Roaring Fork School District

11-16-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-11-16T17:57:43Z

November 16, 2009

RFSD Community Update

Judy Haptonstall

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

November 16^th, 2009

Parent Portal

The parent portal gives you instant access to the teacher’s grade book, absences and tardies, immunization records, transcripts for high school students, and many other important pieces of information. If you didn’t get a chance to sign up during parent teacher conferences, call the school to get help at any time!

Curriculum Maps by Quarter

In the areas of reading and math, you can access which Essential Learner Outcomes (ELO’s) are being taught each quarter by logging on to our district’s curriculum site at http//wiki.rfsd.k12.co.us. Once you log in, click on Essential Learner Outcomes which will take you to a page that allows you to select the curriculum map by grade level. Once you access the curriculum map, which tells you what students will be learning each quarter, you can click on the blue links for more information regarding what each ELO means in terms of what students need to know and be able to do, including specific vocabulary words that students are learning each quarter.

Parent Promise

Following the Board’s first community forum intended to roll out more details regarding the Parent Promise that you received in October, some schools have asked for copies of the power point to use with their parent groups in schools. The power point provides great examples of what you and your children can expect to see in our classrooms across the district that exemplify our commitment to individualized approaches to learning, student involvement in the learning process, and the use of highly effective learning strategies with all students.

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for everyone in the district who works with our second language learners. Based on data officially released by the state, the Roaring Fork School District and Cherry Creek were the only two school districts in the state having 1000 ELL students or more who met the proficiency and growth targets for second language learners. Of the six districts involved in the Closing the Gap Project, we were the only district who met the targets and our percentage of those students making progress was the third highest in the state at 72%. Regardless of your role, your efforts to increase achievement for our second language learners are very much appreciated and are very obviously working! Thank you for all of your hard work.

Housing Update:

Following our last hearing with the Town of Carbondale’s Planning and Zoning Committee on the 19^th of November, the district will move to hearings with the Town of Carbondale Trustees, beginning on December 9^th. It is during the Trustee hearings that we may need to call on district staff to attend to speak to the need for housing. While always a critical need for our district, the economic downturn has made the need for affordable housing even more urgent and it will be important for the Trustees to hear that urgency.

Staff Meetings Regarding IBB and Budget

On Monday, Shannon, Brad and I, will complete our meetings in buildings to talk about Interest Based Bargaining Processes last year and the budget situation for the remainder of this year and for 2010-2011. As a result of these meetings we’ve had lots of good questions and suggestion regarding our work this year in IBB, and have heard a willingness to participate in building level processes to consider ways in which we can save money and save jobs across the district. On Monday at 1:00, Shannon, Brad and I will be meeting with classified department heads to discuss the budget overview as we know it to date. Part of that discussion will be how we can involve all classified staff in the same discussions about saving money and saving jobs. Every one of you play an important role in this district, and we hope that this year’s IBB work can begin with exploring every single option to save money before we begin discussions that impact people’s jobs. Thanks to each of you for your positive spirit and your commitment to the students in our district and to each other. We’ll take careful, thoughtful steps together, one step at a time.

How much is the 2010-2011 K-12 cut—really? (Copied from the CASE Legislative Update – November 13, 2009)

At the Legislative Finance Committee on November 12, 2009, CASE President-elect Glenn Gustafson testified that “we need to educate about the total budgetary impact on schools.” As part of Governor Ritter’s recommendations to balance the budget, the cuts hit schools at a time of deep cuts across all government services. Even though the budget has been formally submitted to the JBC, it has a long way to go in terms of legislative debate before being finalized in the 2010 School Finance Act. And the total K-12 cut hinges, in part, on 13 proposed sales tax exemptions being “modified” in order to raise revenues of $131 million. Get ready for a difficult legislative session that will sometimes pit K-12 interests against a range of constituencies, including agriculture, conservation, business and other state agencies.

CASE Deputy Executive Director Bruce Caughey testified that while K-12 does not expect to be spared completely in this budget environment, we need to tell a complete story about the scope of the cuts.

Douglas County CFO David Hart pointed out a telling sentence in the September Legislative Council Forecast that flatly states the underlying assumptions behind their projections. It says: “These figures do not include budgetary increases that result from rising caseloads, inflation, or constitutional requirements, and thus understate the size of the shortfall under current law.”

School superintendents and CFOs need accurate information speaking to the real reductions faced by school districts. Community members also need to know the extent of the 2010-2011 cuts to K-12 in order to form opinions about school funding needs going forward. In reviewing spreadsheets from the Colorado Department of Education, it becomes clear that the recommended cuts are 6.12 percent, not the 4.56 percent that has been widely publicized. This significant difference—resulting in a total $354 million cut to K-12—rests upon projected enrollments for the 2010-11 budget year and the calculations required by Amendment 23.

Based on this information, we believe that the starting point for cuts is 6.12 percent, which includes the $110 million anticipated to be cut by the legislature in January. But to be realistic about overall budget impact, Gustafson reminded the Finance Committee members that districts need to add mandated PERA increases of .9 percent. It almost goes without saying that schools must project increases in health costs and utilities combined with local uncertainties and potentially worse state forecasts forthcoming in December and March. Gustafson has been working on a survey of school districts in order to provide guidance in the process of reducing budgets in these difficult and unprecedented times.

There is no way to sugar-coat the grim financial situation that Colorado is facing in 2010-2011, with district’s bracing for the likelihood of more difficult cuts in 2011-2012. It’s inevitable that K-12 will feel some pain, and we are advising CASE members to prepare for the worst. Get ready for significant cuts. Although CASE will continue to fight to protect education funding to the extent possible and what is legally required by Amendment 23, we also know that it’s unavoidable that districts are going to take a financial hit. We will work to provide on-target information as the budget story unfolds in the coming months and during the 2010 legislative session.

Education News Colorado reported on the “full bite” of K-12 cuts proposed in the Governor’s budget and produced the following list of impacts:

Adams 12 – $18.2 million

Aurora – $15.9 million

Boulder Valley – $12.1 million

Cherry Creek – $22.4 million

Colorado Springs 11 – $12.9 million

Denver – $33.8 million

Douglas County – $25.2 million

Jefferson – $35 million

Poudre - $10.7 million

St. Vrain Valley – $10.9 million

Other major districts and their proposed cuts include: Roaring Fork ($2.6 million), Academy ($9 million), Brighton ($6.5 million), Commerce City ($3 million), Eagle ($3 million), Greeley ($8.2 million), Lewis-Palmer ($6 million), Littleton ($6.4 million), Mesa ($9.6 million), Mapleton ($2.4 million), Pueblo City ($7.5 million), Pueblo County ($3.6 million), Thompson ($6.3 million) and Westminster ($4.5 million).

Board Meeting Notes from the meeting on November 11^th

· Oath of Office for Bob Johnson and Matt Flink

Both new members were administered the Oath of Office by outgoing Board President, Michael Bair

· Election of Board officers

Bob Johnson – President
Bill Lamont – Vice President
Myles Rovig – Secretary/ Treasurer

· Discussion of Board representative for IBB

Board representatives will be Bob Johnson and Myles Rovig

· Board input on Tech Audit

The Board provided some additional thoughts on information to be collected during the technology audit. This document will now be given to school administrators to provide any additional ideas.

· Staff and Board reports

· Open Forum

· Review of policy BEDG regarding Board minutes

The current policy was reviewed and will remain in force

· Parameters of policy regarding speaker access

A final decision was reached regarding this policy. Beginning in the fall of 2010, schools will notify parents that either the Governor or the President will be granted access to students should another opportunity occur, and that parents, if they choose to exempt their child, will need to inform the school in writing. The policy recognizes that many schools will not have the capacity to offer real time access to such an event and will rely on schools to make the presentation available following the live presentation. The district will make a best effort to inform parents of the event, but may not be able to do so due to the time frame between announcement of the event and live presentation.

