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Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 14 and 20. MA responds to ACLU, prepares for budget amendment.

By Jackie Burhans

At its Sept. 14 meeting, the Monument Academy (MA) board heard their lawyer’s response to the ACLU and prepared to amend its budget, review carline safety concerns, and consider revisions to its employee handbook. At a special meeting on Sept. 20, the board continued the discussion of its emergency operations procedure (EOP) and employee handbook.

Lawyer responds to ACLU demand letter.

Board President Ryan Graham noted that MA had received a demand letter from the ACLU with a deadline of Aug. 31 to respond. The demand letter addressed what the ACLU considered unlawful actions by MA and its board, undermining the safety of LGBTQ+ students and flouting state and federal laws. See https://ocn.me/v23n9.htm#ma for more information.

Graham read the letter from the ACLU and then read the response the board sent on Aug. 31 through its legal counsel, Brad Miller of Miller Farmer Carson Law LLC.

The response from Miller confirmed that he represented MA and its board and asserted that the ACLU’s understanding was incorrect. He said that while MA had recently adopted a resolution, the ACLU’s characterization was incorrect. The resolution was simply an expression of parents’ rights and voice in education, he said. Finally, he finished by saying that he did not find any mention in the letter of who the ACLU purported to represent.

Graham indicated there was no current litigation and that the board would stand firm.

Budget adjustments anticipated.

With the absence of MA’s financial consultant Glenn Gustafson, Graham reported on his behalf that the audit was nearly complete, the 2023-24 budget was loaded into the financial system, and the payroll conversion had begun but had some errors that delayed the project to bring purchasing in-house.

The board adopted the FY23-24 budget in June 2023 and will need budget adjustments in the fall and late January. Some expenditure items were under budget, Graham reported. This will mean reductions to an already tight budget and require MA to maintain budget discipline.

In the Finance Committee report, board member Joe Buczkowski emphasized that Gustafson’s report had initially budgeted enrollment at 1,180. He said enrollment was below the budget at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The October count would also impact the budget, and some cost-cutting would have to occur at that point, he said. He noted there may also be additional revenue, including earnings from moving certificates of deposit (CDs) to achieve higher interest rates.

Carline safety concerns.

Officer Maxwelle Ellis, MA’s school resource officer (SRO), addressed concerns about the Highway 105 construction and safety. He noted that, while growing pains would happen, phase 4 would be better. Ellis, who works for the Monument Police Department (MPD), noted that MPD has no jurisdiction over Highway 105, which belongs to the county. The construction project is being done under the Pikes Peak Rural Transit Authority (PPRTA), with others trying to help as much as possible.

Ellis said he sees the frustrations and experiences the hostility but prefers that people bring their concerns to him rather than taking them out on MA staff. Parents coming early are adding to the frustration, he said, but the number of violations has dropped dramatically. He asked for patience and compassion and reiterated that people should come to him and contact him via email at mellis@tomgov.org.

Graham reported that the recirculation road was almost complete, with permanent fencing coming soon. MA would be moving into Phase 2 of carline procedures through December, with Phase 3 incorporating the new Knollwood roundabout. He asked that K-5 families not arrive before 3:15 p.m. for pickup and not block the Vision Center clients from exiting. He said MA would not tolerate families berating others and could and would revoke carline privileges if necessary.

Employee handbook discussed.

At the Sept. 14 meeting, Krista Pelley, director of people operations, led the discussion of changes to the 2023-24 Employee Handbook. She directed the board to focus on the portion of the handbook that impacts pay and time off requests, noting that in previous years it had not differentiated between sick and personal leave. The proposed policy would adjust the cap of leave accrual, differentiate between leave types, use half-hour increments, and implement new work calendars. This area was important to solidify so it could be entered into the financial system so employees could know how much leave they have and begin to request it.

Another area of change in the handbook covers purchase orders and financial information, which was significantly out of date. To update this section, she is looking at D38, D20, and other charter school policies. She will consult with Gustafson and the financial team about changes to purchasing.

