Dr. Erickson will call the meeting to order and welcome audience members.
At this time, the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited.
Ms. Gonzales will recite this land acknowledgement:
We, the Ferndale School District, acknowledge we are residing on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Lummi People.
The Lummi People are the original inhabitants of Washington's northernmost coast and southern British Columbia. They lived in villages throughout this territory and continue to have an ongoing relationship with these areas.
Since Time Immemorial, they have celebrated life on their water ways and on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of their People to perpetuate their way of life.
We honor their ancestors as we acknowledge the past, present and future Lummi People as the original inhabitants of this land.
The Board will adopt the meeting agenda.
Approve the contract for new Superintendent, Dr. Kristi Dominguez, as attached here and made a part of the minutes.
Dr. Erickson will recognize audience members who have comments to present to the Board.
If you want to comment in-person, you can either pre-register by emailing School Board support at jackson.hogan@ferndalesd.org before the meeting with your name, email address and reason for speaking, or by filling out the sign-in sheet at the meeting that evening.
If you’re unable to attend the meeting in-person, you may comment virtually over Zoom. If you wish to do this, please email School Board support at jackson.hogan@ferndalesd.org before the meeting and provide your name, email address and reason for speaking. You must inform the district 24 hours in advance of the meeting if you plan to comment virtually over Zoom.
For either option, you may also pre-register to comment on the Ferndale School District website at this link: https://www.ferndalesd.org/school-board/public-comment-form.
Commenters who pre-registered will get the chance to speak first. Each commenter will get 3 minutes to speak, and there will be a total of 45 minutes of public comment, in order to allow enough time for the School Board to conduct other business.
Also attached are responses to frequently asked community questions.
Executive Directors of Teaching and Learning Dr. Faye Britt and Kellie Larrabee will present new math curriculum for grades K-10. It is now before the Board for approval.
Allow Interim Superintendent Mark Deebach to join the mass action lawsuit against the vaping company Juul.
Over 600 school districts in about 30 states, including districts in Washington, are seeking to hold e-cigarette/vaping company Juul (and its major investor, Altria) liable for the unprecedented rise in nicotine use among teens. More specifically, the school districts seek to hold Juul accountable for costs school districts have incurred (or will incur) to prevent, intervene, and educate about nicotine use and addiction due to vaping.
To date, the school districts have prevailed against several motions by Juul to dismiss the claims. The first trial is set for late 2022. At trial, the school districts who participate in the case will seek monetary damages to offset costs related to teen vaping. These damage awards could be used to purchase vape detectors, fund education about nicotine abuse, support intervention by districts, help pay for SROs, or any other creative solution that districts develop to keep kids healthy.
There is no cost to join this lawsuit. The trial lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That means the trial lawyers only get paid if districts prevail or obtain a settlement. The contingency fee for the trial lawyers is 20% of an award, which is far less than the typical 40%. The trial lawyers contacted a Washington State law firm to serve as local counsel. The Stevens Clay firm, which represents numerous Washington school districts, has agreed to represent districts that want to join. Stevens Clay will do so on a pro bono basis (i.e., free). That means there’s no additional cost over the 20% contingency fee.
Each time the census is carried out, an analysis is completed to determine if the Director areas need to be redrawn due to population changes within the director precincts.
Based on the census data collected in 2020, changes need to be made. Attached is preliminary information provided by Bob Schweitzer of Sammamish Data Solutions, who has completed the redistricting drawings. We recommend moving forward to contract with Sammamish Data Solutions to redraw the new boundaries for the Director areas.
In addition, his emailed explanation received on October 25, 2021 is included below for your reference.
Here is my suggested 5 district plan for Ferndale School District.
Attached is a series of maps and reports. The first map is an overall district map in 11x17 poster size. This is followed by the two base population reports the key showing very good population counts per district using the guideline of population ‘as equal as possible’.
The 3rd district needed the least change, so I started with it. The 4th district needed to grow westward. The 5th was adjusted to deal with the encroachment of the 4th district. This left the 1st to grow into the 2nd district. I tried to take the course of minimal change, a light hand.
I tried to keep each district compact as I made the districts on par with population. Granted the street locations and the size of some of the Census Block did make for some interesting jogs in the district shape that I could not avoid but even so, not too bad in overall shape and form.
Pages 4-8 is an overview map showing each director district. Page 9 is a map showing the old line with the new areas. Pages 10-12 show details of the bulk of the changes.
I feel this proposed plan meets all the statutes of RCW 29a.76.010. Equal in population as possible, contiguous, compact, no disfavoring any groups/parties, and protecting Areas of Common Interest.
