Download a narrated PowerPoint presentation Peter Hilts has made for staff.

When District 49 originally considered new core software systems for our education and business offices, PowerSchool (offering PowerSchool SIS) and Sunguard (Offering BusinessPlus and ESchoolPlus SIS) were the two finalist companies. We chose Sunguard, largely because they had both a SIS and a business system. In our evaluation, we did not find much functional difference between ESP SIS and PS SIS.

One of the reasons we negotiated favorable pricing and support is because Sunguard saw our contract as an entry point into the Colorado market—where they did not yet have a presence. We anticipated and initially received favorable support because Sunguard wasn’t just building a client relationship with us, they were building a new market for ESP.

Shortly after we completed our contract with Sunguard to implement the Business Plus and ESP enterprise system, PowerSchool completed an acquisition of Sunguard. PowerSchool promised to uphold Sunguard’s commitment to an enterprise system for D49, including BusinessPlus and ESP. However, because PowerSchool already has an installed base of school districts in Colorado using PS SIS, we assumed that either the two platforms would merge, or we would eventually be converted to PS SIS – it was a question of timing and priority on the part of Powerschool.

As the calendar year 2017 has progressed, Powerschool has determined that they would rather make this transition sooner rather than later and are encouraging us to head that way.

As our district endures a horrible season of loss and uncertainty, it has been comforting to remind ourselves of the powerful impact a committed educator can have on colleagues and students.

 

We first heard about Julia Roark when she applied to be superintendent of a school district a little north of here. Several of us knew people who were finalists for that job, so we read the articles and reviewed the resumes that were posted online. It was pretty clear to us that their top candidate should be an assistant superintendent from Aspen named Julia Roark. Well, fortunately for us, they chose a different leader. 

 

One year later, we met Dr. Roark when she applied to lead the Falcon Zone. We got excited. When we saw her perform through a gauntlet of panel interviews and timed tasks, we got very excited. By the end of the day we saw six candidates, but no competition. Julia was the brightest prospect of the bunch and we were thrilled when she agreed to come and lead the Falcon Zone. We knew we had a leader who was going to make us better—we just had no idea how much light she would bring to our lives.

 

Julia brought light to all she did and everyone she served. In education, we often talk about the aha moment when the light comes on and you have a flash of understanding. Well, with Julia it wasn’t a flash because the light was always on. She wasn’t just well educated—making her smart; she was also well experienced, making her wise. When she studied something, Julia learned all the things and quickly became an expert. When she first came to District 49, Julia came to me, somewhat sheepishly, and said she would need to miss one of our first leadership meetings. She had a prior commitment to attend a training in Alaska. What she didn’t say was, “I’m a national leader for cognitive coaching and there are dozens of school districts counting on me to come and lead their training.” She could have said that, but she didn’t. One of Julia’s defining characteristics was humility. She never drew attention to herself or her accomplishments. When I visited her office this week, Julia’s degrees and diplomas were literally stacked on a side desk gathering dust. Somehow she never got around to posting her own credentials. What was displayed were a poster about kindness, a book about happiness, some Dr. Suess artwork, lots of pictures of her children Austin and Alex, and a big framed glossy of her husband Greg front and center.

 

Instead of resting on her past accomplishments, Julia doubled up on learning about our district, and brought years of leadership to serve the principal team in the Falcon Zone. Her principals would tell you that Julia rarely planned anything that began with “I” it was always “We” except when she said, “How can I help?” If you messaged Julia with a problem or crisis, she didn’t call back—she drove over. She walked in the door and asked, “How are you doing? How can I help?” Last night, after we learned about the tragic death of Michael Finley, I needed to call Julia. We could always depend on her best when we were at a loss. Like the light she embodied, Julia brought warmth and insight. Imagine walking down a dark path, stumbling, uncertain, tentative…leadership is like that sometimes when problems and crises take you past your experience. But that’s just when we appreciated Julia’s light the most. She illuminated our understanding with her careful questions—reminding us to pause and reflect.

