Across the Board in D303
Notes from the District 303 School Board Meeting
- February 12: Regular Board meeting
- February 13: Special Board meeting
Meeting memos, presentations and other documents in BoardDocs
School Board
Ed McNally, Vice President
Joe Lackner, Secretary
Kate Bell
Matthew Kuschert
Thomas Lentz
Becky McCabe
For Action
Individual items up for approval by the Board, generally introduced in prior committee meetings.
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Elementary School Boundaries
Motion Passed 5 to 2
Demographer RSP & Associates presented its initial elementary boundary concepts in November with additional elementary concepts presented in January and February. The Board approved Revised Concept 2 for elementary schools. Boundaries are effective with the 2024-2025 school year beginning in the fall. Interactive boundary maps for the 2024-2025 school year are now available on the District's attendance boundaries webpage.
For Action
Individual items up for approval by the Board, generally introduced in prior committee meetings.
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Middle School Boundaries
Motion Passed 7-0
Demographer RSP & Associates presented its initial boundary concepts in November. The Board approved Concept 2 for middle schools. Boundaries are effective with the 2024-2025 school year beginning in the fall. Interactive boundary maps for the 2024-2025 school year are now available on the District's attendance boundaries webpage.
High School Boundaries
Demographer RSP & Associates presented its initial boundary concepts in November with an additional high school concept presented in January. The Board approved Concept 2 for high schools. Boundaries are effective with the 2024-2025 school year beginning in the fall. Interactive boundary maps for the 2024-2025 school year are now available on the District's attendance boundaries webpage.
Davis Mobile Remediation and Improvements
Motion Passed 6-1
The Board awards a contract to Bear Construction Company for the Davis Mobile Remediation. Davis Elementary has a detached mobile unit adjacent to its main building that offers an additional space for classrooms and offices. It has not been in use since the fall. Remediation to the unit will enable use of its rooms for the 2024-2025 school year.
Timeline
February 12, 2024: Board Meeting Approval
February- March: Planning & Permitting
April-June: Work Onsite
July-August: Prepare spaces for school start
Lincoln Building Construction
Motion Passed 5-1, with 1 abstain
The Board approves the bids and issuing contract through Pepper Construction for the renovations at Lincoln. Multiple large, priority capital projects are planned for summer 2024. This includes reopening Fox Ridge as an elementary school, relocating the Transition program to Lincoln School, and relocating early childhood to Haines; as well as various projects at other sites across the District.
Lincoln Abatement
Motion Passed 7-0
The Board approves a contract with Weaver Consultants Group for abatement services at Lincoln. Abatement scope includes both asbestos and lead-based paint elements. Multiple large, priority capital projects are planned for summer 2024. This includes reopening Fox Ridge as an elementary school, relocating the Transition program to Lincoln School, and relocating early childhood to Haines; as well as various projects at other sites across the District.
School Bus Purchase
Motion Passed 7-0
The Board approves the purchase of 17 buses to update its current fleet. This purchase would be paid from the fiscal year 2025 budget. The Board also approves the purchase of several minivans to address special education transportation needs. This purchase would be paid from the current fiscal year 2024 budget.
Access Control Phase 1
Motion Passed 7-0
The Board approves Phase 1 of its Multi-Site Door and Security Improvement project. This is part of the Capital Improvement Plan and budgeted accordingly for this fiscal year. This project will be phased over two years and will include new access control equipment and the associated door hardware modifications. This year’s scope in Phase I includes improvements to North High School, East High School, Thompson Middle School, Wredling Middle School, Administration Building, and Peck Operation Building. Phase I could also potentially include improvements at the Haines Center where Compass Academy is housed and where Early Childhood will be moved. For next year in Phase II, access control will be installed in the elementary buildings.
Timeline
- February 12: Board Approval and Issuance of Purchase Order
- March-April: Permitting
- March-May: Equipment Ordering & Planning
- June- August: Installation and Programming
Superintendent's Report
Dr. Paul Gordon shares updates on District initiatives as well as school, staff and student activities.
