Welcome to the first week of the 2015-16 school year. As I assisted with 330 kindergarten students and families at Frank Love Elementary on the first day of school—and have visited several other schools during these past days—I continue to be amazed and impressed at how quickly our teachers, students and support staff are settling into another year of powerful instruction and learning.

For many of our school communities, I also continue to be deeply appreciative of the understanding and grace with which they are responding to increased enrollment growth and all of the disruptions and dislocations associated with this ongoing challenge. While longer term solutions are slated for the 2017-18 school year with the opening of North Creek High School, grade reconfiguration and boundary adjustments, the next two years promise to

further tax our classroom space and mitigation options. Thank you for your continued resilience and patience.

Please know that staff throughout the district remain committed to providing a positive and supportive learning environment for all students, even in the face of less than ideal circumstances at some schools.

Our work this year will encompass several significant milestones towards the larger changes in store for 2017-18. I’d like to highlight a few of those that you should expect to hear more about over the coming year:

• North Creek High School – Construction has passed the halfway point and is ahead of schedule and on budget. This fall, NCHS Planning Principal Dr. Eric McDowell will be working with students and community on the selection of a school mascot and colors. This year we will also begin the process of soliciting and selecting teachers, administrators and support staff for North Creek.

• Boundary Adjustments – The Enrollment Demographics Task Force will continue to receive and process feedback on the May 2015 revised 2017 draft boundary proposal through the end of September. They will then conduct a final review of enrollment data and trends, any new housing information and feedback received before presenting a final plan to the school board for consideration and adoption by the end of January (tentatively).

• Grade Reconfiguration – Our three grade reconfiguration task forces will continue their work this year and wrestle with the many philosophical and program changes that will accompany our transition to a K-5 elementary, 6-8 middle school and 9-12 high school configuration. Bringing closure to a number of pressing questions this year will pave the way for a concerted focus on transition activities throughout the 2016-17 school year.

• Property Acquisition – We anticipate continued enrollment growth into the foreseeable future.  To position the district for that growth, we are investigating the purchase of additional future school sites. While use of those sites may be years or decades into the future, securing property now while it is available and more affordable is a responsible and proactive approach for future generations.

• Equity and Diversity – As our community becomes increasingly diverse, we must continue to grow our skills and capacity to serve all students and families well. We have made great strides implementing the equity and diversity action plan approved by the school board in late June, and will continue that work throughout this year and in the years ahead.

• High School Start Time – The Start Time Task Force formed last spring will continue to study options to implement School Board Resolution 714, targeting a high school start time of no earlier than 8 a.m. by the 2017-18 school year. This is a complex issue, but an important one that addresses the growing body of research on the physiological needs of adolescents.

• Standards, Assessments and Graduation Requirement – Statewide implementation of the Common Core State Standards in math and English/language arts, the Next Generation Science Standards and new assessments aligned with these standards will continue to be front and center in our instructional program work. As well, this year’s 9th-graders—the class of 2019—must meet a 24-credit graduation requirement. Providing continued options and support for our students and staff to successfully navigate these changes remain top priorities.

• Achievement and Opportunity Gaps – Like most school systems, academic performance and achievement are experienced unevenly by our students. Often these differences are readily apparent in certain populations such as low income students, student who may not speak English as their first language, or students with disabilities. If we truly believe that success for all students means success for each student, we must continue to prioritize and develop intentional and predictable supports and interventions.

These by no means capture all of the areas that will occupy our time, energy and resources in the coming year, but they are some of the most prominent. While the list may seem daunting, it is all good and worthy work that will benefit our students and school communities now and in the future. Thank you for your investment of time, talents and dedication to our district, our 32 schools and our 21,000 students. Best wishes for a wonderful 2015-16 school year.

Larry Francois is the Northshore School District superintendent.