Echoes from Cañon
Examples of Excellence
While many in the community are in the midst of enjoying the summer break from school, a number of our teachers and students are still hard at work bolstering reading and math skills. Last Tuesday I once again had the opportunity to visit our summer instructional program at Washington Elementary School, and to observe the work taking place in several classes. While on this visit an instructor of note, Cheri Roberts (a McKinley Elementary teacher), had her children wonderfully engaged in a Zoo Phonics activity identifying vowel and consonant sounds and reading real and nonsense words made from their combination. I also observed outstanding instructional work by several classroom paraprofessionals, and several teachers conducting weekly measurement of student achievement, sharing those results with individual students, and setting new goals in targeted reading and math skill areas.
Also last week, from Tuesday evening through Friday morning about a dozen CCSD administrators attended the annual Colorado Association of School Executives summer conference. Doing so allowed us to experience much needed time for team building, opportunities to listen to great keynote presentations, and the chance to attend breakout sessions pertinent to the work we do for the district. I attended sessions related to the recent changes in required annual state assessments, how these new assessments will be used to accredit schools and districts, and how districts might communicate better with citizens regarding facilties conditions and needs. I also had the opportunity to hear a legislative update and a speech and question-answer session featuring Governor Hickenlooper. I want to thank administrators who gave up their personal time to attend the conference and increase their professional knowledge and skills for the benefit of our school district.
The Focus of Our Work
While at Washington School on Tuesday I took the opportunity to check on some doors that have been sticking and are, unfortunately, beginning to fall apart. This is of concern because it could create a safety hazard for children and staff should they ever have to exit the building through one during an emergency. We believe the damage to the doors is being created by roofing and gutter issues that allow excess moisture to reach them. Of course director of facilities Jeff Peterson is already addressing this issue, but in meeting with him that day I also became aware of a comprehensive roofing analysis conducted for the district in the early 2000’s. This report lists a number of serious issues we have needed to address for many years, but with the coming of the great recession and significant budget reductions, have been unable to afford. The CCSD board of education adopted a budget for the 2015-16 school year aimed at addressing some of the most pressing items listed in the roof analysis. However, Jeff and I realize we need to find ways to address additional roofing deficiencies in a more timely fashion before the damage being caused by leaks leads to yet greater maintenance costs to the district. In the mean time, a replacement door has been ordered and our facilities crew is busy making adjustments to the roofing, gutters, and other doors to ensure they continue to open properly.
At our superintendent council of advisors meeting on Tuesday our team of directors discussed ways we might decrease our district’s workmen's comp insurance premium by lowering our risk score. At the session I learned a lot about why the annual cost to the district has risen by close to $150,0000 over the past 4 years. Director of finance Buddy Lambrecht shared information about accident claims we have had in the past few years, and what we have been doing to ensure such accidents are not repeated. In the end we agreed to continue working on what we might do as a district to track claims and to ensure accidents that lead to staff member injury and loss of work productivity are reduced and not repeated. Paula Buser, director of support services, will be instrumental in guiding this work. I feel it is appropriate to have her involved considering her role related to safety and wellness in the school district.
Last Week
Though I was only in Cañon on Monday and Tuesday I still had time to meet one-on-one with: community member Mike Merlino about piloting a possible weekend backpack food distribution program for students and families in need; board-superintendent secretary Colleen Carroll about our weekly “tasks to do" list; fire inspector Tim Slaughenhaupt about the number of fire drills we are required to conduct on campuses each year;and CCSD employees Casey Bursha, Sherrie Fackrell, and Jeff Peterson as part of my effort to get to know all the folks on our district administrative team.
At our board meeting on Monday among other business we made a routine amendment to our 2014-15 fiscal year budget, and promoted Heather Williams from nutrition services supervisor to nutrition services manager to better reflect the role she is doing for the district.
At our board meeting on Monday among other business we made a routine amendment to our 2014-15 fiscal year budget, and promoted Heather Williams from nutrition services supervisor to nutrition services manager to better reflect the role she is doing for the district.
Next Week
For the week of August 3rd through 7th I have a meeting about the district’s Gateway to College program on my calendar, a Tuesday morning radio interview, and a quick trip to Denver to attend and chair the quarterly Colorado Safe Schools Resource Center Advisory Board meeting. I will also attend the Cañon City Police Department “Night Out Against Crime" event being held on Tuesday evening at Rudd Park, admin team, superintendent council, and leadership team meetings, and a new administrator meet and greet gathering with our board of education on Wednesday evening. I hope to spend time visiting school campuses later in the week to observe how offices are going about preparing for students to return to our schools. Finally, I will also attend local Kiwanis and Rotary Club meetings during the coming week.
The Way I See Things
I have been on the Colorado Safe Schools Resource Center Advisory Board since its establishment roughly 6 years ago. I was first appointed to a 4 year term by then commissioner of education Dwight Jones, became its chair during my 3rd year on the board, and was reappointed to it by our most recent commissioner of education Robert Hammond. I represent all the superintendents in Colorado on the advisory board, which oversees and guides the work of the Colorado Safe Schools Resource Center. CSSRC offers many free resources to school districts in an effort to prevent the occurrence of violence and general safety breaches on campuses. Cañon City has already done a wonderful job tapping into these resources and I look forward to continuing to help our district access all the great resources that are offered. If you would like to learn more about the CSSRC explore this website https://www.colorado.gov/cssrc
