Notes from Apr 14, 2015 SD2 Stakeholder Relations Committee Meeting

Approval of Calendars:

Mark Wahl: Listened to survey results. Graduation dates drives the Calendar and Metra will only give SD2 last weekend of May. 7 PIR days required. 3 before school starts to save on Subs.
Lew Anderson: Calendar will save on energy.
Calendar will be approved at regular board meeting.

REVIEW OF PROCEDURE 8231-P1 CONCESSION STAND:

Aligning to USDA guidelines. Concessions cannot run during school hours unless they comply.
Going to next regular board meeting.

Update to West End Naming Committee:

They received 17 applications. They will chose one from each school and 9 were selected.

6 pm April 21 will be first meeting.

Notes from Apr 14, 2015 SD2 Planning and Development Committee Meeting

McKinley and Broadwater:

Ahead of schedule. Will be saving money on storage.

Deferred Maintanence:

70 bond projects scheduled for this summer.

Middle Schools:

Footings have been put in for Heights Middle School.
In design phase in West End Middle School and putting out for bids next winter.
Heights Middle School budget: Under the original budget. They found 1.5 mil in efficiencies over last 4 months.
The are working on selecting a new general contractor for West End Middle School.

Middle School Study Group Update:

• Looking at a change in the middle school concept. 
• Where are we in the process? First meeting will be soon and SD2/BEA is working on an agenda. May 5th is the first meeting. LST/BEA/Teachers/Rob Rogers/Some Parents is composition of team. 
• Want report done by early June. May entail some negotiations with BEA to approve. 

Budget Committee Application Process:

• Moving discussion to regular board meeting

New Sodexo Contract:

• Sodexo was only one to bid. 
• Contract goes to 2020. 
• Contract going to regular board meeting for approval.

Aftermath of SD2 Strategic Planning Meeting Tonight

Billings Public Schools has been going through a worthwhile strategic planning exercise for almost a year now. School districts do need something like a "5 year plan" that helps everyone involved with the school district focus energy and funds towards worthwhile goals.

There was a work session held tonight to let the school district administration to present general goal areas to the school board. Academic Achievement was one of the areas discussed and this is the area I am most interested in.

From my perspective, there is a lack of equity in academics within the elementary schools. Students have a better chance of getting a good education if they attend Arrowhead Elementary, than they do if they attend Beartooth Elementary, which has a higher proportion of students from low income families. I think it is reasonable for parents to expect that their children will get the education they are capable of earning, regardless of what elementary school their children are assigned to in the school district.

Unfortunately, how good of education my children will get from Billings Public Schools depends on which elementary school they attend. The educational model used in Title 1 schools holds average to good students back, because the staff of the school are directed to focus on students far below grade level. Nor to principals want students far behind to feel bad about being far behind. The result is one of my children falling below grade level after spending 7 years in a Title 1 elementary school.

I feel bad for 3-6 grade teachers that are given a group of students with a large range in ability and are expected to give them all a good education. This is simply not possible under the model mandated on them. Requiring students to do homework at home is frowned upon. Teachers are not allowed to give grades to students based on academic achievement, but instead to "encourage" students.

I know if the teachers of one of my children given her the grades she has earned based on academics, we would have met with her teachers and develop a plan to get her above grade level. But this didn't happen, likely because we would quickly realize that the leadership of the school didn't want students progressing as their ability allows. That will make the low effort students feel bad about themselves.

Thanks to the NCLB act, standardized test scores helped me figure out that there is a huge academic problem in my children's Title 1 elementary school. We put our trust in an elementary school to educate our children to at least grade level (if not higher), but we were betrayed.

Let's go back to the school board meeting tonight. The serious issue I discovered in my children's elementary school was not even listed as a goal under "Academic Achievement" header. None of the areas they are trying to address would have impacted my daughter in any significant way.

Notes from April 13, 2015 SD2 Special Board Meeting on Strategic Planning

Public Comment: Mr Nelson. He is worried that city proposal to shift some street maintenance taxes from downtown to outside of downtown will be more costly for the school district.

This meeting was not on the timeline, but superintendent wanted LST to provide trustees some information.

Academic Achievement:

• LST listened to every staff member in the district and listened to middle and high school students.
• Attendance: Schools are struggling with student attendance K-12. Had 200 remarks and top of the list. 
• K-12 class size: The have more work to do...especially for Castlerock.
• Curriculum: Need alignment to Common Core...especially for math and science.
• Graduation and Dropout Rates: Working on now.
• Interventions: They do not think the reach everyone. Non-title schools lacking for intervention resources. Goal is to standardize across district.
• Utilize assessments to drive instructions. 
• Weighted grades for valedictorian: Already working on this.
• Summer School for K-8 students: Nothing in place now, but looking at added.
• Transiting from elementary to middle school.
• Partnerships with community/businesses. This will including outlying school districts that send students to SD2 Middle and High Schools.
• Student mental health needs: Looking to increase staff training and resources. 
• Kevin Toolhill: Alternative Pathways? Have Hiset, Frameworks and Transitions programs now. Teams are going to Bozeman to look at their Bridger Program. SD2 still wants to stick with content standards. 
• Moen: Rigor? Looking to expand AP classes. AP equality? Need trained teachers willing to teach this. SD2 wants to hire teachers to be able to teach AP and dual credit classes.
• Stroebe: Tracking proficiency of entire student body? Smarter Balance tests will enable this. Do we need more Psychologists? School district having trouble finding qualified applicants. School district is leaning towards social workers. 
• Layton: How are we getting parents involved? Parent engagement did not rise to the top of the critical issues that the school district needs to address.

Financial Resource Management:

• Better fiscal management & transparency: CAFR helps, but can do better.
• More efficient use of resources: have be scouring spending in detail.
• Transparency with public: school district public emails
• Materials: there is concern of non-equity between schools. Need to plan for textbooks.
• Legislative initiatives to support school funding: 
• Stroebe: Maintenance Levies? Agrees.

Technology:

• Want to focus on equity between schools.
• Want technology driven by curriculum.
• Want to increase professional development. Not sure yet on what to train on.
• Trying to avoid technology for just to have technology. Need good purpose for it.

Facilities and Safety:

• Want to revisit Facilities Master Plan.
• Implementation of 2013 bond for the elementary district. We are in great shape.
• Redistricting implementation
• 2017 legislation: want 6th funding as middle school student.
• Need HS District Bond for deferred maintenance: 33 million worth waiting. Also needed for support facilities. 
• Ongoing Safety and security assessment: e.g. Weight room in Skyview is too small, Community is using SD2 facilities and want to make sure SD2 is doing this right. Design buildings to classrooms are not at risk for theft. 

Highly Qualified Workforce:

• HR review has identified some issues.
• Induction and mentoring, staff accountability, professional development, and hiring process.
• Need for qualified substitutes.

Stakeholder's Engagement:

• Website revamp...SD2 and individual schools
• How can we do a better job for outlying school districts?

The purpose of this meeting was to give a LST a chance to present what the LST has learned from forums. May 18th is the big meeting where decisions will be made.