D 49 BOE January meeting wrap-up

Prior to the Falcon School District 49 Board of Education January meeting, the BOE held a ìFantastic 49î event. Rachael Duerr, health and wellness coordinator, said the district received gold level recognition as an American Heart Association Fit Friendly company. D 49 represents one of three districts in Colorado that received the recognition.The board recognized Bradley Sain, Kit Bernal and Mitchell Carroll, seniors from Falcon High School, for advancing in two different scholarship programs. Sain and Bernal have advanced in the National Merit Scholarship Program, while Bernal and Mitchell have advanced in the Boettcher Scholarship Program.Maria Gaudette, a D 49 parent who started volunteering five years ago at Odyssey Elementary School, was recognized for her dedication to the school. Gaudette has often donated more than 12 hours a day helping in the cafeteria, acting as a crossing guard or helping to advance classroom and administrative projects.Action itemsThe board unanimously approved the following action items:

• The 2014-2015 unified improvement plans for the district and the schools required by the Colorado Department of Education, as part of the Accreditation Process
• The addition of a Career and Technical Education Manufacturing Program course at Sand Creek High School
• The withdrawal of Valiant Academyís charter school application, with a request to open a new application in the future
• A resolution regarding certificate-of-participation refinancing, which would extend the term of repayment of the CoPs by nine years and also contribute at least $2.4 million annually to the districtís operational needs
• New job descriptions of the accounting group manager and finance group manager to replace the senior accountant and budget manager positions

Discussion itemsBrett Ridgway, chief business officer, provided a post-election report on the election results, including a ìgo-forward strategy.î Ridgway presented ideas for his strategy, and the board discussed the pros and cons of the proposal.ìWeíll continue to gather information over the next meeting cycle before we bring it (the proposal) back to the board for a decision,î Ridgway said. The board will bring back the item for discussion at the Jan. 28 special meeting.Ridgway also presented information on the 2014-2015 charter school budget. Changes need to be made based on each charter schoolís accurate October count, which can be skewed by online-only students, he said. The board chose to move this item under the action items for the Jan. 28 special meeting.Ron Sprinz, budget manager, presented the amended 2014-2015 district budget, which included a finalized student count and the numbers from the mill levy measure approved last November. ìThe per-pupil rate has increased by about $37 per student,î Sprinz said. ìThe total additional monies from that will be about $475,000.îSprinz said he thinks each zone is currently operating in a fiscally sound manner. This item will be considered under the actions items at the Jan. 28 special meeting.The next regular meeting of the BOE is Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room of the D 49 Education Services Center.