In addition, Pelley said she was removing everything that is procedural from the handbook as principals have created procedural guides for staff. She also noted that she was reviewing board policies to see how that would impact the handbook. Board member Karen Hoida noted a section in the handbook regarding conflict resolution that conflicted with policy 1518A. Hoida suggested the handbook should simply refer to the policy. Pelley agreed and asked for clarification of the teacher representative policy. Graham noted that wasn’t mandated in the handbook. Finally, Pelley asked for board input on the teacher-student communication section for language around social media.

Pelley said she would love for the board to further review sections but wanted to segment out staff leave and approve that. Graham said he felt comfortable knowing that legal was involved and had seen it. Buczkowski said he would rather not pass it today. Graham tabled this item to discuss at the upcoming special meeting.

At the Sept. 20 special meeting, the board took up the discussion of the handbook again, starting with a comment from Graham that he had heard that a couple of administrators needed time to review the document and suggested postponing approvals until October. Pelley emphasized that staff was waiting to hear on leave policies and that she and Gustafson had removed much of the finance policy and purchase order information out of the handbook.

Lindsay Clinton, board vice president, suggested that in the future, discussions of the handbook should be penciled in for the June agenda so that it would be available for new hires. Graham said he would oppose any approval of the handbook until all administrators had a chance to review it. Buczkowski said he had reviewed other sections and felt they were fine but that the document could be better organized. The meeting adjourned to executive session without taking a vote on the employee handbook.

Highlights.

Board meeting highlights include:

• Board member Craig Carle spotlighted the work of Kristi Hayes, preschool director, for doing a phenomenal job managing the carline at MA West. She is a guiding light for parents, he said. He appreciated her leadership and said she and her team were “the epitome of resilience.”

Above: At its Sept. 14 meeting, board Director Craig Carle, right, spotlighted Preschool Director Kristi Hayes, left, for doing a phenomenal job with her team in managing the carline at Monument Academy’s West campus. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

• High School Principal David Kennington presented the EOP plan intended to standardize MA’s initial response to expected crises, including coordination and communication through a safe school plan as required by state law CRS 22-32-109.1(2). Although the plan was not reviewed by legal counsel, the board unanimously adopted it with the intent to continue updating the plan.

• At the Sept. 20 special meeting, Buczkowski said he had reviewed the statute regarding the safe school plan and identified some missing items such as a written evaluation after exercises or incidents, annual inventory and testing of safety equipment, having school personnel complete training courses, and including SROs. He also noted that the school is supposed to have a policy on annual inspection of buildings to address the removal of barriers to safety and supervision. Buczkowski offered to share this information with Kennington and to work with the Governance Committee to develop the needed policy.

• Curriculum policies IIAC-MA, IIAC-E1-MA, IIAE-E2-MA, IJ-MA and IJ-E1-MA were passed unanimously with minor changes from what was discussed at the previous meeting. Approved MA board policies can be found at https://bit.ly/ma-bd-policies.

• The board approved a contract for the 2023-24 fiscal year, as recommended by Gustafson, to engage CLOCworks Inc. to install equipment to monitor and optimize energy costs for a $4,800 installation fee and $500 per month management fee. Gustafson felt these fees could be recouped in three or four months, and MA would realize savings in the long term.

• The board unanimously approved changes to the preschool policies and procedures as Hayes and Elementary Principal Kurt Walker requested. Changes included removing language about “Love and Logic” principles, changing the word “rules” to “social contract,” and removing language in the behavior and discipline section referring to mental health personnel since none is available at MA West.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, Sept.18. Prairie Winds students win national award; Education Foundation reactivated

By Harriet Halbig

The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education celebrated achievements of its students and teachers at its Sept. 18 meeting.

President’s Environmental Youth Award.

Sixth-graders Amelia Ashby, Sloan Clary, and Annabel Montero from Prairie Winds Elementary School were awarded the President’s Environmental Youth Award for their project to reduce waste by composting green waste from the school cafeteria and using it in the school’s garden.

