Clover Park School District announcement.
Retirees Honored at District Retirement Reception
June 13 Regular Meeting
During its June 13 board meeting, the Clover Park School District (CPSD) Board of Directors heard a report from Superintendent Ron Banner.
Superintendent’s Report
In his report, Banner discussed student achievement and community engagement.
Student Achievement
- All five high school programs hosted commencements during the first week full week of June. Graduation ceremonies were preceded by a series of senior award events.
Community Engagement
- The Lakewood Youth Summit was held at Harrison Preparatory School in partnership with the city of Lakewood.
- Lemonade Day was held throughout the city of Lakewood in partnership with the school district, the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Clover Park Rotary.
- The Arlington Project returned to an in-person event garnering visitors throughout the days leading up to and through Memorial Day.
As part of the Individual Action Agenda, the Board of Directors:
- Approved purchase of supplemental Spanish instructional materials for grades 2-8.
- Authorized the purchase of Scholastic supplemental reading curriculum resources to support early literacy and reading integrated with social studies and science.
- Authorized contract with Hazel Health, Inc., for telehealth physical and mental health services.
- Adopted transfer of territory on Joint Base Lewis-McChord from Bethel School District to CPSD and authorized superintendent to take all actions lawful and necessary to complete proposed transfer.
- Adopted board resolution 22-178 Censuring Director Paul Wagemann based on an investigative report of a complaint filed that determined the actions of Director Paul Wagemann have been in violation of multiple board policies including Board Policy 5010, of which the board also received a decision and recommendations for corrective action.
The next regular meeting of the school board will be Monday, July 11, at 6 p.m.
June 23 Special Meeting/Workshop
The school board held a special meeting/workshop on June 23. The board voted to extend Superintendent Ron Banner’s contract to the 2022-23 school year.
June 22 and 23 Planning Meetings
The school board held planning meetings on June 22 and June 23. It heard reports on a variety of topics: bond refunding, the 2022-23 draft budget, building assignments and school visits, secondary student needs after COVID-19, academic excellence, human trafficking, athletics participation in CPSD, and the superintendent evaluation process and timeline.
Bond Refunding Update
D.A. Davidson Managing Director Jon Gores and Senior Vice President Cory Plager updated the board on the school bond refunding process, which reduces the debt payments of the district by issuing new bonds with lower interest rates.
The savings from bond refunding directly reduce taxes paid by local taxpayers and does not financially benefit the school district. Gores and Plager discussed district bonds that are refundable and next steps.
2022-23 Draft Budget
Director of Financial Services Greg Hart presented the district’s current 2022-23 draft budget.
The review included: enrollment projections; fund balance projections; preliminary general fund revenue breakdowns; a look at the expenditure budget; and four-year budget projections.
Building Assignments and School Visits
Each director was assigned schools they will act as a liaison for and visit twice during the 2022-23 school year. One visit will focus on learning targets and success stories tied with the district’s Four Pillars of Student Success. The second visit will be to a parent engagement event during the school year.
Secondary Student Needs After COVID-19
Consultant Josh Chambers presented on survey results gathered due to a partnership between the district and the city of Lakewood. The survey asked students about their access to and likelihood of using mental health services in schools.
The main takeaways from the survey are that students are aware of the mental health resources available to them, need support when it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress, and prefer people they have rapport or a relationship with when they need help with mental health.
Academic Excellence
Deputy Superintendent Brian Laubach and Director of Assessment Brian Gabele provided a report on the district’s approach to achieving academic excellence.
Laubach described the district’s Academic Improvement Committee, which was designed for the common goal of messaging, advising and ensuring all district initiatives are in alignment with board goals and the district improvement plan. He discussed the goals and objectives of the committee, areas focused on by the committee and the future plans of the committee.
Gable presented on the importance of student growth in understanding student success. He defined student growth, explained how it differs from proficiency and broke down how the state and district evaluate growth.
Human Trafficking Training
Cammy Widman from Washington Trafficking Prevention and Hannah Chase from Rebuilding Hope! Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County presented on human trafficking in Washington state. The training defined human trafficking and discussed how it happens, who it targets, signs and indicators of trafficking and what the school district can do to help prevent it.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Athletics Participation
Superintendent Ron Banner provided a report on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on athletics in Lakewood and CPSD. Participation in middle and high school sports totaled 2,742 students during the 2018-19 school year, which was the year prior to the pandemic’s emergence.
Participation decreased to 2,385 students in 2019-20 and 1,192 students in 2020-21. COVID-19 restrictions did not allow athletics in fall or winter of the 2020-21 school year and schedules were disrupted at times due to outbreaks among league schools.
Participation numbers rebounded this year and showed an increase to 2,270 students for all middle and high school sports. All sports returned on a regular schedule, which included state competitions.
The district also found that participation in community youth programs in the city of Lakewood also decreased during the pandemic.
Superintendent Evaluation Timeline and Board Meeting Topics
Board Vice President Carole Jacobs discussed the timeline for evaluating the superintendent during the 2022-23 school year. The board then reviewed and proposed topics for meetings and workshops during the 2022-23 school year.
