Thank you to everyone who attended our General Membership meeting in October. We had two fantastic  speakers and the parents who were able to attend the meeting came away from the night both impressed  and surprised with the information that was delivered. For those unable to attend the meeting, here  are some highlights:

• Our school counselor, Meredith Osborne, presented the “Take a Stand Against Bullying” curriculum  that is employed throughout the Issaquah School District. She shared the language that is used when  discussing bullying at school and the ways that teachers and school administrators handle situations  that arise. She also shared results from student surveys that were conducted at Cascade Ridge last  year and gave parents practical advice to prevent and address bullying. Stay tuned for links to Meredith’s presentation!
• Mr. Ron Thiele, the Superintendent of the Issaquah School District, explained the three levies  coming up for a vote in February. He shared some facts that shocked most of us in attendance including;  Washington ranks 43 out of 50 states in per-pupil education  funding and Issaquah ranks 292 out of 295 Washington school districts in state per-pupil education  funding. Levies or bond measures are the one funding mechanism provided by law that enable the  Issaquah School District to overcome these shortfalls and directly invest in the quality of our  schools. The main levy, the Renewal Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy, pays for $0.21 of  every classroom dollar, or 18 teachers and 2 staff members at EACH elementary school.
• After Mr. Thiele’s presentation, we voted unanimously as a general membership to endorse the  three levies on the February 2014 ballot. You will hear a lot more about the levies in the upcoming  months, but I encourage everyone to visit  http://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district/levy2014/default.aspx for  more information, including details of each levy.