Personnel

The 2018-19 budget maintains all positions as currently staffed and includes the following increases in personnel costs effective July 1, 2018:  

--transfer $100,000 to the PERS reserve fund in anticipation of future increases in PERS related costs;

--step increase for all employees;

--cost-of-living increase for employees (amount to be determined through bargaining);

--increase in the insurance cap for employees (amount to be determined through bargaining);

--hire a graduation coach/school counselor (partially funded with Measure 98 dollars);

--increase the Musician-in-Residence position by one class period to provide an intermediate band class;

--employ a part-time teacher to oversee the new Health Careers Pathway online program and to offer a robotics elective for high school;

--increase by two-hours daily the assistant cook position;

--increase one part-time custodial position to full-time (if and when new educational space is added to the district);

--offer a stipend to a cross-country coach to begin cross country as a sports option for students.

Programs

In keeping with the district’s goal of updating all of its curriculum, the 2018-19 budget will include funds to purchase new health textbooks.

Instructional line item budgets will be added to the instructional budget to accommodate new or recently added programs that do not currently have a line.  These include: elementary music, band, choir, Rock 101, journalism, freshman orientation, HS robotics, and MS Wheel Exploratories.

Funds will be used to continue making progress on our long-range technology improvement plan, which includes, among other things, replacing twenty percent of our hardware annually so that all technology is kept up to date.  Specifically, we plan to replace the computers in the Vocational Agriculture Lab, install five Apple TV devices to support iPad instruction, and install a SmartBoard in Room 215.

The district will continue to collaborate with other South County school districts regarding the formation of a South County CTE Consortium and will budget money toward start-up costs of that program.

Places

In the area of facility maintenance, the district will continue to invest significantly in upgrading our campus.  Planned improvements for 2018-19 include new flooring in four classrooms and the hallway/lobby of the main building; interior painting of the library, cafeteria, and teacher workroom; HVAC updates; the purchase of either a replacement maintenance truck or a small lawn tractor; Phase I of the weight room refurbishing project; and Phase II of the bleacher replacement project.

The district will continue to explore building additional educational space to accommodate increased enrollment and programs.

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Planning

The district is committed to being a good steward of the financial resources entrusted to it and planning for the future by maintaining a healthy planned reserve and contingency fund to ensure money is available for emergency situations and to adjust for any unexpected changes in enrollment.

Recently a community member asked me how our community might better show its concern for our children. 

This was my response…

One tangible way would be to have a dedicated group of volunteers who would be at the school regularly to be an extra set of eyes and hands.  I’d love to have different people sign up to greet the buses each morning to welcome kids to school.  I’d like to see “breakfast buddies” and “lunch buddies” sit and eat meals with students.  I’d like “recess buddies” to play games with the kids during recess.  And, when those volunteers are here, I’d like them to check in with teachers, volunteer to make copies, tidy up the teacher work room, volunteer for tasks like cleaning the trophy cases, or baking goodies or bringing fresh flowers for the teacher work room, just as a few examples.

Ideally, we would have 20-25 volunteers who have gone through a background check and orientation/training (how to operate the copier, honoring and respecting confidentiality, who to report concerns to, etc) who would take turns doing these tasks coordinated by a volunteer coordinator.

These acts of kindness would go a long way in making employees feel appreciated and valued.  I recently read that teacher stress in the United States is at an all-time high and that teacher stress results in greater levels of student stress.  By supporting teachers, volunteers indirectly support students.  And, the extra sets of eyes on kids could help alert us to any concerns or issues.  Noticing and responding appropriately to changes in behavior or attitude is a key step in making sure the students have their emotional and mental health needs met, thereby keeping the school safe.

I hope you will give my response serious consideration.  Volunteer applications and background check forms are available from Cheryl in the main office.

All the best!

