December 12, 2014

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Community Members:

Billings Public  Schools will be hosting their second Redistricting Forum on Tuesday, December 16th. Please take time to review additional information within in this newsletter.   The progress on the new middle school at 56th Street West and Grand Avenue will be discussed at our regular board meeting on Monday, December 15th in the Lincoln Center Board Room. Please check out the details for this discussion below.

Winter Break is just around the corner, and school will not be session from Wednesday, December 24th through Friday, January 2nd. We resume regular classes on Monday, January 5th. 

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the information contained in this newsletter.

Newman Elementary Awarded Verizon Grant for Project Lead The Way

We are proud to announce that Billings Public Schools has been awarded the Verizon Innovative Learning Grant for Newman Elementary. Newman Elementary is one of 80 underserved public schools across the country who received this $20,000 grant to stimulate student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  The grant will be used to purchase the Project Lead the Way materials for Newman Elementary.  A press conference will be held at Newman Elementary in January to award the funds. 

Please take a moment to access this link http://efbps.org/bps-pltw.html and view the articles, videos and other information on Project Lead The Way in the Billings School District.

Elementary & Middle School Redistricting Update - Meeting Reminder

Our second Redistricting Public Forum is on Tuesday, December 16th, from 6:00-8:00 pm in the Lincoln Center Auditorium.  This meeting is open to the public and will provide those in attendance an opportunity to review current options and ask questions.

On December 2nd the Redistricting Team met at the Lincoln Center from 6-8pm to review the third round of drafts that were presented by Cropper GIS.  Matt Cropper presented the results of the compiled comments from November, adjusted each draft option, and created two new options.  Each new draft was presented in detail to the entire team providing opportunities for the members to offer suggestions and opinions for minor changes.  Each option was supplemented with updated charts showing the number of students impacted per option, planned capacity, live-in capacity percentages, free/reduced lunch percentages and the feeder patterns.   Every option was still focused on maintaining a capacity level that would allow for future growth.  After each option was thoroughly reviewed, the team elected to eliminate Option #5 because it did not support the goals of the study. 

In preparation of the December 16th Public Forum presentation, Matthew Cropper will now make a few minor adjustments to the drafts, including separating the Heights area and remainder of town onto two different maps.  The team members will be at the Public Forum to interact with the public as they review the options more closely and help answer questions that arise.  Those comments will be taken into account as the drafts are reviewed again on January 27th. 

There were approximately 20 members from the community that also attended the meeting, observing the presentation and offering insights for particular neighborhoods.  Overall, the process remains transparent and objective, working towards creating the best outcome.

New Middle School at 56th Street West and Grand – Board Meeting Reminder

On November 5, 2013, the voters in the elementary district approved a $122.3 million bond that included the construction of two new middle schools. Construction on the new middle school approved for Billings Heights is currently in progress. The second middle school approved on school-owned land at 56th Street West and Grand Avenue is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2017. The Planning and Development Committee met on December 9, 2014 and recommended that the Board of Trustees approve the following: 

Direct administration to:

1. Proceed on planning and construction for the new middle school at 56th Street West and Grand Avenue.
2. Negotiate with A&E Architects on fees to design the second new middle school.
3. Advertise for Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) for the second new middle school.
4. Prepare for second bond issuance that will fund plans and construction of the new middle school with D.A. Davidson.

Direct the Stakeholders Relations Committee to oversee a subcommittee that will recommend a school name, mascot and colors for the new middle school.        

Any final decisions on architect, CMAR, bond issuance, school name, colors or mascot to be brought to the Board of Trustees for approval.

You can click here or visit http://tinyurl.com/l2fhl6k

Enjoy the weekend!

Terry Nelsen Bouck