School faces Title 1 budget shrink
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POLSON — At the monthly school board meeting on April 15, Polson Superintendent Linda Reksten announced that funding for Title 1 would be reduced by 15 percent, due to sequestration.
Title 1 was established to meet the needs of educationally disadvantaged students and students at risk of not meeting educational standards.
The district “has historically used its Title 1 funds to pay for teachers and paraprofessionals to conduct small group intervention instruction,” according to a memo from William Appleton, Director of Curriculum.
In an interview later, Appleton said the district is reviewing student data to see how successful this intervention has been.
An option would be using a coaching model, Appleton said, which would provide a school site with a credentialed and experienced master teacher to work with other teachers and paraprofessionals on a daily basis, reducing or eliminating the need for intervention. The trustees approved the job description for this instructional coach.
Reksten also reported administrators have been working on streamlining attendance policies from building to building, and each school will develop its own incentive programs.
She would like to bring back the family resources coordinator and would like that person to have a social work degree.
The district’s overall goals are to strengthen student achievement, and that’s mainly what Reksten has been working on with administrative personnel.
The board approved a resolution to issue a bond for Polson High School’s roof and heating and cooling systems, with Brigit Ekstom from D. A. Davidson on hand to answer questions.
Polson Middle School teacher Mandy Ramesar reported on a middle school trip to Washington, D.C. The bus driver on the trip said the PMS kids were best group of middle schoolers he’d driven, quiet and well-behaved. Ramesar also received a thank-you note on the students’ behavior, which is a “huge compliment to the kids.”
Ramesar also asked the trustees to approve an out-of-state trip on June 6 to Silverwood in Athol, Idaho. It’s an eighth-grade fieldtrip, which students pay for, by either fundraising with the cookie dough sale or paying $20, she said.
In other business, the trustees continued reviewing policies and procedures.
They also approved a memorandum of understanding with Salish Kootenai College nursing program, a long-term agreement in which students nurses intern with school nurses.
Trustees approved the personnel report, including the resignation of Linderman Principal Josh Preiss and long-term teachers Cindy Templer, Charles Bertsch, Bob Owen and Bob Gunderson.
Board members approved the job description only for a dean of students for the high school.
Due to five openings for school board trustees and only four people filing for those positions, the district will advertise for anyone interested, requesting a letter of interest, and then make an appointment at the May 13 board meeting.
