When the school board approved the 2011-12 budget recommendation it approved the elimination of some middle school sports, including boys and girls soccer, baseball, and softball.
Those sports were chosen for a number of reasons. They cannot easily be combined into a 7-12 sport like wrestling or tennis, both of which were combined between middle school and high school for next year. Also, the capacity existed for local sports associations to put in place opportunities for students to play their chosen sport at either the recreational or traveling level.
When the planning process for the budget got underway in earnest, the district reached out to the North Branch Area Athletic Association (NBAAA) and the response was very positive.
We have had several meetings with representatives of different sports and the cooperation between the district and those associations has been wonderful. Everyone involved in the process has been driven by a common goal; do the very best we can to continue to offer kids the opportunities they need to be successful in school and in life.
For those parents who will be making use of the association provided athletic opportunities in soccer, baseball, or softball, I encourage you to keep an eye on the NBAAA Web site (http://www.northbranchsports.org/).
One thing that could be a significant change from participating in these sports at the middle school level is the sign-up process. It is likely that sign-up for NBAAA opportunities will take place well in advance of traditional middle school sports, which occurs just prior to each season. At the association level, sign-ups can take place months before the start of a season to give clubs a chance to make sure coaches are in place, uniforms ordered, fields scheduled, and equipment provided.
The cooperation between the district and the NBAAA is an inspiration, and demonstrates what can be accomplished when interests come together to provide opportunities and save money.
(end)
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Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
District business is now easier to find
North Branch Area Public Schools is making a change regarding how it shares school board meeting agendas, packets, and podcasts this week and we believe this change represents an improvement to citizens’ ability to find the information they need.
The change is the result of Budget Boot Camp, and utilizes an online product called Boardbook to facilitate paperless meetings.
Overall, the switch to paperless meetings will save the district thousands of dollars a year in staff time and printing costs, a good thing in these current economic times. It also allows the district to more readily share information prior to meetings, as we can now very easily make the school board packets available to the general public online.
As well, it allows us the ability to keep all of our meeting information in one place, and documents, agendas, and podcasts from each meeting easy to access with fewer clicks! Going forward, all meeting information will be available in a single place.
Please stay tuned to the district home page (www.northbranch.k12.mn.us) for details regarding how to find and use Boardbook. Links will be placed under the “district office” drop-down menu and will also accompany meeting announcements placed on the main section of the page as those meetings approach.
We are very excited to be making use of yet another online tool to provide our families, public, and staff the information they need to be aware of what is happening with the district and make informed decisions regarding the future of education in North Branch.
As always, please feel free to call the district at (651) 674-1000 if you have any questions or require assistance using this innovative feature.
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Read more!
The change is the result of Budget Boot Camp, and utilizes an online product called Boardbook to facilitate paperless meetings.
Overall, the switch to paperless meetings will save the district thousands of dollars a year in staff time and printing costs, a good thing in these current economic times. It also allows the district to more readily share information prior to meetings, as we can now very easily make the school board packets available to the general public online.
As well, it allows us the ability to keep all of our meeting information in one place, and documents, agendas, and podcasts from each meeting easy to access with fewer clicks! Going forward, all meeting information will be available in a single place.
Please stay tuned to the district home page (www.northbranch.k12.mn.us) for details regarding how to find and use Boardbook. Links will be placed under the “district office” drop-down menu and will also accompany meeting announcements placed on the main section of the page as those meetings approach.
We are very excited to be making use of yet another online tool to provide our families, public, and staff the information they need to be aware of what is happening with the district and make informed decisions regarding the future of education in North Branch.
As always, please feel free to call the district at (651) 674-1000 if you have any questions or require assistance using this innovative feature.
(end)
Read more!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Making our voice heard
As you may have seen in press releases this week, high school principal Coleman McDonough has been chosen to be a part of Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius’s Working Group on School Funding. There are a number of reasons why I can’t think of a better choice.
As an educational leader and former teacher, Coley is a passionate advocate for education with a laser-like focus on making sure education works as well as possible for families. Since arriving in North Branch last summer, he has demonstrated time and time again that his first priority is children.
As well, he is not afraid to speak his mind, and community members can be confident their interests will not be on the sidelines as the funding group works toward its goal of creating equity in education funding for all students.
Perhaps most importantly, Coley is a parent and has children in, this district. As a parent, he wants the what we all want for our kids; the same opportunities offered countless students statewide not living in regions that face the challenges we face here. Like other parents in our district, he is bound and determined to see that the students of North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS) have a brighter future as a result of this process.
