MARYSVILLE – Even though we have plenty of rainy days around here, the Marysville School District wants to grow its rainy day fund.
“We have to have savings if there’s an emergency,” school board president Pete Lundberg said, adding most nearby districts save 7 percent.
To help guide budget deliberations, the school board Monday developed budget standards.
“It’s what we value. It’s our reason for spending money,” Lundberg said.
The seven bullet items are:
• Ensure a safe learning and working environment
• Value education of the whole child and seek equity over equality
• Focus financial and human resources on programs and policies that directly support the district’s
Mission and Vision, Strategic Directions, and the North Star Indicators
• Strive for the 75th percentile in pay for all groups
• Ensure that budget decisions are student-focused, practical, sustainable and timely
• Honor taxpayers investments in infrastructure: facilities, grounds and technology
• Increase financial stability by reaching 8 percent fund balance
Labor makes up such a huge portion of the budget that it will be compared with like-sized districts on the I-5 corridor and “be within our ability to pay.”
Also at Monday’s meeting, James Stevens, executive director for special education, said the focus on integration has led to just 19 high-needs classes this year, compared with 28 last year.
He said in this district, graduates are more likely to go on to higher education and get jobs than in other districts. However, nongraduates have a lower rate of success than statewide. Special education numbers are high in preschools, he reported.
During the public comment period, parent Tom Lilly, who has two children at 10th Street Middle School, said parents and teachers are very involved there.
“It’s a phenomenal learning environment,” he said.
He said he is concerned about talk of curriculum changes in the district.
He said the school has a strong foundation in the arts, and that parents want to be involved in any discussion of curriculum.
Lundberg, Tom Albright and Bruce Larsen were re-elected to the board positions of president, vice president and legislative representative.
The board also approved a waiver for high school graduation credits under unusual circumstances such as:
• Homelessness,
• A health condition resulting in an inability to attend class,
• Limited English proficiency,
• Disability, regardless of whether the student has an individualized education program or a plan under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
• Denial of an opportunity to retake classes or enroll in remedial classes free of charge during the first four years of high school,
• Transfer during the last two years of high school from a school with different graduation requirements,
• Other circumstances (e.g., emergency, natural disaster, trauma, personal or family crisis) that directly compromised a student’s ability to learn.
