Genesee School District Superintendent

Book Club: "Schools Cannot Do It Alone"

2012-01-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Genesee Joint School District Board of Education and Administration has begun reading “Schools Cannot Do IT Alone”, by author Jamie Vollmer. The story is one of a businessman’s journeys working with the public education system and his transformation from harsh critic to advocate of America’s public schools.

Mr. Vollmers experiences in public education over the last twenty years have led him to two important discoveries. First, public education has a system problem not a people problem. That in order to obtain the graduates we need, we must be willing to change the system of how we deliver instruction. Secondly, we cannot change the system without touching the culture of the community; everything that goes on inside a school is tied to local attitudes, values, traditions and beliefs of the community in which it resides.

In "Schools Cannot Do It Alone", Mr. Vollmer presents a practical plan to increase student success. Vollmer’s community-based program, called “The Great Conversation” provides instructions and suggestions to tackle the major obstacles to school improvement. "Schools Cannot Do It Alone" also includes an expanded version of the famous “Blueberry Story,” and the latest update of “Vollmer’s List.” This exhaustive review of the responsibilities heaped upon the nation’s public schools over the last hundred years proves that our schools are no longer being told to” just teach” America’s children.

If you would be interested in reading a copy of the book or joining us in a discussion about the book, please contact Mrs. Moore, Superintendent at 208-285-1161.

Book Information:

Vollmer, Jamie (2010). Schools Cannot Do It Alone. Enlightenment Press.

Website Information:

www.jamievollmer.com

Genesee Joint Schools implements School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support Program

2011-10-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Genesee Joint School District is implementing the School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support (SWPBIS) program during the 2011/12 school year.

Genesee Joint School District SWPBIS Team will be meeting on a monthly basis during the current school year to explore ways in which the staff can be proactive in meeting students’ individualized academic, behavioral and socio-emotional needs. The members of the team are as follows: Mrs. Wommack, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bardwell, Mrs. Sperber, Mrs. Tilleman, Mr. Scripter, Mr. Morrow, Mrs. Scharnhorst, Mr. Bartosz, Mr. Caldwell and Mrs. Moore.

What is School-Wide PBIS?

SWPBIS is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems. SWPBIS is not a program or a curriculum, but a process that focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students.

What Does School-Wide PBIS Emphasize?

In general, SWPBIS emphasizes four integrated elements: (a) data for decision making, (b) measurable outcomes supported and evaluated by data, (c) practices with evidence that these outcomes are achievable, and (d) systems that efficiently and effective support implementation of these practices.

What Outcomes are Associated with Implementation of PBIS?

Schools that establish systems with the capacity to implement SWPBS with integrity and durability have teaching and learning environments that are
• Less reactive, aversive, dangerous, and exclusionary, and more engaging, responsive, preventive, and productive.

• Address classroom management and disciplinary issues.

• Improve supports for students whose behaviors require more specialized assistance (e.g., emotional and behavioral disorders, mental health), and most importantly, maximize academic engagement and achievement for all students which leads to increased instructional time.

• SWPBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for all students and all staff in all settings.

• Team based process for systemic problem solving, planning and evaluation.It is an approach to create a safe and productive learning environment where teachers can teach and all students can learn.

Additional information about this program is available at: http://www.pbis.org/

Genesee Joint School District makes AYP for 2010/2011

2011-08-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Genesee Joint School District makes AYP for 2010/2011.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is required by No Child Left Behind(NCLB) as a measure of all schools, school districts, and the state in meeting federal benchmarks. Idaho uses the results from the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) to calculate AYP. Each year, districts are required to reach state-approved goals in the areas of reading, math and a third indicator (graduation rate). They must also meet goals for the number of students participating on the ISAT. Results of assessments are used to determine whether a school is making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

The goal of NCLB/AYP is to ensure that all students in all schools are academically proficient in math, reading and language arts by 2014. Genesee School District met and exceeded the State goals for 2010/2011.

2010/ 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress Report
Genesee Joint School District #282
Was AYP Met?		School Improvement Status	Reading Goal		Math Goal	Graduation Rate
Yes		Met AYP	Met AYP		Met AYP	Met AYP

Grades Tested 3-10	ISAT Reading		ISAT Math			Graduation Rate
	% Tested	% Proficient	% Tested	% Proficient
State Benchmark	Goal 95%	Goal 85.6%	Goal 95%	Goal 83.0%		Goal 90%

All Students	100%	97.8%	100%	97.8%		100%
African American	*	*	*	*		*
Asian	*	*	*	*		*
American Indian	*	*	*	*		*
Hispanic	*	*	*	*		*
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander	*	*	*	*		*
White	100%	97.6%	100%	98.3%		*
Limited English Proficient	*	*	*	*		*
Economically Disadvantaged	100%	96.1%	100%	94.7%		*
Students with Disabilities	100%	*	100%	*		*

*For reporting purposes (participation), Idaho does not report student data for less than 10 students. For accountability purposes (proficiency), Idaho does not report student data for less than 34 students.

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the testing and to the entire Genesee Staff for building a strong educational foundation for our students.

Genesee School gets energy boost from ARRA grant. Written By Holly Bowen - Moscow Daily News. Printed July 2, 2011

2011-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

The solar panels are up, the switches have been turned on and now Genesee School is generating its own electricity thanks to a grant from the Idaho Office of Energy Resources.
Genesee Joint School District officials learned in January their school was one of only nine across the state to receive part of the $2.75 million worth of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds set aside by the state energy office for the installation of solar panels at public K-12 schools.
Genesee School received almost $260,000 of that funding, Superintendent Wendy Moore said.
Crews from the Spokane-based Power City Electric began installation of the school's solar panels in May and finished work this Thursday.
Rows of black photovoltaic modules - 192 in total - now cover the white roof of the school's gymnasium and face south to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
"It's pretty impressive," Moore said Thursday while looking at the rooftop arrays.
Jeff Middleton, project manager with Power City Electric, said the 50 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system will supplement the school's energy supply, meaning the school district will now pay less on its monthly power bill.
The amount of energy generated by the system varies depending on temperature and the amount of sunlight, he said, making it difficult to estimate just how much the school will end up saving.
He said the modules absorb sunlight and generate electricity even when it's cloudy, but the best conditions occur on cold, clear days.
The solar panels require relatively little maintenance - Middleton said an engineer determined the modules can handle the winter snow load, and it's normal to clean the arrays a couple times a year.
"It's just like looking through the windshield of a car," he said about the glass covering the solar cells.
The direct current (DC) power generated by the modules travels by wire inside conduit to an inverter box that transforms it into alternating current (AC) electricity to be used by the school.
"It's like hooking a bunch of batteries together," Middleton said.
He said people originally tried to store solar power in batteries, but it's much more cost-effective to convert and use the energy right away.
"In general, you get whatever you can get, invert it to AC and then use it while you have it," he said. "Somebody'll use it somewhere. If you don't use it, it will go back on the grid."
He said the photovoltaic modules are under a 25-year warranty, while the inverter box is warrantied for 20 years.
Moore said the solar array has already and will continue to serve as a learning opportunity for Genesee students.
She said science teacher Jen Pollard wrote the grant with help from maintenance supervisor Todd Dahmen. Pollard also involved her students in the planning process.
"The physics class worked on it last year," Moore said.
The students made measurements and calculated the number of watts the school could potentially produce.
She said meters on the photovoltaic system are connected to the school's computer network, so students and teachers will be able to monitor the amount of power their school is generating.
Middleton said because the project was funded by federal stimulus dollars, the vast majority of the components used had to be manufactured in the United States. He said many of the parts for Genesee School's solar array were made in Oregon.
He said photovoltaic systems are becoming an increasingly cheaper alternative energy option because mass production is driving down the price of components.

Rogers Toyota-Scion Rewards Perfect Attendance

2011-06-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Genesee Joint Schools continues to show academic excellence on a regular basis and a key factor to academic success is attendance. This past school year the district recognized 14 students in the district for having perfect attendance. Although we are proud of all the students who achieved this honor, two sixth grade students, Isaac Valles (shown left) and Makenna Bruck were recognized by Rogers Toyota-Scion as part of the P.A.S.S. ( Perfect Attendance School Success) program.

The P.A.S.S. program recognizes 6th grade students who have achieved perfect attendance during the school year. Each 6th grade student who has perfect attendance is then invited to a BBQ at the dealership and is presented with a new bicycle and a helmet. This past month 78 students from the area qualified for free bicycles.

We look forward to participating in the P.A.S.S. program in the 2011/12 year and thank Rogers Toyota-Scion for providing this program to our students.

Elementary Awards Assembly - June 3

2011-05-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

The 2010/11 school year is quickly winding down and I would like to also extend an invitation to parents and community members to join us on June 3rd at 8:30 in the gymnasium for our End of Year Assembly. We will be recognizing our students K-6 for outstanding attendance and academic achievement this past year. We will also be recognizing other individuals who have made contributions of time and effort to our classrooms throughout the year. Please consider joining us for this recognition ceremony.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the community, staff and students for making my first year at Genesee such an enjoyable one. It has been a sincere pleasure to serve you and your children this past year and I look forward to being here in the coming years. I hope you have a wonderful summer and if there is anything I can be of assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Wendy Moore
Superintendent/ Elementary Principal

Thank you for your support!

2011-03-09T06:59:00.001-08:00

Dear Genesee Joint School District residents,

I would personally like to Thank each of you who voted in support of our Supplemental Maintenance and Operation Levy that was held on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. The unofficial tally at the end of the night was 242 yes/ 115 no.

Your support ensures that we can continue to offer the highest level of quality education that ALL of our students deserve.

On behalf of the Board of Education, Administration, Staff and students of Genesee Joint school district, "Thank you for your support".

PLEASE VOTE on March 8 - Maintenance and Operations Levy 2011-2012

2011-02-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

The Genesee Joint School District Board of Trustees voted on January 10, 2011 to maintain the Maintenance and Operations levy amount of $700,000 from the previous year. The estimated cost will be $4.76 per one thousand dollars. Last year it was $4.94 per one thousand dollars of assessed value.

The Maintenance and Operations Levy traditionally supports school programs and services not funded by the State of Idaho. It provides for ongoing operational needs which include: utilities, building maintenance, athletics, special education, vocational programs, technology, custodial supplies and personnel.

The District remains committed to careful management of these funds. The yearly support of our community is needed and greatly appreciated.
Date : March 8, 2011
Location: Latah County - Genesee Senior Center; NezPerce County - Ballots will be mailed to registered electors. Time: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Absentee Voting will take place at Latah County Courthouse, Auditor/Recorder's Office, Room 101, Moscow, ID and at Nez Perce County Courthouse, Auditor/ Recorder's Office, Room 100, Lewiston, ID.

If you have any questions, please contact the district office at 208-285-1161.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Wendy Moore, Superintendent

Public Meeting Regarding Levy Election

2011-02-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

I would like to invite the community to attend a meeting held Wednesday, February 9th in the Multi-Purpose Room at 6:30 p.m. The informational meeting will discuss the proposed one-year levy for the 2011-12 school year. The district is asking for a renewal of the current maintenance and operation levy of $700,000.

Agenda Items:
1) What is the purpose of the levy?
2) Average cost to taxpayers.
3) How will it affect my taxes?
4) What does a levy provide?
5) Election consolidation and voting locations.

If you are unable to attend and would like additional information, please call the district office at 208-285-1161.

Sincerely,
Wendy Moore,
Superintendent

Breakfast Program begins Jan. 3, 2011.

2010-12-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

Beginning January 3rd, Genesee Joint Schools will being offering a breakfast program to all students in grades K-12. Studies show that students who eat breakfast overall do better academically. We are confident that this small step will provide great gains for our students.

Breakfast will consist of a whole grain cereal, milk, juice and bread product. Students will be allowed into the cafeteria from 7:30 - 7:55 to get breakfast. Costs for breakfast will be $1.70 for students K-12 ( $.30 for those who qualify for reduced breakfast/lunch). High school students will have the option of purchasing an additional bread product for $.30 ea.

We hope that this service will help get your families morning off to a great start and hope that you will encourage your child(ren) to take part of the breakfast program. If you any questions, please feel free to call me directly at 208-285-1161.

Mrs. Wendy J. Moore
Superintendent

Genesee Joint School District Receives High Marks

2010-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Genesee Joint School District continues to receive high academic scores on the Idaho State Achievement Test(ISAT) and the National ACT as well as receive State Recognition for outstanding FFA program.

Genesee Joint School district received official recognition from the State Department of Education for making Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2009/10 school year. Students in grades 3-8 and the 10th grade scored 97.1% proficient in the area of Reading and 97.4% proficient in the area of Math. Genesee Joint schools also had 100% graduation rate. These high proficiency scores and graduation rate, show a true commitment to the educational process and are reflective of a high level of student commitment, teacher dedication and parent support. Quality education and learning takes place when you have a community that supports and cares about education. I believe these scores reflect such a commitment.

The district also received the ACT College Readiness report. This report reflects the achievement of the last 5 years of graduates from the Genesee Joint School District. The ACT consists of curriculum-based tests of educational development designed to measure the skills needed for success in the first year of college coursework. The 2010 graduates scored higher in all 4 core areas than the state average. (Assessed Areas: English Composition, Algebra, Social Science, Biology)

We would also like to congratulate the Genesee Joint School District FFA program. The FFA program received 2nd place in the Helping Communities Grow Recognition Program. The FFA will receive a $3,000 grant for their hard work and effort. Congratulations to Mr. Morrow and all the students involved in the program.

Congratulations to all of these students, staff members and community for a job well done.

Welcome Back!

2010-08-19T15:44:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to school. I would like to welcome all of you back to the 2010/11 school year. School will begin on Tuesday, August 31st for all students K-12. We will be hosting an Open House for grades K-3 on Monday, August 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, August 31st for grades 4-12 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. I would encourage you to attend the scheduled Open Houses. This will provide you and your child(ren) time to meet the teachers and for students to become familiar with their new classrooms.

We have a lot of great things planned for the upcoming year and I look forward to meeting all of you.

Enjoy those last few days of summer!
Wendy Moore, Superintendent

Thank you for the warm welcome!

2010-08-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I would like to begin by Thanking all of you for such a warm reception to Genesee. The community has been very warm and welcoming. For those of you who I haven't had the opportunity to meet yet, I would like to tell you a little about myself and my family. I am coming to you from a small rural farming community in southern Michigan, very similar to Genesee. I have been married to my husband Kevin for 23 years. I have three children, the two oldest - Meghan and Katie are off to Universities in Michigan and Ohio. My youngest - Josh will be a Freshman here at Genesee. I have been in Education for the past 22 years. I was an Elementary teacher for 12 years and spent the last 10 years in Administration; 6 of those years as a Superintendent/ Elementary Principal.

When asked what my career goals are, I have to say honestly...this is it. I truly love what I do and can't imagine myself doing anything different. I genuinely love working with students, staff and parents and believe that we can make a difference in the lives of every child that walks through our doors. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to work with your child(ren) and hope that we are able to work together to give your child(ren) every possible opportunity to become successful individuals.

I hope that you enjoy your last few weeks of summer and I look forward to meeting you.

Wendy Moore, Superintendent/Elementary Principal

It's been an honor

2010-06-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

As I conclude my second to last day with the Genesee School District, I want to thank the community, students, and staff for making my tenure as Superintendent gratifying and successful.

The parents and patrons have demanded a quality educational environment for the young people of Genesee. That demand has fostered excellent support for the trustees, administration, staff and students. Without that support we would not have been able to modernize our physical plant, recruit and retain high quality employees, and provide our students with the tools they will need to be successful in their chosen career path.

It is not easy to vote to increase your tax burden, but the community has consistently voted to provide additional funding to maintain the type of academic and extra-curricular programs they have come to expect even as the economy has faltered. I want to thank the school trustees who have worked hard to balance the educational needs of the students with the means of the taxpayers. The Board has had the foresight to maintain a safe environment that is conducive to learning in the 21st century.

The teachers and classified employees have worked long and hard to provide the best opportunities they can for students. It shows in the consistently high assessment results as measured by numerous state and local tests. Many years, Genesee School has had the highest scores in the state on the Idaho Standards Achievement Test. Our clubs and sports programs are flourishing as a result of excellent student participation, supportive parents, wise coaches and advisors. We are fortunate to have two wonderful parent groups supporting our efforts. I applaud both the Genesee Boosters and the Genesee PTO.

What makes the Genesee School special? It's the people... all of them. Thank you and the best of luck in the future.

2010-2011 School Calendar Finalized

2010-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

The 2010-2011 school calendar was approved by the Board of Trustees Monday evening. Please take a moment to view it on our web site or here.

There are some changes in store for next year. School will begin at 8:00 AM and get out at 3:20 PM. This change is primarily due to the need to switch the secondary master schedule from six to seven periods daily to accommodate the increased graduation requirements which begin with the class of 2013. Because of this longer day and the subsequent increase in daily instructional time, the calendar has fewer days of school but the instructional time remains at a similar historical level.

There are no early release days in the calendar to maximize the efficiency of our transportation system and instructional time. Instead, a number of full days have been scheduled for professional days for staff. You will also note two furlough days, one on what would have been a student contact day and one on what would have been a professional day. These furlough days are being taken as a result of decreased state funding to help limit the impact on the local budget.

The Board and administration will appreciate your feedback next school year on this calendar. I would like to thank those parents and staff members who volunteered to serve on the calendar committee this year for their help.

If you can read this, thank a teacher!

