Summer vacation for students and faculty ended on Aug. 27, and it was back to the old grind for the Wrangell School Board as well, which had its first monthly meeting of the new year on Sept. 9.
Board members reviewed the new district crisis plan, which was drawn up and adopted by the school’s safety committee last month. The plan outlines responses for a host of emergency situations, ranging from fires, hazardous material spills and allergic reactions to bioterrorism and hostile intrusions.
Additional input for the plan came from emergency personnel, city staff and medical practitioners. In particular, a recommendation to institute a “run, hide, fight” response to a hostile intruder situation was included in the revised crisis plan. The previous “lock-down” response had been criticized as outdated and potentially unsafe by local law enforcement, and other incongruities in the school’s crisis plan were similarly revised.
“The document looks good,” said school superintendent Patrick Mayer. He said committees focused on other areas—such as career development, technology and academics—were similarly working on policy improvements.
Policies on library and resource materials selection, special education, charter school and meeting conduct were also accepted on second reading by the board. Language previously giving the board president discretionary leeway for conducting meetings was scrapped in favor of a more rigid adherence to “accepted parliamentary procedures,” according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. Additionally, language was added which emphasizes that only one person may speak to the board at a time.
The revisions were adopted as part of the regular review cycle and follow the Association of Alaska School Boards’ policy model. Though not a direct response, the changes follow a string of meetings held late this spring that were at times heated and occasionally bordered on tumultuous.
School safety, budget arrangements and the lunch program were all topics which filled the room at the May and June meetings, and the board’s formal procedures for accepting input left some faculty and parents feeling frustrated. Some were already irritated by the board’s stricter adherence to how and when its members could accept public input or discuss problems out of session. At the springtime meetings, several people took time to publicly highlight communication problems within the school district.
Speaking as a person to be heard Sept. 9, high school teacher Anne Luetkemeyer continued this conversation. At the moment, she feels the school system still lacks a platform where ideas can be comfortably exchanged and discussed between staff, parents and administration.
“My interest is in better communication between the board, the community and the staff of Wrangell schools,” she explained afterward. Luetkemeyer said approaching the board would be a step in the right direction. “That’s what the board is supposed to do; that’s what it’s there for.
“I realize there are decisions that have to be made at higher levels,” she added. “Part of my criticism was in the top-down management that we’re seeing more and more of. In the spirit of collaboration that’s not the most effective.”
Following the rules of order, the board would not respond to Luetkemeyer’s points during the meeting, but would include the matter for discussion on its next meeting’s agenda.
This year Wrangell’s schools have begun holding weekly collaborative sessions between staff and faculty. The goal of the meetings is to approach education as a broader continuum between kindergarten and post-graduation and to improve communication between programs accordingly.
“That is our primary goal, is to raise student achievement,” explained school superintendent Patrick Mayer.
The first of these meetings was held on Monday. “I think it went really well,” he commented.
The meetings’ focus are specific for each individual campus, and each sets learning priorities for the year. Mayer explained these targets will be revisited weekly and should particularly help the school system integrate the use of technology in Wrangell’s classrooms.
“We’re really kind of hitting our stride with technology,” Mayer said. Earlier this summer the district took on Cyni Waddington as its technology coordinator, a post held previously by Bob Henry. Wrangell Public Schools further hired Matt Gore to be its new technology director, overseeing all functions of tech in the district. Students’ tech saviness has been enlisted as well; already one is assisting with the IT help desk for on-the-job training, and Mayer anticipated more would be participating soon.
In its other business, the board approved a number of personnel contracts, offering contracts to Lisa Nikodym as activities director; Laurie Brown as high school girls assistant basketball coach; Jack Carney as middle school wrestling coach; and Cindy Martin and Barbara Neyman as co-advisors for the middle school yearbook program.
The board also approved the hirings of Bridgette Andrews as paraprofessional; Cynthia Crary as information technology coordinator; Laurie Stargel as paraprofessional; and Megan Talburt as high school secretary. Board members also reviewed the resignations of Mikki Angerman as elementary council advisor and Bridget Davidson as paraprofessional.
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