• SHOULD WE BUILD A FIFTH MIDDLE SCHOOL? Or is there a better way to alleviate middle school crowding? Changing conditions in land and construction costs, enrollment projections, and operating dollars have caused the School Board to look at a new strategy. Every District resident could be impacted so please come to a public hearing the night of Tuesday, Feb. 13. More information will be available on the District’s homepage this week.

 

• February is open enrollment month. The District will accept applications from students who want to transfer between schools or who want to transfer to Issaquah from a different school district. All transfers depend on space availability and transfers into the district must be approved each year.

 

• Elementary school science-technology programs: Each winter, families of District third-graders are invited to learn more about the Issaquah School District choice program options for grades 4 and 5. These programs provide the standard district curriculum for those grades through a much stronger emphasis on science and technology. They are located at Briarwood, Clark, and Sunny Hills Elementary Schools.

 

• The District is holding a surplus sale that will include furniture and technology equipment from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the May Valley Service Center, 16430 S.E. May Valley Road, Renton.

 

• Freshmen and seniors can register for the spring 2007 high school WASL until February 9. Students may choose to take (freshmen) or retake (seniors) one or more of the content areas tested by the WASL: Reading, Writing, or Math. Freshmen may also take Science. Sophomores and juniors who have not yet met standard on one or more of the WASL sections will be automatically registered for this test.

 

• Seniors, apply to win a $1,000 scholarship through the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Program. The deadline to postmark materials is Monday, Feb. 5. The scholarships are awarded to seniors with a grade point average of 2.8 or higher who have demonstrated leadership abilities and a commitment to community service. Application forms are available in school counseling offices and by e-mailing Comcast@spaprog.com.

 

• What’s happening with the superintendent search? Search consultant Ray & Associates has been recruiting potential superintendent candidates across the nation. The search firm will deliver all the applications to the School Board during an executive session on Wednesday, Feb. 7. The Board will also meet in an open session that night at 6 p.m. at the administration building to discuss the interview process.

 

The next week at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at the administration building, Ray & Associates will present the School Board with 10 to 12 semi-finalists who best match the Board and community’s characteristics of the ideal new superintendent. The Board will narrow that pool down to a handful for the first round of interviews (scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24). The Board will also determine interview questions and finalize the interview process.

During the Feb. 15 session, the Board will substitute a letter (“Candidate A”) for candidates’ actual names in order to discuss the applications in public while still protecting candidates’ anonymity during this preliminary stage in the process.

 

• The School Board will also meet at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, at the administration building to provide the two new members with background information on Policy Governance. The Board will also consider a draft op/ed article on the impact of the Governor’s budget on the Issaquah School District.