1. WSSDA Conference 2017 Better Together ~ The AESD Network
A commitment to support local school districts
November 17, 2017

2. Overview of Washington ESDs & AESD Network
a bit of history…
Overview of Washington ESDs & AESD Network
My aim today is to provide some context and history on the ESD system in Washington as well as some background information on the AESD.

3. History of Washington ESDs
1890 – Office of the County Superintendent was created by statute
1909 – County Boards of Education were created with duties in statute
1955 – County board membership changed to elected lay membership
1969 – Legislature passed Intermediate School District Act. State Board created 14 ISDs
1969 to 1977 – A decade of legislative actions resulted in going from 14 service areas to the present nine ESD’s
1981 – Legislation passed to allow ESD’s to provide direct services
ESD’s as they currently exist have evolved over the past century
This list provides a chronology of the major changes that have occurred
In the late 60’s the State Board of Education created what was then 14 intermediate school districts;
Those were then increased and then consolidated resulting in what we have had since 1976 – nine ESD’s serving the entire state

4. Summary
Washington’s nine ESDs have evolved from a system that began as 39 individual county offices of education. A series of consolidations and name changes between ultimately yielded a statewide system of nine regional ESDs…
Washington’s ESDs

5. Purpose of ESDs
Considered a political sub-division of the state and statutorily designed to:
Provide cooperative and informational services to local school districts.
Assist the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education in the performance of their respective constitutional duties.
Provide services to school districts assure equitable educational opportunities for all students
These three core purposes of ESD’s as you can read is quite broad;
As ESD leaders we often go by the rule of thumb that says if it is not explicitly prohibited in statue then it is open game for ESD’s

6. How we got our ESD Number
189 = the combining of regions 108 and 109
171 = the combining of regions 106 and 107 to 167 and then combined with region 104 to create region 171
121 = the combining of regions 110 and 111
123 = the combining of regions 102 and 103

7. 2017 ESDs Nine ESD Statewide Service Area Demographics
1,105,532 K-12 students
43% Free/Reduced Meals
295 School Districts
2,393 Public Schools
757 Private Schools
(101,488 students)
10 Public Charter Schools
(1,600 students)
5 Tribal Compact Schools
(1,036 students)
63,541 public school teachers
Today the network of ESD’s approx. 1.1M K-12 students;
Through our state funded pre-school and federally funded Head start programs we are serving somewhere close to 10K early learners;
295 school districts with just under 2400 schools and getting close to 62k teachers
A couple of us now have charter schools in our region and are providing some level of service
Student Demographics
White – 56%
Hispanic / Latino - 22%
Asian 7%
Black / African American – 4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander – 1%
American Indian / Alaskan Native – 1%
44% Free and Reduce
11% Bi-Lingual
13.5% - Special Ed
2% Migrant

8. Another picture of the map of our ESD’s
Larry Francois, Superintendent
Merle Kirkley, Board Chair
Dr. Michelle Price, Superintendent
Harlan Warner, Board Chair
Greg Lynch, Superintendent
Carl Johnson, Board Chair
Dr. Mike Dunn, Superintendent
June Sine, Board Chair
John Welch, Superintendent
Jill Johnson, Board Chair
Dr. Dana Anderson, Superintendent
Allen Jones, Board Chair
Darcy Weisner, Superintendent
Bruce Wildfang, Board Chair
Kevin Chase, Superintendent
J.P. Enderby, Board Chair
Another picture of the map of our ESD’s
The regions that each of our ESD’s serve vary greatly
Geography, # of districts we serve and size of districts we serve
Demographics and poverty of the region varies
The politics and ideologies vary - managing relationships w/ legislators and advocating for initiatives and issues
While we hold strong in our commitment to equity we recognize that may look different – in a predominantly white district the issues of equity may be centered on providing opportunities and access to those in poverty
In the Puget Sound region we have a growing need to focus on racial equity in addition to poverty
Tim Merlino, Superintendent
Richard Graham, Board Chair

9. Spokane
59 School Districts; 98,159 Students; 141 Staff
$22,230,570
Yakima
25 School Districts; 64,968 Students; 126 Staff
$29,507,145
Vancouver
30 School Districts; 104,362 Students; 416 Staff
$65,617,391
Tumwater
44 School Districts; 73,320 Students; 423 Staff
$33,946,248
Bremerton
15 School Districts; 47,968 Students; 154 Staff
$14,074,293.80
Washington’s ESDs

