Across the Board in D303
Notes from the District 303 School Board Meeting
- Superintendent's Report
- For Discussion
January 8, 2024
Meeting memos, presentations and other documents in BoardDocs
School Board
Ed McNally, Vice President
Joe Lackner, Secretary
Kate Bell
Matthew Kuschert
Thomas Lentz
Becky McCabe
For Action
Individual items up for approval by the Board, generally introduced in prior committee meetings.
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Purchase of Property
Motion Passed 7-0
The Board has previously requested that Administration explore available options for commercial office space within the District and to consider how these spaces might offset current space needs for the District. After Thanksgiving, a commercial space became available on the east side of the city. The negotiated purchase price of the facility is $1,100,000. The property consists of several units (retrofitted as one) in a multi-unit complex, with approximately 11,000 square feet of space.
With the acquisition of the new space, select projects originally planned for the Lincoln renovation can be scaled back and allow for additional space for other uses such as IT repair shops and added meeting rooms. Professional development and community space, as well as the Transitions program will still be housed at Lincoln and the building will be renovated to accommodate these changes, as originally planned. Learning and Teaching staff and office space, which were originally planned to move to Lincoln, are now anticipated to be moved to the newly acquired facility, which is move-in ready. Anticipated savings on scaling back other renovations expect to save the District up to $650,000.
Timeline
- January 2024: Board approves contract/due diligence period starts
- February 2024: Due diligence period ends
- March 8, 2024: Close on property and take ownership
Haines Early Childhood Center Construction
Motion Passed 6 yes, 1 abstain
Various construction projects will take place this summer as part of the repurposing of Lincoln, Fox Ridge and Haines next summer. Fox Ridge will reopen as an elementary school, the Transitions Program will move to Lincoln, and the early childhood program will be housed in Haines. The Haines Center project is being executed through a construction manager at-risk method through Pepper Construction, with whom the Board has contracted.
The bids and issuing contract through Pepper Construction for the renovations at the Haines Center is in the amount of $7,386.373. The bidding documents included drawings and specifications prepared by Wold Architects, and additional scope breakdown information by Pepper Construction, and were broken down into multiple bid packets, such as demolition, masonry, electrical, mechanical, and concrete.
Timeline
- January: Board Approval and Issuance of Purchase Order
- February: Permitting
- March- August: Renovation of the Haines Center for Early Childhood
Bond Parameters Resolution
Motion Passed 5 yes, 1 no, 1 abstain
Multiple large, priority capital projects are planned for summer 2024. This includes reopening Fox Ridge as an elementary school, relocating the Transition program to Lincoln, and relocating early childhood to Haines; as well as various projects at other sites across the District. In order to fund these projects, Administration recommended the issuance of long-term debt not to exceed $25 million. The Board gave administration authorization to move forward at the regular Board meeting on September 11, 2023. A Resolution of Intent was adopted and a Bond Issue Notification Act hearing was conducted in October and November, respectively.
The bond parameters resolution identifies the parameters for the bond structure and sale. This includes details such as the term of the bond, the maximum interest rate, and maintenance of the bonds.
Superintendent's Report
Dr. Paul Gordon shares updates on District initiatives as well as school, staff and student activities.
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Boundary Update
Families and community members are invited to join a webinar on Thursday, January 11 at 6 p.m. to receive updated information on the attendance boundary process and submit additional feedback.
In November, demographer RSP & Associates presented draft concept maps for the District’s elementary, middle and high school boundaries and launched a survey. These maps were developed by RSP based on guiding principles that were previously approved by the Board. On January 11, RSP will share results from its survey and unveil updated concept maps based on that feedback.
Following the webinar, the District will distribute a new survey asking for feedback on the additional concept maps. For those unable to attend the webinar, it will be recorded and published online. This survey will open on Thursday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m. and close on Monday, January 15 at 12 p.m. Details and meeting links can be found on the District’s website. Boundaries will be among the topics discussed during the following upcoming meetings:
January 11 | Community Webinar
January 16 | Learning and Teaching Committee
January 29 | Business Services Committee
February 12 | Board takes action on new boundaries
The Board will continue to discuss boundaries at its committee and regular meetings over the next several weeks. Details on the boundary process, including links to the webinar and concept maps and a future meeting timeline are available on the boundary updates webpage.
Inclement Weather Procedures
With this week's snowfall, the District is reminding families of its procedures for assessing operation plans and how that information would be communicated.