· Discussion of Carbondale Athletic Field Master Plan and joint GoCo grant application with the Town of Carbondale

Shannon Pelland provided the Board with information regarding funds available in capital reserve along with a list of needs the district has in terms of other capital needs that revolve around the maintenance of our current facilities. The district has pressing needs for roof repairs and work on some of our current heating and ventilation systems to bring them up to efficient working order. The Town of Carbondale is asking for a contribution of up to $150,000 toward a GoCo grant to provide some new recreational facilities in Carbondale which include a tennis court, ball fields and a playground at Carbondale Middle School. The Board will make a decision on this request at their next meeting, December 9^th.

· Review of agreement with Fat City Farms – Tabled as the agreement was not received from Fat City Farms

· Executive Session

Calendar:

November 17^th – District Accountability/Key Communicators meeting at the district office at 7:00 p.m.

November 18^th – Initial IBB meeting at the district office at 4:00 to determine timeline for IBB process for the year.

November 19^th – Principal Induction at the district office at 8:30

November 20^th – Western Slope secondary administrators meeting from 9:00-12:00 at the district office

November 20^th – Technology Grants due from school for the Roaring Fork Public Education Foundation by 4:00

November 20^th – Meeting of Closing the Gap Districts in Summit County

Upcoming Events:

November 25^th – 27^th – Thanksgiving Break – No school for students or staff

December 1^st – Grants will be read by the Public Education Foundation Board

December 2^nd – Leadership Team Meeting from 8:00-5:00

December 4^th – Superintendents’ Advisory Council

December 9^th – Board Retreat beginning at 1:00 and Board meeting beginning at 4:00 both at the district office

December 10^th – Training of Trainers for CITW for ELL at the Ramada Inn from 8:30-4:00

December 21^st – Winter Break Begins – School Resumes on January 4^th 2010.

10-7-09 RFSD Board of Education Minutes

2009-11-12T16:34:23Z

October 7, 2009

Board of Education Minutes

Roaring Fork School District

]]> October 07, 2009

Roaring Fork School District

Board of Education

4:00 p.m.

I. Order Mr. Bair called the September 23, 2009 meeting to order at 4:05 p.m.

It was noted for the record that Mr. Lamont would arrive later in the meeting.

II. Agenda Motion: Ms. Bruell moved that the Board approve the agenda, as presented.

Mr. Johnson seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

III. Financial None for this meeting.

Report

IV. Consent Motion: Ms. Bruell moved that the Board approve the following as part of the

Agenda consent agenda:

Routine Personnel

Second: Mr. Rovig

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

Approval of the September 23, 2009 minutes was tabled until the October 28 meeting.

V. Minutes Tabled.

VI. New Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Reports

Judy Haptonstall: Judy reported that Colorado Commissioner of Education, Mr. Dwight Jones, has requested an audience on October 19 to speak about the proposed “Race to the Top” program he is promoting in the State of Colorado. Judy distributed a letter from Mr. Jones explaining this program. This meeting will be a regional meeting. CDE will invite administrators from nearby districts to attend the program.

There has been some concern from staff about the decision to postpone salary increases. IBB discussion usually scheduled in October has been rescheduled for January of 2010. Information currently unfolding from the state is not the recurring revenue source needed for funding salaries. The decision to postpone these decisions on salary increases was based on the state’s inability to give concrete information about funding. It is not possible to assure teachers that the missed step this year will be made up until the district knows more about the state budget.

Judy has distributed an updated version of the Accountability Plan. See attached. Areas in red include areas that either have been addressed to date or are currently being addressed this year. She suggested using this tool for the first Board retreat after the election as a way to get board members grounded in the work of the district.

Brad Ray: Brad has been receiving teacher feedback from current assessments. Possible changes to the curriculum map will be prepared this summer. Brad has learned a lot through this process, as have teachers and principals. Everyone was invited to give feedback on the assessment process. Trends were observed across the buildings. This process gave us a chance to reinforce the purpose of the assessment and redefine the process.

Mr. Ray distributed an email response from David McGavock about the proposed tech audit. Brad plans to take input from administrators and the board to talk about specifics with the tech staff.

Mr. Lamont joined the meeting at 4:55 p.m.

Shannon Pelland: Workmen’s compensation and the PERA audits are completed. Ms. Pelland reported that Charley Haupt of Cleer would like to expand energy audits to the Glenwood schools (except GSHS because of the HVAC issues) in the near future. Custodial staff is currently reviewing this data.

Mr. Rovig commented that he believes energy savings are hinged on changes in human behavior, not just mechanical changes. Careful use of energy in our buildings needs to mirror the behavior people use in their own homes. He urges the district to forge on with the energy audits.

Mr. Rovig: Myles would like to have a discussion at a future meeting about the results of the Tell Survey. He would appreciate receiving the summary of this report. Judy will email this summary to board members. Mr. Rovig noted with interest the cultural conference held in Carbondale sponsored by KDNK. He would be interested in learning more about the results of this conference. Mr. Lamont will contact Steve Skinner of KDNK about a possible recording of the event.

Mr. Rovig commented on the national news of gang violence in Chicago area schools. He thought it was an example of the administration of the school district making a decision with the best intent in mind, but a decision that gave a completely different result. He would like our district administrators to be sure to assess things that are out of our control when decisions need to be made about demographics within our schools.

Ms. Bruell: Debbie volunteered to publicize the upcoming Community Forum scheduled for October 22 at Carbondale Middle School. She would like to invite parents to come and share their thoughts about how we teach students, have a question and answer session and give parents an opportunity to give ideas about topics they are interested in exploring. She encouraged board members to focus on the purpose of the community meetings. Before we plan the next meeting, let's talk about what we want to accomplish through these meetings. She would like to see the Community Forums be focused on getting input from the community rather than trying to get community buy-in on something we are already doing.

Ms. Bruell inquired about an evaluation of the late start program. Judy said she would give the Board information on how the late start will be assessed.

Ms. Bruell would like the Board to develop a systematic process for getting feedback from staff and board members on documents on which we are seeking feedback (like the Parent Promise). One possibility would be to use a collaborative tool like googledocs. One person from each school could be appointed their representative to give feedback to the board and then they could report back to their school. Debbie will draft a plan for board discussion.

Ms. Bruell agrees with Mr. Johnson about receiving more information about student achievement and what that means at a board level. What are we doing as a board in relationship to student achievement? Debbie distributed a chart she created showing the many things that impact student achievement. See attached.

3. Basalt Elementary School Parking Lot

Suzanne Wheeler Del-Piccolo, Principal of Basalt Elementary and Larry Estrada, Transportation Supervisor, spoke to the Board about the parking lot situation at BES. Mr. Estrada explained that a solution for off-site parking for buses is being explored, freeing up the bus corral for staff parking. This will be a partial solution, however. Ms. Wheeler Del-Piccolo gave a brief history of this situation. It was determined that school administrators will work with the Town of Basalt to improve the traffic flow through the parking lot and will work with parents to expedite the drop-off and pick-up of their students at the beginning and end of the school day.

Board Reports, continued.

Mr. Johnson: Bob inquired about how the classroom walk-throughs are going in the schools. Judy responded that they are going well and are actually an eye-opening experience. Trainers will be here October 12 - 14 to work with new administrators about what they are seeing in the walk-throughs and then how they can use the data. Mr. Ray commented that teachers are being encouraged to be a part of this process. Students actually have knowledge of what the walk-throughs mean and they know that it is an opportunity to be a part of the student achievement goals.

Mr. Johnson stated that he appreciates the dialogue board members have on the content of the minutes of meetings. However, he feels that the minutes should catch the flavor of a discussion, not every statement made. He would like to streamline the minutes. Ms. Hallford read the CASB guidelines for recording board meetings. Discussion of minutes will be added to the next meeting's agenda.

Mr. Lamont: Bill attended a traffic meeting today in Carbondale. The traffic engineers were not present and a civil engineer took a look at the traffic plan for the first time today at the meeting.

Mr. Lamont reminded the board members of the October 16 presentation by Michael Feinberg, Director of the KIP Program and the follow-up reception at River Valley Ranch House on Saturday, October 17.