Dr. Angle

For 2017-18, DC Charter has embraced the them, “Empower the Positive!”  We’ve been looking for ways to see the best in ourselves and in others and to use those most positive attributes as a way to affect systemic change in a way that improves the district and the way we provide services to our students, their families, and our greater community.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I’d like to use this blog post as an opportunity to share some of the positives that I’ve seen during the first one-third of the school year:

--Student aides are being used effectively throughout the building in classrooms, the cafeteria, and the office.

--Our Educational Assistants (EA) continue to be an important and integral part of our work.  We’ve just hired our sixth EA (up from four a couple years ago) and this year each is assigned to spend most of their day working with the same teacher and students as a way to maximize relationships and student achievement.

--Students have had multiple opportunities this year to engage in learning outside the district.  Some of these special activities include: Umpqua District FFA Leadership Conference; Southern Oregon Trades Careers Expo; and Vocal Jam and Honor Choir.

--We’ve really focused in on our charter school’s natural resources theme this year.  One way we are providing additional opportunities in this area are through our Rubber Boots and Work Gloves days where elementary students spend part of their school day engaged in activities around this theme.  We couldn’t pull off these days without the support of our community and parent volunteers…thanks to all who have helped us with this initiative!

--Our teachers spent a Friday in October at the Douglas County Fairgrounds with teachers from all school districts in Douglas County learning strategies to help students be more successful in school.  We learned practical ideas for improving student engagement, creating a positive climate, and building cognitive capacity.

--Another area in which we’ve been especially focused this year is measuring and reporting to students their average daily attendance each week.  At the end of quarter one, our cumulative average daily attendance was:

----Elementary School     96%

----Middle School            95%

----High School                92%

We so appreciation the efforts of our parents in getting your children to school on time, sending them every day (unless there is a legitimate, excusable reason), and having them stay for the full day.

--Thanks to the idea of a DC alumna, and donations from the community, we served every child a free Thanksgiving Feast last week.  It was a great way for those of us who work at DC Charter to express our gratitude to our students for being part of our lives.

This is just a small sampling of the many ways we are “Empowering the Positive” this year.  We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season…including all of our parents and community members who partner with us every day to make our school a positive place for all who work and learn here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dr. A

As we approach the new school year, these are the goals the Superintendent/Director and boards have agreed to pursue.


GOALS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT/DIRECTOR

2017-18

SUPERINTENDENT GOALS

Approved by the District Board on August 14, 2022

Continue the “Give Me Five” initiative as a way to focus school improvement goals and foster student success in the areas of Attendance, Attitude, Academics, Athletics, and Activities.

Maintain recent enrollment growth to keep the district financially solvent and continue to be a good steward of district funds while providing updated resources that promote effective teaching and learning.

Continue to improve district facilities to provide an environment conducive to learning by providing well-maintained spaces for students, employees, and the community.

Continue to regularly update the district website, Facebook page, and Instagram as a way to keep the community informed and involved in the life and activities of the district.

DIRECTOR GOALS

Approved by the Charter Board on July 5, 2022

Continue to provide additional and updated resources to support quality teaching, to include, but not limited to:

●      Continue to partner with Cynthia Hurkes, Early Learning Hub, to determine the interests and needs of our community so we can support early childhood learning that best prepares students for entry to kindergarten and promotes reading readiness

●      Adopt new social studies textbooks K-12

●      Seek funding for improved technology, especially in video production and robotics

●      Continue to collaborate with South County Superintendents to seek additional CTE opportunities for students

●      Increase the number of classroom observations to enhance conversations that support professional learning and lead to increased student achievement

SUPERINTENDENT/DIRECTOR GOAL

Continue to increase knowledge of Oregon school governance, funding, and advocacy by attending COSA sponsored leadership conferences during the 2017-18 school year.

Dear Days Creek Charter School Families:

In just a few weeks, we will be ready to receive your children for the new school year!  I hope you have had an enjoyable summer break and that you are looking forward to the year ahead.

For the third summer in a row, the school campus has been a hub of activity.  This year, we installed new windows in the high school wing.  These windows replace the 1950s original windows and are much more energy efficient.  They have screens that will keep the bugs out.  And, they open in such a way as to allow student egress in the event of an emergency.  So not only do they look much nicer, they make our building safer for your children.

