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

Haxtun Board of Education members heard a detailed report from the District’s Wellness Committee as well as reviewed and approved Superintendent Marsha Cody’s annual evaluation in an early morning meeting on Friday, Feb. 23. Board members also looked over the proposed school calendar and ratified employment for several staff members for the 2024-25 year.

The Friday morning meeting opened at 8:45 with a special presentation from Elementary Counselor/Teacher Audree Edwards and High School Counselor Sharon Seger. The duo presented the Haxtun School District Wellness Master Plan on behalf of the District’s Wellness Committee.

“The Wellness Master Plan is to promote wellness within our school district … to determine where strengths and needs are,” said Superintendent Cody.

The Wellness Plan includes the District’s graduate profile, Haxtun brand, multi-tier system of support, attendance mediation, staff support and school, family and community partnerships.

Below is a recap of each component of the Wellness Plan as presented to the Board:

• The Graduate Profile/Haxtun Brand contains five competencies: self-initiative, civic engagement, strong character, adaptability and future readiness.

• The WSCC model, which stands for Whole School, Whole Community and Whole Child, provides a comprehensive framework that guides Haxtun School District in its mission to promote the health, well-being and academic success of every student.

• Multi-Tiered System of Support contains three tiers: tier one is the universal instruction and expectations and behavioral support provided to ALL students; tier two is interventions and supports for some students based on students’ failure to respond well to universal (tier one) instruction and expectations; and tier three is interventions and supports provided to FEW students based on students’ failure to respond to tier one and tier two interventions and supports.

• The District’s Attendance Mediation is an important component of the Wellness Plan. Students who have good attendance generally achieve higher grades, enjoy school more and are more employable after leaving school, so it is imperative for students to attend school consistently. The plan will build on processes already in place to strengthen District attendance and truancy monitoring to help prevent students from becoming chronically absent.

• Staff Support is the component that focuses on staff wellness and social emotional health. Haxtun School recognizes that trauma and stressors do not only affect students, but also directly impact staff in both their professional and personal lives. A positive working environment is one of trust, cooperation, safety, support, accountability and equality.

• Family, school and community partnerships have four essential elements which are to create an inclusive culture, build trusting relationships, design capacity building opportunities and dedicate necessary resources.

“We will put areas to grow into next year's strategic plan,” Cody said in regards to information in the District Wellness Plan.

As the first item of business, board members approved the 2024 superintendent evaluation for Cody. Prior to the meeting, board members met in work session to go over the evaluation in detail.

Cody received a 4.85 out of five on the seven indicators in the evaluation tool. The Board shared the following feedback for Cody to continue: passion and commitment to the District, communication, creative and out-of-the-box thinking for staffing and advocacy at the State and local level.

As for areas to focus on differently, the Board indicated these following areas: website/app improvement, articles in the local newspaper, family/work/life balance and additional personal development for staff.

Also at the Friday meeting, board members reviewed the proposed calendar for the coming year. Areas to note in the calendar are five additional teacher days; three additional student contact days and an increase of 21.5 attendance hours from the current calendar.

The school bell schedule would also change, if approved next month as is, with school beginning at 7:50 a.m. and ending at 3:50 p.m., adding 10 additional minutes to the school day.

The high school lunch hour would be shortened by 10 minutes, reflecting similar breaks to other districts in the area.

Plans are to vote on the 2024-25 proposed calendar in March.

In other news the Board:

• Approved removing former board members Richard Starkebaum and Abby Henry as signers on the safety deposit box and to add Amy Kilgour and Ross Edwards as signers;

• Approved spring coaches for baseball and high school track;

• Accepted a resignation from Hailey Forry as Special Education Para-professional;

• Approved the following staffing for next year: Kimberly Jones, Special Education Teacher with an extended contract; Collyn Heinz as part-time Special Education Teacher, part-time PE Teacher and Assistant Athletic Director with a partial extended contract; and Jeana Clark as Gifted and Talented Coordinator.