Equity in school funding is the most major issue facing NBAPS and the families it serves, and we are approaching the issue from a variety of angles. As Coley is making his voice heard at MDE, I am heading a subcommittee of Schools for Equity in Education exploring the possibility of suing the state for its failure to uphold its constitutional duty to provide a uniform education for all students.
As well, school board members are making their presence felt even now at the Capitol on our behalf.
I mentioned some weeks ago that we all must be ambassadors of the district. These are just a few examples of how the district is taking that message to heart.
Read more!
As an educational leader and former teacher, Coley is a passionate advocate for education with a laser-like focus on making sure education works as well as possible for families. Since arriving in North Branch last summer, he has demonstrated time and time again that his first priority is children.
As well, he is not afraid to speak his mind, and community members can be confident their interests will not be on the sidelines as the funding group works toward its goal of creating equity in education funding for all students.
Perhaps most importantly, Coley is a parent and has children in, this district. As a parent, he wants the what we all want for our kids; the same opportunities offered countless students statewide not living in regions that face the challenges we face here. Like other parents in our district, he is bound and determined to see that the students of North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS) have a brighter future as a result of this process.
Equity in school funding is the most major issue facing NBAPS and the families it serves, and we are approaching the issue from a variety of angles. As Coley is making his voice heard at MDE, I am heading a subcommittee of Schools for Equity in Education exploring the possibility of suing the state for its failure to uphold its constitutional duty to provide a uniform education for all students.
As well, school board members are making their presence felt even now at the Capitol on our behalf.
I mentioned some weeks ago that we all must be ambassadors of the district. These are just a few examples of how the district is taking that message to heart.
Read more!
Everyone an ambassador
There’s no doubt circumstances beyond our control hurt the district and community. Problems with funding plague us, and the pursuit of operating levies frustrates district and community alike. Staff and program reductions trouble those with children in the district or who remember a different time, one of growth.
Between our efforts to collect local revenue and the need to cut, there is ample opportunity for stakeholders to feel frustrated. That frustration often manifests as anger at the district.
With the economic downturn - very much a local issue - circumstances are exacerbated.
Lost is a community focus on the quality education we offer at North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS); replaced by an almost constant aura of negativity. As a partner with the community we feel that negativity and how it affects the district, but we also know it affects the community and its future.
Most realtors will tell you strong schools are a must for families looking to move. That was important when gas was cheap and home values climbing; it is much more important in times of expensive gas and challenged housing markets. People won’t start coming until we give them ample reason. Recovering economically can start by ending the divide between district and community.
The district works hard to be transparent and forthcoming. We are starting to see community partnerships that ease the burden of cuts.
We all need more.
We must become ambassadors for the community; its beauty, people, opportunities, and yes, its schools.
Don’t trust us? Call me and let’s talk. Think we mismanage the district? Give us opportunities to demonstrate differently. Don’t think much of our schools? Come see our quality. There are many reasons to champion our schools. Tax hawks will be impressed with how efficient we’ve become. Those passionate about education will love our innovations to maintain quality and variety.
There is something for everyone to love at NBAPS. If that message were carried with the same enthusiasm as negativity, we may start to see a change in the economic landscape.
Read more!
Between our efforts to collect local revenue and the need to cut, there is ample opportunity for stakeholders to feel frustrated. That frustration often manifests as anger at the district.
With the economic downturn - very much a local issue - circumstances are exacerbated.
Lost is a community focus on the quality education we offer at North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS); replaced by an almost constant aura of negativity. As a partner with the community we feel that negativity and how it affects the district, but we also know it affects the community and its future.
Most realtors will tell you strong schools are a must for families looking to move. That was important when gas was cheap and home values climbing; it is much more important in times of expensive gas and challenged housing markets. People won’t start coming until we give them ample reason. Recovering economically can start by ending the divide between district and community.
The district works hard to be transparent and forthcoming. We are starting to see community partnerships that ease the burden of cuts.
We all need more.
We must become ambassadors for the community; its beauty, people, opportunities, and yes, its schools.
Don’t trust us? Call me and let’s talk. Think we mismanage the district? Give us opportunities to demonstrate differently. Don’t think much of our schools? Come see our quality. There are many reasons to champion our schools. Tax hawks will be impressed with how efficient we’ve become. Those passionate about education will love our innovations to maintain quality and variety.
There is something for everyone to love at NBAPS. If that message were carried with the same enthusiasm as negativity, we may start to see a change in the economic landscape.
Read more!
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