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Superintendent's
Scoop |
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A look back at the year that was, and a look
ahead |
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December 12, 2016 |
By Gary Pflueger
Superintendent, School District 101
As we come to the end of another year (as my
parents taught me) it’s time to reflect—what
went well, what can we do better?
Let’s start with enrollment. We have more
students enrolled in our district than the
previous two years. I take this as a very
positive sign. I will attribute this to a couple
factors. First, take an opportunity to visit
with our school principals. I’ve said it before,
I’ll say it again, this is the best admin team I
have seen in my 25 years in the business. They
are unified in spirit and conviction. All
members are child-oriented. We are focused on
student safety and learning!
Student/staff relationships are improving
through the support of Love & Logic and PEAK
strategies. With fewer disruptive behaviors,
deeper teaching and learning can occur.
Homeschoolers, come in and take a look at us;
you may like what you see. Do we have problems?
Of course we do, we’re humans after all, but I
love what I am seeing. Excellence will be
rewarded; poor performance removed!
Another point to celebrate is our continued
growth in technology with the latest and
greatest. We now have enough Kindles for every
second, third, and fourth grader to have a
device. We have also purchased a Chromebook for
each fifth grader in the district to use.
These advances in technology will allow us to
provide the necessary up-to-date instructional
practices our children deserve. These will be
used to strengthen our reading, writing, and
research skills as our students learn to compete
in this global world.
On another technological front and most
exciting, our district personnel and city
planners have met with a company out of Coeur d’
Alene that is bringing fiber optic capability to
our community. This is huge and exciting as we
open our connectivity to all people!
I have established two groups who are providing
tremendous input to the Boundary County School
District Board of Trustees. The Facilities
Committee has gone through all five schools and
identified/prioritized needed upgrades and
repairs. Projects effecting student safety are
getting done: controlled access into schools,
gym floors in both the HS and MS, and repair of
leaking roofs to name a few.
The second and newest group is the BCSD Budget
and Financial Advisory Committee. This group
consists of Diane Cartwright, Cal Russell, Greg
Johnson, Merle Ansley, David Walter, Deborah
Youngwirth, David Brinkman, Nathan Williams,
Robin Merrifield, Luke Omodt, Jacob Garrison,
and Cal Bateman. One of the co-presidents of the
BCEA, Josh Knaggs or Rita Vannoy, will likely
join this group at the next meeting.
The first challenge of this group is to prepare
for and pass the M&O Levy. Yes, this is a levy
year. We need your help again this March.
All of the positive activities and projects
listed in this letter would not have been
accomplished without the support of the levy two
years ago.
Here is the “things we can do better” part of
the letter.
For all the positive things happening in our
schools and around the district, the one thing
that bothers me most is we went into mediation
during negotiations with our teachers last year.
I was deeply troubled by this process. The
Budget and Financial Advisory Committee is
challenged with making our district budget
crystal clear. The financing of public education
is a very complicated process. We have had one
expert who is leaving us soon.
Diane Cartwright is retiring this year after 20
years of dedicated service.
She is a wealth of knowledge and has kept our
district in the black during turbulent years.
Her expertise and loyal dedication to BCSD will
be greatly missed! Replacing Diane in January is
our own Cal Bateman. Cal and I will step up to
the challenge with the support of this advisory
committee; we have no choice!
This year we are making great strides
strengthening our partnership with the Boundary
County Education Association. Our teachers and
support staff deserve what we can give them and
more. The stronger our partnership the better
for our children in Boundary County.
Besides an educated society, what do our kids
and teachers give back to us?
This time of the year: seasonal band and choir
concerts, the theatre. (Did you see “Letters to
God”? It was amazing!) Our leadership classes
and FFA are bringing in turkeys and hams for the
Ministerial Association Community Baskets.
Canned food drives will happen after the New
Year to refill the food banks.
Dare I say, “We are blessed!”
Yes, the future is bright for Boundary County! I
am excited to work with Mayor David Sims, City
Planner Lisa Ailport, and Dennis Weed, our
Economic Development Coordinator. I look forward
to seeing the growth of our community as we
celebrate the awarded High 5 Grant and future
development that will come with fiber optics.
Like it or not folks, we are on the move! Our
kids deserve everything we can give them!
Thank you for entrusting your children to
Boundary County School District. We proudly
accept this challenge with honor and conviction. |
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