by David Hill
Editor
Brady, Martz and Associates has issued an unqualified or clean opinion of School District 564 finances.
During a meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, Oct. 27, Tracee Bruggeman of Brady, Martz, said there were no instances of non-compliance, the District had used proper accounting methods and its report provides adequate disclosure of financial matters. In addition, all compliance and internal controls were followed, and at 20 percent, the District’s unrestricted fund balance was in an optimum range.
The only factor that bears on the future of the District involve labor contracts (because of the unknown impact of the Affordable Care Act.) She explained that labor costs account for roughly 81 percent of general fund expenditures. Last year, 79 percent of expenditures were attributable to salaries and benefits.
World’s Best Workforce
After a presentation of the Thief River Falls Public Schools World’s Best Workforce Report, the Board of Education approved the report, which includes district goals and strategies to support student achievement.
The Legislature approved the World’s Best Workforce bill in 2013. The bill was created to ensure that every school district in the state makes strides to increase student performance. As a result of the bill, each school district must develop a plan that addresses five goals: all children are ready for school; all third graders can read at grade level; all racial and economic achievement gaps between students are closed; all students are ready for career and college; all students graduate from high school.
Earlier this past year, the District approved a goal to improve MCA results in reading and math by 2 percent. A total of 54.4 percent of all students in the District met or exceeded the MCA standards during the 2013-
2014 school year. A total of 58.8 percent of students met or exceeded the MCA standards for math.
The District’s plan for increasing the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards include closing the achievement gap, looking at data, investigating trends, and aligning resources more effectively. Academically, the District will spend time looking at best practices in reading and math and implementing strategies to support learners.
During the 2013-14 school year, the District saw an increase in proficiency in reading and math of .4 percent.
Each principal – Shane Zutz of Lincoln High School, Bob Wayne of Franklin Middle School, and Patrick Marolt of Challenger Elementary School – each presented goals and strategies for improving academics and closing the achievement gap at their schools.
Zutz reported that Lincoln High School participated in the North Central Accreditation process last year, which is an in-depth and lengthy process. This process, however, allowed the school and its staff to reflect on the internal processes that also impact math and reading.
Zutz reported that last year the school experienced a decrease in proficiency in reading and math.
Through the accreditation and self-exam process, school staff looked more closely at the data and discovered that it will be necessary to introduce pacing in classes and work on timing. He said they are holding departmental discussions about what is being taught in classes, and those discussions will be difficult. In addition, technology has also been aligned with curriculum and the college readiness element embedded in the curriculum. Zutz added that students now have to apply for free blocks. They must show in their applications, among other things, that they have passed their MCAs and have the necessary credits to graduate.
Bob Wayne of Franklin Middle School said the school has always used data to place kids. Proficiency in reading at the school improved 3.1 percent and .9 percent in math. Wayne said, “it’s not where the school needs to be but that’s what they are working for.”
Strategies include analyzing student data in Reading Success and School Within a School classes and focusing on reading and comprehension. In math, the strategy is to add an additional section of eighth grade algebra to reduce class size, and focus more on individual student needs.
Patrick Marolt, principal at Challenger, said the year is off to a great start. The percentage of students at the school who are proficient in math and reading exceed state goals. Last year, the school saw a decrease in proficiency in reading of .8 percent and in math of 2.7 percent.
The school’s strategies include working on climate, which consists of meetings at each grade level. The school will also incorporate special education into the process. He said they will continue to focus on reading. Marolt said reading has to be taught every single day at the school. Staff development meetings are also being held every month.
Mike Wienen, vice principal, spoke of a new program called Positive Behavior Intervention, which will be presented to the Board at another date. An element of the process involves engaging students in the learning process.
Marolt said he anticipates that scores will go up.
Another element of the World Best Workforce focuses on student graduate rates. At 96.27 percent, Lincoln High School has a very high graduation rate.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, in the District Service Center board room.