[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6184828,"mediaKeyId","5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea","parentId",5086464,"title","Parents, residents urge Everett School District to pause Lifewise Academy activities on campus","audioSeconds",1305,"startMs",754000,"endMs",2059000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea&start=754&end=2059","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea/thumbnail_754000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6184828/Washington/Parents-residents-urge-Everett-School-District-to-pause-Lifewise-Academy-activities-on-campus","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6184828-7f994d334b5e7284661d00ec6e2e5801/orig.mp4?Expires=1769786870&Signature=LW8n4ai1YzQFivc6kSC2dCRhCNbmlGsVpb18YVIgnMmA9DSUR56wxkWbTsFk91t~3doNEHJuE6y2z67~85ltbUWGW2bwmm2d5OOA6BiqdpIpqxKqWQT1wOUHshCW8-4txfRym2fTEIFWMgnMnERkioeKx46O0pZ9MdwIj7PxXwwgBVn7OYGGC9lGLPd7tRLz9R-sNnfbzZjSGYrhdNg1XrvsC-b6WnkSIELePXQ2IMPCOTOTjbHdTIazLSXD6tL~SBKIBtnPugxkYP947JHCBdF9hNRoRlYULzFZdp9J7O9HP-QxL8jxerMSajvhXC90Zy9XRxvdxUGFpLFnIA2uGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Everett School District, Washington","date","2025-06-25T14:32:52Z","article","Speakers at the Everett School District board meeting on June 24 urged the board to pause its local arrangements with Lifewise Academy, a third‑party religious program, and to adopt clear district rules governing release of students for outside instruction. Multiple residents said Lifewise staff or buses have removed students from campus and that the district lacks a written policy to govern third‑party removal of children during the school day.

\"Their ultimate goal is to terminate our US constitution's separation of church and state and to indoctrinate as many students as possible with their particular religious ideologies,\" said Lawrence Abb Ambiguri, a resident, who criticized Lifewise's affiliations and presence in schools. Jennifer Phillips McClellan, another resident, cited the U.S. Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson while arguing the decision does not require districts to permit outside religious instruction and that the district retains discretion. Dana Sanders said, \"there is an organization coming on to campus and removing children,\" and asked the board to \"stop the agreement until it is determined who or what entity has the power or control over this situation.\"

Other public commenters expressed related concerns. Kathleen Bergler criticized Lifewise's use of red buses and T‑shirts as creating visible division among students and asked the board to \"put an immediate pause on their agreement with Lifewise until such time as they have established a clear set of policies.\" Janine Demery (spelled in meeting record as Demery) asked why the district allowed Lifewise to begin removing students when, she said, the district has no formal policy on releasing students to third parties and cited a district absence policy excerpt about parental request to excuse a student for religious instruction \"provided the activity is not conducted on school property and provided that the student's regular educational program is not disrupted.\" Chris Martinez and others framed the issue as a separation‑of‑church‑and‑state concern. Carol Morgan asked whether volunteers or outside program staff who remove students are required to have background checks and whether the district could be held responsible if something happened to a child off campus.

Board President Mitchell and meeting staff reiterated procedural points for public comment: board members do not respond during the public comment period and the board will accept written statements. President Mitchell said written statements would be included in board materials and that people who requested written responses would receive them. The public record also shows the board received seven in‑person speakers and two written requests on this topic at the meeting.

There was no board motion, vote, or formal action recorded at the meeting to pause, rescind, or change district practice regarding Lifewise Academy. Several speakers explicitly asked the board to suspend any agreement with Lifewise until the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Everett School District craft a written policy or until the district can clarify the parameters of third‑party access to students. The board did not take new action on the request at the June 24 meeting.

Why this matters: commenters framed the issue as affecting student safety, religious freedom, and district policy clarity. They asked for clear guardrails on who may remove students during the school day, for background checks on third‑party personnel, and for transparency about any written agreements between the district and outside organizations. The board indicated it will include the written statements in meeting materials and provide responses to those who requested them.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Everett Public Schools Regular Board Meeting 2025.06.24","oneSentenceSummary","Speakers at the Everett School District board meeting on June 24 urged the board to pause its local arrangements with Lifewise Academy, a third‑party religious program, and to adopt clear district rules governing release of students for outside instruction.","taxTitle","Everett School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",14637,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6184818,"Third‑quarter report: Everett Public Schools projects fund balance above budget, no mid‑year reductions planned",488,3286000,3774000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea&start=3286&end=3774","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea/thumbnail_3286000.jpg","/articles/6184818/Washington/Thirdquarter-report-Everett-Public-Schools-projects-fund-balance-above-budget-no-midyear-reductions-planned","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6184818-263ee6003efe574ae33679547fef9750/orig.mp4?Expires=1769786870&Signature=aGaZb9SHvqnPg76GlcyzHdR25XGvTGQQv7Br4RyP1iBsvXtJCRzz0AGDD4CIZSgw8AfXFIMulTCzfp~qNpzNNibgxBbnEEWna1x3P0oEoBjY0QoivDUJ-x8yfyY-By5btWJM7heqUFviI6DPyoXU5u3PaI8BwhwqTsghU3POQ5EBMFP54DKITp5XYYsJopHL45zAPQS8QZvOoTzCOKAVpRerZUcc-maMh8OjJELchlQjm6~DvGuaNX4y3Peq8W-~8a9OOvaxMUGMjeKpEOZ-ZSU0387WkVesKWW76b0oL5nBxG0GIY-UhE16AaTVejY2dwQYr8tXtlhxlYriMTXdYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District finance staff presented the third‑quarter financial report for fiscal year 2024–25 at the June 24 board meeting, saying revenues and expenditures are tracking close to projections and that the district projects a general fund balance of 8.4%, above the adopted 7.5% target. The presenter said enrollment growth is driving revenue and that October and April are the district's highest revenue months due to property tax collections.

