Peyton School District 23JT has always been open to students living outside the district, but the message lately has changed to “please come.”The district, which last year had an enrollment of almost 700, began the current school year with a loss of 60 students, necessitating a layoff of seven teachers. Of those 60 students, all but six moved outside the district. Of the six that left for other reasons, four returned.Tim Kistler, superintendent of Peyton Schools, said, “In general, I would say that our parents are very happy with our schools.” The district, which covers approximately the same number of square miles as District 49, has just one-tenth the numbers of students. Combine that low number with families who have long histories in the area and teachers who have a genuine concern for the kids and community, and the result is a school with a close, small town feel.Marlys Hartbauer, principal of Peyton Elementary School, said the community feeling at the school is of vital importance to the families who attend. She said, “It’s even in our mission statement that we have a family-like environment.” Hartbauer believes the closeness makes the parents, students and teachers more accountable.Denise Perse, who has two children attending Peyton Elementary, said the school is open to parents who wish to visit. “If you want to see how your kids are doing, they have no problem with that,” she said. Perse also appreciates the family feeling at Peyton. “It’s a tight-knit community; they (the teachers) always know what’s going on with the kids.”Academically, Peyton Schools have much to offer. The overall student/teacher ratio is low, about 17 to one. Teacher satisfaction is high. Unlike most small schools, which tend to attract teachers right out of college, Peyton’s teachers have an average of almost 10 years experience. Not only do the teachers have a concern for the community, but the community also values its teachers and regards education as important and its schools as a priority. Kistler said, “We’ve been very fortunate; when teachers come out here they enjoy the four-day week, they enjoy the community, they enjoy the things that are going on, and they’ve stayed.”Peyton’s CSAP scores are good, with many areas above the state average. Though CSAPs are required by the state, Kistler doesn’t rely on them as the sole measure of success. He said, “We look at where do we stand nationally, where do we stand locally, and how are we going to best educate our children?” The district uses several tests and relies on community satisfaction to evaluate itself. “It’s still a community school and we’re trying to do what the community would like us to do,” Kistler said.The taxpayers recently passed a bond issue to build a new high school, which will be completed this month and ready for students in the fall. Most of the students who moved out of the district were in the lower grades, but the district has space for out-of-district students in most classes. In the grades where the numbers rise sufficiently, Kistler and the school board will hire back the teachers who were laid off.The Peyton and Falcon school districts have had a long relationship of cooperation. Interim superintendent Ron Wynn of Falcon and Kistler of Peyton were recently working on the details of a shared auto mechanics program. Kistler said the program is still a definite possibility, along with a metalworking and woodworking program, pending approval by the new District 49 superintendent.Peyton’s acceptance of out-of-district students would be a good thing for both districts. Falcon’s overcrowding issues would barely be affected, but a few students attending the Peyton district from the Falcon district would make a big difference in the Peyton numbers.Peyton’s school buses cannot leave the district to pick up students, but a stop could be arranged inside the district where Falcon district students could be picked up by Peyton’s bus. Parents would be responsible for getting the students to the stop.Families interested in having their children attend Peyton district schools should call the principal of the school their child would attend. Phone numbers and addresses are available on the district Web site at www.peyton.k12.co.us and principals will be in their offices most of the summer. Families can also arrange for a visit to the school or for their prospective student to “shadow” a current student while school is in session.The district has openings in most classes, especially in the earlier grades, but because the district will adhere to classroom caps, students applying for some grades will not be notified of acceptance until all in-district students are counted on August 11.Kistler said, “We’re here for the students and the community and we try to do what accommodates the community. That’s part of the family atmosphere that is Peyton.”