Above::Sixth-graders Amelia Ashby, Sloan Clary, and Annabel Montero from Prairie Winds Elementary School, flanked on the left by D38 Board President Tiffiney Upchurch and on the right by teacher Deb Kimple, were celebrated for winning the President’s Environmental Youth Award for their project to reduce waste by composting green waste from the school cafeteria and using it in the school’s garden. The students gave a slide presentation on the process of submitting the application and their trip to Washington, D.C., and created a video on the project for the Colorado Environmental Film Festival. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

The students gave a slide presentation on the process of submitting the application and their trip to Washington, D.C. to receive the award. They thanked their teacher Deb Kimple and science teacher Pam Cooley for their help. Principal Brittnie Coveney was also on hand to congratulate the students.

The students have created a video on the project for the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and hope to monitor continuation of the program after they leave Prairie Winds.

Another award recipient is Bear Creek Elementary School teacher Jennifer Stalko, who received the Air Force Academy Extra Yard Award.

D38 Education Foundation reactivated.

The D38 Education Foundation was originally created in 1994 under Superintendent Ted Bauman and was active until 2009. Since that time, members of the Board of Education have kept legal and tax documents current.

Executive Director Stephanie Palzkill reported on the reorganization and activities of the foundation.

The Board of Trustees of the foundation consists of seven members representing such entities as the Tri-Lakes Chamber, Monument Hill Kiwanis, the Board of Education, and district parents who have served in various capacities on district committees. Superintendent KC Somers is a non-voting member of the board.

The mission of the foundation is to elevate education through community connections, to champion educators and foster creativity and innovation, to attract and retain educators, and to educate the community about the unique strengths of the district.

The foundation will fund two grants. The Inspire program grant will reward innovation and the Advance program grant will fund professional development.

Funds in the Foundation account, previously transferred to the district, were transferred back into an individual bank account by the board later in the meeting. The funds are sufficient to support awarding the grants for this year. Palzkill said applications for the Inspire grant would be available by Oct. 15 with a deadline of Nov. 30. Members of the Board of Trustees will visit each school to explain the program.

Finalists will be chosen by Dec. 15 and recipients will be notified in January.

Palzkill stressed that the foundation does not intend to supplant any other sources of revenue in support of the district. Instead, it will seek corporate sponsorship and offer the opportunity for individuals to donate to the cause. The foundation will also administer the pre-existing Adopt D38 group which made it possible to sponsor a teacher, class, or school.

Board President Tiffiney Upchurch asked whether volunteers are needed. Palzkill responded that individuals should get on the foundation mailing list at d38foundation.org and that help will be needed next year to create fundraising events.

Assessment presentation.

Assistant Superintendent Amber Whetstine and Assessment Coordinator Michael Brom explained results of last spring’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Brom said the growth aspect of the assessments was based on two consecutive years of test scores. No assessments were given in 2020 due to the pandemic and fewer than usual were given in 2021. Consequently, 2023 is the first year in some time when two consecutive years’ scores are available.

Overall, the district performed well, according to Whetstine. Although the district still has not achieved pre-pandemic performance, growth puts it in the 87th percentile in the state.

Brom commented that the district does not test all grades each year, but it exceeds the benchmark 65th percentile. Anything over the 50th meets state requirements.

Whetstine said that students are compared with like-performing peers throughout the state. Operated and charter schools are both included in the district performance framework.

When asked whether SAT scores are necessary, Brom responded that about 50% of colleges require it. Students are encouraged to take it to have more options, especially if seeking a scholarship.

Whetstine said Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge High Schools were put on improvement plans (as opposed to performance plans) this year due to low participation in the PSAT and SAT tests. Somers commented that Colorado is one of a few states in which students can opt out of taking the tests with a form from parents. Whetstine said that Building Advisory Committees at both schools are being encouraged to explain the importance of these forms to parents.

