Superintendent’s Update
September 5, 2003
School is off and running! The staff and I are excited to have the students back, as the summer was very lonely and boring without them. It is refreshing to see the students’ excitement and energy to start off another school year. As far as I am concerned, there is no better sight than a student dressed in new school clothes carrying their supplies onto the campus for the first time after summer break. Their enthusiasm and excitement to learn are what charges us for the entire year.
The enrollment at Kiowa County School District Re-1 is 199 students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. This is a little better than our projections last spring. This number has dropped from a high of 320 in 1996. This steady drop in enrollment over the years has created the budget challenges we face today. In 1996 the district had over $676,000 in the general fund balance which was depleted to under $90,000 in 2001. Through careful planning and dedication from the board and staff, the fund balance will be approximately $443,000 for the 2003-2004 school year.
There have been many exciting improvements to our campus. The Glass-Hallway Project is officially complete. We have heard many compliments on the way it turned out. The Air Conditioning Grant Project is nearly fifty percent complete. If progress continues, it will be finished in mid-September. The lights for the GOCO Field Enhancement project are ordered and a final decision on poles is pending. Also, the plan is to complete a new tennis court this fall.
Another grant that I am very excited about is the possibility of the Eads Elementary Plumbing Grant. Last winter a leak was discovered in the six-inch cast iron lines. A plumber informed us that major repair would be needed to replace the entire line as it was located behind the plaster in the walls. I submitted a grant proposal for $125,000 to completely re-plumb the Elementary Building including replacing all fixtures. I will find out the results of this grant in mid-September.
Our students performed very well on the 2003 Spring CSAP’S. There were many improvements across all levels, but the largest gains were achieved in the ninth and tenth grade reading and writing assessments. As you may recall, Eads Elementary was recognized as the "Distinguished School" last year. This award is presented to the best performing school in the state of Colorado based on certain criteria. I am very proud of our staff and students at Kiowa County School District Re-1.
The major area I would like to improve this year is communication with the community. I would encourage everyone to discuss issues or ideas with the administration and staff instead of confronting or complaining directly to Board members. We are very fortunate to have such good members, but it is difficult to keep them in office, as it is a thankless job at times. Our policy is that no single board member can make a decision and that the chain-of command must be followed before an issue is considered. Many times our members are placed in a situation to hear issues without having the facts, or having biased information. I will not make a recommendation or give a ruling on hearsay, so if it is not presented through the chain-of-command, the issue may never get resolved or addressed until emotions are involved. If everyone will try to settle an issue at the lowest level possible, and not allow it to build, many conflicts and hard feelings can be avoided.
The staff and I will work to keep the community more informed and make ourselves available for such discussions. I will continue to update the community with this column after each board meeting. I would also encourage everyone to get on the School Accountability Committee. This committee is a representation of all stakeholders in the community and an opportunity to give input into decisions affecting our school district. If you are interested in serving on this committee please call me at 438-2218. By working together, I am confident that we can create many exciting opportunities for our students.