August 10, 2020 at 5:00 PM - Board Retreat 2020

Discussion:  The mission statement was read.

Discussion:  Chip Kay, Director of Finance shared information regarding the Substitute Handbook, not much has changed and the rates will stay the same. The program to recruit more subs is moving forward.  The tuition is very reasonable through CCC.  We have 57 confirmed subs and 11 paras for local subs as needed.

Discussion:  Mr. Kay said these are new positions, this addition increases the FTE from prior year.  Centennial has 83 enrolled kindergartners, there are only 3 teachers at this time.  EL numbers continue to increase as well. There is space at Centennial to add another kindergarten classroom.

Discussion:  Mr. Kay shared the details of wrapping up the 19-20 budget. He said that over 97% of the property taxes have been collected, the next round will be in November. We will be a little ahead in the bottom line. He also talked about the ways we will be utilizing the CARES Act funding for items paid for because of the pandemic.

Discussion:  In the event, we have activities, there will be restrictions. Mr. Kay has received a quote for our district from Striv Broadcasting, it would be a 3 year commitment for $3,800.00/year. This service would give us tremendous access to our activities.  He was happy to say the CPS Foundation has stepped up to pay the fee, they will get advertisers and make back 70% back. We can get permission from the home school to send our crew to stream the activity. This will also work hand in hand with the curriculum for two new classes at CHS. We have some of the equipment and ideas for getting any needed items.

Discussion: 

Leonard Kwapnioski talked about the Kramer Early Childhood Building and summarized each phase. Phase I is the Preschool which also includes the gym because that space will be needed for cold weather and a space CPS can utilize as an extra facility when needed. Phase II is the training center and curriculum offices. Phase III is the daycare area. He also shared the renovation cost summary, playground area, and the use of natural light throughout the building. Mr. Kwapnioski said getting the preschool area and outer shell built would save the district some money on this project.

Discussion: 

Dr. Loeffelholz talked about the fact that our elementary schools are filling back up after we moved 5th grade to CMS. We have seen growth of up to 120 students per school year in the last few years. The largest student numbers are coming from the east side of our district at this time. District attendance boundaries will need to be addressed. Board members feel that adding on to the current buildings is just a band aid.  Adding more classrooms is not the only issue, those buildings then need larger libraries, lunchrooms and gyms. 

Discussion: 

In discussing future growth for the district this is what we see, largest growth year has been about 120, lowest 60.  The question is where can we add 300 seats, K-12? This means we will need to add 450 in 5 years.  We need to look at the breakdown of how many students come over from the private schools and when? Largest student number from east side of the district where there is affordable housing. 

Discussion:  Mr. Kay said that Jay Spearman will be presenting at the regular meeting about refinancing bonds. This could knock off 4.8 million off principal which would allow CPS to pay off ahead of schedule and retire the bond early. 

Discussion: 

Dr. Amy Romshek shared the plans to prepare students for remote learning. Using an ABABC schedule, allows teachers to work closely with half the class at one time. This set up is so teachers are only focussed on half of each class. C days will be an additional support day for struggling students, and a 3 hour block to prepare for remote learning. She also talked about how Clever works with students having just one sign-on for all the platforms they are using. A high priority checklist has been created which contains all resources and links, teachers will go through the checklist to prepare students for classroom and remote learning.  There has also been a flow chart created so that teachers can work through students who may not be checking in. 

Discussion:  There are a couple of teachers that will not be able to teach in a normal classroom setting, these teachers will be monitoring/teaching any remote learning that will need to be done.

Discussion: 

Jason Harris, Director of Student Services/SPED shared that each building is handling how to support their staff. The Crisis team is reaching out and calling. Mr. Harris said that he has received calls if more support is needed on site. Encouraging all staff to practice self care and make sure everyone knows who their support is at each building. He also talked about the nurses and their plan for speaking to students about wearing masks and staying safe.

Discussion: 

Nicole Anderson, Director of Marketing/Foundation presented to the group that there is a 48 page document with information dealing with COVID-19. She also talked about the two staff surveys and the knowledge gained from that. We know that spanish speakers prefer in this order text messages, automated call, and finally mail. English speakers prefer text messages, automated call and email.  Mrs. Anderson shared that Wordware will be used for lunch accounts, and teachers will use Remind, they have had a good response with this. Google classroom is being used at CMS and CHS. Seesaw is being used at Elementary.