Changes in personnel were announced during the April 5, D70 board meeting and the March 29, work session. Ted Ortiviz was welcomed back as Bond Manager. During the April meeting, Robert DiPietro was named Director of Student Services, and Jamison Wagner was named Principal of Pueblo West High School. All have extensive experience with D70.
Representatives from the Willdan Consulting Firm joined Ortiviz during the March 29 work session to answer questions from the board and the bond oversight committee on organizational changes within Willdan, expansion of staff on repair teams, and guarantees on future repair work.
During the work session, the board held a lengthy discussion to gain information and express the pros and cons of accepting the Pueblo Classical Academy, Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences (PSAS) as a part of D70. Dave Martin, Executive Director of PCA, Heather Weldman, Director of Accountability and Interventions, Adam Schoda, Consultant, and Theresa Martinez, Business Officer were all present to help answer questions about why the PSASA wants to become a part of D70.
Pueblo District 70 Board of Education member John Christenson read the board a letter from Perry Rogers, principal of Beulah School of Natural Science, reporting on students’ success in the recent Science Olympiad competitions. Science Olympiad is one of the premier science competitions in the nation, providing standards-based challenges at 400 tournaments in all 50 states.
It was reported that nine Beulah students competed in February in the Southern Colorado Regionals for the Science Olympiad and placed 5th out of 11 teams. The same nine students advanced to the state finals on April 2 where they placed 17th out of 30 teams. Beulah School took home a bronze medal, winning 10th and 11th place in the twenty-three events.
Brenda Leyh, Principal of Prairie Winds Elementary in Pueblo West, made a presentation to the board asking them to consider changing or lifting the school uniform policy. She advised a survey had been sent out to the students' families asking if they wanted to keep the uniforms, eliminate them altogether, or have uniform tops only. The results of the survey were that 78% of the community said they would like to eliminate uniforms and simply follow the D70 dress code. The board approved a motion to eliminate uniform tops and bottoms for the 2022-23 school year.
The D70 accounting team advised the board that there had been two state funds that contributed supplemental funds to the D70 budget. Approximately $639,800 would be added to the district's budget. Part of the funds is coming from the atrisk funding in regards to free lunches being provided to everyone during recent COVID times so free and reduced lunches were no longer being applied for. Legislators decided to give out one-time money to help make up for lost funding. The one-time money cannot be used for recurring expenses so it is destined for capital projects such as replacing desks, lunch tables, and janitorial equipment.