Keystone Academy honored by NHA for enrollment, excellence

Keystone Academy Principal Keturah Godfrey announced that she had accepted two awards for Keystone from National Heritage Academies: one for student enrollment and one naming it a Four Star School of Excellence.
She told the Keystone school board at its meeting Aug. 18 that she was very pleased to get Four-Star designation because last year they were a Three-Star school.
She said the charter school is doing very well with its enrollment and student attrition is low.
Board president Vesta Losen said she was glad to see the scores up, but she wanted a synopsis of the problem in parent satisfaction, which shows less satisfaction than before.
Principal Godfrey said dissatisfaction was up 2% from last year and she attributed it to a change in demographics, with working parents not able to participate in school activities as much and noting they were just “satisfied” rather than “highly satisfied.”
She said the parent survey gives the school a picture of what parents are thinking.
Godfrey said this year they will be putting on the back of the school t-shirts the statement: “Intelligence and character is the true goal of education.”
She said the people they are surveying are different than those of five years ago, all across NHA.
“They feel a problem with discipline being effective,” Losen said.
Godfrey said parents whose children are in trouble are upset. And, then those who want other children punished want to know what was done and because of privacy rules Godfrey said she can’t tell them.
Then, there is a family that had several severe issues and others think they should be kicked out, she said. But, some are special education children and there rules about that.
“All they see is the behavior,” said Godfrey. “Many parents who come to talk to me get an explanation and leave satisfied.”
Then there is a group of people who get on the phone or text each other and it is gossip, she said, adding it’s parents who have been here a long time.
“When they see the demographics, they think Keystone is going downhill, but Keystone is not going downhill,” Godfrey said.
“I think discipline is always going to be shaky, if we’re not able to share information,” Godfrey said. She suggested a parent may have said “highly dissatisfied” on the survey because the school disciplined their child.
Godfrey said Keystone does have “non-negotiable” infractions, such as profanity, threats, and fights.
She said in late September or early October, Keystone will have a curriculum event and she will talk to the parents about discipline and confidentiality.
“I don’t like to get in the spotlight, but I need to talk more so they’ll understand,” Godfrey said.
In other business at the Aug. 18 meeting, the board:
• Watched board president Vesta Losen swear in Susan Meland for another three-year term on the Keystone Academy Board of Directors. Meland’s new term expires in June 2019. She currently serves as board secretary;
• Heard Godfrey announce that professional development week for teachers would be Aug. 22-26. On Aug. 22 they planned to flood downtown Belleville for a scavenger hunt starting at the Fourth Street Square and finally ending at the square and going into Egan’s for hamburgers;
• Heard Losen announce that all the board members will be going to the upcoming National Heritage Academies’ symposium in Grand Rapids at a cost of $250 each, which covers room, board, and travel expenses. NHA is covering part of the expenses;
• Learned the candidate to fill a vacancy on the school board has been approved except for the “conflict of interest” problem with NHA. He is a part-time basketball coach at Keystone and gets paid by the school, so he cannot be approved as a board member until that detail is straightened out. “We have all his paperwork, but until we get the green light we can’t move forward,” said Jeff Henders, NHA Board Relations Representative;
• Reviewed the 200-page 2015-16 Annual Education Report prepared by NHA for the schools authorizer, Bay Mills Community College, and to submit to the state;
• Approved the 60-page School Improvement Plan to submit to the state. Godfrey also provided a copy to board members of state proficiency results prepared by NHA to compare Keystone to adjoining Van Buren and Lincoln school districts and to statewide scores for school year 2014-15. In all categories Keystone met or exceeded the scores for Van Buren, Lincoln, and the state;
• Ratified the Criminal History Record Information documentation and agreed to have Presque Ile do the work. Presque Ile does most of the work for Michigan schools for NHA and it is working well, according to reports;
• Heard Godfrey report that Keystone is fully staffed for classes. The following changes have been made: Andrea Kaplan moved to a public school in Milan and she is replaced by Sarah Zajac; Jenny Bachakes had an opportunity at Henry Ford Community College, so Chelsea Jackson will move up to the first grade position from Y5; taking over Jackon’s Y5 class is Megan Reaume, a paraprofessional who changed her role; Lauran Depres is taking part in a year-long internship, so Justin Kucera, a first-year teacher will teach social studies; Corey Williams has a new position with the Ann Arbor Public Schools and so Sheena Ritz will take over his science and social studies classes; and John LeBlanc has a new position with the South Lyon School District and Andrew Pope will fill his position; and
• Was informed a Welcome Back Event & Resource Fair is set for Aug. 24 and the first day of school is Sept. 6.