Kent School District  | September 21, 2018

Dear KSD Community, Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! My name is Maya Vengadasalam, president of your Kent School District Board of Directors. As a school board, we are honored to represent the students, staff, and families of this district and pledge to work hard to improve opportunities for each and every student. This summer was an exceptionally busy period for the Board. In addition to addressing our budget, bargaining matters, and fiscal recovery plan, board members worked through many meetings to develop our Board Goals, highlighted below, to achieve the district’s strategic plan goals for this school year. In the coming months, we will report on the progress of these goals. We welcome your input and attendance at our bimonthly board meetings to share your perspectives.   On behalf of the Kent School District Board of Directors,

Maya Vengadasalam President, Board of Directors Kent School District

Creating a Board Calendar for Accountability

In the months of June and July, staff and Board worked to set the direction for the district to develop an annual plan for district accountability. The Board is scheduling monthly sessions for discussing our communication plan and for refreshing our Board policies; and four sessions to communicate the results of the communication plan to the public. In addition, Board is scheduling four sessions for review and progress monitoring of the strategic plan metrics and evaluation of the superintendent during the 2018-2019 school year.

Reviewing and Auditing Board Policies and Procedures

The Board is prioritizing our six series of policies and procedures which are the following: 1000 Board; 2000 Instruction Series; 3000 Students Series; 4000 Community Relations Series; 5000 Personnel Series and 600 Management Support Series. We will schedule and execute regular policy reviews with the assistance of a policy intern and work with our state organization (WSSDA) to conduct a policy manual audit. Reviewing through an equity lens, we will ensure that the policies will support our values of equity and excellence for every student.

Creating a Board Communication Plan

The Board is reviewing a new Board Communication Plan to regularly monitor our messaging to ensure that the intended message is conveyed and done in a timely manner. The plan will be reviewed on a monthly basis by the Board and staff, and will be presented to the public on a quarterly basis. The objectives are to: 1) develop and implement an effective process to respond to questions, concerns, comments or feedback from citizens, 2) inform the public of the board’s roles and responsibilities, 3) communicate proactively to disseminate information that addresses issues throughout the system and community, 4) communicate district performance to the public in clear and understandable ways, 5) seek community and staff input in its decision-making to gain community and staff support, and 6) carefully consider community and staff input in its decision-making.

Aligning and Monitoring Strategic Plan Metrics & Superintendent Evaluation

District strategic plan metrics (as decided by community) and the superintendent evaluation goals will be aligned for efficiency and effectiveness. Review and progress monitoring of reasonable progress to meet the strategic plan metrics of the school year will be done in four sessions during the school year. Superintendent evaluations will be conducted throughout the year, likely through four evaluations per school year, to ensure success.

Update from Legislative Representative Ross Hardy

There are no new updates coming from our State Legislatures, other than many of them have kicked off their re-election campaigns. While it does not relate directly to our school district, if you want your voice heard to support education, you will have that opportunity through the general election in November.   Prior to that, you may meet, see, and talk to many of our local representatives as they are out canvasing neighborhoods, holding events, and making calls. I encourage you to use that opportunity to inform them of what you think their legislative priorities should be for the 2019 session. As each school district had to work through the state's transition to the new funding model, our school district still has concerns regarding some items from this year's legislative session: Levy and Local Effort Assistance (LEA) formulas: Existing disparities between districts will be exacerbated if new levy and LEA formulas are implemented prior to the full transition to state funding for basic education. Salary schedule and staff mix factor: With a one-size-fits-all salary allocation, many districts will struggle to compensate their existing workforce at current levels. Regionalization: The new regionalization factor intensifies inequities among districts and should be reconsidered.   In addition to advocating for to your local state representatives, we will be attending the WSSDA Legislative Assembly where school board directors will be setting the priorities for the 2019 state legislative session. As a reminder, this link has the Legislative Priorities & Positions for the 2018 session.   Best, Ross Hardy, Legislative Representative

