Friends of BCSD #101: 'Halfway through the 2018-19 school year'

This edition of the “Supt Scoop” will be divided into three parts: current success, future challenges, and the cost of attendance (an article printed January 17, 2017)!

SUCCESSES: I need to begin as I have before, the number one reason for our success this year lies in the strength of our Administrative Team! I believe the vast majority of our students, staff and parents will validate this assertion! The quality of instruction has upgraded — thank you teachers! The behavior in our hallways has improved — thank you students! And support for our student athletes/artisans has been excellent — thank you parents and community members!

Our Community Thanksgiving was a great success, we served over 300 individuals with the cooperative efforts of ten churches in our community and our own Tammy Schneider. Speaking of Tammy, we want to send out a special word of thanks to the Fraternal Order of the Eagles who raised funds to support families with student lunches. Community organizations like the Eagles and the Rotary Club of Bonners Ferry, who provide $12,000 in scholarships annually for our students, are a huge part of our success.

Our Middle School and High School Leadership Classes are in a head-to-head battle to bring in 200 frozen turkeys and hams (each) for the Ministerial Association Christmas Baskets. This contest will end on Dec. 20, when we load these donated items into the bus for delivery. Remember to keep these at home until the 20th, as we do not have freezer space at school.

Academically, we are working to improve our writing skills daily, as we prepare for our winter assessment. Our third through tenth grade teachers have been using the ISAT Interim Assessments to prepare our students for success on the state mandated testing in the spring. These practice tests allow our students to become familiarized with the testing format, which hold our schools accountable for the statewide standards. The Interim tests provide understanding, instruction and success— ask your child how they are doing in this department.

We can celebrate two new Trustees for the Boundary County School Board. Niki Weaver joined us last month and Candy Kelly will be sworn in at our next regular Board Meeting in Valley View Elementary School on Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. Finally, we will be playing with a full deck! I truly believe this impressive group will empower our district leaders and staff to maintain our focus on the welfare of the students and maintain the financial well-being of our district as we work toward the advancement of the entire educational program!

CHALLENGES: This is a LEVY YEAR! On March 12, we will again vote to support the $2.4 million levy our community generously supported in the past. We have done a great job keeping our finances in order, so as not to increase your taxes. This amount is 14 percent of our total budget; most of this money goes to paying the wages of support staff who work directly with our students. A copy of a PowerPoint presentation is available on the district website. Please direct any questions to the District Office, any Board and/or staff members. More about this later in the year.

Another challenge for the Board and District #101 is to hire a new superintendent. First let me say, I have been honored to serve the families of BCSD for the last seven years. But, all things come to an end. I strongly believe it is best for the District to move in a new direction, one of growth and opportunities for the children in Boundary County. The District is currently advertising and accepting applications. For the benefit of our children — stay involved and informed!

Our third challenge for the future is to replace a great building — Valley View Elementary School was built in 1952. Our maintenance department has held it together very well, but the building can only hold so many patches. Over these many years we have developed roof, foundation and plumbing issues; the cost of renovation has surpassed the price of replacement. The Bonners Ferry High School Bond will be paid off in 2023. Careful work by the Board of Trustees and the community will allow most of the expense of a new building to fall under the continuation of the current Bond, thus having a limited cost to our tax-payers. This process needs the support of a supermajority of Boundary County; a 2/3 approval through the electoral process. Please believe me when I say, “Our kids are worth whatever it takes!”

THE COST OF ATTENDANCE: “Over the years, the Boundary County School Board of Trustees have struggled with financing our school program. Our community generously stepped up two years ago by supporting a $2.4 million supplemental Maintenance and Operations Levy. In March of this year we will ask for the same support; you will learn more about this in the months to come. This article will explain something the schools have little control over: student attendance.

Recently, I contacted Tim Hill, the Deputy Superintendent of Public School Finance for the State Department of Education. He explains, “State funding is based on groups of students’ average daily attendance (ADA). These groups are called support units.

Using the midterm reporting period, we take the aggregate attendance from this time period and divide it by days in the session. This ADA is used to determine salary apportionment which is approximately 85 percent of our state funding. Anything that brings down the average daily attendance in this time frame will affect the biggest piece of funding for the district.”

Children miss school for a variety of reasons: illness, family emergencies, celebrations, sports, etc. Many absences can be considered excused if parents let us know where the student is, but the district is not funded for those days. I hate to bring up this next note as I value family loyalty, but even when younger siblings travel to watch their older brother or sister represent BFHS, we are not reimbursed.

More than 14 absences per year for a student surpasses the district policy (#3051) requiring 90 percent attendance. Excessive absence affects skill development and student achievement, credit retention, participation in extracurricular events, and possible promotion to the next grade level.

The financing of public education is a complicated process. Student support units are different for elementary and secondary school students. Statewide average per unit is $94,100 in the fiscal year 2017. An elementary school support unit for grades 1-3 is 20 students. $94,100 divided into 20 equals $4,705 per year. Divided into 141 school days, this equals $33.37 per day per student. When a student is absent, even if excused, we lose this money.

Another factor which plays into the importance of attendance is our four day school week. Our school days are longer to accommodate for this. It becomes a simple math problem. When a BCSD student misses one day per week, they miss 25 percent of instructional time for the week. In a traditional five day school district missing one day accounts for 20 percent of the instructional time.

I know there are some who will say, “The schools just want kids to attend for funding.” Get to know our staff and you will learn this is not true. We want students at school so we can do our jobs! School attendance is much more important than money. The biggest toll is paid in the student’s educational development. The research that compares “testing to attendance” has shown those students with higher attendance rates do better on standardized testing and better in school overall. Many of our students cannot master concepts without the benefits of the instruction given in the classroom. Many parents voice concerns they are unable to help their kids with homework in classes like math and science. Being in class is vital for these students.

Of course, we do not want students to attend school if they are ill and/or contagious. In addition, we will continue to send students home if they have head lice; we have a no-nit policy. I just ask parents to carefully consider the reason to keep your child home from school.”

As we head into the New Year, I want to thank the entire community for your continued support of BCSD #101 — Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

— Respectfully submitted by Gary Pflueger, Superintendent BCSD #101