Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, Nov. 18 – Board reviews revision of district boundaries, approves lease/purchase agreement for Career and Innovation Center

Student representatives introduced
Superintendent’s update
Revision of district boundaries discussed
Financial planning and analysis
Approval of courses for Career and Innovation Center
Jabil Inc. building resolution and purchase terms
Trail bridge approved

By Harriet Halbig

In her board comments at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Lewis-Palmer District 38 Board of Education, President Tiffiney Upchurch said that the D38 Education Foundation has approved several grants for district teachers, many of them involving training for teaching students with dyslexia. Upchurch said that 15% to 20% of the population has dyslexia and that specialized training is required.

Student representatives introduced

Seniors Sean Ray (student body president) and Kenna Drake (student body vice president) of Palmer Ridge High School were introduced to the board. These representatives may report on their schools’ activities and participate in discussion but do not have a vote on the board.

Ray and Drake reported on sport achievements including a first-ever championship in softball, the musical Pippin, fundraising for the Harvest of Love food drive, and some seniors’ ability to paint their parking spaces.

**Above:** At its Nov. 18 meeting, the D38 Board of Education recognized Lewis-Palmer High School (LPHS) girls’ volleyball coach Don Nash. Nash recently recorded his 600th win as a volleyball coach since starting his career at LPHS in 1985. LPHS Principal Bridget O’Connor noted that when Nash arrived at LPHS to teach math and coach volleyball, she was a sophomore at the school. Nash is unwavering on his core values and moral compass, she said. O’Connor calculated that Nash had impacted over 4,000 students as a math teacher and over 1,000 as a coach, and the impact is exponential as those students and athletes go out and impact others. From left are board members Todd Brown, Dr. Patti Shank, Ron Schwarz, board President Tiffiney Upchurch, O’Connor, Nash, LPHS Athletic Director Nick Baker, board member Kris Norris, and Superintendent Dr. Stacie Datteri. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

The seniors who could customize their spaces on the upper lot were those with the top 25 grade-point averages and those with three athletic letters. On the lower lot, seniors were chosen by lottery.

Ray and Drake also said that a goal of this year is to increase school spirit.

Superintendent’s update

Superintendent Dr. Stacie Datteri reported that a number of district schools honored veterans on Veterans Day although some celebrations were delayed by snow. She also honored all district employees who had served in the armed forces.

Datteri commented that the high school musicals, SpongeBob at Lewis-Palmer High School and Pippin at Palmer Ridge were both impressive and successful.

Representatives from UC Health trauma surgery visited Ray Kilmer Elementary and taught students to perform CPR, she said.

To view a list of district students who signed to participate in sports at the college level, please see boarddocs under the Board of Education tab on the district website, lewispalmer.org. Choose meetings and select the meeting date.

Datteri also honored all district parents and guardians for their support and participation in observance of National Parent Involvement Day on Nov. 21.

Revision of district boundaries discussed

Chief Business Officer Brett Ridgway and Director of Planning, Facilities and Grounds Melissa Andrews presented an analysis of the five Board of Education director districts.

State statute requires that the districts be contiguous, compact, and as nearly equal in population as possible.

Although the national census is conducted every 10 years, the district boundaries are reviewed every four years.

Maps with the boundaries were displayed. Andrews said that districts 1, 2, and 3 displayed the most differences from 2020. District 3 grew while district 1 shrank, although neither change was by more than 1%.

When asked why D38 has several districts as opposed to at-large representation, Datteri said that because it is a Tri-Lakes district with varying needs and requirements in different areas, it was felt that this configuration was better suited to the needs of the population.

The board will vote at its December meeting to approve the revisions.

Financial planning and analysis

Ridgway reported that the October count showed a difference of 31 from the forecast number. He reminded the board that the number of students and the number of full-time students differ because those in the homeschool enrichment academy count as half a student and those in preschool do not count at all because preschool is not included in the School Finance Act.

Ridgway also reported on an analysis of how many students did not matriculate in a predictable way. Predictably, students would progress from one grade to the next in the same school. In D38 he determined that 19% of the students did not behave predictably, with a number transferring between schools. He also commented that there were fewer preschool and kindergarten students than graduating seniors.

He said that further analysis is planned to determine the reason for this.

Approval of courses for Career and Innovation Center

Assistant Superintendent Amber Whetstine and Director of Innovation Jessica McAllister presented a list of several proposed courses to be offered at the new Career and Innovation Center beginning in the fall of 2025. These included courses in manufacturing, computer science, engineering, and health care. A chart indicated which courses are ready to begin and which are in planning. To view the chart, please see boarddocs.

Once approved, the courses will be published so that students will have the opportunity to enroll in the spring for the following fall. Some of the courses, such as welding, are now available at one district high school.

In addition to the courses, a report was made on seeking partnerships and grants. It was suggested that entities which provided the largest funding could have a course named for them.

McAllister also reported that the district is developing classes at the middle school level which would feed into the high school level courses, and perhaps also to include programs in the upper elementary grades in the form of a unit or demonstration.

Jabil Inc. building resolution and purchase terms

Ridgway explained that the district has decided to enter a lease/purchase agreement with Jabil Inc. regarding the Career and Innovation Center rather than a simple purchase. He said that the seller will lease the property to the district while it is being remodeled. By not going through a financial institution, the district was able to save $250,000.

The district may prepay to fulfill the lease at any time.

Ridgway said that a separate page in his monthly financial report will show expenditures on the project.

To view the lease/purchase agreement, please see boarddocs.

The board approved the agreement.

Trail bridge approved

Ridgway reported on progress in the Safe Route to School Trail. This project was begun in 2018 with a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation and also involves partnership with the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) and Woodmoor Water and Sanitation.

The trail will go from Lewis-Palmer Elementary school to Lewis-Palmer Middle School and Palmer Ridge High School. The trail will begin at Lower Dam Road at the north end and conclude at the spillway on Lake Woodmoor Drive.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will pay up to 90% of the cost of the trail as its decision not to widen Woodmoor Drive is part of the reason for the trail being needed. WIA will also pay a portion of the cost.

The board voted to hire Bridge Brothers to manufacture a bridge which will go across the spillway at Lake Woodmoor Drive. The bridge will be constructed off site and mounted on pylons on either side of the spillway.

When asked who will pay for maintenance of the trail and bridge, Ridgway said that the district will be responsible for maintenance of the bridge.

Upchurch asked whether there are provisions for crossing Woodmoor Drive from the middle school to the trail.

Andrews said there is a proposed roundabout for the intersection of Woodmoor Drive and Deer Creek. Adding a traffic light is unlikely.

The board approved the consent agenda.

The board went into executive session to consider the evaluation of the superintendent, and no further business was conducted afterward.

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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 its learning center, 146 Jefferson St. in Monument. The next meeting will be on Dec. 16. For information, please contact vwood@lewispalmer.org.

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