In a joint meeting that began with a review of the 2016 Healthy Youth Survey results and ended with the exploration of a possible levy lid lift to continue funding mental health counselors in Mercer Island schools, the City Council and School Board discussed how they can work together to support Island youth.

The city of Mercer Island and its school district share the same boundaries and constituents. The mental health counselors in the Island’s four elementary schools are city employees of the Department of Youth and Family Services. YFS supports kids and families in many other ways, including its Healthy Youth Initiative and Communities that Care program.

Jennifer Wright and Fred Rundle of the school district presented the governing bodies with an overview of the latest Healthy Youth Survey results, which show concerns with e-cigarettes, social drinking and illegal drug use. Each fall of even numbered years, students in grades 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th across Washington State participate in the survey.

Only between a quarter and third of high school students surveyed believe that using e-cigarettes or vape pens poses a “great risk.” Drinking amongst middle school students has remained historically low, but Island students report an increase in high school. Illegal drug use by the cohort of 10th grade students who took the survey in 2014 and again as 12th graders in 2016 more than doubled, and illegal drug use amongst seniors at MIHS surpasses the state average.

Students (sophomores in 2014 and seniors in 2016) who reported having at least a glass or can or alcohol in the past 30 days increased by 22 percent. The survey was administered on Oct. 12, 2016 at the high school and Oct. 14 at the middle school, with Homecoming occurring on Sept. 24.

Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano said he was concerned with the data on how much kids enjoy school (about 50 percent, which is higher than the state average) and how many have considered suicide (about 10 percent, lower than the state average).

He also thanked the city for its commitment to mental health. It was Plano’s last joint Council-School Board meeting, and new Mercer Island City Manager Julie Underwood’s first.

Underwood provided an overview of the ongoing litigation between the city and Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation regarding access to Interstate 90. The School Board had previously expressed concerns about the effects of increased traffic and commute times on the district’s employees.

The density debate was resurrected as the Council and School Board discussed the recent district demographic study, which is based on birth rates in King County. Plano noted that Mercer Island will see some, but not incredible, growth over the next three to eight years.

The district will have to keep an eye on these numbers, and on the changes being discussed in Olympia regarding basic education and class sizes, as it plans future budgets and capital facilities plans. Plano said that the elementary schools can have enough capacity to accommodate growth by adding portables, but that a $10 million renovation for the high school gym may have to be considered.

The district’s finance director Ty Bergstrom gave a Legislative update, noting that there are currently four school funding plans on the table — from the governor, the Senate Republicans, the Senate Democrats and the House Democrats — and all have pros and cons.

“The numbers we see in terms of funding are incredibly different,” Bergstrom said.

Mercer Island’s goal is to urge the Legislature to comply with the McCleary ruling and fully fund basic education, ensure that all school districts either maintain the same or increased pre-student public funding from all local and state sources and address school funding gap without reducing revenue to social services.

Plano said that the state should leave local levies alone, giving people in each community the opportunity to tax themselves to go above the standard.

School Board Director Ralph Jorgensen said it’s important to educate the community on the complicated school funding issue, and that West Mercer Elementary will host a forum on the topic with Rep. Tana Senn and Sen. Lisa Wellman at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The school district has been planning to go to voters in 2018 to renew its important maintenance and operations levy, and the city has also been contemplating a levy lid lift for operating expenses, capital projects or both. Both bodies will likely have to decide by September what the timing of those ballots will be, and both will be discussing their budgets in 2018.

Other topics of discussion included the school bus camera initiative and field turf options, as both the city and school district have upcoming field renovation projects (the high school stadium and the recently approved north side of Island Crest Park).

For more, see www.mercergov.org/CouncilMeetings or www.mercerislandschools.org/SchoolBoard.