WSSDA Announces the 2023 School Boards of the Year
The Washington State School Directors’ Association has recognized the La Conner, Kelso, and Sumner-Bonney Lake School Boards as the 2023 Boards of the Year.
Drawn from among 34 boards that were already recognized as Boards of Distinction, these three boards are specially recognized within their respective size categories of small, medium, and large school districts.
This top honor recognizes a board that has shown significant vision and leadership that clearly resulted in positive and measurable student success. All three boards demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness within their roles to support the success of their students and staff while serving their communities. Also, each board significantly narrowed or closed opportunity gaps among students.
La Conner: Small District Board of the Year
The La Conner board, superintendent, and educators partnered to focus heavily on math acceleration last school year, which was the area with the largest opportunity gap for students. A combination of adopting a new math curriculum and assessment tool, monthly reviews of math data by the board, and investment in teacher support paid off with significant growth in just one year. It also committed to the practices of Professional Learning Communities, Universal Design for Learning, and Mastery Based Learning. Let’s learn more about their journey.
Kelso: Medium District Board of the Year
Looking at where their district’s largest gaps were, the Kelso School Board focused on 100% graduation and finding stable housing for the 7% of their McKinney-Vento students experiencing homelessness, foster students, and unaccompanied youth. You’ll learn about their journey to partner with community partners to raise graduation rates and reduce the number of students with unstable housing.
Sumner-Bonney Lake: Large District Board of the Year
Providing internship and mentorship programs for students who were underrepresented in these programs was one of many ways the Sumner-Bonney Lake board sought to close gaps and provide equitable outcomes. A newly-created Teaching Academy drew a diverse group of students to consider pursuing teaching careers and provided an industry-recognized certification.
Learn more about the Boards of Distinction program.