Introductions

My wife, Laurie, and I are excited to become a part of the Riggins community and Salmon River School District. The excitement, enthusiasm, and support we see and feel is fantastic! It is very impressive to see the progress and success of the schools. We see the pride that the community, staff, and students have in their school system, and we are happy to become a part of the Salmon River team.
We are looking forward to meeting each of you and getting to know you. As the new Salmon River JSD #243 superintendent my door is open, so please stop by and say hello. - Marcus Scheibe

Retirement Farewell

Published reports of my new career to the contrary, I have chosen to at least semi-retire at the end of the school year. This year marks the 39th year that I have been actively involved in public education, including two years as a doctoral student where I supervised student teachers. My career has taken me to the Arctic Barrens of Barrow and Pt. Hope, Alaska, to the high desert of central Nevada, and from the rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State to the Boise Valley when there were actually dairy farms along the Interstate.

It has been an enjoyable ride; filled with adventures, a few misadventures, and lots of memories. High on the memory list will always be the opportunity to spend a year in Riggins as the first Superintendent of Salmon River Joint School District No. 243. It has been an exciting year. With all of the different hats I wore I soon realized that the district needed someone younger and with more energy to follow on the foundation that was built this year as the framework of the District is shaped for the future. The Board members, the staff, Mr. Merrill, and community members are all to be praised for the dedication to the students and communities that make up the District. We spent this year navigating the rocks and shoals of uncharted territory as there are no guide books for starting a new district following a deconsolidation, and each day presented new rocks to miss and new currents to explore. We hit a few rocks, but bounced off to continue our journey.

I will miss the people I have met and wish all of you well.

May the road rise up to met you,
May the sun shine softly on your face.
May the wind be always at your back,
And may the Lord always hold you
in the palm of His hand.
( an Irish blessing)

Committees are Forming

Each year schools look at textbooks, instructional materials, and supplemental items used for instruction. The Idaho Department of Education recommends several texts and local districts have the ability to choose the one that best fits the needs and interests of the students, the community, and staff. To reflect community interests, involvement from community members is important. Two or three volunteers who have students in the elementary grades, the secondary grades or both are being sought to help in the selection process. If you have an interest or expertise in reading or literature, your involvement would be appreciated.

Other committees that are forming are the Title Program Advisor Committee and the Safe and Drug Free School Advisor Committee. Both of these programs are funded by federal grants distributed by the Department of Education. Title programs provide funds for remediation instruction and improvement of teacher quality. The Safe and Drug Free Schools grant provides money to help develop programs and activities that will improve relationships and help students develop an awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and misuse. Two or three volunteers representing the elementary and secondary levels are also being sought for these committees.

The committees identified above will meet two or three times between now and the end of school. Please contact Dr. Carl Morgan, Superintendent, if you are interested in serving on a committee. Please contact me if you have questions. The contact phone number is 628-3431.

Thank you for you involvement and continued support of the schools in Salmon River Joint School District #243.

Dr. Carl Morgan
Superintendent of Schools
JSD243

School Funding I.Q. Test

Do you know the meanings of words such as “Support Units”, “A.D.A.”, “Best 28 weeks”? If you don’t you shouldn’t feel bad, most people don’t. I didn’t either when I first became a school administrator. These are the critical words when discussing school funding.

“A.D.A.” represents “Average Daily Attendance” and “Best 28 weeks” is the average attendance over the 28 weeks with the best attendance as reported by the district. Both of these numbers reflects the average number of students educated by any district over the course of the school year. These numbers are used to determine the number of support units a district receives funding for.

A “Support Unit” is a value based on numbers of students in various categories. For example, a support unit for kindergarten students is 40 students in attendance, while a support unit for elementary students ranges from 12 to 20 students depending on the number in attendance, and a secondary support unit varies between 12 and 18.5 students enrolled. The kindergarten number is so much higher than the other numbers of students because traditionally kindergartens are only half-day sessions and a teacher can have two half-day sessions. The range in elementary and secondary students varies based on total enrollment. A district having more than 160 students uses 20 while a school of less than 33.6 uses 12 students per support unit. The same holds true for the secondary grades. Seven hundred fifty students equate to 18.5 per unit and fewer than 200 students in attendance uses 12 per unit. The elementary and secondary numbers vary due to total numbers because of the “economy of scale” factor. That means, to some degree it is less expensive in some ways to teach more students than less students.

The number of support units each district has is multiplied by the amount of money each unit is worth. This amount is determined by dividing the amount of money appropriated by the Idaho Legislature for the funding of education by the number of support units statewide estimated by the Idaho Department of Education. This “foundation payment” is the bulk of the money a district receives for the operation of its schools.

I share this information because these numbers play a critical role in the spring as school districts begin to build the budget for the next school year. The budget process for school districts is an interesting and time-consuming process where educated guesses based on previous years’ expenditures and projections of anticipated expenses are factored into what is anticipated for revenue. Every district makes its best effort to anticipate what it will cost to provide at least the same level of instructional program as is in place for the current year for the subsequent year. This is done before the Idaho Legislature is finished setting the education budget for the coming school year—that’s where the “crystal ball” gets used. Budget builders have to guess what money is going to be available for salaries, benefits, and operating the school and prepare a budget that reflects this best guess.