Mr. Bair: No report.

2. District Accountability/Key Communicators 2009 - 2010

The first meeting of this group will be held on October 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the District Office. Invitations to last year's members have been sent.

B. Action Items - none at this time

VII. Unfinished Business

A. Discussion/Information Items.

1. Parameters for policy regarding speakers who request simultaneous access to students.

The board discussed the key agreements surrounding this policy: receiving adequate notification that an event will occur, allowing parents to be informed of the coming presentation, recognition that infrastructure may not provide for immediate simultaneous access of all students to the event and granting only the President of the United States or the Governor of Colorado this kind of venue. Mr. Rovig stated that these factors should be the basis for agreement. He will make further revisions for the board's review.

B. Action Items

1. Routine Personnel - approved in consent agenda.

2. Approval of Policy on Second Reading

a. Policy GDPD - Discipline, Suspension and Dismissal of Support Staff

Motion: Mr. Lamont moved that the Board approve Policy GDPD on second reading, as presented. Ms. Bruell seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

3. Approval of Easement Documents between the Town of Basalt and RFSD regarding the placement of a water tank near Basalt High School.

This item will be tabled until October 28, 2009. Ms. Pelland will contact the Town of Basalt regarding several concerns the board has with this Easement Agreement.

VIII. Open Forum

There were no requests to speak before the Board.

IX. Executive Session

Motion: Mr. Johnson moved that the board convene in executive session for discussions of personnel matters under C.R.S. §24-6-402(4)(f) inviting Judy Haptonstall, Brad Ray and Shannon Pelland to join us. Seconded: Ms. Bruell

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

These minutes shall reflect that the board discussed on the topics authorized in the motion to go into executive session and that no formal action was taken in executive session. This executive session was electronically recorded.

Return to Regular Session.

X. ADJOURN.

Motion: Mr. Lamont moved that the Board adjourn at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Rovig seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

Respectfully submitted, Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia L. Hallford Myles Rovig

Recording Secretary Secretary/Treasurer of the Board

November 11, 2009 Board Agenda

2009-11-10T15:24:03Z

Board of Education Meeting

November 11, 2009

4:00 p.m.

]]>

November 11, 2009

Roaring Fork School District

Board of Education Meeting

4:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. I. Call to Order

II. Approval of agenda

III. Financial Report - none for this meeting

IV. Consent Agenda/Blanket Motion, Items V. and VIII. B. 1.

V. Minutes of October 28, 2009

Oath of Office for Directors Bob Johnson and Matt Flink

Election of Officers

4:30 p.m. VI. New Business

A. Action Items

B. Discussion/Information Items

1. Discussion of Board Representative for Interest Based Bargaining

2. Board Level Tech Audit Input

3. Reports: Judy Haptonstall – Superintendent

Brad Ray - Assistant Superintendent

Shannon Pelland – Assistant Superintendent of Business Services

Board Reports

5:15 p.m. VII. Open Forum – Anyone wishing to be heard during Open Forum should come to the Board

meeting from 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. and inform the Board Secretary of their desire to speak before the Board.

The purpose of the open forum section in the Board of Education agenda is an opportunity for the public to comment about any policy or procedure of the District or any particular building in the district. Please be aware that any personnel or individual student matters are considered confidential under Colorado Law and it is out of respect of the law and our employees and students that we require that those discussions take place privately in executive session.

5:30 p.m. VIII. Unfinished Business

A. Action Items

1. Routine Personnel

2. Approval of Policy on First Reading

a. Policy BEDG - Minutes

B. Discussion/Information Items

1. Parameters for policy regarding speakers who request unilateral access to students

2. Discussion regarding Carbondale Athletic Field Master Plan and GOCO Grant

3. Review of Agreement with Fat City Farms

6:30 p.m. Executive Session

For discussion of personnel matters under C.R.S. §24-6-402(4(f); for discussions determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as authorized by C.R.S. §24-6-402 (4)(e) as relates to affordable housing, future residential housing developments at the old Carbondale Elementary School site and the energy management contract with NET.

7:00 p.m. IX. Adjourn

11-9-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-11-09T17:56:42Z

RFSD Community Update

November 11, 2009

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

November 9^th, 2009

Parent Portal

Curriculum Maps by Quarter

Parent Promise

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for Superintendents’ Advisory Council Members who bring issues and ideas from their buildings to a meeting each month in order to help us all better understand and implement such things as interim assessments, grade book and report card changes, or use of the district’s curriculum site, all intended to support the important work going on in schools every day. By listening to each other we create a better environment for everyone, but at the end of the day, it’s our students who most benefit from our work together.

Housing Update:

Garfield County agreed to support the district’s project for staff housing to the tune of $960,000 which will go a long way toward making this project, after fifteen years of discussion, a reality! The county funds will not fill the entire gap but it takes a big chunk out of it, and is just what we needed to ask for other state funds to ensure the affordability of the housing that will be created. Following one more hearing with the Town of Carbondale’s Planning and Zoning Committee on the 19^th of November, the district will move to hearings with the Town of Carbondale Trustees. It is during the Trustee hearing that we may need to call on district staff to attend to speak to the need for housing. While always a critical need for our district, the economic downturn has made the need for affordable housing even more urgent and it will be important for the Trustees to hear that urgency. A special thanks to County Commissioners Traci Houpt and Mike Sampson for their support.

Governor’s Budget Released

More than $260 million, nearly 4.6% would be cut from state total program funding support for K-12 education under the 2010-2011 budget unveiled by the governor on Friday. The legislature is expected to cut $110 million from current K-12 spending after it convenes in January. If that cut is made, the base would be reduced, and Ritter’s new cuts would net out to about $150 million for K-12 education. The Colorado Association of School Boards has been recommending that districts plan for cuts at the 4%, 6%, and 8% levels. If the governor’s recommendation is accepted by the legislature, and if the $110 million district’s received last year with the admonition to hold it in reserve are figured into district’s budget cuts, that will be one piece of good news for school districts who did not spend that money, impacting the RFSD by around 1.5 million rather than 3 million or more. Final decisions are not expected until April and will be preceded by new revenue forecasts in late December and March which will impact how the final budget decisions shake out.

Board Agenda for Meeting on November 11^th

· Oath of Office for Bob Johnson and Matt Flink

· Election of Board officers

· Discussion of Board representative for IBB

· Board input on Tech Audit

· Staff and Board reports

· Open Forum

· Review of policy BEDG regarding Board minutes

· Parameters of policy regarding speaker access

· Discussion of Carbondale Athletic Field Master Plan and joint GoCo grant application with the Town of Carbondale

· Review of agreement with Fat City Farms

· Executive Session

Calendar:

November 9^th – Salary meeting at BES at 3:20

November 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th – Howard Pitler from McRel in the district to do walkthroughs with administrators in each building

November 11^th – Salary meeting at SES at 3:15

November 11^th – Board of Education Meeting at the district office beginning at 4:00 p.m.

November 12^th - Salary meeting at BMS

Upcoming Events:

November 17^th – District Accountability/Key Communicators meeting at the district office at 7:00 p.m.

November 18^th – Initial Interest Based Bargaining meeting at the district office at 4:00 to determine timeline for IBB process for the year.

November 19^th – Principal Induction at the district office at 8:30

November 20^th – Western Slope secondary administrators meeting from 9:00-12:00 at the district office

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

September 23, 2009 BOE Minutes

2009-11-03T23:05:14Z

September 23, 2009

Board of Education

Minutes

]]> September 23, 2009

Roaring Fork School District

Board of Education

4:00 p.m.