 

Last summer, Julia lived out that philosophy on a long climb up our local landmark. As part of a district event, a bunch of teachers and parents, administrators and board members gathered for a symbolic climb up Pikes Peak. Julia was fully capable of lacing up her bright orange trail shoes and zipping up the mountain, but she didn’t. Instead, she joined me and others in the final group (we were the ones planning a “deliberate” pace) and spent the next 10 hours encouraging our progress. One friend was moving on pace, but as the air got thin, doubt crept in. Julia said, “Just 50 steps more. You don’t have to climb the whole mountain, just 50 steps more. You can make it 50 steps, you can do this.” With her encouragement, that climber and our whole group, turned 50 steps into 500. Then 500 steps into 5 miles, and eventually we ran out of mountain and celebrated at the summit. That’s exactly Julia’s greatness. She’d walk alongside you until you ended up doing more than you knew was possible. Her personal warmth and professional wisdom enlightened our lives and made us all better. As sunlight brings life, Julia helped us come alive.

 

No matter if you called her Julie or Julia, Dr. Roark or Mom, you knew when you called on Julia she’d be there. We will miss Julia deeply and often. This loss is not something we will get over or move past. It is our new and painful reality. But, I encourage us all to remember that Julia left a hole in our hearts, but not a shadow. The light she brought is reflected in each one of us. The best way to honor her legacy is to live as she lived—in the light.

 

Each morning in Colorado Springs, the sun will rise and Pikes Peak will glow. We see the sun about 300 days a year. So every sunset when you see our sun and Pikes Peak in the sky together—think of Julia. Remember her strength to encourage us all, “just 50 steps more.” Remember the light she brought to our darkness and the light that showed us a new way. May the life she lived be an inspiration to the lives we touch.

 

This is a poignant time of year for me. 30 Years ago this month my brother was swept off the deck of a crab boat near our hometown in Alaska. The darkness of his loss was partly tempered by warmth and care as our small town gathered in to mourn and remember. This month, our family in District 49 suffered a similar and equally sudden tragedy. Through senseless violence, Gene Hammond—our “Transportation Guy”—passed on from a life of deep commitments and even deeper affections.

At the service, where fellow US Marines presented Gene’s family with a folded flag and remembered him with solemn military honors, a throng of family, friends and colleagues shared memories of his zest for life and his inexhaustible friendliness and wry humor. The courage Gene displayed through serving his country was only matched by his enthusiasm for the family he loved and the colleagues who became great friends. As the leader of our transportation department, Gene was a relentless advocate for more and safer equipment, and the resources to hire needed drivers to cover our expanding system of routes. He showed great wisdom and leadership in leading the state fight to make safe driving around school buses a higher priority. If you fixed or drove or rode on one of his buses, you got Gene’s absolute best every time.

That’s why so many of his team, from mechanics and dispatchers to drivers and the paraprofessionals were determined to travel to Fort Logan National Cemetery and honor Gene’s memory. The problem was, military funerals at a large national cemetery have to be scheduled when space and staff are available, and that schedule was smack in the middle of our busiest afternoon carpool. We couldn’t change the schedule. We couldn’t abandon our students. We couldn’t ask the team he led to miss Gene’s service. The problem seemed unsolvable—until the phone started to ring and the email started to chime.

You see, in his years with District 49, Gene extended his hand to counterparts around our community. Many mornings he’d check in with the leaders of District 11 or District 20 to see how they were handling a tough weather situation or a badly clogged commute. He had District 38 and District 2 on speed dial. Gene was a role model of open communication and early notification. He knew that a big network leads to better decisions. So, when his extended team of transportation leaders heard about our scheduling impasse, the picked up the phone and acted just like Gene.

