D 49 board meeting update

At the Nov. 8 meeting of the School District 49 Board of Education, the board directors approved the following action items:

• Membership in the Pikes Peak Board of Cooperative Educational Services at a cost of $432,149: The cooperative provides special education teachers to the district. Dr. Chad Wright, the district’s director of special services, said the district has been unable to attract qualified special education teachers. If the district were to hire its own special education teachers or share special education teachers with other districts, the district could become an affiliate member, at a cost of $20,000 per year, while retaining access to the cooperative’s Pathways program for students with severe emotional disabilities.
• Nov. 30 as the survey date for the Impact Aid program, which provides federal money to schools financially burdened by federal activities.
• Amended the contract in the amount of $38,428 with LKA Partners Inc. for architectural services required for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program at Vista Ridge High School.

Board president Dave Martin was not present due to illness, and treasurer Randy Brungardt arrived late because of a student event.The board heard a presentation by Falcon High School students Bianca Kriel and Austin LeCroix on the Student-to-Student program, where students learn how to welcome new students from military families. Kriel and LeCroix completed Student-to-Student training in San Antonio, Texas, in 2006.