We met at the Salvation Army, 15 Rotarians in attendance, Mark Bring on the “OWL”. Bringing our total to 16. After the usual salutations, our invocation was given by Lisa M.
Announcements:
Very few announcements today, the workday at the community garden is scheduled for Thursday the 11th, however it will be a short commitment as the building project has been delayed and will not be commencing anytime soon. We will, however, be picking vegetables. Also, the potluck for Laly will be held on the 24th of this month everyone welcome. Brian T. oversees the “MEAT”. Please bring something to share.
Brags and fines:
John M. mentioned his Granddaughter got married on Saturday to Will Holt, at Thumper Pond. You may remember him as one of our own, albeit for just a short time. Tim H. talked about his Grandson that completed the Academy for Firefighting. Congratulations to all those young people. Matt bragged about his wife opening a new daycare business. Lisa M. paid for missed meetings and a family trip to Alaska. President Ryan bragged about no Rotary Minute, and Steve A. paid the fine.
Program:
Our very own Dean M. introduced Superintendent Jeff Drake as our speaker today. Jeff started his talk with the mission of the district which is: “To prepare productive and engaged members of society by creating an environment where all students reach their full potential.” The vision of the school district is emphasizing the five “C's:”
Core Knowledge
Creative problem solving
Communication
Contributing citizen
Character
Core Knowledge
Creative problem solving
Communication
Contributing citizen
Character
Digital literacy is another focus, as in artificial intelligence, and helping students understand how to use this and know truth from fiction. There are also five goals that District 544 is pursuing: (1) kindergarten readiness; (2) all students must be reading at their grade level; (3) attendance, a big issue with the district, as many students miss class and are missing out on the social aspect of classroom learning; (4) customer service, how do we earn to be the school of choice, over other learning options; and (5) marketing the school.
Jeff mentioned several folks in the school that earned high awards, including Norm Newell and David Dirks as co-coaches of the year, Chris Grabowska head football coach, Niki Welde and Ethan Soland as teachers of the year, and Jennifer Kohorst as school nurse of the year.
Enrollment in the schools is stable however the kindergarten class size is down about 40 students from last year. There are some parental holdbacks, and the population of that age group is down. Future concerns could arise if that trend continues. There are 2522 students enrolled and another 730 in the IQ Academy bringing the total enrollment for the district to 3252.
As far as the facilities are concerned there will NOT be another bond request anytime soon… “Fix what you have” was the message from the voters. There are some issues that will be addressed soon:
#1 is a mold issue at Mckinley and Cleveland schools $100,000.00 repair;
#2 Cleveland and Adams roof repair $450,000.00;
#3 Pool project $950,000.00;
#4 Stadium turf replacement $600,000.00; and
#5 Recoat the track $150,000.00.
Future projects include a mural on the east side of Cleveland school and some green space being added to the Lincoln building.
#2 Cleveland and Adams roof repair $450,000.00;
#3 Pool project $950,000.00;
#4 Stadium turf replacement $600,000.00; and
#5 Recoat the track $150,000.00.
Future projects include a mural on the east side of Cleveland school and some green space being added to the Lincoln building.
Jeff also addressed school safety; there are currently 3 SRO’s that are on duty at the school at various times. Training is happening and the school is secure.
Jeff fielded several questions and thanked our group for the kind invitation.