Dear Community Members,
The weather is telling us that spring is near, and the start of activities such as track and soccer do the same.
This month,the school district has a spring break from March 11 until March 15, and I wish your families a wonderful week of rest, relaxation and time with family and friends. Until then, please take a minute to learn more about what is happening in our district:
BKCSD Educators and Funding
Last month, I shared information about our newly added, talented educators. We are entering the season where next year’s staffing is determined. Currently, we are searching for highly-qualified teachers in the following areas:
- Title 1 - Jacobson Grades 3-6
- Physical Education - Jr.-Sr. High
- English Learners - Jr.-Sr. High
- Alternative Programming - Jr.-Sr. High
If you know of anyone seeking any of these positions, please share our need for teachers to serve in our amazing community!
For your information…As we consider hiring and any internal changes in positions, the district must also balance the need to be fiscally responsible and adhere to licensure requirements. At this time, we have spent our Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds within the approved timeline. Enhancing student educational services and adding staff were part of our plan to keep students learning during the pandemic. Another factor in budgeting must reflect that the Belmond-Klemme Community School District showed a decline in enrollment again this year.
In Iowa, the school district’s funding is primarily calculated by pupil count and the district’s cost per pupil (DCPP) which increases each year by the Supplemental Student Aid (SSA - determined by the legislature) per pupil amount. Basically, our funds are driven by the number of students in our district and the percentage of SSA voted on by our legislators at the capitol. Thus, we have specific, careful budget planning considerations in how we best serve our students.
Belmond-Klemme State-Wide Leadership
Kim Belstene will be officially serving as the Vice President of the School Nutrition Association of Iowa; she will have a Presidency year of 2026-2027. Thus, she is slated to attend the National Leadership Conference in April. This will take place April 23-27 in Seattle. All expenses are covered by the SNAI for this, and we are proud to have her represent the BKCSD in this capacity.
School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC)
Our School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) met in February, and you can find the Agenda and Minutes . The next meeting is on March 25, 204 at 6:00 p.m. in the Jr.-Sr. High Library. Our planning and facilitation team is meeting next week to sculpt up the agenda. The following is an overview of the questions to be discussed:
Bright Spots
What are some B-K highlights that have occurred between the last meeting and this one?
Educational Needs
What do our calendar drafts look like in response to our last SIAC meeting and other sources of feedback?
What are the answers to the questions generated at our first meeting in November?
What is bullying/harassment? What is our B-K Board Policy?
How does B-K respond when a complaint is made?
How does B-K facilitate social-emotional learning?
How does B-K support students in the areas of college, career and postsecondary education
Safety within B-K Schools
How does the counseling team support safety and security?
How does our Return-to-Learn plan continue to support a healthy learning environment?
What lingering questions do you have regarding safety?
Alternative Programming
As has been approved, Pat Kelley will be retiring after the 2023-2024 school year. He will be staying with us through the summer in order to support summer school. For that, we are deeply grateful. He has served the district for so many years and many students and families have been positively impacted by his care and instruction.
At the February 15, 2024 board meeting, Ckay Jensen will share an update regarding next steps for alternative programming moving forward. The at-risk team from the Jr.-Sr. High is focusing on researched best practice and safety (for students in the program and all within the system) that aligns to the unique needs of needs of students within the BKCSD as well as at-risk processes already in place (Multi-Tiered System of Supports - MTSS). The team is utilizing Department of Education (DE) resources, and here are some of the criteria found on the DE website:
Physical and psychological safety (e.g., safe facilities, safe ways to handle conflicts between youth, etc.)
Appropriate structure (limit setting, clear rules, predictable structure to how program functions, etc.)
Supportive relationships (with adults and peers)
Opportunities to belong (meaningful inclusion)
Positive social norms (expectations of behaviors, etc.)
Support for efficacy and making a difference (empowering youth, challenging environment, chances for leadership, etc.)
Opportunities for skill building (e.g., learning about social, communication skills, etc., as well as media literacy, good habits of the mind, etc.)
Integration of family, school, and especially community efforts (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2001)
Art Gallery at District Office
There is a new exhibit at the District Office. Chasing Away the Winter Blues which features our 7th-12th grade artists is now available for viewing. If you have time, please come visit and enjoy our students’ talents.
Professional Learning
On April 1, 2024, we have a full day of professional learning. We are thrilled to have Willow Sweeney joining us once again to bring more of her Top 20 message focused on culture and climate in relation to our district.
Calendar 2024-2025
This year, the calendar development process has been different from the past. Through the entirety of the process, multiple stakeholders’ feedback has been gathered and used. The district has been able to address concerns and retain positive measures that have been put in place previously. The following feedback was considered throughout the process: consistency, increased professional learning time to impact student achievement, days off connected to holidays/breaks and on Mondays/Fridays, state requirements for student hours, graduating seniors time requirements, alignment with the NIACC calendar to accommodate students taking college classes, etc.). Thus far, the feedback on the process has been quite positive and there is an increased understanding of the parameters/constraints related to calendar creation. Using input from both district association teams’ surveys, SIAC stakeholders’ input, TLC insights, etc., two initial draft calendars have been created. One adheres to current State Code requiring a school start date no earlier than August 23rd. The second is written under the premise that the law changes to start school on the Tuesday after the Iowa State Fair. Once the bill dies or is passed, the calendar will be taken through the public hearing and board approval process at our March meeting which is on the 21st.
Day on the Hill February 13, 2024
Day on the HIll was one day at the Capitol—three organizations—one unified voice for public education. For the first time ever, three organizations united for a collaborative day of advocating for public education. I was able to join my colleagues for a full day in support of public schools and student success at the Capitol. Together, the Area Education Agencies (AEA), Iowa School Board Association (IASB), and School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) developed the following joint legislative priorities to guide discussions with legislators:
Strengthen our educator workforce through increased investments;
Support students in need with increased preschool funding and stable special education support
and
Sustain essential services for ALL public school students.
__________________________________
As I have shared before, each day, I feel blessed to be a part of the BKCSD. Thank you for the support and care of our students, staff, families, and community.
Take care,
Chris