Everett Council of Neighborhoods

Council of Neighborhoods Meeting Minutes Nov 27, 2017 Meeting was called to order at 4:08pm. Agenda for the meeting was approved. Minutes were approved with corrections (Principal Overly). Attendance: Karen McAllister, Carol Jensen, Michael Trujillo, Greg Campbell, Mary Fosse, Tina Hokanson, Tom Norcott, Colleen Kain, Sister Mohammed, GeorgaDee MacLeod, Art Olson, Jim Prissel, Victor Harris, Rodney Shimogawa, Chris Geray, Dennis Dudder, Jim Grieco, Ethel McNeal, George Lockeman, Vanessa Randall, Teresa Schultz, Liz Vogeli Citizen Comments: Sharita Burton from Delta neighborhood spoke to ask for assistance from other neighborhoods to do door to door outreach. They are planning a meet and greet event to encourage participation, and need to gather more people to get involved. So they are asking for help to do the outreach to invite participation. Canvassing in neighborhood is planned in December. Wendy will send out details. Mayor Stephanson: Mayor was unable to attend. City Council Liaison: Council President Judy Tuohy - She announced that coming up this Wednesday, Councilmember Roberts will present the Envision Everett resolution to adopt document as foundation document for the future planning in Everett. She also reminded everyone about the Dec 12 4-6 Boards and Commissions event at Hanson conference center. She also outlined the tentative plans to fill council position #4, which will be vacant. She is working on a timeline for selection. Council will announce on Wednesday this week at council meeting on process and timelines. Dec 7 applications will be due by 5pm Thursday. Copies of applications will be made for all council members to review and discuss. On Dec 13th, with 5 minutes for each applicant to introduce themselves, give a brief statement. Councilmembers would nominate preferred new councilmember candidates. Dec 20 council meeting will include interviews of top 6. Selection would occur at that meeting. City and Community Reports: Everett Public Schools Update – Councilmember Moore, Dr. Joyce Stewart and School board president Caroline Mason attended to provide an update on the schools. Jeff Moore indicated the need for voter approval of revenue streams to support the schools. Deputy Superintendent Joyce Stewart recalled her earlier visit to the council where reps expressed a desire to create stronger partnerships with schools, and for a school band entry for July 4 parade. Subsequently she worked with neighborhoods to launch partnerships in several schools. Joyce sees students benefitting due to those partnerships. She showed slides about successes in District: graduation rates up to 92.9% for 4 year rate, and 95.2% for 5 year graduation. Key has been finding kids who are struggling and working with them to help them graduate and so they can be job ready. Schools are providing social services, working on keeping kids safe, offering multiple services to help finish school. Teachers are often the ones who have relationship to help them graduate. Goal is a credential and/or certificate after graduation to enable students to go on to employment, more training or to college. ELL – English language learners are successful enough to graduate with ELL support. Students are outperforming state trends. Advanced placement classes can save college tuition expenses since students can get credit in college if they do well they take tests and do well. She is pleased that board and district are supporting music, arts, STEM. Technology access is enhanced K-12 technology. Happiness matters. Social-emotional focus due to student needs. Figuring out what kids need, help them stay in school. Sequoia HS 14% increase in graduation rates, due to home visits with families to support student success. Summer reading efforts – need support for reading in summer and all year. Robotics – teams and clubs have grown a lot over last few years. Kids are getting food on weekends, Easter Egg hunts, keep working together. Jeff Moore – sees opportunities for success in the District. Economic development, what businesses look for, wellness program for homeless students, lots going on. He is the CFO for district, works on balanced budget. Asking for tax support to sustain what district is doing. 