Wenatchee School District reports mixed Year 3 results: reading gains, math lag and budget uncertainty

The Wenatchee School District reviewed Year 3 of its Big 6 strategic plan on Dec. 2, with administrators reporting several modest gains, persistent gaps in math achievement and near-term budget uncertainty.

Superintendent Corey opened the presentation with district context: total enrollment reported at 7,159 students; ethnicity roughly 56% Hispanic/Latino and 40% white. Program breakouts included about 24.8% English-language learners, roughly 67% of students from low socioeconomic households, about 8% homeless, 14.4% migrant, 5.7% with 504 plans and nearly 17% with disabilities. The district noted 484 classroom teachers, about 68% holding master'level degrees.

On instructional quality (Big 6 #1), district classroom-observation metrics rose as the sample size of learning walks increased (175 observations in 2022-23, 274 in 2023-24, 452 in 2024-25). Teacher engagement metrics cited included an ~82.1% rate for strategies that elicit engagement and ~86.1% for teacher response to disengagement.

Reading metrics (Big 6 #3) showed improvement: third-grade I-Ready on-grade-level rose to about 61%, and Smarter Balanced ELA proficiency for third graders was reported near 44%; the district described these as incremental but favorable gains.

Math performance remains the system'wide priority. District staff reported Smarter Balanced math proficiency for grades 3'8 near 30% and I-Ready on-grade-level at about 40% for K'8. The presentation characterized the math score as "not acceptable" and outlined action steps including targeted professional development, intervention systems and a specific elementary deep-dive (John Newberry Elementary) to address mid-year dips.

On belonging and discipline (Big 6 #2), the board saw culture-and-climate survey metrics (students reporting feeling safe at school ~73.3%) and disaggregated discipline/exclusion data: an overall discipline-exclusion rate around 3.3% (~236 students) with higher exclusion rates among foster, homeless, low-income, migrant and students with disabilities. Staff pointed to new OSPI discipline rules and internal action teams focused on attendance and disproportionality.

The district also addressed on-track-to-graduate measures (Big 6 #5) and CTE/real-world learning (Big 6 #6): while graduation trajectories remain generally steady, schedule changes at the high school affected credit-recovery opportunities and contributed to some declines in industry-recognized certificates; CTE enrollment remained strong (~87% in grades 7'12 for course enrollment).

Board members asked about resource implications. Staff warned of planned budget reductions for the 2026-27 school year and said the district is planning conservatively, including anticipating potential loss of federal funds. Administration scheduled a December 15 meeting with administrators and public budget discussions at the board level beginning in January; officials said they intend to preserve Big 6 priorities but may shift how supports are delivered.

The board also viewed a statewide context video from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction on assessment trends that emphasized math as a statewide challenge and reinforced local math-focused action steps.

Next procedural steps: district staff will continue data monitoring, expand targeted interventions and bring budget scenarios to the board during the public January cycle.