The support shown by voters last spring was greatly appreciated and every effort will be made throughout this budget process to demonstrate where the money was spent this year, while seeking the input from patrons on what programs should be maintained or expanded.

This is all shared because Salmon River Joint School District #243 is beginning the process of developing a budget for the 2008-2009 school year. Public input will be sought and you are encouraged to attend any of the public hearings that will take place in the near future.

Dr. Carl Morgan

The $150,000 Gift

Would you like to give Salmon River Joint School District #243 a gift amounting to $150,000? Would you like to do it without costing any money out of your pocket?

You really can give the District such a gift without it costing you a dime. Now that I have your attention, let me explain how this works. Last year the average attendance was about 84%. If this attendance percentage is increased to 93%, the resulting increase in revenue for the district would be approximately $150,000!

When you consider what that amount of money can do to help educate your children, it is pretty cool, isn’t it? We could hire additional teachers to expand programs at the secondary level, such as perhaps offering a home economics/culinary arts/tourism and hospitality program; we could reduce class size at the elementary level and make single grade classes; we could consider offering art and P. E. at the elementary level and provide preparation time for the staff; or any number of things.

The Jr./Sr. High School is reporting a 97% attendance rate so far this year. The increase in attendance over last year could amount to close to $85,000 of increased revenue if it can be sustained.

The question was recently asked, “Does it really matter if my child misses a day or two?” As you can see, it really does. An absence here, and absence there, and pretty soon you are talking about real money. It is understood that doctor’s appointments, family vacations, and other things may require an absence, but every time the schedule can be changed so as to not require as much of an absence, you have given the District and its constituents a financial gift.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Oh, and by the way, thanks for the financial support to your Salmon River Joint School District #243.

September Board Meeting Review

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees for Salmon River Joint School District No. 243 was held Monday September 17, 2007 at the Riggins Elementary School.

During the public input session, Mrs. Cree Neuendorf expressed concern over the possibility of using the music room as district office space. She related all of the activities that take place in that room. Mrs. Linda Heiter provided an update on the Horizons Project and invited the Board and public to the Riggins Visioning Rally on October 9. This is a free dinner, with reservations, followed by a planning session where a facilitator helps to walk participants through a planning process which results in a series of goals that will help with future planning for the Greater Riggins area.

Superintendent Morgan reported that the year had gotten off to a smooth start. He complimented Mr. Ben Merrill on how smoothly the high school had started and also for the assistance from the elementary staff in getting the younger kids off to a good start as well. He also reported that the School District Office Survey has been distributed at the home football games and are also distributed at various businesses around town, including Lucille and Pinehurst. It is planned that the survey will be available in most areas of the District by week’s end. Public input on what to do about District Office space is welcomed and considered as very important to the decision making process by both the Administration and the Board. October 1st is the deadline

Mr. Merrill reported that the random drug testing for extra-curricular activities is working well. He explained how the lab providing the test kits randomly selects two students per week for testing. The Savage Academy was reported to be doing very well, and that the new laptop computers ordered to support the program have arrived and been installed. Mrs. Jan Barany was hired to proctor the program and has arranged for special activities such as a Spanish speaking lunch each week for the Spanish class, and health care professionals to speak to the health and medical science classes.

Another positive report was that the Jr./Sr. High is reporting a 97% attendance rate. This is up from the 84% averaged last year. In terms of real dollars for the District, a 13% increase in attendance would result in approximately $83,000 of increased revenues if it could be sustained over the course of the year.
Mr. Merrill reported that Homecoming is the week of September 24-28. Watch for special activities with the students, culminating with the coronation of a Homecoming Court during the football game on Friday and a dance on Saturday evening.

The Board discussed the formation of committees for the year. Three committees will be formed for the year: Legislative/Funding; Facilities; and Curriculum. Please contact Superintendent Morgan (628-3431) if you are interested in serving on any of these committees. Committee meetings will be held in the near future so please watch for notices.

There was no progress to report on the Memorandum of Understanding from the Deconsolidation Plan or from the updated ASK, Inc. Programs.

Discussions were held regarding transportation maintenance and also the breakfast/lunch programs. Ways to more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of these programs were discussed and additional information will be forthcoming. The Board and Administration welcomes input regarding the breakfast/lunch program.

The next Board meeting will be held on October 15, 2007, 7:00 pm at Riggins Elementary School Lunchroom.

The Board and Administration are very optimistic about the potential for the success of Salmon River Joint School District #243 and continue to seek and welcome public input regarding school programs.

Welcome to Salmon River Joint School District 243

On July 1, 2007, the Salmon River Joint School District 243 set sail for new frontiers.

Piloted by veteran superintendent Dr. Carl Morgan and navigated by school board members Cindy Carlson, Joyce Barnard, Carolyn Friend, Rich Friend, and Eric Hook, we look forward to establishing a district where students, parents, and our community can work together to accomplish common goals for the educational advancement of all students.