Keystone school board applauds new state status

Keystone Academy Principal Keturah Godfrey received applause after announcing that Keystone has been released from Focus School status by the Michigan Department of Education.
This was at the regular meeting of the Keystone Academy Board of Directors on Sept. 10.
The Aug. 7 letter from the state said: “Your school’s hard work and emphasis on data-driven decisions have narrowed the achievement gap between the top and bottom performing 30% of students … Student achievement among the bottom 30% has improved and we hope this trend continues…”
The letter went on to state that increasing student achievement is essential to meet the state’s goal of 85% proficiency for all students by the 2021-22 school year.
Godfrey said the school’s bottom 30% is higher than the state average.
Board president Vesta Losen said the gap between the top and bottom students has widened with the top doing better than ever.
“We aren’t holding a brick on the higher students,” Losen said, who noted the state changed its rules on Focus Schools so that if your lower 30% are higher than the state average you are not a Focus School.
Godfrey said it’s a great relief not to have to do the quarterly reports on special programs put in place that Focus Schools have to do. Keystone was named a Focus School in 2012.
In other business at its Sept. 10 meeting, the board:
• Approved $11,000 from the board’s discretionary fund to pay 11 athletic coaches, as requested by John LeBlanc, athletic director/gym teacher. LeBlanc ran around the community on his own time in the summer and got to know people. He said he went door to door and got 10 companies to offer customer discounts on a card that athletes will sell for $10, with the athletic department getting $9 per card. He said the soccer team needs balls and volleyball needs a new net, among other needs;
• Learned 25 Young K Kindergartners and 83 Kindergarteners have enrolled, with no Kindergartners left on the waiting list. For Young K through eighth grade there are 766 students enrolled and 180 on the waiting list. There was discussion on why the Kindergarten students are fewer than in the past and the proliferation of schools was a factor, along with a low birth rate;
• Was informed new hires are: Tracy Kaminski, eighth grade; Chelsea Jackson, Y5s; Oliver Rodriguez, music; and Renee Letts, second grade;
• Learned two bullying episodes have been reported to the state for the previous school year, with one student getting one day of in-school suspension and one getting one day of out-of-school suspension. “We try to do early intervention,” Godfrey said. Reg Ion, a grandparent of Keystone students, said, “It’s so important to get after that right away … important for all the kids”;
• Heard Godfrey tell of Carla Cox, who has worked in the public schools for 35 years and now runs a reading clinic in Romulus, and her new program in targeted phonics that she used on 30 Keystone students in first to third grades twice a week for six weeks. She wants to publish her all-new material and used the program with the Keystone students as an experiment. Godfrey said it worked out very well for the students;
• Learned National Heritage Academies needs to submit paperwork to Bay Mills Community College on recommended new board member Connie Shull, who was asked to sign paperwork. Godfrey suggested another candidate for the board and she was encouraged to talk to the person about serving;
• Heard Losen say she thinks all the money coming in from the Stars before/after school program should go to Keystone, instead of sharing it equally with NHA since Keystone already pays NHA for use of the building. She said Keystone used to get $11,000 from the Stars program and now it is down to $3,000. She said the extra money could be used by the principal for special programs. They will look into the contract with Stars;
• Approved the state-mandated School Improvement Plan;
• Approved 2015 Compliance with Children’s Internet Protection Act;
• Approved the 2016 Letter of Agency for E-rate Funding;
• Approved naming Losen as Public School Academy Criminal History Records Information authorized user. The board also authorized Losen to designate an alternative agent that meets the agency requirement should one become available; and
• Noted the board has the almost $5,000 check Bay Mills sent to help pay for the extra testing the school is doing and the board will decide what to do with it.