Superintendent seeks direction on lobbyist proposal; board discusses coach evaluation, bargaining and safety work group

Superintendent Lance Hansen told the board he has identified a lobbyist candidate and had received a proposal; he asked the board whether staff should proceed to negotiate and circulate the deliverables and fee structure for review. Directors asked for the lobbyist’s client list and references and affirmed they wanted alignment with board priorities before contracting.

Hansen reported that district parent‑teacher conferences reached more than 10,000 family contacts and that he has given roughly 30 levy informational presentations so far. He also noted upcoming bargaining with the Kennewick Education Association and a separate round of negotiations for coaching/extracurricular contracts beginning in early 2026.

Board members led by Director Josh outlined a proposed expansion of coach evaluation protocols: adding parent and student feedback surveys, clearer goal‑setting with athletic directors, and metrics emphasizing character and program development rather than solely win/loss records. Directors discussed risks of subjectivity and the need for a robust evaluation framework; they suggested surveys be aggregated so a single parental complaint would not skew evaluations. The board asked staff to draft evaluation frameworks and incorporate extracurricular advisors in the contract language.

Melissa Johnson briefed the board on the community safety work group (62+ members) and said the group had formed subcommittees for prevention/intervention, physical safety, personnel safety and communications; student advisory input has already informed the group’s work. The group will narrow recommendations and present to the board in January.