Brom said the PSAT and SAT tests will be administered digitally this year for the first time. Consequently, students may have more options as to the date they will be tested. Previously there was one test date and one makeup date for each.

Accreditation of Schools.

Whetstine explained that each school district is accredited by the state. D38 is accredited with distinction by achieving over 74 points of a possible 100. The district has been accredited with distinction each year since the category was created.

Whetstine explained that each school also has a universal improvement plan. These plans measure academic achievement, academic growth and, in the case of high schools, rates of graduation, dropouts, and matriculation referred to as post-secondary workforce readiness.

Matriculation refers to the number of students who will enter a two- to four-year institution, technical training, military institutes, or military active duty immediately after graduation. This does not include students who have been earning college credit during high school through concurrent enrollment.

The board passed a motion to accredit the district’s schools.

To view the district and school universal performance information, please see boarddocs on the district website, lewispalmer.org, under Board of Education.

Superintendent update.

In his update, Somers spoke of a recent staff rally and the success of the Battle of Monument football game where students raised $3,000 for the Folds of Honor charity to provide scholarships to families of fallen first responders and veterans.

He also announced that the local YMCA will resume sponsoring Real Alternative to Drugs and Drinking (RAD) nights. He thanked the local Tri-Lakes Rotary and Tri-Lakes Women’s Club for providing refreshments.

Somers thanked the Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer Middle School communities for their patience with traffic problems and Lewis-Palmer Elementary for its patience with building issues.

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The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education usually meets at 6 p.m. on the third Monday of the month at the district’s education center, 146 Jefferson St., Monument. The next meeting will be on Oct. 23. For information, please contact vwood@lewispalmer.org.

Harriet Halbig may be reached at harriethalbig@ocn.me.

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Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 10 and 19 – Board receives ACLU demand letter

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) board called a rare Saturday special meeting on Aug. 19 to discuss a demand letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on their resolution, proclamation, and policies regarding transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students.

At its regular meeting on Aug. 10, MA’s board heard about a new quarterly dashboard, enrollment updates, carline information, and finances.

Board discusses ACLU demand letter

The MA board met at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, to go into executive session for legal advice on specific legal matters regarding a demand letter received by legal counsel, to discuss security measures, and to discuss personnel matters with prior notice. All board members were present, along with the board’s lawyer, Brad Miller of Miller Farmer Carson Law LLC.

The board returned after an hour to unanimously approve the creation of a Legal Affairs subcommittee to address issues regarding their resolution. Board President Ryan Graham and Director Karen Hoida will serve on the subcommittee. Graham explained that MA had received a demand letter from the ACLU of Colorado addressing its recent resolution regarding transgender students. There was no imminent threat of litigation, he said.

The letter, which is included in MA’s board meeting highlight document, is titled “Unlawful actions of Monument Academy and its school board” and says that MA’s actions undermine the safety and well-being of transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students and flout multiple state and federal laws. ACLU notes that the refusal to provide students access to restrooms consistent with their gender is prohibited by the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) per CRS 24-34-601 and that MA’s dress code impermissibly treats students differently based on gender, which violates CADA as well as students’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

Finally, the ACLU characterizes MA’s recent resolution as signaling its open hostility to transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students, as well as to Colorado and federal nondiscrimination laws. The ACLU requested a substantive response from MA by Aug. 31 and reserves all rights to file necessary legal action to ensure compliance with Colorado and federal law. You can see the demand letter at https://bit.ly/MA-ACLU-Demand.

Quarterly dashboard overview

Interim Chief Operating Officer Kim McClelland introduced consultant Jennifer Strawbridge of Analytical Discoveries, who is helping the school create a dashboard to present a deep dive into academic growth to the community.

Strawbridge presented baseline results from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. She said she loves working with leadership teams and helping people understand how they can best use this information to drive instruction and improve academic achievement. She color-coded the dashboard to show how it is related to MA’s mission statement.

