By Alan Sorensen
Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees action last night is helping the district to remain one of the most progressive districts in the state, according to Superintendent Kirk Miller.
In an interview this morning, Miller cited the boards approval of the districts recently completed 1998-99 work plan and its proposed 1999-2000 work plan as essential to improving the safety and education of students.
The introduction, vision statements and mission statements for the just end work plan and the upcoming work plan are identical. The projects outlined in final report represent thousands of hours of work by staff throughout the district, Miller said.
Completed and ongoing tasks in 15 target areas were explained in detail in the districts final report that Miller said is available for public scrutiny at the reception desk at Robins School.
The target projects were in:
Technology, completed 7 of 13 performance indicators;
Communication arts curriculum, 2 of 3 completed;
School-to-work, 8 of 18 completed, 7 others partially complete;
Comprehensive staff development, 5 of 6 complete;
Crisis management plan, 3 of 3 complete;
Reroofing plan, 6 of 9 complete, other 3 ongoing;
Facilities management plan, 2 of 4 complete, 5-year plans;
Communications, 5 of 5 done;
Long-range district enrollment and budget planning, 4 of 5 completed;
District assessment plan, 2 of 4;
District behavior management plan, 1 of 7 in first year of 3-year plan completed;
Commercialization and advertising, 9 of 9 complete;
Social studies curriculum development, 5 of 6 complete, sixth is ongoing;
Vocational ed curriculum development, 4 of 6;
Library curriculum development, 4 of 6.
Some of the individual agenda items approved by the trustees comprise work plan objectives.
The districts role in the Hill County ACTION Team was approved. The team is comprised of representatives of various youth and crime related agencies for the purpose of sharing information. Among its goals are to identify and respond to the needs of high-risk youth while helping to maintain a safe public environment free of violence.
The assessment plan as prepared under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent Dennis Parman provides the district with a policy governing student standardized testing. Miller said a lot of time was devoted to developing curricula that will coordinate student learning with standardized testing expectations. It will also provide students with a better understanding of what is expected from them in order to capture top grades in class. The plan covers all students K-12.
The trustees also approved a commercial and advertising policy that will permit certain types of advertising on school property. Advertising dollars will be used to do away with K-5 door-to-door sales, provide scholarship dollars for students, pay district improvements, support field trips, etc.
The board also approved:
Requests for two special ed students over 19 to attend Karen Naves special ed at HMS and one student over 19 at HHS in 1999-00;
The purchase of vo-ed curriculum materials (books) for next year;
Consideration of requests to purchase deregulated electricity and for electrical upgrade at HHS;
Revisions to district policy 1441P governing public participation at school board meetings;
Montana School Board Association membership dues and legal assistance fund participation;
Montana High School Association membership dues and catastrophic insurance coverage.
Next board meeting is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, in Havre Middle School.
