BOARD BUZZ

Some thoughts for the starting school yearB

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide the PCSD Re-2 community with updates coming from the monthly Board of Education (BOE) meetings and additional Board work. BOE meetings are open to the public, either in-person or virtually, at 640 Hathaway Street, Fairplay, in the Board Room. Dates and times are posted on the PCSD Re-2 website, in the BOE Board Buzz and Superintendent Bulletin, in the local papers, and on social media for those interested in attending. For questions related to the BOE meetings, please reach out to Dr. Harrison at jistine.harrison@parkcountyre2.org.

November 11, 2024 Meeting Highlights

On November 11, the Park County School District Re-2's Board of Education held their monthly meeting. The following is a summary of the meeting's topics:

Superintendent Report

Dr. Harrison delivered a report addressing district achievements, ongoing challenges, and strategic plans for the future. Beginning with celebrations, she officially welcomed Mr. Cooper as the new Safety and Security Coordinator. His addition was recognized as a significant step toward enhancing campus safety. Ms. Caughey, a 2nd-grade teacher at ETE, was acknowledged for her exceptional contributions with absorbing ETE's other 2nd grade class in a moment of need, embodying a student-first philosophy. Additionally, South Park Middle and High School's attendance rates were celebrated, with Middle School achieving 95% and High School 91%. Dr. Harrison also paused to express gratitude to veterans in honor of Veterans Day and to celebrate the Veteran's Day Ceremony held earlier in the day.

A portion of the report focused on continued efforts addressing technological issues within the district. Problems with the Blocksi filtering system were detailed, highlighting how its DNS filtering caused disruptions, including false positives that blocked critical educational sites like Google Apps. After three tech support sessions with Blocksi and a series of diagnostic tests, the team implemented a workaround by creating a secondary network (SSID) to bypass the faulty DNS filtering. While this adjustment resolved many issues, it added complexity to network management, and further refinements are needed to optimize the solution. Alongside these efforts, the district is rolling out a structured application approval process for digital tools to meet data-privacy and technology transparency compliance. A new submission system requires staff to provide detailed information about proposed apps for use by students in their classrooms, including data privacy compliance, curriculum alignment, and use cases. The development of a Technology Committee is in progress as well, with applications open to community members and staff. This committee will play a crucial role in shaping the direction of technology use and innovation across our schools. We will focus on policy development, technology safety, how to use technology in impactful ways in our classrooms, the increasing impact of AI in education, and more. We are currently looking for a few more parents to join. If interested, complete the application linked here.

Dr. Harrison also presented the district’s Emergency Succession Plan, designed to ensure continuity of leadership and operations should the Superintendent become unavailable. An interim leadership plan for ETE's principal vacancy was shared as well. Kevin Sellers, the current SPMS and SPHS Principal, was named the interim Principal. Erin Ventura, Barbara Alward, and Jan Toyne were named Assistant Principals. Tasks such as student discipline, communication, and evaluations will be distributed among team members. The approach of both plans aims to provide consistent leadership while addressing immediate needs in the school community and maintain communication with all stakeholders.

Dr. Harrison concluded with updates on fundraising and collaboration, and she also shared an invitation from Lake George Charter School for campus visits, such as at the upcoming Pastries with the Principal, signaling ongoing opportunities for collaboration and community engagement.

Charter School Authorizer's Update

Dr. Harrison delivered a presentation stemming from participation in the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Conference and learning done in partnership with the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA). Its purpose was to share key learnings with the Board as we work to strengthen our partnerships and practices with PCSD Re-2’s charter schools.

