All right.
This is President Rankin.
I am now calling to order the November 26 2024 board special meeting at 5.01 p.m.
This meeting is being recorded.
Directors and staff are participating remotely today but public access is provided also remotely and also at the John Stanford Center as well as online through SPS TV.
We would like to acknowledge that we are on ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people today and every day, but especially this week as Friday is Native American Heritage Day of Recognition.
For the record, I will call the roll.
Director Briggs.
Present.
Director Clark.
Present.
Director Hersey.
Here.
Director Mizrahi.
Present.
Vice President Sarju.
Present.
Director Taub.
Here.
And this is President Rankin.
We will now move towards our one and only item on today's agenda.
I'm sorry, hold on.
I will make the motion as soon as I find it.
Sorry, I'm looking for the motion.
Oh, thanks.
It's on the screen.
I move that the school board withdraw direction provided to the superintendent regarding the presentation of preliminary recommendations for school closures including the board's most recent direction provided October 9th 2024 specific to presentation of preliminary recommendations for up to five school closures to be implemented for the 2025-26 school year.
The board accepts the superintendent's withdrawal of the preliminary recommendations for school closures for the 25-26 school year and the school board will not be holding public hearings on the preliminary recommendations.
Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.
ELLIE WILSON- Second.
DIRECTOR HAMPSON- Oh and I apologize.
I forgot to say that due to a clerical error the recommend the recommended motion was inadvertently truncated in an update on the website.
But what I just read and what you see on the screen is the Full corrected motion and the posting has also been updated.
Okay.
So this has been moved by President Rankin and seconded by Vice President Sargio.
During as just a recap or a background during the regular November 19th board meeting preliminary recommendations for four school closures received from the superintendent was discussed.
In that meeting I shared concerns about information sufficient to move forward with the process as proposed.
In response the superintendent told us that his intent was to reconsider the preliminary recommendation.
In the time since that meeting the superintendent has confirmed with the board and our community that he is withdrawing the preliminary recommendation.
This action today will formally close out the process for receiving and considering the preliminary recommendation and confirm that hearings will not be held as the recommendation has been withdrawn.
Directors do you have any questions or comments on this item.
ELLIE WILSON- So I guess I just have a question.
DIRECTOR HAMPSON- Oh sorry.
Director Topp.
DIRECTOR HAMPSON- Sorry I'm looking on the.
I see you.
withdrawing the recommendation and accepting the withdrawal or sorry we're both providing direction to the superintendent to withdraw his recommendations but we're and then we're also accepting the withdrawal so there's two parts to this just trying to get some clarity yeah so and um
Legal I believe is on so please correct me if I'm wrong.
We are withdrawing we're accepting the withdrawal of the preliminary recommendations by the superintendent and we are withdrawing our direction to provide preliminary recommendations from the October 9th resolution but the rest of the resolution stands.
And President Rankin, could I just elaborate a little bit on that?
Yes, please do.
Yes.
So it's obviously there are roles to be played by both the superintendent and the board, both with the initiation of the closing process.
The board gave direction to the superintendent to present preliminary recommendations, which they were.
And now what we want to do is clarify that both parties are playing their role in wrapping this up.
Yes, the superintendent has indicated the preliminary recommendations are being withdrawn, but we would still have hanging out there the direction that the board provided to the superintendent to provide them.
And we want to, the point of this, I think it's an opportunity for the board to clarify that you're not waiting on anything more from the superintendent.
This is a formal closure of at least this iteration of the closing process.
The guidance you had given in October to present recommendations is no longer effective.
And since he has indicated an intent to withdraw the recommendations, you are formally accepting that.
There will be no site-based hearings.
And so for clarity for the community, there is no closure process underway, assuming that the board approves this vote.
further question legal question Mr. Narver this would keep the rest of the resolution intact because in my mind I think the resolution does three things it directs the preliminary recommendations it directs the creation of a budget stability plan moving forward and it creates a task force so those two other items remain intact
Absolutely.
We wanted to make sure that in the crafting of this agenda item, it was specific to just this one bit of direction being withdrawn, but the rest of the board's statements, guidance, and direction were being retained.
The resolution as a whole is not being rescinded.
It is simply this one bit of direction.
Director Sargell.
Thank you.