In addition to the windows, the entire upper campus is receiving a fresh coat of bright white paint with lots of “Days Creek red” trim!  It is amazing how new paint really improves the look and feel of the campus.

On the inside, we’ve replaced flooring in four more classrooms and we relocated some classrooms to provide better separation between elementary, middle, and high school students.  All K-4 classes (including the elementary computer lab) are now contained in the elementary pod.  Students in grades 5-8 are in the modular.  All high school core classes (English, math, science, and social studies) are now on the same hallway.  The special education classroom (accessed by students in all grade levels) is now in the center of the building right across from the main office, which also makes it much more convenient for parents coming to IEP meetings.

The gym floor was stripped to the bare wood and sanded level.  The new finish is stunning.  Work is being done to update the woodshop, including the purchase of new equipment.

In addition to these facility improvements, we continue to update and improve our textbooks and technology.  The high school lab (Room 215) will be getting all new computers in the coming weeks.  Students in grades 5-12 will find the new computers to be faster and more reliable than the previous ones.  Our new science textbooks and materials will be put into use this year, adding to the math textbooks we got last year, and the reading textbooks we purchased my first year as superintendent.  Next year we plan to get new social studies textbooks.

Rob Bixby, our new Ag Teacher/FFA Advisor, has been working throughout the summer to meet students and prepare for the Douglas County Fair.  He has made a great impression on everyone he has encountered and we are looking forward to the great things he will accomplish in these programs!

Our new full-time Educational Assistant, Jen Caudill, has a BS in Child and Family Studies and an art minor.  She also has a certificate in Japanese language.  I plan on capitalizing on these strengths to benefit our elementary students by providing them with experiences in Japanese culture and language as well as art.  Where, besides Days Creek Charter School, do elementary students have the opportunity for daily PE and music plus weekly enrichment in art and foreign language?

We have so many improvements and changes to celebrate!

But one thing remains the same: the wonderful students, families, and community members who love and support our school!  I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve and to lead this district.  Your kindness and support mean more than I can express.  Thank you for partnering with me to make our school the very best it can be!

See you soon!

Dr. Angle, Superintendent

It is an interesting time for school budget planning in Oregon!  On the one hand, we see headlines in the newspaper that proclaim Oregon’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in decades.  On the other hand, in the same edition of the newspaper, we read that state school funding is being decreased to help cover a significant deficit in state revenue.

In Douglas County SD #15, we face some of our own “one hand/other hand” scenarios.  On the one hand, our recent increases in student enrollment will help offset the proposed reductions in state funding.  On the other hand,  we must continue on a path of fiscal conservatism given the uncertainty of state support for public schools and the ambiguity that comes from having approximately half of our students living outside the district attendance boundaries .

To best navigate these somewhat murky waters, we will continue on the path which we began a couple years ago: being fiscally conservative while making modest, thoughtful increases in spending in areas that will best serve our students.

Personnel

Education is a people business.  As in every school district, the largest expenditure in the Days Creek budget is for personnel costs.  This budget includes the following increases in personnel costs effective July 1, 2017:  

--funds to cover a 5% increase in PERS costs;

--a step increase for all employees;

--a cost-of-living increase for employees (amount to be determined through bargaining)

--an increase in the insurance cap for employees (amount to be determined through bargaining)

--make the temporary education assistant position permanent (7.5 hours per day for 157 days)

--make the temporary day-shift custodian position permanent  (4 hours per day for 260 days, or equivalent)

--make the temporary night-shift custodian position permanent (4 hours per day for 260 days, or equivalent)

The following increases are included in this budget proposal; however, final decisions for these two increases will be made only after the following issues have been resolved: 1) state revenue projections have been finalized; 2) bargaining for both classified and licensed employees has been completed; 3) enrollment projections have been finalized.