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Emergency Days | Last Day of School
At present, due to the District utilizing three emergency days so far this school year, the last day of school is Thursday, May 30.
Kindergarten Registration Opens Feb. 26
Listen Learn Return - February 29 Community Session
Our next Listen Learn Return community engagement session will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 29. Attendees will learn more about academic initiatives in District 303. We look forward to sharing information on curriculum changes, how we are leveraging Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to support each student, and improving the overall learning school experience for each student.
Listen Learn Return is the community engagement program for District 303. Return meetings are intended to share information about District initiatives based on feedback provided by our families, staff and community members.
Data Dashboard
The Data Dashboard provides a monthly summary on the health of District 303. This chart, which
will be updated monthly on the District website, provides an overview of nine important measurements in the categories of Academics, Belonging and Operations.
Reports to the Board
The following updates were provided by Board chairs on the following committees, which took place in December. Additional information reports may be provided, as requested by the Board.
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Learning and Teaching
Items for discussion in January included boundary updates and Richmond Elementary and the District's Dual Language program.
The next Learning and Teaching Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Policy
The committee reviewed policy manual revisions from the Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS). The Board requested the select policies to be pulled for further discussion at a later meeting.
The next Policy Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at 4:30 p.m.
Business Services
The committee met twice recently, and held discussions both times on the boundary process. There were also discussions on the Intra-District Transfer procedure, Davis mobile remediation, and the Dual Language program with respect to building location. In addition, the committee received a variety of updates on next year's budget process, as well as recommendations for bid approvals at Lincoln and for access control devices at multiple buildings.
The next Business Services Committee Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 26 at 5:30 PM.
For Discussion
Agenda items for Board discussion. There is no action taken at this time.
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Topics below from February 12 were for discussion only. See the February 13 Special Board meeting summary at the top for details on the approved elementary map.
Elementary School Boundary Updates
The Board received two additional elementary concept maps, and revisited elementary maps that had been previously introduced.
- Concept 2 Map
- Revised Concept 2 Map
- Concept 4 Map
- Concept 5 Map
Administration Analysis
District Administration provided an enrollment and space utilization analysis for the schools impacted for each concept.
- Concept 2 summary:
- Ferson Creek does not have enough classrooms, which eliminates designated space for one special.
- Projections indicate that space needs will be alleviated by 27-28
- Growth is limited in some schools and impossible in 1 school
- Flex space is distributed across the schools, with one school having more space than recommended
- Revised Concept 2 summary:
- Wild Rose increases by 1 section and enrollment in 2 grade levels is close to exceeding Board class size targets
- Specials cannot be on a cart due to the floor plan of the school
- Munhall reduces 2 sections (adjusted for district programming) and has one more flex space than recommended.
- Concept 4 summary:
- Norton Creek increases by two grade level sections and does not have enough classrooms to support enrollment
- One special will not have a designated space and time will not alleviate this issue
- Fox Ridge decreases by 2 sections and has two more flex spaces than recommended
- Reduces one grade level to two sections
- Munhall sections remain the same and usage has been adjusted for district programs. One additional flex space than recommended
- Concept 5 Summary:
- See summaries for Revised Concept 2 and Concept 4
Board Next Steps
The Board received consensus to move forward Revised Concept 2 for final approval at the February 13 Special meeting. Revised Concept 2 was approved on February 13 (see top of newsletter for a summary of the Special meeting).
Consent Agenda
Grouped agenda items up for approval in one action.
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Motion Passed 7-0
The consent agenda included items such as:
- Minutes from previous committee meetings
- Personnel reports
- List of bills, treasurer's report, and payroll
- FY 24-25 Budget Calendar
- FY 24-25 School Fees
- North HS Football Uniforms
- PRESS Policy Packet 113
- Gifts and Donations
For Information
Informational reports are typically provided monthly to the Board. There is no action taken.
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District 303 Financial Report
Mid Valley Financial Report
FOIA Requests
District Enrollment
Revised 23-24 & 24-25 School Calendars