Olympia School District presents Outcome 6 monitoring report covering field science, food service, energy and classroom technology

The Olympia School District Board of Directors on Aug. 14 received the district's Outcome 6 monitoring report, which the district described as a three‑year look at student experience in critical thinking, collaboration and environmental stewardship and the systems that support those outcomes.

The report matters because Outcome 6 is intended to measure nonacademic but district‑wide goals — collaboration, civic engagement, digital citizenship and stewardship of the natural world — and several public commenters and board members pressed staff on how the district measures those harder‑to‑quantify aims.

Superintendent Murphy said the district recognizes the measurement challenge: “not everything that counts is counted,” and called the outcomes “things that our community deeply cares about and wants to see present in our schools.” Public commenter Erica Larry told the board that monitoring reports have failed to show how students develop critical thinking, adding, “Fostering critical thought is about an environment where people are heard, feel safe, and don't fear retaliation or judgment.” Another public commenter questioned whether several of the reported items were adult actions rather than student outcomes.

District staff described several programs and metrics the district is emphasizing to make Outcome 6 more tangible. Kristen Roland, the district’s new food services director, said food services is working to reduce waste by using farm‑to‑table produce and by relying more on production records to match meal preparation to demand. “Using production records will be on my monthly trainings for my staff, every single month this year,” she said. Roland said the department also will partner with the local food bank to donate surplus items that are appropriate for redistribution and that the district re‑applied for a farm grant to continue local purchases.

Frank Wilson, executive director of operations, reviewed the district’s energy and sustainability work. He told the board the district’s commercial strategic energy management program with Puget Sound Energy is “exceeding target” toward a three‑year goal and that the district has participated in a demand‑response program that generated incentive payments to the general fund. Wilson said the district secured grants and will add eight electric buses in the coming year and install bidirectional charging infrastructure as part of a vehicle‑to‑grid pilot.

Mark (technology lead) and the instructional team presented technology and printing metrics tied to Outcome 6. The district completed a three‑phase installation of roughly 525 interactive Mimeo panels (mostly 86‑inch panels) across classrooms and provided extensive training. Mark reported the district’s print‑management data showed about 2,200,000 fewer copies than the prior year and suggested that increased classroom display capabilities may reduce paper reliance.

Field science and outdoor learning were featured. Staff said the district has built a K–8 progression aligned with NGSS so all students have access to hands‑on field science even if they visit different community partners. The Syspus Outdoor Learning Center and other community partners were listed as sites the district uses. Carmen Cardocus (district field‑science lead) was not present but provided data and photos; staff said the district has also expanded preschool and transitional kindergarten field experiences.

Autumn Lara presented participation data for the district’s CISSPIS (camp/overnight field science) program, saying roughly 89 percent of fifth graders who were eligible attended during the 2024–25 year. She noted equity gaps in participation: “about 21.9% of students with an IEP did not attend,” and staff described outreach, nurse staffing, flexible one‑day options and transportation supports intended to close remaining gaps. Lara said the district is pursuing family nights, videos and one‑on‑one outreach to address paperwork and parental concerns and described the goal as moving toward universal access.

Board members and student representatives praised the work and asked for follow‑up: several asked staff to report whether interactive panels contributed to reduced printing, whether additional local food vendors or a food hub could be engaged for scratch or lightly processed items, and why one relatively new building showed higher energy use (staff attributed that to heavy after‑hours community use). Student representatives suggested communicating initiatives to students so they understand why the district is investing in technology and sustainability.

Next steps flagged by staff included refining Outcome 6 indicators to emphasize student‑led work (Danielson Level 4) rather than adult operational metrics, expanding teacher professional learning around field science and digital citizenship, launching a district wellness survey and wellness committee to inform school practices, and continuing energy, food and technology projects.