Mr. Chuck Perry of Perry & Rose presented an overview of the proposed Affordable Housing Project at the Carbondale Elementary School site in Carbondale. An amended PUD will be presented to the Town of Carbondale Planning and Zoning Committee on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Perry presented the revised PUD plan to the board and several community members. Two-story Townhouses, three-story condominiums and single-family homes comprise this plan. There will be a total of 121 units. The project has been divided into three phases; the first phase is located along Capital where the infrastructure is currently in place. Over 400 people responded to a district survey regarding housing in Carbondale. Approximately 160 parties responded that they would be interested in purchasing housing under this plan. 43% of those responding to the survey and expressed interest in purchasing property were from two-person households. The goal is to have this PUD approved by January of 2010 and to start Phase I in the spring of 2010. First priority for this housing would be made to School District employees, Town of Carbondale employees and then residents of Garfield County that work in the area. This housing will be deed restricted. Perry & Rose, the School District, Garfield County Housing authority and all applicable mortgage entities will analyze the appropriate deed restriction guidelines. Longevity of ownership may be an important factor in creating the deed restrictions. The possibility of rental units depends on what type of financing is available.

I. Order Mr. Bair called the September 23, 2009 meeting to order at 4:45 p.m.

II. Agenda Motion: Ms. Bruell moved that the Board approve the agenda, as amended.

Mr. Johnson seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

Amendments: Addition of a New Business Action Item: One-Time approval of the waiver of the 3-bid process for the purchase of truck plows.

Ms. Pelland explained that Larry Estrada, Transportation Director, had requested that the usual bidding process to purchase vehicles be waived. He has had a difficult time receiving bids from auto dealers and has an opportunity to purchase two truck plows that are needed by the district. Auto manufacturers are only taking orders for vehicles of this type at this time and an anticipated 8 - 10 week delay would mean the district would be short the needed plow trucks for the winter season. There are currently two trucks available for sale that could be purchased immediately if the bid process could be waived for this purchase.

Motion: Mr. Johnson moved that the board approve a one-time waiver of the 3-bid requirement for the purchase of two truck plows for the transportation department. Mr. Rovig seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

III. Financial Ms. Pelland reported that some information had been received from the state this week. It looks like there will be additional cuts and that K-12 schools will not be spared from the second round of cuts. A detailed report will be presented to the board at the second meeting in October.

IV. Consent Motion: Mr. Johnson moved that the Board approve the following as part of the consent agenda:

Routine Personnel

Minutes of September 9, 2009, as amended.

Second: Mr. Lamont

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

V. Minutes Approved in consent agenda.

5:20 p.m.

VI. New Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Presentation by Megan Talbott, President of Roaring Fork Colorado Education Assoc.

Megan Talbott and Kaet Snyder spoke to the Board about the purpose of the association and to update board members about what is happening with the association. Megan gave the Mission Statement of RFCEA: Committed to collaborative solutions for excellent schools. She read the Vision Statement and the Core Values of the association (attached). Megan stated that RFCEA is a voice for teachers. The association knows what teachers are thinking and is willing to help gather information. As the only organization that represents the teachers' collective voice in the district, RFCEA is the group to work with if teacher input in problem solving is the goal. RFCEA looks forward to opening this avenue with the district. Megan commented that the results of the TELL survey are valuable and can be used to make our district a great place to teach and learn. Megan commented that she was not sure what level of commitment there was at the board and district level for looking at the data from the TELL survey and would be interested in talking about that level of commitment. She assured the board and the district that RFCEA is committed to working with the board and the district regarding these results.

Ms. Haptonstall reported that administrators discussed the results of the survey at the administrator retreat before school started. Each school has an individual report from this survey. There has not been a board conversation about the results from the survey. It is Judy's understanding that this survey is not a report on administrators or about individual schools, but a tool to help buildings work together better. Mr. Lamont stated that he thought the board would be interested in hearing about the discussions the schools might have about concerns the teachers may have and how the teachers and administrators are working on these concerns. Ms. Bruell stated that she felt it would be worthwhile for the Board to look at the results and determine if there was anything they would like to follow up on. Mr. Rovig noted that results from the survey are at a grassroots level and parents, teachers and administrators could present their needs to the board and accountability committees. Ms. Talbott assured the Board that RFCEA is willing to work with the district and administrators in discussing the results of the survey.

Ms. Talbott noted that teachers at two elementary schools were interested in developing a faculty council like the one that GSHS has implemented. This council is modeled after one that CMC has developed. It would be comprised of all teachers, not just those belonging to RFCEA. RFCEA would like to pursue using this model as a way to get teachers more involved in their schools. Megan also mentioned that CEA is sponsoring a campaign to support the implementation of Amendment 23. Their campaign will be titled Honor 23 Put Students First.

Ms. Talbott asked the Board if there were any areas they thought RFCEA could work on to improve teacher relations with the district. Mr. Rovig commented that the one item RFCEA could work on would be to ask colleges and universities that have teaching programs to teach their students about ELL and give them more background on language and methods for teaching students who come to school without English as a first language. He also encouraged RFCEA to promote a mentor program in our schools to help new teachers. Ms. Talbott commented that CEA does have a teacher training program that RE-2 is planning to use. Mr. Ray mentioned that our district also has a teacher induction program that has been in process for three years.

Ms. Bruell asked if there could be an informal forum with board members and association members to brainstorm ideas - ideas already brought up and perhaps new ideas about how to connect with teachers. Ms. Haptonstall commented that this type of forum would be possible if it complimented what is already in place. Mr. Rovig suggested having a specific topic for each meeting. Ms. Snyder suggested having a brown bag lunch type meeting. That type of setting would be comfortable for everyone and would allow teachers to get to know important people in our district.

Ms. Bruell proposed that a plan be created for addressing concerns that have been raised at a board meeting about the association having negative messages for teachers. Ms. Bruell said she herself hasn't had any negative experiences with the Teachers’ Association, but these concerns have been raised at a previous board meeting. Mr. Ray suggested making this the topic for the first brown bag lunch. Mr. Johnson suggested that this issue be addressed at the start of the this year’s Interest-Based Bargaining meeting.

Mr. Lamont is concerned that all teachers should be heard from, not just teachers who belong to RFCEA. Ms. Talbott confirmed that only teachers who are members of RFCEA are in the IBB process. The association makes a point to garner information from all teachers by surveying teachers in all buildings. These teachers have a voice. Mr. Ray expressed interest in learning what level concerns are coming from (elementary, middle, high), not necessarily which school, but at what level is a concern coming from.

2. Reports

Judy Haptonstall: Parent commitment letters were sent to administrators this week in English and Spanish. They have been encouraged to include this letter in their next newsletter home with students.

Debra Schoeberlein has volunteered to be the point of contact for information on the H1N1 virus. She has posted information on our website and has given school secretaries information about prevention of the spread of the virus. Maintenance staff members are taking extra precaution to clean high traffic areas in each school. State of Colorado Dept. of Education will not be granting waivers for school closure days because of the H1N1 flu virus.

Judy has contacted administrators about school schedules in October as relates to scheduling a board community meeting. Judy suggested showing video examples and scenarios of student progress during the community meetings. Judy has asked Paula Marr to assist her with this project. A possible date was determined for Thursday, October 22 at Carbondale Middle School cafeteria.

Mr. Johnson expressed his appreciation to Judy for her messages about health safety during this flu season. He feels it is important that parents and students understand the importance of staying home if you are sick and not spreading the flu to other students and teachers. Ms. Bruell commented that perhaps the perfect attendance goal is not always appropriate.

Mr. Rovig complemented Ms. Haptonstall on her work with CMC to offer vocational education. Specifically, that we are focusing on current programs. Let's keep the current programs at the forefront. Ms. Haptonstall noted that there is a meeting of this group in December that the Board would be welcome to attend.

Brad Ray: Mr. Ray attended a Carbondale Rotary meeting where Karen Olson and Rick Holt made an impressive presentation. Mr. Lamont invited Brad to the Rotary meeting on the 30th where Cliff Colia will be the guest speaker. Brad attended a Family Resource meeting. Ruth Muse has increased Medicaid funding from $9,000 to $57,000 for services rendered within our district to students who qualify. Brad has spoken to the Tech Dept. about posting the meetings to the website. He framed the question around the cost and capability of our system to handle this request.

