Bellingham Public Schools students, staff and community partners shared the meaning of their strategic plan, the Bellingham Promise, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten on April 19.
“This is a powerful example of a community making a promise to itself,” Marten said.
Marten toured Alderwood Elementary and Options High School as part of her “ARPStars” tour to see how districts have used the investments from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Last year, President Joe Biden signed the bill which provided $130 billion for K-12 schools’ recovery efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the pandemic, the district received more than $24 million in Elementary and Secondary School Relief funds — $16 million of which came from the ARP in 2021.
Both visits to schools were kicked off with roundtables where district staff and community partners discussed how the ARP funds aided their mission to support the “whole child” and were followed by classroom visits.
At Alderwood, Isabel Meaker, the executive director of family engagement, discussed funding that went to the Family Resource Center and how it has become an essential resource for familial support, especially during the pandemic. The district also strengthened its relationship with the Whatcom Family YMCA after-school program and expanded offerings and access for students, YMCA After-School Program Director Shannon Millican said.
Bellingham Public Schools administrators Laurel Peak and Amy Carder discussed how the additional funding has allowed them to invest in extracurriculars and in partnerships with outside organizations, like Vamos Outdoors.
“We’re bringing the opportunity to connect and to engage and to be involved,” said Peak, director of athletics and activities. “Across the board, we’re seeing kids jump in, like, ‘Yes, we want to do this enrichment. Yes, we want to do this sport.’”
Marten followed the talk with two classroom visits to see students and teachers in action and a visit to Alderwood’s new “inclusive playground” – a large play structure designed to enable various forms of play for kids of all abilities.
At Options, conversations focused on issues of student mental health, supporting students’ complex needs as they approach adulthood and the importance of fostering community.
District Mental Health coordinator Chris Cochran led the discussion on how the schools are providing students with support and connecting them with mental health services in the community in the wake of two years of isolation. Ultimately, he said, it’s important for students to have relationships with staff, so they feel open to talking and asking for help when it’s needed.
The deputy secretary dropped in on an English class and visited the child-care center, which watches children of students and staff. The center is part of GRADS (Graduation, Reality and Dual-role Skills) which provides support for students who are parents as they work to get their high school degrees.
Superintendent Greg Baker impressed the value of funds and how that allows the district to hire more staff, fund more services and, ultimately, support more students.
“When we did get help like you’ve seen, we were able to make a big difference during the pandemic,” Baker said. “This will be an area of investment that we will work hard to sustain.”
Throughout the day, Marten remarked on the value of the Bellingham Promise, the work the district has accomplished in supporting students and how they are using the funds exactly as the federal government envisioned.
“Once the community sees what it really looks like to fund schools in this way and sees what is possible, they’re not going to look back,” Marten said.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Cindy Marten’s last name in a caption. The story was updated to reflect this change on April 20, 2022 at 12:05 p.m. The Cascadia Daily News regrets the error.
