Superintendent's Scoop

A look back at the year that was, and a look ahead

December 12, 2016

By Gary Pflueger Superintendent, School District 101 As we come to the end of another year (as my parents taught me) it’s time to reflect—what went well, what can we do better? Let’s start with enrollment. We have more students enrolled in our district than the previous two years. I take this as a very positive sign. I will attribute this to a couple factors. First, take an opportunity to visit with our school principals. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, this is the best admin team I have seen in my 25 years in the business. They are unified in spirit and conviction. All members are child-oriented. We are focused on student safety and learning! Student/staff relationships are improving through the support of Love & Logic and PEAK strategies. With fewer disruptive behaviors, deeper teaching and learning can occur. Homeschoolers, come in and take a look at us; you may like what you see. Do we have problems? Of course we do, we’re humans after all, but I love what I am seeing. Excellence will be rewarded; poor performance removed! Another point to celebrate is our continued growth in technology with the latest and greatest. We now have enough Kindles for every second, third, and fourth grader to have a device. We have also purchased a Chromebook for each fifth grader in the district to use. These advances in technology will allow us to provide the necessary up-to-date instructional practices our children deserve. These will be used to strengthen our reading, writing, and research skills as our students learn to compete in this global world. On another technological front and most exciting, our district personnel and city planners have met with a company out of Coeur d’ Alene that is bringing fiber optic capability to our community. This is huge and exciting as we open our connectivity to all people! I have established two groups who are providing tremendous input to the Boundary County School District Board of Trustees. The Facilities Committee has gone through all five schools and identified/prioritized needed upgrades and repairs. Projects effecting student safety are getting done: controlled access into schools, gym floors in both the HS and MS, and repair of leaking roofs to name a few. The second and newest group is the BCSD Budget and Financial Advisory Committee. This group consists of Diane Cartwright, Cal Russell, Greg Johnson, Merle Ansley, David Walter, Deborah Youngwirth, David Brinkman, Nathan Williams, Robin Merrifield, Luke Omodt, Jacob Garrison, and Cal Bateman. One of the co-presidents of the BCEA, Josh Knaggs or Rita Vannoy, will likely join this group at the next meeting. The first challenge of this group is to prepare for and pass the M&O Levy. Yes, this is a levy year. We need your help again this March. All of the positive activities and projects listed in this letter would not have been accomplished without the support of the levy two years ago. Here is the “things we can do better” part of the letter. For all the positive things happening in our schools and around the district, the one thing that bothers me most is we went into mediation during negotiations with our teachers last year. I was deeply troubled by this process. The Budget and Financial Advisory Committee is challenged with making our district budget crystal clear. The financing of public education is a very complicated process. We have had one expert who is leaving us soon. Diane Cartwright is retiring this year after 20 years of dedicated service. She is a wealth of knowledge and has kept our district in the black during turbulent years. Her expertise and loyal dedication to BCSD will be greatly missed! Replacing Diane in January is our own Cal Bateman. Cal and I will step up to the challenge with the support of this advisory committee; we have no choice! This year we are making great strides strengthening our partnership with the Boundary County Education Association. Our teachers and support staff deserve what we can give them and more. The stronger our partnership the better for our children in Boundary County. Besides an educated society, what do our kids and teachers give back to us? This time of the year: seasonal band and choir concerts, the theatre. (Did you see “Letters to God”? It was amazing!) Our leadership classes and FFA are bringing in turkeys and hams for the Ministerial Association Community Baskets. Canned food drives will happen after the New Year to refill the food banks. Dare I say, “We are blessed!” Yes, the future is bright for Boundary County! I am excited to work with Mayor David Sims, City Planner Lisa Ailport, and Dennis Weed, our Economic Development Coordinator. I look forward to seeing the growth of our community as we celebrate the awarded High 5 Grant and future development that will come with fiber optics. Like it or not folks, we are on the move! Our kids deserve everything we can give them! Thank you for entrusting your children to Boundary County School District. We proudly accept this challenge with honor and conviction.