School superintendents generally attempt to share an inspiring and motivating message with the school staff at the beginning of a new school year. However, in watching everyone prepare for our students during the summer and this past week, I have seen so much enthusiasm, dedication and creativity that it is apparent that you don’t need a message from me. You are an amazing team. I am also impressed with our new faculty members who are totally involved and integrated into our schools. It is a privilege for me to be part of this staff.
Here’s an update on some of the topics of interest that we face this new school year.
The Jobs Bill presents us with an opportunity as well as a challenge. The bill along with additional information is on the State Department of Education website under Top Topics, Education Jobs Fund. States have until September 9 to submit their grants. The federal government then has two weeks to send the money to the states. Then the states will distribute the funds to local school districts which will have until September 30, 2012 to spend the money. Kimberly School District is scheduled to receive $269,971 according to the website.
A number of items must be considered in deciding the timing and utilization of these funds:
Maximizing student-teacher contact time as required
Ensuring that all who had decreases in salary, receive a proportionate increase
Assessing the state of the economy and the Governor and Legislature’s potential action on a holdback
Predicting the legislative appropriation for next year
Confirming that our audit has no surprises
Implementing the negotiated agreement stating that teacher salaries will be restored as soon as possible
There will be discussions with the staff before decisions are made by the Board.
Last year, staff members developed plans for the middle school credit system and the Charlotte Danielson Teacher Evaluation Plan. Both of these new programs will be piloted this year. We have the opportunity to revise these plans as needed.
The utility bills we’ve paid in the first two months of this fiscal year are significantly lower than last year. Last year’s utility bills were only $6,000.00 higher than the previous year. Considering the additional square footage we added, I think this is good. All cost-saving measures that you can implement will be appreciated by all.
The Idaho System of Educational Excellence (ISEE) is a longitudinal data system mandated in Idaho with the acceptance of the stimulus money. It currently requires a great deal of data input by everyone. In addition to her regular tasks, Coleen Florke is our contact person with the state and is keeping us updated on the continually changing requirements. Thanks to Coleen, Kimberly School District is keeping up better than most districts with this comprehensive change in the way schools have gathered and reported data. According to Tom Luna ISEE is driven by the vision that "Every parent and educator will have access to the data they need to guide instruction on a daily basis and measure the academic progress of all students." Information is available on the State Department of Education website under Top Topics.
One of the requirements of the ISEE is tracking teacher attendance. The template for this information was added to the website this week. Schools are required to report absences for the following categories: Administrative Leave with or without pay, Collaboration, Mentoring/Observing, Jury Duty/Judicial Reasons, Military, Personal, Professional Development, and School Sponsored Activity. We’ve been told that the reason for this is to correlate student
performance with teacher attendance. If achievement is low in a class, it will be possible to check to see how often the highly qualified teacher is absent and a substitute is in the class. Improvement of student achievement may then center on scheduling changes rather than curriculum or professional development solutions.
October 2 is the date of the Wheels on the Bus Community fundraising dinner and auction. We have a very enthusiastic committee which has set a goal of raising $25,000 to replace the reduction in transportation budget. A live and silent auction is planned along with games and entertainment. We appreciate our supportive community.
Although we face many challenges, I’m confident that with all of us working together we can continue to provide an excellent educational experience for our children and enjoy doing it. Thanks to each of you for your crucial contribution to this endeavor.
Kathleen
