Paraprofessional Commendations
Governor Dayton has proclaimed Jan. 23-27, as Paraprofessional Recognition Week. On behalf of the EV-W board and staff, we want to commend our paraprofessionals and support staff for the outstanding performance and support provided to the students of our school district. Paraprofessionals are individuals who work in a variety of positions in our school district. Their roles include, but are not limited to, those who work as instructional assistants, Title 1 support, special education paraprofessionals, lunch room and playground assistants, hall monitors, media center assistants, and more! Our paras do so much to help our children learn and our teachers teach. Be sure to thank our dedicated paraprofessionals for their outstanding performance, dedicated work ethic, and ongoing support to our students and staff.
School Board Business and Updates
January and February are typically busy months for school boards and school finance officials. This is the time of year we take a close look at our current budgets and determine if revisions are necessary to keep us on our fiscal targets. We gather financial data and numbers from recent contracts, lane changes, energy payments, facility improvements, enrollment, and staffing needs to identify any financial changes from our preliminary budget that was adopted last June. We will then use this data to generate the current revised budget for February.
As a board, we will also begin the process of setting SMART goals for the 2017-18 school year. We?Äôll have ongoing conversations to establish priorities and initiatives, as well as setting financial projections for the next school year. This is also the unfortunate time of year that enrollment numbers and student participation dictates that we look at the discontinuance of programs and potentially reducing our staff if necessary. As a district, we?Äôve been fortunate to continually increase our open-enrollment numbers which allows us to expand our educational programming and student opportunities. Let?Äôs work together and spread the good news to your friends and neighbors that the Eden Valley-Watkins School District wants to be their educational provider.
It has been a quiet week on the facilities projects. I?Äôve continued to work with our Meeker and Stearns County Auditors and financial advisors to shore up details and information on the projected tax impact. Remember, the board has scheduled a 5:30 p.m. work session on Monday, Feb. 6, to dig deeper into the facility data, review task force recommendations, and begin to formulate a strategic direction for improvements to our aging facilities. This is a public meeting and the school board welcomes your input and feedback. We plan to meet in the district board room located at exterior door #13. You can find the detailed Facilities Task Force report and other supporting documents on the District?Äôs website: www.evw.k12.mn.us, under the News tab.
Senior Spotlight
The EV-W School District would like to recognize Miranda Scherer, daughter of Jenni and Tom. Miranda is described as a hardworking student-athlete that doesn?Äôt take shortcuts. She excels in and out of the classroom, and continually works toward achieving her goals. Miranda is also an active member of the Eden Valley Auxiliary Club and participates in the annual Veteran?Äôs Day program. The EV-W administration and staff are extremely proud of Miranda and her many accomplishments. Congratulations!
Quote of the Week
?ÄúA country that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.?Äù
-Dwight D. Eisenhower