School district valuation up $2.6M

    With an assessed valuation of $75,831,880, Holyoke School District Re-1J certified a total mill levy of 35.949 mills for property tax year 2017. Certification occurred at the Dec. 5 school board meeting.
    This includes 27.0 mills in the general fund, 7.0 mills for mill levy override, -0.051 mills for abatement and 2.0 mills for bond redemption.
    The assessed valuation for the school district is up $2.64 million from a year ago, reported Budget and Finance Director Ben Rahe.
    Located primarily in east Phillips County, Holyoke School District includes a small portion in Yuma County and in Sedgwick County.
    Superintendent John McCleary told the board that he will check out audit report dates with auditor Scott Szabo of Lauer, Szabo & Associates to arrange for a reporting time.
    The second school board meeting in December has been canceled, and the first meeting in January is set as a board retreat Thursday, Jan. 4, starting at 5 p.m. in the board meeting room. As a result, at this point, the next regular meeting will not be held until Tuesday, Jan. 16.
    Topics for the retreat were reviewed by the board and include such items as Student-Centered Accountability Program, visible learning progress, superintendent evaluation of 360 survey review, student support areas, board learning areas for remainder of year and update on recent parent-teacher conferences.
    
Principal search begins
    With JR/SR High School Principal Susan Ortner announcing last spring that she will be retiring at the end of the current school year, the search for a new principal has begun.
    At last week’s board meeting, McCleary noted that a principal transition management team has been formed and has begun meeting.
    Staff members have received a survey to give their input on general areas for applicants to understand the kind of position that’s involved.
    Within the survey, staff member options for answers include no changes needed, minimal changes needed, current practice needs major change and entire concept needs changed.
    Survey topics for which they’ll be using these answer options are: academic opportunity center, positive behavioral intervention and support, discipline matrix, class schedules, grading scale, homework philosophy, monitoring and reporting of grades, individual career and academic plan, semester incentives, evaluation tool, evaluation process and dress code, as well as identification and support for response to intervention, individualized education plans, gifted and talented, and English as a Second Language.
    Additionally, the survey lists nine qualities and asks the staff member to rank these qualities that they would like to see in a new leader.
    
Board reports on CASB convention
    During last week’s meeting,  board members shared highlights from the Nov. 30-Dec. 3 annual convention of the Colorado Association of School Boards held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
    Value was cited for hearing from boards in the state who are already doing things that this district is considering. And likewise, hearing people talk about things they would like to do that are already being done successfully in this district is affirmation for current procedures.
    Continued topics of funding issues, struggles to keep up with technology and keeping students safe were discussed thoroughly. Another topic of data analysis of board systems, presented by the board president from Monte Vista, was mentioned by several local board members as a valuable session.
    Monitoring and fostering student mental health was emphasized, as well. Brenda Krueger, who, along with Joan Price, sponsored the Holyoke student representatives at the convention, said this was a big topic for the kids, as well.
    Senior Tyler Lamm, who attended the CASB student strand last year, returned this year as a facilitator and was a panelist. Five HHS juniors who attended the student strand were Brenna Sullivan, Kyra Loutensock, Paola Ruiz, Savannah Burris and Kaylee Camblin.
    During the CASB convention, a two-hour-and-six-minute executive session of the local board was held Thursday, Nov. 30.
    The closed session was held with Coulter Bump, a lawyer from Caplan and Earnest, for the purpose of receiving legal advice regarding board member responsibilities and compliance with district policies and state laws.
    
Other business
    In other business at the Dec. 5 meeting, the Re-1J board:
    —Reviewed a sample policy on the privacy and protection of confidential student information that all Colorado school districts will be required to adopt. McCleary cited details in the student data privacy plan that will need to be addressed by policy.
    —Approved Billy Sonnemaker as a JH/HS volunteer wrestling coach.
    —Discussed the potential for moving to electronic board packets for meetings.