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Across the Board
April 2, 2024
Work Session
The Work Session of the DCSD Board of Education was called to order at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was broadcast live through the DCSDK12 YouTube Channel and on Comcast Channel 54 (also recorded and archived here).
Superintendent’s Update
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The DCSD Art Exhibition starts this month at the Legacy Campus. This exhibition is a great opportunity to highlight the incredibly talented young artists in DCSD.
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It is that time of year, where we enter the state testing season. Some of our schools have already begun administering the CMAS test – and others will begin in the coming days and weeks. Recently we have been celebrating the fact that for the first time DCSD is the top scoring district in the Denver/metro area. In addition, we are so close to receiving that “Accredited with Distinction,” designation. Data from state testing is one way that we achieve these points of pride. The tests are important for our students and teachers as it helps us understand where students are academically, how our schools are performing and where we can focus our efforts to improve. I encourage our parents and guardians to have their students participate in these tests. I know there were times when my own kids didn’t want to take the tests or didn’t think they mattered – but they do. And, these tests serve as great practice for other exams our children will take in high school and in college.
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The monthly DCSD Parent University webinar took place on Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. The topic was the Role of Child Find Assessments for our Preschool-Aged Students. Christina Howery, School Psychologist, and Mary Beth Karr, Occupational Therapist, lead this webinar. Watch the webinar.>>
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The Daniels Fund released the names of their 2024 scholarship winners. Six of the scholarship recipients are from DCSD high schools! This is an incredibly prestigious scholarship and this may be the highest-ever number of scholarships awarded to DCSD students in one year! The winning students were selected for their strength of character, leadership potential, commitment to serving the community, and academic potential. This is such a huge accomplishment! Congratulations to these outstanding DCSD students!
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Caleb Cease, ThunderRidge High School
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Ryan Gromer, Chaparral High School
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Collette Johnson, Legend High School
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Kiera Sheehan, Ponderosa High School
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Kayla Stutz, Chaparral High School
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Brynna West, ThunderRidge High School
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Congratulations to Franktown Elementary and Redstone Elementary. These schools have been certified as RAMP schools by the National Association of School Counselors. We will be recognizing these schools at a future Board meeting.
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The 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Academic Calendar survey window closed March 31, and we had nearly 11,000 participants. We greatly appreciate our community taking the time to provide their feedback and will bring more information to the Board at a future meeting.
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Invitations have been sent for the DCSD Retirement Ceremony which is taking place the evening of May 1 at the DCSD Legacy Campus.
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DCSD is in the process of mailing out a summarized annual report to our community which again thanks our voters for saying yes to the Mill Levy Override in November and outlines how those and other dollars are being spent. The mailer also talks about the challenges of not passing the Bond (5B), celebrates the school district’s points of pride, and invites the community to the State of DCSD Event which is taking place on Thursday, May 2 at 6pm at the Legacy Campus.
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Employee Benefits Open Enrollment begins April 22 for the 2024-2025 school year. The DCSD Benefits team will be available to work with our employees during this process and more information will be coming soon!
Generative Artificial Intelligence Discussion
Superintendent Kane, Chief Technology Officer Mark Blair, and Chief of Staff Steve Colella delved into the exciting realm of generative artificial intelligence tools and their implications for the future of AI. Within DCSD, thorough research is underway to understand how AI impacts students and how our educational system must adapt to prepare them for the evolving workforce landscape. During the session, Board Directors actively engaged with ChatGPT exercises, gaining valuable insights. Click here to view the presentation slides. Superintendent Kane expressed a desire for DCSD to be at the forefront of AI adoption in our schools. DCSD is currently exploring a district-wide partnership with Khan Academy, First, DCSD will enter into a Khanmigo Pilot Program; 28 schools have expressed interest in being part of that pilot.
Superintendent Monitoring Report: End #4, Collaborative Parent, Family and Community Relations
Superintendent Kane presented the annual Superintendent Monitoring Report for Board End #4: Collaborative Parent, Family and Community Relations. Click here to view the presentation slides.
Board of Education Self-Evaluation
The Douglas County School Board has begun a routine and systematic process of self-evaluation where it regularly reviews its Board-Superintendent Linkage and Board Process policies. The Board reviewed draft self-evaluations on Governance Processes (GP) 1.1, The Board's Governing Style; 1.2, The Job of the Board; and 1.9, Cost of Governance.
Policy Governance Book - Revision of Board Ends and Executive Limitations
The Board discussed potential revisions to current Board Ends. The Board will discuss potential edits to Board Executive Limitations at a future Board retreat.
Adjournment
At 8:58 p.m. a motion to adjourn the regular meeting passed 6-0 (one Board director was absent).
Upcoming Meetings
The next regular meeting of the DCSD Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the DCSD administration building, 620 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock, and will be available to view on the DCSDK12 YouTube Channel and will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 54.