10. Renton
35 School Districts; 428,146 Students; 375 Staff
$87,401,640
Pasco
23 School Districts; 73,056 Students; 140 Staff
$13,767,751
Wenatchee
29 School Districts; 47,286 Students; 120 Staff
$19,765,295
Anacortes
35 School Districts; 168,267 Students; FTE Staff
$21,379,
295 School Districts; 1,105,532 Students; 2,040 Staff
$307,689,456
TOTALS
Washington’s ESDs

11. Adding economical value to Washington education
ESDs leveraged $5.1 million of state allocated core funding into $251 million of needed services for students and schools in Washington
For every $1 in core funding, ESDs returned $49 in educational programs and services - $230 for every student in the state
We believe strong that we are a good investment – based on data
State Core funding - $5.1M – less then 2% of our budgets
Through partnerships with OPSI (contracts for services, cooperative, agency contracts, fee for service, federal grants we leverage that into an annual quarter of a billion $ enterprise

12. Sources of ESD Revenues – 2016-2017

13. AESD Board Leadership & Governance
Nine Member Executive Board comprised of one member from each of the nine ESDs
President, Vice President, Past President
Operates with a constitution and bylaws
ESD superintendents serve as non-voting and advisory board members
AESD Executive board meets five times a year including an annual conference
Annual meeting at conference includes budget adoption & election of officers
Leadership for Equity, Opportunity, and Results

14. Governance at Individual ESDs
Each ESD is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by school board members of the school districts in the ESD region, to four-year terms.
Each ESD has a Superintendents’ Advisory Council that approves the annual budget and makes recommendations for ESD service and support
Each ESD Cooperative is governed by an Advisory Council made up of Superintendents in the region
(RCW 28A )

15. Examples of some services provided by ESDs
Teacher and staff professional development
School system and student learning support
Operations, fiscal, and technical services
Administrative services
Grant acquisition and grants management
Technology and computer education training
Communications and planning support
Early Learning technical assistance
School construction services
Special education coordination
Accreditation services

16. Statewide Accreditation Services NWESD 189
Washington ESDs began providing accreditation services in 2005
NWESD took over accreditation services as the lead ESD for AESD Accreditation services in
Once completed, schools generally feel accreditation was a valuable and worthwhile experience
AESD Accreditation process valued for its relevance and connection to the School Improvement Plan work that schools should already be undertaking
AESD Accreditation process is reflective and growth-oriented
3rd year review provides a check in for both (re)calibration and accountability for school improvement plan implementation and progress towards goal attainment
AESD Accreditation is particularly beneficial for principals new in their positions
Principals report that the AESD Accreditation process helps assist and motivate staff to undertake needed changes in instructional programs and delivery

17. and all other value-added services and support to local requested by local districts and other state educational partners.

18. The OSPI/AESD Network better together… the OSPI/AESD Network is:
A commitment to support local school districts

19. What is the OSPI/AESD Network?
It is a partnership for an aligned system (Coordinated Services Agreement) between OSPI and the Association of Educational Service Districts to:
“provide a coherent and equitable system of teacher and administrator professional learning that results in continuous learning for every student, every day, and in every classroom.”

20. The OSPI/AESD Network statewide aligned initiatives are:
Mathematics
Science
English Language Arts
Early Learning
Student Support
Equity and Measures
Teacher & Principal Evaluation/Practice (TPEP)
System and School Improvement
Special Education
Migrant and Bilingual Education

21. OSPI/AESD Network is committed to support:
Increased student achievement; effective professional practice; key initiatives related equity, opportunity, and results.
All school districts, large and small, with a focus on equity of educational opportunities for all students across the state.

22. AESD Network
Goals and
Strategic Plan

23. AESD Network Mission Vision
To ensure equity and excellence in education through effective services delivered statewide.
Vision
To inspire and foster equity, opportunity, and results through meaningful support of all school districts.

24. AESD Network Goals 2 3 1
Grow the Network and Provide Needed Services
Tell our Story: Benefit of Collaborative Relationships
Develop Strategic Relationships

25. AESD Network Website www.waesd.org
9/9/2018
AESD Network Website
Gene will introduce us
LORI:
Thank the board for opportunity to walk through the new site

26. Today, tomorrow, together = teamwork
Our network would not work if we didn’t have our AESD exec. board who provides vision/ direction (remember those design principles) and the commitment of my superintendent colleagues to work together
AESD Network
Today, tomorrow, together = teamwork