May BOE meeting wrap-up

All members of the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education were present at the regular board meeting in May, except for Kevin Butcher, treasurer, and Josh Fry, director, who were absent with prior notice.Before the regular meeting, the BOE held a ìFantastic 49î and honored the following: Matt Monfre, physical education teacher at Stetson Elementary School, for his work to support studentsí health and wellness; Karen Bixler, instructional coach at SES, for working with the professional learning community at the school and helping teachers; Shauna Orth, special needs router and liaison in the D 49 transportation department, for helping ensure students facing homelessness are safely transported to school; Sadie Russell, parent volunteer at Remington Elementary School, for being a positive role model for the students, along with her commitment to volunteerism; and James Sellman, building manager at RES, who is retiring after 28 years of dedicated service to the district.Chief officersí updateBrett Ridgway, chief business officer, said the shooting incident at the Douglas County School District RE-1 STEM School Highlands Ranch hits closer to home for those in D 49 because the schools are partners in cybersecurity.Ridgway also recognized Banning Lewis Ranch Academy for joining Ridgeview Elementary School as a Capturing Kidsí Hearts showcase school.He also recognized Mary Mullikin, family and consumer sciences teacher at Vista Ridge High School, who was selected to attend the Google Certified Innovator Academy in London this summer. Ridgway said she was one of only 2,000 certified innovators worldwide.Pedro Almeida, chief operations officer, said the Enhanced Security Community Advisory Team continues to review plans for implementing initiatives they have previously presented to the board.Action itemsThe BOE unanimously approved the following:

• Modification of Banning Lewis Preparatory Academyís graduation requirements from 28 credits to 25 credits
• Review of the following policies: district safe and drug-free schools advisory council; maintenance/control of materials/property management; authorized use of school-owned materials or equipment; naming of buildings and facilities; instructional staff sabbaticals; class size; grading/assessment systems; graduation exercises; compassionate administration of therapeutic cannabinoid products; and crisis management
• Proposed student fees for the 2019-2020 school year
• Food service contracts with BLRA, BLPA, Grand Peak Academy, Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning and Power Technical Early College
• Change of a tutor position to a K-12 blended learning coach at the Academy for literacy, learning and innovation excellence
• Revisions to the health and wellness specialist job description
• The job description for director of applied and advanced learning

After some discussion, the board unanimously approved the 2019-2020 pay schedules. Ridgway said the schedules reflect changes made after the district administration met with compensations teams and leadership teams across the district. ìWe are trying to maximize what we can do for continuing staff,î he said.Discussion itemsAndy Franko, iConnect Zone leader, presented information on the charter contract renewal for Grand Peak Academy, formerly known as Imagine Indigo Ranch. The school will be relocating to its new site at 7036 Cowpoke Road in Colorado Springs, from the current location at 6464 Peterson Road. Construction at the new site is progressing. The school will remain at its current location until the new facility is completed.Jodi Poulin, accounting group manager, presented three job description updates: accounts payable specialist, accounts receivable specialist and accounting technician.Nancy Lemmond, executive director of individualized education, also presented job description revisions for the diverse education teacher, paraprofessional and coordinator; special education technicians, paraprofessionals, and teachersThe board will act on all three of the above discussion items at the June meeting.Ron Sprinz, director of finance, presented the 2019-2020 proposed budget per statutory requirement. Additional changes are possible based on decisions made at the state level, he said. The budget is available on the budget officeís website via https://d49.org.Ridgway presented the 2019-2020 priorities compiled by the Voice of the Workforce Compensation Team. He said about 70 people who are part of the VCT have helped develop strategic compensation priorities. The D 49 administration will work with them to implement or gather additional information for further discussions.The board moved five policies forward for action in June: tobacco-free schools; admission and denial of admission; extracurricular activity eligibility; public concerns and complaints; and concerns/complaints about teaching methods, activities or presentations.The BOE also moved a revised version of the policy regarding the evaluation of the chief officers forward for action in June.The next regular meeting of the BOE is June 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the D 49 Education Services Center.