North Shore School District highlights academic gains, major capital projects and ARPA-funded pilots at Kenmore joint meeting

At a joint meeting with the Kenmore City Council, North Shore School District Superintendent Michael Tolley delivered the district's State of the Schools update, outlining academic results, demographic shifts, and major capital projects affecting Kenmore-area schools.

Why it matters: The district said local bonds and levies fund large construction projects and ongoing services, including special education and multilingual programs. The presentation previewed a multi-phase replacement at Inglemore High School, modernization at Kenmore Elementary, delayed athletic-field work at Kenmore Middle and program pilots funded with one-time ARPA dollars that will affect students in Kenmore.

Tolley opened by describing the district's scope and performance, saying the system serves more than 34 schools and over 22,000 students with roughly 1,500 certified staff. "When you provide an excellent education to an individual student, you don't just change the student, you change their family," Tolley said, and he cited a 95 percent graduation rate as evidence of strong outcomes.

He told the council the district is now a majority-minority district and that the number of languages spoken in students' homes has risen substantially; Tolley noted that Portuguese is now among the top three home languages in the district ahead of Russian and Chinese. The district's five-year strategic plan contains five goals and 26 measures; Tolley said six key performance indicators are tracked publicly on the district website.

On literacy, Tolley said the district implemented a new set of instructional materials based on the science of reading three years ago and reported improved outcomes for grades K-3 and grade 5 without an initial "implementation dip" that sometimes accompanies new curricula.

Capital projects and schedule Executive Director of Support Services Dree Ralph reviewed bond-funded construction. Ralph said North Shore began permitting and design for Phase 1 of an Inglemore High School replacement and anticipated a construction start in June "if all goes well." She described Phase 1 scope as demolishing two buildings and constructing a commons and kitchen, nine science classrooms, 11 general-use classrooms, offices, counselor spaces and a new student store. Subsequent phases would add theater and gym facilities, reconfigure parking, replace athletic fields and eventually complete up to 44 new classrooms, she said.

Ralph told the council that Kenmore Elementary is a 2022-bond modernization and expansion intended to replace portable classrooms and add a new kitchen and commons; she said, if schedules hold, that work is expected to be ready by the start of the next school year. A planned turf-field replacement at Kenmore Middle was pushed back because of unexpected groundwater conditions; the district continues to evaluate options to accelerate the work.

Ralph also noted construction-cost escalation and that district projects are being prioritized by a capital bond planning task force ahead of the next bond cycle.

Boathouse and extracurricular programs Deputy Superintendent Jolene Bergey described changes to the district's boathouse relationship with the city after the district implemented $26 million in budget reductions. The district moved some athletic offerings to a pay-to-play model and shifted direct funding for a boathouse manager and crew support. Parents formed a nonprofit to sustain crew programming; Bergey said the district will continue providing administrative support and funding for coaches where possible. "We believe that the boathouse will continue to be used by our students," Bergey said.

ARPA-funded pilots and human services partnerships Tammy Court, Kenmore's housing services manager, outlined two pilot programs the city helped fund with ARPA dollars and that the district is implementing in Kenmore.

Cascadia College catch-up learning: Cascadia College runs a program at Inglemore High School intended to help students whose learning was affected by the pandemic. This year the work is embedded in the AVID college-prep program during the school day. Court said a two-week Summer Academy in August 2024 enrolled 18 students who earned three college credits; the city and Cascadia plan to offer another academy in August 2025 with funding for up to 100 students. Court said the program is "currently slated to end after the 2025 Summer Academy" unless additional funding is secured.

School-based mental health: The city is funding a school-based clinician provided by the nonprofit Center for Human Services. Court said the clinician worked at Inglemore High School in 2023-24 and transitioned to Kenmore Middle School for 2024-25; the city anticipates funding the clinician through the 2025-26 school year. Court described school-based services as a "gold standard" because they reduce barriers to access and said the city and district will continue to evaluate needs through data such as the Healthy Youth Survey.

Local questions and next steps Kenmore council members asked about economic-demographic trends, student safety investments funded by bonds, and how levies are being used to cover special education, English-language learner services and operations. Tolley and Ralph said the district currently spends a substantial portion of local levies on special education and on English-language supports; Tolley said "about $20,000,000 this year is going towards making sure our students with disabilities are getting the services they absolutely need."

The school board also announced Superintendent Michael Tolley's planned retirement at the end of his contract and said the board has identified a search firm to lead a national search with the goal of naming a successor in mid-May.

The district and the city said they will continue public engagement on bond priorities, post regular capital-project updates on the district website and publicize the summer Cascadia academy enrollment when it opens.

Ending: The joint meeting concluded with the council and district agreeing to continue collaboration on facilities, human services and student supports. Further public notices will be published on district and city channels.