REGULAR BOARD MEETING

November 12, 2025

5:00 P.M. Work Session - Policy

6:00 P.M. Executive Session

6:30 P.M. Board Meeting

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

WORK SESSION

November 19, 2025

5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.

Inclusive Education

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

WORK SESSION

December 3, 2025

5:00 P.M.

Budget

REGULAR BOARD MEETING

MANDATORY MEETING - NEW DIRECTORS' OATH OF OFFICE AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

December 10, 2025

5:00 P.M. Work Session - Policy

6:00 P.M. Executive Session

6:30 P.M. Board Meeting

Policy Updates

Policy Work Session: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 5:00 P.M.

As time permits, the following policies will be discussed and potentially moved forward for either "Second Reading and Approval" or "Retirement" at the December 10, 2025, Regular Board Meeting.

• Policy 1111 Oath of Office (First Reading)

• Policy 1220 Board Officers and Duties of Board Members (First Reading)
• Policy 1760 Board Member Use of Electronic Communication (First Reading)
• Policy 2019 Alternative Curriculum and Instructional Materials (Retire)
• Policy 2020 Course Design, Selection, and Adoption of Instructional Materials (First Reading)
• Policy 3143 Notification and Dissemination of Information about Student Offenses and Notification of Threats of Violence or Harm (First Reading)
• Policy 3210 Nondiscrimination (First Reading)
• Policy 3241 Student Discipline (First Reading)

Links to board members' individual policy work folders will be sent out on Friday, November 7, 2025. Any suggested changes should be made by 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in order to be included in the work session documents. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Hawley. 

Early Learning

The Early Learning team was selected for the University of Washington's EArly Childhood Leadership Program, a prestigious opportunity that strengthens evidence-based leadership in early education. Through this program, educators are deepening skills that promote healthy, engaging, and developmentally appropriate learning for Kent's youngest students.

Elementary Literacy (English Language Arts ELA/Social Studies SS)

Each elementary school now has a Literacy Liaison serving as a bridge between Teaching & Learning and school based teams. This collaborative structure promotes strong communication and consistent literacy practices across schools. The first liaison meeting took place on October 27, 2025, with additional sessions planned for January 27, April 2, and May 28, 2026. Together these leaders are helping ensure every student experiences high-quality reading and writing instruction.

Highly Capable (HiCap)

The referral window for K-11 students is now open for a KSDs Highly Capable Program. Families can submit referrals and required forms online. All second and fifth grade students are screened each year. The HiCap team hosted a Community Information Night on November 4, 2025, at Mill Creek Middle School, to support families in learning more about the processes and services.

Secondary ELA/SS - Civics Day

This November, all high schools will host Civics Day. In partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington and the Federal Public Defender's Office (Western District of Washington), students will engage in hands-on sessions exploring the U.S. legal system, constitutional rights, and civic participation. The event empowers students to connect classroom learning to real-world citizenship.

STEAM Team Updates

Outdoor Education: In partnership with Waskowitz Outdoor Education, Teaching & Learning is designing meaningful outdoor experiences for all fifth grade students aligned to the Earth's Living Systems and Interactions unit. Each pair of schools will attend one extended-day program between April 20 and May 15, 2026. The team is currently gathering feedback from our community through surveys. Results will be shared in an update once the process is complete.

Museum of Flight Collaboration: This fall, third grade students from Soos Creek, Martin Sortun, Pine Tree, and Millennium Elementary Schools will visit the Museum of Flight for an engineering design challenge and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) exploration connected to classroom science units. The experience fosters problem-solving, collaboration, and awareness of local aerospace careers at an earlier stage of their K-12 learning experience.

Elementary Music: All fifth grade band and orchestra instruments were successfully distributed to students in September. Thank you to the dedicated staff who made this milestone possible.

Mathematics - Building Thinking Classrooms (BTCM): Across KSD, educators continue their work with Building Thinking Classrooms, a research-based model that transforms math instruction into active, student-centered learning. Through professional learning, lesson studies, and collaboration, teachers are creating spaces where students work together on meaningful problems, share reasoning, and learn from one another.

In many classrooms, students can be seen solving problems in groups at whiteboards, explaining strategies, and finding multiple ways to reach solutions - developing confidence and curiosity in the process. Families are encouraged to join the learning by asking their child, "What problem made you think today?"

Curriculum-Based Professional Development

The IE department has led 17 in-person, curriculum-based classes this year, with a total of 2019 participants in attendance. These sessions include a range of special education topics as well as the first Co-Teaching class, developed in collaboration with the Multilingual Education (MLE) team.

