From the halls of Gilpin County Schools...

1/13/2005 - New Year for school has a different meaning as our new school year occurs in late summer but we begin this new calendar year, of 2005, with optimism for our country, faith in our leadership, support for our soldiers and compassion worldwide for those less fortunate than ourselves.

  Our students continue working hard, as student achievement remains a singular focus for every aspect of our school district. We are pleased with the gains of our students but we will never be satisfied. We encourage student effort and support our teachers in their work every day. Our first semester is soon ending so secondary students are preparing for a series of final exams later this month. It is a significant marker for their school year but we all must remember that it is only the halfway point! 

  Our school district mission is to provide a positive caring culture in a safe environment that is focused on academic excellence. To this end our school board has taken on the ambitious task of evaluating every policy governing this school district to ensure that our mission is reflected in all aspects of this organization. A board committee has agreed to meet every Monday morning until this task is completed! 

  The work of our District Accountability Committee is also focused on the school district mission as it works hard to fulfill its mandate of examining the food program in the schools, reviewing curriculum, budget and financial oversight as well as the overall safety of our children. This committee is comprised of parents, community members, students, staff, and principals and provides a fresh look at nagging concerns. 

  The federal No Child Left Behind legislation presents hurdles for a small school district that are different from those experienced by our large neighbors. They too work hard to fulfill their responsibilities and there are aspects of our size that provide us with benefits our neighbors cannot enjoy. We all know that this federal legislation must soon change and we all hope that the changes will better suit the children in all Colorado school districts.We have found that the benefits of school district accreditation, school accountability reports and NCLB legislation have outweighed any problems that may have been encountered.

  The state legislature opens on January 12. A genuine concern remains for the conflict among the constitutional financial mechanisms and their effect on state budgets. A crisis for all state funding is looming. We in K-12 public education have been insulated from much of the impact of recent state budget solutions but a larger, long-term answer must be proposed. We wish them well in their work.

  And we wish you all a peaceful and prosperous 2005!