Friends like Josy and David in Harrison 2; Tom, Jim, and Cindy in Academy 20; Karen and Mark from Lewis-Palmer, 38, didn’t need to be asked. They offered their drivers, dispatchers and mechanics to care for our kids. So many districts and volunteers responded with support that all who could were able to pay their respects at Gene’s memorial gathering. To cover liability and manage the costs of hiring backup drivers, we created an inter-district agreement to cover the costs. But none of our neighbors remembered to send us a bill. They just sent us the drivers and mechanics and care that we needed.

It’s said that a candle shines out brightest against the darkest night. That has been my personal experience, and now it’s part of our district legacy as well. As part of a larger collection of school districts from El Paso County, we are proud to compete with quality districts around our community. We want to learn and perform and earn the business of our parents—and so do they. But when tragedy intruded, it was heartwarming to see how the heart of our neighbors showed up and shone out. Those of us who called Gene “our guy” say “Thank You.” For your care and quick response, “Thank You.” For showing our staff and our students what compassion can look like between colleagues and communities, “Thank You.” Your care and support are and echo of the qualities that make us miss Gene so much.

As a leader in school innovation, one of the lessons we take to heart in District 49 is that all of us are smarter than any of us. Paying attention to the “wisdom of the crowd” has led to meaningful initiatives like the LEx Center at Odyssey Elementary School, and the Innovation Institute, a 6th grade “school within a school” at Horizon Middle School.

Most of the time our conversations about innovation and improvement feature a chorus of adult voices. Occasionally, we invite some older students to share ideas, but we have never built a systematic way to gather students’ insights—until now. Earlier this month, the Board of Education approved a new, district-level council called the Student Board of Representatives or SBOR. Last January, our community led via the board of directors to task district leaders with creating a structure for bringing student voice into district decisions. Over the next several months, I met with high school student councils and other student leaders to brainstorm about if and how they would like to be involved in district leadership. They were enthusiastic and eager to join the district conversation, so each high school sent representatives to a series of planning meetings where students and advisors collaborated on new policies, bylaws, and a representative plan. Student representatives came and presented to the board of directors about what they had to offer and what they expected in return.

After months of discussion and anticipation, District 49 formally adopted a system that invites students from every high school to participate in the work and learning of district leadership. Although Colorado law prohibits students from serving as voting members of a local school board, student members on the SBOR will have the same access to the agenda and meeting packet as the adult board members. They will be seated at the same table and will take part in the same discussions. With the exception of confidential matters discussed in executive session, students will add their particular wisdom to every discussion. To make sure that every school shares the opportunity and responsibility for leadership, the student members will rotate monthly. At each work session and regular meeting of the board of education, a pair of students from two different district high schools will attend and lead. When the SBOR identifies specific issues, the student may bring proposals or requests directly to the district board. Although the students represent high schools, our intention is that they will also consider the needs of fellow students from K-12. 

I cannot predict what kinds of insights and initiatives our students will bring, but I am confident that our students represent a rich source of perspectives and observations to help all our district leaders be more student-centered. In the years to come, the Student Board of Representatives will be a source of pride and participation for our entire district.

Another opportunity for students and others to shape district decisions is already up and running. As part of our transition to autonomous zones of innovation, District 49 allowed schools and zones to adopt differentiated and localized calendars. Although we have explored some non-standard and customized arrangements of the school year, the overall innovation has been unsuccessful. Between transportation duplication, scheduling challenges, and general confusion (for parents and staff) the innovation to allow independent calendars has not delivered enough positive results to make up for the problems it created. So, we have launched a community process to better understand our community’s expectations and priorities for the school calendar. Every staff member, parent, student in the district, and any interested community member is invited to complete a calendar survey that addresses school year start and end dates, major breaks, special holidays, and professional work days. Our plan is to propose a two-year calendar to our board of directors early in the new year. After a final round of public input and board deliberation, we expect to adopt a newly re-unified calendar in February. That unified calendar may not please everyone—calendars are an unlikely place to find true consensus—but the final proposal will be fully informed by the wisdom of our community.

