By Harriet Halbig
The School District 38 Family and Community Advisory Committee (formerly the District Accountability Advisory Committee) discussed a wide variety of subjects at its Feb. 7 meeting at Lewis-Palmer Elementary School (LPES).
School Presentation
Principal Davonne Johnson delivered an engaging presentation about LPES, introducing committee members to the aspects of school culture, which include a daily morning meeting where students greet one another, a brief sharing moment among them, and a brief game which involves all. The game demonstrated was the Left-Right Story Game, where Johnson provided several balls to committee members and read a story. If the word left was said, the ball was passed to the left. If right was mentioned, the ball was passed to the right. The results were a feeling of sharing among those involved and a positive opening to the day.
Lewis-Palmer Elementary School (LPES) has 407 students, 67 staff, and eight support staff. Its slogans are “The Road of Endless Possibilities” and “Go Eagles.”
LPES’ philosophy stresses that learning should be fun and enjoy an active partnership among teachers, students, and families to support this philosophy. The community goal is to achieve health, joy and success for its students.
Board of Education update
Board of Education liaison Tiffiney Upchurch revisited the subject of board policy BDF, which involves restructuring of committees. Committees are now divided among three categories: those which are required by state or federal statute (such as the Parent and Community Advisory Committee, the Special Education Advisory Committee, and the Financial Transparency Committee), those which are created to address a specific issue such as the Staff Collaboration Committee (SCC), an ad hoc committee to encourage communication among all workforce groups and address solutions to funding following defeat of the mill levy override, and Community Task Force Groups, which are temporary entities addressing a specific issues such as the Portrait of a D38 Graduate.
Upchurch said the board has approved this new structure.
She said that the SCC has discussed the possibility of instituting four-day school weeks, changes in the district calendar regarding professional development scheduling, and restructuring of the district pay scale. The four-day week would not be put in place before the 2024-25 school year if approved. The SCC works in collaboration with the business and finance department.
Upchurch then explained the legislative process and said there are 50 bills now being considered which involve education, including institution of universal preschool and universal free lunches, both of which would require hiring additional staff.
She has made several visits to the state capitol to lobby on behalf of the district and encouraged others to do the same.
Due to redistricting, D38 now has two members in the state House of Representatives. Upchurch has visited both and requested more funding so the district could better compensate its teachers. The onus is on the individual district to educate its community to support the schools. Only in this way can we ensure ongoing funding and influence our compensation in comparison to neighboring districts, she said.
Upchurch said D38 won’t know until May what level of funding it will receive from the state.
Title programs discussion
Melissa Gibson-Steiner, coordinator of Special Programs, and Tiffany Brown, coordinator of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, reported on the district’s use of title funds.
Title I supports improving academic achievement of at-risk students. The funding of $193,163 is being used at Bear Creek and Palmer Lake Elementary schools to provide reading intervention, before and after school tutoring, and assessments for students in private schools.
The McKinney-Vento Title I set-aside addresses the unique barriers which those experiencing homelessness must overcome. This funding ensures that those students have immediate access to public education and the right to attend their school of origin. Efforts are made to provide stability and support for these students and their families.
Title II supports provision of high-quality educators to improve achievement and greater access to effective educators. Funding for this year is $92,643 and is being applied to literary coaching, Capturing Kids’ Hearts, teacher mentors, paraprofessional training, and stipends for professional learning facilitators.
Title III supports improvement of the education of multilingual learners. This funding of $14,018 is being applied to purchase supplemental materials, provide tutoring, assess language ability, and training and support for newcomer immigrants. It also helps to fund the annual international dinner.
Title IV supports academic enrichment and increasing capacity for programs. This funding of $15,037 is used to offer access to a well-rounded education and creation of the position of coordinator of Learning Services to facilitate curriculum mapping of K-8 science and high school biology.
Strategic plan update
Director of Communications Mark Belcher reported on developments regarding the district’s strategic plan, first created in 2020. The original plan included five sections: safe and healthy schools; world class education; value our people; fiscal stewardship and transparency; and relationships and communication.
In response to continuous input from stakeholders, staff, and others, the strategic plan now consists of six sections with a newly added section on facilities and operations. This reflects the board’s recent focus on analyzing the condition and replacement value of district resources such as buildings and buses and incorporating the information into the plan.
For detailed information on this and other presentations, please see the district website, lewispalmer.org, under Family Resources, District Accountability Advisory Committee, meeting content and the date of the meeting, Feb. 7.
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The D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee meets six times a year. Locations vary. The next meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 11 at Bear Creek Elementary School, 1330 Creekside Drive in Monument. For further information, contact tmckee@lewispalmer.org.
Harriet Halbig may be reached at harriethalbig@ocn.me.
Other D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee articles
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, May 13 – Budget priorities, 2025-26 committee goals discussed (6/7/2025)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, April 8 – Discussion of Priority 2 academic excellence, superintendent search (5/3/2025)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Feb. 11 – Selection of new superintendent, treatment of Grace Best Elementary School, budget process discussed (3/1/2025)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Nov. 12 – Reports on school year calendar, safety and security, and social and emotional wellness (12/5/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Oct. 8 – Grace Best Elementary School, Career-Innovation Center plans discussed (11/2/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Sept. 10 – Committee discusses strategic plan, assessment results, bylaws change (10/5/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, April 9 – Reports on human resources, fiscal stewardship, superintendent search, and possible new charter school (5/4/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Feb. 13 – Committee receives leadership hiring and superintendent search update (3/2/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Jan. 9 – Discussion of Priority 1, D38 Foundation report (2/3/2024)
- D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Nov. 14 – Committee hears reports on staff and family surveys, Key Communicator program (12/2/2023)
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