Vancouver Public Schools is taking steps to examine and refine its disciplinary policies and practices after a 2018-19 investigation by the Washington state attorney general’s office identified disproportionate outcomes. The investigation, for which the district appears to have been randomly selected based on the attorney general’s office review of statewide discipline data, included a review of 2014-15 data compiled by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The attorney general’s office found that VPS, like a number of other districts, suspended or expelled students at a rate higher than the state average. The review also concluded that the district’s practices disproportionately affect black/African-American, Native American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, as well as students with disabilities.

No complaint was submitted in regard to VPS’ disciplinary policies and practices. Other state offices of attorneys general have conducted similar inquiries of public school districts and reached similar resolutions.

“We have focused on promoting safe and supportive learning environments as a major component of our district’s strategic plan since it was adopted in 2008,” said Superintendent Steve Webb. He affirmed that VPS will sustain its efforts to improve. “We appreciate the state attorney general and his staff for highlighting these areas,” he said. “Like many districts, Vancouver is working to improve student discipline and exclusionary practices to be more equitable.”

The district provides a framework to address the academic and behavioral support needs of each student. Initiatives already underway include:

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
• Restorative practices and re-engagement plans
• Response to Intervention (a process used by educators to help students who are struggling with a skill or lesson)
• Social and emotional learning
• Culturally aware practices
• Family engagement
• Community partnerships, including mental health service providers

Per the terms of a resolution agreement with the attorney general’s office, VPS additionally has retained the services of Daniel Losen and the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Losen is a nationally recognized expert in the specialized area of assisting school districts to improve discipline policies and practices based on research. Losen will conduct an extensive review of the district’s records to ensure that disciplinary, suspension and due process practices are effectively implemented in a nondiscriminatory manner, and he will monitor progress for three school years.

The district already has demonstrated these positive outcomes:

• A reduction of more than 40% in the exclusion rate for black/African-American students from 2013 to 2017
• A reduction of 26% in the exclusion rate for students with disabilities
• An overall decrease in the rate of exclusions from 7.1% in 2013 to 5.4% in 2017, supported by a five-year federal grant to implement restorative practices
• VPS composition index for exclusionary discipline is well below the state index for both black/African-American and students with a disability (see Appendix A)

“We will address, as a system, the complicated factors involved in fairly imposing student corrective action without unintended discriminatory outcomes,” said Webb. “We are committed to refining our policies and practices to be appropriate and equitable. Our students, their families, our staff and our community deserve it.”

As of July 28, 2019, Washington state law removed the personal and philosophical exemption to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Medical and religious exemptions are not affected by the new law.

• Parents who have claimed a personal or philosophical exemption for their children must provide updated immunization information to their child’s school on or before Aug. 27, the first day of school.
• Parents who wish to claim a medical or religious exemption must get the paperwork from their child’s doctor.

Children without two doses of MMR vaccine, laboratory evidence of immunity, or a medical or religious exemption will be excluded from school if they do not provide updated immunization status within 30 days from the start of school.

More information about the new law is available from the Washington State Department of Health.

There are no more Monday early releases for the reminder of the 2018-19 school year. Students will get out of school at the standard time on June 3, 10 and 17.

There are two-hour early releases on June 18 and 19, the last two days of school.

Español

Queremos recordarles que los estudiantes ya no saldrán temprano los lunes por lo que resta del año escolar. Los estudiantes saldrán de la escuela a la hora de salida regular los días lunes, 3, 10 y 17 de junio.

El martes, 18 y miércoles, 19 de junio, que son los dos últimos días de clases, saldrán dos horas más temprano.

Русский

Напоминаем вам, что сегодня 3-го июня, а также в понедельник 10 и 17 июня, занятия в школах будут заканчиваться в 2:50 дня. В последние два дня учёбы в школе, 18 и 19 июня, занятия будут заканчиваться на 2 часа раньше.

Chuukese

Sia mochen áchema ngonuk pwe esapw chiwen sárekái sukkun nón ekkei Sárifan poputá seni ikenái tori nesópwonón ei ierin sukkun. Meinisin chóón sukkun repwe ne fiti néúr ewe kunókun sárin sukkun iteiten ráán nón Suun 3, 10 me 17.

Nón ekkewe sáingonón ráánin sukkun, ren Suun 18 me 19, sukkun epwe sárekái (wón 2 awa).

Iká e wor kapas eis, kose mochen kékkéri ei 360-771-5343.

After taking public input into consideration, VPS officials will recommend on May 28 that the school board address an $8 million budget shortfall for 2019-20 in ways that preserve direct services to students. But a district advisory group is concerned that the use of one-time money from the state and the district’s financial reserve will result in another large shortfall for 2020-21.

VPS initially projected a total budget shortfall of $16.8 million for next year. Approximately $2.3 million was due to a forecasted decline in student enrollment. District officials said that they would adjust staffing to cover that part of the deficit. A one-time appropriation of $6.5 million in state levy equalization assistance further reduced the shortfall to $8 million.

Over the past few weeks, VPS conducted an online budget survey with more than 1,800 respondents, solicited written correspondence to the superintendent and the board of directors, listened to constituents testifying at board meetings and met with a district advisory group composed of parents and business and community leaders. Based on that input, a preliminary/recommended list of $8 million in potential budget reductions was revised to include mainly cuts from central administrative services and a drawdown of the district’s financial reserves.

The VPS management task force, a longstanding district advisory group chaired by John McDonagh, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and associate publisher and owner of the Vancouver Business Journal, concluded that the final budget recommendations are consistent with the community survey results. Survey respondents showed a strong preference for minimizing the impact of budget reductions on direct services to students.

But the district advisory group noted that VPS is relying on $6.5 million in one-time state levy equalization assistance and $3.75 million in one-time district money from the ending fund balance to close the funding gap.

“The task force supports the final budget recommendations, but we are concerned that the use of $10.25 million in one-time money only pushes much of this problem down the road for a year,” said McDonagh. “We advise the superintendent and his team to identify a sustainable revenue source, including a possible supplemental levy measure, to meet the district’s financial needs in 2020-21 and beyond.”

The final budget recommendations include the following:

• One-time use of ending fund balance, or financial reserves ($3.75 million)
• 10 centrally budgeted teachers on special assignment ($1,266,667)
• 5% reduction in central office/support services budgets ($1.2 million)
• 15% reduction in central office administrative positions ($800,000)
• 5 central office professional-technical positions ($450,000)
• 50% reduction in travel for professional development ($400,000)
• 1 grounds maintenance position ($75,000)
• 1 wing clerk position ($58,608)

The superintendent and his team will present the final budget recommendations to the board on May 28 at a work session scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Bates Center for Educational Leadership, 2921 Falk Rd.

Related: District receives clean audit report