I just want to clarify that even though this language is, you know, I don't know how many other people are watching, but this is very technical legalese language that isn't friendly to the just, you know, normally intelligent person who doesn't have a legal background.
But I want to make sure, and thank God we have you, Greg.
I'm not knocking your profession, but I don't have a law degree and I don't intend to get one.
I want to make sure that we're all clear that it's just for this year.
Because the way it reads to me and then the email that was sent, it has left people with the impression that we're not ever gonna consider school closures again.
And I think we need to be transparent and clear with families in the district that that's not what this is saying.
This is not saying we are not going to even consider school closures again.
What it is saying is that we will not be making or accepting recommendations for closures for the next school year, which would be 2526. Is that correct?
That is absolutely correct.
And yeah, I plead guilty to writing like a lawyer sometimes.
I was I was one of several crafters of this agenda.
But we did try.
The reason it is kind of technical is to try and make it clear that the only thing that the board is kind of tying a loop around and closing up where the specific direction about school closures for the 25-26 school year that were directed in the October 9th resolution.
Nothing about the topic in general or about the other statements and guidance provided by the board in that resolution is being withdrawn or is off the table.
This only wraps up the particular closing process that was initiated when the superintendent at the board's direction made the recommendations for preliminary preliminary recommendations for closure in late October.
DIRECTOR HAMPSON Thank you.
Director Clark.
DIRECTOR CLARK Okay.
Thank you.
Greg I guess I have another question for you.
Just looking back.
to the October 9th resolution.
It looks like the last item on there is to form a task force to advise the superintendent on implementation of 2025-26 school closures.
I guess, why are we leaving that in?
If you could explain that, that would be great.
Not sure I can come up with an answer that is completely satisfying.
The idea that closures, this set of recommendations for closures is off the table wouldn't foreclose.
I mean, I don't know what the future is going to hold in terms of what recommendations the board chooses to make, the superintendent chooses to make.
We still have a lot of budget issues to address.
at some point school closures consolidations may be back on the table in some form.
I think it's helpful to keep the board's guidance in that when that happens there's an expectation that there would be a task force to help with the implementation.
But it won't be clearly the task force that was envisioned for this particular set of recommended school closures.
will not be taking place.
The notion that a task force to help guide whatever recommendations may come in the future and that will all depend on a lot of work between the superintendent and the board I think is a valid one to keep in there.
ELLIE WILSON- Yeah I mean I agree that it's a valid point.
I just it feels like it now doesn't fit because we're The whole point was to advise the superintendent on the 25-26 school closures, which are no longer happening.
And so I just wonder if, do we need to have an amendment that updates that language to make it more relevant in the circumstance that we're in?
I don't think an amendment is technically needed.
The appointment of a task force would be something under the direction, I believe, of the board president.
And the board president, either current or future board president, can simply choose not to appoint a task force.
It doesn't foreclose offering an amendment to clarify.
I think we're making statements on the record that there isn't going to be a task force to advise on closings that aren't going to happen anymore.
But it would be up to the board if somebody wanted to amend the...
amend the action item to withdraw it.
I don't think it makes a practical difference.
There clearly won't be a task force.
Not for these school closings.
And I'm sorry, I apologize.
This is not a board task force.
This is a superintendent task force, I'm being reminded.
I was going to ask that.
Yeah.
We're telling him to convene this task force for a process that's not going to happen.
And I think where I'm coming from and, and this is not against you at all, Greg is just this whole process this year, what like has just been so tumultuous and all over the place.
And it would just be really nice to have clarity, like, I have for community but just even for board members like on exactly like where this is going.
And I just feel like having that item in there causes a lack of clarity where we're saying What we intend for, you know, withdraw this, we're withdrawing our direction, we're accepting your withdrawal, but form a task force to inform closures in 2025, 26. I don't know.
Maybe it's me.
It doesn't make sense.
And I think the task force is also supposed to.
Hang on, Gina.
Hang on.
Greg, were you going to say something there?
I'm reading the task force language right now, which I did not have in front of me when I referred to it as a board-directed task force.
Okay.
Director Todd?
I mean, I agree with you, Sarah.
It makes no sense for the task force to talk about the 25-26 school closures, but I do think there's value in the forming of the task force to do a second job, which is the multi-year budget recommendations helping advise the superintendents.