20,000 students now, with another 1600 students in 10 years. Growth of homeless students within district, leaped to 1150 in 2016. Capacity is challenge going forward, too many portables, not enough permanent structures, lots of south district area demand for classroom space. Bonds are for buildings, levies are for operations. Growth, Career readiness, Facilities readiness – need space for 1600 more students. Goal to address growth, and reduce elem school class sizes. Career readiness – STEM pathways, health care career options. Proposing to have a program at each high school. Medical at Everett High, Aerospace at Cascade, Info and Communications Tech at Jackson, at new high school, focus would be on energy and sustainability tech. Goal is to train for local employment, and keep students in area, making living wage. $330 million bond. $216 million for high school construction, $20 million for science at Cascade, $11 million Everett High renovations. Capital Bond/Levy To be approved, a Levy requires 50%, Bond is 60% voter support Local commitment by the board that rates will not build over time, stable tax rate. Caroline Mason – School board president – Thanks for building connections between schools and neighborhoods. Capital levy and bond approval occurred in 2016. Enabled renovation of North Middle School this year. One of fastest growing counties in state, fastest growing district in county. Now have 115 portables, (permanents) now. Encourage you to look at measures. Send email to Caroline if you have questions. Question about support from EPSF and PTAs – response – this support helps fund items not funded by state. Helping the district support early learning before kindergarten. Working to increase options for preschool and for college scholarships. Active PTA in all schools with a PTA council. PTAs support individual schools. Question - Where would be high school #4 be built? Response - off 180th street, southern portion of district. New elementary is being built this spring and new high school would be about 4 years out. Need bond to support this. Question about curriculum on drug education – Response – this is being taught in elementary and middle school, using updated curriculum about drug refusal skills. Tom expressed appreciation of school district staff reaching out to HSG and other neighborhoods. Joyce asked that neighborhoods give principals 5-7 minutes on agenda at each neighborhood meeting each month. Victor asked about follow-up after schools and students if there are students who have gotten involved in crime. Some students are leaving school before graduation because of homelessness. Harder to track post high school drug or illegal activity. Abby Cooley – Everett Public Library – Abby introduced herself as the new library director, one month on the job. From Baltimore, Maryland. She believes strongly in mission of libraries, is creating a gracious space for everyone. Priority that libraries are gracious spaces as buildings, as well as on line. Intention is to meet people where people need us. Outreach very important, librarians need to be involved in community. Linkages to schools also very important. She has prior experience in libraries that offered after school meals and programs, other resources through libraries. Attended Indiana University, undergrad in Massachusetts, from Chicago originally. She wants to get out to all neighborhoods over next year. Everett Reads program – three authors/titles in running and she asked for input – 1) Craig Johnson, Longmire series, Wyoming cowboy mysteries 2) How to be a Russian Spy, by a double agent for US and Russia and 3) Sam Quinones, LA investigative reporter, on opioid epidemic and community response. CoN reps preferred Quinones. New great resource to watch movies. Also Lynda.com courses for free. She looks forward to meeting everyone. Council reps viewed two videos prepared by Pipa Escalante, on Communications team for City. 1) Everett Essentials – Staff shared video showing students in the course sharing about the academy and what they gained from it. Wendy asked reps to help find future students next year, to support broad outreach, if it is funded and offered again. Reps expressed support for this course and for it being offered again. 2) Birds Eye View – using contracted drone camera technology, Pipa developed films showing Everett from a bird’s eye view – reps watched a series of scenes in south Everett. Teamwork: Schools and Outreach – Elly attended her granddaughter’s school event on literacy. Learned a lot by attending, learned about testing requirements. Dennis attended training session on truancy and working with families to help keep kids in schools. Teresa reported at PTA over 400 attended fall harvest event, family activities. Liz reported that Mukilteo school board members are attending next meeting. Tom reported that volunteers are working in schools, 3rd graders working in book club. A lot more volunteers helping than he knew about. Plans to include agenda item on agenda. Recruited through personal requests, well advertised. Parents very excited. A lot of community volunteers. Jim attended south Everett gangs talk at Mariner High School, how to recognize gang involvement, what real gang problem is, how to get support. Student involvement at Evergreen Candidate night. Advice to actively contact parents to help out. If they