About 60 people were in attendance at the School District 49 Board of Education meeting in August. The Falcon High School ROTC Color Guard started the meeting with a “Colors” presentation at the invitation of the board.Sandy Collins, director of secondary learning services, welcomed back the staff and announced the promotions of Becky Carter to director of elementary learning services; Dr. Chad Wight, director of special services; Dustin Horras, assistant principal of Evans Elementary. She also introduced Theresa Ritz, principal of Stetson Elementary.Henry Reitwiesner updated those in attendance on the construction projects under way in the district. The new Falcon High School is on schedule, and he said there will be money left over from the other projects. High School No. 3 is on track, and the district is currently negotiating with the Colorado Springs Planning Department concerning the contamination of the land. Reitwiesner said the plan is to begin building in the near future on the 50 acres that is cleared for contamination.The open forum began with Shyrl Springer commending the board for choosing Dr. Nancy Wright as the interim superintendent. Springer, however, reiterated her concern that the board referred to district policies as “simply guidelines.” She reminded the board that the district sends home with every student a policy book and if the board doesn’t follow policy, then they shouldn’t expect the students to either. Springer asked the board to act responsibly and read the policies and bylaws before problems occur.Steve Jaszai expressed distrust with the board and questioned director Amy McClelland about her contribution to the district. He also directed questions at board director Anna Bartha about her knowledge of CSAP scores and student achievements. She responded by saying the district is average compared to the state. McClelland invited Jaszai to talk with her during the break.The hot news out of D 49 is the hiring of Dr. Nancy Wright as the new interim superintendent. Wright is replacing Steven Hull, who resigned last month, citing differences with the board. Hull received a buyout of $290,000.Wright, age 61, came out of retirement to take the position. She is the former superintendent of the Manitou Springs school district, where she served from 1998 to 2003. She also served as interim superintendent of the Poudre School District in Fort Collins from 2004 to 2005. Board President Dave Martin said she was hired at a salary of $150,000 per year plus benefits.Wright said she isn’t worried about the problems in the district noting that she has seen it all before. “The issues don’t change from school district to school district,” Wright said. “The difference is in the history and level of intensity of the debates. The teaching and learning is the heartbeat of the organization, and that’s where we need to focus.”Drawing on 40 years of experience, Wright hopes to bridge the gap between the community and the school board. The next board meeting will be held Sept. 7 at the Central Administration Office at 6:30 p.m.
