To: Asha Riley
From: Jake Hall
Date: 2.20.25
Re: February 2025 Board Report
Family and Community Resource Center
Our FCRC Coordinator, Joni Meize, is actively planning for the Back To School Bash, scheduled to take place in August 2025. In preparation for the event, she has been taking proactive steps to build strong relationships with various community partners. These partnerships are essential for ensuring the success of the Bash and providing valuable resources to students and families.
Joni continues to process paperwork and communicate with students experiencing homelessness. She is working closely with our district translator to support these students and with a representative from the Emergency Support Shelter in Longview. The representative is able to travel to our district every Thursday to assist families with resources.
Health
We are looking forward to our team returning to full staff with four nurses, one for each downriver school. We have had only two nurses serving all the schools, and one nurse has been out on Family Medical Leave; she is returning in March. We have posted the fourth nurse position and we are hoping to interview applicants in the next two weeks.
Highly Capable Program
The Highly Capable referral window recently closed, and next, we will be assessing students referred to the program as well as screening all 2nd and 4th graders. In March 2025, I will be submitting our annual Highly Capable program report for the board to review.
Lewis River Academy
Andrea Edwards, our Kindergarten through 5th-grade teacher, will be retiring at the conclusion of the current school year. We have posted a part-time teaching position to work with Mrs. Edwards' students during the 2025-26 school year. The decision to post for a part-time position was based on current enrollment numbers, which indicate approximately 20 students across Kindergarten through 4th grade. Mrs. Edwards will be greatly missed by students, families, and staff; she is a wonderful teacher.
Annika Dukes, the 6th through 8th-grade LRA teacher, and I will be attending the annual Washington Alternative Learning conference. In past years, we have found this conference provides useful information on how to streamline work, make online teaching and learning more dynamic, and receive updates about state guidelines concerning alternative learning.
Special Services
We are currently in the process of applying for Safety Net funding, a program designed to provide financial relief to districts by reimbursing a portion of the costs incurred when implementing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students that require extensive and often expensive resources. These high-cost IEPs can include specialized services, therapies, assistive technologies, and additional staffing, which can place a significant financial burden on school districts. By securing Safety Net funding, the district aims to recover a substantial amount of these expenditures, with projections for this year indicating a potential reimbursement of over $500,000. This funding will not only help to alleviate the financial strain on the district's budget but also ensure that students with IEPs continue to receive the necessary support and resources to meet their educational needs.