NORTHWEST EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT 189
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
REGULAR MEETING

MINUTES
September 23, 2021, 7:30 PM
Northwest Educational Service District
1601 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221

Call to Order / Pledge of Allegiance

The regular meeting of the Northwest Educational Service District Board of Directors was called to order by Chair Mark Venn on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 7:32 PM via Zoom. The public was provided the option to attend the meeting through telephone access and all persons attending the meeting were able to hear each other at the same time.

Members present:

Charlie Crabtree
Cory Duskin
Alan Erickson
Merle Kirkley
Susan Phillips
Jack Thompson
Mark Venn

Staff present:

Larry Francois
Jennifer Longchamps

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the August 25, 2021, regular board meeting were presented for approval Merle Kirkley moved, and Sue Phillips seconded, to approve the minutes of the August 25, 2021, regular board meeting as presented.  Motion carried.

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

No public comment was provided.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Additions to the agenda were identified as: 5.i. Additional Personnel Report; 5.j. Additional Election of Certificated Staff; and 6.d. Additional Position Descriptions.

Merle Kirkley moved, and Sue Philips seconded, to approve the agenda, as amended.  Motion carried.

CONSENT AGENDA

Approval of the General Fund Warrants

General Fund warrants #201688 through #201739 in the amount of $602,055.21 and #000000036 in the amount of $385.61 and #201763 through #201839 in the amount of $159,194.92 and ACH payment #9000000000 in the amount of $200.80 were presented.

No General Fund Financial Report

No General Fund Financial Report was presented due to year-end closing.

Approval of Payroll

August payroll warrants #201742 through #201750 for salaries in the amount of $18,939.67, #201751 through #201762 to payroll vendors in the amount of $42,293.12, funds received for an employee overpayment in the amount of ($1,353.28), repayment to accounts payable for health care authority costs in the amount of $194,652.00, reserve for compensated absence reimbursement in the amount of $8,318.96, an electronic transfer in the amount of $530,692.73 for payroll tax liability and DRS contributions, and an electronic transfer of employee direct deposits in the amount of $768,863.20 for a total of $1,562,406.40 were presented.

Approval of Labor and Industries Trust Warrants

Labor and Industries Trust warrant #201740 in the amount of $84.84 were presented.

No Labor and Industries Trust Financial Report

No Labor and Industries Trust Financial Report was presented due to year-end closing.

Approval of Unemployment Pool Warrants

Unemployment Pool warrant #201741 in the amount of $233,863.68 and warrants #201840 through #201841 in the amount of $3,905.47 were presented.

No Unemployment Pool Financial Report

No Unemployment Pool Financial Report was presented due to year-end closing.

No Out-of-State Travel

No Out-of-State Travel was presented.

Approval of Personnel Reports

Personnel Reports indicating terminations, hiring, and reclassification of NWESD employees were presented.

Approval of Election of Certificated Staff

Election of Certificated Staff reports indicating hiring of certificated employees were presented.

It was moved by Sue Philips and seconded by Jack Thompson to approve the Consent Agenda, as amended. Motion carried.

NEW AND PENDING BUSINESS

Resignation of NWESD Board Director, Claudia Buxton, District #7

Larry Francois shared the resignation letter from Claudia Buxton. He added that we will likely have to appoint a new director given the timing of Claudia’s resignation during the election window.

Sue Philips moved, and Jack Thompson seconded, to approve the resignation of NWESD Board Director, Claudia Buxton, and declare a vacancy in the Director District 7 board position. Motion carried.

Confirmation of Conditional Certificate Request

Confirmation of a Conditional Certificate request for Alexandra Moriarty was presented for approval. Larry Francois noted that Ms. Moriarty was most recently a NWESD employee assigned to the Behavioral Health and Prevention Services Department as a Student Assistance Professional and has also served in the Paraeducator role at Snohomish Discovery. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services, a master’s degree in Mental Health and Wellness, and has worked in the mental health field outside of the NWESD for 3 years. She is currently enrolled in a Counseling ESA program with Grand Canyon University with an expected graduation in the Fall of 2023.

Jack Thompson moved, and Merle Kirkley seconded, to confirm the OSPI request for a Conditional Certificate on behalf of Alexandra Moriarty as presented. Motion carried.

Out of Area Endorsement Plan

Out of Area Endorsement Plan for Andrew Getavesky was presented for approval.  Andrew Getavesky is a current employee assigned to Northwest Regional Learning Center as a Paraeducator, and it is intended that he serve in the unfilled teaching position at Snohomish Discovery for the 2021-22 school year. Mr. Getavesky holds a Residency Teaching Certificate with an endorsement in Mathematics.

Jack Thompson moved, and Sue Philips seconded, to approve the Out of Area Endorsement Plan for Andrew Getavesky as presented. Motion carried.

Approval of Position Descriptions

A new position description for the Accounting Manager was presented for approval with the intention of replacing the current Lead Accountant position with the recommended salary placement on Schedule III Range 10b. Larry Francois noted that this new position better aligns with the current duties being performed by our Lead Accountant.  In addition, this new position will supervise the fiscal technicians.

