Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.council.worksession.20150120 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION January 20, 2015 4:00 PM, City Council Chambers MEETING AGENDA I. Discussion with School District about 0.3% sales tax II. Appointment to Board of Public Health School District Report to: The Aspen Public Education Fund Board Regarding: The Spending of Local Sales Tax Dollars for the 2013-14 School Year Submitted by: Dr. John Maloy, Superintendent of Schools Date: September 24, 2014 As the Superintendent of Schools for the Aspen School District, I am very proud of the continued efforts of the District’s administrators, faculty, and staff. From 2008-12, the Aspen School District implemented cost reduction measures in excess of $2 million, while receiving $2.6 million less than expected from the state of Colorado. During this period of economic downturn, all the Aspen schools earned state-wide recognition on multiple occasions for exceeding expectations on academic achievement indicators and academic growth gaps (John Irwin School of Excellence, CDE). In 2012, Aspen High School was rated the #1 high school in Colorado by US News & World Report, an honor that was reflective of the hard work and commitment made by administrators, teachers, and staff in all of our schools. Additionally, since the inception of the new state accreditation program in 2010, the District has been “Accredited with Distinction,” the highest level a district can achieve from the Colorado Department of Education. The Aspen School District consistently performs at very high levels and delivers outstanding results despite increased federal and state expectations and decreased funding to support the added expectations. Although the schools and their staff members have done very well in the short term, increased student outcomes are difficult to achieve with added federal and state expectations, further budget reductions, less resources, and fewer quality teachers and staff in place to support the many successful programs that students and parents have come to appreciate and expect. The Aspen School District continues to take pride in its schools and is revered by school districts across the state for its commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence, its education of the whole child, and its ability to provide a variety of learning experiences that allow children to maximize their potential. The District, with parent and community support, is committed to maintaining its exemplary schools. As a result of the conscientious voters of Aspen, the District has been able to backfill a significant portion of the state funding that was lost with the passing of the local sales tax initiative in November of 2012. As you may recall, when conversation began about the possibility of the sales tax initiative, the Aspen School District identified five critical areas where the tax dollars could supplant the dollars lost as a result of the state of Colorado not meeting its financial obligation to school districts across the state. The five critical areas are: (A) Programs, (B) Recruiting, Training, and Retaining, (C) Technology, (D) Special Education, and (E) Professional Development. The following is a brief summary of how the District has chosen to spend the sales tax dollars that have been collected for its use. (A) Programs - $410,000 Many of the dollars associated with this category have been targeted toward the programs that the parents and community have stated they value – college counseling, International Baccalaureate (IB), Experiential Education (Ex Ed), Gifted and Talented, Specialists (Math, Reading, Interventionists). P1 I. Overall Costs: College Counseling 128,247.84 Gifted and Talented 219,302.26 Specialists 294,564.05 Experiential Ed/Outdoor Ed 36,650.00 $ 678,764.15 (B) Recruiting, Training, and Retaining - $400,000 Although the District receives a large number of applications for job openings, the District’s limited affordable housing options and the community’s cost of living make it challenging for the District to “close the deal” with all of its top applicants. For the 2014-15 school year, the District hired 27 new employees, but only one District unit was available for new staff. In the 2013 bi- annual study on cost of living differences across Colorado, the State of Colorado determined that the cost of living in the Aspen School District was 2.094 times greater than the base standard. While Aspen School District’s cost of living is considerably higher than most school districts in the State of Colorado, the District cannot offer to its staff a compensation package that mirrors that higher cost. Overall Costs: Educational Credits 167,594.91 Years of Experience 254,667.50 (includes Classified Staff) Cost of Benefits Increase 291,341.00 Housing Support 18,000.00 $ 731,603.41 (C) Technology – $300,000 The District has targeted several goals in the area of technology including increasing students’ access to technology by expanding the wireless options, purchasing Chromebooks to create a one-to-one learning environment in grades 3-7, and implementing a Bring Your Own Device program in grades 8-12. Also, there has been an increase in professional development for staff as there is an expectation that staff will progress toward a teaching and learning model with the use of technology as an instructional and transformational tool. Finally, technology integrators have been hired to assist staff with their own technology development in order to increase students’ technology engagement in and outside the classroom. Overall Costs: Infrastructure Upgrades 201,029.02 Bring Your Own Device 82,371.00 Professional Development 23,080.97 $ 306,480.99 (D) Special Education - $260,000 The District’s special education enrollment has increased by 6% over the past five years. The increase in enrollment has been accompanied by additional unfunded mandates and more expectations being pushed down to the local level by the state and Federal government. The new statutes and expectations have required the District to hire additional licensed and support staff to address the various needs of students with disabilities in order to be in compliance with P2 I. state and Federal laws. As a member of the Mt. BOCES, the District has been forced to take on more responsibility to serve our special education population and their families as the Mt. BOCES has failed to add value to the services it is required to provide to the District. Finally, the District has experienced an increase in the number of students requiring continued services in the summer, which is known as an “extended school year.” Overall Costs: Occupational Therapist 65,199.60 Extended School Year 24,944.88 Para Professionals 583,057.16 Professional Development 6,922.99 $ 680,124.63 (E) Professional Development - $50,000 The State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Education have placed many expectations and mandates upon school districts around the state which includes creating and implementing programs and procedures to address – new Accountability Measures, new Academic Content Standards, the Common Core, the READ Act, Educator Effectiveness Model, and new electronic Standardized Tests requiring upgrades in technology. As a result of these new state requirements coupled with the District’s expectations, professional development continues to be a necessity to maintain a well-prepared and informed teaching force. The following are some areas where the District has targeted professional development. Cognitive Coaching 29,734.42 PEBC Math Training 3,948.91 NSTA – Science Training 3,197.26 World Languages Training 9,676.01 Educator Effectiveness 1,191.32 Teaching with Love & Logic 2,380.00 $ 50,127.92 P3 I. P4 I.