The Falcon School District 49 Board of Education met in December for their regular meeting. New board members were sworn in last month.The board reviewed a proposal for a charter school application timeline. The proposal sets the deadline for charter school applications between August 1 and October 1, with a deadline for a decision within 90 days. The rationale behind the proposal is that new charter schools will have more time to prepare to open their doors, if the deadline doesnít coincide with the start of school. The board unanimously approved the proposal.The board unanimously passed the following action items: a change to the 2014 calendar for Sand Creek High School; the district calendars for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years; the 2014 mill levy rate (45.585); a policy and procedure review item to be presented by the chief officers at each meeting; and a salary modification to the heating ventilation and air conditioning staff position.As an information item, Amber Whetstine, D 49ís learning services executive director, gave a presentation on the districtís unified improvement plan. Whetstine identified areas of focus that involve aligning the curriculum with the new Colorado Academic Standards: identifying resources to bolster individualized learning used for instruction of students who arenít showing adequate progress; and consistently implementing professional development.ìCollaboration, flection and feedback are essential to making these unified improvement plans work,î Whetstine said. All district schools are currently updating their plans, which will be brought before the BOE in January, she said. The plans will undergo any necessary revisions between January and April before they are officially approved. The board agreed to move this item to an action item at the January meeting.Brett Ridgway, chief business officer, presented information on the amended budget, up for approval in January. The updated budget information manages the remaining portion of the current school year and helps lay the groundwork for the upcoming fiscal year. The numbers indicate the district is getting much better at its budgeting process, Ridgway said.Following the public portion of the meeting, the BOE entered into executive session to discuss a personnel matter and re-entered the public meeting afterward to approve the administrationís recommendation to pursue dismissal of the employee.The next regular meeting of the board of education is Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room of the Education Services Center.
