Superintendent Message

Good morning and happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a good three day weekend! Mine was fairly relaxing – with the levy now solidly on the positive side, I managed to relax a little bit. Of course now that we start thinking about Spring sports, we are in for a cold front this week, so if you see any snowflakes, make sure to check your phone or email in the mornings!

On Friday, the board will be having a work session to discuss our current budget information and to hear recommendations on planning going forward. Our non-personnel costs have skyrocketed this year. You all know that because of your own grocery, heat or gas bills, but our food, diesel and contracted services (ESD) have grown at extremely high rates, doubling or tripling in some cases. With that, I will present the board some options to get us back on the long-term track to financial stability. Unfortunately, when non-personnel costs (read: non-negotiable, must have’s to operate) surge higher, we have to look at all options to get cash flow and operating costs down, which will mean some personnel cuts moving forward. So I will begin these discussions with the board and with building administrators in the next week or so.

Some of you have seen that we received an exploratory grant from OSPI to study the Balanced Calendar concept. Please understand, that means we are studying it, not adopting it. Quite frankly, it may not be an option for our district and our current CBA’s mandate that we bargain our calendar; I cannot impose it. But if OSPI wants to give us a grant to read some books and attend some meetings, I am game for that especially with no mandate to implement anything!

I have all sorts of meetings this week, from Tri-Tech Superintendent’s to CTE Gen-eral Advisory Council to a superintendent’s breakfast in Walla Walla, so I will be juggl-ing. But if you need anything you can email or text me at 539-0039. Have a great short week!

Pete

What's Going On This Week

District

• 2/20-2/24: National FFA Week
• 2/20: No School
• 2/21: Middle School Family Committee Meeting, 5:30, MS Library
• 2/22: PLC Release 1:40
• 2/22: Running Start Information Night, 6:00, HS Library

Upcoming Events

• 2/27: School Board Meeting, 6:30, Board Room
• 3/7: Ki-Be Community Council Meeting, 6:00, HS Library

Staff Member in Focus:  Brett Cox

• CWU class of ‘90
• Wife Julie teaches English at Kamiakin
• Sons, Xavier 17 and Cedric 15
• 26 years in public schools, bus driver– Superintendent and every job in between.