Brad led an einstruction training last Saturday for teachers and principals from each building. The training went well. Special Ed teachers will also get this training. Einstruction donated an interactive whiteboard to the district. This will be very helpful in trainings. Special Ed teachers are planning to present their additional curricular needs to Brad in the near future. Brad and Judy are planning to meet with teachers from each building to get feedback from the interim assessments so changes can be made to streamline this process.

Shannon Pelland: No report.

Mr. Lamont: The Carbondale Culltural Council will sponsor Mr. Michael Feinberg of KIPP at a presentation at the Thunder River Theatre on October 16. Bill would like to send a letter to Mr. Feinberg giving him background about our district thinking that information would be helpful at the reception to be held with Mr. Feinberg on Saturday, October 17. There may be concern about Mr. Feinberg coming to promote another charter school in the Carbondale community.

Mr. Johnson: Bob wanted to thank the Roaring Fork Public Education Foundation for the incredible job they did holding the carnival last weekend to raise money for technology grants for our school district. The foundation board is very excited about continuing to support our district. He suggested sending a thank you to the foundation board expressing our appreciation for their hard work. Judy will draft a letter for administrators to sign at the next leadership team meeting. Bob mentioned that our maintenance staff was very helpful with the carnival setup and kept things running smoothly. There seems to be a unity among the foundation and the community that wasn't there before.

Mr. Johnson would like to see more involvement and information about our efforts to close the achievement gap at board meetings.

Ms. Bruell: Ms. Bruell distributed an article from The Sopris Sun about the energy savings at RFHS and CRES through the Garfield County New Energy Communities Initiative. Together, RFHS and CRES cut energy costs by more than $15,000 in June and July compared with the same months in 2008.

The board agreed to have its first meeting in October on the 7th instead of the 14th to accommodate several members who would not be able to attend on the 14th.

Ms. Bruell would like the board to be more careful about how we raise concerns about groups of people. If it is important enough to bring up at a board meeting, the particular group should be present and be part of the conversation or a plan should be made to communicate the specific concerns to the people involved and to work with them toward a solution.

Mr. Johnson commented that he thought this conversation may have begun after he reported going to a conference discussing how technology is used to increase student achievement. He was interested in how our district uses technology to increase student achievement and asked to receive more information.

Mr. Rovig commented that as a board, we should be aware that comments be made on the basis of fact, not rumor, heresay, etc.

Mr. Lamont commented that when the board reaches a concensus of concern, it should be given to the appropriate staff to investigate. Let's increase our sensitivity to this issue.

Mr. Rovig:. Myles would appreciate learning about how library staffing decisions are made. He has noticed differences between schools about how many teachers are in a particular location and it differs from building to building. Myles would also appreciate receiving information about how administrators and teachers actually dealt with showing or broadcasting President Obama's speech. It would be helpful in framing his response to people who have asked him about the outcome of this situation.

Mr. Rovig attended the BOCES meeting with Judy and found it very interesting. It seems that the new director, Troy Lange, wants to be of service to our district's schools. Myles was impressed with the representation from participating districts at the meeting and the great opportunity there for discussion.

Mr. Rovig asked Judy about her management process among Brad, Shannon and Nikki. Judy shared that she continually asks them about decisions to be made. Mr. Rovig encouraged Brad to be a part of this process, since we have been without a voice in this capacity for a while. Brad complimented Judy for her mentoring skills and her willingness to always listen.

Mr. Bair: No report.

3. Discussion of parameters for policy regarding speakers who request unilateral access to students.

Mr. Lamont commented that Judy's draft was acceptable with the exception to the 15-day notification period. Bill would like to respect the office and not require a time limit for these offices.

Mr. Rovig distributed a draft policy. He believes that approval by the board is necessary for the simultaneous access to students and staff.

Ms. Bruell appreciates the spirit in which the policy was drafted. She would like to see the board discuss what we learned and how we will handle this type of situation in the future. She would like to see a board role in decision making.

Mr. Johnson does not see a point in reliving the past. He would like to move forward.

Mr. Bair commented that the board already has a role in decision making. There is a process that is followed.

Ms. Bruell stated that when a situation like this comes up again, it could be in a different form than a speech to all kids. For this reason, it is important to review our decision-making process and not just create a new policy about speakers. Also, very few districts made the decision we did – this is not because we were lacking a policy about speakers, but because our decision-making process was not adequate.

Mr. Rovig stated that we should allow the Superintendent and her team make important decisions, but not hesitate to call on the Board to help make a decision when time allows.

B. Action Items

1. Approval of Policy on First Reading

a. Policy GDPD - Discipline, Suspension and Dismissal of Support Staff

Motion: Mr. Rovig moved that the Board approve Policy GDPD on first reading, as presented. Ms. Bruell seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

VII. Unfinished Business

A. Discussion/Information Items. None at this time.

B. Action Items

1. Routine Personnel

VIII. Open Forum

There were no requests to speak before the Board.

IX. Executive Session - not necessary.

X. ADJOURN.

Motion: Mr. Lamont moved that the Board adjourn at 7:25 p.m. Mr. Rovig seconded.

AYE: Mr. Bair, Ms. Bruell, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Lamont, Mr. Rovig. Motion passes.

Board members attended the Dedication Program for the Jeannie Miller Theatre at Glenwood Springs High School.

Respectfully submitted, Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia L. Hallford Myles Rovig

Recording Secretary Secretary/Treasurer of the Board

11-2-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-11-02T16:08:08Z

November 2, 2009

RFSD Community Update

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

November 2^nd, 2009

Parent Portal

Curriculum Maps by Quarter

Parent Promise

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for Suzanne Wheeler-Del Piccolo, principal at Basalt Elementary and Karen Olson, principal at Crystal River Elementary for taking the Parent Promise power point to parent groups in their buildings to help parents understand what they can expect from teachers in our district in terms of standards based practices. Complete with video clips from across the district, parents get to view first hand students using rubrics, setting goals with their teachers, and charting their own progress on learning. If we want parents to be partners in the learning process, it’s critical that they understand how we do business and know what to expect for their children in our classrooms.

Housing Update:

The next Planning and Zoning meeting will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall in November. This should be the final hearing with Planning and Zoning and the project will then move on to the Town Trustees.

Local news stories regarding budget cuts help us all understand the bigger picture of the economic crisis Colorado is experiencing. The different budget cutting measures reported here from Basalt last week and Carbondale this week are not meant to be predictive of how our school district will deal with our own budget cuts but are meant to serve as good background information for making our own decisions about dealing with severely decreased revenues from the state.

Decreasing Revenues Impact Local Communities

Town of Carbondale

· Four full time and one part time employee laid off

· Five furlough days are planned for next year for every employee

· Matches for one of the town’s two retirements benefits will be eliminated in 2010

· Between the furlough days and the reduced benefits, town employees will be seeing a 4% reduction in benefits and pay

· The town manager is taking a 15% pay cut

· A quote from City Manager, Tom Baker. “Many staff members said they would be willing to sacrifice in order to minimize layoffs. Some town employees came forward with proposals to work less, understanding it would be better than not working at all.”

Calendar:

November 2^nd – Salary meeting at CMS at 3:30

November 4^th – Leadership Team Meeting from 8:00-12:00 at the district office

November 4^th – Salary meeting at RFHS at 3:30

November 5^th – Salary meeting at BHS at 3:30

November 6^th – Superintendents’ Advisory Council at 7:30 a.m. at RFHS

Upcoming Events:

November 9^th – Salary meeting at BES at 3:20

November 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th – Howard Pitler from McRel in the district to do walkthroughs with administrators in each building

November 11^th – Salary meeting at SES at 3:15

November 12^th - Salary meeting at BMS

November 18^th – Initial Interest Based Bargaining (Negotiations) meeting at the district office at 4:00 to determine timeline for IBB process for the year.

November 20^th – Western Slope secondary administrators meeting from 9:00-12:00 at the district office

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

10-28-09 Board of Education Agenda

2009-10-26T15:47:19Z

October 28, 2009

RFSD Board of Education Meeting Agenda

]]>

October 28, 2009

Roaring Fork School District

Board of Education Meeting

5:00 p.m.

