A message from Superintendent Chris King - Budget Crisis Update
The budget presentations at recent school board meetings have informed all of us about how our budget works. The information presented at the February 23 board meeting explains why our budget is the way it is; what values drive our spending patterns.

For this evening’s board meeting, our budget and finance staff have prepared the most in-depth budget presentation to date. It, along with other updates and presentations, can be found on our Budget Crisis website. This presentation reflects greater clarity than was possible in January when we first began to discuss budget cut targets with our principals.

On February 23, I announced that the central administration budget at the Education Center would take a cut of at least $2.7 million for next school year. The $2.7 million target will move up $500,000 to $3.2 million, or a 13.5 percent cut to central departments.

They are not easy cuts and cut close to the bone in terms of school support. Besides operational budget cuts and vacant positions that will be eliminated, there will be a combination of jobs voluntarily reduced and jobs cut. To those employees who volunteered for temporary pay cuts for next year to help save their position as well as coworkers’ positions, I say thank you.

Most importantly, to those central administration employees who were told during the past two weeks that their job was being eliminated next year, I say thank you for the fine service that you have given to BVSD and please know that these difficult decisions are the result of financial necessity and do not, in any way, reflect negatively upon your dedicated and appreciated service.

I also would like to thank the entire BVSD community – those with students currently enrolled and those without. Literally hundreds of individuals have engaged in lively, thoughtful, often difficult, and ultimately valuable conversations with staff and me over the past few weeks.

There will be more public and board conversations to come before I submit a preliminary budget to the board in April. Based upon public input and board direction, I will then submit a proposed budget in time for the May 25 board meeting. State law requires a balanced 2010-2011 annual budget be approved and in place by June 30, 2010.

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As we all work together to help figure out where to cut $10-20 million needed to balance the 2010-11 budget, Impact on Education is mobilizing to support systemic solutions to Colorado’s school finance crisis. 

It will take time and considerable effort to implement long-term solutions. As a first step, we (staff and/or board members) are attending all of the scheduled BVSD budget forums to enlist the help of community members. We have also joined Great Futures Colorado (GFC), a coalition focused on building support for change and mobilizing local communities to pursue state-wide solutions. GFC’s first initiative will be to introduce a referred measure – DECIDE (Decide: Education Cuts or Invest in our Democracy and Economy) – to the Colorado legislature. If passed, DECIDE would allow voters to give the legislature the authority to increase revenues at a future point in time to prevent and reverse cuts to Colorado’s schools, colleges and universities.

The urgent need to prevent further deep cuts to education can not be overstated.  The well-being of our democracy and economy is on the line. Most importantly, our children will not get “do-overs,” nor should they wait while Colorado maneuvers out of its fiscal crisis. Educational opportunities delayed are opportunities lost. To get involved, send us an email.

Impact on Education is an independent non-profit focused on increasing excellence, equity and innovation in Boulder Valley School District through programs, partnerships and advocacy initiatives. We rely entirely upon donations from organizations and individuals who share our commitment.

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Helping students who are experiencing homelessness
One provision of the No Child Left Behind legislation that many people do not know about is the McKinney-Vento Act, which provides for rights and services to families and students who lack “a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” The intention of the federal McKinney-Vento law is to remove all barriers to enrollment, attendance and academic success that children and youth who do not have permanent housing might face.

Thus far in the 2009-2010 school year, BVSD has registered  almost 600 students “experiencing homelessness” as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act. New cases have increased by over 100 in this school year.

The BVSD McKinney-Vento team is Catalina Mendez, Homeless Liaison, and Wendy Gaylord, LCSW. Wendy and Catalina work to ensure that qualifying students in our area are enrolled immediately (even if lacking an address and documents), are set up for free lunch and breakfast (without filling out an application), experience school stability, and get referrals for any needed services and a waiver of all school fees (including School-Age Care and Kindergarten Enrichment).They also assist the students with their transportation needs and help them get the programs and services they need to ensure academic success. All of this is done with the utmost confidentiality.

People in a variety of living situations qualify for McKinney-Vento services. A few examples include hotels, motels, cars, parks, campgrounds, or doubled up with family or friends due to economic hardship. Even if the living space is fixed and regular, if something about it is inadequate (like utilities are off or there is no food), that may qualify, also.

If you know of someone who might have need of these services, please contact Catalina at 720-561-5925 or Wendy at 720-561-5932.

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Get ready for BVSD Bike to School Day 2010 on Earth Day, April 22
*School contacts need to return completed contact form by March 19*
The entire BVSD Community—K-12 students, staff, and parents—is invited to Bike to School Day. Join colleagues and families across the district to ring in the spring with a refreshing trip to school. Last year, more than 2,200 students and staff participated at 50 schools by walking and biking on Earth Day.

Students and staff can register online with a prize drawing available to everyone who registers and a grand prize to the winning school with the highest level of participation.

How can your school win big prizes? It’s easy as 1-2-3…

1. Make contact!
   A contact person at each school is needed to help distribute materials. This contact can be a parent or staff member who is enthusiastic about walking and biking. At Safe Routes - Bike Rack Project schools, this person will be the Parent Champion.
2. Sign-up!
   The BVSD Safe Routes to School Program will be distributing materials in a few weeks. A contact person, a School Coordinator, from each school is needed to fill out and return the contact form to Julie Ireland by email or mail to BVSD Transportation Department, PO Box 9011, Boulder, 80301. Contact forms must be returned by March 19th!
3. Get Stuff!
   The School Coordinator will be responsible for distributing the Bike to School Day materials, including stickers, posters and incentive prizes. BVSD Safe Routes to School will be hosting a breakfast on April 8th for people to pick up materials for their school.

