th Grade enters re-bar phase
In this update, we can report that the piling work is complete for the modular building at Miller Junior High School and work is on schedule for completion in October. The picture above shows Rognlin's re-bar crew working on the re-bar for the grade beams.
Cameras have been installed overlooking the path students will travel through the city ball fields between Stevens and Miller. In addition, the Maintenance crew was working on the path this past week.
The District posts weekly updates about the project on the website.
Visit the Miller Construction page on the District web site
- Summary of July 23 School Board Meeting
- Budget preview from the Superintendent
- Upcoming Events
Recap of the School Board meeting on July 23
Access the Agenda for July 23, 2019
President Sandra Bielski convened the regular meeting of the Aberdeen School District Board of Directors at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School. Directors present were Jennifer Durney, Bill Dyer and Jeff Nelson, along with Superintendent Alicia Henderson and 15 patrons and staff.
The meeting began with the Flag salute.
Minutes, Bills, Trips & Gifts
The Board approved the Consent Agenda, which included:
- The minutes of the regular meeting on June 18, 2019, and minutes of the special meeting on June 21, 2019;
- June payroll vouchers totaling $3,487,649.85 million;
- General Fund vouchers totaling $1,470,435.05; ASB Fund vouchers totaling $14,156.05; Capital Projects Fund vouchers totaling $324,968.20 and a Private Purpose Trust Fund voucher in the amount of $100.00, and
- Gifts to the District, including:
A grant from the Grays Harbor Community Foundation in the amount of $8,000 in support of the COPE Connection program at Harbor High School;
A grant from the Grays Harbor Community Foundation in the amount of $5,000 in support of the medical assistant program at the Twin Harbors Branch of the Skills Center, and
An update from the comptroller at Aberdeen High School bringing the total for donations in support of the SkillsUSA trip to the national conference and competition to $12,527.80.
Comments from the Board
The Board discussed the seven informal community sessions that took place July 11, July 16 and July 17. Participants included three grandparents, one community member, two parents, a candidate for School Board, an officer of the Aberdeen Education Association at three sessions and an officer of the PSE at one session. Director Bill Dyer said he found the sessions worthwhile and appreciated the opportunity for one-one conversations. Director Jennifer Durney agreed, and noted that, while board members are always available, she appreciated the information that was shared. There was discussion about a Q&A that is being prepared to capture the meetings and the possibility of holding informal meetings again in the future.
Comments from the Audience
Kasi Turner, a teacher at Aberdeen High School, offered comment about APEX online learning; Odysseyware as the district’s digital curriculum; credit recovery, and Grays Harbor Academy.
Superintendent's Report
21st Century Grant:
Superintendent Henderson reported that the district’s application for a 21st Century Grant for the After School Program has been approved. It will provide about $500,000 per year for the next five years to offer programming at Miller Junior High School and at A.J. West, McDermoth and Robert Gray elementary schools. Other funding sources are being identified to offer an after-school program at the high school and Stevens and Central Park elementary schools. Transportation will be provided, as well as snacks and a light supper. She noted that the YMCA of Grays Harbor will be a strong, contracted partner to provide staffing and other services.
CTE Director Lynn Green and Jan Gravley were praised for the exceptional work they did to secure the funding.
Superintendent Sessions:
Dr. Henderson discussed the two informal community sessions she conducted on July 2 and July 8, which drew one person at each meeting plus a representative from the AEA at one of the meetings.
Budget Update:
Superintendent Henderson provided an update on the 2019-2020 budget. No new revenue has been identified, she said, but she was pleased to announce that last week enough savings were confirmed in technology purchases and in central purchasing that she was pleased to announce creation of a districtwide at-risk counselor position. More counseling support has been a goal since three positions were lost during the budget reduction process, she said.
A work study on the budget is planned for 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. You can preview the information here.
Levy Update:
Superintendent Henderson reported that she is no longer recommending that the levy be placed on the fall ballot due to the new requirement that the district’s proposal must first be approved by the state. In fine-tuning the timeline, she said it became clear this week that the district can’t be certain it will receive state approval before the deadline to place a measure on the ballot. She recommended that the School Board conduct a workshop in early September for review and discussion of all finances related to levies, bonds, construction and facility needs.
At-Risk Counselor:
Superintendent Henderson discussed the new, districtwide counseling position that will identify at-risk students and specialize in identifying the supports that principals, teachers and school counselors will need in order to comply with the new discipline procedures that all schools are expected to implement in 2019-2020. The position will collect and analyze data to help the district identify, from a systems view, where students struggle and research the supports that may be needed to improve outcomes for students who are failing classes or who are being excluded from class due to behavior. Dr. Henderson noted the new procedures and reporting requirements did not come with additional funding from the state.
Miller Modular Building:
Superintendent Henderson reported that the piling work is completed and construction of the foundation is well under-way on the new modular building for 6th Grade at Miller Junior High School.
Stevens School Update:
Superintendent Henderson reported that the staff at Stevens Elementary School is comfortable moving forward with a plan for relocating during construction of a new school. There is a planning meeting next week with the bond counsel with the goal of placing a bond measure before voters next spring.
Additional business by the Board:
Imagine Learning
The Board approved a contract for Imagine Learning as the district’s software for supplemental literacy, mathematics and language acquisition in the amount of $136,000. Superintendent Henderson said the program was first introduced to support the ELL (English Language Learners) program, but there were requests from all the schools to use it to support reading and math, too.
New Intercom System for Miller and Stevens
The Board awarded the bid for a new intercom system at Miller Junior High School and Stevens Elementary School to Visiplex, Inc., in the amount of $90,026.
Fiscal Status Report
Executive Director of Business and Operations Elyssa Louderback presented the Fiscal Status Report for June. With 83.33 percent of the fiscal year elapsed, revenue is at 80.59 percent of budget and expenditures are at 84.77 percent of budget.
2019-2020 Paper Bid
The Board awarded the paper contract for 2019-2020 to Aberdeen Office Equipment.
Athletic Trainer Services
The Board approved renewal of the contract with Trinity Parris in the amount of $11,000 to provide athletic trainer and concussion protocol/evaluation services.
Special Education Contract for Psychologists
The Board approved contracting with The Hello Foundation to place Autumn Schreiber and Jennifer Cockrell in the district as school psychologists. Superintendent Henderson explained that this will be a new model to provide services to students, with each psychologist spending a week in the district and performing the rest of their work remotely. The district has been unable to fill vacancies, she added, and the decision was made to try this model for one year.
Comments from the Audience
Kasi Turner asked questions about the location of the softball fields when the new Stevens School is constructed and about the new at-risk counselor position.
Personnel Matters
The Board approved the Personnel Report.
The Board approved out-of-endorsement assignments for Shawn Stevenson to teach one period of P.E. at Harbor High School and for Mary Mainio to teach P.E. and the Highly Capable Program at McDermoth Elementary School.
Next Meeting
The next meeting is a work study for review of the 2019-2020 budget at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School. The next regular meeting is set for Tuesday, August 6, 2019.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, July 30:
- School Board. Work study, 5 p.m. in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School.
Meeting information and the budget presentation are on the District website
August 6:
- School Board, regular meeting, 5 p.m. in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School.
August 14:
- School Offices open for 2019-2020
August 21-23:
- Miller Back-to-School Days
- AHS Bobcat Days
August 28:
- First Day of School
August 29
- First Day of School for 8th Graders at Miller
September 2
- Labor Day Holiday / No School
Aberdeen School District No. 5
Email: districtnews@asd5.org
Website: www.asd5.org
Location: 216 North G St.
Phone: (360) 538-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AberdeenSchoolDistrict5/