Old Believer Students Are Focused

I spent most of Friday at Kachemak Selo, Voznesenka and Razdolna in our Old Believer villages at the head of Kachemak Bay.  Despite the less than optimal facilities, I was pleased to see how well the teachers and students are getting on with things.  As always, I was impressed by how friendly and focused the students are toward their studies.  I respect that these three communities do not like a lot of attention but want readers to know that good things are happening there.

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Repairing Roofs

On Tuesday, close to 2/3 of those who voted approved a bond referendum that will allow the borough to make repairs to school roofs.  The good news is that the state will pay70% of this cost and the feds will pay up to 45% of the interest on the debt.

Thanks to all who were a part of the informational campaign to let voters know the details of how the bond sale and repayment will work.  While the repaired roofs will not cause a spike in student achievement, I am pleased that the “yes vote” shows a strong support for our children and our schools.

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Homer Students Impress State Superintendents

The state’s annual superintendent conference was held in Homer this week and as host, I was responsible for arranging  the entertainment.  On the first day 10 cub scouts from Paul Banks made the room shine when they led us in the pledge.  Later that day the high school’s jazz band played at our lunch; they were terrific.  The following day 3 students from Homer Flex wowed our group with their furniture business.  Finally, the high school’s swing choir captivated us with their performance at our banquet.  In each case the students  and accompanying teachers/adults displayed a focus  and dedication that made everyone proud.  While a lot of the conference was spent on the pressing side of school administration (legal issues, data analysis), the students were clearly the highlight of the three days and were a wonderful reminder of why we are educators.

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KPBSD’s Student Leaders

I joined about 70 of our student government students in Seward at the SeaLife Center today.  All the students were in fine spirits and made the most of their day together.  Besides electing students to serve on various district committees including the student rep on the school board, the group attended workshops and ate about 30 pizzas.  One of the adages you regularly hear is that some day these kids are going to be running the joint.  After watching this group in action, I feel pretty good about them taking the reins.

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Are we preparing our graduates for what is next?

Welcome to my first post .    I plan to use this forum to offer insights into the district’s affairs, ask questions and to celebrate the myriad of good things that are happening  at our schools each day.

Since school started we have been going as fast as we can to guide a series of improvement efforts.  One of these efforts, to review our students’ secondary experience,  included an employer summit.  The event was a chance for us to gain feedback from employers and higher ed on what we need to do to prepare our graduates for life after high school.

We came away from the summit with three strong recommendations. Read More »

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From the Superintendent

Welcome to the 2010-11 school year. After a summer of rest, recreation and a little too much rain, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School Distrtict staff is again ready to do all that it can for our students. Over the summer the district’s principals and administrators diligently planned and prepared for the return of students and staff. Many teachers, as well as administrators, participated in professional development through college courses, workshops and other trainings designed to help our staff meet the needs of our students. I know that all of us at KPBSD are excited about the start of the year and are eager to implement our plans that will lead to improved learning opportunities.

As the following table illustrates, I am pleased to report that our KPBSD students continue to perform above the state’s average on the state’s annual standardized tests. Read More »

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