Important note:
Since these materials cost our program to produce and we do not want to waste materials, if no one from your school is assigned this task, your school will not receive materials, including participation stickers. Students and staff from your school may still register for Bike to School Day, and will still be entered in the prize drawing, but they will not get the stickers and other incentive materials.

Please contact BVSD School Transportation Coordinator, Landon Hilliard (720-561-5931) with questions.

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Sleep Awareness
March 3-10, 2010, was National Sleep Awareness Week. Sleep deprivation, whether due to not sleeping long enough or due to interrupted sleep, is a major cause of injuries and fatalities, either on the job or while driving to or from work.

Fatigue itself is hard to measure, but there's little doubt of its symptoms. Fatigued workers tend to:

• Have slower reaction time and respond incorrectly or not at all to what's happening around them 
• Show poor logic and judgment 
• Have difficulty concentrating 
• Be less motivated and more forgetful 
• Have a greater tendency to take risks'

If you don't think workers' fatigue is a concern, consider these statistics:

• 31 percent of Americans say their jobs are directly responsible for their exhaustion. (Harris Interactive poll)
• 47 percent of Canadians admit to cutting back on sleep to create extra time in their days. (Statistics Canada)
• 50 percent of survey respondents say they have caught co-workers sleeping on the job. (Harris Interactive Poll

Here's another sobering thought about the effects of fatigue: Researchers conducted a study comparing impairment levels in workers with inadequate sleep to people with a blood alcohol level of 0.05ml. They found that a person awake for 17 hours experiences the same level of performance decline as someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.05ml/I. Seven hours later - after 24 consecutive hours awake - the person's level of impairment is similar to that of being drunk.

March 5, 2010 Information from Don Hartman, Loss Control Consultant, CCMSI

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211,787,000*
Guess that number! The first person to email Ghita Carroll with the correct answer will receive a greenBVSD water bottle.

Did you know?
BVSD is converting to a centrally controlled irrigation system courtesy of the Bond Program. This will allow for huge water savings for the district. The new irrigation system will automatically adjust based on weather, and will shut down when it is raining. The system also has flow sensors, which will let Maintenance staff know immediately if there is a pipe break or flow anomaly. The district has installed this system in 20 schools and will be turning them on for the first time this spring. The new irrigation control system will be complete for the remaining schools at the end of Phase 3 of the bond. The new control system is expected to save 20 to 30 percent in irrigation water consumption.

Kudos!
Thanks to Mike Cuskelly, Director of Maintenance, for advocating for the centrally controlled irrigation system. Thanks also to Bond and Maintenance staff for their hard work in project implementation.

Tip
Water is a precious resource. Make sure that you are turning off faucets completely when done, and report leaky fixtures. 

*Hint: BVSD used 211,787,000 (guess units) of a specific resource (guess which one) in one year.

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Under New Management

• David Tanaka, Principal, Emerald Elementary, effective July 26, 2010

Board Approvals

• The final 2010/2011 BVSD School Calendar was approved by the board.
• The board approved the adoption of all B policies: Policy BAA, Policy BBA, Policy BBBA, Policy BC, Exhibit BCA-E1, Exhibit BCA-E2, Policy BCB, Policy BDA, Policy BDB, Policy BDF, Policy BDFA, Policy BDFB, Policy BDFC, Policy BDFD, Policy BE, Policy BEC, Policy BEDA, Policy BEDB, Policy BEDD, Policy BEDF, Policy BEDG, Policy BEDH, Policy BG, Policy BGA, Policy BID/BIE
• The board approved the cancellation of the March 23, 2010 board meeting.
• The recommended learning materials for elementary health education and elementary and secondary social studies for 2010-11 were ratified by the board.

One grant was approved by the board:

• Student Success - Middle Level Academic Summer School - Colorado Department of Education -10

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Hats Off!
Congratulations to this week's Superintendent's Honor Roll recipients:
During the March 9 board meeting, five BVSD teachers were honored for being chosen as the 2010 Impact on Education's Impact Award winners.

As the primary community partner for BVSD, Impact on Education invested more than $1.2 million in BVSD schools, teachers, and students during the 2008-2009 school year. Impact funded substantial programs in three areas: creating opportunities for “at-risk” students; increasing student learning and interest in science and technology; and motivating and rewarding teacher excellence. Impact is also an invaluable supporter of the School Food Project and the THRIVE Parent Guide.

The five exceptional educators who were honored by over 200 civic, educational, and business leaders at the 18th annual Impact Awards Dinner on February 11 are: 

• Sanchez Elementary ESL Specialist Corby Connolly
• Columbine Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Kristen Elder-Rubino
• Emerald Elementary Principal Larry Leatherman
• Peak to Peak Charter High English Teacher Kristie Letter
• Foothill Elementary Media Special Jonathan Warshaw

Besides a personal award of $500 each, each of these honorees also earned $1,500 from Impact for each of their schools.
It is especially important in these financially challenging times to have educators in our community who can rise above our current fiscal anxiety to continue to foster a love of learning and to nurture their students’ well being.

Thank you to each of you for your unique and extraordinary contribution to the education of your students.

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