Mountaineer Moments

May 1 - 2 - MBHS Plant Sale

May 4 - NO SCHOOL - Inclement Weather Day not needed

May 13 - 15 - JH/HS Spring Play, 7:00 p.m. nightly

May 22 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development

May 25 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

Our 2026-27 Calendar is now available. There is one small change to this calendar from what was emailed to families last week: The first day of Kindergarten will be Monday, August 31, not Tuesday, Sept. 1. The multi-page calendar will be available in August before school starts.

Click on the image to download the 2026-27 Calendar. It is also available on our district website.

Our student representatives Lida Corado and Gaby Ruiz-Santana led the policy discussion at our last school board meeting. They were asked by Superintendent Jessica Schenck to research and make recommendations for the district's policy on cell phones. The rationale for this is because our current policy has not been updated since 2013, and as many other districts have been taking a closer look at the impacts cell phones have on student learning, they have been updating their policies to reflect better practices. The student representatives have completed some initial research that they shared with the board. Here is a link to their presentation slides. Their next step is to get feedback from students, staff, and parents. We would like to invite all Mount Baker parents to participate in this survey. Your feedback will be shared at our May 28 board meeting when the student representatives continue this policy discussion. The survey is open May 1 - May 15. Please use the link below to share your perspective:

Community/Parent Phone Policy Survey

Our school board visits each school site at least once a year. Last month, they went to Kendall Elementary where they saw teachers and students doing the hard work to improve reading and math skills. Principal Sandy Ledbetter and her leadership team presented student data that show most grade levels are exceeding the expected growth in a single year. This past year Kendall has really focused on building school-wide expectations and systems to help all students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Thank you to School Board Director Danielle Gray for the wonderful pictures from this visit!

Last week, the school board approved a resolution for a reduced education program. The resolution authorizes staffing reductions and changes for the 2026-27 school year. While we are eliminating some positions, we are also restructuring to add some new positions. The reason behind these reductions are declining enrollment, rising costs, and inadequate state funding. The reductions are not due to our continued Binding Conditions status. As we are making decisions about staffing for next year, we are able to maintain the number of elementary classroom teachers and being intentional about restructuring in ways that still keep our focus on quality instruction and services for students. For more information about our reductions and our plans to maintain quality instruction for students, please see this link: FAQs for 2026-27 Reductions.

- Superintendent Jessica Schenck

Mountaineer Moments is the online community newsletter of the Mount Baker School District. New editions will be emailed each month to all district staff and families. Community members can also request to be added to the mailing list by completing this form: https://tinyurl.com/5a7eb4zk

Find past issues here:

• October 2025
• November 2025
• December 2026/January 2026
• February 2026
• March 2026
• April 2026