The November meeting of the Falcon School District 49 Board of Education was the last for several directors. Dave Martin, president, Andy Holloman, treasurer, and Rusty Moomey, director, will be replaced at a special meeting Nov. 22, after serving their terms.Incoming board members are Chuck Irons, Marie LaVere-Wright and Joan Johnson. Both Irons and LaVere-Wright will serve four-year terms, while Johnson will serve a two-year term. Board Vice President Chris Wright and Secretary Tammy Harold will each serve two more years.Holloman recalled some of his experiences on the BOE: ìAny time you serve on a public board, there’s always ups and downs for the choices you have to make, and some of the choices we had to make were pretty tough. But I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. I don’t think I would take any one of those decisions back.îIn reference to the districtís restructuring with Innovation Zones, Holloman said, ìI fully believe that public education is here for the long term, but it’s going to look very different from the way it looks today. Not only do I wish (the new members) the best, but I want to encourage them in any way possible because it’s the community that benefits.îMartin agreed with Holloman. ìI think one of the best things I’ve accomplished on the board is the organizational structure of our district,î he said. ìI think it’s going to pan out to be one of the best things Falcon could’ve done.îWhile he admitted his decisions on the board weren’t always popular, Martin said he would ìrather leave this place knowing that I did what I thought was right. It would’ve been more absurd having spent eight years there doing nothing.îFalcon Education Foundation presents grant moneyFoundation President Amy Matisek said the foundation presented more than $15,000 in grant money for 23 school-related projects, from elementary to high school.Action itemsThe board voted to carry two motions during the meeting, both presented by the chief education officer, Becky Carter. The first revises policies to reflect new title changes, specifically to change superintendent to chief education officer. The second motion suspends the policy that gave the board 10 days to swear in new members. Martin said the city has 15 days to certify the election, which should be completed prior to the swearing in of new board members.Budget issuesBrett Ridgway, chief business officer, presented information on the district’s budget issues in the wake of the unsuccessful mill levy increase. Ridgway pointed out that the actual student head count (including tuition-based preschoolers) in October was 15,064, which was up from the student count of 14,867 projected in the current 2011-2012 budget. The new number ìkicks offî the amended budget for the 2011-2012 school year, he said.Using the per-pupil funding rate of $6137.47, Ridgway said there is potential for an additional $533,000 in revenue the district could receive from the state. However, according to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s budget request, per-pupil funding would be reduced to $5,982. Taking the difference between the per-pupil funding of $6,137.47 and $5,982, which equals $155.47, and multiplying it by the number of D 49 students (15,064); the district would be short $2.3 million in state funds if the governorís current budget plan is approved.
