School Board

Advocating on behalf of students and schools, representing the community, developing and adopting district policy, monitoring operations, hiring and evaluating the superintendent of schools, resolving disputes, establishing current and long-range educational plans and programs for the district, approving and adopting an annual budget that serves as a financial basis for the district, setting general goals and adopting policies upon which instructional programs will be based, all of which must be in accordance with state law and regulations promulgated by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, determining school housing needs, purchases, disposes of or leases of school sites, and approves building plans that will support and enhance educational programs, determining assignment of staff and allocation of staff time, evaluating teaching materials, and maintaining ongoing personal communication with school staff, students and members of the community.

The board consists of five citizens of the school district, representing five director districts, each of whom is elected for a four-year term. However, they are elected by and represent all citizens of the school district. Members, by choice, serve without pay. A president and vice-president are elected annually, and the legislative representative is elected every two years.

In addition, two high school students serve on the board. The role of the student school board members is to provide a student perspective into the decision-making process at the board level. They sit at the board table at all board meetings, participate in discussions with other school board members, and exercise non-binding (advisory) votes on matters brought before the board in open session. They do not participate in executive sessions nor raise concerns about confidential matters relating to students or school personnel in open session.

Monthly business meetings of the board are held the last Tuesday of the month at the Mountain View campus located at 5780 Hendrickson Avenue, at 6:00 p.m. Meeting agendas are available at BoardDocs.com, or by request from the superintendent’s office by calling (360) 383-9207 or visiting us at 6041 Vista Drive. Informal and special meetings, as well as study sessions, are held throughout the year as needed. Public notice is given through the district’s website and the news media.

All regular, informal and special meetings are open to the public. The board may choose to meet in executive session (closed) to discuss such matters such as personnel, sale or acquisition of property, labor and contract negotiations, confidential records, evaluation of a candidate for appointment to the board of directors and discussion of possible district litigation. All formal actions on these matters, however, are taken in public sessions.

Decisions made by your school board greatly influence the quality of the educational program for students. As an elected body, we can best represent you when you make your interests and opinions known. We encourage you to become involved in school activities at the building level and to attend board meetings.

Visitors are welcome at board meetings. At regular meetings of the board, we provide an opportunity for the public to make comment. If you know in advance that you would like to address the board at a meeting, please make arrangements by completing this form.

If you have questions, please contact Executive Assistant Kris Newberry at kristin.newberry@ferndalesd.org or 360-383-9207. 

In the interest of personal privacy and fairness, no one may comment on individual employees of the school district. An executive session may be granted for discussion of such matters. Those with questions or comments concerning instructional practices or instructional materials should write to the superintendent.