offer, be sure to follow up and take them up on their offers so you don’t lose them. Matching grants update – Jaimee covered several data points on the neighborhood funds. This year, 13 neighborhoods applied for funds, and city awarded $23,000 in funds. Only about $10,000 have been claimed. She urged people to send in receipts and check with vendors, especially print shops to make sure they send in receipts. Total of 59 proposed projects, of those 54 were completed. Over $30,000 dollars value in community donations. There were 9 successful Community Sparks applications this year. Engaged 1500 community members. Lots of hours contributed Request for a list of successful projects – and explanation of projects. Jaimee will compile. Wendy emphasized need to get receipts in on time, so people can be reimbursed and bills paid. Deadline is Dec 8.  Feb 3 Jim Diers workshop will focus on asset mapping – finding resources in your area, and skills among neighbors in your local group, etc. Training will be held at Evergreen Middle School. Wendy asked for volunteers to help plan the event, share info with community. Mary Fosse, Jim Grieco, Michael Trujillo, Ethel McNeal, Sister Mohammed volunteered. Social Practicals and orientation training for new leaders, and council reps – a date will be offered in December and again in January. Also Wendy and Jaimee are working with survey results, and with Executive committee on planning upcoming social practical sessions in spring after the Jim Diers session. Announcements: Holiday Boards and Commissions – Dec 12 4-6pm RSVP to 425 257-8751 Neighborhood Reports: Westmont/Holly – met at library, Lt. Karen White and another officer were guest speakers and discussed recent shooting incidents. Liz also showed video presentation of neighborhood areas that she filmed herself. View Ridge – 12 people attended, no city council rep, Joyce Stewart presented to the group. They have upcoming Dec 9 St Nick Party. Next meeting of View Ridge is annual potluck Dec 5. Valley View – 7 attended due to late postcard notice. Held no meeting in Nov, no meeting until January. Frustrated that postcard arrived after meeting. Mailing vendor has not been consistently reliable. Silver Lake – no police officer, WSU extension speaker gave good talk. Lots of attendees. Meeting tomorrow at Monroe Elementary and Council president Judy Tuohy will be speaker. South Forest Park - 9 people, Joyce Stewart presented, no police report, had elections, voted on projects for the new leaders. Dennis Dudder announced that new leaders were elected. Council reps gave Dennis a round of applause for his lengthy stewardship efforts for South Forest Park. Riverside – 20 people attended, had police report, general discussion. Pinehurst – 12 attended, no police report, Council liaison attended, speaker was school district. Sign toppers are being installed after a long delay. Port Gardner – no report NW – Nov 16, very brief discussion about holiday party, had police officer, also had tour student housing at the college dorms. Lowell – no police report, no speaker. Council liaison attended, They held meeting to discuss Lowell Days and NNO. HSG – 23 people attended, speaker did not show up, glitch. Had police report, became topic, guest speaker on safety in neighborhood. Holiday potluck. Letter from Linda Carbajal arranging school district presentation, in new year. Working to get Evergreen vice principal to come to future meeting. Everett Essentials Brad has been volunteering. Evergreen – 13 people, police report, presentation by Assist Superintendent Fleckenstein, council liaison, assistant principal from Evergreen Middle School attended. Abby Cooley and Alan Jacobson will attend and speak. Delta – police report, 12 attended, Officer Karen Campbell. Postcard distributed door to door. Doing more outreach. Interested in topic on neighborhood clean ups. Cascade View/Twin Creeks – Nov 20, had 5 people, late postcard due to late submittal. Had police officer. Sarah LaVelle from Everett Emergency Management gave tour of Emergency Operations Center. Councilmember Bader attended. Deana Kazen from Emerson attended and spoke about her services to families at school., Bayside – had meeting on Nov 15 with about 25 people, female police officer gave report. Joyce Stewart attended. Guest speaker was Mindy Van Wingen from NW room at library. Sabina Popa from Everett Transit also spoke. Top 5 Items to report:  Next Council meeting on Wed about Envision Everett  Open Council position discussion also next Wednesday  Everett Public Schools update with Dr. Joyce Stewart about bond and levy  Summary of Everett Essentials, video to see and outreach needed  Volunteers needed for Feb 3 workshop and Jim Diers Meeting adjourned at 6:08pm. Next meeting on January 22, 2018. Minutes prepared by Wendy McClure