Strawbridge showed the results from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), which breaks achievement data into four categories: above, at, below, and well below for grade level. The dashboard compares one year to the following year, and the goal is to see the “at” and “above” bars increase. The tests done at the beginning of the year can show a “summer slide,” indicating testing challenges more than knowledge loss, she said. Testing is also done mid-year and at the end of the year to capture growth for kindergarten through third grade and the beginning and end of the year only from fourth to eighth grade.

Next, Strawbridge showed the NWEA (formerly Northwest Evaluation Association) MAP data, which goes beyond reading and divides results into quintiles. NWEA was acquired in May 2023 by Houghton Mifflin. Her chart had a dashed line for the grade-level achievement score in each subject area. Again, she noted that this dashboard was a baseline they could use to track improvement. NWEA looks at the median growth percentile (MGP), where MA students are compared against other students nationally who have the same starting score and grade level. MGP helps to adjust for any skewing that might take place with students who show very low or very high growth. Strawbridge said that MGP is one of the most important pieces of data when looking at growth since it tells you if a school is growing kids academically.

Middle and high school students take the PSAT and SAT, respectively, and that data is currently embargoed, so will be presented in the Q1 dashboard.

In addition to academics, the dashboards will track attendance and discipline, both of which are correlated with academic achievement and growth. Strawbridge reviewed specific data, pointing out where scores were good and where they needed work. McClelland said parents will be able to see this information under the strategic plan in the school board section of the website at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Strawbridge said that the participation level in DIBELS and NWEA MAP is near 100%, unlike the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests. She noted that CMAS and NWEA are correlated but that the state won’t use NWEA data unless you qualify for the “request to reconsider” process that the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) uses for schools that disagree with the initial CDE rating of its school performance framework. MA is not eligible for the “request to reconsider” process, which requires that 90% of its students take the state assessment without opting out.

Enrollment update

McClelland updated the board on MA’s current enrollment, saying she wished she had better historical data to track the ebbs and flows to understand what happened between the last day of school and now. She noted that students may move away or make other decisions for many reasons and that MA also sees students come in after school has started up to the Oct. 1 student count deadline.

Elementary enrollment is at 518, which is down from the budget. Middle school is at 399, and high school is at 130 for a total of 1,047, with 529 at the secondary school. Although the budgeted number is lower, the total number has increased from the previous year.

She also noted that there has been discussion about increasing class sizes to 28 students, noting that they are not raising the class size for every class. To be fiscally responsible, she said, schools will oversubscribe some classes at the beginning of the year because there may be some attrition. MA cannot hire a new teacher if there are two kids over the policy ratio of teachers to students.

McClelland said she wanted to be clear about the ratio and the need to boost enrollment, noting that MA would be putting out yard signs to get the word out. The number one reason people are not enrolling in MA is that they are choosing to homeschool, she said, followed by choosing to enroll in district-run schools in D38 or D20, and concerns about construction and carlines.

Carline concerns

McClelland said getting the word out on how carpooling and the carline would work was important. Information, including a video for phase 1 access to the West Campus, is on the website. This information was shared at town halls, meet-and-greet meetings, and using the new ParentSquare platform. Information about the significant changes to the carline and student parking was part of the East Campus Handbook updates reported on by high school Principal David Kennington.

For more information, email carline@monumentacademy.net or see the MA website under the parents section at https://bit.ly/MA-Carline. Information on the Highway 105 construction project can be found at http://EPC-Hwy105AConstruction.com/.

Finances

Financial consultant Glenn Gustafson reported that the pre-audit June 30 financial statements were available, but he was waiting for D38 to finish its audit and reconcile with MA. Preliminary results show that revenues exceed expenses by $88,000, but he expects additional revenue from special education (SPED) funds in September.

Gustafson said the new audit firm, Hoelting & Co., has significant experience in charter school accounting. The firm was in MA for two days with non-stop requests for information. He complimented Business Manager Diane Smith for her recordkeeping and documentation of expenditures and deposits.

