The Manitou Springs School District 14 Board of Education met Monday, April 15, in the Manitou Springs High School Media Center.
The evening started with a Mustang Recognition Spotlight for two exemplary staff members, Marcus Jordan, media tech at Manitou Springs Middle School, and Jennifer Trainor, school counselor at MSHS and 6-12 gifted and talented teacher.
Dustin Cady, Manitou Springs Middle School principal, said of Jordan, “He has done an incredible job making the media center a place where students want to be, he’s constantly helping kids with their technology, he’s helping staff, he has this warm, connecting way about him. … So thank you, from the bottom of all of the middle schooler’s hearts.”
Kolleen Johnson, D14 director of Student Success, described Trainor as “an open-minded learner. She has emerged as a leader in our mental health team and is always willing to learn and try new things… (she) co-facilitates the mental health team, acts as a mentor to her peers, hosted a college and (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) night for students and families, and facilitates weekly scholarship emails … has supported the creation of a college fair, career fair and work-based learning field trips for students. The mental health team really looks to her as a leader and a mentor, as do I.”
Manitou Springs Elementary Principal Maria Masone and Assistant Principal Jennifer Sueppel led the school’s annual presentation. This school year, MSES developed its mission statement: “MSES fosters a sense of belonging that sparks curiosity and critical thinking.”
The school has received five Manitou Arts, Culture, and Heritage grants.
Sueppel briefly explained the MSES action plan:
1. Increase instructional excellence through collaborative teaming and the Professional Learning Community process.
2. Develop a trauma-informed school with trauma-informed practices and discussion.
“We really wanted to help teachers with regulation, their regulation and student regulation,” Masone said.
MSES has outranked the state average in Colorado Measures of Academic Success and English Language Arts/Literacy test scores for several years, and continues to work on improving the school’s overall CMAS math test scores, as well as programs for special education and students who qualify for free/reduced lunch.
The District Accountability Committee submitted final reports, each issue presented by representatives of separate subcommittees or charge questions. Each subcommittee tied its particular issue back to D14’s core values: relationships, deep learning and opportunity.
Cady explained that D14 is transitioning from Frontline to RANDA (R&A Solutions Inc.), for teacher evaluation. The latter is touted as more user-friendly and allows for more freedom for the evaluator and the teacher.
Stuart Cross, facilities director, then presented for the DAC Capital Improvements Subcommittee. This group identified the need for survey and canvas groups, partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and community involvement on D14’s multiple campuses.
They identified a need for functional updates to D14 campuses, as well as ADA accessibility, to attract and retain staff and students.
Sarah McAfee, director of Human Resources, presented on behalf of the DAC Compensation Subcommittee. This group worked with the salary committee, Chief Financial Officer Suzie Thompson and HR to revise the salary schedule for D14 in upcoming years.
“The three values that came out of the salary committee was to make sure that our revised salary schedule focused or honored longevity, had an opportunity for education outside of college credits and a very important one was being transparent,” McAfee said.
We really wanted to help teachers – Maria Masone
The new salary schedule will be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year. The district will incur a one-time $125,000 payment to transition staff from the former salary schedule to the new one. Salaries will not be reduced, and longevity bonuses will be implemented after 10 years with the district.
Mary Carol Cowart, MSMS math interventionist, and Katie Pratt, 6-12 social worker for D14, presented solutions to the DAC charge question: “Do our current student discipline policies and related school-based procedures best meet the needs of all learners while maintaining a safe, orderly learning environment?”
Strategies for building a positive school environment included greeting students by name, school-wide positive recognition and clear expectations and procedures for behavior.
Johnson presented solutions to the DAC charge question regarding student retention and recruitment. This subcommittee worked on added marketing and exposure in various mediums to boost enrollment numbers and intends to focus on programs that appeal to families and students.
McAffee and Cross delivered a presentation on the DAC charge question regarding staff retention and recruitment. This subcommittee focused on “clarity, action and recognition” as the biggest three factors in retaining staff.
The final DAC charge question asked, “How do we continue to build a high-performing culture throughout MSSD14?” This group suggested looking at this through the eyes of each participant in D14.
Barrett Weisheipl, Ute Pass Elementary fourth-grade teacher, explained, “We are not an isolated entity. … Public education has so many different stakeholders that we have to serve…
“So we broke it down into leadership, staff, students, families and community. And what I love about it is, it is totally rooted in accountability and responsibility. Every single stakeholder here is responsible to each other, we have accountability to each other.”
Thompson explained that the district is right in line with where spending should be for the third quarter. The BOE agreed to a special session with Thompson at a later date to vote on the new salary schedule, once all matters are finalized.
Vice President Natalie Johnson read a proclamation, stating that May 6-10 is Teacher Appreciation Week.
Information: www.mssd14.org/district_information/board_of_education.