School board sets four main goals

The school board has set four main goals as the Grand Coulee Dam School District heads into the new school year.

Superintendent Paul Turner and members of the board met in a long evening retreat to discuss school affairs and to set some specific goals a few weeks ago.

The four major goals are:

• Improve student attendance and how attendance relates to a good education.

• Address specific facility issues.

• Improve communications and promotion of Lake Roosevelt.

• Fine tune the budget process.

On the attendance issue, the board is considering a community attendance board to deal with and help students who have problems coming to school. In many cases, there are reasons that are not readily apparent that contribute to poor attendance and these issues could come to the front in a discussion with a board of community members.

Also, the board is looking at developing an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) as a means to correct attendance problems. State law allows ALEs, primarily for off-campus instruction with requirements and expectations written out and overseen by a public school teacher.

Heading the list on facilities issues is selling Center School. Currently, the vacated school is becoming an albatross to the district. Vandalism at the school has been a steady drain on the district’s finances, and the building and grounds are becoming an eyesore. The building and nearly eight acres has been appraised at $190,000. The district has $165,000 into the property.

Also the board plans to develop a major project for the future, and to continue searching for funding for a new gym. The district plans to continue working with the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Council to develop the potential for the former middle school.

The board and district hope to work on communication skills both within and outside the school system. Keeping people better informed was one of the announced goals of Superintendent Turner when he first started as the district’s education leader.

In budgeting, the district is interested in protecting its reserves and in seeking new grant sources.