(Later start due to salary meeting at GSMS)

Employee Recognition - Dino Baldizan, Maintenance

5:00 p.m. I. Call to Order

II. Approval of agenda

III. Financial Report

IV. Consent Agenda/Blanket Motion, Items V. and VIII. B. 1.

V. Minutes of September 23 and October 7, 2009

5:30 p.m. VI. New Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Carbondale Community School Annual Report

2. Presentation by CLEER and New Energy Technology regarding pilot energy project in Carbondale, as well as proposal to expand program to Glenwood Springs.

3. Reports: Judy Haptonstall – Superintendent

Brad Ray - Assistant Superintendent

Shannon Pelland – Assistant Superintendent of Business Services

Board Reports

4. Committee Representatives from Board of Education

B. Action Items

1. Approval of Policy on First, Second and Third Readings

a. Policy GDJ - Hours of Work - Classified Staff

2. Approval of Agreement with Eagle County for distribution of 2009 Forest Service Payments.

3. Request for Early Graduation - Brook Reynolds, Senior, Roaring Fork High School

7:15 p.m. VII. Open Forum – Anyone wishing to be heard during Open Forum should come to the Board

meeting from 5:00 - 7:15 p.m. and inform the Board Secretary of their desire to speak before the Board.

7:30 p.m. VIII. Unfinished Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Parameters for policy regarding speakers who request unilateral access to students

2. Discussion regarding Carbondale Athletic Field Master Plan and GOCO Grant

B. Action Items

1. Routine Personnel

2. Approval of Policy on Third Reading

a. Policy GDPD - Discipline, Suspension and Dismissal of Classified Staff

3. Approval of Easement Documents between the Town of Basalt and RFSD regarding the placement of a water tank near Basalt High School.

4. Discussion of Board meeting minutes detail. Policy BEDG

8:00 p.m. Executive Session

8:30 p.m. IX. Adjourn

10-26-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-10-26T15:38:20Z

October 26, 2009

RFSD Community Update

Judy Haptonstall

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

October 26^th, 2009

Parent Portal

During Parent Teacher Conferences on the 29^th and 30^th this week, take advantage of the opportunity to sign up for the Parent Portal if you haven’t already. School secretaries are available to help you get signed in. The parent portal gives you instant access to the teacher’s grade book, absences and tardies, immunization records, transcripts for high school students, and many other important pieces of information. If you don’t get a chance to sign up during conferences, call the school to get help at any time.

Curriculum Maps by Quarter

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for all staff members who are working hard in their Results Teams to plan for instruction using Marzano’s strategies and to develop instructional plans to meet the needs of all of your students. Your analysis of the effectiveness of your teaching based on student learning is commendable and your plans for intervention or enrichment based on students’ needs make the difference between success and failure. Teachers are seeing some exciting increases in student learning as a result of their collaborative work.

Housing Update:

The next Planning and Zoning meeting will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall on October 29^th. The specific time on the agenda is not yet available but will be provided to staff once we have the information. Your presence is important to the approval process.

District Budget Information/Initial Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) Meeting

With the figures above provided from the state, we will begin the work needed to determine what our district’s portion of the $150 million, $250 million and $350 million cuts will be. We anticipate having that information in November and plan to hold an initial IBB meeting on November 18^th at 4:00 at the district office. This meeting will be to provide an overview of the timeline of budget information coming from the state, provide information regarding the different budget cut scenarios and to determine when we want to begin the IBB process this year.

Calendar:

October 26^th – Western Slope Superintendents’ Meeting from 9:00-5:00 in Grand Junction

October 26^th – Late Start time to complete report cards

October 27^th – Report Cards will be printed beginning at 8:00 a.m.

October 27^th – CITW for ELL Training of Trainers from 8:30-4:00 at the Ramada Inn in Glenwood.

October 28^th – Board Meeting beginning at 5:00 at the district office

October 28^th – Salary meeting at GSMS at 3:15

October 29^th – Administrator Induction at the district office from 8:30-10:00

October 29^th – P and Z hearing in Carbondale on district’s housing proposal

October 29^th and 30^th – Parent Teachers Conferences in the afternoons*

Upcoming Events:

November 2^nd – Salary meeting at CMS at 3:30

November 4^th – Leadership Team Meeting from 8:00-12:00 at the district office

November 4^th – Salary meeting at RFHS at 3:30

November 5^th – Salary meeting at BHS at 3:30

November 6^th – Superintendents’ Advisory Council at 7:30 a.m. at RFHS

November 9^th – Salary meeting at BES at 3:20

November 11^th – Salary meeting at SES at 3:15

November 12^th - Salary meeting at BMS

November 13^th – Western Slope secondary administrators meeting from 9:00-12:00 at the district office

*Schools schedule evening conferences on various evenings during this week. Call your child’s school if you need more information.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

10-19-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-10-19T15:51:16Z

10-19-09 RFSD Community Update

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

October 19^th, 2009

The Roaring Fork School District is hosting a Community Forum at Carbondale Middle School for all parents and community members in the district on Thursday, October 22^nd at 7:00 p.m. Come hear how our district works to challenge and inspire every student through the specifics outlined in the Parent Promise, and provide Board members and administrators in attendance with your thoughts on how we can best support and encourage your involvement as a parent in the education of your child.

School Health and Flu Health

As we monitor absences in each of the schools it appears that our absence rates are only slightly higher this fall than they were last fall. We continue our efforts at school to remind students and staff about flu prevention measures and we plan to continue our increased efforts to prevent the spread of germs throughout the school and on school buses.

For more information, please contact your child’s school nurse or the Roaring Fork School Health Centers @ 384-6054. "

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

Standin’ by the Goals

Standin’ by Each Other

Standin’ by all of those kids who won’t make it without you!

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for everyone at Glenwood Middle School and Carbondale Middle School who have both dramatically changed the structures of their schools to meet the needs of students on a daily basis. Glenwood is in year two, and Carbondale is just beginning this year. Both schools exemplify the next steps in what standards based education will become when we focus on the needs of students and the urgency in helping every single student meet grade level expectations. I hope all of you know how much your work is noted and appreciated!

Housing Update:

State budget causing unease as districts brace for negative impacts

(From Colorado Association of School Executives bulletin printed in full last week)

While we do not anticipate the entire amount in the factors to be cut, varying dollar ranges are being discussed. Todd Saliman, director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB), spelled out the ranges of K-12 cuts likely in 2010-2011. He says that cuts are being considered at the following levels: $150 million, $250 million and $350 million. These dollar amounts include the $110 million cut to the State Education Fund discussed above. So, to predict what your district will receive in 2010-11 within this scenario, take your 2009-10 appropriation and subtract the three potential cuts outlined by OSPB. The cuts will create a net decrease in total program funding for schools when compared to 2009-10.

District Budget Information/Initial Interest Based Bargaining Meeting (IBB)

Calendar:

October 19^th – Administrators and Board members to attend a regional meeting with Dwight Jones regarding the district’s participation in Race to the Top at 6:00 at the district office

October 20^th – District Accountability/Key Communicators meeting at the district office at 7:00 p.m.

October 22^nd – Special Educators meeting at the district office at 4:30

October 22^nd – Community Forum on the Parent Promise and Parent Involvement – 7:00 at Carbondale Middle School

Upcoming Events:

October 26^th – Western Slope Superintendents’ Meeting from 9:00-5:00 in Grand Junction

October 27^th – Report Cards will be printed beginning at 8:00 a.m.

October 27^th – CITW for ELL Training of Trainers from 8:30-4:00 at the Ramada Inn in Glenwood.

October 28^th – Board Meeting beginning at 5:00 at the district office

October 29^th – Administrator Induction at the district office from 8:30-10:00

October 29^th – P and Z hearing in Carbondale on district’s housing proposal

October 29^th and 30^th – Parent Teachers Conferences in the afternoons

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

10-12-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-10-19T15:48:40Z

October 12, 2009

RFSD Community Update

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

October 12, 2009

Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year

Check out our academic performance on the new site: www.schoolview.org. We made great gains in student achievement and growth. Check them out online.