2010-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

You may have seen the bumper sticker: "If you can read this, thank a teacher." You probably have read or heard of Hillary Clinton's book "It takes a Village." Educating productive citizens is of paramount importance to the perpetuation of our democracy. Teachers and education support personnel, in conjunction with parents and other community members, play a vital role in preparing young people for the future.

Today is Teacher and Education Staff Appreciation Day. We are so lucky in the Genesee School District to have outstanding teachers and support staff. We are also very lucky to have an education-minded community who supports their school system.

Our students are number one in the minds and hearts of all of the employees of your school district. If you get a chance, please thank them.

DRAFT Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

2010-05-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Board of Trustees will hold a budget hearing at 6:00 PM on June 8 to review the budget. Later that evening, at the regular meeting, they will take action to approve or deny the budget. A draft copy of the 95 page document can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

DRAFT FY2011 Budget Document

Patrons are invited to the budget hearing. This will be your opportunity to ask questions and/or comment on the proposed budget prior to Board action. Please understand the budget is subject to revision at any time prior to acceptance by the Board of Trustees.

You may contact me via email (dneumann@sd292.org), telephone (285-1161 extension 201), in person or via this blog if you have questions or concerns.

DRAFT 2010-2011 Calendar

2010-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

A committee of parents, teachers and classified staff met Monday evening to collaborate on a calendar for next school year. Board policy dictates that the superintendent recommend a calendar to the trustees for approval. It is our practice to include the staff and parents into the process.

The Board requested that the 2010-2011 calendar include the following: longer school day to accommodate the seven-period secondary master schedule necessary due to increase state-mandated graduation requirements, fewer school days, no early release days, professional days not to be more frequent than every three weeks, and a similar number of instructional hours to our existing calendar.

You can view the calendar I will be recommending to the Board here. This is a compromise between a staff-generated proposal and an administrative proposal.

There were numerous discussions held by the committee including:

First day of school. Labor Day is late this year so beginning after Labor Day put the end of school too late. Also parents and elementary teachers felt it was important not to have a full five-day week the first week of school to give young students the chance to acclimate to school.
Winter and spring break. These holidays are always an important and lively discussion within the committee, but there was unanimous support this year for a two week winter break and having spring break the final week of March versus the first week of April.
The placement of the professional days was considered at length, as was the importance of a two-day time frame for parent/teacher conferences in the fall.

As you can see on the calendar, the school day next year is proposed to begin at 8:00 AM and end at 3:20 PM. Kindergarten is proposed to run from 8:00 AM until 11:15 AM. This will allow for 55 minute secondary classes, which are currently 60 minutes. It is a longer day for all students, but by shortening the number of school days, the instructional hours remain very close to the current level. Most of the professional days have been moved to Fridays to provide some long weekends for those families desiring such an option while still providing ample time for teacher training and collaboration which is such a vital part of continuous school improvement. Some of those professional days have also been placed on historically low attendance days which also helps in our calculation of average daily attendance which impacts our state funding. Reducing the number of school days also will help the District balance the budget while maintaining the same instructional focus.

The adoption of the calendar will be an agenda item at the May 10 Board meeting. Patrons are welcome to attend the meeting to comment on the proposed calendar.

Supplemental Levy Results

2010-04-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

The $700,000 supplemental levy for fiscal year 2011 has passed with a 70% approval. There were a total of 206 ballots cast of which 144 were YES votes and 62 were No votes. I would like to thank the community of Genesee for their support once again of their school system. Given the current economic climate and the reduced state funding, this supplemental levy will go a long way toward maintaining the quality programs residents have come to expect from their school system.

Supplemental Levy Information Meeting - March 25

2010-03-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Please consider attending the supplemental levy information meeting in the multi-purpose room at 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 25th. I will show a PowerPoint presentation that briefly explains the budgeting process, how state aid is impacted by average daily attendance, the cost of the levy and the reasons that the Board of Trustees passed a resolution requesting that the patrons consider the passage of a supplemental levy to support education in the school district.

The proposed FY2011 maintenance and operations budget includes reductions in staffing, expenditure of carry-over funds and other reductions to arrive at the $700,000 levy request. While this request is more than last years levy, it is less than anticipated due to several factors. However, concern remains that the Governor will declare a 5% hold back in FY2011 due to declining state revenue so we are being advised to prepare for that possibility. The hold back was not anticipated at the time the levy was set.

The entire budget is not finalized and adopted until the June board meeting. There are actually twenty different budgets. The maintenance and operations budget is the main budget which supports the general education of students. The other nineteen budgets address specific areas such as technology, professional-technical education, plant facilities, child nutrition, special education, etc. The M&O budget will change right up to the day it is adopted as additional information is received which helps us determine more accurately the financial position of the school district.

The meeting is a good opportunity to ask your questions about the budget and levy.

What factor drives state funding in Idaho?

2010-03-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

The primary factor which drives the amount of state funding each school district receives is average daily attendance. If you have an enrollment of 300 students and, on average, 15 students are absent daily, then you have a 95% ADA. This means you only get paid for having 285 students even though you still need to provide teachers, classrooms, textbooks, supplies, utilities, busing and more for all of those enrolled; attending or not.

Some have argued that funding should be based on enrollment, not attendance since schools have to prepare for the maximum number of students enrolled. That actually makes a lot of intuitive sense. We can't remove a desk, return a textbook, fire a teacher, or sell a bus in the middle of the school year. If Idaho switched to an enrollment-based system, some districts would lose money and some would gain. While it may not make a lot of economic sense to fund schools based on ADA that is the system used in Idaho.

Three-fourths of our funding is based on the first attendance reporting period from the start of school until the first week in November. The remaining funding is based on our best 28 weeks of attendance. Even though we certify our budget in June, we will not find out until November how accurate our attendance estimates were for the largest portion of our funding. And we won't know for sure until July 15 of the following year how well we estimated our best 28 weeks!

In addition to the obvious educational reasons for students to attend school regularly, the financial impact of poor attendance patterns effects all students regardless of how well or poorly they may attend. The Genesee School District has historically had a 95% attendance rate. Given our current enrollment, that means we lose out on $96,000 worth of potential funding. That is $536 per day or $36.75 for each day a student does not attend school.

Supplemental levy, school calendar and more

2010-03-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Board set the supplemental levy election last night to be held on April 13 in the amount of $700,000. If the levy passes, there is a high probability that the school calendar for 2010-2011 will be a slightly modified traditional calendar. I presented a sample of what that might look like to the trustees last night and you can see it here. Once again, this is a draft of what next years calendar might look like. I will put together a committee composed of staff members and patrons to provide input to help me formulate a final recommendation to the trustees once we know the status of the levy election.

The Board also directed me to determine the interest for a tuition-based afternoon kindergarten program. The intent is that such a program option would be self-supporting. If a full-day kindergarten option is offered, the preschool would be moved to three mornings a week and taught by a different employee. The Board expects to make a decision in April or May.

Jt. District 282 and Proposed State Education Budget

2010-03-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee passed a FY2011 budget for K-12 education including some important intent language to provide districts with increased financial flexibility and local control. It is anticipated that it will take a week to draft the actual bill. Most people close to the process feel it will pass the Senate without too much difficulty but there is some concern in the House that the JFAC budget does not cut enough to prevent a potential mid-year hold back in FY2011.

Some of the highlights of the proposed state budget include:

reduction in state funding of 8.5%
transportation reimbursement cut 10%
teacher and classified salary apportionment cut 4%
administrative salary apportionment cut 6.5%
state paid benefits cut proportionately
teacher incentive award postponed for at least one year
Substance abuse prevention funding cut from $7 million to $290,000
technology funding eliminated
math and reading initiatives plus ISAT remediation cut 20%
Gifted and talented training grants eliminated
classroom supply and textbook supply dedicated funds eliminated
state discretionary funds reduced 14.4% from the current year

The funds from some of the cuts identified above have been placed into discretionary funding which is the action that helps provide flexibility to districts to meet the current financial conditions. Had the legislature not done so, the discretionary funding could have been reduced 32%. Discretionary funds are used to pay for utilities, employee health insurance, supplies, purchased services, etc.

We have been assured that there will not be a mid-year hold back of FY2010 funds. Of course this just means that funding is reduced for FY2011 but it is always easier for a district to reduce spending before a budget year begins than after we are two-thirds of the way through the year.

We made some cuts during this year in anticipation of a possible hold back which has increased our anticipated fund balance at the end of our fiscal year. We will be able to expend more of our fund balance to help ease the pain in FY2011.

I will be proposing that the Board of Trustees consider setting a supplemental levy for the 2010-2011 school year in the amount of $700,000 with an election to be held on April 13. Because of the increased flexibility provided through JFAC, our increased fund balance due to mid-year spending reductions and to the increased state revenue as a result of the Land Board decision to increase the payment to schools next year, I have been able to produce a preliminary budget that does not require a severely compressed calendar nor additional staff reduction beyond anticipated attrition. That preliminary maintenance and operations budget will be discussed at the regular March board meeting Monday night.

Another potential school calendar

2010-02-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

At the request of the Board, after receiving comments from the public meeting held on Monday, I created another draft calendar for consideration. You can find it posted here. As always, comments are appreciated.

Compressed calendar is only one idea to manage reduced state funding

2010-02-24T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee is scheduled to set the K-12 education budget on March 1st. As you can imagine, there is a lot of scrambling among the various education stakeholders to have input into the final budget. We will see if they get it done on Monday and then try to get the best estimate of the impact on the Genesee School District.

The administration and Board have been working on various ways to develop a balanced budget for the coming school year. During the past several school years, the Board has reduced the school district budget to reflect a drop in enrollment. The 09-10 budget is 5.8% less than the 08-09 budget. The 08-09 budget was about 1.1% less than actual expenditures in 07-08.

This year we are looking at a reduction in state funding of $168,000 or more due to the current economic situation. In addition, we are looking at a further state funding reduction in the amount of $122,000 due to the drop in enrollment from last year. Couple this $290,000 state funding reduction with the need to replace $60,000 worth of stimulus funding which is no longer available and the $105,000 one-time expenditure from the District's fund balance and now we are looking at $455,000 above and beyond our position this year.

Add that $455,000 to the current one-year supplemental levy of $515,000, tack on the $25,000 it would cost to purchase updated math textbooks which was postponed last year and all of the sudden maintaining the status quo requires $995,000 local funds above what is provided by the state.

We anticipate some retirements, we can expend more of the fund balance, we might be able to further reduce supplies, services and equipment, we can postpone the purchase of updated math textbooks for another year or two and that might get us to a $750,000 levy. That levy will cost in the neighborhood of $5.46 per $1,000 of assessed valuation which represents an increase of nearly 50%.

That is why the Board and administration are discussing a compressed calendar. Other ideas: reduction in activities, reduction of teachers, reduction of classified staff. Some have rightly suggested that we consider furloughs as a way of saving money. This is also being discussed but Idaho has a law that only allows a District to pay employees less next year than they received this year if a financial emergency is declared. There are a number of criteria required before a district can even qualify to declare a financial emergency (Idaho Code 33-522).

You can be assured that the trustees and administration are looking at all options while maintaining the focus on the students.

150 day school year calendar

2010-02-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

As we have been working our way through the research of the four-day week and listening to patron input about the idea, many suggestions have been made. The Board of Trustees asked me to develop a calendar that had many of the financial benefits of the four-day week idea but was more traditional in nature (i.e., go to school most weeks for five days).

Mr. Caldwell and I collaborated on just such an idea which I am calling the 150-day school year calendar. This calendar can be viewed at the following link: 150 day calendar. This calendar starts school the day after labor day and ends school the Friday before Memorial weekend. It actually adds five more days of school than the calendar we developed for the four-day week. You will see a number of "vacation days" which have been designed to fall on historically low attendance days which would maximize our average daily attendance which is directly related to state funding.

We shortened the length of the extended school day from 70 to 35 minutes. With this reduction, but the extra five days, we have created a calendar that provides kindergarten students with 486 hours of instruction which is eleven more than they currently have. We are also entertaining the idea of offering a bonus afternoon kindergarten session for parents who would like their children to attend kindergarten for a full day for $250 per month tuition. The 150 day calendar provides 947 hours of instruction for grade 1-6 students compared to the current 992. Secondary students would receive 1,002 hours compared with the current 1,065. There would be no early release days and secondary classes would be 56 minutes long compared to the current 60 minutes (however, that is in a seven versus six period day).

Is this the ideal calendar? I doubt that it is, but it is an idea to generate discussion. The savings from this calendar only differ by about $2,000 from the four-day school week calendar. Would a calendar like this negatively affect student achievement? That is a difficult question to answer. The research on schools that have transitioned to a four-day school week have found that student achievement did not decrease. However, I have yet to find any research which indicates that reducing instructional time increases student achievement other than the literature on the four-day school week. There is good research that indicates that increasing instructional time improves student achievement. My best guess would be that our students would continue to achieve well but teachers would have to eliminate some activities which might not relate directly to Idaho Achievement Standards.

School Budget

2010-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

With the school year just barely half over, it may not seem like it is time to begin budgeting for the next year but that time is quickly approaching. The budget for fiscal year 2011 will be the most difficult budget I have developed due to the decreased revenue projections for state funding, reduction of stimulus funds and the decreasing enrollment in our school district. Based on the information we currently have, the District would need to run a $1,005,000 supplemental levy to remain at the status quo.

During the past sixteen years, the District has built one of the highest quality rural districts in Idaho as measured by student performance. We have worked hard to maintain reasonable class size at the elementary level, we have made sure that all of our students have appropriate supplemental education services to eradicate performance deficits, we increased our humanities to provide for a well-rounded education, we have recruited and retained the highest quality teachers and support staff possible, we have challenged our high school students by offering additional math and science, and we have been modifying our school culture and curriculum to better prepare our students for the 21st century. All of this came at a price. Fortunately, the community has continued to support a quality education.

Beginning about four years ago we began to see a decline in student enrollment. Over the years, our enrollment has been lower than it is currently and it has been higher. It is not uncommon to see such fluctuation but it is much more difficult to create a budget during declining enrollment than during growing enrollment. Our enrollment will likely increase in the future but the double whammy of declining enrollment and reduced state funding puts significant pressure on school budgets.

Over fifty percent of the school districts in Idaho run supplemental levies as we do. That tells me that the people of Idaho and our school district want more than the minimal level of education that state support provides. A number of years ago the funding for schools was altered in a one-day special legislative session. The property tax mechanism was removed and replaced with general state funds (income and sales tax). At the time, school districts expressed concern that replacing this stable tax base with general funds could cause problems during an economic downturn. That is exactly what is occurring now with state funding. The only mechanism a public school has to increase revenue is a supplemental levy.

The Board of Trustees has been discussing the FY11 budget, and particularly, the levy, for the past three months. They have directed me to provide ideas to help balance the budget at a supplemental levy amount they believe is fair and reasonable to ask voters to pass. This District, like all school districts, expends 80-85% of their budget on salary and benefits. Reductions in the M&O budget have been made in supplies, equipment, purchased services and staff. Further reductions are anticipated. Where and how deep those cuts are made without substantially impacting student achievement is the difficult work of developing the budget.

Civil public input is vital to the process. Comments to the blog, email and letters to the trustees, and public comments at board meetings are essential for the process to be successful. It is important to know the facts and be careful of rumors. Patrons may contact the administration any time they have a specific question or need for additional information. Your trustees will make the best decision for the students. It is not likely to please everyone, but that is how representative democracy operates.

Please continue to provide your thoughtful input to all proposals.

Four-day school week public meeting-Feb 22nd

2010-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Genesee School will hold a public information meeting at 7:00 PM on February 22nd in the MPR to provide information regarding how a 4-day school week works and to answer patron questions.

A PowerPoint from the Idaho Department of Education will be shown. Committee members, who had the opportunity to visit School District 271 in Orofino as well as Mr. Neumann, will be on hand to answer questions. The committee was set up by the Board to see how this neighboring school district set up their four-day school week, what issues were addressed and how and other general information. Orofino was selected because they have been on the four-day week the longest in Idaho and they are also the closest school system using this schedule.

The committee and the school district understands that the Genesee education system differs from that of District No. 271. The intent of the visit was not to emulate the Orofino school system. Every community has unique needs and goals and the school system reflects this uniqueness.A four-day school week in Genesee would take this into account.

This meeting is information only. No decisions will be made at the meeting. Any decision to consider a 4-day week or any other method of scheduling school in the future will be made at the school board meeting by the trustees. Patrons who desire to provide input regarding the decision, should either attend the March Board meeting or send a letter to the Board via the Superintendent. Patrons may also contact their trustee directly.

Four-day School Week

2010-01-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Board has been discussing the District response to the pending state funding shortfall we anticipate for the 2010-2011 school year. One of the topics of interest to the trustees is the four-day school week. This concept has been discussed at public meetings during the past two years. While there were some financial savings from transitioning to a four-day school week in prior years, a change in the way school bus transportation is now funded has almost doubled the savings which would result from the schedule change. Idaho now reimburses allowable bus transportation at 50% of the cost versus the prior 85%. Saving twenty percent of our regular transportation is now 10% saving versus 3%. In addition kindergarten would likely transition to two full days which would eliminate the noon bus routes further increasing the savings to the District.

The Board appointed a committee under the direction of Mr. Caldwell which will include four staff members and several parents to go visit a school district currently on the four-day school week. A public meeting will be held in February to provide information regarding the four-day school week and committee members and Mr. Neumann will be available to answer questions.

