The Pasco School District Board of Directors signaled support for preparing an application for Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) recognition, discussing the application’s new five‑question format and potential topics the board could highlight.

Superintendent Whitney briefed trustees about the application timeline and content, noting the application window closes at midnight on Sept. 8. She said WSSDA now allows boards to describe actions and results from the past five years rather than limiting responses to a single year.

Board members proposed topics and volunteers for the application work. President Amanda Brown said, “I would like to apply,” and described having written or reviewed past applications with other directors. Trustees suggested focusing on the board’s recent work revising the superintendent evaluation, professional development tied to governance and a narrative framed around student success stories and data — including district analysis that indicates some students not on track at the end of ninth grade nevertheless graduate at higher rates than expected.

Why it matters: WSSDA recognition (Board of Distinction or Board of the Year) is an external validation of board governance practices and can help the district publicize strategic priorities and community impact.

Discussion highlights
Board members discussed the logistics of writing the application: WSSDA limits collaborative drafting in person but allows multiple directors to contribute; the president and superintendent typically review submissions. Directors volunteered to draft sections and to edit one another’s work. Suggested evidence included quantitative analysis of graduation probability tied to ninth‑grade credit accumulation and narrative examples showing how district systems support students who fall off the typical on‑track trajectory.

Next steps
Trustees asked staff to coordinate drafting, gather supporting data and prepare a timeline to present drafts for review ahead of the Sept. 8 application deadline.

Ending
There was no formal vote recorded; the board reached a working consensus to apply and named several directors to participate in drafting and editing the application.