The Bainbridge Island school board met March 15 for a rousing night of policy updates, presentations and position officiation.
In other words, the meeting was quiet. But there was a bit of humor.
“When you’ve got a policy that’s old enough to buy itself a beer, that’s really about the time that policy should be looked over again,” Councilmember Robert Cromwell joked.
But it’s more than just a fresh coat of paint, as board member Evan St. Clair put it — “policy is where change happens.”
The majority of talking points covered student’s experience and exposure to multicultural curriculum: in particular, the sixth-grade unit at Sakai Intermediate on Japanese internment during World War II, the Model United Nations team at Bainbridge High School and upcoming events through the El Velero program at Ordway Elementary.
For the first time since January, there was almost no mention of budget cuts, school closures, levies or bonds — topics that have been the focal point of the bimonthly meetings for almost four months. The only reference to finance occurred during policy review, in which the district assessed outdated language in some portions of its official guidelines.
The board agreed to adopt changes to policies on student absence, bidding for construction projects and fulfillment of a state graduation requirement that requires students to demonstrate financial capability. Going forward, high school students on BI will have the option to fulfill the state’s learning standard for financial education outside of the district — by working a part-time job, for example. Permissible work hours may take place over weekends, summertime or even when school is in session.
The adopted policy will be shared with the student body in the coming weeks. Better sooner than later, said Brandi Bispham of Woodward Middle School. “We have a lot of students who start work when they’re really young,” Bispham said. “We should make sure that everyone is aware of the policies, particularly this one […] and get the word out that this is a possibility for them, and still help them get the credit, even if it wasn’t prior approved.”
The board also expanded and refined its definition of “valid excuses” for in-person student absences to include conditions due to mental illness. The new definition specifies appointments for counseling and behavioral health treatments, such as for chemical dependency. District policy around unexcused absences remained unchanged.
On the administrative end, district facilities will now make an active effort to encourage women- and minority-owned businesses to bid on district construction projects. Facilities coordinator Dane Fenwick said a food services employee reviewed the policy and notified his department of the missing language.
And to put a bow on the night, the administrative body officially ratified Amii Thompson’s interim superintendent contract.
Thompson “has done a tremendous amount of work for our district, together with her staff, and I think this contract recognizes that,” board director Mark Emerson said. “We will be doing a search, but we’re going to get through this next year and make sure we can keep this district on the very excellent platform it’s already on.”
