Greenfield School District
School Board Meeting Highlights
Our Mission Statement:
January 2017
GHS Link Crew and SMART Team Updates
- The Link Crew is an organization that helps incoming students transition to life at GHS both socially and academically including increasing involvement in school activities. Several members, along with adviser Julia Fangman, gave the school board an overview of the activities they have held so far this school year. One of the highlights was the Finals Week 'Cocoa & Cram' sessions (photo below) which had teachers and upperclassmen helping prepare the freshmen for their first semester finals. They also previewed an upcoming Book Drive, which is a service project to benefit Children's Hospital.
- The SMART Team had student representatives, along with adviser Julia Fangman, give an update on their activities as well. The SMART team is a science group through MSOE comprised of ten students. The students recently participated in Smarquette, which gave them the opportunity to go to Marquette on Saturdays to experience working in a college lab setting. On March 1st, the students will participate in a poster contest at MSOE and on April 22nd, they plan to attend a science conference in Chicago.
Parent Engagement and Parent University Updates
(See link for Powerpoint presentation shown to the board).
The group indicated it plans to start posting videos to the district's new YouTube channel 'Greenfield TV' in order to increase awareness of Parent University to our families and teachers.
Update on District Capital Improvement Projects
Included in the work are security camera upgrades, electrical work, asbestos cleanup at Edgewood, reroofing at Elm Dale, Edgewood and Maple Grove, remodeled media centers at Elm Dale and Edgewood and upgrades to the Elm Dale cafeteria, Light fixtures throughout the elementary schools will be retrofitted to LED lighting for energy savings and a reduction in manpower hours due to the longer life of LED bulbs. The district will receive a software automation upgrade for the HVAC system. Additional work this summer will be done at both GHS and GMS, including three weeks where the middle school will be without power due to an electrical service changeout. The bulk of the work at GMS will take place in the summer of 2018.
Warren told the board that the $21 million 3-year project is currently coming in at 2.5 percent under budget so far.
GHS Cum Laude Graduation Criteria
GHS Principal Paul Thusius made a recommendation to the board to establish a Cum Laude graduate status in place of the current Valedictorian / Salutatorian / Top 10 graduate status as a form of academic accomplishment recognition.
Some of the rationale behind the change is that it would allow for more students to be recognized based on a standard and not based on achievement in relation to their peers and it supports the goal of recognizing outstanding academic achievement without selecting and sorting students into competitive categories, Cum Laude status would be determined after 8 semesters which would also help to keep students academically focused during their last semester,
The qualifications for Cum Laude status are:
1. Earn at least 26 credits
2. Earn a 3.8 GPA or higher (all GPA calculation based on current GPA structure. This may be adjusted if GPA calculation changes are made based upon research and future recommendations)
a. Cum Laude – 3.8 GPA with successful completion of at least “one” Advanced Placement Course
b. Magna Cum Laude – 4.0 GPA with successful completion of at least “three” Advanced Placement Courses
c. Summa Cum Laude – 4.2 GPA or higher with successful completion of at least “five” Advance Placement Courses
3. Receive no academic integrity violations
4. Perform a minimum of 60 community service/volunteer hours
5. Participate in a co-curricular for a minimum of three years during high school
Based on the number of students over the past four years who met these qualifications, an average of twenty students per year would qualify for Cum Laude status.
The board voted to approve the recommendation but to retain the Valedictorian & Salutatorian designations. The new status will go into effect in the fall of 2017 for the class of 2021 and all classes thereafter.
Open Enrollment Seats for 2017-18 School Year
For the current (2016-17) school year, there are 409 students attending the School District of Greenfield via Open Enrollment, including 71 (out of 319) in Grade 12. For the 2017-18 school year, it is projected that there will be 353 students the School District of Greenfield via Open Enrollment. The net impact of this recommendation is a reduction in the total number of students attending under the Open Enrollment program between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.
It is likely that class size projections will change, and in which case, space for Open Enrollment students may be made available closer to the start of the 2017-18 school year. Note that the District has experienced increased growth in resident enrollment in recent years. In fact, between the 2014-15 school year and the 2015-16 school year, resident enrollment increased by 45 students.
Over the last three years, the District has made a concerted effort to moderate class sizes in an effort to improve student success, which is one reason the district is not adding new OE seats. It was also determined that there will be no new Special Education seats available in the district either.
The Administration’s recommendation with regards to Open Enrollment is strategic in nature, taking into consideration the needs of Greenfield students, appropriate and reasonable class sizes, and enrollment trends, with the goal of improving student achievement for all students attending the schools of the School District of Greenfield.
Since the district receives $6,748 per Open Enrollment student, there will be continue to be an adverse effect to the budget for the next few years as grades with exceptionally high numbers of open enrollment students exit the District (through graduation) and are not replaced with comparable numbers of open enrollment students. The number of students attending via Open Enrollment will plateau in the next few years, and staffing will reflect the needs of Greenfield resident students. While the District does receive revenue for students attending via Open Enrollment, students attending via Open Enrollment may cost substantially more if the student requires additional support and/or they participate in programs such as Youth Options or other off-campus programming.
GHS Girls Softball Team Trip Approved
Coach Miller said he feels the players will enjoy the educational experience, camaraderie and competition offered by the trip. He expects the cost to be about $1,000 per player and says the team will fundraise to pay for it. The trip was the idea of the players and their families.
The board voted unanimously to approve the team's trip as requested.
February Meetings
- Committee of the Whole Meeting - Monday, February 13th, 6:30pm
- School Board Meeting - Monday, February 27th, 6:30pm