Safety Care

To date, six Safety Care classes have been completed, including Full Certification, Recertification, and Safety Care Basics. On average one Full Certification (two day) class and one Recertification (one day) class are offered each month to maintain staff readiness.

Additionally, the Para Institute was held in October with plans for an offering in the Spring.

Asynchronous Learning

In addition to in-person offerings, 13 asynchronous Canvas courses have been made available, covering key topics such as Individualized Education Program (IEP) Compliance, Data Collection, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), Trauma-Informed Practices, and Restorative Justice. Several of these courses have reached full enrollment. Final participation data will be available in December 2025, upon course closure, and the next cohort will open for the winter term. All these courses will be available again in the Spring.

Collaboration and New Teacher Support

IE has collaborated with the District Mentor Program, attending the first two of the teams monthly meetings to provide special education training for all first-year special education teachers. This partnership ensures new educators receive foundational support early in their careers.

IE also offers IEP Support Group office hours/drop-ins once per month via Microsoft Teams, where anyone can pop in and ask questions. There is a Teams channel for added support and resources.

Role Delineation

The SAFE team supports KSD counselors, behavior interventionists, social workers, and family liaisons. The Overview and Role Delineation has allowed the team to engage in districtwide conversations with each group to help them understand how they function together and separately in service of supporting students and families across all schools. This helps to make a coherent and clear trajectory for effective support for the KSD community.

Community Based Organizations

KSD is partnering with several community-based organizations focused on mental health and mentorships. Key partners have been meeting with and providing mental health and mentoring services for students throughout the district. Current partners include:

• Akin
• Asian Counseling and Referral Services
• Atlantic Street Center
• Communities in Schools of South King County (CISK)
• Hazel Health
• Kent Youth and Family Services (KYFS)
• Sound Behavioral Health
• St. Vincent de Paul of Seattle-King County - Centro Rendu
• Valley Cities

Guaranteed and Automatic Admissions Programs

SAFE Manager, Elisa Aguayo Munoz, facilitated the first data upload for the Washington Guaranteed and Automatic Admissions Programs. This provides an opportunity for the Class of 2026 to have guaranteed admissions to one or more Washington public four-year colleges and universities through the Guaranteed Admissions Program and an automatic admissions to Pacific Lutheran University through the Automatic Admission Program.

All eligible students from the Class of 2026 have been notified by the institution directly if a student or student's parent or legal Guardian has opted the student in to participate in the program.

Guaranteed Admissions Program: Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs).

• Central Washington University (CWU)
• Eastern Washington University (EWU)
• Evergreen State College
• Washington State University (WSU)
• Western Washington University (WWU)
• University of Washington - Tacoma (UW)

Automatic Admissions Program: Students must have a minimum 3.3 GPA and completion of Algebra 2 or higher.

• Pacific Lutheran University (PLU)

Strategic Plan Status Update - Fall 2025

The Kent School District Strategic Plan continues to guide district wide progress across the four 2023-2028 Strategic Plan Goals. This update highlights key progress measures and initiative milestones shaping student success this year. For a comprehensive review of all Strategic Plan Measures and data visualization, please visit the Strategic Plan Data Dashboard.

Measure Highlights

Goal 1 - Preparing Students to be Global Citizens

• Graduation Rates (1:1): Metric in Progress: Awaiting Updated OSPI Report Card Data.

• Math Growth (1.4): iReady math growth increased from 43% to 48%.
• College Credit Access (1.8): 58.9% of students earned college credit in high school compared to the 55% from the year prior.
• Discipline Equity (1.11): Exclusionary discipline among Black/African American students declined from 14% to 8%.

Goal 2 - Expanding Student, Family, and Community Partnerships

• Student Leadership (2.1): Student leadership participation decreased from 637 to 541, prompting teams to dive into and make changes to current strategies.

• Staff Belonging (2.2): Staff sense of belonging was reported at 64% for the 24-25 school year, and while that is a slight decrease from the previous year, the variation from baseline to the most recent data indicates overall stability.
• Student Belonging (2.3): 44% of students reported a sense of belonging in the 24-25 school year, which was a decline from the 53% the previous year. Teams are exploring this data and it is guiding ongoing inclusion work.

Goal 3 - Building Equitable Systems and School Environments

• Portable Classrooms (3.1): Core classes held in portables dropped from 19 to 16.

• School Supplies (3.3): All 44 schools supplied core school supplies to students at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
• Extracurricular Access (3.5): Underrepresentation of low-income students fell from 22.4% to 21.2%.