The July books are closed, and the financial statements are in the hands of the Finance Committee, which will schedule a meeting to review. All budgets are in the black, unlike last year, Gustafson said. He noted that bringing payroll back in-house would save about $4,000 per month after initial conversion costs. The next conversion this fall will be the purchasing module so administrators and teachers can use its electronic workflow to speed up approvals.

Finally, Gustafson said he did some work over the summer at another charter school that qualified for the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) refund. The ERTC is available for businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not all charter schools qualify, so he engaged a consultant to do a feasibility study for free to see if MA qualified. If MA does qualify, the consultant would receive a 5% fee. To apply for the ERTC takes a lot of work, Gustafson noted, requiring records back to 2020, but could result in a significant refund.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

  • Board member Craig Carlie spotlighted the work of Kendra Kuhlmann, who works in Marketing, for streamlining the communication and marketing effort. Kuhlmann presented at the meeting on the rollout of the new parent communication platform ParentSquare, detailing the progress and backup plans and noting the challenges.
  • McClelland introduced the discussion of new and updated supplementary materials and video resource policies IIAC-MA, IIAC-E1-MA, IIAC-E2-MA, IJ-MA, and IJ-E1-MA. She noted that MA would adopt the standard nomenclature used by D38 for its policies but with MA at the end to differentiate those modified by MA. McClelland said she wanted to have legal review the changes before final adoption. Approved MA board policies can be found at https://bit.ly/ma-bd-policies.
  • Kennington and middle school Principal Collin Vinchattle discussed updates to the East Campus Handbook, noting changes around attendance, late submission, phone usage, carline, and student parking. The board asked for updates to board candidate qualifications and the volunteer management system but proposed forgoing curriculum policy changes since those were not yet approved. The board unanimously approved the handbook with these changes.
  • McClelland said the portables would not be available on day one as they need additional work on ramps, fencing, and electrical work, followed by a final walkthrough and certificate of occupancy. Kennington said there were alternative plans in place and that it was a matter of weeks, not months, before the portables would be ready.
  • The board unanimously approved a motion to move the board meetings from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. This change was made to avoid conflict with sports practices and to allow more time for the board to socialize.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, Aug. 21 – Four-day week, capital improvements, tutoring center discussed

By Harriet Halbig

At its Aug. 21 meeting, the Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education received a report from the district’s Calendar Task Force that included feasibility of a four-day school week, a report on capital improvements achieved during the summer, and an introduction to the revitalized tutoring center at Lewis-Palmer High School.

Calendar Task Force report

Assistant Superintendent Amber Whetstine provided a report of the Calendar Task Force. The task force consists of board representative Tiffiney Upchurch, an administrative liaison, parents, members of the Parent and Community Advisory Committee, members of the Staff Collaboration Committee, teachers, and staff.

The task force met during the summer to determine its priorities, degree of interest in a four-day week schedule and its impact on start time, length of days, and length of the school year.

Members discussed the impact of such a schedule with other districts which have adopted it.

Preliminary conclusions are that Monday would be the day off for students, school days and the school year would be longer, and results of these discussions would be presented to the Staff Collaboration Committee at its September meeting.

Following that meeting there will be a survey of staff to determine their acceptance of the concept.

Board Vice President Theresa Phillips asked about the impact on the quality of education in the new schedule.

Whetstine responded that this is one of the aspects members will ask other districts about.

Board Treasurer Ron Schwarz asked when families will be consulted.

Whetstine responded that if it is determined that the change in schedule would not increase retention of staff, families would not be consulted.

Board President Upchurch asked whether waivers would be required to alter the number of instruction hours if necessary.

Whetstine said that is yet to be determined.

Most of the districts which have adopted a four-day week are relatively rural in character.

Capital improvement report

Executive Director of Operations and Development Chris Coulter reported on capital improvements achieved during the summer months.

The primary project is the construction of a new corridor in Lewis-Palmer Elementary School to bring the building up to code for fire safety. The original proposed project was halted by the Regional Building Department and was increased in scope as a result.

