Dr. Timothy Mitchell Rapid City Area Schools

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” I believe in “possibility”-specifically the possibility that we could can create the best of times if we choose If we are willing to think carefully-be motivated as to what is best for children-have open honest and factual dialogue about the issues we are facing

Most people believe today that public schools ask for more money to support the status quo: *Many people do not understand the challenges facing public schools *A vocal minority is dominating the conversation, and that conversation is often based upon myths

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less”

“Mind your pennies, nickels and dimes and your dollars will fall in place”

Based upon Presentation: Reductions in 2 yrs to account for: -8.6 % reduction in State Aid -$97 per student- one time money

Budget Includes: -3.5 Mill in Fund Balance -2.7 Mill Capital Outlay Flexibility -Budget Reduction 1.98 Mill

What must we have to provide a high quality education for all students of the RCAS?

Building a community of life long learners, one student at a time.

All Rapid City Area School students will achieve to their full potential.

Guaranteed, Viable, Relevant Curriculum Life and Career skills Technology Literacy (21 st century skills) Staff Effectiveness and Organizational Capacity- Building Comprehensive System of Assessment Diverse Opportunities for students to learn and be academically successful

Key-Act responsibly and inspire confidence without compromising authority

Community Support Community Involvement Community Trust

To become as Effective and Efficient as possible To become as Innovative and Creative as possible To guide a conversation to the determine the expectations for public schools-support ways to meet those expectations

The process-So Far- has included: -utilizing every opportunity to explain the situation -a review of current expenditures-Where is the $$ going -reminding people of the mission and priorities

Four resource shifts with great potential: -away from quantity of staff towards quality -from remediation to early identification -from isolated practitioners to teacher teams -from full-time teachers toward alternative, creative, and effective

I have included: Building Principals & Budget Authority (direct meetings) Staff/Public (presentations, videos, s, letters and meetings) Budget and Finance Committee (Two meetings this month) School Board

One of the fascinating outcomes of research on school effects is the number of issues in education where achievement evidence is close to zero but the heat is as high as it is as if it would be if the policy were obviously effective.

Significant finding: The most successful schools function as a professional learning community: Teachers pursue a clear shared purpose Engage in collaborative work Take collective responsibility for student learning

We expect our students to learn, and we work to fulfill our collective responsibility to ensure that this learning takes place for all students

The best way to improve a school or district is by developing the people within it!!

A bi-monthly early release time district- wide to enhance student learning by allowing teachers time to plan as teams, create common formative assessments and learning targets, do data charts to monitor student progress, create enrichment lessons and move forward any future district initiatives

Reduction of Additional Pay and Temporary Staffing Additional Time to implement district priorities Transportation Savings Less Substitutes and Higher Quality Contact Time All staff could be involved with implementation Improves the learning of all students Builds collective capacity of the staff

Central High School Phase I East Middle School New Attendance Boundaries (MS/HS) Consolidation of Alternative Programs (Fall 2013) All Day Everyday Kindergarten Instructional Calendar (Proposed)

Will student number continue to increase? Will current cash balances remain stable? Compensation/Benefits/Negotiations? What will happen in the Legislative Session? What will happen at the Federal level? Will the efforts of SD Moving Forward be successful (Sales Tax Initiative)?

I will continue to review ideas that come forward Put together a Budget Reduction Plan to discuss with School Board and Public Attrition/Resignations/Retirements Budget Modifications-Under spending If any items are removed from the plan others will need to be brought forward

Finalize the Administrative Recommendation Presentation to Budget and Finance Committee Presentation to School Board Presentation to Citizens Finance Committee (Dec 5) Presentation to Staff and Public Tuesday January 10, 2012-West Middle School Monday January 23, 2012-South Middle School Monday January 30, 2012-Dakota Middle School Tuesday February 7, 2012-North Middle School Monday February 27, 2012-Southwest Middle School

“ When the occasion is piled high with difficulty, rise with it. Think anew and act anew”