With both the student board and the calendar survey, we are grateful for the ideas and guidance of our community. In this season of thanksgiving and gathering together, I am thankful to serve in a district that not only says it wants to hear from the community, but takes measurable steps to be a better listener. Thank you for making our efforts worthwhile.

The strength of District 49 is our diverse portfolio of zones and schools, supported by a smaller central office, with most resources and authority closer to the students. While our decentralization is a strength—promoting flexibility and autonomy—it can also be a limitation, fostering fragmentation and inconsistent practices. Recently we began a series of third-year reviews of school innovation plans. Through those reviews, we observed many of our procedures and processes are effective—they get the job done—but not all our work is efficient. Since we ask our students to meet high standards of excellence, it makes sense that we hold ourselves to the same expectation. You’ll hear more and more about this multi-year commitment as we set our sights on higher levels of adult performance to support higher levels of student performance. We know that students can achieve amazing results if we have the facilities, procedures, and skilled staff in place to support them.

That’s why District 49 is committed to refine the policies and processes that support our students. In our elementary schools, we will continue to focus on primary literacy as our most important commitment. We are moving closer each year to being the district where students read by third grade. Our principals and teachers have demonstrated the power of focus by aligning materials, schedules, and even teaching loads to make primary literacy job #1. With programs like all-school reading initiatives, the LEx Program at Odyssey Elementary, and the Fall/Spring/Summer literacy camps.

In our secondary schools, our strategic focus will remain the development of 49 Pathways—our plan to launch every student to success. With a mix of concurrent enrollment and college preparation, career-technical education, and personal life skill development, we are preparing students for their future learning and service. We know that some students will keep learning at a university and others will pursue technical college. Some will join our nation’s military or civil service, and others will serve in family, workplace, ministry, and entrepreneurial settings. Our commitment through 49 Pathways is to guide our students through personalized experiences that set them up for success.

These two primary initiatives are unchanged from previous years. We don’t value the educational practice of “Last Year’s/This Year’s/Next Year’s New Thing” so we are going to stay committed to primary literacy and 49 Pathways until those initiatives are reliable sources of excellence across our community. The way we are going to ensure that these initiatives deliver on their potential is by holding our district to national standards of performance excellence. The mindset of performance excellence is to improve outcomes by improving our processes. By benchmarking our practices against high-performing enterprises in education and other industries, we can see more clearly where we are already excellent and where we have the most need to improve.

As a community, we have a distinctive landmark that is visible from every district school. Pikes Peak is both an inspiration and an icon of the journey to peak performance. All around our community there are hikers who have made it up Barr Trail. We meet runners and power walkers who completed the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon. Others race cars or motorcycles up the hill climb; and many of us have driven the highway or enjoyed a ride on the Cog Railroad. Pikes Peak is the summit that draws us together. It’s America’s mountain, but it’s in our back yard.

The lessons of Pikes Peak apply perfectly well to our organizational commitment to performance excellence. Nobody starts up the mountain hoping to make it part way. The goal is to reach the peak, and that’s our goal in District 49. It’s also a bad idea to wake up one morning and try and scale the heights. That didn’t work for Zebulon Pike, and it won’t work for us. It will take determined preparation and sustained effort to take our district and community to the summit. And the people who make it up Pikes Peak together are dedicated, talented leaders who inspire us all.

This spring and summer, principals and other leaders have hired a stellar cohort of new teachers, administrators and staff. I encourage you to visit our back-to-school events and meet the new members of our team. We want to take our district to peak performance, and it takes excellent people to make that happen.

