Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano relayed to school board members, after meeting with Mayor Bruce Bassett and interim City Manager Steve Lancaster, that the city plans to provide Northwood Elementary a Youth and Family Services counselor in the 2016-17 school budget.

As part of the interlocal agreement with the Mercer Island School District, the city of Mercer Island shares costs of providing mental health counselors in schools. The city currently pays $452,400, and the district $60,000 for six-and-a-half full-time employees. This includes three elementary school counselors, one middle school counselor, two drug and alcohol specialists at the middle school and high school and one R and R place counselor.

Plano said he was thrilled with the city’s plan to have at least one mental health counselor at each of the Island’s public schools.

“It is a rare city that believes part of its core mission is to fund mental health counseling and provide mental health services to youth and seniors in this community,” Plano said. “We are fortunate to have a City Council willing to make that an important function of city government.”

School board extends superintendent’s contract to 2019

At its regular meeting Thursday, Jan. 28, the Mercer Island school board extended Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano’s contract through June 30, 2019.

Nearly a year ago to the day, the school board renewed Plano’s contract through 2018. Each January, the board conducts a formal summative evaluation of the superintendent.

“We are grateful for your excellence in all aspects of school operations and appreciate these efforts on behalf of our students, our staff, our parents and our community,” board president Ralph Jorgenson said. “We appreciate the working partnership with you and look forward to continued work together.”

Plano said he was indebted to his support team, addressing those in attendance, while also acknowledging the administrators at each of Mercer Island’s schools.

“Without their support and help, I simply couldn’t be able to run this district or have the ship moving the direction that it does and the speed that it does without their incredible help,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure for me all these years to work with them and thank you to the five of you for your belief in me and your support.”

School district recruiting bus drivers

The Mercer Island School District is actively seeking new bus drivers.

Citing a growing regional economy and the increased traffic that comes with it, the school district posted on its website it is approaching a critical situation if new drivers are not found quickly.

The district provides all necessary training for its bus drivers. As a driver, employees are eligible as a district employee for retirement benefits and can work just a partial shift, all day or on a substitute basis.

The school district is also seeking paraprofessionals to work as teacher aides in classrooms. More information and applications may be found online at jobs.mercerislandschools.org or by contacting the human resources office at 206-236-3318.