It should be noted that there are other positive educational reasons to consider the four-day school week in addition to the financial benefits which will be discussed at the meeting. There are challenges as well, but the track record of schools transitioning to this form of schedule has, for the most part, been very positive. The school board plans to make a decision in March

Emergency Release of School

2010-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

As the flood waters rose on Cow Creek yesterday, we received numerous calls from anxious parents wanting to know if we would be releasing students early. The answer was no. It is the policy of the school district not to release school early because many young students would arrive home to empty and/or unsupervised homes. The school building is a safe environment. In the instance of a flood, being at the top of the hill, makes the school a very safe place to be. Further, releasing unsupervised students who may venture too close to icy cold and unsanitary flood waters would pose another threat to student safety.

Similar situations can occur when significant snowfall occurs during the school day. Again, we will not release students early. Our transportation supervisor is in continuous communication with the appropriate road departments. Alternative plans and routes exist to take students home from school. In the very unlikely event that this could not be accomplished, parents and guardians would be contacted and alternative plans would be put into effect. As always, our highest priority is student safety.

There could be a situation when it would be necessary to evacuate the school such as a fire, bomb scare or similar event. The school has emergency closure plans in place which utilize alternative locations in the community to facilitate transporting students to their homes. This process is practiced and students and staff know what to do and how to act in the event of such an unlikely event.

If you have specific questions or suggestions, you may email me at dneumann@sd282.org.

Cold Weather and Your Student

2009-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Now that cold weather is here, it is important for parents to make sure their students are adequately clothed for the temperature and conditions. Warm jackets, pants, appropriate footwear and gloves are essential.

When the temperature (taking into consideration the wind chill factor) drops below ten degrees, the elementary school will hold indoor recess. Otherwise students will have recess outside and they need to be prepared to dress appropriately.

Generally we do not allow elementary students to enter the building until 8:15 AM. Please do not send your child to school earlier than that if he or she walks to school. When the temperature drops to ten degrees or below, we will allow students to go to their classroom versus waiting outside but it would be helpful if students did not arrive too early. The teachers have many responsibilities in the morning to ready their classrooms for the arrival of students. You support would be appreciated.

Idaho is a beautiful state with four seasons. Each season places personal demands on each of us. What a great opportunity for students to learn how to cope with these changing seasons. We will continue to do our part; please reinforce the message at home. Thank you.

Superintendent Search

2009-12-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

The search officially begins today to hire a new superintendent/K-6 principal to replace me as I retire June 30. The Board of Trustees appointed a hiring committee in November consisting of the five trustees, Kelley Porter, Russ Zenner, Bill Newbry, Lezah Shinkle, Peter Crowley and Heidi Waisanen to review applications, interview candidates and follow up on recommendations. The position closes on January 11, 2010.

The committee will review application materials beginning January 18, followed by interviews, possible site visit(s) and a recommendation to the Board in February for the new hire. The position begins July 1, 2010.

Rather than hiring a consulting firm, the Board opted to conduct the hiring process internally. The Board developed a hiring process with a time line, revised the job description, and requested that a four-color brochure be prepared by staff, printed and distributed to all school districts in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. College placement offices and other educational job listing services in the Pacific Northwest also have the position listed. A job description and application form is available on the District's employment web site.

We all know that the Genesee School District is the top rural school in Idaho and can compete with any school district in the region. Couple that fact with the quality of life that the community of Genesee affords its citizens and we believe we will successfully locate a superintendent/principal that can continue to move the District forward and meet the challenges that exist today and tomorrow.

School Bus Unloading

2009-11-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

From 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM Ash Street between Tamarack and Elm is closed to all traffic except school bus loading and unloading. It is imperative that no vehicles use this portion of Ash Street during this time for the safety of the students. We have had several incidents of cars driving through Ash Street while buses are unloading students in the morning. Not only is this dangerous, it is illegal. Violators will be prosecuted.

Community Service

2009-11-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

Genesee Junior Senior High School recently completed a Community Service afternoon last Wednesday. Organized using the school's color groups (cross-grade groupings of students) and supervised by staff members, the students performed various activities including raking leaves for senior citizens, collecting litter along roadways, organized food bank donations and stocked shelves, repainted playground game spaces, hauled firewood for senior citizens, cleaned up the memorial park and statue, cleaned the downtown park by the Verizon building, and made cookies and delivered them to the Genesee Fire Department.

Another on-going community service project organized and run by the students is a food bank drive and contest which will culminate in two weeks. Your support of their efforts is greatly appreciated. Community Service is an important component of Vision 21; the District's effort to incorporate 21st century learning skills into the educational process. The 21st century skills are embodied in the Board of Trustees Philosophy and Objectives (see Policy 300.2). "Participate effectively in civic life" is the skill supported by community service.

$3,318.60 raised for Breast Cancer Research

2009-11-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Through the combined efforts of the Genesee and Troy volleyball teams, $3,318.60 and has been donated to the Side-Out Foundation in Annandale, Virginia for breast cancer research. The Dig Pink volleyball match held between the Bulldogs and Trojans on October 13 was the featured event of this multi-pronged fund raising effort.

Various activities were held including a sign auction, 50-50, serving contest, and business donations but by far the largest effort was collecting pledges for team digs during the match. Several players collected over $300 of pledges. Rachel Krick, Genesee junior, collected the most and will be awarded a pink and white volleyball at the volleyball awards banquet to be held on November 19.

Thank you to all the donors and participants in this event. The initial goal was to raise $1,000 in the event. We are so excited to have more than tripled our initial goal.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Genesee School will sponsor it's annual Veterans' Day assembly at 9:00 AM on November 11. All veterans and other community members are invited to attend this assembly in the school gym. The assembly is being held to honor those who have served in our military in defense of the United States. This program also provides an excellent opportunity for our students to learn about the importance of honoring those who have given their time, and in some cases their lives, for their country.

Other educational activities will be held throughout the day to reinforce the important concepts that this holiday embodies. If you are veteran, please consider attending this important assembly.

H1N1 Vaccination Clinic

2009-11-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 10 at 9:00 AM, the school district, in conjunction with the Idaho Department of Public Health, will be providing a vaccination clinic for Genesee Elementary students under the age of ten. Information and permission forms will be sent home with students of this target population. The vaccination will be administered by the Public Health Department staff. A follow-up clinic for the second dose will be held in four weeks. Vaccinations for older students may be scheduled at a later time when the vaccine becomes available.

Please watch for the forms from your child this week. Vaccine will only be given to students with appropriately signed permission forms. The recommendation of the Center for Disease Control, the Public Health Department and the Genesee School District is that all students should take the vaccine.

Paying for lunch

2009-10-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

The District is implementing a new comprehensive student database software program that includes an integrated food service accounting program. We are still working out the bugs in the system but eventually all food service account balances will be available online to parents along with grades, assignments and much more information in a "Parent Portal." In the mean time, I have asked that we send home slips daily when a student's account drops to the level that he or she would only have enough money on account for one more meal. Teachers also have access to this information.

The cashier is not allowed to permit a student to charge a lunch. Only one of the Principals can do that and then the Principal assumes the responsibility for insuring the account is brought back to a positive level. As Principals, we will allow a student to eat that one time, but if the student's account is not funded, there will be no more meals served until the account is paid off. This may seem callous, but we are simply not in a position to offer credit for school lunch.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

State Superintendent Tom Luna to Visit Genesee

2009-10-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Idaho Schools Superintendent Tom Luna will be visiting the Genesee School this Friday from 1:00 - 3:30 PM. First Mr. Luna will meet with the administration, then I will be taking him on a tour of the facility with several stops in classes along the way. We will visit a high school physics class conducting an experiment, and stop into several elementary classrooms to observe instruction and for the students to meet Mr. Luna. Following the tour, around 3:10 pm, we will conclude our visit in the multi-purpose room so that trustees, teachers and patrons can visit with Mr. Luna.

The Genesee School is excited to host Mr. Luna's visit. He has been a staunch supporter of education in Idaho. He has a particular interest in rural schools and has worked hard to find funding to promote improved student achievement in all schools among all students. We are proud of our school and community and look forward to this opportunity to share with Mr. Luna.

Genesee Bus Garage Project Completed

2009-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

The demolition and rebuilding of the bus shop has been completed. In addition, new taller doors were installed in the parking garage to accommodate the newer, taller buses. This project began last June and is now complete. I think you will agree that the new updates provide a much better appearance than before, but most importantly to us, is that the service bay can now accommodate repair and service work on our buses in a more efficient manner.

This construction project was possible because of the interest the District earned on the bond proceeds from the school addition. Fortunately, the majority of unspent bond funds earned substantial interest (over $200,000) during the early part of construction of the school addition when interest rates were still in the 5-6% range. State and Federal regulations governing the use of bond proceeds require that they be spent in the manner for which the ballot proposed. Our bond was passed specifically to make the final payment on the 1998 remodel, build the school addition, purchase furnishings for the addition, and for other facility-related projects within the District.

A few of the other projects undertaken have been the air conditioning of the business-technology classroom. When you couple 25 students with 25-30 computers into one classroom, the heat generated creates temperatures during the spring and early fall exceeding ninety and sometimes one hundred degrees. To protect the District's investment in hardware and to keep students healthy, air conditioning was installed in this room.

One badly needed project was the re-roof of the agriculture-technology shop. Not only did we eliminate the persistent leaking, we have been able to move all the water away from the foundation which will protect the building from the movement experienced over the past quarter century. We did lift the building as close to it's original level as possible and repaired the masonry cracks. The overhead doors were switched to electrical operation to comply with needed safety standards and the ceiling in the agriculture classroom was redone.

The secondary computer lab was enlarged and updated to accommodate a full class of students and space for instruction plus an office for the Director of Technology. Both the boys' and girl's locker rooms were remodeled to replace aging fixtures, tile that was falling off the walls and updated lockers plus fresh paint. The locker rooms had been untouched since 1966.

The final project that has yet to be completed is the repair of the exterior gym foyer ceiling and the installation of an additional set of doors which will provide for a protected entrance into the most widely used space in the school. We expect this to be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Does this mean all maintenance in the school district is complete. No. Maintenance is always on-going. The District has a state-mandated ten-year maintenance plan which is updated annually. While we no longer will have bond proceeds to take care of additional maintenance, we will need to plan carefully to conduct periodic maintenance. The gym roof is the last roof with tar and gravel and it will need to be replaced with a rubber roof. We are nearing the end of the life expectancy on the rubber roof on the multi-purpose room as well. Carpet, installed during the 1998 remodel, will need to be replaced within the next five years.

To protect your investment, preventative maintenance occurs annually. The District expends at least 2% of the value of our square footage on this maintenance as required by state law. Patron financial support for these efforts is appreciated and necessary. Thank you.

Appropriate dress and fall weather for elementary students

2009-09-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

As we transition into the typical fall weather pattern, it is important that parents make sure their children are dressed appropriately for the cooler temperatures, possible rain, and even some warm afternoons. It can be chilly outside while students are waiting to enter the building. Students should be wearing a sweater, sweatshirt or jacket in the cool mornings. Remember, we do not open the doors until 8:15 AM. If your student is coming to school before that, he or she will be waiting outside.

Unless it is very cold, heavy rain or snowing profusely, we will have outside recess. There is no established connection between being outside and getting sick. As a matter of fact, getting outside exercise, breathing fresh air and moving around are healthy activities. Students need to have appropriate clothing available to them to be able to enjoy their time outdoors.

With this variable weather pattern upon us, it is incumbent upon all of us to provide the needed clothing options for our students to be comfortable at school; both inside and outside.

Real Education

2009-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Having just completed Charles Murray's Real Education, I came away from the book with a renewed sense of urgency to insure that our students are appropriately educated without regard to the political whim of the day. In this case it might be the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. While the intent of NCLB for all students to be at grade-level by 2014 is admirable, it is only possible if you water down the definition of grade level.

In Idaho, we use the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) in grades 3-10 to measure student progress against Idaho standards and grade level attainment. On these assessments, Genesee is doing better than any surrounding districts. If I had the time to go through the results from every school district in Idaho and put all the data on a spreadsheet, I would guess our test scores are the highest in Idaho or certainly within the top 2%. We use ISAT results to inform instruction so that we can meet the individual needs of students. We do not live and die by the results. We do not teach to the test. We do prepare students to take this assessment since we must demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Otherwise we could end up in "AYP Jail."

The ISAT is a minimum competency assessment. The skills are basic (reading, language usage, mathematics and science) but do not measure deep understanding of advanced concepts or many other important elements of our curriculum such as social studies, fine arts, health, etc. You can see a comparison here of Genesee with surrounding districts of similar size and with Moscow. Our teachers make sure our students have basic skills but they do not stop there.

Murray points out the truth of Aristotle's insight "One of the deepest forms of human enjoyment is the exercise of one's realized capacities." Statistically, half of all students are below average. Genesee does not have a large enough population of students for this to be true here. Our students do not fall along a normal bell shaped curve. Technically their academic achievement is skewed to the right meaning they are more capable than average. That is due to local demographics; i.e., socio-economic status and the education level of parents. We should have high test scores, but we cannot be satisfied with just doing well on the ISAT.

Perhaps the Army says it best with their slogan "Be All That You Can Be." The problem as Murray points out is that the Army uses the word can. "It is not good enough just to wish children well. It is our obligation as adults to oversee their journey. Sometimes this means encouraging, reinforcing, and praising -- things that make us feel good. But dealing with can imposes less pleasant roles as well. ...sometimes (this) means pushing, criticizing and demanding -- things that make us feel like the bad guy. When a child's aspirations are unrealistic, making good on our obligation means guiding the child toward other goals." These are not always politically correct concepts in society today.

As Murray points out "the goal of education is to bring children into adulthood having discovered things they enjoy doing and doing them at the outermost limits of their potential." This applies to all students regardless of their range of ability. I hope we are a significant part of that journey for every student at Genesee School.

Latah County Fair

2009-09-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

Next week is the annual Latah County Fair. Numerous Genesee School students will be participating in the fair. Genesee High School FFA, under the direction of Agriculture Science teacher J.R. Morrow, will feature prominently in the fair again this year. Many other Genesee students are participating through 4H under the direction of local dedicated parent volunteers. Participation in the fair provides excellent opportunities for youth development and education.

Even with a number of students gone for the fair, historically Genesee School has excellent average daily attendance during the fair week. However, one of the lowest attendance weeks is the week after the fair concludes. Given the emergence of an early flu season, it is even more important for all students participating or visiting the fair to eat a balanced diet and get sufficient sleep. Recent sleep research finds that elementary age students need ten hours of sleep each night while teenagers need nine hours.

Genesee School will have early release on Friday to provide an opportunity for fair goers to enjoy the activities. So enjoy the fair but be healthy.

Genesee Booster Club

2009-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Genesee Booster Club is hosting their annual membership drive and BBQ at the football game Friday night. The Bulldogs will host Kendrick at the city-owned sports field at 7:00 PM. The BBQ begins at 5:30 PM and is free to to all current 09-10 Booster Club members or those who sign up and pay for membership at the BBQ.

The Booster Club is an independent entity whose goal is to support Genesee School Activity programs. Over the years, the Booster Club has purchased scoreboards for the football field and gym, bought badly needed uniforms, supported student-athletes who have qualified for state championship tournaments, and helped to fund non-athletic activities also.

Throughout the year the Boosters will conduct fund-raising activities in support of Genesee students. Your support would be appreciated.

Children Do Not Come to School with D's and R's on Their Foreheads

2009-09-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Back in the 90's when I began as Genesee's Superintendent, I had the opportunity to attend a summer meeting of all of Idaho's superintendents and I heard then State Superintendent of Public Education Jerry Evans, a Republican, give a speech. I do not remember all of what he said but one point I have always remembered and admired was his statement that "children do not come to school with D's and R's on their foreheads."

This morning while I was riding my bike up the Genesee-Troy road, I kept thinking about this statement and how well it relates to the firestorm that has been whipped up by some of the radio talk show hosts regarding the President's speech to school children which is set to be broadcast next Tuesday. Jerry Evans had it right. Students don't come to school with a political affiliation stamped on their heads. Neither do educators.

Teachers are licensed, professional educators with significant, required training who must follow the Idaho Code of Ethics for Teachers. I am sure many of them affiliate with one political party or the other, but I couldn't tell you which party. And it doesn't matter. Their job is not to indoctrinate children. Their job is to educate children.

Genesee teachers are the cream of the crop. They are experts in pedagogy (methods of teaching) and they are experts in the subjects they are responsible for teaching. They follow district-approved curriculum. They determine what is age-appropriate, how best to utilize resources, what fits within the curriculum and how to structure instructional time to enable all students to achieve.

Does this mean we get it right every time? No. Nobody is perfect. Teachers, like Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants are human beings. But you can rest assured your children are in good hands and the education they receive is responsible and appropriate. We teach about politics but we aren't in the business of turning R's into D's or D's into R's. We'll leave that to someone else.

President Obama's Speech to Students

2009-09-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

As many of you have no doubt heard, President Obama has scheduled a Presidential address to school children throughout the United States for Tuesday, September 8 at 9:00 AM PST. Based on information received from the United States Department of Education and Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, the address is likely to last 15-20 minutes, and the President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

It is up to local education agencies to determine if they want their students to participate in this historic address or not. As with other televised presentations, the Genesee School District makes a determination what is appropriate for our students based on grade level, subject, and content. When such an address fits within our curriculum and is appropriate, we would consider the merits of the program prior to showing it in class.

It is not unusual for students studying American Government to watch various news programs, Presidential addresses and other pertinent content. Other social studies classes might find the content fitting well within the curriculum. Teachers have limited instructional time which they guard zealously. Often only segments of televised speeches or movies are used to demonstrate a specific idea or subject.

