A group of students representing each ISD high school attended the 2020 Legislative Conference in Olympia earlier this month, along with District staff and board members. The conference is hosted by the Washington Association of School Administrators, the Washington State School Directors' Association and the Washington Association of School Business Officials.
In the photo are (left-right): Board President Marnie Maraldo, Board member Anne Moore, Issaquah High student Emily Palm, Board member Harlan Gallinger, Gibson Ek High student Connor Hyde, Board member Sydne Mullings, Governor Jay Inslee, Board member Suzanne Weaver, Liberty High student Bret Roper, CFO and COO Jake Kuper, Superintendent Ron Thiele, Skyline High student Kaitlyn Romanonwicz, and Liberty High ASB activity coordinator Michelle Munson.
Thank you to our community for renewing our two-year Educational Programs and Operations Levy! Your support for ISD schools ensures local kids will continue to receive a high quality education in a safe learning environment. Early election returns show the levy passing at 61.5 percent. To pass, levies in Washington State must receive more than 50 percent approval by voters.
Among those in attendance the State of the Union address this year was Issaquah High School teacher Jaci Belur, who attended as the guest of Congresswoman Kim Schrier. Rep. Schrier visited IHS before the address to answer questions from Ms. Belur’s AP Government students and to tell them about her decision to take their teacher to the State of the Union address. Schrier said she chose Ms. Belur because of her passion for teaching students about government and for helping them become informed citizens and voters. She also said she was impressed by the intelligence and high level of the students’ questions.
What programs and services are funded by local levies in the Issaquah School District? So many! This video points out just a few, including in-school mental health counselors, career and technical education, school security staff, special education, teacher training, preschool programs, extra-curriculars, and more. An Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy will be on the February 11 ballot. It will replace an expiring two-year levy passed by voters in 2018 if it's approved. Levies use local dollars to support students right here in our district. Read more at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/levy-2020. Register to vote at olvr.votewa.gov.
Last school year, 30 of our paraeducators were the first in the state to complete a new paraeducator certificate program established at the direction of the State Legislature. This pilot program trained participants in skills and topics such as professionalism and ethics, supporting a positive and safe learning environment, cultural diversity, special education law, bringing about behavior change, and more. This year, the program was rolled out to all the district’s paraeducators, who received training this year in August and October.
Paraeducators contribute to our schools and classrooms in countless ways and are crucial to the success of students and teachers. They need and deserve professional development opportunities to help them succeed in their jobs so they can help students succeed.
Would you like to work with kids and make a positive impact in your community? Become a paraprofessional! Paraprofessionals get nights, weekends and summers off, and those who work an average of 3.5 hours per day are eligible for full benefits and state retirement benefits. Best of all, they get to help students learn and grow. See job openings and apply at https://issaquahjobs.hrmplus.net/JobOpenings.aspx