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OCN > 2410 > Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Sept. 10 – Committee discusses strategic plan, assessment results, bylaws change

Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, Sept. 10 – Committee discusses strategic plan, assessment results, bylaws change

By Harriet Halbig

The first meeting of the Parent and Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) was held at the district learning center on Sept. 10. Presenters included the Assessment and Accountability coordinator, the district’s assistant superintendent, and new Superintendent Dr. Stacie Datteri.

Welcome and goal statement

Co-Chair Kirsten Zook welcomed committee members to the new school year and said the group would continue to stress its responsibility as an advisory committee by engaging all members to communicate on specific topics. She said she appreciates the scope of membership, which includes parents, teachers, staff, and community members, and said that training on the state’s School Finance Act and the district budget would be provided. She also thanked members from Monument Academy for their participation.

At future meetings, members would be encouraged to interact with members from other schools, and there will be reports from a variety of subcommittees each month. These groups had yet to have their first meeting of the school year.

Superintendent Forum

Superintendent Datteri introduced herself to the committee and thanked the members for their participation. She stressed that she welcomed two-way communication with district residents. She has attended a number of other committees since the beginning of the year.

Datteri said that one of the things that attracted her to the district was the fact that it had a strategic plan in place that was created recently and encouraged a three-year action format.

In this context, she wants to know whether residents feel that the district is doing the right things to apply the plan.

She enumerated the six parts of the plan:

  • Safe and healthy schools to ensure that students feel safe to learn and grow. Staff feels confident and equipped, and there is a culture to support students and staff.
  • Academic excellence to provide an exceptional education with a focus on achievement and growth through instruction, intervention, and enrichment opportunities.
  • Valuing our people by displaying care and respect for all, acknowledging and appreciating efforts of district staff.
  • Operations and facilities planning to provide clean, safe, and functional facilities with attention to infrastructure and physical assets which are well designed, and access to healthy meals and reliable transportation.
  • Fiscal stewardship to provide responsible management and oversight of resources through transparent financial practices with attention to legal and regulatory
  • requirements and taking care to identify and mitigate financial risks
  • Relationships and communication through building and maintaining beneficial relationships and creating an environment for clear and open two-way communication.

Datteri then distributed file cards to all members and assigned aspects of the strategic plan to each table for discussion for a few minutes. Each table then reported back on its discussions.

Board of Education update

Board President and liaison Tiffiney Upchurch introduced Dr. Patti Shank, the board member who will represent the board at future PCAC meetings.

The primary subject of Upchurch’s report was HB24-1001, which addresses property taxes in an effort to avoid rapid annual increases in real estate tax. The bill creates systems for use by school districts and other local government entities to levy taxes with a cap on annual increases. The cap for the 2023 tax year is 6%.

In exchange for passage of this bill, two others were withdrawn from November’s ballot.

Upchurch said this legislation will not affect the per pupil operating revenue this year, but it is impossible to predict the future impact.

Upchurch also reported on progress of the new Career and Innovation Center, which is due to open for the 2025-26 school year. It was funded by passage of SB 24-017, which made available slightly over $8 million by equalizing the distribution of tax revenue throughout the year. There have been meetings with community members, staff, and business owners regarding the types of training which would be made available, and it would make it unnecessary for students to leave the area for part of their school day to receive such training.

The center will prepare students for alternative post-secondary education in technology, healthcare, and skilled trades such as construction. The district is partnering with industry to develop the program.

Accreditation and District Unified Improvement Plan

Assessment and Accountability Coordinator Dr. Michael Brom reported on results of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) and ACT and SAT testing from the spring.

Brom reported that the district was accredited with distinction for the 15th year in a row. The district was rated 74.5 out of 100. It is one of 17 districts in the state which are so accredited. The district’s score has been gradually declining over the past few years.

Brom commented that some reasons for the decline may include suspension of the testing during the pandemic and the addition of science at the high school level in the testing. Another possible factor is the difference between the use of online testing and paper and pencil, and the introduction of many new teachers with relatively little experience.

Some weak spots in the results included English language arts and math on the middle school level and inadequate math growth at the middle school level and at some elementary schools. Growth measures whether a student achieves grade level proficiency from one year to the next.

Some possible solutions include the addition of interventions in math instruction at the secondary level and increased stress on reading in elementary school.

One committee member commented that some students were at a critical age to learn reading during the pandemic and interventions are appropriate to accommodate for that. Another member commented that lack of participation in the testing due to opting out deprives the schools of important data.

To view the presentation, please see the district website lewispalmer.org, family resources, parent and community advisory committee, meeting materials.

Charter school application

Assistant Superintendent Amber Whetstine reported on progress in consideration of an application for a new charter school, World Compass Academy.

The application was later withdrawn due to lack of enrollment.

Bylaws change

The committee voted to change the bylaws to allow an individual who is a chair of a Building Advisory Committee to also serve as a co-chair of PCAC.

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The Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee meets six times a year on the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. The next meeting will be on Oct. 8 at Lewis-Palmer Elementary School, 1315 Lake Woodmoor Drive. A tour of the school will be offered at 5:30. For information, please contact tmckee@lewispalmer.org.

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

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