News from Sheridan School District No. 2
Contact: Mark Stevens [email protected]
303-495-8699 (mobile) • 720-328-5488 (office)
News Release
Dec. 13, 2018
Successful Mill Levy Election
Officially Certified; Campaign Volunteers Honored
Superintendent Pat Sandos announced at the board
meeting this week that the Arapahoe County Elections Division has officially
certified that Sheridan voters approved the school district’s mill levy
proposal on the November 6 ballot.
The final vote (1,365 votes in favor and 1,115
opposed) is a winning margin of 55 percent. “I am very, very proud of everyone
who helped and supported” the effort, said Superintendent Sandos.
The additional $3 million raised through the mill
levy increase will be used to improve safety and security; repair leaking roofs
and address other infrastructure needs; improve and upgrade technology
infrastructure and operations in schools to support 21st Century
learning opportunities; and to make salaries and wages of district personnel
competitive with those of other school districts in the metropolitan area. The
last successful mill levy for Sheridan schools was approved by voters in 2001.
Sheridan Board of Education president Bernadette
Saleh said the board could not possibly thank everyone who worked on the
campaign. However, Saleh and Superintendent Sandos recognized five key
individuals—three members of district staff (Karen Babcock, Steve Merchant, and
Paul Martinez) and two community members (Dallas Hall and Roger Rowland)— for
their hard work and leadership.
SOAR Academy in the Spotlight
SOAR Academy principal Todd Legge honored SOAR
Academy student Shyann Guzman and staff members Luisa Flores and Thaina Osorio.
Legge said Shyann is a “tremendous mother” who has persevered through personal
and life challenges and who also offers honest and respectful feedback to the
school.
Osorio, said Legge, is “the face of our communication
… and she does it in a way that is always joyful to the outside and also very
honest with me.” Legge said Flores, the
school counselor, is a pillar of the school who shows SOAR students what it
will take to be successful after graduation. “The work they do is stellar,”
said Legge of both staff members.
Legge and Stacy Shaffer, SOAR’s student engagement
coordinator, presented an overview of the schools’ progress and challenges
ahead. SOAR Academy serves students from ages 14 through 21 who are seeking a
high school diploma outside the traditional high school environment. SOAR
Academy offers both a regular day program and a night school to about 60
students.
The school has seen a major increase in its
attendance rates; last year’s 55 percent average daily attendance improved to
79 percent during the first quarter this year. Ten times this year, said Legge,
attendance has reached 90 percent or better. The upward trend in attendance,
said Legge, demonstrates that students are re-engaging with the SOAR Academy
community.
At the same time, he said, the school is working to
improve student achievement in reading and writing. Only one SOAR Academy
student demonstrated proficiency on a college entrance exam last year.
“I am really pleased with SOAR Academy’s
reestablishment of an academic environment,” said Superintendent Sandos. “This
is a group that understands you need to lead with heart but you don’t need to
lower your expectations because of that.”
School-Year Calendar Shift
The idea of starting the school year in mid-August
will likely be considered by the Board of Education in January. Superintendent
Pat Sandos told the board that a decision is needed so planning can begin for
the 2018-2019 school year. While no specific start date for the 20192020 school
year has been identified, the idea is to begin in the middle of the month.
Parents are encouraged to fill out an online survey (link Here). A community meeting in January is being
planned to present the idea and gather additional feedback.
This year, Sheridan started the school year on August
2 while other school districts started on August 13 (Englewood), August 16
(Jeffco), August 17 (Littleton) and August 20 (Denver). Sheridan is the only
district of those that includes a five-day fall break and a 10-day spring break
in the school-year calendar.
Maegan Daigler, Director of Assessment, Testing, and
Homeless Education for Sheridan School District 2, said that shifting the start
of the school year holds a number of possible advantages. One issue, she said,
is to reduce the number of times that teachers must re-orient students to the
routines of the classroom. Parents and teachers who work in Sheridan may also
find it easier to manage day care issues and work schedules if Sheridan more
closely follows the calendars used by neighboring districts. Daigler added that
using a schedule more in line with neighbors may also help with retaining and
attracting teachers and staff.
Daigler added that the District Advisory and
Accountability Committee and student councils will also asked for their input.
In addition, feedback from the Sheridan Educator Association will be gathered
before the idea is forwarded to the board.
Family Leadership Training Institute
The board heard a presentation from Taylor McKinney,
site coordinator from the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI). McKinney
was joined by former Sheridan Mayor and FLTI graduate Dallas Hall. The
organization seeks to strengthen families and boost civic engagement through a
20-week curriculum, said McKinney, and to “demystify” the civic process.
CASB Conference
Board members shared their thoughts and reactions to
this year’s Colorado Association of School Boards conference, held earlier in
the month in Colorado Springs. Board president Saleh said she was impressed by
the number of workshop offerings this year, particularly those focused on
social-emotional issues with students. Board member Daniel Stange said he was
impressed with a keynote speech about the need for school districts to build a
“common aspiration” and board member Juanita Camacho said she came away
concerned that job skills are changing so fast that schools won’t be able to
keep up. And board member Sally Daigle said she attended a number of workshops
regarding issues related to student mental health. She encouraged the idea of
changing the term to “brain health” to remove some of the stigma associated
with getting assistance.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda was approved.
About Sheridan School District 2
Located southwest of Denver, Sheridan School District
2 seeks high-level post-secondary options for all students through continuous
improvement of quality instruction. More:
www.ssd2.org
##