News

This week's Highline Headlines includes the appointment of two new school board directors, sexual health education information night, how to apply for Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefits, and more.

Help us welcome our two new school board directors. Dr. Damarys Espinoza represents District 4, and Blaine Holien represents District 5. The new directors will be sworn in on Monday, March 24.

Tyee High School is among many schools offering College in the High School (CiHS), a growing program that allows students to earn free college credits in their own classrooms. At Tyee, teacher Steve McCord leads University of Washington courses like precalculus and astronomy. Read more this this Seattle Times article. 

The Highline School Board will interview four candidates for two open board seats on Saturday, March 15.  

As we expand inclusive education to middle schools, Sylvester Middle School is collaborating with feeder elementary schools to ensure consistent support. Meanwhile, students at Innovation Heights are participating in inclusive learning through a hands-on community garden project. See how we are fostering belonging and innovative learning at every stage. 

From the playground to the lunchroom and everywhere in between—our school support staff are Highline's unsung heroes. They keep schools running smoothly and ensure students have what they need to graduate prepared for the future they choose. Every day, but especially this week, we appauld them for the commitment and care they bring to their jobs. 

This week's Highline Headlines include details on Board commitment to protect students, School Board District 5 Application reopens, Student Conferences, School Construction News, and more.

Highline Public Schools’ Board of Directors stands firm in its commitment to protecting students, staff and families regardless of background, identity or immigration status. During a standing-room-only meeting on March 5, the board unanimously approved Resolution 02-25: Our Schools, Our Promise–A Stand for Every Student. 

Highline's financial outlook remains stable due to steady student enrollment and past budget adjustments. The School Board held a work session on Wednesday, March 5 about the budget development process. The next steps for the 2025-26 budget include working with leaders on school and department budgets, additional board updates in April and May, final budget development and a public hearing in June before submission to OSPI.  

The Highline School Board is moving forward with the appointment process of two vacant board seats. During the March 5 board meeting, the board narrowed the candidate pool to three finalists for District 4. The board also voted to re-open the application window for District 5 after two candidates withdrew from the process before the first round of public interviews. 

At Highline Public Schools, students learn best when they feel safe, valued and connected. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps make that possible. Learn how two Parkside teachers are helping students build emotional awareness, relationship and communication skills that support a sense of belonging and are the key to their future success in school, work and life.

A lottery was held on March 3, 2025 to select students for our schools and programs of Choice that require an application.

This week's Highline Headlines include details on Family University workshops, the last day of school update, our commitment to DEI, Black History Month book and film recommendations, a Secondary Redesign update, and more.

Crews are hard at work finishing the new, modern learning spaces and energy-efficient building systems to support the learning needs of SeaTac students. See a progress video and photos.

Check out interior and exterior photos showcasing our Evergreen High School construction progress in February!
 

Video of the exterior now includes images of the interior of the new Pacific Middle School design.

Highline’s Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) practiced prioritizing school replacement and improvement projects at the February 24 CFAC meeting.

In Highline, we teach comprehensive sexual health education in alignment with state law and district policy.  FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health) is our curriculum that meets state requirements for sexual health education, which is taught in grades 4-12. Families may opt out of any or all sexual health lessons. Attend our Family Information Night on March 31.

Following the executive orders to eliminate DEI funding, Superintendent Ivan Duran reaffirmed our commitment to equity and inclusion. At last week’s board meeting, a resolution was introduced to reinforce our dedication to safe and welcoming schools for all. The board will take action on this resolution at its next meeting on Wednesday, March 5.

School and district leaders visited Seahurst Elementary to see young readers in action! From kindergartners sounding out words to second graders reading books, students are building strong literacy skills every day. These classroom visits help us learn what’s working, hear directly from students, and find new ways to support teachers and learners. By listening and learning, we’re strengthening literacy instruction

Highline’s Capital Projects Oversight Committee met in February for its quarterly review of bond spending and construction progress.

To make up for emergency closures—including a wind closure, a snow day and the cyber incident—the last day of school for the 2024-25 school year will be June 25 for K-12 students and June 24 for preschool students, unless additional closures occur.

We are redesigning our middle and high schools to better support every student. Through listening sessions and pilot programs, we are focusing on real-world relevance and instructional rigor. Learn how each high school is taking steps to make learning more meaningful and engaging.