Julie Burr Spani was selected president of the Highline School Board on Dec. 12 as three new members joined the board.

Spani, first elected to the board in November 2005, previously served as vice president.

King County District Court Judge Victoria Seitz swore in the three new members.

Sili Savusa replaced Tom Slattery, who had served on the board for 16 years.

Bernie Dorsey took the place of eight-year board member Phyllis Byers. Dorsey was elected vice president.

Michael D. Spear took the seat of his uncle, Matt Pina. Eight years ago, Matt Pina replaced his father, Ed Pina, on the board.

Susan Goding, who like Spani is serving her first term, is the fifth member of the board.

The new majority members decided to postpone a decision on naming meeting rooms at district headquarters in honor of the three departing board members.

Spani proposed changing the board room's name to the Slattery Board Room as well as naming the north classroom in honor of Byers and the south classroom in honor of Matt and Ed Pina.

Goding termed the proposal "a very kind idea," but said the district does not have a tradition of naming facilities after board members.

Spani countered that she had observed the commitment of Slattery, Byers and Pina and had thought about "how to honor them in a fun way.

There is tradition and now there's now," Spani observed.

So it was left to the new members to break the deadlock.

Spear said he wanted Superintendent John Welch to look into what the naming tradition has been.

Welch replied that some district facilities have been named after district staffers, including a Puget Sound Skills Center meeting room, the Highline Performing Arts Center theater and the Evergreen High tennis courts.

Savusa said she wanted to postpone the decision until the board had further discussions.

"Everybody who has served on the board has given great service," Savusa said.

As the three former board members sat in the back of the room, Dorsey joked, "It's difficult (to discuss) with the parties in the room. Maybe we should ask them to turn their backs."

Board members also heard a report by human resources director Don Waring on teacher recruitment and retention strategies.

Waring said teachers do not leave the district for other districts because pay and benefits are too low.

He said many leave because the working environment in the urban and diverse district is too challenging for them and they seek an easier job or they don't get along with staff.

"We want to make the district so good, so positive and so supportive that teachers won't think to leave," Waring declared.

He said teacher retention continues to be a problem with 165 teachers resigning during the 2006-2007 school year. That is a turnover rate of 14.59 percent compared to 15.95 percent the previous year.

The district's goal is an 8 percent or less turnover rate, according to Waring.

About 59 percent of the district's new hires are first-year teachers.

The district identifies outstanding candidates and hires them even if there is not an opening, Waring noted. Principals then pick the "teacher cadre" members when a position becomes available.

A detailed teacher-selection interview not only covers qualifications but also psychological elements to identify candidates who want to teach in a diverse district, he said.

Waring identified other recruiting strategies, including attending job fairs, and tripling the amount of student teachers in the district.

Deputy Superintendent Carla Jackson discussed the district's curriculum and college audits.

The curriculum audit was designed to assure that all Highline students regardless of which part of the district they live in can expect a high quality education, Jackson noted.

The district is updating its policies as part of the curriculum audit recommendations, she added.

University of Oregon professors will study the ACE learning community on the Tyee campus, Aviation High and Mt. Rainier High.

Staffers want to determine how the district's high school courses align with professor expectations of college freshman level work.