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One Team Updates
Please join us in welcoming our newest members to Team ESD:
- Angela Puzycki, Teaching & Learning Administrative Assistant
- Joshua Guajardo, TC Futures Case Manager
- DeLeon Gause, Threat Assessment Coordinator
- Sarah Owsley, Educational Advocate (Pasco)
Farewell, and best wishes, to the following employees who have submitted their resignations:
- Miryam Hurtado, ECEAP Family Support Specialist
- Nayeli Martinez, ECEAP Itinerant Substitute
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| Resolution to Appoint Regional Boundary Committee Members Approved
Pursuant to the provision of WAC 392-340-336, ESD 123 Board of Directors appoint Regional Boundary Committee members every three years in accordance with RCW 28A.315.105. The positions one, three, five, seven, and nine need to be appointed.
Presently, Mr. Bud Sharp (position 1), Mr. Allen Walch (position 7), and Ms. Lois Lyon (position 9) serve on the committee. Position 3 and 5 are currently vacant. The effective date of the appointments will be January 11, 2021 (the second Monday in January).
Positions 2, 4, 6, and 8 will be up for the election next fall (November 2021). Currently, Mr. Jerry Carroll serves in Position No. 4 and the other positions are vacant.
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Superintendent Report
Superintendent Weisner shared the following updates:
- Internal Culture: Margarita Alaman, 21st Century Program Director, has been taking the lead to establish a committee to focus on equity and social justice issues. Margarita will provide her report to the board next month.
- Growth and Expansion: It has been intense for the superintendents and their communities to manage information and make decisions. In our regional superintendents’ weekly meetings, they share their success/positive stories of what’s going well and what they would do differently if they had to do this all over again. Those stories of what they are experiencing are invaluable for the superintendent.
- External Partnership: We are responding and adapting to the needs of those we serve. Michelle Dearlove, Assistant Superintendent, Finance & Operations, has been working intensely in unknown areas (i.e. transportation funds/ridership) as the legislature moves forward.
- Operational Excellence: Our staff have been working as nimbly as possible can be. We had the electronic file management systems (DocuSign and Adobe Sign) in place, as well as Frontline Central for online personnel management, before the pandemic.
We are proud of our team and their efforts. Everyone has stepped up and done an admirable job going above and beyond daily.
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Instructional Services Report
Troy Tornow, Assistant Superintendent, Instructional Services, shared that the
October Leadership Network meeting focused on:
- operational efficiency in the strategic direction (getting feedback on the online staff evaluation system through Frontline Central),
- the equity discussion by Margarita, and
- continuing on individual leadership development with Focus 3 and cultural playbook.
The ESD will soon be offering testing for paraeducators as the Columbia Basin College is no longer offering the service. More information will be available soon.
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Upcoming Board Meeting Dates- Tuesday, November 17, 2020
- Tuesday, December 15, 2020
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Above & Beyond Award to Heather Pearson
Erin Tomlinson and Lisa Brouwer-Thompson, ECEAP Administrators and Matt Bona, Executive Director of Early Learning, recognized Heather Pearson, ECEAP Family Support Coordinator, with this month's Above & Beyond Award during the Board meeting. Heather joined our agency as Family Support Coordinator a year and a half ago.
This summer, our ECEAP program received federal dollars totaling over $452,000 (initially they were expecting only the $40,000 they requested) for family supports to serve the ECEAP families who were particularly struggling during this COVID season. Heather went above and beyond repeatedly to meet the demands of this award. She was able to organize a group of family supports who were willing to work during their summer vacation to meet the needs of the families they serve. She was responsible for accounting and reporting all activities they engaged in and all dollars spent in that very short period of time. Every dollar meant so much to meet the needs of the ECEAP families. All of this work was done in addition to Heather’s other job responsibilities which already required so much more than a typical new school year beginning.
Heather is an exceptional employee and outstanding example of our ESD 123 culture. The Board of Directors and Cabinet, along with all the staff and Heather's family in the audience congratulated her. Congratulations, and thank you, Heather!
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Future Workforce Summit
Teri Kessie, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning, invited Greg Fancher, Career Connected Learning Coordinator, to share on the upcoming Future Workforce Summit, scheduled for Tuesday, November 17 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Partnering with the Washington STEM Network, the summit provides sessions focusing on financial and cultural barriers, strengthening pathways for college and career success, overcoming adversity on the path to a rewarding career, a workforce portal for career guidance, and supporting students and families through both federal and state financial aids (FAFSA/WASFA). This will be a great day not only for the students and families but also for the educators and businesses.
Teri also shared that, along with Greg, Mary Kirby, Educator Growth & Development Coordinator, and Lorianne Donovan-Hermann, Regional Science Coordinator, have been working hard to establish a relationship with the STEM Network. They anticipate about 500 participants at the summit.
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Fiscal ReportThe Department of Labor & Industries conducted a timeliness audit for the Workers’ Compensation program. Michelle Dearlove, Assistant Superintendent, Finance & Operations, shared that the notification was sent on September 22, and the audit report that came on October 16, 2020, indicated that we are 100% compliant. It is the year-end time in our school districts, and all their files are due to the ESD by Monday, October 26, and the OSPI due date is November 16. There is always pressure to get it done on time, but, as the legislature will review the files to see the year-end numbers which would reflect what 2019 looked like, they are anticipating seeing a lot of savings in transportation expenditures. OSPI has implemented a new system while doing the year-end report; therefore, more data will be available in the report to plan for the next couple of years as we go through the pandemic.
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Human Resources Updates
Kaylee Bolt, Human Resources Director, excitingly shared that the diversity in the ESD 123 staff continues to expand as you can see in the list of new hires in the recent months.
In addition, ECEAP staff offered support to College Place School District as they opened their ECEAP blended program. Early Intervention services have established safety protocols in order to provide in-person services for families with special needs children.
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