All members of the Falcon School District 49 Board of Education were present for the December meeting, with vice president John Graham attending via phone. Rachel Washburn from Sand Creek High School and Adrielle Baker from Vista Ridge High School were present as members of the student board of representatives.Before the regular meeting, the BOE held a ìFantastic 49î event, and recognized members of the local military for their partnership support with the district (see article on this page).Board updateDave Cruson, director, cited the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which left 28 people dead, including 20 elementary school students and six adult staff members.ìEducators give of themselves not only to educate our children, but to protect them as well,î he said.Kevin Butcher, treasurer, thanked Matt Meister, who has left the district for another job, for his service to the district. A local homeownerís neighborhood organization has invited BOE members from the nearby school districts to help determine how to better the community and neighborhoods, Butcher said.John Graham also thanked Meister for his hard work and dedication to the district.Chief officer updatePedro Almeida, chief operations officer, thanked Meister: ìYour energy, professionalism and teamwork was highly appreciated.îStudent board of representatives updateWashburn said she and other students made hot chocolate in a jar for the districtís bus drivers as a gift for the holidays.Action itemsThe board unanimously approved the following:
- Policy reviews for the school board and meetings; vacation, holiday and sick leave; educational support staff salary schedules, schedules and calendars
- Revisions to policies for site selection and acquisition; staff job descriptions; and professional staff positions
- Revision of the transportation route coordinator job description to transportation router
- Revision of the maintenance technician job description to electrician
- The following new job descriptions: reading specialist at Patriot High School; transportation training supervisor; and zone custodial lead
- The three-year program approval for the Entrepreneur Service Capstone Project at Falcon High School, an alternate path for students to meet graduation requirements
- The new computer science essentials course proposal for VRHS and SCHS
- The new irrigation tech 1 and irrigation tech 2 course proposals for FHS
- Certification of a mill levy totaling 43.648 mills to property owners within the district for property tax year 2017
- The 2018-2019 school family calendar and preliminary approval of the 2019-2020 school family calendar
- The Student Data Transparency and Security Act, pertaining to a studentís personal information, which must be approved to remain in compliance with the Colorado Data Transparency and Security Actís deadline of Dec. 31, 2017
Discussion itemsErika Siemieniec, business and mathematics teacher at SCHS, presented information on a new advanced business course proposal at SCHS. The board moved this to an action item for a later date.Cale Csizmadi, with the VRHS science department, presented information on a new college preparatory chemistry course proposal for VRHS. He said the class will be weighted like an honors course to allow students to earn the same GPA as honors courses. The board moved this to an action item for a later date.Csizmadi also presented information on a proposed change to the name of the honors biology course to college preparatory biology at VRHS. This class would also follow the same weighted grading scale, he said. The board moved this to an action item for a later date.Matt Wilhlem, project manager with Wember Inc., updated the board on the progress of the districtís 3B project list. He said there are three schools left to receive the safe entry installation, and the building addition at SHCS should be done by mid-January.Wilhelm said the basketball court at Remington Elementary School that was damaged because of age and the weight of the contractorís equipment was replaced with funds from both the district and the contractor.The district held a steel-raising ceremony for Bennett Ranch Elementary School.Paul Andersen, director of human resources, presented the follow-up report on the Voice of the Workforce annual engagement survey. The next step is action planning, which will take place at the BOE planning retreat in January.The board discussed the future of the Falcon Homeschool Enrichment Programís location. Hilts said the idea of moving the program to the new facility on Vista del Pico in Banning Lewis Ranch until traditional students have filled it provides a level of uncertainty. ìThe question is not if we will fill the school but when, and we cannot accurately predict that with so many variables,î he said.Melissa Andrews, district planner, said there is potential for the new elementary school to include flexible spaces that could accommodate the FHEP, but it would require additional funds.Almeida said the additional amount of $1.4 million is currently available in the districtís contingency fund. Ridgway said that amount does not use half of what the district has budgeted into its contingency fund.The BOE agreed that the additional funds could be used for the modifications to the elementary schoolís original plans; the item was moved to an action item at another meeting.Ridgway presented information on the districtís amended budget, and said he is tracking certain areas of the budget that keep changing, like the final per-pupil rate.Amber Whetstine, executive director of learning services, presented information on how the district could develop a more localized process for the accreditation process. Zone leaders are participating in the process but will eventually bring in feedback from principals at all levels.Ridgway presented information on a proposal the district received from a developer who had previously dedicated land for the district to build on. The land is not feasible to use for additional district facilities, which is why it has not yet been developed, he said. The developer offered the district funds to essentially buy back the land, and Ridgway said he thinks the offer is the best solution. The BOE slated this item for discussion at a later meeting.Andy Franko, iConnect zone leader, presented information about creating a charter contract agreement with Liberty Tree Academy. The board moved this to an action item at a later meeting.Following the regular meeting, the BOE held an executive session for discussion of the CEO evaluation and review. The board held a separate executive session to confer with the attorney to determine the need for a hearing on a stakeholder grievance matter. No action was taken during either session.The next regular meeting of the BOE is Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the D 49 Education Services Center.
