Board of Education-Board Notes for April
Dear Community,
At our regular board meeting on April 9, we spoke with a group of parents from The Center about their concerns about how the District and the Board are responding to the arrest of a preschool teacher. The District, with Board input, is working on a comprehensive review of policies, practices, and procedures and we hope to do this with input and review by parents. If you are interested, please look at the next board packet (on lakecountyschools.net under Board of Education/Meetings) where a lot of our plans and thoughts will be laid out for further discussion. Also please call the district to join a committee of parents involved in this review (719-486-6800).
We heard from the leadership team at West Park and were deeply impressed with the work and progress at that school. The foundations of learning are very strong, and we are incredibly grateful to all staff, administration, and school leaders. Their work is truly worth your attention. Perhaps you were able to attend the Celebration of Learning this last week at West Park, but even if not, please know that the board is celebrating with West Park.
Next, we heard from Kerri Quinlan about the district health and wellness plan: 12 goals in 12 distinct areas covering everything from physical activity to community engagement. This is a remarkable and ambitious plan, and demonstrates one of the reasons that Lake County is a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Prize.
Finally, CFO/COO Kate Bartlett took us through a long-range capital plan that involves many school facility questions, except those raised by the Master Plan (i.e. the building of a new school to replace West Park and Pitts). We also looked at the land owned by the school district throughout the county. As far as the new school question is concerned, we have submitted a BEST grant to the state that would pay for over half of that building. We are waiting to hear if that grant is approved. If so, we will be asking you, the voters, for a bond to raise the rest of the money to build that new school, and you will be hearing a lot more about that.
Next month, on May 14 at Pitts Elementary in Room 11 at 7 PM, we will be hearing a recap of the year for the school district as a whole from Superintendent Wendy Wyman, including both celebrations and challenges. We will also be thanking Emma Dallas for her contribution to the board as a student representative. This is a busy time, with the school musical, class day, school promotions, and graduation. This is a time to celebrate our students, who have worked so hard this year and accomplished so much.
Thank you for all that you do.
Your school board: Eudelia Contreras 970-406-1624; Jeff Fiedler 720-209-8852; Amy Frykholm (president) 970-333-1342; Stephanie McBride 719-293-0155; Ellie Solomon 303-562-5503 (vice president).
