School board enjoys 'quiet' meeting
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November 12, 2013 |
The School District Board of Trustees enjoyed a
remarkably quiet meeting this evening, and even
a special hour-long session on school security
and safety that was expected to be at least a
little bit heated turned out to be a reasonable
and productive discussion that laid a foundation
the board can build on.
A couple of parents expressed concern regarding
the "distract and attack" discussions at the
middle school, not about the need for the
discussion, but on the fact that some students
were singled out specifically to be the
attackers and distractors.
No one questioned the importance of talking
about the worst imaginable scenario on many
people's minds across the nation, an active
shooter singling out a room full of students
with no means of escape.
Superintendent Dick Conley gave a rundown of
events that keep him awake at night, from
Columbine to Sandy Hook.
"This is highly emotional issue, for
grandparents even more than parents," he said.
"We could just not talk about it, pray it never
happens, but what if it does? Kids could die. Or
we can talk about the worst that could happen,
get people thinking about what to do if it does,
and kids could die! There are no easy answers,
but I think we'd all be foolish not to talk
about it."
"What we teach is that your first recourse in
such a situation is to always run, escape if you
can," said Manny Figueroa, lead agent of the
Bonners Ferry Station, U.S. Customs and Border
Patrol, who has children in local public
schools. "Get out, get away. Break windows if
you have to. We train for things like this all
the time. For years, students were taught to
stay at their desks; at Columbine, that proved
tragic. By all means, run if you can. But there
may be a time when you can't run, there's no
place to hide."
Bonners Ferry Police Chief Steve Benkula was
also in attendance, and he also has children in
the school system. He agreed with the
concerns of parents.
"In an extreme situation, you don't know how a
person will react," he said. "That six-foot
three kid might be frozen in fear, the smallest
kid in class might be the one who saves the
class ... you never know."
What was abundantly clear is that student safety
is at the top of everyone's priority list.
In the discussion, a number of ideas and
suggestions were raised, all of them good, and
board chair Melanie Staples, who opened the
meeting by saying that a special community forum
on these issues would be set in November, was
grateful for the input.
"The safety of your children and grandchildren
is something we will not ignore," she said, "but
it's a very complex and emotional issue, and one
we must have the entire community involved in
from the outset. When we set the date for our
forum, we need everyone to help. We'll get word
out in every way we can, and we need everyone to
help us spread the word and get everyone we can
to take part."
While informational, the regular meeting was
almost jovial ... after the auditor's report by
Leonard Schulte, who proclaimed the district's
accounting practices sound but fiscal resources
slim ... a condition the district is well used
to, and once again the same thing he's been
noting Since Sharon Watson (then Smith) held the
position ... the district puts an awful lot of
responsibility on its clerk/treasurer.
"In a small school district like this, it's not
always possible, but to reduce risk, there
should be three people, each equal, taking care
of separate aspects of school financing and
accounting," he said. "In an audit, there are
ways to accommodate the deficiency when only
person is responsible for so much, but it's my
job to let you know the deficiency exists."
The principal reports were, in the main,
positive and upbeat. At Valley View, Principal
Gary Pfleuger said, student body elections were
held November 5, students are eager to see the
African Dance and Drum Troupe December 5 and
90-percent of parents took part in parent
teacher conferences last week. Not enough, he
said.
Principle Tim Gering spoke of what Bonners Ferry
High School staff and students were up to, and
that about 40-percent of parents showed up. A
lot is going on, too, at the Boundary County
Middle School, where about 45-percent of parents
showed up for conferences, and Naples Elementary
is gearing up for the Family Fall Harvest Dance
put on by the Naples Parent Teacher Association
from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 21 ... and
95-percent of parents attended conference, said
principal Steve Morton.
Naples is also looking at the feasibility of
giving students a few more minutes of morning
shut-eye, pushing the start of the school day
half an hour ahead, from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m.
"We're going to do a test bus run to see how it
works this Friday," Morton said, "And if
everything fits, we'll have it on the agenda in
December to go into effect January 6."
Jim Nash, principal at Mt. Hall, encouraged
everyone to attend this Saturday's Mt. Hall
Auction and Dinner at 5 p.m., but he said that
dinner is spaghetti ... when in fact it's
something better this year, lasagna. After a bit
of calculation, he reported that 95.023-percent
of parents attended parent teacher
conferences.
Curriculum Director Robin Merrifield told of her
pride in how well teachers and administrators
were not only adapting, but getting excited by
impending changes in the classroom, epitomized
by an alleged "expert," middle school teacher
Kelly Hinthorn, who reported that kids aren't
only adapting to the changes, but savoring the
challenge.
"If I could," Hinthorn said, "I'd call all my
past students back and apologize that I hadn't
engaged them in the way I can now. My students
are excited about learning, they're engaged."
And she wasn't talking about "Common Core," but
of new ideas in education and how some simple
concepts and ideas can transform not only
students, but energize teachers.
Merrifield passed out a book to trustees on the
"monster," "Something in Common; The Common Core
Standards."
"By Stephen King?" one trustee (guess which)
shouted.
There was more, all good, and the board zipped
right through its action agenda and was near to
adjournment, a bustle of noise, when trustee Mike Weland chimed in
with an unexpected motion.
"Based on the audit, I move we hire two more
Diane Cartwrights," he said. The motion died in a
fit of giggles and without second.
This district is blessed with great people, and
Sharon Smiths and Diane Cartwrights are rare.
They only show up one at a time.
Mr. Schulte's
"deficiency" will have to last at least another year. |
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