My oh my. We are about to the end of February and spring is right around the corner. The students of Scranton Public School have been so busy that the dog days of winter have flown by.
Our winter athletics are winding down and our spring sports will be gearing up before we know it. Actually, track and field can start Monday, February 27th, however the weather is telling us it might have to officially start a little later. March means spring training and baseball will be kicking off its season. Those sports are only a small piece of what is occurring in March. March 11th is prom, parent-teacher conferences the 14th from 3:30-8:30, and our much needed spring break runs March 16-19. Please check the calendar as the list of activities is too much to list.
I just love when the North Dakota Legislature is in session as there are always hundreds of bills that affect education. This year is no different, there are funding bills, gun bills, gender identity bills, bills mandating curriculum, and even a bill to get rid of superintendents for schools with less than 450 students. That bill failed with 0 votes in favor, even the sponsor of the bill testified against it. Two bills that I am tracking are House Bill 1349 and Senate Bill 2284. House Bill 1349 would increase the funding for special education. The state currently funds approximately 40% of special education in our schools, with the rest being funded through our local tax levies. This bill would have increased the state's percentage to approximately 60%, however this bill has failed with the idea that it could be added to the other bill I am tracking, Senate Bill 2284. This is the overall funding bill for public schools in North Dakota. There are many different parts to this bill, but the portion that interests me the most is the possibility of increasing our per pupil funding from the state and decreasing the property tax levied on our stakeholders. This bill has a long way to go to cross the finish line, and I will try to keep all of you informed as it moves forward in the legislative process.
In February, our students in grades 3-12 completed a student engagement survey conducted by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and Cognia. This survey counts to our district's accountability score and requires a 95% student participation rate, which we achieved. Student engagement is one of the focal points in our school improvement goals. This committee is currently finalizing a survey for our students and their interests so that we can offer a larger variety of elective courses next school year. Scranton Public School participates in multiple consortiums that will allow us to offer the courses our students need and want. In doing so, we hope to improve our student readiness for post high school, whether that be 4-year universities, trade colleges, military, or the job market. We want students leaving Scranton ready to meet the challenges that will await them!
March is Reading Month for our elementary students and this years theme is the Wild, Wild, West. The halls will be decorated and the activities will kick off on March 1st and continue throughout the month. There will be prizes for our top readers and we are once again partnering with the Bismarck Larks and their reading program to offer some great rewards. Parents, be on the lookout for more information from your children's teachers as they will provide more details to everything that is occurring.
Also in March, our students in grades 7-12 will have an opportunity to take part in a project-based learning opportunity. The staff has planned a wonderful, week-long, cross-curricular activity that will take a deep-dive into career pathways. The students will create career projects that will include items such as post-graduation requirements for schooling, colleges and universities that offer the programs needed and their cost to attend, average salaries of the career, job availability, and much, much more. This learning opportunity will conclude with an Apprenticeship Fair on March 22nd. We see this as a great opportunity for our students to participate in a cross-curricular activity which will involve everything from research to presentation.
Scranton Public School has the most amazing group of community volunteers, staff, and students any community could ask for. It has been a challenge this school year as we have a custodial opening we have yet to fill. I personally want to thank everyone for pitching in and keeping the building and grounds in tip-top shape. I cannot thank the city crew, the Scranton Equity, and our community volunteers enough for taking the time to help with snow removal. It has been a monumental task this winter and without all of the help, we would not have been able to keep up. Thank you Marie, Ty, Arica, and Ashley for stepping up and keeping the inside of our building spotless. You have taken on more and more this school year and the staff and students appreciate it greatly. Thank you staff and students for taking over some of the cleaning duties and for showing patience as the crew completes their tasks each day. It takes an entire team to provide a school such as ours, and we have the best team in the business!
We are approaching the stretch run to our 2022-2023 school year. The spring always brings so many activities for our students and staff. We are looking forward to the busy time and will look to finish this school year strong. I know as we move closer to ending this school year, we get eager to see what next year could bring. I have included the 2023-2024 yearly school calendar in this newsletter so that you can all plan any family time accordingly. Lets have a great last nine-weeks for this school year. Finish strong Night Hawks!
Kelly Pierce
Superintendent
Scranton 2023-2024 Yearly Calendar