School board finds superintendent reasonably interpreted Goal 1; board requests more data on student growth

The Northshore School District Board of Directors on Jan. 27 voted to find that Superintendent Michael Tully reasonably interpreted the district's Goal 1 policy, concluding the district is making reasonable progress toward “success in the early years.” The finding followed a study session earlier the same day in which staff presented the district’s monitoring report and data summaries.

The monitoring packet presented and certified by Superintendent Tully included summary material prepared by Chief Academic Officer Dr. Obadiah Dunham and Director of Research and Evaluation Dr. Craig Foster. Tully told the board he certified that “the information contained in the report is true as of today, Monday, 01/27/2025.”

Board members praised progress in early-childhood programs and noted evidence of reading gains tied to the district’s recently adopted ELA curriculum. Director Sandy Hayes cited preschool access and ongoing work to expand early learning, and several directors said they saw positive signs of student growth in second- and third-grade math when aggregated. Director Elizabeth Sotak and others asked for clearer, actionable visuals showing how growth is occurring and what specific board decisions (if any) should follow.

During the meeting, Director Han Tran moved the formal compliance finding: “Based upon the information provided, I move that the board finds that the superintendent has reasonably interpreted the provisions of the relevant goals policy, and the district is making reasonable progress toward achieving the desired results called for in our goal 1, success in early years.” Director Sandy Hayes seconded the motion. The board approved the motion by voice vote; the motion passed.

Board discussion emphasized wanting additional detail on student-level growth and on how the district will track progress over time. Several directors said they welcomed the district’s new approach to showing initial-to-final measures and requested a follow-up that would more directly connect data to potential board actions, especially around math curriculum and early intervention strategies.

Superintendent Tully and staff agreed to provide additional data visualizations and to consider more targeted future study sessions to unpack the monitoring results and next steps.

The action recorded at the meeting was a formal compliance finding under the board’s monitoring schedule for the district’s strategic plan, which runs 2022–2027. The board will add its written commentary to the monitoring response document and asked staff for follow-up materials to support further review.