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Meetings | Bellingham School District Seeks Input in Superintendent Search | ||
| Public Events Calendar
In Brief Please see the article at the right for information about this year's calendar and make-up days. After collecting feedback this fall through surveys of district families and staff, a district committee is recommending changes to future school year calendars for 2007-08 and 2008-09. The proposal includes beginning classes after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and ending classes on Friday, June 13, 2008. Ending the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years earlier is made possible by a proposal to move opening staff meetings to the week before Labor Day and shorten mid-winter February break to a long weekend with schools closed on the Friday before President's Day and the Monday federal holiday. In this proposal, December break is two weeks and spring break remains at one week.The proposal has been sent to the Superintendent and the Bellingham Education Association President, and will go to the School Board for consideration at the Jan. 25 meeting. Some parts of this proposal may be subject to change based on state funding for staff Learning Improvement Days, teachers' association and district negotiations, and joint work between the district and association on teacher planning time, additional workdays, and parent/teacher conferencing schedules.
A Use of Time Task Force, consisting of parents and staff, is currently meeting to review existing time for instruction, planning and professional development; explore structures in place in other districts; and propose policy and procedures in support of before and after school time, planning time and collaboration time (early release, late arrival days). Updates are posted here and information will continue to be shared.
| The Bellingham School District Board of Directors is seeking community input on the characteristics and qualities desired for a new Superintendent during a series of public meetings from Jan. 22-24.
"This process is designed to gather the public's feedback on desirable characteristics and qualities so that we are able to recruit candidates that are the best match for our community," says School Board President Dr. Ken Gass.
Community members are invited to attend any one of the following meetings with the search consultant, Cascade Consulting Group, to provide input: Cascade Consulting Group and Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, Ltd. are assisting the School Board in conducting a regional and national search. Information about the search process as it is developed will continue to be shared with staff and community, and posted at http://www.bham.wednet.edu/employment/SuperintendentSearch.htm Dale E. Kinsley will retire in June after 16 years as Superintendent. District Explores Options for Make-Up Days with Teachers' Association The Bellingham School District is working closely with the teachers' association, the Bellingham Education Association (BEA), to explore options to make up missed school days due the weather. The contract with the association contains language that requires that "snow days" be made up by adding days at the end of the school year in June. This has had the advantage of making it clear how make-up days will be handled. This is noted on the Family Calendar. However, with a total of six missed school days due to the weather so far this school year, the district and School Board want to pursue alternatives for making up these days before the end of the school year. In order to amend the teachers' contract, the BEA and School Board need to mutually agree on an alternative. We will share this information as soon as decisions are made.
A state waiver process is currently in statute for school closure events that cause schools to be closed for more than three days at one time. A waiver can be requested for days beyond three days. The district is investigating a waiver for one of the four days lost in the November snowstorm. In addition, a current state proposal would allow districts to waive closure days that result from an event that has been declared a state of emergency by the Governor. In recent months, the Governor has declared flooding and windstorms as such events. Neither event caused school closures in Bellingham, so we would not be eligible for a waiver. Finally, some have speculated that the days could be made up by adding minutes or time to existing school days. That is not permissible under current state law. Please stay tuned to e-news and our Web site for more information about make-up days. School Information and Communications 1306 Dupont St. Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 676-6520 Feedback?
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