Submitted by the League of Women Voters Observer Corps
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to promote public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
SJC Public Hospital District #1 regular board meeting of March 27
Linda McCarthy of Mount Baker Planned Parenthood gave the annual report. In 2023, the Friday Harbor office had 211 visits and provided 514 services via the once-weekly clinic and telehealth appointments. Almost half the services were STD testing and treatment, followed by family planning/contraception, pregnancy testing, and cancer screening. Most patients are in the 30-39 and 40+ age groups. Almost half receive services free or at very low fees due to income. The facility lost its local nurse practitioner, and staff shortages and travel difficulties limit staffing from Bellingham. MBPP is working with the county health department to do STD testing and is managing patients’ birth control needs. It hopes to have regular staffing on San Juan Island soon.
Supervisor Nathan Butler, PHD and EMS Report. The full financial operations will be in-house after the receipt of the last paychecks issued by the county in late March. EMS call volume increased substantially since January; in past years calls did not increase from the winter months until April/May. The PHD is awaiting further action by Peace Island Medical Center to work on a letter of intent for a proposed healthcare workers’ housing project.
Evan Perrollaz, Executive Director of Home Care Services, is moving ahead with hiring caregivers, now that the PHD financial operations are in place. The Village at Home office is set up.
The commissioners will hold a workshop for strategic planning for PHD’s long-term projects, tentatively set for April 15. They approved the appointments of Stephen Wambsganss as treasurer and Laura Jack as auditor of record, in accordance with state law. The commissioners approved and signed letters to Frank James MD, SJC Health Officer and Linda McCarthy, CEO of Mount Baker Planned Parenthood, thanking them for their exemplary services to the community and congratulating them on their upcoming retirements.
The commissioners approved the following agreements: Memorandum of Understanding between EMS and Fire and Rescue for emergency response commitments; Interlocal Agreement Between EMS and Fire and Rescue for EMS response and support (including BLS training for Fire personnel provided by EMS); Interlocal Agreement for marine response and support, using the Fire District’s boat.
SJI School Board regular meeting of March 27
Griffin Bay School staff showcased their program to the board. A student spoke about how the school format helped him stay on track. A profile of students who live off island but attend the school showed the reach of online learning in supporting students to make it through school. The district plans more outreach to other districts to show how Griffin Bay’s model works.
Student body representative Aaron Orozco reported the drama group got a superior award at the Olympia program where they qualified for the national competition. The 9-10 graders won the Knowledge Bowl, and the 8th graders won the best-dressed competition.
Superintendent Woods reported they applied for a grant to provide staff a paid voluntary one-day training just before school begins. The school district is considering more professional development options for teachers including a course on artificial intelligence hopefully before the 2024-2025 school year begins.
Band teacher Chris Schuh requested funding for two trips. One trip is to the Central Washington University Jazz Band Festival on May 3-4 in Ellensburg. Students will perform and take classes on their instruments. The second trip would be to the Seattle Heritage Festival on April 3-6, 2025, to perform and take classes. The board approved both trips.
The board heard about the Highly Capable Program which offers gifted learners a faster pace, a chance to explore concepts at a deeper level than in the standard curriculum and more interaction with their intellectual peers. The goal of the district’s program is to identify and structure formats to keep gifted learners engaged as they progress through the grades and to support them in interacting with other students. The Board approved $25,000 for the program.
The Career and Technical Education program was awarded an 84,297.00 grant to purchase a Switch EV lab lithium-ion system (hyper9) package. This is a car that can be developed, assembled, run, and then taken apart to be used with the next class for up to 10 years. Students will learn about hybrid technology, battery technology, and assembly requirements that will assist in employment in the EV field.
In the financial report, the district headcount is running higher than the budget projection for all three schools. Several students from Lopez Island are attending school on SJI. The overall budget remains on target.
The school board reviewed and discussed their goals for 2023-2025. On April 27 the regional Washington State School District Association meeting will be held in Friday Harbor. State Superintendent Chris Reykdal will attend.
