Mr. Thueson retirement party!

As of today, Mr. Thueson is retired!  Everyone involved in school participated in a retirement party!  Congratulations Mr. Thueson, you will be missed! 

Supplemental Levy In May

    During the February school board meeting, the Shoshone Board of Trustees unanimously voted to ask resident to extend our current supplemental levy for another two years.  Voters will decide on the issue in May 15, 2012.  If passed, the levy will be for the same amount as the current levy which is $300,000 per year.

     If passed, the district plans to use the levy amount to keep school general fund budgets near the current level.  The amount of the supplemental levy request amounts to 8.9% of the total of last year’s budget for general fund state expenditures.  The state has reduced funding the Shoshone School District receives, and we expect a further reduction this year.  The objective of the school district budget committee has been to prioritize spending in the district on activities most directly related to our school goal of increased student achievement and our vision of becoming a school that exhibits the “Nine Characteristics of High-Performing Schools.”      

     Last year, the district received reduced funding and made several cuts to the budget.  The district also shifted money to priorities based on our school goal and vision.  Levy or no levy, we are projecting another reduction for the 2012-2013 school year.  Approval of this supplemental levy will fund activities, supplies and staffing to continue to support district efforts for school improvement. 

     The process of voting has changed from previous elections.  Lincoln County elections will now handle voting logistics.  The vote will take place at the polling place assigned by Lincoln County. 

     If you have any questions about the supplemental levy, or about district operations, feel free to call the district office at 886-2038.  Mr. Waite or any other staff member would be happy to answer any questions you have or hear any comments you would like to make. 

    

Idaho Leads First Meeting

Boise State University has a created a professional development project focused on strengthening leadership capacity in Idaho’s K-12 schools, and Shoshone was invited to be one of the inaugural members. The Idaho Leads Project will provide us with support and resources to become more effective leaders and create high-performing schools where all students succeed.

Boise State University’s Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies (CSIPS) is administrating the project, which is funded through a $3.85 million grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. 

Project co-directors are William Parrett, CSIPS director; Roger Quarles, assistant professor of Educational Leadership; Kathleen Budge, associate professor of Educational Leadership; and Lisa Kinnaman, director of National Improvement Support for CSIPS.

The goal of the Idaho Leads Project is twofold: first, to support and enhance the advancement of education improvement and innovation in Idaho, and second, to share in an easily accessible manner best practices to all interested districts and their stakeholders.

The participating districts will convene for four regional network meetings over the next 18 months where they will define priorities, identify successes, and isolate areas where improvements can be made. The first network meeting was held in February and was a wonderful experience. The day-long event included nationally recognized keynote speakers, team-building exercises and job-alike network meetings. The next network meeting will be held in May Sun Valley. 

Each district will be reimbursed for all of expenses, including travel and substitute teacher costs. 

The Idaho Leads team has provided books, technical tools and resources. We also are expecting an on-site visit from Idaho Leads team members to offer us customized professional development. Idaho Leads will also include our best practices on newsletters, websites and blogs.

Each of the 49 participating districts and charter schools has a team of 10 members. Jackie Owens, Norene Webber, Carl Horn, Kelly Chapman, Emily Nelsen, Ginger Koonce, David Hocklander,  Karen Osmin, and Caulen Bryant. 

As a result of our first experience with Idaho leads, the district is looking at ways to increase technology access to our students and families.  We are also looking at ways to use technology to make our education system more efficient and effective.