I would recommend that parents watch the address live or later on the Internet and discuss it with their children. Given the competition our students are in with students in China, India and other emerging economies, they would be wise to work harder, set short and long-term goals and take responsibility for their learning. As parents, we are primarily responsible for the development of these qualities in our children. These are also qualities that educators feel strongly students should develop in public school.

As parents, it is incumbent upon us to teach our children our family values. Students well grounded in the value system and culture of their family are able to think independently and reflect upon what they learn in school and in society at large. I appreciate all of the calls and emails I have received on this issue. It demonstrates to me that you care about your children and your children's education. You can rest assured we also care and will insure our due diligence when determining the content of our curriculum.

New Idaho Nutrition Standards

2009-09-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

The State of Idaho has issued new nutrition standards for school meals. The USDA is currently revising their meal patterns and nutrition standards but Idaho took a proactive stance and developed new standards with the help of a statewide panel.

The new lunch standards include:

Calories served may not exceed 100-110% of the appropriate level.
Elimination of all foods containing trans fats.
Deep-fat frying shall not be used a method to prepare food.
Limitation on pre-fried entrees and side items to no more than three times weekly.
Whole grains must be served at least three times weekly.
Serve a variety to include one fruit and one vegetable daily. Serve fresh fruits & vegetables when possible and canned fruits in natural juice, water or light syrup.
Only offer fat-free or low fat milk.
Legumes to be served once per week.
Not offer grains with more than 14g of sugar.
Limit sodium to 2mg per calorie.
Offer meals with at least 1g of fiber per 100 calories.
Limit cholesterol to 100mg.
No added salt and sugar dispensers or packets will be made available.

As you can see from the above list, the Child Nutrition Department of the Idaho Department of Education has taken a serious step towards improving the nutritional value of school lunches. You can be sure your child is receiving a well-balanced nutritional lunch because the Genesee School District follows the guidelines above.

If you have any questions give Mrs. Hasfurther, Food Service Director, or Dave Neumann, Superintendent a call.

School arrival and departure

2009-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Elementary students may enter the school building at 8:15 AM. The buses generally arrive between 8:05 and 8:10 AM. Students walking to school should time their arrival to coincide with the bus arrival times. Staff members are on bus duty outside to insure the health of safety of the students prior to entering the building.

Secondary students may come in the building earlier if they have a zero hour class or are meeting with a staff member. They may congregate in the gym foyer or student commons area of the new addition after entering the building. We have limited interior supervision during this time as most staff members are preparing for the start of classes. Students should not be "hanging around" unsupervised.

If you have a preschooler, please do not drop off the child before 12:15 PM. There is no supervision available for these young children prior to 12:15 PM. The preschool room door will be locked and these children should not wait outside or in the hallway without an adult present. Your help with this is appreciated.

Students not involved in study hall, consulting with a teacher or participating in extra curricular activities should depart by 3:20 PM. Staff members are on duty insuring the safe loading of buses until they depart. Students should not be roaming the halls unsupervised. This is the time for teachers to prepare lessons for the following instructional day.

First week of school

2009-08-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

The school year has gotten off to a great start. We have 159 students in grades K-6 and 128 students grades 7-12. The secondary staff and students had a great first day with team building activities with an underlying anti-substance abuse message. I heard many favorable comments from students and staff regarding this positive start.

It has been hectic especially trying to fill two roles as Superintendent and Elementary Principal but it has been rewarding thus far. The elementary staff has been very great about acclimating me to this new role and the students are awesome. It has been hot in most of our classrooms but the students and staff have been working hard to make the most of it. I got to serve salad dressing, supervise recess and bus pick up and visit every elementary classroom. I continue to be impressed with the professionalism of the staff and work ethic of the student body.

Our football team takes to the gridiron tonight at Clearwater Valley and the volleyball teams have separate tournaments Saturday. Hopefully the weather will moderate and we will have a beautiful fall. Stay tuned...

H1N1 (Swine) Flu

2009-08-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

It seems all we hear about lately is the swine flu. Our District receives regular updates and information from the local public health department, the state Division of Homeland Security and the federal Center for Disease Control. Sometimes it is hard to process all of the information coming across my desk.

What can you do to protect your child and other household members? Preventing the spread of germs is obviously the most important precaution we can take. At school, we teach students to sneeze into their elbows or a facial tissue, to wash their hands regularly (15 seconds or as long as it takes them to sing the ABC song) and not share water bottles and other utensils. These are the same precautions we take with all illnesses including the common cold and the traditional flu. You can reinforce this behavior with your student at home and school.

If your student does get sick and he or she has a temperature, the student must stay home until free of the fever for 24 hours. This is very important and we would appreciate it if all parents followed this precaution. We realize it can be difficult for working parents to have a sick student at home but, given the potential magnitude of this coming flu season, it is an important step.

As a District we have stepped up our disinfecting schedule for surfaces throughout the school and we continue to educate students and staff regarding the importance of taking such precautions. All staff members are completing online training regarding pandemic flu.

If you have questions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact the school.

Elementary Lunch Entree Option

2009-08-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Beginning next Monday August 31, elementary students will be able to select from the main lunch menu entree or the first entree option listed of the three. Secondary students will continue to be able to select from the main entree or the three options.

Elementary students will indicate their choice (regular lunch, optional entree or no lunch) each morning to their classroom teacher. Once the choice is made it is electronically sent to the kitchen. Students will not be able to change their mind once the selection is made and entered by the teacher.

The menus are posted on the District web site or available by calling the homework hot line. Visit with your student to help him or her make the entree choice. There is no additional charge for the optional entree. We have received requests to allow elementary students some choice and this is in response to patron requests.

Genesee HS enrollment drop and IHSAA Classification

2009-08-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) has a six classification system for high schools in Idaho which is based on student enrollment. This past year was the time that the IHSAA reports out average enrollment numbers based on average daily attendance. Genesee High School's 9-12 enrollment has dropped below 100 students which puts us into the 1A Division 2 classification; the smallest IHSAA classification.

This change does not take effect until the fall of 2010. This coming school year we will still be classified as a 1A Division 1 school. Every two years the IHSAA reclassifies schools to create a level playing field. This has no effect on Whitepine League play because the league has determined that all schools will play each other once regardless of classification. The main change would be in the district tournament or state tournaments. Genesee would be playing against schools it's own size.

It is possible for a school to petition up or down a classification however this must be done for all sports, not sport by sport. The administration feels we should play where our enrollment places us. The petitioning process must be completed by mid-September. If you have an opinion one way or the other, feel free to call or email Mr. Caldwell, our athletic director.

Eleven more days of summer vacation

2009-08-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Genesee school-age children will return to school on Wednesday, August 26, 2009. Ninety-seven years ago students entered a new building which is still in use today. This is a testament to the character and perseverance of the community. That 1912 building housed the entire school population with strategically located lavatories located outside of the building. Today students enter a modernized, safe facility which is conducive to learning in the twenty-first century. For that we thank Genesee for your generosity.

This school year we welcome Kelly Caldwell as our 7-12 Principal and activities director, Kristen McMullin as K-12 music teacher, Casi Allington as secondary science teacher and Robert Johnson as part-time school psychologist. Mrs. Weeks has moved from third grade to Kindergarten and preschool.

In addition to routine summer maintenance, we have several larger projects including the remodeling of the bus shop and garage. If you have driven by the school the past couple of days you will notice some work occurring under the covered entry of the main gym. The precast ceiling system was failing which could lead to a health and safety issue so this has been removed and contractors are in the process of installing a new ceiling. Once that is complete we will be adding a vestibule with a new set of doors to provide an environmentally sound and secure entrance. One other project in the works is the air conditioning of the business classroom which is necessary for student comfort and maintenance of technology hardware.

I am excited to complete my final year here in Genesee with the addition of my new responsibility as K-6 Principal. I hope the weather clears up, harvest gets going again and the students can enjoy a few more sunny days before the 26th.

Summer is the time to get ready for the next school year

2009-07-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Summer may be a long vacation for students but for many school district employees it is a time of preparation for the next school year.

Teachers are busy taking college classes and workshops to upgrade their skills. All of the elementary teachers have taken or will take the "Mathematical Thinking for Instruction" course. The primary staff took the class in Lewiston in June while the intermediate staff will be taking the class in August being taught here at Genesee. This course is an important piece of the Idaho Math Initiative providing essential skills for improving math instruction in Idaho. Other staff members are attending a workshop in Colorado which provides skills and knowledge to help classroom teachers adapt their instruction for the differing learning needs of boys and girls. These are just two examples of the many professional development opportunities Genesee teachers avail themselves of annually.

The maintenance and custodial staff have been very busy completing summer maintenance projects, painting and heavy cleaning to get the facility ready for occupancy. Each summer we have all of the life safety systems inspected and repaired if necessary. Our groundskeeper is busy bringing the playground lawns back to life and keeping them mowed and spraying for weeds, etc. Our network technician and school secretary have been very busy with the implementation of our new student database software. Replacement computers need to be set up and installed and existing hardware maintained. The kitchen staff cleaned, painted and sanitized the kitchen for closure over the summer.

The District office continues to operate during the summer and with the close of the fiscal year on June 30 is preparing for the annual audit of the financial records which occurs in July and August and is reported to the Trustees and State officials in October. The office is also busy ordering school supplies so that teachers have what they need when classes begin on August 26.

One big project this summer is the remodel and rebuild of the bus garage. Many of you have no doubt seen that the shop portion of the structure was removed and is being rebuilt to accommodate the taller buses which could not be accommodated in the old shop. Taller and wider doors are also being installed in the parking garage to accommodate the new buses and make parking safer and easier. A vestibule will be installed on the south gym foyer to provide a safe double entry. These projects are being funded with the remaining bond funds; most of which came from the earnings on the funds before they were expended building the addition.

As you can see there is a lot that goes on during the summer so that school is ready in the fall. The District office is open from 7:30-4:00 daily. If you are new to Genesee and need to enroll your students, please stop by the office. Bring immunization records, the student's social security card and an official state-issued birth certificate with you to complete the registration process. If you want to get a jump-start on purchasing school supplies, the supply lists have been posted on our web site and in several locations around town or you may pick up a hard copy in the office.

Have a great remainder of the summer.

Report Cards

2009-06-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Report cards provide an excellent opportunity for a positive experience for you and your kids. I always find it interesting that some students are anxious about seeing their grades. Don't they know how they've been doing all along?

Some parents are more concerned with the academic performance of their children while others are more concerned with the behavior or social part of the report card. Certainly a balanced approach is best. If the student receives a C but shows good work ethic, determination, and is a pleasure to have in class, what more could you ask for? Each child has different abilities and interests, different strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, if he gets all A's but his behavior is less than outstanding or his attitude is not positive, you may have work to do! Make a plan to change the undesirable behavior.

We need to appreciate all of our children. The A students should be commended for their achievement, even the ones for whom it required minimal effort. The C students need to know that we appreciate their hard work, that we are on their side. Most of all we need to remove any fear from the experience. We need to communicate our support.

Report cards should never lead to anger or punishment, but to discussions of future possibilities and changes (Caveat here: the report card of adolescents, like everything else about them, pose a unique challenge). We cannot force good grades or good behavior from a child (certainly not without serious psychological damage), but we can encourage it.

An often forgotten ally in this effort is you child's teacher. Most teachers are wonderful and trying hard and want your child to succeed. They need appreciation and respect also. Certainly blaming them for a child's academic performance or behavior is an ineffective strategy and at most wrong, and harmful to your child.

The arrival of report cards is a great teachable moment for a family. It is our attitude as parents and our expectations that will determine our children's reaction.

School lunch survey

2009-05-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

This month, the Board of Trustees appointed a group of parents, students and staff to serve on the school lunch committee. The committee met last evening. Members include: Kim Monk, Kelly Porter, Becky Kopf, Nancy Becker, Sherrie Tilleman, Becky Pickard, Sammy Sperber, Tauna Tyler, Jan Hasfurther, and me.

The goals of the committee are to:

develop a parent and student survey to determine attitudes regarding the lunch program.
Analyze the results of the questionnaires.
Make recommendations to the Board of Trustees in July for possible implementation.

The surveys will be sent home with elementary students on Friday. Secondary parent surveys will be mailed home today. The survey has also been posted on our web site on the home page. Your feedback is very important to the success of this endeavor. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and return it to school by Monday.

The students will take a few minutes next week to complete their surveys in class. Results of all surveys will be available on our web site and will be presented to the Board in July.

The genesis for this committee came from the increasing financial deficit the school food service program generates which has a direct impact on the funds available for academic instruction. Next fiscal year the district will transfer $34,000 to the food service program to eliminate the deficit. Ironically, $34,000 is the amount a beginning teacher earns! Previous studies, using food service consultants and Idaho Department of Education Nutrition Program program managers, have been conducted.

The cost per plate has been analyzed, menus have been scrutinized, labor has been reduced, breakfast has been dropped, portion control has been emphasized, lunch room atmosphere has been improved, entree options for secondary students have been offered and other steps have been taken to control costs. It is obvious that the only way the program can break even is with increased participation. Currently we hover around 50% participation. We need at least 70% to have a chance to break even.

Please complete the survey and return it promptly to school to help the committee formulate suggestions for Board consideration which may increase participation. Thank you for your help.

Thank you for your support

2009-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, administration and staff of the Genesee School District, I want to thank the community for once again supporting quality education in Genesee through the passage of the supplemental levy.

Your trustees worked very hard during the past five months to listen to all stakeholders regarding their desires for the Genesee School. Cutting a budget, and subsequently reducing the levy, created difficult choices that had to be made. The highest priority was to minimize the educational impact on students. After making some difficult choices, the trustees were able to reduce the budget by 5.8% and achieve their goal of continuing to offer a high level of educational programs for children.

The current budget does create some challenges but together we can continue to provide the high level of service you have come to expect. Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve in a community that values education.

Classified Employees - Backbone of the School

2009-05-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

It is easy to think of teachers when you think about a school, but did you know about all of the classified employees who create the conditions for student success? We have bus drivers, bus mechanics, instructional aides, a technology coordinator, cooks, secretaries and clerks, custodians, and maintenance personnel.

Many of these valuable employees are the first and last school people your child may see during the day. It is the bus driver who first greets your child in the morning and the last to say goodbye in the afternoon. Our bus drivers hold commercial driver's licenses with additional training in school bus procedures. In addition to their annual training, they are under similar rules as truck drivers in that they must have periodic substance tests and have limits placed on the number of hours of driving time. Our transportation supervisor and bus mechanic keep all of the buses in working order. This includes inspections every sixty days plus a full annual inspection. Safety is our highest priority in transporting students. School bus transportation is the safest method of transporting students; even safer than parents driving their own children to school.

Our instructional aides provide numerous services for students and other staff members throughout the school year. These individuals provide one-on-one and small group instruction under the supervision of a certified teacher, recess and lunch room supervision, and individual speech therapy under the supervision of a contracted speech-language pathologist. Each of our instructional aides must meet the high standards of the No Child Left Behind act which includes at least two years of college and/or passing an extensive battery of general education assessments.

Our technology coordinator provides essential services to keep our computer systems operating for the benefit of staff and students. In addition to maintaining over 200 computers, a large bank of servers, and many peripherals, he insures that we meet state and federal law, such as the Children's Internet Protection Act. Then there are software updates, repair of hardware and future technology planning. The services of a qualified technology coordinator have become critical in school today. We are fortunate to have an individual with a bachelor's degree in information technology with extensive education experience.

Our cooks arrive early daily to prepare meals for the students. Before a meal can be prepared however, they must plan the menu which includes meeting federal nutrition guidelines. Our kitchen operates under similar rules to restaurants and employees must have on-going training so that we meet all of the requirements. The cooks are also responsible for inventory and budget plus serving meals to students.

When you call the school, you are likely to be greeted by a member of our secretarial staff. The secretaries in the school office must answer the telephone, communicate via radio to the bus drivers, provide band aids for students, call home when students are ill, and maintain student records including data entry. Their duties can include student supervision, helping teachers enter their grades, maintaining the student database, tracking purchase orders, accounting for student body account funds, paying bills and much more. The Clerk of the Board handles all Board business including minutes, elections, legal advertising and documents plus she is responsible for accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll. She also handles our attendance reporting, federal grant reports and helps the superintendent complete his work.

The District employs two full-time and one part-time custodian. These people work hard each afternoon and evening cleaning the school and conducting maintenance so that the building is ready for children and staff every morning. During holidays and summer break, they conduct heavy cleaning and maintenance so that the facility will last well into the future. Recently, they have been conducting additional sterilization to protect against the swine flu.

Facility maintenance requires significant expertise to keep all the sophisticated systems operational and safe. These include the HVAC system which is computer operated for efficiency, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration and other mechanical systems. Much of this work must be conducted during non-school hours in the evenings or on weekends to minimize the disruption to student learning. Grounds maintenance, including snow and ice removal and landscape maintenance, is another important aspect of this department. We want patrons to be proud of their investment in their schools.

As you can see, we have a myriad of classified employees working hard to support our important work and make school a safe and welcoming place for our students. You may not always see them or their work, but understand how important their contributions are to the proper functioning of an effective learning environment and say thank you when you get a chance.

Retirements and new staff

2009-05-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy with end of the year activities in school and at the district level. The legislature finally concluded their session and we have been working our way through preparation of the final budget.

We have several staff members retiring this year:

David Aiken, 7-12 science teacher
Karen Hagen, Instructional Paraprofessional
Loretta Stowers, K-12 Principal
Sue Bull-Pelfrey, School Psychologist

We wish them well in their retirement. It is well deserved. Mr. Aiken has been teaching science and math to students in Genesee for 29 years! Mrs. Pelfrey has been with the District for 20 years as has Mrs. Hagen. Mrs. Stowers has been with the District for eight years.

