• Parent Survey Reports Positive Growth

    Posted by Dr. Mark Gallagher on 9/13/2022 8:00:00 AM
    For the past several years, we have conducted a parent survey throughout the District and invited all of our parents to provide feedback on the schools their children attend. We have just recently received the results of the 2021 Parent Survey, and we are pleased to report significant and positive growth for our schools and the District as a whole compared to 2020.
     
    This survey is extremely important to us because it provides us the opportunity to hear directly from our students’ parents. We often have the opportunity to gather anecdotal or qualitative information from our parents and community members, yet to receive the results we did through a quantifiable survey is very helpful. It tells us we are headed in the right direction.
     

    I would like to share some of the highlights of the survey results with you:

    “Overall Quality of Education”

    The results indicate that 93% of the respondents rate the overall quality of their child’s education in Lake Park as Superior, Excellent, or Good.  In 2020, this rating was 88%.

    “School Staff Sets High Expectations for My Child”

    88% of respondents Strongly Agreed or Agreed with this statement.  This is up 10 points from 2020.

    “I Go Online to Check Grades & Assignments”

    68% of respondents Strongly Agreed or Agreed with this statement.  This is up 18 points from 2020.

    “I use the School/District Website for Information & News”

    82% of respondents Strongly Agreed or Agreed with this statement.  This is up 13 points from 2020.

    We are extremely pleased with the significant improvements noted in these four areas – quality education, expectations, technology and communication. In fact, we are very pleased with the overall results because we saw improvement in all areas. The one area where we saw a decline was related to discipline. The score was 65%, a decline of 9 points from 2020. Although we would prefer to have seen an increase in satisfaction on this point, the feedback is very helpful. We will dig deeper into the results to determine how to progress in this area.
     
    The results of the survey are used by each school principal in their overall improvement plans and can be analyzed at each grade level for principals and teachers to work together and collaborate on areas of strength and areas where growth or better understanding is needed.
     

    The results of our parent survey are extremely valuable as we work together as a community to improve in certain areas, as well as celebrate our achievements. We hope that as we post the parent survey on the District website in 2022 and invite you through EAlert, newsletters and flyers, that you will take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your feedback is very important to us!

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  • Developing Academic Expectations

    Posted by Dr. Mark Gallagher on 7/9/2022 12:00:00 PM
     
    Every year, the Board reviews and develops policy expectations. These are developed in Leadership Governance Policy: 3.3 Board Expectations. They are expectations established by the Board to drive instruction and learning. They are based on instructional input and data from last year's scores. The Board invites the public to provide input and feedback before adopting these expectations at the October 2019 Board Meeting.
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  • 2022 Budget Challenges

    Posted by Dr. Mark Gallagher on 6/4/2022 9:00:00 AM
    After a reduction in funding of over $21 million in fiscal year 2019 due to a declared 11% state proration and reductions in local revenue because of the recession, there are challenges ahead for LakePark Public Schools. We begin the year with a budget that is almost $8 million below state funding from the final prorated amount of 2019. And there is a real possibility there could be a 6% proration announced as the new fiscal year begins October 1. That could mean an additional $9 million reduction in the system’s state funding. It will take all of us working together to get through this period and reduce the negative impact a lack of funds can have on our classrooms.

     

    We are facing serious challenges. We are working with the state to get a waiver from the federal government that would allow us to spread more evenly the spending of our stimulus money over two years. The staff and I are working to ensure every dollar is utilized fully and that there is minimal impact on our students.

     

    At the end of last school year, there were staff reductions and other salaries totaling about $2 million were moved for FY 10 from the general fund to federal funding. If proration occurs for FY 2020, additional cuts in programs and other expenditures will take place, but no teachers or local school administrators are expected to be released.

     

    We will look at every retirement and resignation that takes place during the year. If it is possible to consolidate positions or finish the year without filling a job, we will try to save those funds. We will look at our use of federal funds for travel and professional development.  

     

    The state legislature reduced or eliminated funding in the 2020 fiscal year for several items including the $400 for each teacher in classroom supply monies, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds to purchase new textbooks, technology, and enhance libraries. Normally, our system provides $10 per student to each school. This year we are increasing our local budgeting to $35 per student to help replace a small percentage of the state reduction and offset some local school expenses including the purchases of paper and copying services.
     
    This blog is not set to comment on because we will being having our Financial Preparatory meeting later this week.
     
     

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  • School Safety and Security

    Posted by Dr. Mark Gallagher on 5/1/2022

    Crisis management planning is part of our ongoing commitment to provide a safe and secure learning environment. Each of our schools share a common crisis management template that is based on the protocols described in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The district enjoys great relationships with our local Law Enforcement Agencies and other supporting 1st Responder agencies.

    In an effort to stay in tune with the latest best practices, and to ingrain these practices into our crisis management strategy, we applied for the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant. As this is a competitive, nationwide grant application process, I’m pleased to report our district is the only recipient in Colorado this year, and received the largest allocation in the nation. Through this grant, we will conduct school safety and vulnerability assessments in order to individualize our crisis management template to the highest risks faced by particular schools. Once those risks are clearly identified and understood, schools can focus their training of staff and students to mitigate those risks. In addition, our staffs who will be called in to manage crisis situations when they occur, will complete several courses recommended by FEMA and the National Incident Management System.

    If you have any questions or concerns about School Safety and Security please feel free to comment on my blog.

    National School Safety and Security Services Company Video
    National School Safety and Security Services Company Video

    https://youtu.be/yDsDDUqtYEk

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