Contact your student’s school to sign up for the Parent Portalif you are not already registered. You have real time access to such things as attendance and the teacher’s grade book.

Being an eNews subscriber will help you keep up with the work being done in the district on behalf of our students. Encourage other parents to sign up through the district web site at http://enews.rfsd.k12.co.us/mailman/listinfo/ . Thanks to Kara Williams from Basalt Elementary for pointing out this easy access.

"School Health & Flu Health

There’s a lot that schools can do in response to the flu(H1N1 as well as seasonal flu). Since communication is the key to safeguarding the kids and promoting public health, the Roaring Fork School District is sharing a few main messages. Here’s what we believe:

· Care comes first — All members of school staff recognize that students’ health is top priority.

· Health information crosses language and culture — We have bilingual information on the flu available at school, included in weekly newsletters, correspondence with parents and staff bulletins, and posted on the RFSD website.

· Prevention is practical—For example, teachers have hand sanitizers in classrooms as well as anti-bacterial wipes to help keep desks, door handles and computer keyboards clean.

Preventing the flu is an individual and community effort, and caring for sick kids involves us all. Remembering to catch coughs, cover sneezes and wash hands can make all the difference!

For more information, please contact your child’s school nurse or the Roaring Fork School Health Centers @ 384-6054. "

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

Standin’ by the Goals

Standin’ by Each Other

Standin’ by all of those kids who won’t make it without you!

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for four of our district counselors, Sue Turner, Linda Haydock, Scott Loeffler, and Carol Kramer who came to the assistance of Bridges staff and students following the loss of a recent graduate. As a team, counselors across the district have worked together to develop a plan for quick action when they are needed to help provide support in the schools that goes beyond the daily support they very capably provide. Thanks to each of you for your time spent at Bridges High School this week.

State Budget Information: This week I’ve included an expert from a report by the legislative liaison for CASE, (Colorado Association of School Executives) Bruce Caughey.

State budget causing unease as districts brace for negative impacts

Nobody wants to see it happen. But we find ourselves talking about significant cuts to schools, when common sense says that investing in education is the best way out of this fiscal mess.

We have an “education governor” in Bill Ritter, but the writing is on the wall that K-12 will need to participate in the budget cuts impacting Colorado in 2009-10 and 2010-11. So far, the conversation about the budget in 2009-10 has focused on the near certainty of a $110 million rescission of funds that were sent to districts as part of a fiscal contingency reserve. The Legislature must vote by January 29, 2010 to take back those funds. Sometimes you hear Yogi Berra in the back of your head, saying: ‚ÄIt ain’t over until it’s over.” But on this matter you had better not plan on spending these dollars.

The Governor’s office has embraced a legal opinion of Amendment 23 that allows reductions in the factors and a reduction in spending in a deflationary environment. The Legislative Council projects deflation at .4 percent next year. When used with the deflation plus one percent formula, the increase to K-12 would be only .6. The current plan is to make cuts in the factors within the School Finance Act. And, just how much money do the factors comprise? Last year the factors when considered together amount to $1.3 billion of funds intended to recognize district-to-district variances in size, cost of living, personnel costs and number of at-risk students.

So, for planning purposes, we now have a range of numbers for Chief Financial Officers to consider in their planning for the next school year. And if you ask, every single one of our CFO’s will tell you that we need more information going forward in order to finalize the amount that will be cut. We will be looking toward future economic forecasts in December and March that will continue to give more precise measurements of the state’s fiscal situation. We can also count on political battles on new revenue sources (getting rid of unnecessary state tax exemptions, for example).

CASE has joined forces with a diverse group of business, civic, labor, nonprofit and education interests—called the Colorado Reform Roundtable—to develop and pursue both revenue and Constitutional solutions for Colorado. CASE understands that Colorado needs a long-term fiscal fix that will lead to adequate funding for education and the other purposes of government. So often the conversation leads to Amendment 23 being the problem, but don’t forget that Colorado has actually slipped in terms of our education funding since 2000: Colorado ranks 40th in per pupil dollar spending when compared to other states. The complex problem of Colorado’s financial future involves the elimination of TABOR and Gallagher provisions, before even bringing Amendment 23 into the discussion.

Board Notes – Meeting on October 7, 2009

· Board and staff reports

· District Accountability/Key Communicator Process for 09-10

o First meeting of the year will be held on October 20^th at 7:00 p.m. at the district office

· BES Parking Lot

o A solution for off site parking for buses is being explored, freeing up the bus corral for staff parking

o School administrators will work with the town to improve the traffic flow through the parking lot and with parents to expedite drop off and pick up processes

· Parameters for policy regarding requests for unilateral access to students

o Final details have not been decided but key agreements center around receiving adequate notification that an event will occur, allowing parents to be informed of the coming presentation, recognition that infrastructure may not provide for immediate unilateral access of all students to the event, and granting only the president or the governor this kind of venue.

· Policy on Second Reading – GDPD- Discipline, Suspension, and Dismissal of Classified Staff – Approved on second reading

· Approval of Easement between the district and Town of Basalt regarding placement of a water tank near Basalt High School - Tabled

· Open Forum

· Executive Session

Calendar:

October 12^th – McRel walkthrough trainer to accompany middle school principals on walkthroughs at all middle schools beginning at 9:30 at Carbondale Middle School

October 13^th – McRel training in walkthroughs for new administrators from 8:30-12:00 and training for all administrators in using walkthrough data from 12:00-4:00

October 14^th – McRel walkthrough trainer to accompany elementary assistant principals on walkthroughs at all elementary schools in the morning and to be at GSHS in the afternoon.

October 15^th and 16^th – Fall Break – No school for students or staff

Upcoming Events:

October 19^th – Administrators and Board members to attend a regional meeting with Dwight Jones regarding the district’s participation in Race to the Top at 6:00 at the district office

October 20^th – District Accountability/Key Communicators meeting at the district office at 7:00 p.m.

October 22^nd – Special Educators meeting at the district office at 4:30

October 22^nd – Community Forum on the Parent Promise and Parent Involvement – 7:00 at Carbondale Middle School

October 26^th – Western Slope Superintendents’ Meeting from 9:00-5:00 in Grand Junction

October 27^th – CITW for ELL Training of Trainers from 8:30-4:00 (Location TBD)

October 27^th – Report cards will be printed beginning at 8:00 a.m.

October 28^th – Board Meeting beginning at 5:00 at the district office

October 29^th – Administrator Induction at the district office from 8:30-10:00

October 29^th – P and Z hearing in Carbondale on district’s housing proposal

October 29^th and 30^th – Parent Teachers Conferences in the afternoons. Each school selects on evening during the week to hold conferences as well. Call your child’s school for specific detail.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

10-7-09 RFSD Board Agenda

2009-10-06T13:48:47Z

October 7, 2009

RFSD Board of Education Meeting Agenda

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October 7, 2009

Roaring Fork School District

Board of Education Meeting

4:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. I. Call to Order

II. Approval of agenda

III. Financial Report - none for this meeting

IV. Consent Agenda/Blanket Motion, Items V. and VII. B. 1.

V. Minutes of September 23, 2009

4:15 p.m. VI. New Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Reports: Judy Haptonstall – Superintendent

Brad Ray - Assistant Superintendent

Shannon Pelland – Assistant Superintendent of Business Services

Board Reports

2. District Accountability/Key Communicators 2009 - 2010

3. BES Parking Lot

B. Action Items - none at this time

5:15 p.m. VII. Unfinished Business

A. Discussion/Information Items

1. Parameters for policy regarding speakers who request unilateral access to students

B. Action Items

1. Routine Personnel

2. Approval of Policy on Second Reading

a. Policy GDPD - Discipline, Suspension and Dismissal of Support Staff

3. Approval of Easement Documents between the Town of Basalt and RFSD regarding the placement of a water tank near Basalt High School.

6:00 p.m. VIII. Open Forum – Anyone wishing to be heard during Open Forum should come to the Board

meeting from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. and inform the Board Secretary of their desire to speak before the Board.