In the event of hazardous amounts of snow, ice, extreme cold, low-temperature wind chills or other emergency situations that pose safety concerns, the District's inclement weather procedure enables the Superintendent to choose to implement a full-day school closure, two-hour delayed start time, or early dismissal.
When considering changes to schedules due to inclement weather, District 303 closely monitors future and current weather and travel conditions, as well as routinely engages with local and neighboring public officials and school districts.
District 303 aims to notify families of a closing, delayed start or early dismissal as early as possible based on forecasted or actual weather conditions. Should the weather turn hazardous overnight and a change in operations is deemed necessary, District 303 will make an announcement at 5 a.m. or before. If the weather turns hazardous during the day and a change in operations is deemed necessary, District 303 will make an announcement to cancel evening activities by 1 p.m. of the current day.
If District 303 does not send a notification about school closings or modified operations, we are operating as normal.
Data Dashboard
The Data Dashboard provides a monthly summary on the health of District 303. This chart, which
will be updated monthly on the District website, provides an overview of nine important measurements in the categories of Academics, Belonging and Operations.
Reports to the Board
The following updates were provided by Board chairs on the following committees, which took place in December. Additional information reports may be provided, as requested by the Board.
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Learning and Teaching
Items for discussion in December, including a PLC update and a report on increasing student achievement for multilingual and Hispanic students, were tabled for a future meeting.
The next Learning and Teaching Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 16 at 5:30 p.m.
Business Services
The committee received a summary of results from the RSP boundary survey, construction updates on projects slated for summer 2024, and details on the planned acquisition of a warehouse that recently became available and will benefit District space needs.
The next Business Services Committee Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 29 at 5:30 PM.
For Discussion
Agenda items for Board discussion. There is no action taken at this time.
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2024-2025 School Building Start and End Times
Background
The District notified staff and families in October that we would be sharing the start and end time schedules for the 2024-2025 school year in the coming months. This communication was also shared in a mailer to district residents in November, and a reminder was shared in December. Staff and families received the final start and end times on January 8. This message has been posted to the District and school websites. The schedules take effect with the start of the new academic year in fall 2024.
Discussion
District Administration came to this decision in consultation with the Transportation Department, a select group of teachers, and building leaders to identify a solution that minimizes impacts on the schedules for our families and staff while ensuring on-time bus routes.
2024-2025 Start and End Schedules
See the chart for a complete list of school start and end times. The schedules take effect with the start of the new academic year in fall 2024. This includes the earliest time that children can be dropped off before school starts. We have also added a section displaying early release schedules and frequencies for each level beginning next year.
Elementary Support Resources
The District will be partnering with an organization to offer fee-for-service before and after-school services to our families. If enrollment minimums are met, these services will be offered at each elementary school or consolidated in select areas, as needed. Details will be finalized and shared by the end of February.
Frequently Asked Questions
The District has created a frequently asked questions document to provide additional information about this decision.
Increasing Student Achievement for Multilingual and Hispanic Students
Background
In July, the Board directed Administration to develop a comprehensive, multi-year plan to address the underachievement of Multilingual Learners and students identified as Hispanic in D303. Updates on this work were provided during Learning and Teaching Committee meetings during the fall, focusing on the following:
- Sept. 2023 | Audit Preview: Increase Student Achievement for Student Groups
- Oct. 2023 | Programming for Multilingual Learners
Discussion
The scope this work included analyzing student achievement data, developing a root cause hypothesis and high-leverage evidence-based practices, and recommending an action plan, multi-year implementation plan, and clear success criteria.
Improvement Strategy
The following strategies aim to set common, rigorous standards for all students and differentiate instruction and resources to ensure each student meets them.
- Effective leaders
- Rigorous core instruction
- Supportive learning environments
- High-quality programs for MLs
- Family engagement
Recommendation: This item is for discussion purposes only. No action is taken.
Consent Agenda
Grouped agenda items up for approval in one action.
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Motion Passed 7-0
The consent agenda included items such as:
- Minutes from previous committee meetings
- Personnel reports
- List of bills, treasurer's report, and payroll
- Wild Rose boiler replacement
- Haines abatement bid results
- Roof replacement/coatings for summer 2024
- Radio refresh
- Server and chassis refresh
For Information
Informational reports are typically provided monthly to the Board. There is no action taken.
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District 303 Financial Report
Mid Valley Financial Report
FOIA Requests
District Enrollment