A message from Superintendent Chris King - BVSD Financial Update
As many already know, the tentative agreement between the Boulder Valley Education Association and the Boulder Valley School District was defeated by those teachers and other Unit B employees who participated in last Monday and Tuesday’s ratification vote.

As stated in the Superintendent’s Blog on the BVSD website last week, some parents expressed concerns about how this might affect their children in BVSD schools. I assured them that all of us in the district, teachers and administrators alike, put students first.

In an effort to arrive at a new agreement, BVSD renewed its call to BVEA to take advantage of the opportunity for advisory fact finding by a third party last week and asked for a response by today. Until a new agreement is reached, the one for last year stays in effect although teachers will receive step increases if applicable, increased health insurance coverage, and an increase in the district’s PERA contribution.

BVSD was notified by our lobbyist Tanya Kelly-Bowry that Governor Ritter’s senior policy, budget and legislative staff met with K-12 and higher education lobbyists to discuss the submission of a waiver to the federal government which would not only cut higher education in the 2009-2010 budget by $80.9 million but would also cut K-12 funding in 2010-2011 statewide by $140 million.  It is important to note that the lobbyists were told that the statewide 2010-2011 K-12 cut of $140 million – estimated at $5 million to BVSD – is planned to be made on top of the expected rescission of the 2009-2010 $110 million emergency fiscal reserve which amounts to $3.8 million for BVSD.

Assuming the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee and the full legislature accept all or most of the governor’s plan for this year and next year, there can be no doubt that next year will force us to take a hard look at where to cut our budget for 2010-2011. It is now almost certain cuts will be made. It is not yet certain where we will make them.

I had already planned to schedule a series of superintendent meetings in our community this school year to discuss long term fiscal priorities and strategies for maintaining BVSD excellence and equity in the face of significantly declining state support. I intend to add the 2010-2011 budget to that agenda.

The bottom line is that all credible sources are indicating we are facing serious fiscal challenges now and will be for at least the next two fiscal years beyond this year. However, I am confident that, working together, our district can and will find a way to prudently address the effects of the state’s fiscal crisis in a way that not simply maintains but improves the academic achievement, equity, and school climate for all of our students.

This is our test and, together, we have no choice but to meet it head on.

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Bond Team had a busy summer

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Impact on Education welcomes Louise Garrels
Louise Garrels recently joined Impact on Education as Programs Manager responsible for overseeing Impact on Education programs—  the Opportunity Fund, Impact Awards, Crayons to Calculators— and multi-year pilot projects/partnerships: Take My Teacher Home, Girls At the Museum Exploring Science, Open World Learning at Creekside, Adelante and Algebra I Interventions. She looks forward to working with teachers to re-design and streamline the Classroom Mini-Grants program and re-launch it next year.

Louise is a strong advocate of public education, actively supporting her two sons, first at Douglass Elementary and now at Platt Middle School, and is eager to extend her commitment to public education to working with all BVSD schools and teachers. She was previously a Business Project Manager with NITA, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Louisville, Colorado, that provides training to attorneys who work in child advocacy, tribal law, death penalty defense, immigration and domestic violence. She also currently serves on the board of directors of the Family Learning Center, is active with Reading to End Racism, and was previously on the YWCA board of directors. Louise is a native of Southern California and, together with her husband, Bill, and sons John and Danny, “saw the light” and have become big fans of the Boulder Valley outdoor, active lifestyle. She can be reached by email or at 303-524-3865 x4.

Impact on Education is dedicated to increasing student learning and support for public education in the Boulder Valley School District. The organization’s three focus areas are motivating and rewarding teacher excellence, increasing student interest and learning in science & technology, and creating opportunities for at-risk students. For more information, visit our website.

Mark your calendars! BVSD Health Fair - Sept. 14
The 3rd annual BVSD Health Fair for staff and families will be September 14 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the Boulder Valley YMCA , 2800 Dagny Way, Lafayette, CO 80026 (corner of 95th and Arapahoe).

• Free Food, Prizes, Free Skin Cancer Check and other screenings.
• Bring your family and enjoy FREE ice skating from 5:00-6:30 p.m. (skates provided or bring your own)!
• Learn about PERA and the district 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) savings plans.
• Check out different fitness classes  (YOGA, Sports Conditioning, Pilates, Kinesis, Tai Chi, etc.) at no charge!
  Free Childcare provided for children age 5 and under.
• Find out about Rec Center discounts.
• Learn about the new Vision Benefit through VSP.

Teachers are eligible for one hour CDE credit.

