• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • December 6, 2021
  • December 13, 2021
  • December 20, 2021
  • December 31, 2021
  • Past Installments
    • 2015 >
      • July 5, 2015
      • July 12, 2015
      • July 19, 2015
      • July 26, 2015
      • August 2, 2015
      • August 9, 2015
      • August 16, 2015
      • August 23, 2015
      • August 31, 2015
      • September 6, 2015
      • September 13, 2015
      • September 20, 2015
      • September 27, 2015
      • October 4, 2015
      • October 11, 2015
      • October 18, 2015
      • October 25, 2015
      • November 1, 2015
      • November 8, 2015
      • November 15, 2015
      • November 29, 2015
      • December 6, 2015
      • December 13, 2015
      • December 20, 2015
    • 2016 >
      • January 10, 2016
      • January 17, 2016
      • January 24, 2016
      • January 31, 2016
      • February 7, 2016
      • February 14, 2016
      • February 21, 2016
      • February 28, 2016
      • March 6, 2016
      • March 13, 2016
      • March 20, 2016
      • March 27, 2016
      • April 3, 2016
      • April 10, 2016
      • April 17, 2016
      • April 24, 2016
      • May 1, 2016
      • May 8, 2016
      • May 15, 2016
      • May 22, 2016
      • May 30, 2016
      • June 5, 2016
      • June 12 and 19
      • June 26 to July 3
      • July 24, 2016
      • July 31, 2016
      • August 7, 2016
      • August 14, 2016
      • August 21, 2016
      • August 28, 2016
      • September 4, 2016
      • September 11, 2016
      • September 18, 2016
      • September 25, 2016
      • October 2, 2106
      • October 9, 2016
      • October 16, 2016
      • October 23, 2016
      • October 30, 2016
      • November 6, 2016
      • November 13, 2016
      • November 27, 2016
      • December 4, 2016
      • December 11, 2016
      • December 19, 2016
    • 2017 >
      • Facilities Options
      • January 8, 2017
      • January 15, 2017
      • January 22, 2017
      • February 12, 2017
      • February 26, 2017
      • March 5, 2017
      • March 12, 2017
      • Spring Break 2017
      • April Fools
      • April 9, 2017
      • April 16, 2017
      • April 30, 2017
      • May 7, 2017
      • May 14, 2017
      • May 29, 2017
      • June 4, 2017
      • June 11, 2017
      • June 18, 2017
      • June 25, 2017
      • July 2, 2017
      • July 9, 2017
      • July 16, 2017
      • July 23, 2017
      • July 30, 2017
      • August 6, 2017
      • August 13, 2017
      • August 20, 2017
      • August 27, 2017
      • September 3, 2017
      • September 10, 2017
      • September 17, 2017
      • September 24, 2017
      • October 1, 2017
      • October 8, 2017
      • October 15, 2017
      • October 22, 2017
      • October 29, 2017
      • November 5, 2017
      • November 12, 2017
      • November 26, 2017
      • December 3, 2017
      • December 10, 2017
      • December 13, 2017
    • 2018 >
      • January 7, 2018
      • January 14, 2018
      • January 21, 2018
      • January 28, 2018
      • February 4, 2018
      • February 11, 2018
      • February 18, 2018
      • February 25, 2018
      • March 4, 2018
      • March 11, 2018
      • March 18, 2018
      • March 25, 2018
      • April 2, 2018
      • April 8, 2018
      • April 15, 2018
      • April 22, 2018
      • April 29, 2018
      • May 6, 2018
      • May 13, 2018
      • May 20, 2018
      • May 27, 2018
      • June 3, 2018
      • June 10, 2018
      • June 17, 2018
      • June 24, 2018
      • July 1, 2018
      • July 8, 2018
      • July 15, 2018
      • July 22, 2018
      • July 29, 2018
      • August 5, 2018
      • August 12, 2018
      • August 19, 2018
      • August 26, 2018
      • September 2, 2018
      • September 9, 2018
      • September 16. 2018
      • September 23, 2018
      • September 30, 2018
      • October 7, 2018
      • October 14, 2018
      • October 21, 2018
      • October 28, 2018
      • November 4, 2018
      • November 11, 2018
      • November 18, 2018
      • November 25, 2018
      • December 2, 2018
      • December 9, 2018
      • December 16, 2018
    • 2019 >
      • January 6, 2019
      • January 13, 2019
      • January 21, 2019
      • January 27, 2019
      • February 3, 2019
      • February 10, 2019
      • February 17, 2019
      • February 24, 2019
      • March 3, 2019
      • March 10, 2019
      • March 17, 2019
      • March 24, 2019
      • March 31, 2019
      • April 7, 2019
      • April 14, 2019
      • April 21, 2019
      • April 28, 2019
      • May 5, 2019
      • May 12, 2019
      • May 19, 2019
      • May 27, 2019
      • June 3, 2019
      • June 9, 2019
      • June 23, 2019
      • June 30, 2019
      • July 8, 2019
      • July 15, 2019
      • July 22, 2019
      • July 29, 2019
      • August 5, 2019
      • August 12, 2019
      • August 19, 2019
      • August 26, 2019
      • September 3, 2019
      • September 9, 2019
      • September 16, 2019
      • September 23, 2019
      • September 30, 2019
      • October 7. 2019
      • October 14, 2019
      • October 21, 2019
      • October 28, 2019
      • November 4, 2019
      • November 11, 2019
      • November 18, 2019
      • November 25, 2019
      • December 2, 2019
      • December 9, 2019
      • December 16, 2010
      • December 23, 2019
      • December 31, 2019
    • 2020 >
      • January 13, 2020
      • January 20, 2020
      • January 27, 2020
      • February 3, 2020
      • February 10, 2020
      • February 17, 2020
      • February 24, 2020
      • March 2, 2020
      • March 9, 2020
      • March 30, 2020
      • Special Message to Community
      • April 6, 2020
      • April 13, 2020
      • April 20, 2020
      • May 4, 2020
      • May 11, 2020
      • June 1, 2020
      • June 15, 2020
      • June 30, 2020
      • August 5, 2020
      • August 24, 2020
      • October 12, 2020
      • October 26, 2020
      • November 9, 2020
      • November 30, 2020
      • December 14, 2020
      • December 30, 2020
    • 2021 >
      • January 11, 2021
      • January 25, 2021
      • February 8, 2021
      • March 22, 2021
      • March 29, 2021
      • April 6, 2021
      • May 31, 2021
      • June 7, 2021
      • June 14, 2021
      • June 21, 2021
      • July 5, 2021
      • August 3, 2021
      • August 16, 2021
      • August 31, 2021
      • September 13, 2021
      • September 28, 2021
      • November 8, 2021
      • November 15, 2021
      • November 22, 2021
      • November 29, 2021
      • 2021 Instructional Program Reviews >
        • CCHS 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • CCMS 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • CES 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • Harrison 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • LSST 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • McKinley 2021 Instructional Program Review
        • Washington 2021 Instructional Program Review