I particularly want to highlight four new leaders who began serving our district during the summer “break.” In the iConnect Zone, which unifies our charter, blended learning, alternative and home school programs, Andy Franko is returning to the district fold as the Zone Leader. Mr. Franko has great standing in our community as a former teacher, coach, administrator and head of school. His personal record of excellence will strengthen our district commitment to higher performance. In the POWER Zone, at Odyssey Elementary, host of the innovative LEx Program, new principal Sarah McAfee is already building on the excellent first year of programming and training to support students who match a dyslexia profile. Along with a host of returning teachers and other instructional leaders, the administrative team at Odyssey is pioneering a new national standard for targeted service. Ms. McAfee brings insights honed in years in the classroom and the principal’s office, but she is also a mom and member of our community who will add strength for the climb to performance excellence. The Falcon Zone has already welcomed two new leaders. Dr. Kathy Pickering is joining the zone and district as principal at Woodmen Hills Elementary. As a former educational coach in our district, and a veteran administrator in Academy District 20, Dr. Pickering will add expertise and energy to the Woodmen Hills community. And finally, Dr. Julia Roark has joined our team as the Leader of the Falcon Zone. In her distinguished career, Dr. Roark has been a principal in multiple settings, has completed her doctoral learning with a focus on elementary literacy, and served as assistant superintendent to support high performance in Aspen, Colorado. We are eager to see how Dr. Roark’s expertise and leadership presence will energize performance across the Falcon Zone and District 49.

From the leaders I’ve mentioned to dozens of other assistant administrators, central office leaders, teacher or team leads, and classroom educators, we have hired a strong cohort of dedicated professionals. Several times this spring and summer, hiring administrators made the tough decision to pause or restart the process and find a better candidate. Without exception, that decision to hold out for the best has paid off. The quality of new hires this year is unmatched in our district’s memory, so we are getting ready to climb with confidence.

High-performing professionals are part of the equation, but a community with high expectations and students with high potential are the rest. Our commitment to you—our students, parents, community and colleagues—is to help District 49 deliver on the promise of performance excellence. We are here to reach the peak, so let’s get moving!

Even though cold air and fresh snow reminds us that we are indeed in the middle of winter, the spring semester is in full swing in District 49. We are in one of our longer stretches of learning during the academic year. Our students and schools continue to seize opportunities, earn recognition, and continue a steady march toward becoming the best district to learn, work, and lead.

Over the past nine months, Colorado districts have learned about a new approach to graduation based on mastery of standards, rather than seat time accumulating credits. This change is a profound shift in how we support students and plan their path to success. Rather than waiting on direction from state experts, leaders in District 49 began meeting over a year ago to develop the system we call 49 Pathways. State regulations already require schools to create an individualized career and academic plan (ICAP) for every student, but we decided to go beyond the state minimums and build an integrated system that supports students no matter what destination they may pursue.

We formed a dedicated task force—the Pathbuilders—to lead the effort. To ensure that ICAPs inform our curriculum, assessment, and school improvement programs, we asked Amber Whetstine, our Executive Director of Learning Services, to join the team. To complement Ms. Whetstine’s expertise, we added Zach Craddock, our Executive Director of Individualized Education, who is adapting ICAP across our programs for Special Education, English Language Development, and Gifted and Talented services. Since many of our students’ pathways will include career and technical preparation, Nikki Lester, our Director of Career and Technical Education became an essential member of the team. With the growing importance of concurrent enrollment as an accelerated pathway, we created a new leadership position, and welcomed Mary Perez, our inaugural Director of Concurrent Enrollment to join the Pathbuilders. Finally, since the scope and importance of this initiative demands constant and excellent communications we recruited Matt Meister away from a career in broadcast meteorology to become our Director of Communications and the chief messenger of 49 Pathways.

I often observe that we have one of the finest leadership team in Colorado. Our central administrative core is smaller than comparable districts, but they make up for size with extraordinary quality. The programs they lead were recently featured in Education Week, a national publication that promoted District 49 as one of the “Top 25 Districts to Visit” around the country. Along with national affirmation, the State Board of Education has honored your District 49 Pathbuilders team with an Award of Excellence for district-wide ICAP implementation. As one of only three districts to win this award, all of us who make up District 49 should be proud and grateful to have such stellar leadership. Last month, a series of information nights were held where our secondary students and families learned about the great options for great students in District 49. If you visit D49.org/49Pathways, you can read more about our leading program.

