Climate and Culture Connection 3/21/19
The Climate and Culture Study of the Aspen School District has now been completed.

One of the goals of the Aspen Board of Education for this year has been a focus on communication; the Board committed to continue to strengthen our public relations and outreach to the Aspen community and create opportunities for two-way communication with our constituents. 

Reaching out to our families and community members for their input with regard to their interactions has been helpful to us as we work with our consultant Liz Wilson, of Wilson Foxen, on our District Climate and Culture Study.

We invite you to join Board of Education members to hear from Liz the findings of the report. She will be presenting the report on Tuesday, April 2nd from 5:30pm - 6:30pm in the Seminar Room of the Aspen High School.

After a review of the report's recommendations, the Board will then begin discussion and a determination of what next steps might entail as we move forward. We look forward to sharing the results with you and to future communications as we review the recommendations and implement positive changes in our district.

Thank you for your support.

Aspen School District Board of Education  
 

Have you ever been curious about serving on the Board of Education? Want to learn more about what the Board does? 

Every year ASD board members try to attend the National School Association’s annual convention. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see what other districts are doing and consider best practices. Something that inspired us this past year, which we loved, is what we’re calling our “Board Academy”. We see this as a chance to offer exposure and educational opportunities about the Aspen School District and Board of Education and its functions to community members who may have an interest in running for a Board seat.  It’s also just a great opportunity for anyone looking to further understand the District and how it operates. 

The Academy will consist of six monthly sessions, beginning October, concluding May and excluding December and March. It will be the second Wednesday of the month in the District Boardroom from 5:00pm – 6:00pm. The first session will be Wednesday October 10th. 

Here is a list of our curriculum topics:

• Oct 10 - Inner workings of the Aspen School District – Administration and its Buildings
• Nov 14 - School Funding & Finance
• Jan 23 - Board of Education Functions & Coherent Governance
• Feb 13 - What to Know about Elections
• Apr 10 - Stakeholder Groups of the District:  AEF, FAB, DAC, SAC.
• May 8 - Attend a Board of Education Meeting

The Board Academy is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Please consider joining us. We look forward to sharing with you. Email your interest in attending to Angela at arittenhouse@aspenk12.net.

Board Goals/Priorities for the 2018-19 School Year:

1. Academics - Continue to monitor progress for our Math and Literacy curriculums, with an emphasis on vertical alignment and improving the transitions between individual schools.
   
   
2. Climate and Culture – The Board believes creating an exemplary climate and culture for teaching and learning in the Aspen School District is an important and never-ending task. The Board will continue the effort to improve our organizational climate throughout the District by modeling, and encouraging others to model, key behaviors that help to build a positive climate such as enhanced and constructive communications, openness and fairness, inclusive decision making processes, and authentic leadership efforts that practice empathy, respect, and compassion when dealing with other District members.
   
   
3. Employee Housing – Develop an understanding of the number and type of housing units for which the District has a real need. Complete the West Ranch housing expansion.
   
   
4. Fiscal Planning – Continue long-term financial planning taking into particular consideration the bonds that are to be repaid and the funding measures that sunset over the next five years.
   
   
5. Communications – Continue to strengthen our public relations and outreach to the Aspen community. Create opportunities for two-way communication with our constituents. Have rotating members post a monthly blog on the BOE webpage.