State of the Schools: Adams County School Districts Update at the 
Metro North Chamber Development Council Breakfast

We had a great turn out for the Metro North Chamber of Commerce Development Council’s September breakfast meeting.Joe Talarico, Development Council Chair, welcomed the group and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.Floyd Sasa, Metro North Chamber FasTracks Coordinator, spoke in regards to FasTracks and encouraged everyone to get involved.Yard signs are available to anyone who wants to post their support for Referendum 4A.A look outside onto I-25 was an ample opportunity for everyone to see how much we need FasTracks to alleviate the congestion in the Metro North region.

Dr. George Straface, Superintendent for School District 50 began the presentation with an update on the continued improvements on CSAP scores.They are focusing on the recruitment and retention of students.Part of that retention is parental involvement which is facing it’s own set of challenges due to the language barrier between many of the parents and the schools.A Community Resource Center has been established to reach out to parents who don’t speak English and get them more involved.Other challenges facing S.D. #50 are changing expectations, leadership changes and demographic changes.There hasn’t been a lot of growth in the area, which has lead to a decline in the overall enrollment in the district.33% of the students do not speak English and 78% participate in the free and reduced lunch program.School District 50 is using time differently by offering Year-Round schools to impact student achievement.

Dr. Charlotte Scarpella, Superintendent for Mapleton School District 1, said they are the smallest School District in Adams County, but growing.Two High Schools opened this year and four more will be opening in August 2005.Their CSAP results are increasing, but not yet where the district would like them to be.They are providing special coaching and support to their High School seniors through a program called College Summit, which assists every senior in completing a college application.Mapleton is utilizing the Boettcher Teacher’s Project to train and support teachers entering the profession so they can work in high needs schools.Mapleton also offers a Head Start program, which is a full-day pre-school program for three and four year olds.One of the major challenges currently being faced by the Mapleton School District is a change in the Finance Act, which moved the kindergarten enrollment date from 12/31 to 10/1.Students are now starting school later, which concerns Dr. Scarpella, as studies have shown that students benefit more from an education that starts sooner.

Dr. Tonda Potts is the new Superintendent for Brighton School District #27J.Her school district is focusing on literacy by providing early grade intervention and literacy support.This program is consistent in all of the schools so that teachers can accurately compare assessments and results.Home reading material is also being provided by Community Outreach Paraprofessionals.They have also established a Professional Learning Community, which offers collaboration among teachers to plan curriculum and utilize assessment data.S.D. #27J is the fastest growing district in the state, increasing by 1,000 students a year.A challenge they are currently facing is gaining public support for a bond that would allow them to build a much needed High School, as they currently only have one in their district.One of their success stories is South Elementary, a Blue Ribbon School, which ranks 5^th in the state and 20^th in the country.

Dr. John Lange is beginning his seventh year as Superintendent of School District #14.They have seen five consecutive years of improvement with their CSAP scores.All employees, classified, certified and administrative are eligible for Performance Pay; a financial reward based on CSAP score improvements.The district also offers individual student assessments and learning plans on the World Wide Web.The challenge being faced by School District #14 is the impact of the economy on their aging schools, including one High School that was built in the 1930’s.89% of their students are participating in the free or reduced lunch program and their families cannot afford a tax increase needed to build new schools.

Dr. Mike Paskewicz, Superintendent of Adams 12 Five Star Schools, said they are using the Haberman Teacher Screener, which assists in the identification of teachers who will be successful in serving the high needs population.They are recruiting and selecting bilingual and bicultural staff to help manage the 2,900 students that are limited in English proficiency.58 different languages are spoken in the district , with the primary languages being English, Spanish and Hmong.The Board of Education and Administration practice Policy Governance making them highly accountable for District and school performance.

At the end of the presentation, Joe Talarico asked if our area is unique to the problems we are seeing with growth, economy and language challenges.Dr. Potts assured the group that we are not unique.Neighborhoods all over the country are impacted by the same cyclical changes.Dr. Scarpella clarified that there are five separate school districts in Adams County and each one highlights their differences.However, Dr. Straface explained that each school district makes the best of their limited resources.

In summary, each school is dealing with their own set of challenges.Some commonalities are language barriers, the economy, CSAP scores, local support and parental involvement.Yet, as we were reminded by Dr. Paskewicz, we become our own worst enemy when we talk about the challenges faced by public schools rather than the successes.Everyone left the room with a better understanding of each school district and the recent successes they have experienced.

The Metro North Chamber Development Council is an exclusive, successful group dedicated to promoting the economic well being of the Metro North region.By providing a forum in which business and community leaders can come together and develop solutions, the Development Council serves to strengthen our community through education, cooperation and lobbying.