Three key topics were addressed for successful charter school/authorizer partnerships. First, the success of charter schools was said to rely on strong, collaborative relationships with their authorizers. These partnerships need to be built on transparency, trust, and proactive communication, enabling both parties to address challenges and work toward shared goals effectively. It was emphasized that authorizers play a crucial role by engaging regularly with schools, honoring autonomy, and establishing clear expectations through well-defined agreements. Performance frameworks were also discussed as essential tools for accountability and transparency. They help measure schools’ performance, ensure financial stability, and align with each school’s unique goals. Frameworks focused on equity, as well, are meant to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, have access to quality education. The purpose of policy waivers in charters was also discussed. The need to develop a more specific policy waiver process was identified to provide schools with the flexibility to innovate while maintaining alignment with district priorities, supported by a clear, structured request process. Finally, the topic of variable renewal periods for charter contracts was presented. Considerations focused on accountability, community demand, alignment with community needs, and others were discussed when thinking about the appropriateness of charter school renewal term lengths. Short-term contract renewals (i.e. 2-yr) versus more traditional, regular contract renewals (i.e. 5-yr) options were discussed as options for authorizers to consider, supporting a possible need for more frequent evaluation while addressing potential deficits in accountability frameworks.

Moving forward, it was discussed that PCSD Re-2 as a charter authorizer can enhance our impact by developing performance frameworks to support our charter school/authorizer accountability systems, establishing transparent and clearly outlined policy waiver request processes, continuing to focus on relationship building while balancing schools’ autonomy, and finalizing clear renewal timelines. By fostering strong relationships, ensuring accountability, and maintaining clear processes, PCSD Re-2 as an authorizer can create an environment where charter schools can succeed, and students can thrive.

PCSD Re-2 Aims to Increase Effectiveness of the District Administration Office

The Board of Education and Dr. Harrison discussed the proposal of adding two new positions in the District Administration Office to support critical functions across the district. With the development of a more strategic communication plan, there is a need for a District Communications Director to support the forward momentum of these efforts. This position would be responsible for helping with the revamping and maintenance of the District website, soliciting and maintaining partnerships with external entities and media outlets, spreading the good news, celebrations, and accomplishments of our students and staff, school/District-home communications, and more. Also, the need for a dedicated Human Resources Director/Title IX Coordinator was discussed to meet federal compliance with Title IX regulations as well as be able to provide more dedication and expertise to the Human Resources role to support our staff. Finally, although not an added position, the District Registrar responsibility was also discussed to add to the current State Reporter/Medicaid Coordinator position. The role of the District Registrar would be to oversee the development of a more streamlined, user-friendly and efficient registration process to benefit both current PCSD families and those new to the County, and other District functions as a whole. The role also supports homeschool families and works with schools to ensure everything runs with consistency and efficiency. This role is key to making enrollment easy for families and ensuring student records are well-managed and compliant with all regulations.

The board engaged in a thoughtful conversation about these needs, focusing on the potential benefits for workflow and the alleviation of administrative burdens currently faced. Additionally, the board emphasized the importance of maintaining a personal touch in roles like communications and human resources to foster positive engagement with staff and the community. Overall, the addition of these positions was seen as a strategic step to address increased needs to support compliance, improve overall operational effectiveness, and increase communication with a focus on alignment with the district’s long-term goals.

District Accountability Committee (DAC) Report

This 2024-25 District Accountability Committee (DAC) members were officially appointed through the Board's vote. Thank you to the following committee members for volunteering your time to supporting District efforts and your partnership: Erin Ventura, Lori Slifka, Lizzie Meyer, Peter Lubin, Kirsten Kraus, Kerrie Lynn, Becky Salverson, Tina Tarczon, and Erin Pellant. The DAC report from the BOE meeting discussed the committee's start of their work on their two charges of community/staff culture and outreach and building level expectations through K-12 vertical alignment of practices. The meeting on November 13, following the Board meeting, was to serve more as a work session as they begin developing their community survey. Time would be spent identifying the essential pieces DAC hopes to learn from the surveys, beginning to construct the survey questions and tool itself, and determine a timeline for distribution. Also, DAC was to begin the discussion around vertical alignment work in math for all grades and planned to have suggestions for proposed professional development for administration.