--increase the Musician-in-Residence position from three hours daily to six hours daily (to expand to middle school and provide a planning period)

--increase the math tutor from three hours daily to four hours daily (to cover all of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and a full period of individual tutoring)

Teaching and Learning

During 2016-17, the district purchased new math textbooks for grades K-12 and fully implemented the new curriculum districtwide.  

The district continues on a path to update all its curriculum and for the 2017-18 year this will include the purchase of new science textbooks for students in grades 7-12.  

Technology

The district has submitted a $75,000 grant proposal to Ford Family Foundation.  If funded, the district will purchase an additional iPad cart for elementary students, and two additional laptop carts (one for middle school and one for high school).  Funds from Ford Family Foundation would also be used to update the equipment used in the Video Production and Robotics classes.  (The district does not plan to purchase this added equipment during the 2017-18 year without the support of Ford Family Foundation, but will include it in a future budget cycle if the grant is not funded.)

District funding will be used to continue making progress on our long-range technology improvement plan, which includes, among other things, replacing twenty percent of our hardware annually so that all technology is kept up to date.  

Athletics and Activities

We will continue to provide a variety of athletic opportunities for students during the 2017-18 school year, but no new athletic offerings are being considered during this budget cycle.  While the district had hoped to be able to pay a stipend for a cheerleading coach and a student council advisor, neither of these initiatives made it into this budget cycle, but will be considered again in the future.

Operations and Service

In the area of operations and maintenance, the district replaced the flooring in three classrooms and all office spaces during the summer 2016.  The district also installed new entry doors at all entrances to the main building during fall 2016.  These doors provide greater security with locking mechanisms that be controlled in the front office.  

The district was awarded a $25,000 grant to conduct a seismic assessment of the facility in spring 2017.  It is expected that once the seismic assessment is complete, the district will be able to apply for additional grant funds to help resolve structural deficiencies that come to light through this assessment.

Improvements to the facility planned for 2017-18 include $10,000 for improvements in the wood shop; replacement of windows in the high school wing; replacing flooring in three classrooms; repairing flooring in the gymnasium; painting the exterior of the building; and sealing and re-lining the parking lot.

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Contingency

The district is committed to being a good steward of the financial resources entrusted to it and to maintaining a healthy planned reserve and contingency fund to ensure money is available for emergency situations and to adjust for any unexpected changes in enrollment.

* * * * * * * * * *

We have worked diligently to make budget planning as transparent as possible and to directly involve employees and key stakeholders in making decisions about how to best utilize projected funds.  Teachers and programs will continue to have line item budgets within the instructional budget that will allow each department to know in advance the amount of money they have for instructional materials and supplies to best operate their programs.  

The district has made significant progress, but must continue its efforts to recruit and retain students, to be wise and cautious in its purchasing, and to budget not just for today, but with the future in mind.

Days Creek Charter School is fortunate to have been one of three Douglas County School Districts to be selected to participate in a rigorous process to examine how we deliver professional learning and to plan ways to better engage our faculty in designing and participating in quality professional learning that has positive impacts on student achievement.

Over the last four months, Cathy Knapp, Ron Dunn, Jesse Jackson, David Hunt and Superintendent, Dr. Mark Angle attended four, full-day trainings (once per month) hosted by the Ford Family Foundation and provided at no-cost to the district by the Chalkboard Project.  Monthly, educators from the Portland area spent the day in Roseburg providing content and facilitating activities to assist us with determining ways to improve professional learning in our district.
Elkton SD and Roseburg SD were also participants, and opportunities were provided at each session for collaboration and learning across districts.  

At the first session, we spent time learning about the PROCESS we would use to engage in this work: improvement science.  We spent time READING and RESEARCHING the issues with current professional learning (PL).  We also learned about promising practices for improving the quality and implementation of professional learning.  We articulated and examined our core beliefs.  (As an unexpected outreach of this work, the Superintendent engaged the faculty and boards to refine and publish those Core Beliefs [see attachment], having cross-referenced them with the District Educational Philosophy, the Charter Board’s mission/vision and goals, and the Superintendent’s ‘Give Me Five’ initiative).