Please have the board review these maps and reports. Do they have any questions with this work? Do they like my proposal? Once the board is satisfied with a redistricting plan, I will create a “Metes and Bounds” legal description and an interchange file for the County GIS department. Then the board will have to have a public meeting with at least a week notice. After public comments, the board can ratify the new redistrict plan with a resolution.
Then you can submit the maps, legal, and interchange file to the County, done for ten more years. Let me know if any questions come up or I can be further help.
The Board will recognize Ferndale School District's classified staff members in honor of Education Support Professionals Week.
The template for preparation of the Board's 2022/23 budget is attached here and made part of the minutes.
Inquiries regarding this matter may be addressed to Interim Superintendent Mark Deebach.
Interim Superintendent Mark Deebach will report on the Capital Projects Bond.
Interim Superintendent Mark Deebach will present the monitoring report for Operational Expectations Policy 11 (OE-11) Facilities to the Board. This policy will be discussed at the next regular board meeting on April 26.
The Board will discuss the school district's COVID-19 financial risk management policy.
Executive Director of Teaching & Learning Kellie Larrabee presented the monitoring report for Results Policy 5 (R-5) Early Childhood Readiness to the Board at the February 22 regular meeting. This policy is now up for discussion.
Student board members will share information.
Board members will share information.
The superintendent will share information.
Members of the Executive Team will share information.
Audit Committee Members are: Peggy Uppiano, Kevin Erickson and Melinda Cool.
Authorized Voucher Transmittals:
GENERAL FUND
Vouchers 284893-285044, 285070-285201 & 285229 in the amount of $1,023,547.99
GENERAL FUND PAYROLL
Warrants 478034-478055 dated February 28, 2022, in the amount of $1,683,764.83; and electronic deposits in the amount of $3,713,349.61 for a total of $5,397,114.44
CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND
Vouchers 285045-285047 & 285202-285207 in the amount of $4,777,631.33
A.S.B. FUND
Vouchers 285048-285069, 285208-285228 in the amount of $165,385.51
PPT FUND
No March warrants
TRANSPORTATION/VEHICLE FUND
No March warrants
Approve the hiring of personnel, per the list attached and made a part of the minutes.
Questions regarding this matter may be addressed to Executive Director of Human Resources John Fairbairn.
Approve resignations and retirements, per the list attached and made a part of the minutes.
Questions regarding this item may be addressed to Executive Director of Human Resources, John Fairbairn.
Approve travel requests for Mitch Davis, Nicole Perry, a chaperone and 15 students to travel to Moses Lake to attend the Livestock Judging CDE Event; for Tom Diimmel, Cathy Howard, a chaperone and 20 students to attend the Washington Career and Technical Sports Medicine Association State Competition in Tacoma; and for Mitch Davis, a chaperone and six students to attend the State Agricultural Mechanics Career Development Event in Moses Lake, as attached here and made a part of the minutes.
The purpose of this agreement is to enter into a cooperative arrangement with the Bellingham School District. It would secure certificated teacher time to provide additional instruction in reading and/or math for eligible students to receive Title 1A support in private schools within the Bellingham School District's boundaries.
Questions regarding this interlocal agreement can be addressed to Teaching and Learning Executive Director, Dr. Faye Britt.
Adopt Resolution No. 7-2022 canceling Capital Projects Fund warrant numbered 284602, as attached here and made part of the minutes.
Inquiries regarding this matter may be addressed to Assistant Superintendent Mark Deebach.
Accept the February 2022 Fund Balance Financial Statements, as attached here and made part of the minutes.
Inquiries regarding this matter may be addressed to Assistant Superintendent Mark Deebach.
Approve Personal and Supplemental contracts for March 2022, per the list attached here and made a part of the minutes.
Questions regarding these items may be addressed to Executive Director of Human Resources John Fairbairn.
Approve the interlocal cooperative agreement with the Northwest Educational Service District 189 for the Whatcom Discovery Program, as attached here and made a part of the minutes.
Approve the interlocal agreement with the Northwest Educational Service District 189 for the Whatcom County Detention Center Educational Program for the 2022-23 school year, as attached here and made a part of the minutes.
Approve the minutes of the regular school board meeting on Feb. 22 and the special school board meetings on March 8, 19, 21, 23, 24 and 25, as attached here and made a part of the minutes.
Review the year-to-date Board of Directors' Budget as of February 28, 2022, as attached here and made part of the minutes.
Inquiries regarding this matter may be addressed to Interim Superintendent Mark Deebach.