D 49 BOE May meeting wrap-up

At the May Falcon School District 49 Board of Education meeting, all members were in attendance except Chuck Irons, who was absent with prior notice. The BOE held a ìFantastic 49î event before the meeting, recognizing Dawnise Sandwick, a significant support needs teacher at Falcon Elementary School of Technology, for receiving the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship from the Colorado Springs Down Syndrome Association. A family that Sandwick serves nominated her; she said she plans to use the $500 to build a sensory room at the school.The board also recognized Riley Schroeder, a senior at Sand Creek High School, as one of The Gazetteís ìBest and Brightest 2015,î an annual program that highlights graduating seniors who have made contributions to their schools and communities. Schroeder said he is planning to attend the University of Colorado Boulder in the fall to study chemical engineering.(From the D 49 website: Schroeder is working on improving water filtration for developing nations, while designing a mechanical system to improve cleanliness at stadiums.)He is also a Boettcher Scholarship semifinalist, Advanced Placement Program scholar with distinction and Sand Creek High School teacherís choice award winner.Schroeder is planning to major in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder.The BOE recognized Dale Bonavita, a counselor at Falcon Virtual Academy, as well. The Colorado Department of Education chose Bonavita as Coloradoís online and blended counselor of the year.Open forumDuring open forum, D 49 parent Jennie Stormes said her severely disabled son was suspended from Sand Creek for a day because she sent him to school with a lunch that included medicinal marijuana. ìHe didnít pack his own lunch,î Stormes said. ìI packed it accidentally. He canít feed himself, and he doesnít know right from wrong.î Stormes said she came to Colorado to have access to legal medicinal marijuana and was surprised that the school did not call her to discuss the situation before suspending her son.Tammy Harold, board president, said the board will be updating its policy regarding situations like Stormesís. Harold provided her with information to pursue the stakeholder grievance process, and invited Stormes to participate in the policy formation process.Action ItemsThe board unanimously approved the following:

• A one-year calendar waiver for Springs Studio for Academic Excellence so students start the 2015-2016 school year later but maintain the same amount of contact days
• Affirmation of the chief officersí performance domains, targets, standards and evidence to maintain an annual performance review process
• Revisions to board personnel policies to ensure they are current and reflect both applicable federal and/or state regulations, as well the needs of the district
• Transportation fees for service and school fees for the 2015-2016 school year
• Job descriptions for the transportation operations technician, transportation trainer and transportation student liaison technician
• Job descriptions of the director of facilities, safety and health compliance specialist, fire and electrical supervisor and building automation specialist
• Job description of the safety and security specialist
• Job descriptions of the pathway director, campus director and lead teacher in the Sand Creek Zone
• Falcon Middle Schoolís revised innovation plan
• The supplemental budget for Fund 43 for additional revenue related to cell phone equipment rental revenue received from various cell phone companies that use the district towers, such as field light towers to mount equipment to improve their network service coverage
• Changes to the compensation schedules of all district staff, effectively giving the entire district an average pay raise of 3.2 percent
• A three-year lease agreement with Pikes Peak Community College for the use of the entire second floor at the Creekside Success Center at $16,226.92 per month, which will cover 60 percent of the capital lease payment on that facility

Sand Creek Zone updateKim Mariotti, principal at Springs Ranch Elementary School, updated the board about the schoolís revised calendar, which allows for extra professional development time. The schedule called for several early release and late start days that were not in the schoolís original calendar. Mariotti said the teachers at Springs Ranch appreciated the additional time to prepare and learn.Sean Dorsey, Sand Creek Zone leader, said his zone is launching a Project Lead the Way program that would provide hands-on, real-world experiences to students. For example, the wood shops at Sand Creek High School and Horizon Middle School are being repurposed so they are more 21st-century oriented.POWER Zone updateMike Pickering, POWER Zone leader, presented data that helps define student needs and growth. He said the zone is working to establish growth measures important to the students and the community.Pickering also provided an update about population growth at Ridgeview Elementary School. He said the school is experiencing some unusually high growth of 30 percent in the 2014-2015 school year alone, which is more than eight times the average growth rate of the other coordinated schools in the district. The school has had to consider alternative methods to accommodate the population. ìWe have considered overflowing Ridgeview students to Stetson Elementary School,î Pickering said. ìWe would have a bus that would run at no cost to families from Ridgeview to Stetson.î2015-2016 proposed budget updateBrett Ridgway, D 49 chief financial officer, presented the proposed budget. The key change to the budget involves the total district head count, modified to include the Colorado Digital Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which has experienced a 56 percent growth rate ó bringing the total head count to 21,540, Ridgway said.The projected budget for the 2015-2016 school year is $134,582,975, he said. The board agreed to move the proposed budget to an action item at the regular meeting in June.Following the regular session, the board entered into executive session.† No action was taken at that time.The next regular BOE meeting is June 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the Education Service Center.