Along with retirements, comes the need to hire replacements. With Mr. Caldwell moving into the 7-12 Principal/AD position, we hired Kristen McMullin as his replacement. Ms. McMullin recently earned her master's degree in music education from the University of Idaho. She student taught at Genesee School several years ago. Originally from Rathdrum, Ms. McMullin brings continuity and new ideas to our well respected music program.

Casi Allington, a recent graduated of WSU, has been hired to teach 7-12 science. Ms. Allington student taught at Garfield-Palouse this spring. Originally from Wyoming and more recently from Spokane, Ms. Allington comes very highly recommended by her colleagues at Garfield-Palouse and her college supervisors.

We hope soon to fill the School Psychologist and instructional paraprofessional positions. We have been fortunate to have good pools of candidates to select from which can be difficult in science, music and school psychologists. We like to think that the positive reputation of the Genesee School and education-minded community helps us to attract the best and brightest to teach and work in Genesee.

Goodbye Dave, Sue, Loretta and Karen. Hello Kristen and Casi.

School District Bus Garage and Shop

2009-05-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

In June, we will be doing some remodeling and construction at our bus shop and garage. This important facility was originally constructed in 1912 and added on to in 1960. Since that time, our buses have gotten larger and taller. We can no longer fit our new buses into the shop portion of the building for maintenance and it is a tight squeeze to get all of them parked inside due to the width and height of the garage doors.

The proposed work includes installing wider and taller doors into the parking garage. Infilling the windows with masonry to meet current code since they are on the property line. We will tear down the shop bay which is on the east side of the building and rebuild a new shop on essentially the same footprint. The new shop will be stick-built and will provide a taller and wider access door and comply with current codes.

The project goes out to bid this month and we hope to begin construction in early June. The estimated time for completion is four months.

The financing for this project comes from the interest earned on the bonds during construction of the school addition. The District earned $208,150 in interest. The cost of this project is expected to run about $150,000.

Preparation by 8th Grade Critical to College & Career Readiness

2009-05-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

According to a recent study by ACT, The Forgotten Middle, students who are not on track for college and career readiness by eighth grade are unlikely to attain that level of readiness by high school graduation.

Essentially, the academic achievement that students reach by the eighth grade has a larger impact on future success in college or a career than any other single factor. This includes high school courses taken, grades in high school and even socio-economic factors such as gender, household income or race.

The report indicates significant implications for the our economy. "The skills necessary for entry into the majority of the fastest-growing jobs that require a high school diploma and offer a livable wage are comparable to those needed for success in first-year college courses." The President of ACT Education Division, Cynthia Schmeiser, noted that high school-level interventions which could include taking more rigorous courses, studying harder and earning higher grades in high school would certainly help but the fact remains that eighth grade students will have a very difficult time making up the lost ground.

Many middle level students have not developed adequate academic skills and attitudes that foster this readiness. In other words, junior high classes matter! It is that simple. Students cannot wait until high school to begin school in earnest, they need to have continual achievement from early elementary through their high school careers.

The report makes the following recommendations:

Focus K-8 standards on the knowledge and skills that are essential for college and career readiness and make these non-negotiable for students.
Monitor student progress toward college and career readiness beginning in upper elementary school and continuing through middle school and intervene with students who are not on target.
Improve students' academic behaviors (homework compliance, attendance, and other aspects of academic discipline).
Increase federal and state support for intervention programs that help all students become ready for college and career.

May 5 - Teacher Appreciation Day

2009-05-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

May 5 is Teacher Appreciation Day.

We have outstanding teachers in the Genesee School District. They are well qualified, appropriately state-licensed and highly qualified as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Perhaps, more important, our teachers, and all of the staff who work for the school district, care about students and our community.

These are dedicated employees who work hard to prepare all of the students for success. Being a public school, we do not have the opportunity to select our clients. We take everyone who walks through the doors and work diligently to provide each student with an education that meets the needs of the individual student and society.

American schools, and thus our educational professionals, are often compared to those from other countries such as Japan, India and China. One huge difference between our educational system and their systems is that ours is egalitarian. All students attend the same school regardless of innate ability and knowledge. In the United States we believe all students can learn and all students must learn to insure that our democracy flourishes. In public school, we do not send the brightest to one school and the average to another. We want them to learn together so that, as a society, we can all share in the benefits of our democracy. Comparisons are never "apples to apples."

It is interesting to note that when parents are asked to "grade" their school they always seem to give it a higher grade than the schools in the next town or down the street. Generally, parents appear to be satisfied with the job their schools are doing. That is not to say that we should not continue to seek improvement. Schools will change as society changes and we must constantly be willing to reform so that we are looking forward and not backwards. We can ill afford to live with success made yesterday.

Working with students day in and day out is satisfying but tiring work. Students sometimes bring "baggage" from outside of school that we have no control over yet we must educate all children regardless of what each brings to school on a daily basis. We do so with enthusiasm and hope.

So if you get a chance, thank your child's teacher, bus driver, classroom aide, cook, secretary, principal, etc. They care and they do their job every day so that your children's future will be bright.

Bike Month

2009-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

May is National Bike Month and May 11-15 is Bike-to-Work week. We would like to encourage students to ride to school this month. Bicycle racks are located on the east side of the playground and students can lock their bikes to the rack, if desired.

If your student would like to ride to school or currently does ride to school, the two most important precautions you can encourage your student to take are:

Always... always wear an approved bike helmet and always wear it correctly.
Always wear light colored or bright clothing so it is easy for motorists to see the bicyclist

As our culture has evolved with more and more electronic games and entertainment devices, young people are not getting adequate exercise. This is a serious problem locally, statewide and nationally. We are seeing a frightening increase of obesity in children attending school. Walking or biking daily, in addition to physical education and active recess goes a long way towards helping your student remain healthy and fit.

Believe it or not, Idaho is nationally recognized for their bicycle laws. Idaho is the only state where a bicyclist is not required to come to a complete stop at a stop sign or stop light. That does not mean a bicyclist can blow through an intersection. It means the rider should slow down and make sure it is clear before entering the intersection. Not having to come to a complete stop allows those riders who are clipped into their pedals to continue without taking their feet off the pedals.

Otherwise, bicyclists should follow normal driving rules including signaling turns. A bicyclist has the same right-of-way as a motorist even if the rider is traveling at a slower speed. Again, this is not to say riders should ride down the middle of the street oblivious to motorists, but motorists have an obligation to pass riders with care. All motorists should pay particular attention when passing young children as they often weave back and forth and they may not know the motorist is behind them.

Encourage your student to ride to school during National Bike Week (May 11-15) and encourage them to walk, run, bike, play sports... get outside as much as possible. But remember... if your child rides to school make sure they have their properly fitting helmet on.

Supplemental Levy

2009-04-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Board of Trustees set the 2009 supplemental levy Tuesday evening $50,000 lower than the current levy. The proposed levy, to be voted on May 19, was set at $515,000. The levy covers the shortfall between state funding and the expenses of the educational program.

The decrease is a result of reducing staff by 1.3 FTE, deferring the purchase of math textbooks for one year, maintaining the status quo in the activities program, limiting activity travel, utilizing federal stimulus dollars to pay for instructional aides and slightly increasing revenue by adding a transportation fee for non-athletic activities. We are also expending about $53,000 of excess fund balance and transferring another $18,000 from the medical reimbursement account.

The current maintenance and operations budget will have minimal negative impacts on most students and families. The election is being held on May 19 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. There is one polling place in each county; the Latah poll is at the school and the Nez Perce poll is at the Morscheck residence.

The cost of this levy, based on an estimated market value of $124,479,343, taking into account the reductions in property tax as a result of the agricultural property tax replacement, is $3.76 per thousand dollars of assessed value.

Swine Flu

2009-04-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

The news seems dominated by swine flu these days. The Genesee School District receives regular updates from the Idaho North Central Public Health District and the Center for Disease Control. There have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Idaho although four individuals have had flu-like illnesses that are being tested. During the past five years we have been studying and planning for a potential pandemic flu. At this point, we do not know if this will become widespread.

The best thing parents can tell their children and the advice we always give to students is to follow good respiratory etiquette. This includes:

Wash your hands after being in public, or after coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth;
Cover your cough or sneeze, or cough into your elbow;
If you are sick, stay home from work or school. Protect your co-workers and friends. Please don't travel when you are sick; and
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting. People cannot contract the infection from eating properly cooked pork.

The CDC will soon be shipping medications and supplies to states in case the outbreak becomes more serious. Right now the best thing we can all do is to observe the bulleted points above.

Parent-Teacher Organization

2009-04-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

An organizational meeting to re-form the Genesee PTO will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:00 PM in the mutli-purpose room. This will be an informal and informational meeting. All parents and teachers are invited.

A number of years ago, Genesee had a very active PTO group but, for various reasons, it dissolved. Tami Pope and Caty Spence recently visited with me to see about reactivating the PTO. I think it is a wonderful idea that deserve parent and community support.

Parent-Teacher Organizations can serve several useful purposes for students, parents and teachers. There are always positive ways to get involved with your school. PTO groups hold fundraisers that provide quality activities for students like carnivals and contests. They can be effective advocates for school program support. And they can offer volunteer help and moral support for teachers.

Come to the meeting and help design the goals and objectives of the Genesee PTO. You'll be glad you did.

Historical Pupil/Teacher Ratio Data

2009-04-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

There has been significant discussion in the School District regarding the possibility that there may be a reduction in the number of teachers due to declining enrollment. One of the best measures we can look at, over time, is pupil-teacher ratio. The Idaho Department of Education has published this historical data on their web site.

I have posted a chart showing our District's pupil-teacher ratio from the 1993-94 school year until the current school year. As you can see on the chart there have been three years (06-07, 04-05 and 98-99) where we had a slightly smaller ratio than we do this year. Of course, this is a function of enrollment and staffing. The statewide teacher-pupil ratio is 18.2. One of the benefits of a small school is a lower pupil-teacher ratio. The lower the ratio, the higher the cost.

The trend line on the chart shows that, over time, our teacher-pupil ratio has declined. Within reason this is a good thing, but as enrollment continues to decline it is reasonable to consider what ratio is desirable for the District? What ratio demonstrates prudent management of financial resources? How can we best staff the school district to carry out our mission over time? These are all questions the Board of Trustees and the Administration must consider as we adjust to the current economic and demographic reality.

Based on our fall enrollment projections of 279 students (K-12) and 23.9 FTE teachers (assuming the Board accepts my staffing recommendation) our pupil-teacher ratio will decline to 11.7; the lowest level since the Department of Education began reporting this data.

Superintendent's Budget Recommendation

2009-04-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

As promised, I have posted my fiscal year 2010 budget recommendations prior to the special Board meeting on April 28 on the District web site. The purpose of the special meeting on the 28th is for the trustees to set the amount of the supplemental levy which will be voted on Tuesday, May 19. Of course, it is necessary to have some preliminary budget figures to enable us to determine the needed amount for the levy.

In addition to my recommendations which will be forwarded to the trustees, I have also posted a very preliminary maintenance and operations budget. It is preliminary because we will continue to refine the budget until our budget hearing in June as we receive additional information from the Idaho Department of Education and the United States Department of Education. The legislature is still in session as I write this and several education bills and the FY2010 state education budget have not yet been signed into law. Changes can still occur. Final interpretations of new laws have not yet been completed by the State Department. Regardless, we need to move forward with the best information we have at the moment.

Even though we are losing student enrollment, we are fortunate that we are in "protected status" this year. This means that we are guaranteed 99% of the prior year's support units. This provision of state law helps districts that are losing enrollment to adjust to the new lower enrollment figures. However, this is only for one year. If our numbers remain the same next year, we will decrease by two support units (from 19.5 to 17.5). This is extremely significant and will have a major impact on our FY2011 budget. A support unit is like a classroom unit which has 1.1 instructional staff members attached to it. A reduction of two support units will impact the district by $175,000. It is imperative that we adjust to this downward trend in enrollment. That is one of the reasons why I am recommending the reduction of 1.2 FTE staff members for FY2010.

Some will probably question my recommendation of a lower supplemental levy. The reasons are really quite simple. First, through our management of the budget and slightly larger than anticipated state funding for FY2009, we have a higher than necessary fund balance. We are able to return this "extra" money to the taxpayers through a reduced levy. In addition, many of our patrons have lost employment or had their hours reduced. I feel strongly that we need to provide tax relief and be as fiscally prudent as we can. The third reason is the necessity to pass this levy. Without the successful passage of this levy, the District will need to make additional program and staffing cuts.

Ideas for raising children

2009-04-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Two important principles for interacting with your children are: (1) Know and follow the values you want your children to live with, and (2) understand them from their point of view. Parents should list the main values and principles for living that they want their children to master. What specific positive traits do you want your children to have. Make a list for each child.

A confident parent who creates a loving relation with his children, will find that his children will listen to him. When telling your children to do or not to do something, your voice needs to show confidence that you expect your children to listen to what you have to say. If you sound as if you don't really expect your children to listen to you, they will pick up your non-verbal message and are very likely not going to listen.

Be clear and specific when telling your children what they should or should not do. Telling a child to "be good" is too vague and not likely to be very effective. When you see things from your child's point of view, you will be careful to respect his feelings and thoughts. This will give your children a sense of self-respect and respect for others. Think about how you wanted to be treated when you were a child. Taking individual differences into account, act that way towards your children. Keep in mind that no child wants to be insulted or ridiculed by their parents.

Don't threaten your children. When you threaten a child, you create unnecessary anxiety and fear. If you make threats that you both know you won't keep, you are teaching them not to take you seriously. Threats automatically imply that you think there is a possibility that your children will not listen to you. Never give your children negative labels. negative labels create negative self-image, which is highly destructive.

Don't expect perfection when interacting with your children. Everyone makes mistakes. If you feel you have made mistakes in the past, begin again now. Be totally committed to creating a loving relationship with each of your children. Apologize to your children when it is appropriate. Apologizing is not a sign of weakness.

Don't fulfill your child's every request. Deny your children something at least once a day. Life is tough. You want to train your child to deal with difficulties and disappointments - not to expect that every whim and desire will be fulfilled. Unfulfilled expectations are the source of most misery. "Cornucopia kids" will never learn to grow up as happy adults.

Average Daily Attendance

2009-04-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

In Idaho, schools are funded primarily based on ADA or average daily attendance versus the alternative method which would be based on enrollment. Enrollment seems to make sense since the school must supply teachers, textbooks, desks, rooms, supplies, etc. for every student who walks through the doors without regard for the student's individual attendance pattern. But that is not the way our funding system works in this state.

The implication for schools is that it financially benefits the school district to have as high an attendance rate as possible. Genesee has historically had a ninety-five percent attendance rate but we have seen some erosion of that recently. Certainly when a student is ill that student should remain at home so he or she gets better quickly and does not spread germs at school, but otherwise we would hope to see the student as much as possible. There is a financial reason which I will discuss below, but we also know that students who attend school on a regular basis perform better academically. I have seen many research studies which suggest that increasing time on task increases student achievement. I am still waiting to see even one study which suggests spending less time learning improves student achievement.

Regular attendance helps students develop positive habits which better prepare them for success in the work force. I have had numerous employers over the years inquire about students who have applied for employment. These employers seldom ask about the students' grades but they often ask about their attendance patterns, behavior, self-discipline, etc. These are all part of a thorough public education.

Financially, attendance can have a huge impact on the funding any district receives from the State. We currently have 290 students who average nearly a 95% attendance rate. This year we budgeted $2,035,644 in state funds. Assuming that is the amount we receive (we won't know until the year is over and our best 28 weeks of attendance is calculated) we have given up $107,132 in lost state funding as a result. In other words had all of our students had perfect attendance we would have received $369.42 more per student or $107,132! That works out to about $41 per day for every day of absence.

Who cares you might ask? Everyone with a stake in the School District should care. Based on the information we have today, if everything held equal next year and we had perfect attendance we would not have to make any significant cuts to programs or increase the levy. That is significant for parents, patrons and students.

Can anything be done? For the District's part we can analyze our school calendar and not hold school on days when traditionally a large number of students are gone such as during the fair or Thanksgiving week, etc. This may sound easy but every calendar committee we put together always wants to begin after labor day, have a week at Thanksgiving, two weeks for winter break, a week for spring break and get out before Memorial Day. There simply are not enough days to do that without attending on Saturdays.

Parents can attempt to schedule appointments and family vacations on days when school is not in session or on days of early release. I realize this is not always possible, but it would be helpful. Any individual action that can be taken to improve average daily attendance will have a significant positive impact on our students.

Lunch Program... use it or lose it.

2009-04-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

On March 19th I wrote about our child nutrition program (commonly called hot lunch). I explained how we are reimbursed at varying rates for lunches depending on the status of the student eating the lunch. I discussed the current cost per meal and some of the steps we have taken as a school district to reduce costs. I explained that we stand to lose $30,000 this year. I indicated that "the only way we will ever break even is to increase the participation rate to between 70-80% of all students." At the end of March only 47.8% of the first through twelfth grade students are eating on any given day.

Many patrons have expressed support for the continuance of the child nutrition program. Last evening at the Board meeting, several parents expressed the possibility of surveying parents and students to find out what we might do to encourage a higher percentage of student participation. At the suggestion of a trustee, we will reconvene our wellness committee and develop survey questions that we will make available online.

You can help us design a questionnaire that will provide us with valuable information.Would questions such as the following help you to provide us valuable information? Can you think of others?

