With ISD 166’s Minnesota Comprehensive Test math scores coming in unacceptably low for a second year in a row, two parents expressed concern during informal discussion time before the beginning of the August 16 school board meeting. According to last year’s standardized test scores, only 40 percent of Cook County’s students were proficient in math compared to an average of 62 percent statewide.
K-12 Principal Gwen Carman told parents Kris Philips and Belle Janicek that the teachers were not happy about the test scores either and that the school would be taking measures to improve them. Carman questioned whether the scores accurately represented students’ math skills and said the expectations are higher now than they used to be. “We’re taking this very seriously,” she said.
Superintendent Beth Schwarz said multiple factors including teachers, parents, poverty, nutrition, special needs, and learning styles affect test scores. Over the past few years, she said, reading has been a huge emphasis in the district. This has caused student reading proficiency to improve, she said, but they are looking at whether this may be impacting math. Principal Carman said they want to make sure they don’t lose ground in reading, however.
School board member Terry Collins said numerous things that could affect math scores, such as the curriculum, preparing students for test-taking, professional development, and administrative accountability, are in the district’s control.
Grades matter
Principal Carman told the board she thinks the school needs to communicate more strongly to students—especially middle school students—that grades do matter.
Toward that end, middle school students who get an F on their report card must stay after school until 5:00 p.m. for at least seven days, even if they miss extracurricular activities. Teachers will give out remedial work that will be graded, but the F grades will not be changed.
Another change is that honor roll will no longer be based on GPA—it will be based on having all classes above a certain letter grade.
New educational paradigm
Superintendent Schwarz reported on a Minnesota Department of Education conference she attended. She said the department’s philosophy is changing from a belief that every student needs to go to college to a belief that every student needs to be a “creative problem solver” and an “innovative thinker.”
The Department of Education is investigating the type of education being offered in the country of Finland, which is considered to be the best in the world.
Schools need “to stop teaching to the tests,” Schwarz said. “We’re losing our creative edge.”
In-town bus stops
In order to save money, the school board voted last spring to eliminate bus stops in Grand Marais. Superintendent Schwarz evaluated safety issues for students living near the school and recommended that they keep six of last year’s 14 stops. She said the district would still be able to make the cost savings the school board wanted.
The board was amenable to Schwarz’s recommendation. The in-town bus stops will be along the routes buses will already be taking. They will eliminate a need for students to cross some of the faster roads such as the Gunflint Trail.
Q-Comp moving ahead
Teacher Dorie Carlson presented to the board the school’s plan for implementation of Q-Comp, a quality improvement option initiated by the state. The school has applied for this program, which would bring in extra funding in exchange for approved quality guarantees from the school.
Q-Comp programs have five components: professional development, professional collaboration, development of leadership roles among teachers, extra pay for those leadership roles, and financial rewards for quality performance.
If awarded, the school would select peer evaluators, mentors for newer teachers, a staff development leader, and a data team leader and would designate professional learning communities for teachers to work together on becoming better teachers. Feedback loops would ensure that each person in each role would receive feedback on his or her performance in that role.
Performance pay would be based on proficiency evaluations, reaching student achievement goals, such as improvement in math scores, and reaching personal goals.
If the program is approved by the state, the school board and the teacher’s union would need to agree on implementing it.
Staff parking
Staff wanting to park outside the west wing of the school will be required to pay $183 this year—$1 a day plus a $3 administrative cost. Staff can park in the elementary lot for free. Student parking is outside the west wing of the school and visitor parking is in front of the Arrowhead Center for the Arts and the Eagle Door.
School board student reps
The board approved the two students who applied to be representatives on the school board—Megan Lehto and Levi Axtell. They will not have a vote on the school board but they will have a voice.
“Both of the students are excited,” said Principal Carman, who had interviewed them previously.
Safe Routes to School
A two-year federal Safe Routes to School grant will allow the hiring of a 17/ hour/week coordinator. Principal Carman said the person hired for this position will likely train adult volunteers to walk to school with kids. This is called a “walking school bus.”
Para resignation
The resignation of long-time paraprofessional Jennie Hennessey was accepted with appreciation for her years of service.
The cost of bread and milk
The school will be paying $1.15 for a loaf of whole grain bread this year (up from $1.10 last year), $.32 for a pint of 1% milk (up from $.30), and $3.98 for a gallon of 1% milk (down from $4.08).
Old records
Over the summer, office staff were busy going through old records in the former band room behind the old gym. Superintendent Schwarz said the school currently has time cards going back to the 1970s or ’80s and immunization records going back as far as 1941.
Administrative Specialist Lori Backlund said they have personnel records going back “to the beginning of time.”
Excess fund balance
On August 27, the board met to decide what to do with excess money in its debt service fund that the state does not allow it to keep in that fund. The school has various options regarding what to do with it. One option is to return it to voters, but that would likely be well under $10 for each $100,000 in property value.
The board voted to authorize Superintendent Schwarz to pursue several options in this order of priority: 1) earmark the money for future bond payoff if the state would allow it; 2) escrow the money, which would involve setup fees that would cost more than the interest it would be likely to earn over the next 10 years but could potentially save a significant amount of money in interest by allowing bonds to be paid off early; or 3) return the money to voters.
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