SAC meeting 1-27-15 minutes
1. Pam Gutierrez spoke to the reasons that the Accelerated Reader program was discontinued.
It was primarily due to the nearly $8000 cost and not many of the teachers were using it. It also went against the direction Douglas County is going toward. She stated we also do MAPs and other programs that are free in the district
2. Capital Gains presentation from Casie Meyers.
This was part of the community outreach to give the background, purpose and timeline on the Current Capital Plan. District is wanting SAC groups opinions on a Potential $200 million bond. So she gave us the following info. Capital Improvement needs over the next 5 years are estimated at $275.1 million.
It was broken down in a pie chart w/ the largest chunks in Technology and New Construction.
There was also Security, Life Safety, Transportation, and Issues that could interrupt education.
The issues that could interrupt education was estimated at $25 million.
Why so much? It’s due to of the age of our schools. The average is 19 years old. 49% are in need of capital renewal. Of the facilities, 27 are in good condition, 14 in fair condition, 38 facilities with risks and 5 are at high risk of component failure. Since 2004, Douglas county has seen 48% enrollment growth. Attached is a copy of the facility requirements for all schools.
Rock Ridge elementary needs less than 2 million in facility improvements.
How are schools funded? 2 categories: Operating is the biggest and is received through state, local and property taxes. Capital is for infrastructure issues and the funding comes primarily from bonds.
Bonds are 100% local and go to the capital budget.
How does Douglas County compare? State wide -we have the lowest dollar amount of mill levies.
We are also way under the average in bond dollars. For years, Douglas County has been taking money from the operational budget to go to the capital budget. Enrollment is projected to double by 2040.
The district is searching for feedback on the bond issue. The new proposed bond would take effect when the other expires, so they emphasize that there would be no increase in taxes. You can give feedback through the district website or town hall meetings. They have many avenues they are working on to reach out to the community.
SAC discussed the importance of emphasizing home values and what could happen if the bond is not approved, since Douglas County has a hard time passing these things
3. Vice Principal Julie Roach spoke on how teachers of IB schools are trying to merge district terminology with IB terminology.
4. Julie also spoke on the Unified Improvement Plan.
SAC members received a hard copy to review.
It is long and very detailed. Some of the plan had not printed so Julie stated she would get those to us through email. As for the plan: We have a normal performance plan as we have a normal neighborhood school. We discussed where RRE is and where we want to be. The main focus would be seeing improvement in writing scores and then math scores. The plan is still under review to be approved by the district.