We also identified our Problem of Practice (PoP) at the first session: "In Days Creek there isn't always growth/change in educator practice as a result of/due to professional learning." The causes that we attributed to this problem included: time, capacity, mindset, resources, differentiation, implementation, and vision of outcome.

Our “homework” following that first session was to gather empathy data from the faculty to determine their perceptions of quality professional learning. We did this through an individual interview process in which we asked a series of questions about best and worst experiences faculty have had with professional learning.

At the second session, we spent time analyzing our interview data and determining what qualities our faculty most value in professional learning.  What we discovered is that our faculty desires PL that meets their individual needs, has immediate application, and includes follow-up for implementation.  The ability to collaborate also was frequently mentioned.

Next, we had to identify barriers to meeting the expectations for professional learning that teachers had identified.  We realized that “competing interests with competing outcomes” is an issue for us.  By this, we mean that even though everyone has good intentions, we sometimes are pursuing separate agendas based on expectations of one or both boards, state requirements, administrative goals, or teacher interests.  Having everyone on the same page and focused on a common theme would be in the best interest of all.   

At the second session, the improvement science steps used were: mapping the system (looking at the system from all perspectives) which is what led us to the competing interests/competing outcomes conclusion.  At the end of the session an aim statement was written, by the group that stated:  “All teachers in Days Creek will have more opportunities to engage in relevant and collaborative PL.”

This raised several key questions:

--How do we provide the type of professional learning our educators value?

AND

--How do we know that the PL educators desire will be tied to our core beliefs, vision/mission, and priorities?

AND

--How do we overcome the barriers to implementation?

At the third session, the group completed activities that led us to develop the following theory of change:

If teachers are provided opportunities to deepen their learning of the teaching practice standards and time to complete self-assessments and have structured conversations with peers then:

·        Teachers will have a clearer understanding (way to articulate) of their needs and areas of strengths and weaknesses

·        There will be more reliable data from self-assessments

·        Teachers will be more informed about teaching practice rubric

·        There will be stronger calibration of teaching practice among teachers (for example what does it look like to be proficient in student engagement)

·        There will be a stronger alignment of professional learning and teaching practice

At the fourth and final session, the team decided that one way to accomplish a unified theme of professional learning (which is tied to our core beliefs AND that could be differentiated by teacher need), would be to focus on the “Delivery of Instruction” domain of our teacher evaluation program.

 To this end, these are the next steps we have proposed:

--Our coach from Chalkboard will lead a PL with faculty at our March PLC to ensure all teachers have a common knowledge and language of strong instruction of the indicators around Domain 3 (Delivery of Instruction) and that there is an understanding of the levels by which the indicators are measured

--Faculty will select (based on a self-assessment) ONE indicator on which to focus their PL

------Depending on self-selections, there may be one common, school-wide indicator OR one indicator for elementary and a different one for secondary OR several different indicators across the school

--Using funding from Chalkboard, substitutes will be hired to provide release time for teachers to observe instruction and provide feedback to their colleagues who have selected the same indicator (for example, two teachers who are both working on “Engagement” would observe one another and then have a conversation about the level of student engagement and suggest ways to work toward continuous improvement and ways to support one another, thus providing both immediate application and collaboration)

--District and individual PL plans for 2017-18 may be created based on this feedback (thus PL that meets the needs of the individual teacher) and could include, but is not limited to:

·       District provided

·       ESD sponsored

·       Self-selected

·       PLCs

·       Committee work

·       Collaboration (within or across districts [using IRIS Connects])

·       College coursework

Improvement science requires a process known as PDSA...Plan, Do, Study, Act

After each phase of implementation, the team (including our coach provided by Chalkboard Project) will examine the outcomes of our work, and modify as necessary to ensure continuous improvement of both the process by which we identify professional learning opportunities and the outcomes as they relate to improved student outcomes.