A new position description for the Financial Analyst was presented for approval with the recommended salary placement on Schedule III Range 3. Larry Francois noted that the NWESD is growing, and that growth has brought on additional state and federal contracts which place added duties on departmental staff that are becoming increasingly more difficult. This position will assist our programs in analyzing their grants and program budgets and act as a conduit between fiscal and NWESD staff. This position will also create additional capacity for special projects.

Two new position descriptions for the Behavior Health and Prevention Services Department were presented for approval. The Comprehensive School Safety Coordinator and the Regional Behavioral Health Advocate – COVID Response positions were presented with the recommended salary placement on Schedule III Range 4 and Schedule III, Range 1, respectively.

Merle Kirkley moved, and Jack Thompson seconded, to approve the Accounting Manager, Financial Analyst, Comprehensive School Safety Coordinator and the Regional Behavioral Health Advocate – COVID Response position descriptions and recommended salary placement as presented. Motion carried.

ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

Independent Contractor Agreements

Independent Contractor Agreements were presented to the board for review.

2020-21 NWESD Departmental SMART Goals

Larry Francois shared the 2021-22 SMART Goals for each department: Administration, Behavioral Health & Prevention Services, Fiscal, NWRDC, Special Programs & Services, Teaching & Learning, and Technology Services. Mr. Francois noted that departments have a combination of new goals and a continuation of goals from last year. These goals are as varied as the departments. T&L and SP&S are working to integrate their work more closely with the common theme to improve instruction; this is a positive development for these two departments.

Superintendent’s Report

2021-22 Superintendent Performance Goals: Larry Francois noted a number of hold overs from the previous year. This year is looking to be the same emphasis as last year providing COVID supports for districts, use ESSER funds, and building sustainability for our new programs so that the work can continue beyond the life of the ESSER funds. Support for new superintendents will continue to be a focus as well.

NWESD Office Reopening Update: Staff are continuing to maximize their opportunities to telecommute. Return to in-office work seems to be going well. More people are voluntarily masking. There are still not many meetings happening at the office. The NWESD is participating in one more round of PPE through the ESD 112 purchasing cooperative for school districts in our region.

NWESD District Reopening Update: The volume of calls has dropped over the past week, signaling that people are settling in. There are three different quarantine options for school districts:  14-day, 10-day, and a 7-day where a person can get tested after day 5. There is also a “Test to Stay” program that will provide school districts the opportunity for a modified quarantine for unvaccinated students identified as K-12 close contacts of COVID-19 cases. This program is designed to help reduce exclusion from in-person instruction if all required mitigation measures have been followed. Districts are struggling with staff shortages and preparing for the October 18, 2021 vaccination deadline.

COVID Vaccination Mandate Exemption Request Update: Larry Francois provided an update of the NWESD staff vaccination exemption status. He shared that many districts have screening testing available as an accommodation for employees receiving exemptions. Some districts are only doing diagnostic testing. It’s a choice of the district. A lot has to do with capacity of the individual school system. Districts do have resources available to them to hire staff to assist in testing, but the funding is so new that districts are most likely not yet taking advantage of those dollars from the DoH. If a district is in the L2R program, all testing kits are available at no cost.

September 10, 2021 NWESD SAC Forum with Senator Wellman and Representative Lekanoff: Larry Francois shared that the first in person SAC meeting had 21 superintendents in attendance. Senator Wellman joined the meeting and is currently the Chair of Senate Early Learning and K12 Education Committee. Senator Wellman spoke of technology and access in districts. She’s very interested in remote learning, how districts are using ESSER funds, and asked the group what new practices their district have adopted during pandemic that they may continue.

ITEMS ORIGINATING WITH THE BOARD

AESD/Legislative Report

Larry Francois shared that at the AESD Network Re-Design Team meeting on September 22, 2021, Joan Wade and Susan Ledick shared a draft of the AESD redesign work. The initial priorities agreed upon include a sustainable business model for the AESD, clarifying the role of executive director, and expanding those who can serve as initiative champions. Currently there are too many statewide initiatives for the T&L Assistant Superintendents to oversee. Regarding the Executive Board, there is currently one board member from each ESD. They are currently looking for new meaningful direction to continue the collaborative work that has been set forth.

WSSDA Conference

The WSSDA Conference is coming up on November 18-20, 2021 in Bellevue, WA. It is being offered in a hybrid format. Any board members interested in attending should inform Jennifer.

AESA Annual Conference

The AESA Annual Conference is taking place in person on December 1-4, 2021 in Houston, TX.  Mark Venn, Merle Kirkley and Charlie Crabtree will be attending.

Postpone Board Work Session

The work session with Dr. Tammy Campbell that was scheduled for this meeting has been postponed to December 15, 2021. We will start at 5 p.m. Discussion was had about the format of upcoming board meetings. It was decided that we will continue with a remote format for the October 27, 2021 meeting and revisit the conversation at each meeting.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 PM.

Approved on October 27, 2021, in Regular Session of the NWESD Board of Directors.