Update from Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts

2018-2019 is well under way! On the heels of an eventful 2017-2018, Team KSD has emerged even stronger and I could not be prouder. You see, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I’m used to the choppy waters and steady rains that life brings. I was also raised to believe that the rising tide of “hope and perseverance” can raise all ships. Even today, the thought of a ship brings me to a calm and comforting place as they purposely transport others from one place to another. In fact, as WASA’s theme suggests, and as my parents continued to teach me, we must embrace the power and influence of these “ships”—relation ships , partner ships , and leader ship . Relationships —My dad never knew a stranger, only friends he hadn’t met yet. According to the lessons he taught me, I learned how to reach and teach everyone as if they had my last name. As a U.S. Air Force serviceman, and as a salesperson for Coca-Cola Bottling Company, he continued to teach me the importance of determination to achieve your goals. Regardless of a person’s wealth, health or beliefs, my dad also stressed the importance of treating others equally--with grace, love and empathy.  Partnerships —Both my parents were the oldest sibling (my dad was the oldest of eight and my mom was the oldest of six). As parents of an only child, their vision of how to be a team member and how to collaborate with others became quite clear to me. They ensured that, as a young person, I was steadily involved in faith-based activities, dramatic arts, athletics, civic organizations, and formal student leadership roles. Each one of these experiences taught me the significance of collaborating with others to achieve a common goal. Leadership —Based on the lessons my mom provided me, I understood leadership as service to others. Almost 30 years ago, my mom was promoted to Chief of Disaster and Health Services, American Red Cross, Alexandria, VA. During what would be the last two years of her life after a bout with cancer, she enabled me to save money during my sophomore year in college by living with her. I recall asking her about her new job, and her response changed my world view. She explained that during a natural occurrence—a hurricane, flood, or earthquake, etc.—from Maine to the Bahamas, she was responsible for mobilizing volunteer units. I immediately noticed that she never referred to natural occurrences as disasters. She never diminished the fact that people’s lives may be lost, or their homes may be damaged, however, she made one point very clear. She said, “If I don’t respond appropriately to that call for help or that call to serve, one life lost may be 100; one home destroyed may be 1,000.” “Leadership is not measured in what happens,” she said, “it is measured largely in how we respond!”  May these lessons continue to teach Team KSD that no challenge is too great when met with strong relationships, collaborative partnerships, and transformational leadership!   Kind regards, Dr. Calvin J. Watts Superintendent

Fall 2018 Community Conversations with the School Board

This October, we are providing three opportunities for you to join us at Community Conversations with School Board members. Additional Community Conversations will also be held in January, February, March and May of 2019.   We will be available at libraries across our district and are looking forward to engaging in two-way, meaningful conversation with you. Fall 2018 Community Conversations with the School Board Meet with Debbie Straus and Denise Daniels  Date and Time: Thursday, October 11, 2018, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Location: Kentwood Classroom, 25800 164th Avenue SE, Covington, WA 98042 Meet with Maya Vengadasalam and Ross Hardy Date and Time: Thursday, October 11, 2018, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Location: Kentlake Library, 21401 SE Falcon Way, Kent, WA 98042 Meet with Karen DeBruler and Denise Daniels Date and Time: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 10:00 a.m.-12:00p.m. Location: Kent Library, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, WA 98032

School Board Members Out and About

This past month Board visited classrooms, attended sports events, volunteered, and engaged in civic activities with our non-profits and government officials.

Maya supporting the Kent Schools Foundation's inaugural charity auction.

Directors Straus and DeBruler receiving a proclamation from the City of Kent naming September as National School Attendance Awareness Month.

Denise enjoying family and community time at her son's Kentwood football game.

Ross building a "Buddy Bench" with his daughter to donate to Springbrook Elementary.

Karen supporting the Kent Schools Foundation's inaugural charity auction.

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