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Sound Ergonomics for Computer Use
Wrist, Neck and Shoulder Safety Tips while sitting at the computer
It’s the beginning of the school year and workers typically spend long blocks of time at the computer. Some tips to help avoid the stresses on the body while sitting at the computer:

• Keep elbows relaxed and close to the body.
• Keep wrists in a straight line (hands are not flexed up or down; or bent inward or outward) with arms lower than wrists.
• Monitor is directly in front of user and at an arm’s length away.
• Monitor is at a proper height so one’s head is level.
• Control mouse movement from the elbow, not the wrist.
• Switch mouse to other side occasionally to reduce stress to dominant wrist.
• When using a laptop, position screen like a workstation monitor.
• Take frequent minibreaks.
• Keep shoulders in relaxed position.
• Exercise your  hands, wrists, and shoulders with:
     -Finger extensions
     -Backwards wrist stretches
     -Shoulder shrugs and rolls, blade pinches and overhead reaches
     -Head nods, turns and tilts from side to side

Using proper techniques will help you stay safe and stress-free!

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Under New Management

• Steven Chereson, Asst. Principal, Manhattan Middle, effective August 11, 2009
• Miriam Campos, Assistant Director, Family Engagement/Title I, effective August 26, 2009

Other Board Approvals

• The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee description calls for the inclusion of a Student Accountability Advisory Committee member on the committee. The student term corresponds with the school year. The board agreed to appoint Jasjit Mangat as the new student representative for the 2009-2010 school year. Jasjit is the SAAC representative from Centaurus High School.
• Refunding of the General Obligation Bonds, Series 1999, and the adoption of Resolution No. 09-18 were all approved by the board.
• The board authorized salary adjustments effective July 1, 2009, for employees of the Boulder Valley School District represented by the Boulder Valley Educational Office Professionals (BVEOP). The salary adjustment is within the parameters established by the Board of Education.
• The board approved the self-funded health plan administered by Great-West Healthcare/Cigna, the self-funded dental plan administered by Delta Dental, the renewal of the district’s fully insured health plan with Kaiser Permanente, and the consulting agreement with Gallagher Benefit Services, all for the period of July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The district completed the second year of self-funding the bulk of its health insurance on June 30, 2009. As of August 1, 2009, approximately 65 percent of employees are enrolled in the district’s self-funded health plan administered by Great-West/Cigna and 35 percent are enrolled in Kaiser. Health care costs continue to increase and BVSD is not immune to increased costs. Gallagher Benefit Services recommended an increase in funding for 2009-10 of approximately 14 percent over 2008-09 funding levels. Some benefit design changes were made to both remove barriers and improve access to care. For example, the employee share for a colonoscopy and the cost for generic prescriptions were significantly reduced. Hopefully, these kinds of changes, coupled with enhanced benefit communications to employees, will help improve the health of our employees and, in the long run, minimize higher cost claims. Other benefit changes were made to avoid employee contributions for employee only coverage. An example of this is the increased employee share of lab, x-ray, and high tech radiology services not related to preventive care. An overall description of the benefits plans can be found on our website.
• The K-5 Curriculum Essentials for Spanish Language Arts was approved by the board. In the 2007-2008 school year, the Department of Language Equity and Culture began working on a Spanish Language Arts document for use in bilingual schools. During this time period, native Spanish speaking teachers from across the district collaborated with members of the Literacy Department to create the document. In 2008-2009 this Curriculum Essentials document was piloted in all three bilingual schools. This document identifies the priorities for learning that are necessary for literacy development at each grade level in Spanish Language Arts. The curriculum can be found online here.
  

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Hats off!
Congratulations to this week's Superintendent's Honor Roll recipients:
During the August 25 board meeting, New Vista High School Teacher Dr. Anissa Butler and BVSD Director of Instructional Technology Len Scrogan were honored for their outstanding performance of their respective duties.

Anissa recently received the Community Action Project Multicultural Award for Education. Community Action Programs organized the first Multicultural Awards Banquet in 1989 to honor people of color who have made major contributions to the arts, business, community service, education, government, health partners, science, and youth throughout Boulder County. She was nominated for the award by former New Vista Principal Rona Wilensky, who wrote that "Anissa has been a leader in this area since she began teaching at New Vista High School in 1994." Anissa has created and taught courses that deal with a wide range of equity topics: race and ethnicity, women’s studies, gay and lesbian studies, and class issues. Anissa is an equity and diversity trainer, working in BVSD schools as well as those in other districts and communities. She has also established the Education Diversity Scholars Program at CU to attract students of color to the teacher education program and has directly mentored some of those students as student teachers at New Vista.

Len Scrogan recently received a 2009 Outstanding Technology Administrator Award from the Colorado Association of Leaders in Education Technology (CALET), a department of the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE). CALET President Jeff Pearson stated it is extremely difficult to “…sufficiently reflect the impact Len’s leadership has had on thousands of educators and even more students over the years.” Len was also praised at the recent CASE conference as someone who “has long been recognized as a research leader in educational technology.” Len’s leadership at BVSD was recognized, as well as, helping other K-12 districts share in activities, professional development, and purchasing opportunities. He was also honored for offering professional development at the K-12 and university levels, including summits on Internet safety, podcasting, presentations at conferences and teaching classes offered throughout the state.

Call for nominations!
Nominations for Superintendent’s Honor Roll are accepted throughout the year. Send an email to Briggs Gamblin or Maela Moore telling us who you are nominating and why you think she or he deserves to be honored by the superintendent.

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