For the sixth year in a row, the Columbia Public Schools have received the honor of the Distinction In Performance Award from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as reported in the Spring 2010 CPS Quarterly Report.  The Distinction in Performance Award is given to districts that meet at least 13 of 14 performance criteria, which provide the basis for the state’s accreditation program.  This honor is of particular importance because it shows that our schools, students, and teachers have continued to succeed despite the following key challenges:

• The district has grown to more than 17, 400 students
• The number of students receiving free and reduced-priced lunch has increased by 15% in two years, now totaling more than 6, 100 students
• More than 2, 300 special education students are served by the district
• More than 600 Limited English Proficiency students are served, an increase of 25% in two years
• Over 50 languages are spoken by children in CPS

As we embrace the diversity present in our schools and continue to work together, our schools will continue to succeed!

Many good questions were generated at the School Board Candidate Forum hosted by CPPS in partnership with several other organizations on March 23, 2010.  They are listed below for consideration, food for thought, and as a resource for future elections:

- What is/should be the role of arts in education?

(for more information on Art Education, see the “Arts Blog”)

- How will you benefit the community in your actions of being the candidate that will truly do what he says he will do?

- What are your thoughts about Merit pay?  How do you envision this implementation?

- What should schools do to engage and empower parents?

- Should teacher performance and a student’s performance on a test be evaluated the same and tied to a teachers pay?

- What ways as a school board member can you help to increase parent involvement in our schools?

- If President Obama desires to address children in our federally funded public schools would you support or oppose?

- How do you feel about teachers being allowed to vote for exclusive representation to be represented at the bargaining table?

- What can we do to reduce class sizes in elementary schools?

- With the Race to the Top at the forefront of the national government, what are your opinions on this?

- How will you work to improve the foods our children are served in schools?

- What are your plans for meeting the occupancy demands of the schools?  Maintenance also?

- Many people say what we want to hear but when elected things change.  How about you?

- What role do you think the school board should play with curriculum?

- Do you bring any specific agenda with you to the Board of Education?

- What do you consider the greatest strength of CPS and the greatest challenge for CPS?

- How do you plan to address the financial strain on the district in the coming years?

CPPS has recently started an Arts Blog which can be followed from our home page by clicking on the “Arts Blog” heading.  The purpose of this blog is to have an open sharing forum and we gladly invite you to post resources, ideas, lesson plans, questions, and responses here, under “Discussion.”  We have much to learn and much we can learn from one another!

We were so pleased to host the National Parents for Public Schools conference this year at the University of Missouri, co-sponsored by the College of Education.  The conference ran from Friday April 23- Sunday April 25.  Thanks to all who helped make it a great success!  Over 50 attendees came in from out of state to hear about current issues facing contemporary public education.  We had 10+ excellent presenters, including keynote speaker and well known author Deborah Meier.  Parents are essential partners in the success of a child’s education and it was wonderful to be among so many people who care about the success of our children and our schools.  Keep up the good work!

Dr. Belcher, the CPS superintendent will be one of the guests appearing tomorrow on KBIA’s new online talk show “Intersection” between 12 – 1 p.m.  All the guests will be  school superintendents and they will be discussing issues like the achievement gap and budget cuts. You can also watch the show live by going to KBIA.org and clicking on the link for “Intersection”.  You can also call in with questions or comments during the show (# is 573-882-8925).

On Thursday, December 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, CPS will hold a World Cafe at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) on 1701 W. Ash.  The purpose of the Cafe is to capture public input regarding the school district’s strategic plan for the next five years.

Please RSVP by email to Lind Chickos by Friday, November 20.  She can be reached at lchickos@columbia.k12.mo.us.

The Columbia Public School Foundation has teamed up with the Papa John’s Pizza outlets on E Broadway and Forum Blvd.  You must mention your school or the foundation when placing your order.  See this flier for  more information.

Please share your thoughts.

Two policies have been proposed to the board by the Circles Initiative in response to confusion over the procedures used by different schools in deciding whether or not to show President Obama’s recent address to school children. These policies reflect concerns raised by parents involved in the Circles Initiative. The Circles Initiative has the two goals of building relationships across race and class lines and looking at the root causes of poverty in our community. We would like your thoughts, comments, and questions, whether those are about the substance or wording of the policies themselves, the need for a policy generally, or other thoughts you want to share. The two policies are set forth below.

Policy On Future Addresses: As constitutionally elected by the people and procedures of the United States, the President of the United States, when he directs his remarks specifically to the school children of the United States has an important role to play in the education of our children both as students and future citizens.

It is the policy of the Board of Education of the Columbia Public Schools that when the President specifically addresses our school children, that address will be aired in every classroom and auditorium where the children may be gathered during that hour.

Nothing in this policy shall be construed to prevent the parent or legal guardian of each child from notifying the school district and building principal that their child will not participate. In that instance, an alternative activity will be made available for that child.

Policy on Days of Service: The President of the United States has designated two days as days of National Service and or Remembrance, Martin Luther King’s Birthday in January and September 11.

When those days do not fall on a regularly schedule day of classroom instruction, the Board of Education of the Columbia Public Schools has adopted as District policy that those days will be designated as recognized CPS Days of Service. The Board will encourage and invite parents, students, school patrons and community members to join with them in organizing National Service Days with projects that encourage our CPS children to serve with other students, adults, parents, seniors and persons with disabilities for the common good of our community.

Hi! I have just gained access to this website. I will be publishing information related to the Achievement Gap for your comment and interaction. Please let me know when you’ve seen this post so we can go from here. Thanks for visiting! SMC – Achievement Gap Moderator

Several parents have contacted us with requests for information on how to deal with bullying.  The week of October 4th through the 10th marks PACER’s Fourth Annual Bullying Prevention Week and you can sign up for their free webinar, scheduled for Tuesday September 28 from 1 to 2 Central, for a good overview of prevention resources.  Your school can als  contact them to become a partner in bullying prevention.  You can take a look at their website to see a long list of partners and resources.