The report noted materials and operating costs are higher than budgeted year to date, but staffing expenditures are lower than budgeted and are offsetting those increases. Monthly expenditure timing varies by month because of how payments are processed. Staff said they remain within board‑approved appropriations and do not anticipate exceeding them for the year.

Finance staff reviewed four other funds: the capital projects fund (funded primarily by levy revenues) is being built up for planned replacement projects; staff said Jackson Elementary still has an estimated $50–55 million in remaining project costs and Madison Elementary project costs will appear in next fiscal year's budget. The debt service fund supports just under $70 million in outstanding bond principal, the associated student body (ASB) fund supports student activities and typically shows peak balances in the fall, and the transportation vehicle fund records bus depreciation and two buses remain on order and are expected this fiscal year.

Looking ahead, staff said the district does not anticipate needing reductions in the 2026–27 budget cycle, attributing that change to expected increases in levy capacity from recent legislation; staff nevertheless said expenditures are still projected to outpace revenues in coming years before levy capacity increases mitigate that gap. The presenter flagged the absence of prior pandemic ESSER federal funds as a reason monthly fund balance patterns differ from earlier years.

Board members thanked staff for the monthly updates and noted they look forward to the upcoming budget adoption presentation. No formal action or new appropriations were taken at the meeting.","District finance staff reported on June 24 that the 2024–25 third‑quarter financial picture is stable, with a projected general fund balance of 8.4% versus the adopted 7.5% and no planned reductions for fiscal 2026–27 based on anticipated levy capacity changes.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6184823,"Everett Public Schools previews 2025 graduation numbers and new performance‑based pathway",805,2207000,3012000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea&start=2207&end=3012","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5086464-312ed08c6cc744e46b3f468e1d395fea/thumbnail_2207000.jpg","/articles/6184823/Washington/Everett-Public-Schools-previews-2025-graduation-numbers-and-new-performancebased-pathway","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6184823-a18273d09fe7b0b5c620b7596baa894b/orig.mp4?Expires=1769786870&Signature=gwFQb83ZMxi--0Wzc4INELLaHupW7m~4mFuzDfeqwXLltBw25kNo4yyJ~zGRuT6JVHJT1VbODQK864Wa2akac46IygACDMy8Ma9MgfVyDkiMn2ycztZApKmHL31oRVfDFcgFNbjQFHOJxZ1BSmkI6YCnoyurSx5YdiHPXbrlpzDoDLjeUBE4-~O6p7yNGns4kezoaCty81k2pdhQ7VX4ig7iR5TRLPsjdhuZM5A63ZCycBs9I6r6yvqM9w~jT0TILSea0zncFtbdrBi~u-UxlVcPyyBJXaOdd721KG4eo6Th7uyvAN4Gw~Li1gpvcLZNkP6tqxxUfL-vUjhdMF5qWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Jeannie Willard presented the Everett Public Schools graduation update at the June 24 board meeting, previewing the class of 2025 commencement counts and the district's graduation pathways and student supports. Willard said the district focuses on \"reducing gaps and achievement between groups of students, and then also ensuring students are ready for college and career or whatever future they have in store.\"

Willard said the class of 2025 had 1,233 students who participated in commencement ceremonies and that transition programs had 23 students continuing toward completion. She reviewed the district's reported 2024 published graduation rates (most recent published figures): a 4‑year on‑time graduation rate of 95.2% and a 5‑year rate of 95.8%. By school, Willard reported Cascade High School had 375 graduates, H.M. Jackson High School 487, Everett High School 325 and Sequoia High School 46; several students across schools will continue into summer graduation or transition programs.

Willard outlined the three graduation requirement buckets: a High School & Beyond plan, 24 credits (17 in core subject areas), and a graduation pathway. She summarized pathway options that meet the requirement, including state assessments (Smarter Balanced), the SAT/ACT, ASVAB for military‑bound students, CTE sequences, advanced placement and dual‑credit courses, Running Start, and the newly implemented performance‑based portfolio. Willard said the portfolio option was used by nearly a quarter of the class in its first year, and that AP course/exam participation rose by 7% year over year. She noted the single largest pathway used by students was a transition‑course option that placed students at college level placement rates (about 79% in the reported set of pathway outcomes).

Willard described the district's supports for on‑time graduation: course equivalencies, credit recovery, competency‑based options, middle‑school courses for high‑school credit, summer academy programming, after‑school and Saturday school, multilingual learner and special education supports, mentorships and internships coordinated with the CTE department, and partnerships such as Everett Community College for reengagement programming. She said the Everett Reengagement Academy and related programs house about 300 students working toward diplomas, some of whom graduate throughout the year and are invited to commencement events.

Board members praised the reported graduation rates and asked clarifying questions about the performance‑based portfolio and the small number of fifth‑year seniors; Willard said most fifth‑year seniors need only a semester's additional work and receive targeted support. There was no board vote or formal action on graduation policy at the meeting.

Why this matters: the presentation summarized district completion rates, clarified multiple pathways that allow students to graduate, and described ongoing supports designed to keep students on track.","District staff told the school board on June 24 that 1,233 students walked in 2025 commencements and described graduation requirements, multiple pathway options, and summer supports for students completing credits.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parents, residents urge Everett School District to pause Lifewise Academy activities on campus

Third‑quarter report: Everett Public Schools projects fund balance above budget, no mid‑year reductions planned

Everett Public Schools previews 2025 graduation numbers and new performance‑based pathway