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What is Puget Sound ESD?
Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD) #121 is one of nine regional educational agencies serving school districts and state-approved private schools in Washington state. ESDs function primarily as support agencies and deliver educational services that can be more efficiently or economically performed regionally.
Puget Sound ESD develops and delivers a wide selection of services that provide instructional and administrative support to PreK-12 schools and direct service to students and families.
Our Legislated Responsibilities are to:
- provide cooperative and informational services to local school districts,
- provide services to school districts to assure equal educational opportunities, and
- assist the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education in the performance of their duties.
Our Ends:
Puget Sound ESD sets outcomes or "Ends" annually. These Ends guide our work on behalf of the educational communities we serve.
Our over-arching End is: Success for Each Child and Eliminate the Opportunity Gap by 2020.
Our subends are:
Success in:
- Ready –Enter school Ready to Learn
- Achieve –Achieve a High Levels Throughout K-12 Education
- Succeed –Be Prepared to Succeed in a Post-secondary Education and a Chosen Career
PSESD strives to create a culture in which each employee contributes to sustaining values that positively impact our environment. Learn more about the Principles that Guide Our Culture.
Services
Our programs and services continuously evolve in response to the needs of educational communities in our region.
We develop and deliver a wide selection of services that provide instructional and administrative support to schools and direct service to students and families. Depending on the program, our services may be provided at no charge to the user, contracted as needed, or may require annual membership.
Departments and types of services offered include:
- Administrative Services: cost-saving insurance cooperatives; teacher certification; school emergency communications; grants services; education television channel.
- Early Childhood and Family Support Services: infant and preschool programs; comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and social services for 3,600+ preschool children and their families; education, involvement, and job readiness opportunities for parents; training and support for the child care community.
- Financial Services: group financing and/or purchasing cooperatives; technical assistance and consultation on school financial issues; pools and cooperatives for administrative support; pupil transportation coordination; and state reporting functions.
- Learning and Teaching Services: research; evaluation and assessment; school improvement; prevention services; school, family and community partnerships; professional development; teaching support; and clock hours.
- Special Services: programs for students with special needs; assistance with the design and effective evaluation of programs; services for children with vision impairment, hearing loss, and deaf-blindness, ages birth through 21.
- Technology Services: assistance to schools and school districts in planning for educational technology; network services; software purchasing programs; web and software development; videoconferencing; and library and media services.
Service Area
Our service area includes 35 school districts and more than 200 private schools in King and Pierce counties plus Bainbridge Island. Approximately 38 percent of the state's K-12 public school students, more than 383,000, are served in the area's school districts, which range from large to small, urban to rural.
Location
Our office and training/meeting facilities are located in the Renton business area in south King County. Our staff are based here or work out of schools and other educational centers in the region. We also operate a satellite office in Fife.
Governance and Staff
Puget Sound ESD is governed by a nine-member educational service district board, elected by local school directors. Each board member represents several school districts within the ESD region.
Agency operations are overseen by John P. Welch, Superintendent and a Leadership Cabinet.
Our staff of 345 administrators, educators and support personnel coordinate more than 70 programs organized into five departments.
Benefits to Schools
- Save schools money through cost-effective cooperatives, centralized services, and pooled resources.
- Provide specialized services otherwise unavailable.
- Secure new resources for the region.
- Provide leadership for innovative educational and administrative practices.
- Build networks and cooperative arrangements among districts and other agencies.
- Link schools with state and national educational resources.
- Serve as liaison between schools and the OSPI and other agencies.
Funding
Less than 1% of our funding comes from a state allocation. Our programs are funded primarily by entrepreneurial means. We apply for and receive competitive state, federal and private grants, and also operate cooperatives among schools and other agencies, supported through membership fees. In addition, we develop services for our region on a pay-for-service basis.
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State Allocations <1%
- Cooperatives 16%
- Services and Fees 6%
- Grants 77%
Non-Discrimination Policy
Policy 4010
It is the policy of the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) to employ persons on the basis of experience, training and merit, and to provide equal access of agency facilities to designated youth groups. PSESD does not discriminate against any employee, applicant, program or activity because of race, creed, color, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, age, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, except as necessary to meet a bona fide occupational qualification. Puget Sound ESD complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws as may pertain thereto. Title IX/RCW 28A.640 This policy applies to all programs, services, and facilities, and includes, but is not limited to, admission and access to programs and services and employment. Such discrimination is prohibited by Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act Amendments of 1978, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Civil Rights act of 1991, and other state and federal laws and regulations.
Puget Sound ESD does not discriminate in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services, or activities. Contact Denise Altheimer, Affirmative Action/ADA Office, at 425-917-7611.
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