By Deb Risden
The El Paso County School District 49 Board of Education held its monthly meeting Feb. 13 at Bennett Ranch Elementary School in Peyton. All board members were present. Kayla Maldonado, internal communications manager, started the Fantastic 49 celebration. The following were recognized:
- Leah Gillis, Horizon Middle School special education teacher for taking on a leadership role and helping new team members acclimate and develop skills necessary for success
- The Transportation Department’s Santa’s Toy Express team for the time and commitment they show to the community, students and district to make the program a success.
- Falcon Zone music teachers Mandy Thomason, Joanie Chapman, Bethany Meyer, Travis Yager, Bridget Calhoun, Callen Thompson, Tyler Privia, Alexander Javizian and Josh Winans, for consistently going above and beyond to inspire students, build thriving programs and strengthen the community through music
Superintendent’s update
Peter Hilts, superintendent, said he, eight students from the Student Board of Representatives and three teachers attended the national conference of the National Association of Student Councils in Chicago. Hilts said the students were fully engaged and attended all sessions, took notes and compared their notes with one another. He said they returned with a plan to share with other SBOR members. Hilts said he has transitioned from the annual Voice of the Workforce process of meeting with teachers and administrators to meeting with students in all middle and high schools including charter schools. He said that even with many changes in the district, such as limits on cell phones, the students remain positive. “They show great character,” Hilts said.
Student Board of Representatives’ update
Meghan Welch, Falcon High School student, said the school has been conducting senior nights for both basketball and wrestling. She said their choir performed at the Colorado Music Educators Association.
Danielle Suerdieck, Falcon High School student, said the SBOR plans to partner with the student council in hopes of having a more positive impact on the school. They plan to bring in more speakers and groups to the meetings. She said they are working on doing activities they learned from the National Student Council Conference.
Board update
Lori Thompson, president, attended the SBOR meeting and said the students who participated in the NASC’s conference in Chicago demonstrated what they had learned. They discussed how to get all students engaged, not just the natural leaders or students who are more visible. She said the SBOR is conducting listening tours with elementary and middle schools. Thompson attended the Colorado Leaders for Academic Success conference in Denver. She said the presentations were content rich on public education and encouraged district leadership to attend next year.
Jamilynn D’Avola, vice president, attended the National School Choice Fair and said there were many D 49 schools represented. She said parents were asking about elementary schools; she suggested that D 49 have elementary school representation at the fair next year.
Marie LaVere-Wright, secretary, said the Falcon Education Foundation continues to sell tickets for their annual fundraiser April 11 at the Antlers, Wyndham Hotel. She said there were five D 49 students who placed at the county level at the El Paso Council PTA art contest and will now compete at the state level. They placed in the categories of dance choreography, visual arts and literature.
Mike Heil, treasurer, encouraged involvement in the annual Santa’s Toy Express program coordinated by the Transportation Department.
Debra Schmidt, director, said she has been following the math curriculum adoption process at Bennett Ranch Academy. Schmidt attended the Vista Ridge High School Wellness Summit. She said there were classes in financial awareness, mental health and exercise, to name a few.
Action items
The BOE unanimously approved the following:
- Pathways to Success courses
- Patriot High School Alternative Cooperative Education Curriculum
- Patriot High School name change to Patriot Applied Learning Campus
- Superintendent evaluation
- Policy and procedure updates
- BOE proposed 2025-2026 and preliminary 2026-2027 meeting dates
Discussion items
Theresa Ritz, POWER Zone superintendent, presented a new dance program within Vista Ridge High School’s Performing Arts Department. The BOE moved the courses forward for a vote at the next regular meeting.
Hilts presented the D 49 school family calendars for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.
Changes made involve increasing the number of student contact days for Colorado Department of Education compliance, changing the graduation schedule to Saturdays and scheduling some half-school days. The board moved to vote on the new schedule at a special session prior to the next working session.
Matt Barrett, director of performance excellence, provided an annual report. Barrett said the department is responsible for providing data analysis and the implementation of best practices in pursuit of recognition under the Baldridge Excellence Framework and District Performance Framework, as measured by the Colorado Department of Education. He said the tools created to assist administration have already aided in increased performance. Barrett said the department has three goals for this year: 1) Prepare for the submittal of the Baldridge application, due May 22; 2) Documenting key processes such as the annual budget cycle, state reporting, hiring and employee evaluations throughout the district; and 3) ensuring utilization of the data and tools provided.
The BOE reviewed the proposed agenda for the annual planning summit, scheduled for Feb. 15.
The next regular meeting of the BOE is March 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Peakview Hall at the Creekside Success Center in Colorado Springs.
