Superintendent updates on site improvement plans
by Patty Unruh
The Gilpin County Board of Education held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m. Craig Holmes, Brook Ramsey, Sarah Swanson, and Kersten Armstrong were the Board members present; Steve Boulter was absent. Superintendent David MacKenzie and Secretary to the Board Joni Schmidt were present.
Congratulations and Celebrations
The middle school girls’ “A” basketball team ended its season 24-1, likely the best record ever for a Gilpin middle school girls’ team. The girls were undefeated until their final game. The “B” team won its final tournament, ending in first place.
Swanson reported that a scholarship presentation to the high school seniors had gone well. Local organizations that award scholarships had representatives present, and several seniors plan to apply.
The spelling bee was held on February 21. The winner was eighth grader Peter Kniffen.
The Board hosted a Teacher Appreciation open house at the Elks Lodge on February 21, which went well.
On Wednesday this week, Superintendent MacKenzie and Elementary Principal Heather Huntoon were scheduled to go to the Colorado Department of Education to receive the John Irwin Award and the Accredited with Distinction Award.
Policies on Second Reading
The Board approved several policies on second reading, including those concerning District Accountability Committee Bylaws, determination of budget priorities, compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, public concerns/complaints about teaching methods, character education, sponsorship and advertising in schools, and relations with education research agencies.
MacKenzie said the District is now aligned with Colorado Association of School Boards’ (CASB) recommendations, and its policy manual is close to being up to date. There are a couple of other policies MacKenzie is working on in his goal to get the manual updated, but these should be completed by the end of the school year.
District Calendars
The Board approved the District calendars for 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. In 2020-21, secondary students start on August 10 and elementary students start on August 11. The Thanksgiving holiday is November 25-26. Winter break is December 21-January 4. Spring break is March 22-25, and the last day of school is May 27. The subsequent calendars are similar.
CASB Report
Swanson reported on the 2019 CASB Winter Legislative Conference, which she had attended February 28-March 1. She had attended a debriefing of a coalition that had worked together to try to get school tax measure Amendment 73 passed. As the amendment did not pass, the coalition discussed what they could have done differently. One positive note was that since the previous attempt with Amendment 66, there was an increase in “yes” votes by 10 percent. The coalition had tried a grass roots effort, Swanson said, but there were apparently not enough funds to help get the measure passed. It was the coalition’s first time to work together, and they were proud of their efforts.
Swanson reported on the delegate assembly, where the focus was to get behind Governor Polis’s push to get a state-wide mill levy. In the end, she said, the delegates voted “yes” on the initiative initially put forward. The Colorado legislature can’t vote to increase taxes because of TABOR, Swanson noted, but such a mill levy would be a state recommendation.
Holmes remarked, “It would be a bit beyond a recommendation. It helps smaller school districts, but several districts’ mill levies are in the 40’s and 50’s.”
“Some districts said that if they decrease their mill levies for one year, then they could get their voters to pass an increase,” Swanson said.
Holmes noted that it still falls on local constituents, and Swanson stated that it would be up to Gilpin County to pass a mill levy of 27, which she said would not be a big increase.
Another session concerned the governor’s plan for access to full-day kindergarten.
“We do this already, and we’d get more funding,” Swanson noted. “Any school that commits to do it would get a 5 percent bonus for infrastructure needs, such as desks and chairs.”
Swanson believed full-day kindergarten in Colorado would start within the next year.
“We elected to do full-day kindergarten five or six years ago. We’d benefit,” Holmes agreed.
Swanson concluded her report by noting the opportunity the CASB delegates had to observe the state representatives on the legislative floor on Friday, March 1.
Superintendent’s Report
MacKenzie said teachers and students are gearing up for state testing in April.
“We hope to get accredited with distinction for the third year in a row,” he reported.
Accordingly, staff and pupils have been busy with goal setting. Also, writing consultant Mark Overmeyer had worked with elementary staff on teaching writing skills. MacKenzie said that, beginning with the work begun by previous principals, students have made good gains in writing legibly and with correct grammar.
Jim Noble, Inc. got the bid for the atrium stairs project. The timeline has been backed up a bit. MacKenzie explained that Jim’s brother John Noble is working with a stair company. Three weeks will be needed to prepare the construction drawings and two weeks to do the constructional engineering. That will put the schedule at about April 15 to begin the construction, and it will take seven weeks for the stair installation, which would be completed about the first week in June. On a positive note, Board members said it would probably not be as disruptive to have the work done during that time period. Currently, the school utilizes an old set of wooden stairs from the upper parking lot to the atrium. The new stairs would be metal with lighting, which would improve safety.
The stadium seating project should be starting about the first week in April.
MacKenzie was grateful that the District received a school security disbursement grant from the Division of Homeland Security for $176,180 for security upgrades. These funds will be used for five projects. There is a 28-month window to complete these, starting in April, once a contract is signed.
“First, we’ll work on a better secured entryway and double vestibule,” MacKenzie said. “It will resemble the administrative area of the Gilpin Sheriff’s Office. There will be double doors on either side.”
The second project will include Informacast software for the phone system. Phones will have screens on which an announced or silent lockdown can appear. Areas of the building will be more secure.
The schools’ telephone system upgrade is progressing; new phones are now on-site. The technical director is working on a server, and a lot should be done over spring break, March 25-28. The switch-over from the old to the new system is planned for a Thursday evening, and MacKenzie expects minimal problems. A main goal is to make sure the 911 calling function works on every phone.
MacKenzie had some bad news – the District’s property insurance for vehicles had increased by 29 percent, or $20,000. He said it was not Gilpin’s fault, because the District has had only a couple of claims over the years. Holmes advised that Gilpin is in a small self-insured pool, which had an inordinate amount of claims.
“We will shop around for different insurance,” he said. “Based on our claim history, we’d be a favorable client.”
MacKenzie reported on nearly $30,000 in natural gas savings. Starting in December 2016, adjustments have been made to the heat used. Distinctions have been made between heat used during the day and at night and when the building is occupied and when it is not. During 2016-17, $14,000 was saved. Last year, just under $16,000 was saved. It was noted that gas prices have fluctuated. MacKenzie wants one more major adjustment in May.
“I really want to dial back our heat in May. We also did that in September.”
Holmes asked that a report be made on what the actual BTU usage is, as he felt that would give a true measure of what the District is saving. MacKenzie said savings in the electric bill have also been made.
Executive Session
The public session was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Following a brief recess, the Board went into executive session regarding matters subject to negotiations.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m.