June BOE meeting wrap-up

All members of the El Paso County Colorado Board of Education were present at the regular meeting in June, except Kevin Butcher, vice president, who was absent with prior notice.Before the meeting, the BOE held a ìFantastic 49î event and honored the following: Amber Brown, behavior analyst, for her service to the district during the past year; Austin Beatty, 2021 graduate from Springs Studio for Academic Excellence, for his battle with cancer this past year; Emma Schlosser, eighth-grade student from Horizon Middle School, for her leadership skills in the Junior Optimist International Club; and Jaime Snyder from Vista Ridge High School, Jahzara Davis from Sand Creek High School and Andrew Weisler from Falcon High School ó all three Air Force Junior ROTC cadets received full-ride Character-in-Leadership scholarships to earn a college degree and pursue commission in the United States Air Force or Space Force.Chief officersí updateBrett Ridgway, chief business officer, said there are 275 open positions within the district and his team has plans to address that in a presentation at the next meeting.Pedro Almeida, chief operations officer, said Patty Mize, transportation supervisor, was recognized at the Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association banquet.Open forumSpeakers who addressed a proposal by Liberty Tree Academy concerning armed security included the following: Greg Gibson, D 49 parent; Debbie Kocab, LTA staff member; John Chartier, LTA staff; Chelsie Newbum, D 49 parent; and Tonya Morris, D 49 parent.Jennifer Scarscelli and Allyson Love, district staff members, each spoke regarding a proposed community override initiative and compensation equity for teachers and education support staff.ìD 49 used to be competitive in salary against our neighboring districts. D 49 is now greatly behind in compensation for teachers and educational support personnel,î Scarscelli said. ìIn the last numbers I heard, teachersí salary is behind 17% and paras (paraprofessionals) around 24%.îRegarding compensation equity and equity in pay scales, Scarscelli said, ìThe longer a teacher is in the district, the more education earned at our own expense and the smaller the (compensation) percentage increase.îAction itemsThe BOE unanimously approved the following:

• New job descriptions for the school-based interventionist at Evans International Elementary School and the elementary and secondary school emergency relief program manager
• Revised job descriptions for the coordinator of community care; title program family and community liaison; culturally and linguistically diverse education family and community liaison; and culturally and linguistically diverse education technician
• A new business basics course at SCHS
• Revisions to the staff sick and personal leave policy
• 2021-2022 pay schedules for administrative, professional/technical, licensed, special service providers, educational support, extra and co-curricular staff

Discussion itemsAlmeida presented information regarding building capacity for middle school student education, including boundary and zone adjustments intended to minimize disruption to current families and students, and construction of a new middle school and an addition to Bennet Ranch Elementary School, both of which will be funded using existing fixed-rate mill levy override income.Representatives from LTA presented information on their proposal concerning armed security, including a description of what their comprehensive security plan entails.Mary PÈrez, director of applied and advanced learning, gave an update on progress within the department, including the growth of concurrent enrollment, pass and remediation rates, course offerings on high school and college campuses and career and technical education student success.PÈrez also provided an update about new applied and advanced learning jobs descriptions, including the choice and success program manager and the choice and success advisor. The board agreed to move this item forward for action in July.Representatives from GOAL (Guided Online Academic Learning) Academy, Power Technical Early College and Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning presented their budget proposals for the 2021-2022 school year.Andy Franko, iConnect Zone leader, presented information on a proposed new job description for the charter school specialist and said this position would replace the instructional coach position. The board agreed to move this item forward for action in July.Franko also presented a proposed job description revision for the zone academic administrator, which would include expanding the positionís calendar from 220 days per year to 260 days per year. The board agreed to move this item forward for action in July.Lastly, Franko presented information about a revision to board policy LBD ñ- relations with charter schools ó to provide detail on how the district and charter schools will engage with student information and data systems. It ultimately creates the framework to best serve charter schools and meet the compliance requirements related to student information and data reporting, he said. The board agreed to move this item forward for action in July.Ron Sprinz, director of finance, presented the proposed 2021-2022 budget.Other businessAfter some discussion, the board unanimously voted to add Ivy Liu, director, and Rick Van Wieren, secretary, to the Equity Leadership Advisory Council.After some discussion, the board unanimously voted to have Liu and Van Wieren work with the districtís legal counsel and administration as necessary to develop a resolution addressing critical race theory by Aug. 31.The next regular meeting of the BOE is July 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Peakview Hall at the Creekside Success Center in Colorado Springs.