A large group of community members used the board’s public‑comment period to urge the Mercer Island School District to preserve certificated librarians and school nursing staff amid proposed budget reductions, to support the upcoming facilities bond, and to adopt a native‑led resolution calling for boarding‑school education and recognition of Every Child Matters Day.

Nurses and nursing coverage: Several speakers who identified themselves as school nurses or parents of medically fragile students said the district’s proposal to replace multiple elementary nursing positions with health‑room assistants or to consolidate nursing coverage would reduce in‑school clinical capacity. Shelly Sage, who identified herself as a long‑time district nurse, told trustees, “They touch every single life in this district,” and described work that ranges from hearing and vision follow‑up to rapid assessments when students have seizures or anaphylaxis. Other parents described diabetes and seizure care that they said requires an on‑site licensed nurse and argued that delegating those responsibilities to unlicensed health‑room assistants— even under nurse supervision—creates clinical and licensing risk.

Librarians and library instruction: Dozens of parents, students and staff urged the board not to replace certificated elementary librarians with classified clerks. High‑school librarian Daniel Kiley described the library as a place that “lifts students up” and detailed curriculum collaboration with teachers, research instruction and supports for vulnerable learners. Multiple students and former students testified that elementary libraries and librarians introduced them to reading, supported struggling readers, and provided safe, inclusive learning spaces. Teachers and librarians said library programs support reading recovery, research skills, digital literacy and curricular projects.

Bond support and facility accessibility: Several speakers backed the proposed facilities bond as a way to complete the middle‑school campus, fix HVAC issues at the high school and improve accessibility for mobility‑impaired students. A parent who said she became a paraplegic urged upgrades that would create direct accessible pathways at the high school. Students described wet corridors and uncomfortable classroom temperatures that they said interfere with learning.

Native‑led education resolution (UNEA): Members of the Urban Native Education Alliance (UNEA) and student interns asked the board to adopt a resolution that would integrate the history and legacy of Indian boarding schools into K–12 instruction and to recognize September 30 as Every Child Matters Day (Orange Shirt Day). Speakers described boarding‑school policies as a century‑long federal program that attempted cultural assimilation and said local curriculum often omits that history; they asked the district to work with native organizations and survivors to build curriculum and remembrance practices.

Why this matters: Trustees repeatedly heard that proposed staffing changes would affect both day‑to‑day student safety and curriculum delivery. Speakers asked the board to pursue alternative reductions and to weigh the district’s values about whole‑child supports against near‑term budget pressures.

Board response and next steps: Board members acknowledged the public comments and said classified‑staff reduction proposals are on a later agenda item for additional review; trustees also signaled the district will continue community outreach on budget priorities and said the board will consider the requested UNEA resolution in upcoming agenda work. No formal board action on the staffing proposals or the UNEA resolution occurred during the meeting.