President Jennifer Durney convened the regular meeting of the Aberdeen School District Board of Directors at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School. In attendance were Directors Mardi Emard-Colburn, Annica Mizin, Suzy Ritter and Jeremy Wright along with Superintendents Lynn Green and Traci Sandstrom and 20 patrons and staff.
The meeting began with the flag salute.
Consent Agenda
The Board approved the Consent Agenda, which included:
- Minutes from the regular meeting on Sept. 2, 2025;
- August payroll vouchers totaling $4,357,921.38;
- General Fund vouchers totaling $1,823,392.31, ASB Fund vouchers totaling $12,023.54, Capital Projects Fund vouchers totaling $65,604.86 and Private Purpose Trust Fund vouchers totaling $10,100.00;
- A trip request from the AHS Chamber Choir to travel to Yakima to perform at the state music educators conference and participate in a clinic at Central Washington University on Feb. 12-13, 2026;
- A gift to the district for Snug Harbor from Paige Hounsley and the Abel-Weatherwax Foundation in the amount of $8,000, and
- A grant from the Grays Harbor Community Foundation in the amount of $32,581.71 in support of the 4-year-old preschool program.
Comments from the Board
Director Mizin commented on how much she enjoyed the Aberdeen/Hoquiam volleyball game, especially the genuine esprit de corps of the Bobcats, which people noticed and remarked upon.
Comments from the Public
Jerry Salstrom, retired Miller Junior High School principal, shared his experience talking with students about their contributions to the Miller Junior High School centennial time capsule, especially the contribution regarding True North.
Presentations
Harbor Strong
Jerry Salstrom and Cynthia McGowan shared information about Harbor Strong’s efforts to build a strong coalition in support of healthy youth and invited the board to its upcoming key leaders event on Oct. 14 at the Rotary Log Pavilion which will focus on social media and how much adults need to learn about online behaviors in order to mitigate the negative influence on youth health.
Seismic Safe Schools
Andrew Twyman and Manuel Saldivar-Aguirre of ESD 112’s Construction Group and J.R. Mill of TCF Architecture provided an update on the plans for a new Harbor Learning Center, shared a preliminary site plan for a new junior high and elementary campus off Basich Boulevard, a new Stevens Elementary School in South Aberdeen, capital projects currently taking place in the district, including new intercom systems at Central Park and Robert Gray elementary schools, guardrail safety improvements at Aberdeen High School, equipment replacement and upgrades in the culinary classroom at AHS, a new canopy outside the wood/auto shop area at AHS, and a list of upcoming projects through 2029.
Read the full report and learn more about planning for the new schools under the seismic safety grant as well as the projects being planned using voter-approved capital levy dollars.
Policy 3241 Student Discipline
The board adopted an update to Policy 3241 Student Discipline as recommended by the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) to comply with new state laws.
Superintendent Reports
- Back-to-School – Superintendent Green provided an update on the start of the new school year, including the first official enrollment count which came in two students above budget, the start of the preschool year for 3- and 4-year-olds at the grade schools, homecoming at Aberdeen High School and the carnival at A.J. West Elementary School, the celebration of National AVID Day for 9th and 10th graders at AHS; a curb on individual food deliveries at AHS, and an update on the timeline for the selection of new student representatives.
- Basic Education Compliance – Following a presentation by Superintendent Sandstrom, the board approved the annual Basic Education Compliance Report.
Financial Services
- Fiscal Status Report – Executive Director of Business and Operations Elyssa Louderback presented the Fiscal Status Report for August. The district ended the fiscal year with 100.88 percent in budgeted revenue and is at 99.77 percent of budgeted expenditures.
- Vehicle Purchase – The board approved the purchase of a new Suburban to replace a 2004 Suburban with almost 200,000 miles.
New Business
Policy 2020 Instructional Materials
The board approved a required update to Policy 2020 – Course Design and Adoption of Instructional Materials as recommended by WSSDA.
Grays Harbor Juvenile Court MOU
The board approved a memorandum of understanding with Grays Harbor County’s Juvenile Court for truancy enforcement and community engagement in 2025-2026.
BHR Agreement
The board approved a memorandum of understanding with Behavioral Health Resources for 2025-2026 allowing services to be provided at schools.
Surplus
The board declared as surplus an inventory of equipment and devices that have exceeded their useful life or are no longer needed for an educational purpose.
Personnel Report
Following an executive session, the board approved the Personnel Report.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