How do we make sure we Both I think you're right for make sure we're providing clarity that I would like one to continue but not the other.
ELLIE WILSON- Yeah that's kind of why I was just talking about maybe an amendment or something like that because I do agree that the other points in the resolution we definitely want to have that information and see kind of multi-year planning on the budget front but it sounds like also on the school closure front.
So yeah.
ELLIE WILSON- Can I make a recommendation or ask a question Greg and see what you think.
GREG MCKENZIE- Yeah of course.
ELLIE WILSON- I think for the purposes of this action and this meeting we're providing clarity that the specific request for closure recommendations right now is being withdrawn.
We we have the opportunity at the board meeting in December we have budget budget reduction resolution that sort of has been introduced hasn't been accepted.
I think there is some opportunity to if we want to provide further clarity on next steps take tonight to accept the withdrawal and provide further direction on task force in the December regular meeting, either in relationship to the fiscal stability or, you know, the preliminary budget resolution, or give folks some time to look at this resolution and perhaps bring forward something else to consider, you know, not in the moment right now, but give people the opportunity to bring that in December.
I'm going to point out one more thing about the resolution language, and I'll say it's always kind of thrilling doing this in real time.
The resolution says that the superintendent is directed to form a task force to advise on implementation of school closures if approved by the board.
And so I think the premise for the formation of the task force, given today's motion language, just isn't going to exist anymore because there will be no 2025-26 school closures, at least not the ones that were part of directed in that resolution that will be approved by the board because the process is done.
So I think there's enough clarity in today's motion to make it clear that there won't be a task force appointed to advise on school closures that the board isn't going to approve.
The second component of it can certainly be addressed otherwise by the board, even the budget resolution, the budget presentation, there are other ways for the board to direct that work.
So I think we're okay in that there wasn't going to be any task force work happening until January anyway, because that's when the board's vote would have been on school closures.
Do directors have any other questions?
So sorry Greg just to clarify if we want to have a task force about like in relation to the multi-year budget development or plan or like a multi-year school closure like implementation plan.
we would need to make an amendment to this resolution at some point if we wanted to add a task force back in.
Is that what you're saying?
No, or it could be part of the budget resolution that I believe the board will be considering at the next regular board meeting.
There are other vehicles to make sure that a task force that the board wants to direct the superintendent to appoint can be convened and provide whatever guidance the board wants to propose on what the job of that task force will be.
Okay, great, thank you.
No, Director Todd, I think, did I see you?
Yes, now I'm confused.
So now I'm confused, so sorry.
So do you think that, I think we're stuck on this point of, yes, we could bring something up for amendment to the budget resolution coming up.
But for this specific motion, does it, from your perspective, and maybe this is a question for the superintendent as he goes forward, remove the task force that is supposed to be created to do the help with the advising on the multi-year budget proposal?
My interpretation is a narrow, narrow interpretation that there will not be a task force for the purposes of school closures.
If another task force is necessary or needed as contemplated in a resolution, that would be in an amendment, so to speak, of the resolution.
So I'm clear of not continuing with the task force.
for the 25-26 school closure and consolidation.
ELLIE WILSON- Any other questions?
All right.
Thank you.
Seeing none, I will ask staff to please call for the vote.
Apologies, I am doing a couple of things at once, so I'm not going to be able to fix the spotlighting.
But calling the motion, the roll on the motion earlier offered.
Director Hersey?
Aye.
Director Mizrahi?
Aye.
Vice President Sarju?
Aye.
Director Topp?
Director Briggs Director Clark President Rankin This motion has been approved unanimously.
DIRECTOR HAMPSON Thank you so much.
Thanks everybody for getting this together quickly.
That is it for this evening.
Oh quick reminder actually before we go is that Because we didn't do our goal setting at the November 19th meeting, you have a request from staff in your inboxes to check your calendars for December 4th.
So if everybody could just please respond to that.
If we can't get enough of us together on the 4th, we'll have to have a kind of longer work session for our already scheduled session on December 11th, getting our goals and guardrails firmed up and decided on is really important so that any further direction or considerations can be aligned to something that's known instead of something that's you know will one day be.
So please just check on that and let staff know your your status and we'll go from there.
And there being no further business to come before the board the special meeting is now adjourned at 5 24 p.m.
Thank you.