State Board meets this week on accountability
K-12 System Performance Accountability will be on the agenda as the State Board of Education meets this week. The board is scheduled to act on an updated "policy framework" for an accountability model, including a modified approach to what was originally termed "academic receivership" for chronically underperforming schools and districts. The SBE meets Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 5-6) at Highline Community College in Des Moines. School district leaders are encouraged to study the latest draft proposals and, if possible, provide comments to the State Board. For meeting details and documents, visit the SBE Web site.

Vote, vote, vote!
Q. How many times to school directors get to vote this month? A: Three times if you live in western Washington, twice if you are on the east side. For all, there is today’s general election and the election for WSSDA officers and committees at the Annual Conference later this month. In addition, school directors in Western Washington are now casting ballots for Position 4 on the State Board of Education. Be sure to exercise your right to vote in all these elections. For more information, see our online guides to the State Board election and the WSSDA election.

WSSDA publishes model policy on use of force in schools
Does your district have a policy on use of reasonable force in your schools? If not, a special study group convened by WSSDA is encouraging you to adopt such a policy and accompanying procedures, especially if you have security personnel on campus. The recommendations are part of a comprehensive report delivered to the Legislature by the WSSDA Student Disciplinary Action Task Force. The report includes a model policy and procedure which districts can customize, as well as a series of implementation issues to consider. Learn more here…

Open government workshops start this month
With public meetings and executive sessions in the news again this week, it’s a good reminder about how important it is to stay current on the laws and legal opinions regarding the Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act. With that in mind, be sure to join the hundreds of local government officials from around the state who will be attending a one-day workshop on these important laws. The workshop will be held in four locations starting Nov. 17. Sign up today!

Developing voluntary standards for school boards
Embracing the suggestions of a Leadership WSSDA project team, the WSSDA Board of Directors has established a task force to study and recommend a set of voluntary standards for school directors and school boards in Washington. The aim is to develop uniform standards for school board governance, standards which could be used by boards to strengthen their focus on effective leadership for student achievement. See the full story on our Web site…

States split on mandatory training for school boards
You may recall that bills were introduced in the Legislature last year to require training for school directors in Washington state, an idea that drew sharp opposition from WSSDA’s Legislative Assembly. Turns out we’re not alone as a no-mandatory-training state. In a survey of state school boards associations conducted by the National School Boards Association, less than half said their states require some form of training for their members. Survey results are available online at the NSBA Web site.

Seeking "Signs of Success" for Annual Conference
"Signs of Success" is not about great artwork. It’s about sharing the wealth of great ideas to increase student learning and celebrating the small and large successes that take place in your district. To take part, simply create and submit a poster illustrating your district’s favorite success story and bring it to the WSSDA Annual Conference. Just be sure to reserve your easel by e-mailing WSSDA’s Connie Lauderdale. Click here for more information.

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