Goal 4 - Investing in a Diverse Workforce and Inclusive Workplace Cultures

• Employee Retention (4.2): The retention rate increased from 86.4% to 90.4%, meeting the districts' goal.

• First-Year Employee Satisfaction (4.6): Satisfaction among first year employees increased from 64 to 69.
• Employee Net Promoter Score (4.7): While the district still has some work to do to get this score to the goal of 65, the -25 reported last year is a significant improvement over the -42.1 reported in 2023-24.

Strategic Plan Priority Initiatives

Printing Services Launches New Online Store

The new Printing Services Online Store is officially open, offering a faster, easier, and more efficient way to submit print requests. All electronic print requests have been submitted through the new website as of October 20, 2025. To help everyone get familiar with the new system, staff were encouraged to attend several training opportunities, watch on-demand recordings of those sessions, and drop-in for office hours with Printing Services for individual support.

Fifth Grade Camp Update

The district remains committed to providing a one-day outdoor learning experience for all fifth-grade students in the 2025-26 school year. To sustain and expand this opportunity in future years, the district is partnering with the Kent Schools Foundation's 5th Grade Outdoor Education Fund. Community donations will directly support outdoor learning for every fifth grader, ensuring all students can access this valuable experience regardless of financial barriers.

Apptegy's Thrillshare Update: Introducing New Newsletters

Apptegy has released an exciting update to Thrillshare Engage, now simply Newsletters, which launched November 3, 2025. The redesigned platform makes creating and sharing newsletters faster, easier, and more collaborative for school teams. 

The new Newsletter Builder improves communication by allowing families to view the entire newsletter directly within the email - including all text and links. This streamlined format eliminates the need to click through images or open separate browser windows, significantly improving accessibility and engagement.

This enhancement helps schools share important updates, celebrate achievements, and strengthen their connection with families in a more seamless and engaging way.

2025 Future in Flight Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing Expo Event

On October 30, 2025, Kent School District's Partnerships Team cohosted the Future in Flight Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing Expo with the City of Kent. The event, held at the Accesso ShowWare Center, welcomed more than 750 high school students from across the Puget Sound region, 25 Aerospace and Space companies, and 15 colleges and training programs. The event offered a day of exploration, connection, and opportunity intended to promote understanding and awareness about the Kent Valley Aerospace and Space industry. 

Connectivity Services Update

Earlier this year, the Board approved contracts for two connectivity initiatives through the federal E-Rate program (a program that traditionally reimburses up to 80% of eligible costs), Student mobile hotspots and Wi-Fi services for school buses. These services were designed to support equitable access to online learning.

The federal government has since announced that these services will no longer be funded under E-Rate. After reviewing usage and costs, KSD determined that student hotspots remain essential for approximately 150 students who rely on them for learning at home. While the loss of reimbursement could not be fully offset, the District negotiated lower costs, reducing the monthly rate by approximately 8% and securing a lower device rate.

For bus Wi-Fi, utilization data showed limited benefit compared to ongoing costs. The District will discontinue this service across its fleet but has arranged flexibility to enable connectivity if a student request demonstrates a need. In most cases, activation would remain in place for the remainder of the school year. This approach minimizes expenses wile preserving options for students who require access during transportation.

Despite the change in federal funding, both programs continue to be supported by the Technology Levy passed by the community, reflecting a shared commitment to equitable learning opportunities.

Data Center UPS Replacement Project

KSDs Technology Operations team is advancing a key infrastructure improvement at the Administrative Campus Data Center - the replacement of the aging 600 kW uninterruptible power supply (UPS) originally installed in 2007. The new system rated at 200kW, will provide improved energy efficiency, reliability, and compatibility with modern data-center loads while continuing to protect the district's most essential digital services.

This project directly supports Strategic Goal 3: Building Equitable Systems and School Environments by safeguarding the continuity of student and staff technology systems that underpin instruction, operations, and communications across all schools.

The work includes the demolition of legacy electrical equipment, installation of new feeders, grounding, raceway, and integration with existing distribution panels. The project schedule spans July 7 - August 15, 2026, with commissioning and staff training completed before the start of the 2026-27 school year.

The estimated project cost will be funded through the Technology Levies approved by Kent voters. Procurement will be conducted through a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process to ensure best-value selection and compliance with Washington State RCW 39.04 requirements.

This proactive upgrade will strengthen the district's technology resiliency, enabling uninterrupted learning and operational continuity even during power disturbances.

Celebrating Years of Service

As part of the ongoing commitment to employee retention and appreciation, the Human Resources Community is proud to continue the Years of Services Recognition Program. This initiative honors the dedication and hard work of team members who serve the students and families of KSD.

