Superintendent's All-staff Messages

Our Rising Graduation Rate

As many of you know, we have worked over the past few years to find ways to better connect central office staff to schools. We have done this by encouraging volunteer participation at school events and assigning cabinet partners to schools.

I want to take a moment to thank you for all you have done to welcome our students and families to Highline for another school year. The start of school always brings excitement and challenges, and this year has been no exception.

Every start of a new school year is exciting, but this fall we have more big things happening than usual: boundary changes, new schools and more. It's a lot to manage!

I know that this school year went a bit longer than any of us had anticipated, but tomorrow is finally our official last day with students. We made it! I want to say thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to finishing the year strong.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Whether this is your first year in teaching or your fortieth, whether you have spent your entire career in Highline or serve as a guest teacher, I want to thank you for your dedication to our students.

You have probably heard the news that state lawmakers raised the cap on local levies, which was lowered as part of the McCleary school funding plan. We are grateful to our legislators for restoring levy funding that Highline voters approved to support our students.

Thank you to all who participated in our annual climate survey. Based on your feedback, we have some growth to celebrate and some work to do.

I want to remind you that we are currently running a Thoughtexchange to gather input from staff and families on new course offerings to add to our high school course schedules.

As you know, our state revenue is tied to our enrollment. After years of steady growth, Highline’s enrollment numbers were unexpectedly low this year, and we anticipate the loss of another 500 students next year.