What do you like and not like about the program?
What does your student like and not like?
Are the meals appetizing in appearance?
Are the meals a good value?
Does the food taste good?
Is it simply too expensive?
Do we need greater variety?
Should we close the campus to high school students and force them to remain on campus?
Should we invite the general public to eat in our cafeteria when the students are present?
Should elementary students have a choice of entree also?

Perhaps there is nothing we could do to encourage you or your student to utilize our lunch program. We would like to hear from you about that also.

The trustees would prefer to continue to operate the child nutrition program but it is becoming increasingly difficult as our enrollment declines and costs increase. It may come down to using it or losing it.

Please provide a comment to this post or send comments directly to Superintendent Neumann at dneumann@sd282.org. Thank you for your help.

Driving at noon

2009-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

The School Board has a policy whereby students are not allowed to drive during the lunch hour unless they have permission from the Principal (in an extraordinary situation) or they are leaving school grounds for work experience. Those students who do have permission to drive at lunch may not give a ride to another student.

Over the years numerous parents and students have questioned why the Trustees have such a rule and have, on several occasions, asked the Board to change the policy. The Board has never chosen to change the rule. Our high school is an open campus at lunch which means that students may walk home or downtown for lunch. They may not drive at lunch because the Board is concerned with the health and safety of students. Another concern of the Board of Trustees is the potential liability to the taxpayers should a student be injured while driving at lunch.

Students know the rules. Those who choose to ignore the rule and get caught are generally given detention the first time. Subsequent violations can lead to suspension. While the Principal supervises the parking lot as best she can, we are always happy to have a concerned patron call the Principal (285-1162 extension 203), identify him or herself and the students involved.

Holocaust Survivor Noemi Ban

2009-04-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Noemi Ban of Bellingham, Washington, a Holocaust survivor who has spoken in our area in the past, will be giving a presentation at Genesee School Monday, April 13 at 7:00 PM in the multi-purpose room. All are welcome and there is no charge.

In addition to the free public presentation, Ms. Ban will visit with secondary students on Tuesday the 14th. These presentations have been made possible through the ASB Multi-Cultural Fund which was originally funded by a donation from the United Dairyman of Idaho after Cord Barker was named the UDI Student of the Year. Cord's sister Destiny has been active in promoting diversity in our school and this program is a result of her efforts.

Noémi Shoënberger Ban is an award winning teacher and public speaker, respected and beloved mother, grandmother and synagogue senior who has lived in Bellingham since 1982. A native of Szeged, Hungary, Noémi Ban was 21 when the Nazis marched into Debrecen, Hungary on March 19, 1944. Ultimately her father was sent to a forced labor camp and she and her family (grandmother- Nina, Mother- Juliska, sister- Erzsebet, and baby brother- Gabor) were sent on a transport to Auschwitz arriving on July 1, 1944. Immediately separated from her family (where they became victims of the Nazi genocide) Noémi spent nearly four months in Auschwitz before being picked by Dr. Joseph Mengele to be transferred to a sub-camp of Buchenwald to work at a bomb factory. Escaping during the forced march to Bergen Belsen in April of 1945, Noémi and eleven of her campmates were found by a soldier from Patton’s army who informed them of their freedom. Finally arriving in Budapest in September of 1945, Noémi reunited with her father who also survived. Noémi was married to Earnest Ban in October and they settled in Budapest where Earnest was a teacher.

The Soviets came into power in 1948. While living under Communist rule and control, Noémi herself became a seventh and eighth grade teacher. Reaching the point were she could no longer live under the dictates of the Communist regime Noémi, her husband, and two sons tried to escape via train to Austria. Thwarted at the border Noémi did not give up or give in. With a friend’s help she and her family, less than a month after the first attempt, finally made it to freedom in Austria by hiding in giant balls of yarn being shipped by truck from Budapest to Sopron on December 29, 1956.

Noémi and her family arrived in the United States in February of 1957 and were relocated to St .Louis, Missouri. Both she and Earnest went back to school to learn English and then pursued American college degree-Earnest teaching math, Noémi becoming a sixth grade teacher. Upon Earnest’s retirement (he was ten years older than Noémi) they came to Bellingham, Washington to be close to their son, Steven, a pediatrician.

The importance of this event cannot be overstated considering the advancing age of remaining Holocaust survivors. Certainly we have pictures and museums, such as the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., but the opportunity to actually hear an individual who experienced this tragic event in human history is one you will not want to miss. History tends to repeat itself, i.e. Darfur, and there is much to be learned.

This presentation may not be appropriate for younger children.

The importance of a high school diploma

2009-04-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

According to a report just issued by the Center for Public Education, "school districts should make every effort to help students receive a high school diploma even if it takes longer than four years."

According to the report, late graduates who receive their diploma in more than four years were compared to three other groups: on-time graduates, students who earn a GED and dropouts. As expected on-time graduates had the best outcomes in every aspect of life - not just academic, but work, civic life and even health - but late graduates were a close second ahead of GED and dropouts.

Eight-five percent of late graduates were employed compared to 77% of those who received GEDs and 81% of the dropouts. Late grads were also more likely to be employed full-time and possess a job with full benefits.

The report recommends schools offer a curriculum that adequately prepares middle level students for high school courses, identify struggling students and provide intervention programs as well as providing additional support for low-achieving students in high school.

Fortunately, our middle level students are taught by the same teachers who instruct high school students and these teachers are able to provide a sequential progression which helps students build the skills and abilities needed in high school courses while they are middle level students. This year the District implemented a policy whereby junior high or middle level courses are transcripted and students who do not make adequate progress in the 7th and 8th grade do not automatically move on to the next higher grade. It is certainly important that middle level students be prepared, but we feel it is even more important that elementary students are prepared adequately in the fundamental skills which lead to success in school. Our belief in early success led us to become one of the early school districts in Idaho to adopt the Response to Intervention model.

Genesee School has used the Response to Intervention (RtI) model to provide needed support for struggling students at any grade level. RtI has had a major impact on our school by using a data-based decision-making process. Rather than assume the student has a problem, RtI requires that we look at the instruction, the curriculum and the environment in addition to the student. Parents play an integral part in the decision-making process and students are closely monitored during the intervention to insure it is working as anticipated. We believe that the changes we have adopted as we have implemented RtI have had a major impact on student achievement in our school.

Due to our small size, it is difficult for students to "fall between the cracks" and we have few dropouts. I believe a student has to work harder to fail than to succeed in Genesee. Our teachers go the extra mile to help students by coming in early or staying after school, as needed. This is not to say that the student is not ultimately responsible for his or her own education, but that support is available for those who seek it out.

Reduction-in-Force

2009-04-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Genesee School District has a labor agreement with the Genesee Education Association which identifies the manner in which a reduction-in-force would be completed for certified teachers. The wording for that agreement can be found on our web site at: http://www.sd282.org/genesee_school_district_reductio.htm

The agreement outlines what condition or conditions must exist before the Board may declare a RIF. Once one or more of the five conditions exists, the Board of Trustees can conduct the RIF. As with RIF provisions in other school districts, our provision utilizes seniority as the primary factor while also taking into account other factors. A seniority list, using the mechanisms identified in the agreement, is developed and checked and in place should a RIF be necessary. This is a very objective process that both parties to the labor agreement must follow.

The Genesee School District has experienced an enrollment decline for several years. Added to the enrollment decline this year is a reduction in state funding for K-12 education. Both of these factors will be taken into consideration when a school budget is produced for the 2010 fiscal year.

Labor Negotiations

2009-03-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Annually, the District enters into labor negotiations with the Genesee Education Association which represents all certified professional employees except administrators. The GEA is affiliated with the Idaho Education Association and the National Education Association. This process takes place annually each spring.

Historically, the District is represented by the superintendent and one trustee while the Association is represented by a committee of teachers. The labor agreement must be ratified by the full Board of Trustees and a vote of the Association membership.

There are two parts of the labor agreement. The first part is the procedural agreement which specifies the parameters for negotiations. The second part is the actual negotiations agreement. Generally, it is this second part which is subject to annual negotiations. The negotiations agreement includes leave, working conditions, insurance, a salary schedule, and an extra-curricular salary schedule. Negotiations have historically been held in executive or closed session.

Every school district in Idaho is a separate local government entity. Even though districts receive the majority of their funding from the State, each district has different agreements with their employees. The Idaho school funding system uses a salary-based allocation model. In addition to the discretionary funding based on support units, the largest amount of funds are derived from a formula that looks substantially like a salary schedule. Some districts have negotiated salary schedules that are identical to the Idaho salary allocation grid. Genesee's CPE salary schedule has evolved over time as the District and GEA have worked to craft a schedule that meets District needs. That schedule is posted in the employment section of our web site.

Normally we would have already entered into negotiations, but given the long Idaho legislative session and the lack of financial information, the two sides have agreed to wait until the legislature substantially completes their work.

The Quality School

2009-03-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

William Glasser, M.D. made the case in his seminal work The Quality School that one of the major reasons why so few students are involved in high-quality honors or advanced-placement classes is that schools historically use boss management. Students, just like teachers and other adults, have a quality world where they place things that are important to them. A student may place a specific teacher or subject in his quality world. Once this occurs, he will be intrinsically motivated to excel in that subject or for that teacher. This is what Glasser calls Control Theory.

No human is unmotivated. Boss-teachers and administrators might lament that students are not motivated but what they are really saying is that they do not know how to persuade students to work. And as long as they believe in coercion, they never will. It is always what we want at the time the causes our behavior. If keeping quiet is in the student's best interest, he will do so.

Managers can count on coercion to achieve only the simplest tasks. The same goes for reward. It isn't the reward that motivates; it is the individuals perception of how much he wants the reward that determines his behavior. What happens to us from outside has a lot to do with what we choose to do, but the outside event does not cause our behavior.

Lead-managers and lead-teachers prefer to give the workers or students the kind of information that will persuade them to do as they are directed because it is as much or more to their benefit as it is to the teacher's. Students will do things for a teacher they like and care about that they would never do for a teacher they do not care about.

Why are some students so motivated in their extra-curricular (sports, music, drama, etc.) activities? Students will tell you they feel important in these activities. Ask them and they will tell you that in these situations where they work together as a group or on a team, they work harder and accomplish more because they help each other and have more fun. This same type of work ethic can occur in academic classes as well, when students are actively engaged in their learning in a supportive and enjoyable environment.

It is not always easy to conduct school business in this fashion. Sometimes we do not have enough time or outside interests or pressure dictate what we must do, but the more we can help each student to place school into his quality world, the more effective we will be and the more the student will derive from his education.

Life of a school building

2009-03-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

In addition to teaching School Finance and Advanced School Finance classes at the University of Idaho, I have also had the privilege to teach the School Facilities course. While doing research in preparation for that course, I discovered that the average life span of a school building is 42 years. That is a national statistic. Had it been an Idaho statistic it would more likely be much higher.

The original three-story portion of the Genesee School was built in 1912. It was added onto in 1938 (old gym, now MPR), 1966 (gym and classrooms) and the current addition in 2008. The agriculture shop was built in the mid-fifties and connected to the existing 1938 portion several decades later.

The 1912 and 1938 portions of the facility were remodeled at least once prior to the extensive remodel we completed in 1998. In addition to some reconfiguration to increase instructional space, the remodel also provided necessary health and safety modifications. The 1912 portion of the school received the most extensive remodeling (85%) while the 1938 portion saw a fifty percent remodel effort. Energy efficient lighting and mechanical updates were installed district-wide including the 1966 portion of the school. It is anticipated that these updates will extend the useful life of the school at least twenty-five additional years.

It is not unusual in Idaho for a school building to be used for 90-100 years. Genesee residents are justifiably proud of the quality school facilities available for their children. Routine maintenance is required to insure the investment the community has made in their school. Idaho requires that districts expend 2% of the value of their facilities on maintenance annually. This is at the low end of the national recommendation for maintenance which is 2-4% of the value of the buildings.

Deferring maintenance is a hazardous enterprise. The Genesee School had a large backlog of maintenance issues which led to the extensive remodeling effort in the late 90's. There is legislation pending that would allow Districts to defer maintenance until the current economic crisis passes. I have not been in support of this legislation because I feel this is short-sighted and will lead to increased costs down the road. If maintenance is deferred too long it can jeopardize the health and safety of our students. This is precisely what caused the on-going court struggle between the Idaho Schools for Equal Educational Opportunity and the Idaho Legislature. Genesee has been a plaintiff in this case for nearly twenty years. Currently the case is being appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Education of our children is an investment in the future. Some have argued that brick and mortar schools are a thing of the past and we should be investing in online technology rather than spending money on facilities. In the meantime, we will protect your investment in your school facility to insure that your children attend school in a safe environment that is conducive to learning.

Cyber Bullying

2009-03-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Bullying has unfortunately always been a reality for some school children. Bullies have always existed and school personnel are always on the lookout to prevent bullying. Now bullies have a new way to prey on their victims - cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is using technology to threaten, insult, or harass. Cell phones and the Internet allow for aggressive expression toward others that doesn't rely on physical strength or even physical contact. Students who cyber bully can quickly and aggressively spread rumors, threats, hate mail, or embarrassing photos through text messages, emails and instant messages.

It is all too easy for bullies to remain anonymous. It is much easier for those who cyber bully to harass when they are able to hide their identities with false screen names or temporary email addresses. A recent study found that 42% of the student respondents had been bullies online, and one in four more than once. 35% indicated they had been threatened online with nearly one in five having been threatened more than once. 53% admit to having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. These statistics point to the insidious misuse of these technologies.

The Genesee School District passed Policy 310.17 - electronic communication devices to provide an avenue to deal with misuse of cell phones and other electronic communication devices. Existing policies regarding harassment and bullying have been in place for some time. The District has no tolerance for bullying of any kind. Students, or parents of students, who feel they have been subject to bullying or harassment at school should contact the Principal and complete the Harassment Reporting Form available on our web site.

Parents can help their children to use new technologies appropriately by talking about Internet safety:

not giving out personal information
not responding to suggestive, threatening and belligerent messages, and
not clicking on links in email from people they do not know

Also explain cyber bullying and what your child can do to prevent it. Consider including the following:

do not respond to or forward emails and messages that are mean or spread rumors
don't open emails or messages from someone they know bullies others
block messages from anyone who cyber bullies
save or print all bullying messages
show the messages to an adult they trust - like a parent or teacher - and ask for help
never arrange to meet someone who bullies them online

The District response to all cyber bullying is:

teach lessons to educate students about cyber bullying
respond quickly and sensitively to cyber bullying reports
take seriously families' concerns about cyber bullying
look into all report cyber bullying incidents

Current construction projects around the District

2009-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

After completing the Genesee School addition, the District had slightly less than $400,000 remaining in the construction account. These funds may only legally be used for capital expenditures as identified on the ballot for the bond issue. These funds are not available for general fund expenditures.

The staff prepared a listing of potential projects for the Board of Trustees. The Board narrowed this list to the highest priority items. The first project undertaken was a re-roof of the agriculture shop and classroom building. Rather than just re-roofing the structure as it existed, the slope of the building was changed so that all of the flow of water is to the north where it can be collected and moved away from the building. Earlier, during the construction of the addition, the District decided to stabilize and lift the shop to as close to its original floor level as possible. The re-roofing will provide energy efficiency and the new rubber roof will prevent the infiltration of water which has been a problem for several decades.

The next construction project for the District is to remodel the existing bus garage and shop. We are fortunate to be able to park all of our school buses inside which protects them from the elements and vandalism. Unfortunately, newer buses are taller than existing buses and will no longer fit inside of the parking garage. Our plans for the garage include enlarging the width and height of the existing doors to better accommodate all of the buses.

The bus repair shop, built in 1905, also does not allow the newer buses to fit inside. Even some of the existing buses are tall enough that we cannot lift them in order to complete repair work. It was determined it would be better to replace the existing shop rather than try to modify the existing structure and make it taller. We are currently in the design phase of for the shop which will occupy the identical footprint of the current shop.

We are excited to proceed at this time with this project because we anticipate very competitive bids for this work given the current state of the economy. There is a short list of other projects that may be undertaken after the bus garage and shop remodel have been completed.

School District Insurance Program

2009-03-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Genesee School District has an extensive insurance program to protect the patron's investment in their educational system. We do not provide insurance for students. It is a parental responsibility to provide accident insurance for individual students. The school offers voluntary student accident coverage through an independent agent. Brochures describing this coverage are available annually to students and parents.

The District does purchase the following types of insurance: property, equipment breakdown, crime, general liability, abuse and molestation, educators legal liability, and vehicle coverage. The cost of our current insurance policy was $28,053. Each spring, the District solicits bids for insurance coverage. Our current agent is the Fred A. Moreton Company in Boise and our policy is offered through the Idaho School Boards Association.

When non-school groups or organizations use school facilities we ask that the group provide comparable insurance coverage to protect the interests of the District. This requirement can be waived for some community groups depending on the activity.

The District has a risk management program in place to reduce or eliminate problems before they occur and thus hold down the cost of insurance. These include health and safety inspections and training for staff and students, as needed. Our agent sends risk management specialists to visit the school annually and provide help and support to us.

When you consider the wide variety of activities that occur in a school and the number of individuals involved, having a high quality insurance program in place is an important facet of operating a school district.

Hot Lunch Program

2009-03-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Genesee School hot lunch program is operated under guidelines from the Idaho Department of Education and the United States Department of Agriculture. School districts must comply with numerous rules and regulations in order to participate in child nutrition programs. In addition to complying with health department regulations, just as a restaurant must, school food service programs must meet nutritional guidelines set by law.

