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Northwest Educational Service District 189

Mission

Together we can…
promote equity and excellence
through leadership and service.

Vision

To be an indispensable partner
to our region’s school communities.

Values

Responsive customer service.
Open communication.
Regional collaboration.
Flexible teamwork.
Adaptable professional learning.
Positive relationships.

Goals

Provide quality services
that meet our region’s needs.
Prepare students for college,
career, and citizenship.
Foster educator effectiveness
to assure equity and opportunity
for all students.

NWESD trees

A letter from our superintendent

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD), I am pleased to submit this annual report for the 2022-23 school year. The repercussions of a global pandemic continue to challenge students, families, educators, and communities across our region. From increased mental health challenges to learning loss to enrollment decline and budget challenges, school systems across the NWESD region and beyond face numerous obstacles and barriers.  As your educational partner, NWESD staff embrace our role of providing comprehensive support to help you realize your vision of success and opportunity for all.

The information that follows highlights the stories of the five counties, 35 school districts, 368 schools, and over 10,000 professional educators and 165,000 students of the NWESD region. Within this information there is great cause for celebration and pride at the accomplishments of educators and students and the important role the NWESD plays as a regional support agency. We are also reminded of the unfinished work ahead to provide greater opportunity, access, and outcomes for all students, families, and communities.

Educational service districts are fond of saying that “service” is our middle name. Each day I am proud and humbled to witness the 260+ NWESD staff fulfill our mission of equity and excellence with dedication, commitment, optimism, and expertise.  Our vision is to be an indispensable partner to our region’s school communities.  We strive to be where you need us, when you need us, providing the service, leadership, and support you expect as your trusted and reliable friends and colleagues.  We know that your trust must continue to be earned every day through our unwavering efforts to meet your needs through the dozens of value-added programs and services we offer.

That is what motivates and animates our work.  Thank you for the honor of working with you to support the greatest endeavor of humankind – the growth, development, health, and success of the next generation of learners and leaders.

Larry Francois


Larry Francois
Superintendent

A Brief History of
Educational Service Districts

Did you know? Educational Service Districts (ESDs) provide a vital link between public schools, private schools, and various state and federal agencies. This includes working closely with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). In Washington State, there are nine ESDs that support a total of 295 school districts. These nine ESDs comprise the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD). ESDs are critically necessary in Washington state, providing resources to facilitate the implementation of essential educational services and statewide education initiatives. The ESD structure was established in 1969 by the State Legislature to assure that quality services are available to all public and private schools in their respective service areas.

The NWESD, as part of the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), has been actively engaged in supporting schools as they work to safely support staff and students as instructional services proceed remotely and in-person.

The office of the county superintendent was established by the territorial government in the 1850s to oversee public schools in Washington. By the 1900s, there were over 2,600 school districts and 2,900 schools; many of those schools were their own district, making the role of the county superintendent critical in overseeing and administering all these districts.

Over the decades, school districts slowly consolidated the present-day number of 295. As population communication and technology grew, the state education agency – the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) – assumed more of the oversight and regulatory functions of the county superintendents. From 1940-1970 school districts were consolidating, and there were also multiple consolidations of the county of superintendent offices. In the 1960s, most of the regulatory and oversight functions of the county superintendent offices were eliminated. Instead, those offices evolved into primarily service and support roles for the school systems within their regions. In the 1970s, these consolidated county offices were renamed as educational service districts to highlight their service mission, and consolidation of the county offices culminated in the nine statewide ESDs in existence today.

From the 1970s to today, the service mission of ESDs has continued to grow. In addition to supporting OSPI and the State Board of Education in fulfillment of their duties, ESDs’ most important function is to provide equity of opportunity to all of the school districts and the students they serve within their region. Within the NWESD region, that means that we must provide a menu of services and supports that meet the needs of Shaw Island’s 10 students as well as the very different needs of districts like Edmonds and Everett with over 20,000 students. Every ESD has a similar or even broader range of districts to support.

NWESD Demographics

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Students in our region
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Student Ethnicity

For the 2022-23 school year.

Teacher Ethnicity*

For the 2022-23 school year.

Student Data Enrollment By Program*

For the 2022-23 school year.

Demographic information courtesy of OSPI’s Data Portal

HIGHLIGHTS

The NWESD links educators and school districts with valuable resources

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NWESD Staff Hired
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Professional Learning Classes and Workshops Offered
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Teachers, Attendees & Participants

The NWESD continues to grow

The NWESD aspires to be a racially and culturally inclusive staff that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We believe this strengthens our organization, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and enriches staff engagement.

Our agency continues to see tremendous amounts of growth in its staff.

Our increasing numbers include staff at our main office site in Anacortes, as well as those who are located at districts throughout our region. They also represent staff at our Discovery programs, Science Materials Center, Northwest Regional Learning Center, Open Doors and Detention Programs.

The biggest area of growth came through the Behavioral Health and Prevention Services team, including several new mental health specialists and student assistance professionals. These professionals are working in districts across the region to bring mental health care and support to students.

Brand-new positions within our Administration Department include a workforce diversification and equity administrator and regional bike education admin coordinator.

Department: Behavioral Health & Prevention Services

Mental health services are growing at the NWESD.

In 2012, the NWESD boasted five of these positions. In 2016 and 2017, the program began expanding. After some slow-downs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers have jumped up.

Heading into the 2023-24 year, the department had 22 student assistance professionals, five of which are brand-new this year. They are stationed in schools across the region.

The BHPS Safety Center also continues to grow.