ATTACHMENT 1

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

The Board believes:

1. The cornerstone of a free society is the education of its people;

2. We must live with and respect different cultures of the world;

3. Each person is unique and should be treated with respect and dignity;

4. The community and the family must share the responsibility of education with the schools;

5. The schools should be a safe, warm learning environment;

6. All students can learn if given the opportunity and have the desire to learn;

7. We must promote in our students that:

a. We have responsibilities for the global environment;

b. Learning is a lifelong process;

c. We must develop health and safety habits;

d. We must be responsible for our decisions and actions;

e. We need to develop an aesthetic appreciation of the world;

f. We have citizenship responsibilities in our society.

MISSION

The Days Creek Charter School mission is to provide an outstanding 21st Century education in a small, rural school environment that fosters life-long learners, responsible citizens, and fulfilled potential.

We envision a school characterized by:

· Rigorous academics

· An enriched program of electives

· Practical application of skills through on and off-site learning activities

· Preparation for postsecondary education and/or career development including skills of initiative and independence

· Mentorship of a caring and supportive faculty

· Curriculum options with a focus on natural resources

· Service to the community

CORE BELIEFS

We believe student learning is the number one priority of schools and is a shared obligation of educators, students, parents, and community.  We believe student learning needs to be informed by multiple data measures and motivated by co-curricular and extracurricular activities.  

We believe effective educators are intrinsically motivated, relationship focused, data driven individuals, who lead by example and know their students and value their unique stories.

We believe teacher leadership is goal-oriented with a willingness to serve others and a desire to understand purpose beyond self.

We believe professional learning must be relevant, timely, ongoing, and focused in order to be meaningful to educators and to improve student learning.

PRIORITIES

Happy New Year!

We had a most unusual startup after Winter Break.  A two-hour delay on Tuesday; a complete cancellation on Wednesday; a two-hour delay on Thursday; and Friday School to make-up for the New Year’s holiday.

This week, we finally seem to be getting back into our routines.  It was great to have some time off; it’s great to be back at school and to be working toward our goals.  Graduation will be here before you know it and we will then be able to celebrate all the hard work that happens between now and then.

At this time of year, many people come up with resolutions to motivate them to be better in the year ahead.  As an administration/faculty team, we’ve done that too!

Starting the first day after break, teacher work hours were adjusted.  All teachers now have a ten minute earlier dismissal time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays so that every Tuesday we can have a 30-minute faculty meeting. 

While we’ve been handling most of our communication via email, sometimes tone is misunderstood or clarification is needed.  This weekly meeting will provide us with a time to connect with one another in a face-to-face setting, to have questions answered immediately, and to be able to better understand the rationale for decisions that are made.

In addition to the regular topics we need to discuss like day-to-day management or planning for next year, this time is also going to be used to review the entire district board policy manual to ensure all of us are fully aware of the expectations for doing things the right way.  I often say that we are fortunate to work in Days Creek where our small size allows us to be informal.  But being able to be informal, doesn’t mean that we don’t have to do things correctly.

The first section of the Policy Manual is titled “Board Governance and Operations” and details the role of individual board members, the board as a whole, and the nature of relationships between the board, the administration, the employees, and the community.

As we reviewed this section, we were reminded that the district board has three major functions, just like the three branches of government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.

In its legislative role, the board establishes policies for governing schools and students.  The entire policy manual may be found online under the District Board tab of our homepage: www.dayscreekschools.com

In its judicial role, the board acts as a fact finding body or court of appeal for staff members, students, and the public when issues involve Board policies. 

In its executive role, the board hires and evaluates the Superintendent, approves contracts and payments, provides for an annual audit of the district’s assets, and establishes the school calendar.

Whenever board members receive complaints or requests for action from staff, students, or members of the community, they are required, by policy, to convey such information to the superintendent for action.  Board members are prohibited from intervening in the administration of the district or school.

All of us at DC Charter appreciate the tremendous support that so many people in our community give to our school, our employees, and our board members.  As we move forward in the new year, let’s all resolve to do things the right way so that we progress in unity toward our goal of continuous school improvement.

Respectfully,

Mark