The federal reimbursement to school districts for serving a lunch is
$ .24 for full-price lunches, $2.17 for reduced lunches and $2.57 for free lunches. Students who qualify for reduced lunch pay $ .40. Elementary students pay $2.45 while secondary students pay $2.75. There is no federal reimbursement for adults who pay $3.45. The Genesee School has 14.3% of its students receiving free and/or reduced lunches.

The current cost of serving one lunch is $3.54. We are currently losing $ .71 per meal. This is not a new phenomenon. We have been losing money in our food service programs during nineteen of the past twenty years. School lunch programs are supposed to break even. We have reduced labor 46%, we have analyzed and refined the menu, we have worked hard to change the atmosphere in the cafeteria and yet we still continue to lose money.

During the time we have taken these steps, we have seen food prices continue to increase and student enrollment decrease. The participation rate in our food service program is right around 50%. The only way we will ever break even is to increase the participation rate to between 70-80% of all students. Various steps have been taken to achieve this, and we have increased the percentage of participation but decreasing enrollment has mitigated the financial benefits.

We are not alone. Other school districts in Idaho are also experiencing difficulties in breaking even in their child nutrition programs. It is estimated our loss this year will total $22,000 plus an additional $8,000 which must be paid out of the M&O fund for food service employee benefits required by law. The question for the District is how long can we sustain these type of losses in the current economic situation. $30,000 pays for half a classroom teacher.

ARRA and federal education funds

2009-03-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

The federal stimulus legislation provides a number of pots of federal money that school districts may qualify to receive. The Genesee School District will not qualify for some of those funds because we have made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) as defined by the NCLB legislation (No Child Left Behind). We are also a high socio-economic school district as measured by our free and reduced lunch rate which currently stands at 14.3%. Some of the federal money is targeted to schools who are in school improvement for not making AYP and for school districts that serve primarily poorer students.

The District does stand to receive substantial increases in Title VI-B, Title I-A and Tittle II-D funds. Title VI-B funds are targeted for expenditures in school-age and preschool-age special education. There exists in federal law a requirement that a school maintain its general fund expenditure effort in order to receive the VI-B funds. Essentially this means the District cannot reduce its expenditure of M&O funds that are allocated for special education unless some very narrow and specific criteria occur. We expect to receive additional VI-B funds as part of the stimulus above and beyond what we normally receive in one year, more than double the amount. This is one time money with very specific expenditure guidelines. Most District expenditures of VI-B money are used for salaries and benefits of special education aides, supplies and professional development.

The ARRA also will provide us with additional Title I-A funds. Title I-A is compensatory education. We utilize the money to pay for salaries and benefits of a teacher and a paraprofessional who provide remedial services in reading, language and math. We also expect to receive Title II-D funds which are targeted to be expended in the area of education technology. These funds normally would be used to pay for hardware, software and/or professional development.

We are anxiously awaiting notification of estimated amounts we will receive in the next fiscal year, as well as guidance on how these funds are to be used. Existing federal law and the recently passed ARRA legislation provide that guidance but are both very complex statutes that require extra care to insure that the use of the funds remains transparent. The Idaho Legislature must also authorize the expenditure of these funds before any funding authority is released to the school districts. The Legislature has not provided this authority yet.

There is one exciting benefit for the VI-B funds which does not exist in the legislation for Title I-A or Title II-D. Up to 50% of the new VI-B funds from ARRA can offset current M&O maintenance of effort expenditures. For example, if we receive an additional $60,000 we could move $30,000 of current M&O special education expenditures to VI-B expenditures thereby freeing up $30,000 of M&O funds that can be expended on activities covered by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This will provide a small amount of help in balancing the FY2010 budget.

Recess and test scores

2009-03-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

A recent study published by the journal Pediatrics showed that children who took a recess of more than 15 minutes per day had better classroom behavior than those who did not. The study looked at 11,000 children ages 8 and 9 and found this daily break from structured learning was just as essential to a child's education as the math, science and reading lessons they received in the classroom.

This is an important study which comes at a time when many schools across the country have eliminated recess or cut physical education so that there would be more time to teach all the reading, writing and arithmetic needed to pass standardized tests. Fortunately, most experts will agree that recess is an integral part of maintaining focus in the classroom.

In the elementary grades, our students have morning and afternoon recess plus an additional recess after lunch. GSD Policy 310.15 - Physical Activity and Physical Education specifically states that all grade 1-6 students will be offered 40-60 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which the school should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.

According to the Pediatrics study, 30 percent of the group studied was not being given any type of recess throughout the day, which has become more common. In some districts, physical education and recess hours have been downsized to meet increased pressure to raise students' scores on standardized testing.

There is some evidence to suggest that physical activity can have a positive impact on standardized assessment results. There is no question we need to improve student achievement but we need to be careful to look at the whole child when making decisions about the efficient use of time at school.

How employee compensation is determined in the Genesee School District

2009-03-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

The District expends 78% of its maintenance and operations funds on salaries and benefits of teachers, classified staff and administrators. That is actually slightly less than the average which ranges from 80-85%.

There are three distinct groupings of employees in the District. The instructional staff includes all certificated professional employees (CPEs) with the exception of the Principal and Superintendent who would be considered administrators. The classified employees include all non-certified employees like bus drivers, secretarial staff, cooks, instructional aides, maintenance, custodial, technology, etc.

The determination of salary differs between the three distinct groups. However, benefits are identical as required by Idaho Code. The District provides a $380 defined contribution toward health insurance for each full time employee per month.

CPEs are paid on a salary schedule that is negotiated annually between the Board of Trustees and the Genesee Education Association. The current salary scheduled is located on the District web site at: www.sd282.org/Employment/0809_sal.pdf. A CPE's actual salary is primarily a function of their educational attainment (degrees and additional credit hours) and years of teaching experience. Nationally Board certified teachers receive an additional stipend of $1,000. The standard Idaho contract is for 190 days. There are a few CPE positions which require a longer contract such as the agriculture teacher, librarian and counselor. In this case the teacher would receive 1/190 for each additional day of their contract.

Classified employees have a compensation schedule approved by the Board of Trustees. The District does not conduct labor negotiations with classified employees, but we do "meet and confer" annually to discuss compensation, benefits and other areas of concern. The classified compensation schedule is located at www.sd282.org/Employment/class_wagescale.pdf.

There are two administrators in the District. The salaries of these employees are determined by the Board of Trustees when each administrator's contract expires. A district is allowed to enter into a two-year contract with principals and a three-year contract with superintendents. As in the case of CPEs, administrators are licensed professionals. While there is no set salary schedule, the Board utilizes comparability studies with surrounding districts to determine the compensation levels for these employees. The Principal is on a 210 day contract and the Superintendent is on a 260 day contract. The Principal earns 9.4% more per day than the highest paid teacher whereas the Superintendent earns 11.3% more per day than the Principal. In the most recently reported State Department financial information, the Genesee District expended $1,081 per ADA for all school and district administration expenses. Only one other similarly sized district (Whitepine) in the area expended less, including those districts who employ half-time district administrators.

It continues to be the philosophy of the School District to recruit and retain the highest quality staff possible. Compensation is one element of maintaining a competent and high quality staff.

"The future belongs to the nation who educates their children"

2009-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

"The future belongs to the nation who educates their children." This quote from President Obama's speech earlier this week carries significant implications for the United States and the current state of our economy. The current economic crisis has touched nearly everyone in the country and has caused business and government alike to react to diminishing revenue streams. We may long for the "good old days" but, as many economists have suggested, the "good old days" may not have been as good as we think they were and they may not return.

But one thing is for sure. High quality education increases economic wealth through improved productivity. The challenge now is not to attempt to maintain the status-quo but to continue to move forward and provide an even more effective and robust education system even as revenue streams diminish. We need to identify the core of instruction. What skills and knowledge must our graduates possess in the 21st century to successfully compete with peers in India, Japan, China and Germany? How do we restructure education to accomplish this herculean task? How do we prepare students for a world with accelerating rates of change? The risks of not meeting this challenge are enormous for each student and for our state and country.

None of this is easy to accomplish. Fortunately, both public and private institutions have produced volumes of quality, replicable research to help point the way. Sometimes the research contradicts commonly held beliefs developed over time. After all, we all spent many years in school and we know "how it is done." If we are preparing students to work in factories we should utilize a factory model of education; bells, straight rows, similarity of tasks, movement from one unrelated task to another, student workers and boss teachers, etc. But, if we are in a post-industrial age then our education system needs to reflect this change. We need to insure that coming to school is not like visiting a history museum. While I would love to think that educational professionals are so powerful that we can change society, in fact, schools reflect society.

Schools also reflect their community. A community that demands and expects a vibrant, high-quality education system that changes to meet the needs of our students will produce successful graduates. Schools living with success made yesterday will graduate students who will find some career paths closed to them because of a lack of preparation. We are fortunate to live and work in Genesee, an education-minded community that has supported hiring the best staff, providing facilities that are safe and conducive to learning, and electing school trustees who put kids before personal agendas.

As we continue to restructure to meet future challenges your input and help will be needed. Thank you for your support of education.

A Lesson in Self Esteem

2009-03-12T08:17:00.001-07:00

I would like to relate a powerful story I read the other day regarding teaching our kids who they really are and what makes them special. I will paraphrase this story to shorten it up a bit:

Zack is a 12 year old 7th grade middle school student. At his school there is a clique of 'popular' kids who have begun having parties. Zack, though he is kind, funny, intelligent and warm, has always had a hard time making many friends because of his shyness in social situations. It's hard for him to be social and he's not invited to most parties. Most of the kids hand out tee shirts or sweatshirts as favors at their parties. The Monday following the party, all of the kids who were at the party come to school wearing their new shirts. Zack often comes home many Mondays feeling sad.

Last Saturday, Zack attended a party of a boy whose father does business with Zack's dad which is why he was invited since the boy doesn't really ever talk to Zack. When Monday morning came around, Zack's parents told Zack he wasn't allowed to wear the sweatshirt he had received at the party to school because Zack's parents felt it was important to teach Zack a lesson about compassion. His parents told him that just as his feelings were hurt on many Mondays, other children will be hurting now. And it's also like bragging that Zack went to a popular boy's party. Zack listened but wasn't happy. When Zack came home he said that all the kids who were wearing their sweatshirts made the others feel bad anyway so why couldn't he wear his? Zack's mother told him that regardless of what others did he knew he didn't cause others pain.

Zack's mother felt like this was a character-building experience that he will understand one day but she was unsure. A friend suggested she sit down with Zack and let him know how proud she was of the way he respected the parent's decision, even though it was difficult for him to carry through. Too often we criticize our children but neglect to tell them how proud we are of them. She went on to suggest that the mother explain to Zack that when he feels hurt by others in life, he should always try to remember that feeling so that he never inflicts pain on anyone else. It would be so much easier, of course, to just forget about the other kids who are feeling sad and leave them behind. But then what? You are acting the same way as those who hurt you. The point of going through something is not to grow insensitive, but, rather to grow from the experience and become a kinder, more compassionate human being. That way, you know in your heart of hearts that you have taken the higher road, and that is the greatest road to take in life.

But here is the greatest lesson of all. Ask Zack if these kids are being nice to him and including him only when he wears the "in" sweatshirt, what kind of friends are these? What happens next week, when he's back Monday morning without the right shirt on? Are they back to not including him because he wasn't at the big weekend party? If someone is your friend only for the label on your shirt, is that called a true friend? And then, if you lose the label, do you lose your friends? Do you lose your sense of self? Are you only as good as the shirt on your back? Ask yourself Zack, without this shirt, who am I?

Support Units and School Finance

2009-03-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

School funding in Idaho is based on average daily attendance (ADA) of students which is then converted into support units. At Genesee, we receive one support unit for every nineteen elementary ADA, twelve secondary ADA, 14.5 elementary special education ADA and forty kindergarten ADA. In more populous school districts, like Moscow and Lewiston, it takes a higher ADA to gain a support unit. For example it requires 23 ADA if you have more than 300 elementary students. The discrepancy is a recognition that it costs more per student to educate students in a smaller school than a larger one.

Support units are important because they are used to generate two pots of money we receive from the state. The largest pot is for salaries and benefits. We are allocated 1.1 teachers per support unit, .075 administrators per unit and .375 classified staff per unit. In addition, a district with fewer than 40 units receives an additional .5 administrator and .5 teacher. If a district has fewer than 20 units it receives another .5 teacher. This year Genesee generated 19.6 units however we are in "protected status" which means that we cannot have less than 99% of the units we had the prior year which provides districts with declining enrollment one additional year to adjust to the reduced ADA. So this year we have 20.2 units which generates 22.72 teachers, 2.015 administrators, and 7.575 classified staff. All of these numbers are expressed as full-time equivalents. Using this information, coupled with the experience and education of the instructional and administrative staff, a salary and benefit allocation is provided to the District.

The other pot of money is for discretionary expenditures (supplies, maintenance, utilities, equipment, textbooks, etc.). The District should receive $25,696 per support unit for these other expenditures assuming that the enrollment statewide does exceed the projected enrollment. If it does, then every support unit would generate a lesser amount of funding.

There is other funding which comes from the state which is not related to support units such as transportation reimbursement which is received the year following the actual expenditures and is reimbursed at a rate of 85% of allowable costs. Other state support is related to ADA but not support units. This includes a textbook allowance, classroom supply money, and technology.

The state covers 79% of all general education expenditures in the Genesee School District. Each May I provide a presentation at school to explain the budgeting process and state funding which supports the budget. I encourage all interested persons to attend this meeting.

Genesee Preschool

2009-03-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Genesee School District preschool is a tuition-based preschool operated as a service to the community. What began as a grant-funded program in 1992 transitioned to its current format in 1994 following the completion of the grant.

Idaho does not fund regular education preschool programs. Interestingly, it is against the State Board of Education rules to use state funds for a regular education preschool and it is also against the rules to transport regular preschool children on yellow school buses. In spite of these issues, the community has supported our preschool. Meeting three afternoons each week, the preschool follows an approved early childhood education curriculum to prepare students to successfully enter kindergarten both academically and socially. The preschool is taught by a certified and highly qualified teacher - Mrs. Gehring.

The District charges $125 per month for preschool tuition. Our attempt is to run this program at break-even. Currently we are not covering all the costs with tuition, but the benefits of having well-prepared students is an investment that benefits both the students and the District. It benefits the District by reducing future costs of remedial and/or special education. Numerous individuals have questioned why we cannot run this preschool entirely using grant funds. That is a excellent question. The answer is simply that grants are targeted at specific populations. The vast majority of preschool grants target low-income, minority students neither of which Genesee has in great numbers. Further, grants are generally intended to offer "seed" money to start programs with the entity eventually taking full fiscal responsibility.

Educational Assessments

2009-03-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Our students take a number of educational assessments during their public school education. There are a variety of purposes for each assessment. Some, like locally developed teacher-made tests, determine if the student has acquired the knowledge and skills being taught in the classroom. These serve to inform the teacher not only if the student has learned the material but also how well the teacher is getting the material across to all students.

Genesee School also utilizes curriculum-based measures in grades 1-6 to provide a quick method of measuring student progress in basic skills. These measures are utilized to make sure students are performing at grade-level or above and, if not, to insure that the student receives additional support as needed.

Idaho has a number of assessments required for students including the Idaho Standards Achievement Test. This assessment, a requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, measures student improvement in reading, language usage, math and science. Idaho also requires the Direct Writing and Math Assessments. These are performance-based assessments designed to track student writing and math problem-solving ability. One other state assessment currently in use in grades k-3 is the Idaho reading Indicator. This short assessment given three times per year is another attempt to measure student reading progress in the early grades and provide additional support for any student not reading at or near grade level.

With all of these assessments is there any time left to learn? The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. The state testing program requires from .12% to 1.46% of total instructional time for the year depending on grade level. The information gleaned from these assessments, when carefully analyzed, can provide useful information on student progress and development and, most importantly, can help the teacher tailor the educational program to student needs.

There is no question that these tests only sample a small proportion of what is learned in school. If we only focused on this thin slice of knowledge and skills, we would be missing other important vital components of every student's education. Some knowledge is easier to assess with pencil and paper tests or online testing. Many other methods of assessing student performance are used every day in every classroom; some formal and some informal.

Most assessment results are reported to parents regularly. If you have a specific question or concern about any test your student has taken or will take, please feel free to contact your child's teacher for additional information.

Math Education

2009-03-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Is it true that the United States lags behind other developed nations in the performance of our students in math? Yes. Even the top 15-year old U.S. students ranked 24th in math compared to the top internationally. On the International Student Achievement Exam (PISA), the U.S. ranked 28th while our neighbors to the north, Canada, ranked 6th.

What is going right for Canada? They use problem solving based math programs with an emphasis on professional development for their teachers. Conceptual understanding is also emphasized. What is going wrong for the U.S.? Often the focus is on procedural knowledge and computation without conceptual understanding. U.S. students are given fewer opportunities for problem solving and there is less emphasis on professional development. Math standards in Canada emphasize student's communicating their thinking, investigating rich problems and making generalizations. Traditionally in the U.S., the focus has been on using symbols, memorizing, procedures and quick thinking.

So what is the status of math education in Idaho and Genesee? Idaho has implemented the Idaho Math Initiative which parallels the very successful Idaho Reading Initiative. The IMI has a large professional development component with statewide classes for teachers to provide the background knowledge to successfully implement a rigorous math education for all students. The first wave of Genesee teachers will be taking these classes this summer.

In addition to professional development school districts, including Genesee, are in the process of reviewing research-based math curriculum which emphasizes the National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM) national standards. The regional math consultant is meeting with our staff on March 12 to provide an overview of the IMI and background information regarding the process of curriculum material adoption. To provide a more thorough review, Genesee has chosen to take the next twelve months to review relevant research and select appropriate curriculum to present to the Trustees for adoption. The Board set up a math curriculum committee, which includes parents and staff, to make the final recommendations.