Department: Teaching & Learning

A new director of teaching and learning for the NWESD started last summer.

Over the past few years, the Teaching and Learning Department’s staff has nearly doubled and programs and initiatives within the department have grown from eight to 14. With more growth is on the way, it became necessary to add the new director position.

This director of teaching and learning position is part of a team working to support department innovation to meet the needs of the school districts in the NWESD region.

Department: Administration

For the 2022-23 school year, the NWESD added an online learning coordinator. This position has allowed for the creation of dozens of online classes, allowing area educators to earn clock hours on their own time.

Classes cover a variety of topics, including Rosie the Riveter, the Salish Sea, Copyright Use, and more.

Starting at the beginning of the 2023-24 year were two new positions: A workforce diversification and equity administrator and a regional bicycle education administrative coordinator.

Department: Special Programs & Services

This department continues to connect students of all kinds with opportunities, including at its cooperative programs throughout our region.

Stories from the NWESD

Madison Huscher 2024 TOY
2024 Teacher of the Year
Brenda Flett CEOY 2024
2024 NWESD Classified Employee of the Year
WAVE Tour
WAVE Tour connects students with apprenticeship options

Aligning Our Goals & Services

The NWESD has provided school-based behavioral health services through a variety of programs and funding sources for over 30 years. Staff in the Behavioral Health and Prevention Services (BHPS) department have deepened their experience and capacity working within and across districts, schools, programs, and organizations in our region. The BHPS department provides a wide range of mental and behavioral health services including substance use, mental health, suicide prevention, and more, with the goal of keeping students in our region safe, healthy, and prepared for learning.

Last year, the NWESD received a $11.4 million federal Department of Education grant to expand its school-based mental health services and put into place a plan to bring on more than 20 more school-based mental health professionals for the 2023-24 school year.

The money is helping with the requisite training and clinical supervision necessary to provide clinical behavioral health supports – assessment and diagnosis of mental health conditions, mental health therapy, and case management for K-12 students. These funds support 75% of the total project cost, with the remaining 25% ($2,853,118) non-Federal funds leveraged through local, county, and state partnerships. The total project will result in a $14,265,589 investment over the next five years.

The NWESD STEM and Career Connect Learning (CCL) Teams have launched several new initiatives to help our region’s teachers inspire and equip students with the skills and tools necessary to compete in a global economy. Below are some of the highlights of their work this past year.

Career Connect Northwest Regional Network (CCNW):

  • In 2023, CCNW brought in several high-value grants to help provide learning opportunities across our region.
  • In April, more than 400 people attended the CCNW-hosted Washington Apprenticeship Vocational Education (WAVE) Tour, where students from 25 high schools in Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and Snohomish counties participated in hands-on activities to help them learn more about careers in construction trades. Small groups of students moved through stations the featured different trades, including Carpenters, Construction Laborers Local 292, Electricians IBEW 191, Operating Engineers, Sheet Metal Workers, Plumbers & Pipefitters, Snohomish PUD, AJAC Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeships, and Puget Sound Energy. Tradespeople also advised students to practice their math skills while in high school since many trade apprenticeship applications include a math test and on-the-job quick calculations. Students pounded sheet metal pieces to create a take-home toolbox, operated a virtual crane at the Operating Engineers simulation station, built scaffolding with the Carpenters, and chipped at a huge concrete slab using heavy equipment with the Construction Laborers. A robotic arm and a mini milking machine had students calculating math for manufacturing using computer numerical control (CNC) automation with representatives from AJAC (Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee) Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeships.

For a report outlining services accessed by each district, contact communications specialist Briana Lindquist.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Update

The NWESD is committed to braiding equity across our organization through all aspects of our work.
Below is a report of our progress.

About the Equity Team

The Equity Team serves as a conduit to and from NWESD staff and departments to support individual and departmental equity work and exploration, with the ultimate goal of increasing equitable outcomes for all students.

During the 2022-23 academic year, the Equity Team completed several projects, based on staff feedback, including: 

  • Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Training for all staff​
  • Revised ‘Operating Principles’ to ‘NWESD Core Values’​
  • Pronouns training​
  • Implicit bias training​
  • Reviewed and addressed hiring and recruitment practices through equity lens
  • Reviewed flag/group support and endorsement policy​
  • Shared feedback to Land Acknowledgements and discussed alternatives to honor local tribes​

Moving forward with the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Team

During the first quarter of the 2023-24 school year, the Equity Team has convened bi-monthly, analyzing the 2022-23 survey results and feedback from the 2023 Equity Advance activity. This helped the Equity Team members determine our priority areas and develop SMART goals that would lay a foundation to developing an inclusive and equitable workplace, and to ensure that NWESD employees’ feedback and voices are being heard. Priority areas and goals include connection among staff, more training and education, quiet small shifts that add up. The Equity Team is developing a timeline to begin our course of action over the next few months.

Financials

Total NWESD Revenues: $33,773,157

Values shown as approximate percentages.

ESD Funding

ESDs (unlike local school districts, which receive the majority of their funding from the state) are largely self-supporting organizations sustained by competitive grants, cooperatives, and fees for service.

“Core” funding – the amount allocated by the state – totals only 3% of NWESD funding. Core funding is based on the number of school districts and the size of the geographic region served.

Core Funding

For every $1 of core funding provided to the NWESD, $32.38 dollars of service is provided for students in our region.

Core funding allocated to the NWESD totaled about $1,011,639 and accounted for approximately 3% of annual revenue sources.

Together We Can…

Thank you for your partnership!

Aerial images of the NWESD facilities and all staff photo provided by Les Valsquier