The project involved removal of existing walls, doors, and ceilings in the corridor to expedite exits from classrooms to exterior doors. Additional panels to access the ventilation system were also brought to fire-rated levels. Wiring within the walls was replaced, a new intercom system was installed, and all lights and flooring were also replaced.

The unexpected scope of the project resulted in a cost overrun of $130,000 which was covered by contingency funds. The board voted to approve the overrun.

In preparing a five-year plan for capital improvements, Coulter explained that it was necessary to identify critical repairs and life safety issues, document deferred maintenance issues, and consider projects underway.

Some considerations include renovations to update classrooms for use in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) instruction, career and technical education, visual and performing arts, and special education programs.

Coulter also spoke of continuing programs under the contract with Schneider Electric to improve energy efficiency in the district. He said that replacing light bulbs and fixtures has made a difference in the number of kilowatt hours used, but until the systems are automated to shut down when buildings are not in use the maximum benefit will not be realized.

Kilowatt usage in July was 36% lower than the previous year.

To view detailed descriptions of all projects, please refer to boarddocs in the Board of Education section of the lewispamer.org website.

Ranger Tutoring Center report

Lewis-Palmer High School Gifted/Talented facilitator Laura Stamp presented a description of the revitalized tutoring center at the school, assisted by four student tutors.

Stamp explained that the tutoring center is administered as an elective class which counts for half a credit. The goal of the center is to normalize the idea that it is OK to ask for help, not only with academic issues but also with emotional problems.

All tutors are students at the school who undergo seven periods of training in the area of social/emotional wellness. It is found that some of the individuals who seek tutoring do so because of difficulty advocating for themselves or making friends in a new environment. Tutors are not expected to be experts in any given subject but advise clients in areas of their own interest.

The tutors become mentors to their clients and commented that the clients value the fact that this has enabled them to make friends in other classes. This results in more of a family or community feeling at the school.

Stamp said that there were 18 tutors last semester and 95 clients. Over 400 sessions occurred during the semester.

Several of the current tutors were previous clients and saw the value of the program.

Stamp said that she gave a presentation at a recent meeting of the Colorado Association of School Executives in Colorado Springs and has been invited to appear before the state organization.

Superintendent KC Somers commented that this additional support shows students that it’s OK to be behind. Tutoring is designed not only to solve a particular academic problem but to create relationships.

Upchurch asked how the board and community can help to support the program.

Stamp responded that the program has received grants from Monument Hill Kiwanis and the Tri-Lakes Women’s Club.

She invited any interested parties to contact her at lstamp@lewispalmer.org.

Hiring update

Director of Human Resources Alicia Welch said the district has hired 102 new individuals of whom 53 are teachers and 49 are classified.

Classified employees include paraprofessionals, food and nutrition employees, bus drivers, school office staff, pre-K instructional support, and custodians.

Base pay for all was increased due to increased state funding.

Welch said that in addition to the increased base pay, there were bonuses for new hires and increased compensation for substitutes and those in special education and specialized services.

She said that a few of the new hires were previous employees of the district and returned due to the increased compensation. Another attraction was the fact that the district is giving credit for an increased number of years of experience.

Welch said that she intends to conduct exit interviews at the end of the school year and to administer surveys to determine staff satisfaction.

Election contract

The board approved an intergovernmental agreement to participate in the November election. A 50% deposit of $17,007 was required by Aug. 29. Vicki Wood was designated as the district’s representative.

Superintendent update

Somers announced the arrival of three new principals in the new school year. They are Donnell Potter at Bear Creek Elementary, Greg Saunders at Kilmer Elementary, and Brittanie Coveney at Prairie Winds Elementary.

He also announced a Board of Education Candidate Forum to be held at Palmer Ridge High School at 6 p.m. on Sept. 28. The event is sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Chamber.

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The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education meets at 6 p.m. on the third Monday of the month in the district’s learning center, 146 N. Jefferson St., Monument. The next meeting will be on Sept. 18.

Harriet Halbig may be reached at harriethalbig@ocn.me.

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