April BOE meeting wrap-up

All members of the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education were present at the regular board meeting in April, except for Kevin Butcher, treasurer, who was absent with prior notice. Samaya Singleton, a 10th grader from Pikes Peak Early College, was present as part of the student board of representatives.Before the regular meeting, the BOE held a ìFantastic 49î and honored the following: Bella Mitchell, 11th grader at Vista Ridge High School, for earning the distinction as the first female to win the Colorado High School Athletic Associationís state wrestling championship for her weight class; the D 49 nutrition services department for a near-perfect audit from the Colorado Department of Education; Jackie Sieben, free and reduced processor with the nutrition services department, for helping 4,700 students receive free or reduced-price meal benefits; Cornel Muresan, building manager at Falcon Elementary School of Technology for his continued dedication to the district; and Girl Scout Troop #43820 for installing a rain barrel in the student garden at Meridian Ranch Elementary School.Board updateDave Cruson, secretary, thanked the facilities and grounds crew for their efforts during the March 13 ìbomb cycloneî and the days following the storm.Josh Fry, director, said the Colorado Springs City Council declared April 11 as Teen Court Day in honor of the 25th anniversary of the program, which is a nonprofit program that offers a restorative justice alternative to the typical Municipal Court sentencing for first-time misdemeanor offenders between the ages of 10 and 18.Fry and Cruson said they attended various graduation ceremonies for students preparing to graduate in May.John Graham, vice president, said he attended the ìTaste of D 49î food show at VRHS.Chief officers updateBrett Ridgway, chief business officer, thanked the members of his team responsible for payroll for ensuring paychecks were ready even during the blizzard in March. They started working on payroll duties the weekend before the storm hit and came into work during the storm to make sure paychecks were sent out, he said.Peter Hilts, chief education officer, recognized Ridgeview Elementary School for being selected as a Capturing Kidsí Hearts showcase school for the second year in a row.Hilts also recognized Vista Ridge for being named a Special Olympics Unified School by the Special Olympics organization for its spirit of inclusion and acceptance.Student board updateSamaya Singleton voiced concern that the link on the D 49 weather survey was not working properly, and she also asked for additional details on the proposed combination of the Pikes Peak Early College and the Springs Studio for Academic Excellence at the Springs Studio facility and whether that would allow the district to provide a lunch option through the nutrition services department.Open forumJenny Gallegos, a parent in the district, is concerned that the special education students who ride the buses do not always get where they need to be. She cited an incident her son experienced recently and said no changes have been made. She suggested ways to improve communication to prevent similar incidents.Action itemsThe BOE unanimously approved the following:

• A mill levy override funding allocation formula to appropriately manage the mill levy funds moving forward
• A resolution recognizing the week of May 6-10 as National Teacher Appreciation Week
• Review of the following board policies: standards based education; administrative organization; policy implementation; administration in the absence of policy; environmental and safety program; hazardous materials; prevention of disease/infection transmission; staff positions and job descriptions; student withdrawal from school/dropouts; student conduct; code of conduct; custodian and non-custodial parent rights and responsibilities; and controversial communications
• The Alternative Education Campus Renewal applications and proposed measures for GOAL (Guided Online Academic Learning) Academy and Patriot High School
• District and school level unified improvement plans

After some discussion, the board unanimously approved boundary changes between Woodmen Hills Elementary School and Meridian Ranch Elementary in the Falcon Zone to accommodate additional students predicted to enter that zone within the next five years. The new boundary for WHES is east of Meridian Road, south of Londonderry Drive, northwest of Judge Orr and north of Woodmen Road. The new boundaries will mitigate overcrowding.ìThis is not an easy choice,î Graham said. ìI think this option is the best choice. The ability to have more time before we have to consider this type of thing again (changing boundaries) is a big motivation.îDiscussion itemsDave Watson, director of safety and security, gave an update on the initiatives developed by the Enhanced Security Community Advisory Team, and said Sand Creek High was the first of seven secondary school locations to receive a Blue Point Alert System, which was installed over spring break. The remaining systems will be installed over the summer, and the funding for the systems will come from the 3B mill levy money, he said.The Blue Point Alert System is similar in design to a fire alarm, but when pulled it immediately launches the schoolís lockdown protocols and summons first responders from the Colorado Springs Police Department, which is partnering with the district, Watson said.The Enhanced Security committee will continue to meet through the next year, and Watson said he would like to have it become a standing committee.Additionally, he said a proposal to arm security staff is in the planning and development stages and will be presented to the BOE in the future. ìAlso, every elementary school will get improved radio communications, and weíre really excited about that,î he said.Matt Willhelm, project manager with Wember, Inc., updated the board on planning for 3B mill levy override Priority 2 projects, about 60 of those will be addressed over the summer. Inspiration View Elementary School, the new elementary school in the Banning Lewis Ranch subdivision, is tracking well financially; construction is ahead of schedule, he said.Ridgway presented information that addressed Samayaís questions about the expansion of the Springs Studio facility and the relocation of Pikes Peak Early College to that same site. Although an official plan has not yet been developed, he said the current facility was initially a four-phase construction format, with only phase 1 already built. The leaders of PPEC and SSAE are considering using the phase 2 expansion from the original 1998 building plans to accommodate both schools, he said. That construction could be completed by the fall of 2020, Ridgway said.Pedro Almeida, chief operations officer, said PPEC has already begun relocating in anticipation of the boardís approval.An official action item will be presented to the board at a subsequent meeting.Ridgway also updated the BOE on how the district is budgeting for upcoming capital improvements that do not fall under the scope of the 3B mill levy projects.Marie LaVere-Wright said money has been consistently placed into the capital reserves fund so the district can address capital improvement needs as they arise and to ìstay ahead of things.îThe next regular meeting of the BOE is May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the D 49 Education Services Center.