The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

With just a few months remaining in the 2020-21 year, Frenchman Board of Education members and administration are looking ahead to the next. During a recent meeting, board members voted to lengthen the school day by nine minutes next year while approving the District calendar for the 2021-22 school year.

Next year, Fleming students will start school at 7:55 a.m. and dismiss at 3:50 p.m.

“By adding nine minutes to each day, we were able to subtract three school days in the year,” Fleming Superintendent Steve McCracken said.

Currently, Fleming students start school at 8 a.m. and dismiss at 3:46 p.m. Throughout the day, students attend eight class periods and will continue to do so next year.

“We plan to add nine minutes to the last period,” McCracken said.

The 2021-22 school year in Fleming will begin on Aug. 17 and will dismiss on May 20. Fleming utilizes a four-day school week with Mondays off.

After voting on the school calendar for next year, board members moved on to discuss McCracken’s contract for the 2022-23 school year. The Board, typically, approves the top administrator’s contract two years in advance.

McCracken’s contract was approved with no changes.

At the start of the Feb. 23 meeting, board members reviewed correspondence from the Colorado Department of Education.

McCracken said the District received a letter from the CDE and the School Finance Unit commending Fleming’s finance department for providing data and documentation from the 2019-20 audit in a timely manner.

Teachers Arika Lippstrew and Becky Harms both presented to board members at the beginning of the February meeting. At the beginning of each monthly meeting, the Board invites two staff members to give an update on classroom activities and to hold an open dialogue on their specialty at the School; rotating through each staff member throughout the year, giving each a time to speak to the Board.

Lippstrew thanked board members for their work to host in-person learning in Fleming throughout the pandemic and for also prioritizing electives in the District. Lippstrew, who teaches art in Fleming, also talked about how she uses technology in the classroom.

Harms, now in her second year as the social studies teacher, talked about what she is currently teaching in her classroom and her philosophy on testing and various ways to assess students’ knowledge. Harms co-ops with other teachers to utilize cross-curriculum in her classroom in Fleming.

Principal Kortney Firme told board members she is currently in her second round of formal teacher evaluations. She said she recently implemented Kelso’s Choice program, which teaches students how to deal with conflict. She also said she has started work on the junior high and high school class schedule for next year.

During his time with the Board, McCracken told members that Logan County recently moved to level Blue on the COVID-19 dial, which allows for fewer restrictions. He also expressed his thanks to the Logan County Sheriff’s Office and Board Member Shane Schliesser for bringing the drug dog through the school building recently.

In other business the Board:

• Approved Ashley Steward as a bus driver;

• Ratified the decision to cancel school on Feb. 15 due to dangerously low temperature and the wind chill factor.

The next school board meeting in Fleming is slated for March 16 at 6:30 p.m.