UPDATED, 12/9: How does the LWSD School Board represent their constituents? Or, do they?

                             Update, 12/9:  Our School Board members should balance the interests of the district's 51 schools against an intimate understanding of the needs of their own communities.   They must be both powerful advocates for their own district and for the schools in the entire district. (1)  Unfortunately, LWSD Directors are chartered to advocate for the entire district and not represent the constituents of the schools in their own district .... the community they know best.

LWSD has five districts; one Director is elected to a district in which they live.   The School Board doesn't want to make it easy for their district's constituents to find them.  For example, Director Shahani's community isn't identified with any of the schools in his district.  Below, is the legal (and only) description of his district: on record:

"Director Shahani -District 5: Starting at the intersection of school district boundary and 156th Ave./Redmond-Woodinville Rd. South on Redmond-Woodinville Rd. to 164th Ave. South on 164th Ave. to 80th St. West on 80th St. to Redmond Way. West on Redmond Way to 159th Pl. Southeast on 159th Pl. to Leary Way. Southwest on Leary Way to Sammamish River. South along Sammamish River to SR 520. West and south on SR 520 to school district boundary. East following school district boundary to Bellevue-Redmond Rd. North on Bellevue-Redmond Rd. to West Lake Sammamish Pkwy. North on West Lake Sammamish Pkwy. to Marymoor Park Rd. East on Marymoor Park Rd. to 65th St. East on 65th St. to East Lake Sammamish Pkwy. North on East Lake Sammamish Pkwy. to Redmond Way. Northwest on Redmond Way to Avondale Rd. North on Avondale Rd. to Union Hill Rd. East on Union Hill Rd. to 238th Ave. South on 238th Ave. to Evans Creek. Southwest along Evans Creek to Redmond Fall City Rd. Southeast on Redmond Fall City Rd. to school district boundary. North following school district boundary to the point of the beginning.  -- LWSD web site, 12/8/09

The other four Director's districts are defined with the same legal description, of little value to their constituents.  Interestingly, the Superintendent (Secretary to the Board) seats the Directors on the Dias geographically, with Kirkland Directors on the right and Redmond Directors on the left.  Generic, sequential  #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 seating is abandoned.

Hopefully, someone will persuade the Administration to publish a map delineating all  five districts with a school overlay (not solely a map of The District).   The public's awareness of their district and Director would foster the development of grander more intimate school communities.    Directors would have to be willing neighborhood leaders and occasionally get in the trenches.  

The following district area information is not on the District website - You may want to Bookmark this.

Director, District One (Juanita High School Area) -  includes all or part of the attendance areas for Bell El, Juanita El, Keller El, Sandburg El. Thoreau El, Fin Hill Junior, Kirkland Junior, Juanita High, Lk.Wa. High.

Director, District Two:  (Kirkland Area) - includes all or part of of the attendance areas for Bell El, Franklin El, Kirk El, Lakeview El, Rose Hill El, Twain El, Kirkland Junior, Rose Hill Junior, Lk. Wa. High.

District, Director Three: (Kamiakin Junior and Rose Hill Junior area.) attendance areas for Frost El, Muir El, Rush El, Twain El, Kamiakin Junior, Rose Hill Junior, Redmond Junior, Juanita High, Redmond High, Lk.Wa. High.

District, Director Four:  (Eastlake High School area) attendance areas are: Audubon El, Alcott El, Blackwell El, Carson El, Dickinson El, McAuliffe El, Mead El, Smith El, Evergreen Junior, Inglewood Junior, Redmond Junior , Eastlake High, Redmond High.

District, Director Five:  (Redmond Area) attendance areas are:  Audubon El, Einsein El, Mann El, Redmond El, Rockwell El, Rosa Parks El, Rush El, Wilder El, Redmond Junior, Rose Hill Junior, Lk.Wa High, Redmond High.

District One:  Pendergrass (14 years), elected 11/1995, Term ends 11/2011. [8 schools]
District Two:  Carson, (2 years)  elected 11/2007, Term ends, 11/2011.  [9 schools]
District Three:  Bernard (12 years), elected 11/2009, Term ends, 11/2013 [10 schools]
District Four:  Eglington (20 years), appointed  2/1989, elected 11/1989, Term ends 11/2013 [13 schools]
District Five:  Shahani (6 years), elected 11/2003, Term ends, 11/2011. [12 schools]

by Bob Yoder

(1) paraphrased from a recent Seattle Times editorial on the Seattle School Board.

Anatomy of the LW School Board's parliamentary process

Below, is a record of how the LW School Board voted on three funding resolutions for the 2/9/2009
election.   I recorded their decision-making process from the archive video-tape of the meeting, as follows:

After about 25 minutes of general discussion by the Board and Superindendent the voting process started, as follows".  (Nancy, Chris, Jackie, and Doug are School Board Directors). 

Nancy:  Did Doug move?  Do you want to get it on the table?

Jackie:  Yeh, we can have a motion to approve, if you'd like.

Doug:  I'll move adoption of .... do we want to have these as a package?