Since advanced math courses are the biggest predictor of college success, they can help the U.S. catch up on educational attainment as well. Taking advanced math courses in high school significantly improves student performance in college math and science courses. The Genesee School District graduation policy requires more math than the state minimum. Students graduating with the class of 2013 and beyond will also need to pass Algebra I and Geometry. Students may not enter ninth grade without having taken Pre-Algebra. In order to insure student success, our elementary and middle school curriculum will be reviewed for adequate rigor. Our goal is to increase the number of students successfully completing Algebra II, Trigonometry and Calculus.

School Attendance

2009-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

It is the philosophy of the School District that students need to be in attendance to benefit from the instruction provided. Regular attendance enhances learning and develops skills which relate to future educational and occupational success. When employers contact administrators for references on former students, they universally ask about attendance patterns. But there is much more to attendance than meets the eye...

Idaho defines school age as "all persons between the ages of 5 and 21... The age of five years shall be attained when the fifth anniversary of birth occurs before the first day of September of the school year the child is to enroll in kindergarten." (Idaho Code 33-201). In addition to identifying when students can begin public school, Idaho has a compulsory attendance law which states that parents or guardians of any child between the ages of 7 and 16 shall cause the child to be instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in the public schools.

This education can occur in public, private, or parochial schools or through home study. While there is virtually no state regulation of home schooled students, our District has several policies relating to the transition of these students into the public school and dual enrollment of non-traditional students. See GSD Policies 320.8 and 430.9.

When parents or guardians of school age children choose to enroll them into the public school, they fall under local policy which identifies a ninety percent attendance requirement (Policy 440.2). Students are allowed to miss ten percent of the time school is in session. This is nine days for secondary students each semester and eighteen days annually for elementary students. The only days NOT counted in calculating attendance include: school-sponsored activities and field trips, bereavement in the immediate family, subpoenas to appear in court, and illness or hospitalization verified by a physician. Exceeding the allowable absences may put a student in jeopardy of moving to the next grade level and, in the case of secondary students, earning credit toward graduation.

Interestingly, attendance also factors into the funding of the local school district. The funding formula for Idaho schools is based on average daily attendance not enrollment. We must provide facilities, instruction and materials for every student enrolled, yet we are only given funding for those who attend. Generally, we have a very high attendance rate in Genesee which hovers around 95%. Even a one percent increase would provide an additional $23,000 of state funding to the District.

Very few students would ever have 100% attendance. They get sick and they should stay home to get better and protect other students. They may have a medical or dental appointment that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours and other legitimate reasons. Encouraging your student to be successful in school through regular attendance will allow him or her to develop a positive attitude toward life-long learning.

Board Meetings and Community Participation

2009-03-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Regular monthly meetings of the Genesee School District Board of Trustees are always open to the public and each agenda has an opportunity for public input. Agendas are always posted at the post office, City office and on the door at the school by the district office. Further, an agenda is always posted on our web site. This is so interested persons know what business the trustees intend to discuss and possibly take action upon.

A parent, patron or student who would like to address the trustees may either contact the superintendent ahead of time and be placed on the agenda as a scheduled visitor or s/he may opt to address the Board under the unscheduled visitor portion of the meeting.

Both of these opportunities have been provided specifically to solicit input on agenda items or even non-agenda items. A Board meeting is technically a meeting held in public, not a public meeting. This means that the Board's business is conducted in the open but it is their meeting and it is not open to general participation by visitors. Anyone wanting to address the Board should be prepared to do so as a scheduled or unscheduled visitor. There may be times when the Chairman allows a visitor to speak at other times, but this is not generally the case. Once the visitor input portion of the agenda is over, the trustees will proceed to discuss and act upon unfinished and/or new business. They cannot act upon new items that have been brought forward by visitors.

The Trustees have developed policy regarding public participation (see Policy 140.15 - Participation by Patrons). This policy outlines the steps an individual should take to have his or her concerns addressed. The Board will never discuss personnel issues in open session. The Board can meet in closed session, under specific circumstances as outlined in Idaho Code 67-2345, but they cannot take any action except as provided by law. The meeting procedures are outlined in Genesee School District Policy 140.3 - Board Meetings.

The draft minutes of all Board meetings are posted on the District web site for two months or are available at the District office. Minutes do not become official until they approved at the next regularly scheduled board meeting.

This is your school district. Public participation is an important and vital ingredient to the success of the operation of the District. Your are always encouraged to contact your child's teacher or an administrator if you have day-to-day concerns. While you may call a trustee and they will listen to your concern, trustees have no legal authority except when they meet as a board.

Staffing a School

2009-03-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

The most important controllable factor leading to increased student achievement is the quality of the teaching staff. This is not to say that the support staff members (instructional aides, cooks, custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, technology directors, etc.) are not vital to the proper functioning of the school or that the administration doesn't play a vital role in the overall success of the school operation, but research has proven time and again that teacher quality is paramount in improving achievement.

So how does the administration (Principal and Superintendent, in our case) staff the school with high quality teachers?

Certainly the recruitment and selection process for new teachers is one way. Unfortunately this has become more and more difficult during the past fifteen years. As more opportunities have opened up for women and minorities, as teacher pay has not kept pace with other professions and as the respect teachers once had has withered under intense political criticism, the pool of high quality candidates has shrunk. We are fortunate in Genesee to be within a 25 mile radius of three colleges or universities which enhances our pool of available teachers, but even this factor will not guarantee our ability to hire the top of the class. In the mid-1990's we averaged 150 applications for every elementary position advertised. Now we are lucky to receive twenty. For some hard to fill positions, we might get two or three applications. Hiring the best and brightest will continue to pose a challenge for the district as the "baby boomers" retire from the profession.

Retention of the teaching staff is another important factor in putting a quality teacher at the head of each classroom. Once we hire a quality teacher, we need to retain his or her services for as long as possible. Providing professional development opportunities here or at professional training and conferences out of the District is one way to not only retain quality staff members; it also directly benefits students. Teachers need adequate time to plan individually and with their colleagues in order to provide quality service to students and for professional satisfaction. Giving teachers the opportunity to impact the educational process can enhance job satisfaction.

The mechanics of determining the number of teachers needed to carry out the educational program is a function of many factors including curriculum, class size, training and qualifications, and finance. When do we split an elementary class? While it might be intuitive that a smaller class size would improve student achievement, the research does not bear this out. Certainly there are limits and guidelines; factors which the administration and Board take into account. In most cases, the teacher/student ratio in all classes in Genesee is smaller than it would be in districts like Moscow or Lewiston. Idaho pays for 1.1 certified professional staff member per support unit. A support unit is 19 students at the elementary level and 12 students at the secondary level (based on attendance, not enrollment). This provides for classroom teachers, ancillary staff, counselors, specialists, librarians, etc. Genesee has chosen to hire additional staff which has been supported through the supplemental levy election.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires districts to employ Highly Qualified Teachers in all core subject areas. This poses an interesting challenge because Idaho's licensing requirements and NCLB regulations differ. I am happy to report that all of our teachers meet or exceed both the state and federal regulations for the classes they are assigned to teach.

We have a significant number of Nationally Board Certified teachers and several more working on this designation this year. National Board Certification is a highly structured, time consuming process that benefits both the professional educator and the students he or she teaches. The District supports teachers who choose to work on this level of certification.

We will continue to staff our classrooms with the highest quality individuals we can. We will continue to supervise and evaluate our staff to help them become the best they can be for the benefit of the students we serve. If ever you have a specific concern or question regarding your child's education, please contact the teacher directly. If you continue to have concerns, contact the Principal.

Why Pay for Activities?

2009-03-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

During times of falling revenues, people often suggest eliminating extra-curricular activities to save money. Certainly it is reasonable to put everything on the table for discussion. And when cuts are necessary to balance the budget, school officials need to review all programs to insure that core educational goals can be achieved. So what conceivable educational values are there in extra-curricular activities? Why do schools expend taxpayer dollars to pay for programs like sports, music, drama, and other activities?

Extra-curricular programs are an integral part of the educational program. That is not to say that a specific program is necessarily integral, but that the benefits to be derived from participation in extra-curricular activities helps the school achieve its mission.

In my last post I touched on the importance of developing 21st century learning skills in order to successfully compete in a global economy. Many of these important skills are fostered in extra-curricular programs, such as developing leadership skills, working collaboratively in small groups, making appropriate health-related decisions, solving problems, working effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities, showing initiative, working appropriately and productively with others, meeting high standards and encouraging and guiding others.

It is not that these skills cannot be taught and fostered in traditional academic courses. They are. Extra-curricular activities provide a highly motivating environment to help students refine these skills. And, in the case of many extra-curricular programs, like music and athletics, students are performing these skills in a "real world" environment that puts additional pressure on them to strive for excellence; a quality that we certainly hope to foster in all of our students.

Does it work? Is the expense worth it? Yes. Research has demonstrated time and again, that students who participate in extra-curricular activities maintain higher grades in their academic coursework than do their peers who do not participate. Many accomplished individuals will point to the skills they learned in sports, FFA, BPA, music, drama, etc. as an integral part of their success.

Does society often get caught up in the competition and forget about the values that should be learned? Often yes, but let's not compare college and professionals with public school students. The goal of education-based activities is not to develop professional athletes and musicians, although if a student chooses to pursue such a goal we would not stand in his or her way, but to develop well-rounded, contributing members of our democracy.

Vision 21

2009-02-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

Vision 21 is an exciting initiative being carried out by the secondary teaching staff to incorporate 21st century learning skills into the educational process in our school. In November 2007, the Board of Trustees had the opportunity to listen to a presentation from the New Technology High School Foundation at the annual school board convention in Coeur d'Alene. The trustees were motivated to bring a similar program into our district. Last spring, a group of eight local educators visited the New Technology High School in Napa, California and were given the opportunity to learn how NTHS has enhanced student learning and student responsibility.

The returning staff members were equally excited by the prospect of incorporating these changes into their practice and took the initiative to inform the other teachers and begin working on the integration of these ideas into the school culture and academic programs. You may know that we no longer use bells at school. Using synchronized clocks, students are responsible to be in class on time. Tardies can negatively effect a student's grade just as being late to work could impact future prospects for employment. Tardies have been greatly reduced.

The secondary students and staff have been divided into cross-grade groups and several events have been developed, some by staff and some by students, which help students to work cooperatively in groups, learn leadership skills and give back to their school and community.

One of the critical pieces of the NTHS curriculum is project-based learning (PBL). PBL is a method of instruction that utilizes students working in small groups with specific responsibilities for completing the work or activity. Generally a project will incorporate numerous skills over time, may be cross-curricular (i.e., language arts and history or math and language arts) and includes a public presentation at the conclusion. Students learn to lead, work cooperatively, develop individual responsibility for their learning, communicate their ideas to others and many other important 21st century skills. Several teachers have been working hard to integrate PBL into their classes. Next year, using federal Title II funding, the district will provide a professional development opportunity on using PBL in the classroom.

Another important tool used by NTHS is a student database software program which allows teachers to create grading systems that effectively assess student progress in these 21st century learning skills. Further, this software allows students, teachers and parents to access curriculum and assessment information and readily communicate electronically with one another. A committee has reviewed six software packages to replace our current student database software which will be obsolete at the end of this school year.

If you are not familiar with the 21st century learning skills, please see Genesee School District Policy 300.2 which can be accessed on our web site at: http://www.sd282.org/Policy/300.2.pdf.

Four-day School Week

2009-02-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

As school districts look at ways to save money without negatively impacting student achievement, many districts are looking at the four-day school week. Your school board has been discussing this option for several months and will continue to do so.

This is not a new concept. As a response to the energy crisis of the 1970's, districts in New Mexico began shifting to a four-day school week. There are 14 districts and two charter schools in Idaho on four-day weeks and many in Oregon, Colorado and other western states. Most schools that use the four-day week take either Friday or Monday off and lengthen the other four days.

How is it possible to do this? In Idaho, we are required to hold school for a certain number of instructional hours, not days. Thus it is not necessary to attend school 180 days. This allows us to organize our schedule differently. Right now our secondary students attend 1,068 hours of instruction while elementary students have 996 hours of instruction. This is exclusive of lunch, recess, etc. If a school had school 4 days per week for 36 weeks, students would be attending 144 days. This would require lengthening the school day to accommodate a similar number of hours of instruction in a year.

There would be no early release days. Teachers would be expected to work on two off days per month which would provide the opportunity for high quality professional development and collaboration. As much as feasible, away activities would be moved to Thursday nights, Fridays and Saturdays to preserve instructional and homework time. Students and staff would be encouraged to make medical appointments on the off day to minimize absences.

So how does a four-day school week save money? On the expense side of the ledger, there are reduced costs for classified salary and benefits, fewer bus miles are traveled to bring students to and from school, utility costs might be reduced and substitute expenses are generally reduced. On the revenue side, most school districts have seen an increase in student average daily attendance which is the most important factor in state funding. Staff absences are also generally reduced as well. It is difficult to predict the exact financial benefit to our district because the attendance improvement is an unknown factor, however, on the average, school districts save about 2% of the maintenance and operations expenses.

Are there benefits beyond financial? Yes, decreased drop out rates, fewer disciplinary referrals, stable student achievement, improved attendance, less interrupted class time, improved school morale, and higher quality staff development are reported by most schools that have switched.

What about the negatives? Usually parents are concerned about child care, however many parents indicate it is often easier to find full day day care than after school care. Also having four longer school days often eliminates the "latchkey" issue. Some have expressed concerns that it would impact student achievement, but most schools have actually increased their student achievement although there are too many variables involved to know for sure. Younger students might have a hard time adjusting to being in school for such a long day however districts that have gone to the four-day week report that even young students adapt after a few weeks.

Most school districts and their patrons that have transitioned to the four-day week indicate that they would never return to the traditional schedule. This includes the Orofino School District to our east, Challis School District in the south and Boundary County Schools up north. It may or may not be the best fit for Genesee, but it is part of the on-going discussion of how the District will respond to the current financial crunch while maintaining the highest quality education services possible for our clients.

Development of the District Budget

2009-02-25T09:35:00.001-08:00

A school district budget is prepared annually and approved by the Board of Trustees after holding a public hearing, usually in June. Many patrons have expressed surprise that we do not know how much money we will be receiving from the state yet. In prior years, we have known our state funding by mid-March. This year it will likely be in April because of the federal stimulus.

The primary factor which affects our funding is student attendance. Since we can only estimate what our enrollment and attendance might be, based on historical trends, we really do not know how much state funding we will receive until February 15 of the following year. That is the date that the Department of Education fixes the support units for staffing purposes which drives the majority of our funds. In other words, we will know on February 15, 2010 how accurately we budgeted in the spring of 2009. In fact, the February 15 numbers only account for about 85% of our state funding. The remaining 15% we will not know for sure until June 2010; the end of our fiscal year.

Our enrollment has been decreasing which makes budgeting even more challenging. This fiscal year we have been “held harmless” by a law which says a school district cannot receive less that 99% of the funds they received the prior year. This law helps a district to adapt to decreasing enrollment. Certified professional employees are under contracts which must be signed in the prior spring. This law helps districts through the current year and allows them to adjust their staffing and budget to reflect the enrollment the following year.

85% of a school district’s expenses are related to salary and benefits. We are in the “people” business. The remaining 15% includes supplies, textbooks, maintenance, custodial, transportation, purchase services, equipment, utilities, etc. It is very difficult to significantly reduce a school district budget without impacting personnel.

While all of the above is the reality, the budget document is really a blueprint for the quality of educational programming a district intends to provide for its clients. Without a doubt, the budget drives the education program. If the patrons believe that the funding provided by the state is inadequate to support the quality education program they desire, a district’s only alternative is to request additional local funding through a supplemental levy election.

One of the primary responsibilities of the elected trustees is to shape and approve the budget. Last year, the Board made some program cuts to reflect decreasing enrollment and decreasing state funding. This is never an easy process because there will always be support in some corner for every program the District provides. This year, the Board began the process early. The Board solicited input from the instructional staff and the extra-curricular staff in two public meetings this month. On March 23, the Board will be listening to patron input. Patrons can find cut “ideas” on the web site. Please understand these are ideas for discussion and no specific cuts have been identified yet.

District to receive federal money from stimulus package

2009-02-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

According to information posted by the State Superintendent, the Genesee School District is estimated to receive $20,000 additional federal funds for Title I-A (compensatory education) and $60,000 additional funds for Title VI-B (special education).

Any other federal stimulus funds would flow through the state, not directly to the District, and would impact the state funding formula. The best guess of how that money might be used, should the Governor choose to initiate a block grant request to the federal government, would be to mitigate the hold backs this fiscal year and the remainder would be spread over the next two fiscal years. It is anticipated there will be reductions of at least $70 million statewide next school year even with the stimulus money.

Kelly Caldwell hired as new Principal

2009-02-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Board of Trustees approved the hiring of long-term Genesee educator Kelly Caldwell to fill the principal position being vacated by Mrs. Stowers after she retires this summer.

Mr. Caldwell received a B.A. in Music Education and an M.Ed. in School Administration from the University of Idaho. He has taught K-12 music in Genesee for 17 years. His accomplishments as a music teacher are well known locally and throughout the State of Idaho. Mr. Caldwell has served as President of the Idaho Music Educators, a board member on the IHSAA and District Music President. He has been the athletic director at Genesee as well as holding several coaching positions. He was named 1A Athletic Director of the Year in 2007.