The Fine Art of Christmas will take place once again this week!

Echoes from Cañon

During December, I’m culminating my effort to transparently communicate the happenings of the Cañon City School District through Echoes from Cañon in four final installments outlining the state of the school district as I see it when Adam Hartman becomes the chief executive officer on January 1st.
Picture
The focus of this second message includes the behind the scenes advocacy I engaged in as superintendent of schools in an effort to secure resources for the district, addressing employee attraction and retention issues including experience steps lost during the Great Recession as well as benefits and the annual work calendar, the transformation of Cañon City High School as envisioned before I arrived, and Mr. Hartman and Mr. Summers’ influence in developing our profile of a graduate, viewed as a model around the state of Colorado and beyond.

Advocating for Resources

PictureFormer Board Vice-President Lloyd Harwood testified several times in front of the state legislature.
A key aspect of the work of a superintendent is to advocate for students and staff by securing the resources needed to achieve the district’s vision.

This can be done by applying for grants and working with local, state, and federal governments to secure resources.

Before coming to Cañon City, I had the opportunity to gain experience on this front. I learned large urban and suburban school districts in Colorado have an advantage because they have their own lobbyists. 

Thus, advocacy for places like Cañon City requires collaborating with districts who have similar needs. 

Before I arrived in Cañon, we were already participating in the Pikes Peak Alliance, a group of about 20 Colorado Springs region school systems.  Though we have much in common, we do not completely align to their needs.  So, though we remain in the Pikes Peak Alliance, we also joined the Colorado Rural Alliance, a collective of rural school districts, and the Opportunity Coalition, a group of school districts who have high at-risk student populations. 

​Through involvement in each organization, Cañon City Schools has positively impacted funding for the Building Excellent Schools Today program (leading directly to our grant awards for an upgraded CCMS campus and a new Washington building), secured funding directly for rural schools through the Rural Sustainability program (netting the district more than $3 million over six years), directed more resources to at-risk students both through the funding formula, additional special education funding,  and federal stimulus allocations, and secured mill equity, which will benefit Cañon City Schools with more available funding in the future at no increased cost to district taxpayers.

Picture
Trips to the capitol building in Denver to testify in front of committees are a common occurrence for a superintendent who focuses on advocacy.

Investing Wisely

Picture
Picture
Picture
Students have quickly taken to new learning opportunities supported by technology. 
What have we done with these additional resources?  As you know, we've vastly improved the condition and safety of our facilities, updated most of our learning resources (including providing keyboard and screen devices for all students and staff), we’ve begun a classroom furniture upgrade process, and we've addressed staff compensation issues that were negatively impacted by the Great Recession. 

This means we’ve been able to regain six lost experience steps for both certified and classified employees, cover the full cost of a single health benefit for each employee for the first time this century, offer a creative and attractive annual work calendar, create a robust parental leave policy, and offer low-cost preschool/childcare services for district employees. 

​In the process, we’ve improved the district’s fiscal position to the point where our annual reserves have risen from only 8% of our total budget in 2015 to 24% as of July 1, 2021.

Defining Outcomes

PictureAdam and Bill guide the high school staff in developing the CCHS Capstone.
Before I arrived in Cañon City, future focused educators and board members had already established the Cañon 2020 Vision. This set a goal to offer student-centered career pathways opportunities at the high school.  Unfortunately, because of a bond and mill levy election defeat in November 2013, this plan was placed on a shelf.

When I began my work here, the Board of Educaiton asked me to move forward with the plan despite limited resources, mainly because of impending changes to Colorado’s high school graduation requirements.

When Bill Summers became CCHS Principal and Adam Hartman became Director of Curriculum and Assessment, tremendous progress was made toward the 2020 Vision.

​Key to this was establishing specific high school learning pathways, offering intern and apprentice opportunities for students (resulting in over 140 community business partners who take on our students), and creating a profile of a graduate now captured in the traits and skills we strive to develop in our students.  Add to this a comprehensive capstone experience for all graduates, and Cañon City, perhaps more so than any other school system in Colorado, has a crystal clear vision for what students should know and be able to do before earning their diploma.  

Picture
A rough draft of our graduate profiler and capstone concept.
Picture

Not only do we clearly state our expectations, we support and measure student progress toward it!

In fact, if you’d like to observe this firsthand, I encourage you to attend the Cañon City High School SELF Expo on Monday, December 20th beginning at 6 PM.  

Thanks for listening once again!

George S. Welsh

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.