6:15 p.m. Executive Session

For discussion of personnel matters under C.R.S. §24-6-402(4(f); for discussions determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as authorized by C.R.S. §24-6-402 (4)(e) as relates to affordable housing and future residential housing developments at the old Carbondale Elementary School and potential library sites.

6:30 p.m. IX. Adjourn

10-5-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-10-05T21:19:29Z

10-5-09 RFSD Community Update

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

October 5, 2009

Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year

Plan to attend the district wide Parent Involvement Forum to be held at Carbondale Middle School on October 22^nd at 7:00 p.m. The Board and administrators will be on hand to talk about the importance of parent involvement and to listen to your ideas on how we can support parents’ involvement in their child’s education. We will also be providing more information on the Parent Promise that will be included in school newsletters for October.

Check out our academic performance on the new site: www.schoolview.org. We made great gains in student achievement and growth. Check them out online.

Contact your student’s school to sign up for the Parent Portalif you are not already registered. You have real time access to such things as attendance and the teacher’s grade book.

"School Health & Flu Health

· Care comes first — All members of school staff recognize that students’ health is top priority.

· Prevention is practical—For example, teachers have hand sanitizers in classrooms as well as anti-bacterial wipes to help keep desks, door handles and computer keyboards clean.

Preventing the flu is an individual and community effort, and caring for sick kids involves us all. Remembering to catch coughs, cover sneezes and wash hands can make all the difference!

For more information, please contact your child’s school nurse or the Roaring Fork School Health Centers @ 384-6054. "

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

Standin’ by the Goals

Standin’ by Each Other

Standin’ by all of those kids who won’t make it without you!

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for Steve Kaufman and his tireless work with local governments to support after school programming for students in all three of our communities. When you see Steve, be sure to tell him how much his efforts on behalf of our students are appreciated!

Housing Update:

The district continues through the hearing process with plans to appear before the Town of Carbondale for approval very soon. The proposal is for 120 units of mixed housing including single family homes, town houses, condominiums, and rental units. It will be the only project to come before the town that is predominately affordable with a few market rate units in the mix to help support the affordability for all of our staff. Tentative timeline is completion of the approvals by December of 2009 or January of 2010, pre-sales of units to begin after approval, and, if units are sold, ground breaking in the spring of 2010 with completion slated for January of 2011.

State Budget Information:

State budget information continues to be grim with the Colorado Legislative Council now predicting a shortfall of $560.7 million for fiscal year 09-10 which is $240.7 million higher than the $320 million dollar short fall addressed by the Governor in his August 24^th budget plan. With 96% of the budget going to the six key areas of Education – 43%, Health Care – 21%, Corrections- 9%, Human Services-9%, Higher Education-9%, Judicial-5%, and Other – 4%, it is evident that funding to education is not the only program to be impacted, but because we require the largest amount of support, we will certainly be a part of helping balance the budget through decreased funding and or recisions.

The Heart of the Work We Do!

District Curriculum Maps – Teachers across the district came together in early June, with stipends paid through the Closing the Gap(CTG) initiative, to narrow down the number of proficiencies in the grade book in reading and math, based on recommendations from McRel, our provider partner in the CTG project. Many of the proficiencies were eliminated in reading and math, and they were all renamed as Essential Learner Outcomes. Teams of teachers then grouped the ELO’s by quarter, providing district wide curriculum maps which are available on the RFSD Wiki site. ELO’s serve as the map for instruction, and textbooks and resources were aligned with the ELO’s, putting into place the standards driven model of having standards, not textbooks drive instruction. Teachers also aligned the new math curriculums and existing reading resources to the ELO’s saving teachers the work of finding the page or chapter that should be used for instruction.

Board Agenda – October 7^th beginning at 4:00 at the district office

· Board and staff reports

· District Accountability/Key Communicator Process for 09-10

· BES Parking Lot

· Parameters for policy regarding requests for unilateral access to students

· Policy on Second Reading – GDPD- Discipline, Suspension, and Dismissal of Classified Staff

· Approval of Easement between the district and Town of Basalt regarding placement of a water tank near Basalt High School

· Open Forum – 6:00

· Executive Session

Calendar:

October 5^th – Goal Setting Meetings with Basalt Administrators

October 7^th - Goal Setting Meetings with Carbondale Administrators

October 7^th – Board of Education Meeting at 4:00 at the district office

October 8^th – Training for trainers in CITW for ELL to be held at the Glenwood Community Center from 8:30-4:00

October 9^th – Goal Setting Meetings with Glenwood Administrators

Upcoming Events:

October 12^th – McRel walkthrough trainer to accompany middle school principals on walkthroughs at all middle schools

October 13^th – McRel training in walkthroughs for new administrators from 8:30-12:00 and training for all administrators in using walkthrough data from 12:00-4:00

October 13^th – Sign up for Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club at Basalt Middle School from 5-7 p.m.

October 14^th – McRel walkthrough trainer to accompany elementary assistant principals on walkthroughs at all elementary schools

October 15^th and 16^th – Fall Break – No school for students or staff

October 20^th - Sign up for Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club at Roaring Fork High School from 5-7 p.m.

October 22^nd – Community Forum on Parent Involvement – 7:00 at Carbondale Middle School

If you have questions or comments, please contact Info@rfsd.orgor email me directly at jhaptonstall@rfsd.k12.co.us or by calling 384-6001.

9-28-09 RFSD Community Update

2009-09-28T15:33:39Z

9-28-09 RFSD Community Update

Judy Haptonstall, Superintendent

]]> RFSD Community UPDATE

From Judy Haptonstall

September 28, 2009

Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year

Check out our academic performance on the new site: www.schoolview.org. We made great gains in student achievement and growth. Check them out online.

Contact your student’s school to sign up for the Parent Portalif you are not already registered. You have real time access to such things as attendance and the teacher’s grade book.

H1N1 Update

The school district has implemented several measures to decrease the chances of students and staff contracting the flu and colds during this school year. Custodial staff have increased sanitizing measures throughout the schools and bus drivers are taking extra precautions as well in all of the buses. School secretaries and nurses are following specific protocols to respond to students who become ill during the school day, or who come to school not feeling well. If your child has a fever, please be sure you keep him or her at home until the fever has passed. Specific guidance for parents is available on the school web site.

Roaring Fork School District Goals 2009-2010

· Increase Learning for All Students and Close the Achievement Gap

· Implement Results Teams with Fidelity

· Implement Monitoring and Accountability Measures

This week’s Standin’ By recognition is for all the staff in our district who work with our second language learners. Based on the Colorado English Language Acquisition Assessment, (CELA) students in our district far outscored the state average of percentage of students meeting expected growth targets. For the target of making expected progress, 70% of our students met that target compared with a state average of 49.55 and 30% attained proficiency on the test compared with a state average of 18.55. Students are expected to attain proficiency in English after three years in ELL programs.

Housing Update:

State Budget Information:

Board Meeting Notes – September 23, 2009

· Financial Report

· Presentation by Megan Talbott, President of RFCEA

o Megan presented the RFCEA mission, vision, and core values for the year which include a spirit of collaboration and mutual partnerships. Megan also informed that Board that RFCEA is considering extending the GSHS Faculty Council idea to other schools in the district. Megan was encouraged to work with administrators in the discussion of establishing faculty councils in the schools.

· Staff and Board Reports

· Discussion of policy parameters for unilateral political addresses to students

o Myles Rovig presented a draft of a policy for the Board to consider. The Board agreed to use the draft as a beginning and work to further define specific requirements of the policy

· Policies on First Reading

o Policy GDPD – Discipline, Suspension, and Dismissal of Support Staff

§ Policy was passed on first reading

Calendar:

September 30^th – Leadership Team Meeting from 8:00-12:00 at the district office

October 2^nd – Superintendents’ Advisory Council in the conference room at RFHS beginning at 7:30 a.m.

October 2^nd – Meeting with high school assistant principals to discuss truancy issues at 10:00 at Roaring Fork High School