Elementary school improvement plans, budgeting, workforce diversification and more were addressed at the Jan. 15 Mercer Island School District (MISD) board meeting.
On the schools front, Island Park, Lakeridge, Northwood and West Mercer elementaries delved into some of their goals for the upcoming months involving the SMARTER (specific, measurable, ambitious, realistic, time bound, evaluate and re-evaluate) standards. Northwood added inclusive to its acronym.
Present at the meeting were Island Park principal Joby McGowan, Lakeridge principal Jennifer Cleaves, Northwood principal Julie Newcomer and West Mercer principal Megan Isakson.
Isakson rolled into this meeting component by giving an overview of the four schools’ main academic focus: “Essentially, our schools are quite aligned in the framework that we’re using for our goals. The starting place being that students are making a year’s growth in a year’s time.” She added that they have many students who are achieving at and well above grade level.
According to presentation documents, one of Island Park’s goals by this June is for all K–5 students to meet or exceed their annual typical growth target in math as measured by the iReady Diagnostic.
A Lakeridge goal by June is for all students to demonstrate at least one year’s growth, with particular attention to accelerating growth for students below grade level as measured by iReady Diagnostic data and more.
For Northwood, a goal by this spring is for 100% of its students to achieve at least 100% of their typical annual growth in mathematics.
Over at West Mercer, one of its goals by June is for all of its students to make at least 100% annual typical growth in mathematics, as evidenced by the iReady Diagnostic assessment.
Next up for the four schools will be a continuation of RISE (responsive intervention and student engagement) success blocks, two-year professional development around engagement strategies and teaching students to drive their learning and more.
Budget
As for MISD budgeting, some key dates will be June 4 (budget study session), June 11 (2026-27 budget presented to the board) and June 25 (2026-27 budget hearing — final adoption and second reading).
Documents read that, “School districts shall submit one copy of their proposed budget and the four-year budget plan summary to their educational service districts for review and comment by July 10.”
In its 2025-26 workforce diversification update, a graphic on MISD student demographics shows the highest percentages as 48.6% white, 28.1% Asian, 7.4% Hispanic/Latino and 1.2% Black/African American. On the staff front, the highest percentages are 78.9% white, 5.2% Asian and 4.1% Hispanic/Latino; 8.5% were not provided.
“Kudos to the transportation team for work in increasing the diversity and gender outlay of their bus drivers,” the report notes. “Continued attention is needed in certificated administrative roles and clerical support positions, where underutilization persists.”
Superintendent report
MISD Superintendent Fred Rundle provided a rundown of recognitions for January, including School Board Recognition Month, Whole Child Month, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
He thanked MISD board of directors Julian Bradley, Stephanie Burnett, Jody Lee, Cristina Martinez and Maggie Tai Tucker for their community service.
“I can’t do my job without you,” said Rundle, noting the directors’ immense responsibilities and time spent at linkages, board meetings and committee meetings.
“I’m really excited about the future and being able to work alongside you to support our principals all the way through to our teachers and paraprofessionals, our bus drivers” and more, Rundle added.
Regarding sexual misconduct allegations involving former Mercer Island High School (MIHS) staff members and former students who raised the allegations, Rundle discussed the district’s partnership with Praesidium, which works with organizations and schools to prevent sexual abuse of children.
Rundle feels strongly about Praesidium’s work and said that two of its practitioners will visit the district for three days this spring to peruse the district’s policies and procedures, walk its campuses and more.
“During that time, they meet with parents, students, staff and do focus group interviews or perhaps even one on one, that’s up to them,” Rundle said.
During Student Safety and Well-Being Committee meetings, Rundle said they have been focusing on students and staff members reporting and the Say Something app; staff and student boundaries; and how to educate students K-12 in the areas of sexual assault, molestation and boundaries.
Board President Burnett said that district safety concerns have been on her mind and she wants the board to work with Rundle to address community members’ concerns.
MIHS student representative to the board Lucy Dorer said she has learned through discussions that a majority of the students still feel safe in the schools due to the district’s massive response.
“I think there’s work being done and I think that that makes people feel safe because they know that the district is taking these things seriously,” she said.
