School election canceled
With only two candidates filing nomination petitions for three open director seats on the Holyoke School District Re-1J Board of Education, the Nov. 2 board election was officially canceled at the Sept. 7 school board meeting.
Incumbents Jon Kleve and Brady Ring filed their nomination petitions and will extend their board tenure another four years.
Board member Pat Wiebers was term-limited, having served two terms, and therefore was ineligible to seek reelection. Her board seat will open after election day Tuesday, Nov. 2.
The board has 60 days from Nov. 2 in which to appoint someone to the board seat. Recognizing this, they talked about the need to come up with names of people who might be interested in filling the vacancy.
Principals share back-to-school reports
Holyoke Elementary School Principal Andrea Kammer and Holyoke JR/SR High Principal Angie Powell gave back-to-school updates at last week’s board meeting.
Kammer noted that numbers were down a little at each grade level, but Superintendent Kyle Stumpf said they’re monitoring those numbers carefully.
He pointed out that the budget was built on 600 students and it is based on a five-year average. Some potential formula changes with regard to how special education and ESL students are counted could make a positive difference for the school district.
Kammer reported a good turnout for parent-teacher conferences at the beginning of the year, at 91%.
Overall, Kammer said the school year is off to a good start. Citing some specific positives, she noted that paras are covering morning duties, and teachers appreciate having that time to prepare for the day.
Staff members also appreciate breakfast delivery to the classrooms, as well as tables in the hallway.
Kindgartners have their own time for lunch, and that is going very well, according to Kammer.
Eighteen teachers attended Kagan training, and the staff is using the Kagan materials, she added.
Teacher license renewal is now good for seven years instead of five, said Kammer. She also cited the redesign of the library area and commended library media/technology staff member Kari Vasa for that.
Powell said enrollment at the JR/SR high is up, with three classes having 50 or more students. She did point out that last year’s graduating class was very small.
Legacy was added to the Dragon Pride, Family and Legacy focus this year. Powell said she challenged students to consider what they will be remembered for. Character, contribution and friendship were targeted as three steps to building a Dragon legacy.
Many positives were reported on the new aspects of the school in the Building Excellent Schools Today project. Powell noted that the new warming kitchen features free breakfast and lunch and lots of selection options, leading to an increase in participation.
The carpet in the commons area that was replaced over the Labor Day weekend has added a very nice finishing touch.
High school locker rooms were just completed, with the boys moving in Sept. 7 and the girls the next morning. Powell said it was priceless to see the students’ reactions when they walked into the locker rooms for the first time.
The district looks forward to hosting a community open house during homecoming week the first week in October. Powell said she is also excited to showcase the remodeling to area schools that come for sporting events.
Stumpf said the BEST project is about 90% done and should be wrapped up in a couple of weeks. The biggest unfinished part is the air conditioning unit that was scheduled to ship last week and to hopefully be set Sept. 15.
Struckmeyer gives update on transportation department
Transportation department co-supervisor Summer Struckmeyer gave a thorough report, emphasizing they just want kids to be safe when delivering them to and from school and on all activity trips.
Bus drivers range from 1.5 to 38 in years of service, so a couple of drivers could be nearing retirement. She noted that they’re short a regular route driver and have started the school year with subs. One person was to take the driver’s test last weekend and will hopefully be added to the driver list.
A small-vehicle test is all that’s required to be a minibus driver, while the CDL with school endorsement is needed to drive the larger buses.
School started on a mud route schedule with pickup points due to the heavy rains that fell the week before school started.
Regular daily bus service involves three routes using older school buses and two minibus routes.
Struckmeyer reported that Glen’s Diesel completed all Department of Transportation vehicle testing over the summer and does a great job with regular work. And Gumaro Bencomo deep-cleaned all the buses this summer.
A new minibus was added to the fleet in August, and Struckmeyer said that air conditioning units have been ordered for the front of two activity buses. The minibus has a backup camera and cruise control.
She added that three buses will be sold, a 54-passenger bus is expected to be delivered in January, and options are being considered for whether remaining transportation department funds will go toward a bigger bus or a minibus. Stumpf said there could be consideration at some point for looking at a coach-type bus for longer trips.
Conversations with parents will be needed with regard to what would be the least destructive option if the district can’t find bus drivers. That could impact what is considered for bus replacement as well.
Stumpf commended Struckmeyer, noting that she works well with activities director Corey Koberstein in scheduling buses and drivers.
SAFER grant explained
Stumpf reported that four Northeast BOCES school districts, including Holyoke, are participating in the School Access for Emergency Response grant.
He said it provides two super radios to keep in the offices. Stumpf explained that it interfaces with all the district radios, but it does not involve one radio per teacher.
Elementary school teachers have radios, and the district will be looking to equip JR/SR high teachers with them.
The super radios come with software and six-year warranties. Stumpf said he received a quote from the company that provided this material. They sell Motorolas at $200-$300 apiece. The district will get some prices and quotes for outfitting the JR/SR high.
He further noted that there is the opportunity to apply for this SAFER grant year after year.
Other business
In other business at the Sept. 7 meeting, the school board:
— Canceled the Oct. 5 regular meeting and set the board retreat date for Monday, Oct. 11.
— Noted that the elementary playground upgrade is still in the district’s radar. Stumpf said they’re just trying to gather information to determine the scope of the project.
— Renewed and updated the charges for the District Accountability and Advisory Committee for 2021-22.
Charges from last year included: foster a positive, inclusive environment; Indigo social-emotional information; student involvement in social-emotional information; engage stakeholders as partners in the success of every student; principal and teacher evaluation system; and four-day week feedback.
— Reviewed Colorado Association of School Boards revised policies on support staff supplementary pay/overtime, school year/school calendar/instruction time, concurrent enrollment and parent engagement in education.
— Looked at board member appointments for shared leadership and vocational committees.