Employees are recognized in five-year increments, beginning with their fifth year of service. Years of service are calculated using hire dates and assignment information from Qmlativ. Each September, a preview list is shared with staff to allow time for review and questions before certificates are printed.

Human Resources partners with Communications & Public Affairs to design recognitions and with Printing Services to produce and distribute the material. This year, 535 employees will be honored for their service. Those employees who have reached 25 years or more with Team KSD will be celebrated at the December board meeting.

Student Engagement at Kent-Meridian High School

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month - and in alignment with the district's commitment to recruiting and hiring from within the community - Irene Aguilar, Director of Equity and Employment Support, and Sabrina Baze, Assistant Director of Equity and Employment Support, were invited to speak with students at Kent-Meridian High School.

The presentation took place in the classroom of multi-language educator Dr. Marissa Winmill, who encouraged students to connect the discussion to their own educational and career aspirations. Students actively engaged by taking notes, identifying key information, and posing thoughtful questions to Irene and Sabrina on a wide range of topics related to education and career pathways.

Students were especially inspired by the opportunity to substitute and explore various roles within KSD while continuing their higher education. At the close of each session, students were reminded that their diverse backgrounds - whether linguistic, experiential, or ability-based - are powerful assets to their communities and a source of pride.

Improving Efficiency with Timesheets

Human Resources has transitioned the Kent Education Association (KEA) Overload Relief forms to the Informed K12 platform. The first-quarter KEA Overload Relief forms have been launched and are now in use by certificated staff. This transition is part of Human Resources' continued commitment to streamlining processes, enhancing efficiency, and improving the overall experience for staff and team members.

Fall Sports Finishing Strong

• 4A Football: Kentwood High School advances to the playoffs. In round 1 they play at Curtis.

• 4A Swimming: Kentridge High School advanced the following athletes to state.
  • Harper Haroldson-Margel - 100 Yd Breaststroke
  • Jacq Theriot, Isabelle Duncan, Alexis McDowell, Grace Harer, Harper Haroldson-Margel, and Grace Mann - 200 and 400 Free Relays
• 3A Cross Country: Kentlake Girls advanced the following athletes to state.
  • Sydney Kujala, Taylor Le, and Charlotte Coberly
• 4A Cross Country: Kentwood Boys advanced the following athletes to state.
  • Ryley Clough, Nebay Kidane, and their Unified pair - Kallel Davis and Ken Cash

FinalForms: A Great Communication Tool for Coaches

 During the Fall athletic season,, coaches and athletic staff utilized FinalForms as a valuable communication tool for athletes and families. Between August 20 and October 31, 2025, 1,511 text messages and 1,598 emails were sent utilizing Final Forms communications tools.

KSD October Coach of the Month

Congratulations to KSDs October Coach of the Month, Billy Bergendahl, Canyon Ridge (CR) Middle School Track & Field Coach. Billy has been coaching CR Track for the past 2 years. Billy was asked about the ways he seeks to explore and provide opportunities for students to become involved in athletics.

"I have the opportunity to see  kids throughout the school day on campus. Throughout the day I ask kids questions and encourage them to join in sports. Whether that's the sport I am coaching or a different sport that they clearly are gifted at. My hope is that they are able to come and try it out. Another area where I have focused some attention this season has been with our Unified team. I work in an Inclusive Education classroom and have them join the track team. this year we had our first Unified Track & Field team. Unified is a branch of the Special Olympics organization that helps provide resources and funding for school inclusion. We had three Unified athletes this season! That was a huge win for our team, school, and community."

Carriage Crest and Martin Sortun Elementary Schools Field Drainage

KSD teams completed the field drainage improvement projects for both Carriage Crest and Martin Sortun Elementary Schools from the 2018 Levy.

These projects included adding slit drains connected to curtain drains in areas identified as having poor infiltration to help move water during the rainier seasons. The field grass is currently being reestablished now that the work is complete.

These projects support keeping the fields maintainable by allowing the Grounds Team to drive over with their mowers without sinking and getting stuck. This also allows the fields to be utilized throughout the year for student physical education, program use, sports, and for community access.

Partnering with the Rotary Club of Kent

The Warehouse & Distribution Services team coordinated space in the warehouse at the KSD Administration Center to support the Rotary Club of Kent, a sponsor of the Backpack Buddies food program that supports KSD students.

The volunteers of the Rotary Club of Kent prepared 1,152 bags of food to support students for the month of September. This program will continue throughout the school year.