School board considering public service graduation requirement

Longtime La Conner Schools counselor Lori Buher has retired, but she is still offering timely advice.

Buher suggested that the district resume its requirement that La Conner High students complete public service hours in order to graduate at the school board’s Aug. 14 study session.

The board was listening.

“We recognize that volunteering connects students to the community,” Board President Susie Deyo said then, noting that the board has retained its policy promoting student public service. The graduation requirement was set aside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At their one-hour Aug. 28 hybrid meeting, members tasked board student representatives Taylor-Rae Cayou and Josi Straathof with seeking input on the topic from their peers.

The public service component, board members recalled, was an integral part of retired teacher Vince Sellen’s civics class.

Public service could be clocked in a variety of ways, from attending local government and cultural meetings to helping fill sandbags during flood events.

Middle and high school principal Christine Tripp said many scholarships require student public service. She said those could serve as models for graduation standards.

Deyo proposed easing into it.

“Maybe 15 hours (of participation) is too much for the first year,” Deyo said. “Maybe we should keep it simple.”

The board approved goals for Superintendent Will Nelson during the 2023-24 academic year, which launched on Tuesday with Braves Day. Nelson had said during the study session that due to district budget cuts his plate will be even more full than usual.

“As superintendent, special ed director and assistant principal,” he said, “it’s going to be a busy year.”

Nelson’s goals reflect those the board adopted earlier. They focus on instructional leadership, student-centered learning and further implementation of new academic programs in this second year of a five-year strategic plan.

The board applauded the level of student participation at summer adventure camp. Nelson noted 74 students had attended the on-campus summer program at the study session.

“That’s a really good number,” Deyo said. “Obviously, they had fun and we had great teachers.”

Looking ahead, elementary Principal Heather Fakkema-Hovde said plans for a split classroom have been modified from a K/1 to a 4/5 format.

“We knew we needed a split,” she said, “but we wanted to get it away from the primary grades.”

Students in the split classroom will report to several teachers, each with a homeroom and specializing in specific subject areas.

New personnel hires were announced. Aaron Gruber will teach physical education at the middle and high school, replacing C.J. Woods.

“He’s a strength and conditioning guy,” Tripp said, “and has great references and experience with Mastery-Based Learning.”

Danial Hansen has been rehired to teach secondary math, primarily geometry.

Julia Johnson, with a mechanical engineering background, has been retained as a part-time secondary math instructor.

The board accepted a $2,500 donation from the Building Industry Association of Washington in support of the tiny house construction project completed this past spring.