While we are enthusiastic about our award-winning plans for secondary students, this is also a season of meaningful success and progress for our youngest learners. After making primary literacy our highest priority across the elementary level, parents, teachers, and especially students have taken the challenge to demonstrate reading games like never before. Instead of relying on once-a-year scores like TCAP or PARCC, our teachers are emphasizing short and mid-term assessments to track and adjust reading progress. As many parents of elementary students learned at parent-teacher conferences, the emphasis on literacy is paying off. While state testing is changing around us, our internal measures are showing significant improvement in both growth and achievement. Along with literacy camps during fall, spring, and summer breaks, District 49 has made a heavy investment in specialists and specialized training to fulfill our commitment to primary literacy for every student.

Days are getting gradually longer. Daylight saving time begins in early March. We are getting just enough warm days to remind us that the new life of spring isn’t very far away. We are in a season of rededication to the things we value in District 49. As I reflect on the privilege of serving you, it is natural to be dedicated to delivering success for every student. We are grateful that you trust us with your children; and we commit to repaying that trust by giving our very best to everyone.

As we get used to writing "2015" and with the Spring semester underway, District 49 has much to celebrate and a set of important commitments to keep. Since flipping the calendar one year ago, our students and schools have seized opportunities, earned recognition, and continued a steady march toward becoming the best district to learn, work, and lead.

Over the past nine months, Colorado districts have learned about a new approach to graduation based on mastery of standards, rather than seat time accumulating credits. This change is a profound shift in how we support students and plan their path to success. Rather than waiting on direction from state experts, leaders in District 49 began meeting over a year ago to develop the system we call 49 Pathways. State regulations already require schools to create an individualized career and academic plan (ICAP) for every student, but we decided to go beyond the state minimums and build an integrated system that supports students no matter what destination they may pursue. We formed a dedicated task force—the Pathbuilders—to lead the effort. To ensure that ICAPs inform our curriculum, assessment, and school improvement programs, we asked Amber Whetstine, our Executive Director of Learning Services, to join the team. To complement Ms. Whetstine’s expertise, we added Zach Craddock, our Executive Director of Individualized Education, who is adapting ICAP across our programs for Special Education, English Language Development, and Gifted and Talented services. Since many of our students’ pathways will include career and technical preparation, Nikki Lester, our Director of Career and Technical Education became an essential member of the team. With the growing importance of concurrent enrollment as an accelerated pathway, we created a new leadership position, and welcomed Mary Perez, our inaugural Director of Concurrent Enrollment to join the Pathbuilders. Finally, since the scope and importance of this initiative demands constant and excellent communications we recruited Matt Meister away from a career in meteorology journalism to become our Director of Communications and the chief messenger of 49 Pathways.

I often observe that we have one of the finest leadership team in Colorado. Our central administrative core is smaller than comparable districts, but they make up for size with extraordinary quality. The programs they lead were recently featured in Education Week, a national publication that promoted District 49 as one of the “Top 25 Districts to Visit” around the country. Along with national affirmation, As of January 8, we will have state-level recognition of our efforts. The State Board of Education will honor District 49’s Pathbuilders team with an Award of Excellence for district-wide implementation. As one of only three districts to win this award, all of us who make up District 49 should be proud and grateful to have such stellar leadership. Over the next month, parents and students can attend a series of information nights to learn even more about great options for great students in District 49. If you visit D49.org/pathways, you can read more and find a schedule of information nights in a school near you.

While we are enthusiastic about our award-winning plans for secondary students, this is also a season of meaningful success and progress for our youngest learners. After making primary literacy our highest priority across the elementary level, parents, teachers, and especially students have taken the challenge to demonstrate reading games like never before. Instead of relying on once-a-year scores like TCAP or PARCC, our teachers are emphasizing short and mid-term assessments to track and adjust reading progress. As many parents of elementary students learned at parent-teacher conferences, the emphasis on literacy is paying off. While state testing is changing around us, our internal measures are showing significant improvement in both growth and achievement. Along with literacy camps during fall, spring, and summer breaks, District 49 has made a heavy investment in specialists and specialized training to fulfill our commitment to primary literacy for every student.