Nancy:  I'm fine with a package.   (is this supposed to be the second to the motion?)

Jackie:  I'm fine with all three.  (the three resolutions?  which ones?  they weren't read).

Doug:  All right, I'll move we adopt all three, but I want to amend that so that we give staff the authority to:  1) deal with the issue that Chris raised, that if there's any flexibility of formatting the ballot we give that, and 2) we give flexibility to insert the appropriate name of the entity that's actually going to be conducting the election.

Jackie:  So we have a motion and a Second. 
(We do?  Was the Second named?  Did the motion identify the resolutions for the public and record?)

No vote was taken.  Discussion ensued.

Twelve minutes passed before a second motion, by Pres. Pendergrass, was put on the table: 

Jackie:  "I'll entertain, aahh... we have a motion and a second  (Doug questions the second)...
Jackie:  Yes, Nancy seconded. 
The motion is to:

allow changes in language that need to be appropriate for the......whatever the elections are called these days....and then to check on the ballot measures to make sure that they look as consistent with one another that is possible.

Jackie:  With that, all those in favor say Aye (four Ayes) - any opposed? (*silence).  Our work is cut out for us over the next few months".

Again, the measures were not read prior to the vote.  My point, is how can the viewing public be expected to know what's going on in this vote?  And, if the resolutions were never read by a Director, then how can they be voted on?   

*Director Ravi Shahani did not attend the meeting.  His district is in the Education Hill area.

Part One:  The public is left scratching their heads after the School Board funding vote.

$81,921 DONATED TO LWSD SCHOOLS IN NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER DONATIONS TO LWSD

"and a little bit more"

Environmental & Adventure School PTO to EAS -- $38,100 -- to provide stipend for extra office help for activities ($8,100) and support outdoor education and student supplies.

Juanita Rebels Booster Club to Juanita High School -- $2,331.60 -- to provide coaching stipend.

First Teach to Rosa Parks Elementary -- $2020.20 -- to support building program.

A.G. Bell PTSA to Bell El. -- $1800 -- To provide classroom enrichment at teacher's discretion.

Louisa May Alcott PTSA to Alcott El. -- $2012.60 -- To provide student leadership and assembly stipends.

Elizabeth Blackwell PTSA to Blackwell Elementary --$21,000 -- To provide student and teacher curriculum aids ($11,000); staff development ($5000), purchase library books ($200); and support field trips ($3000).

Rachel Carson PTSA to Carson El. -- $10,039 -- to provide stipends for intramural program ($2013), website administration ($2013), Green Team program ($1006), and Student Council Program ($1006); purchase health room equipment and supplies ($500); and support field trips ($3500).

Juanita Schools Foundation to Juanita Elementary -- $4617 -- to support volunteer program ($1,315) and building program ($1289) and provide outdoor education stipend ($2012).

"a little bit more"

Participation by the community in the LWSD School Board's governing process is lacking:  1) the School Board at large didn't show up for the levy input meetings,  2) citizens aren't attending the Board 's Work Study Meetings. because the BOARD doesn't announce the Topic or times during their Regular Meetings  3) Work Study Meeting Minutes are only one sentence long so we never know what's going on behind the closed doors.  What do you think?  If you want to sit in on a meeting check the "extended agenda" on the sidebar under LWSD links.

by Bob Yoder 

October PTSA Donations & "a little bit more..."

October PTSA Donations to LWSD schools...and a little bit more (scroll below)

Emily Dickinson Elementary PTSA to Dickinson El - $2420.00 - to support 5th & 6th grade community building program @Camp River Ranch

Rachel Carson PTSA to Carson Elementary - $4022.72 - to purchase Accelerated Reader and Star Reading Program, copier supplies.

Samantha Smith PTSA to Smith Elementary - $3470.00 - to purchase Read Naturally Program and student council.

Redmond JH PTSA to Redmond Junior -$3830.87 - to provide academic enrichment mini-grants (supplies and equipment).

H.D. Thoreau PTSA to Thoreau Elementary - $4944.75 - stipends for Honor Choir Program ($1977.90), Outdoor Education ($1977.90), and Chess Program ($899.95).

John Muir PTA to Muir Elementary - $5100.00 -  to provide curriculum enrichment ($3500.00) and field trip transportation ($1600.00).

Stella Schola PTO to Stella Schola - $3018.90 - to provide stipends for extracurricular programming work.

Margaret Mead PTSA to Mead Elementary - $3168.90 - to provide stipends.

AND A LITTLE BIT MORE:    School Board President Jackie Pendergrass came up with an interesting explanation tonight for their record short, 49 min. Board meeting.  Jackie indicated the Board had worked especially long this month attending the Levy/Bond input meetings. Oh?  Interesting!  I went to half (3) of Levy Input meetings this month and didn't see a single School Board member!   Lake Washington High School had one of the largest turnouts (over 20) and not one Board Member attended.   Conspicuous absences at Redmond High and Junior High, too.   They'll need a better reason, next time....