Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, April 9 – Reports on human resources, fiscal stewardship, superintendent search, and possible new charter school

Board of Education update
Strategic Plan Priority 2: Academic excellence
Strategic Plan Priority 3: Valuing our people
Strategic Plan Priority 5: Fiscal stewardship
New charter school proposed
Committee reports
Financial Transparency Committee to meet the following week

By Harriet Halbig

The Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) discussed human resources issues, fiscal responsibility, and the superintendent search at its April 9 meeting at Palmer Ridge High School.

Palmer Ridge High School Principal Dr. Adam Frank spoke of his background as a middle school and high school teacher, coach, dean of students, athletic director, and assistant principal. He came to the area in 2021 and praised both high schools for their academic excellence and the character of the students, saying these factors made it a pleasure to be here.

He spoke of two factors that made Palmer Ridge unique. The first is that it was built to include neighborhoods of teachers with individual cubicles. Unlike many schools, these neighborhoods included teachers of various subjects together.

The second is the inclusion of Bear Time in the students’ day. During this 26-minute break, students are free to speak with their teachers. Students are grouped with the same teacher for the entire four years of their tenure at Palmer Ridge.

Frank said that, when asked, students say they value Bear Time and only wish it were longer.

Frank also mentioned great teaching and innovative grading at his school and the emphasis on giving students voice and choice in how they wished to engage at the school.

Dr. Dan Berliner, chairman of the Palmer Ridge Building Accountability Advisory Committee (BAAC) spoke briefly about the committee’s activities.

He said the committee had emphasized teacher engagement this year, specifically inviting teachers to come to meetings and explain such aspects of the school’s curriculum as outdoor learning, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), and other programs.

Board of Education update

Board liaison Dr. Patti Shank, reporting for the first time in this role, said there is a great deal to learn when coming onto the board, and said that the most important activity for the last few months was the search for a new superintendent.

She showed a timeline of the search and said that the board had reached a consensus at its April 6 meeting and that contract negotiations were underway.

Shank stressed that all four of the finalists for the position were qualified.

The board was impressed with the amount of input from the community regarding priorities. Over 1,000 individuals responded to the original survey and more that 200 responded following the public forum featuring the candidates.

The announcement of the successful candidate would be made at the April 15 board meeting.

Strategic Plan Priority 2: Academic excellence

Acting Superintendent Amber Whetstine spoke of a new initiative being emphasized by district administration. This involves expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the district.

There is a program called D38 Enterprise, which is housed in the Palmer Lake Early Childhood Center building on the grounds of Grace Best Education Center. As an example of innovative opportunities for learning, students can spend half of their school day in this building and the other half at their regular school location.

The funding for the center was provided by a grant, and activities on site will include learning such skills as manufacturing, printing, engraving, making trophies, and other skills which can generate revenue to continue the program.

District administration is currently looking for a permanent facility for high-tech career programming.

Members of the board toured classrooms in the middle and high schools offering such classes, and surveys of students and families will be conducted to monitor interest.

Whetstine also said new curriculum is being reviewed in the areas of high school world languages and art for grades K-8.

Strategic Plan Priority 3: Valuing our people

Director of Human Resources Alicia Welch reported on the status of employment in the district.

As of the date of the meeting, she said there had been 25 new hires, including 17 teachers, two principals, one assistant principal, one psychologist, and others. All of these vacancies had been the result of attrition.

In addition to those positions, there are three new special education teachers, one early childhood specialist, and some high school deans had been elevated to assistant principals.

Among the 35 remaining vacancies, there are 10 high school teachers, one principal, the director of communications, and vacancies in the Transportation Department.

A new position is a teacher on special assignment to specialize in the use of technology in education.

Welch also reported that there have been 39 separations, of which nine were retirements and 30 were resignations. Of these, only three said that they were leaving to seek better compensation and benefits.

One committee member commented that paraprofessionals are understaffed and that there remains a shortage of substitutes.

Welch concluded by saying she is trying to improve communication between staff and administration by having an open-door policy to hear any concerns, having exit interviews, and supplying a quick response to any concerns. She said that the number of applicants for each position has grown significantly in the last year or so.

To view Welch’s presentation, please see the lewispalmer.org website, family resources, District Accountability Advisory Committee, meeting content.

Strategic Plan Priority 5: Fiscal stewardship

Chief Business Officer Brett Ridgway reported that it appears that the state will provide more funding in the School Finance Act than previously thought. This may allow him to alter the budget to provide an average 6% increase rather than the previously estimated 5.85%. Funding has not yet been finalized.

Ridgway reported that Senate Bill 24-017, which alters the timing at which school funding is provided, has passed and been signed by the governor. This legislation will enable the district to use $8 million previously held in reserve. He said this funding will be directed to enrich the CTE programs in the district.

Ridgway showed a form which had been sent to all schools asking about their spending priorities for the upcoming year. He said that very few schools had responded and that he had hoped that the Financial Transparency and Staff Collaboration committees could use this information to aid in their planning.

One PCAC member commented that very few staff and teachers had been attending Building Accountability Advisory meetings and parent members did not feel well enough informed to give their opinions.

Ridgway said that the results of this form would be reported to the board in May and encouraged all to complete and submit the information.

There was a brief discussion about lack of attendance at BAAC meetings. Part of the problem is that the time of the meetings conflicts with staff schedules. Another member commented that families moving into the area are familiar with PTAs and PTOs and are not aware that BAACs are required by state statute. It was suggested that an information sheet be prepared to distribute at back-to-school nights.

New charter school proposed

Whetstine announced there is a pending application for creation of a new charter school in the district to serve grades K-8. She said PCAC will be actively involved in evaluating the application, which could arrive as soon as late April.

In response to a question, Whetstine said this charter school is not a part of Monument Academy but an entirely new entity.

Committee reports

Ridgway said the Staff Collaboration Committee would meet the following day to discuss increases in the cost of benefits, which are estimated to be 7% of which 5% would be paid by the district and 2% by the employee. The committee will also discuss fees for the upcoming year.

Financial Transparency Committee to meet the following week

Calendar Task Force is working to change the structure of the committee and to create guidelines for creating a new calendar to include recommended start and end dates and winter and spring break guidelines.

The Wellness Committee recently completed a Healthy Heart Wellness Challenge in which schools competed on the basis of participation. Prairie Winds Elementary School won a challenge and a lunch for staff.

The Special Education Advisory Committee is reviewing nominations for the Aliorum De award. There will be three awards, and all nominees will be recognized.

The Gifted Education Leadership Team (GELT) has applied for a $15,000 Universal Screening and Qualified Personnel grant and has requested $68,001 from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). CDE estimates that it will fulfill 80% of requested funding.

GELT plans to administer the Cognitive Aptitude Test (CogAT) to second-graders this coming year so that teachers can better plan lessons for third-graders. The committee’s annual plan is due in September and will be discussed at its May meeting.

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The Parent and Community Advisory Committee meets six times per year. This is the final meeting of the 2023-24 school year.

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