The New Year is a time for reflection and rededication to the things we value. As I reflect on the privilege of serving in District 49, it is natural to be dedicated to delivering success for every student. We are grateful that you trust us with you children; and we commit to repaying that trust by giving our very best to everyone. Thank you for a great year completed, and even better prospects for the future.

Primary literacy and secondary education continue to be the two areas of primary focus as the fall semester draws to a close. As we near Christmas break, we are gathering data on our primary students to measure the progress that has been made during the first four months of the academic year. I look forward to sharing results from the LEx program at Odyssey Elementary and the specific literacy interventions at Springs Ranch Elementary and our other primary schools in January.

Earlier this month, a little more than 20 leaders from across the district attended a Colorado Department of Education sponsored ICAP summit. The Individualized Career and Academic Plan is the foundation of 49 Pathways.

Our belief that every student should travel down an individualized pathway that leads through competency and skill development to certain success after high school led to the creation of a dedicated task force—the Pathbuilders—to lead our ICAP enhancement efforts. These leaders remain committed to making the ICAP the center of every student’s journey through secondary education. The detailed work they have done in creating 49 Pathways was recognized by CDE with an ICAP implementation award. Out of more than 170 districts in the state, only four were presented with awards. We are leading the way in serving the unique needs of every student.

Tom Vander Ark is a well known education advocate, advisor and author. He recently wrote a piece for EdWeek.org naming District 49 as one of 25 Districts to Visit in the United States that are "changing the trajectory by working on blended, personalized and competency-based learning." He also highlights this group of districts, including District 49, for making career preparation a priority. As we continue to develop 49 Pathways and aim for full implementation in the 2015-2016 school year, the hard work of our leadership team continues to be noticed outside of the Pikes Peak region. While being noticed is great, the fact that accolades are coming because others in the education field are noticing the difference this is going to make to your student is the real celebration.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity for us to reflect. We have many things to be thankful for in our country, our state and here in our school district. I am thankful to work with excellent teachers and dedicated support staff that perform at a high level each and every day to serve your children on their educational journey.

I recently received two pieces of news I want to share with you. One speaks to our hard working students and successful educators. The other speaks to our commitment of embracing innovation to best serve our students as they prepare for college and career.

Four District 49 students have been named Colorado Boettcher Scholarship semi-finalists. Congratulations to Sand Creek High School students Riley Schroeder and Josiah Robison and Falcon High School students Katherine Bernal and Mitchell Carroll. Prestigious Boettcher Scholarships are merit based and provide what is essentially a full-ride to any 4-year institution in Colorado. The program is the oldest scholarship program in the state. Finalists will be announced in February and we look forward to good news. Boettcher scholars in District 49 are not something new. Grace Jiang, who graduated from Sand Creek High School in the Spring, was a Boettcher Scholar last year.

District 49 was named as one of ’25 Districts to Visit’ in the country by Education Week magazine for changing the trajectory of the American education challenge by making career preparation a priority through critical thinking and creativity.  This is a recognition of our district’s unique portfolio of schools and their ability to serve the needs of every student. This is something to be thankful for as we head toward the holiday. 

From my family to yours, have a truly happy Thanksgiving.

   In District 49, we are coming up on a major fork in the road. If our community supports the ballot measures to add funds andfacilities, we will launch into building and program plans that will take us several years to complete. If our community instead decides to continue current levels of support, we’ll take that direction and grow with the resources we have. Either way, District 49 is moving forward. If our path takes us through new territory, we’ll be walking there together. If we proceed as we have for years, we’ll go forward together. There’s no circumstance where “Yes” voters get one future and “No” voters another.Whatever we decide, our best future is together.