Columbia Heights School District — Transcript
Monday, April 7, 2025
Citizen/Employee Representatives Communication to the Board
Consent Agenda Items Discussion
Acknowledgement of Contributions Resolution
Board Member Reports
Superintendent's Report and Correspondence
K12 Activities Update
Blooming Heights Program Update
Student Transportation Contract Renewal
Policy First Reading
Votes (3)
Acknowledgement of Contributions Resolution
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie [0:04] · Seconded by Mary [0:05]
Board members expressed sincere appreciation for the consistent flow of donations from community partners and former staff. The contributions were recognized as providing a significant benefit to students, particularly through scholarships and support for various school programs and activities.
K12 Activities Fees Increase Proposal
Dissent: Board members voiced concerns about potential participation barriers and requested the item be moved from the consent agenda to an action item for dedicated discussion.
Moved by Not applicable (informational item) · Seconded by Not applicable (informational item)
The Activities Department proposed increasing athletic and activity fees, citing that fees have not been raised in seven years while costs for officials, transportation, and equipment have substantially increased. The proposed increases, estimated to generate an additional $5,000, aim to offset rising officials' fees. Board members expressed concerns about the potential for fees to create barriers to participation, particularly for middle schoolers engaging in high school-level sports, and emphasized the importance of accessible scholarship opportunities. The board requested that this item be presented as an action item at the next meeting for a more thorough discussion and vote, rather than being approved via the consent agenda.
High School Stadium Lights Project Approval
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie [1:16] · Seconded by Laura [1:16]
Director Henkin sought approval to replace the existing, aging stadium lights at the football stadium. The project aims to upgrade to a new LED energy-efficient lighting system to resolve recent outages during events and ensure reliable illumination for the next 30 years. Musco Lighting was identified as the lowest responsible and qualified bidder for the project, which will be funded through the capital projects levy.
Notable Quotes (5)
I will just comment um as we do just a continued appreciation for um for the donations and I love seeing this time of year the monetary donations that come in for all of our Community Partners and this was very touching for former staff um for our student scholarships so um a huge um benefit to our students so thank you all.
it is not our goal uh at all to create any more barriers to participation um but just to increase some needed funding for our activities Department.
I just would hate for and we talk about sort of this pathway from middle school activities in athletics into High School and I just I would hate for there to be a student who would be you know really find their home or thrive in robotics or synchronized swimming or or something else um and not know that there's a path available to them or not want to know know who to or be comfortable with disclosing um financial needs.
I would like this to be as an action item and not on the consent agenda so we can can if we need to have further conversation about fee increases for students and families.
our Stadium lights and our football stadium is what we're referring to um um are definitely um aged well um and uh in recent years we've seen outages and um one during or two actually during events um so um seeking to uh replace those lights with new LED energy efficient lighting system.
Ordinances & Resolutions (30)
Permits school boards to receive requests, donations, or gifts for the benefit of the district.
Official board action to accept and appreciate contributions detailed in the meeting.
Included in the consent agenda.
Item on consent agenda with rationale for changes previously presented.
Included in the consent agenda.
Included in the consent agenda.
Ongoing district planning process; the board will give input on the draft priorities next month.
A community event at Highland Elementary focused on providing books to students.
An online seminar attended by a board member discussing budget challenges in school districts.
An update on school finances watched by a board member.
Grants received by the Activities Department to fund initiatives like the Women's Coaching Symposium and Positive Coaching Alliance workshops.
Funding received to continue summer tennis programs for 5-17 year olds.
Three years of funding received to develop a middle school girls flag football program.
Funding applied for to make sports uniforms and apparel more inclusive for female student-athletes.
Application submitted for funding 6th-12th grade out-of-school time programming within the Activities Department.
Reference for the official list of activities and the process for adding or removing them.
A $2,000 grant received to establish a pollinator garden at the Family Center.
An anticipated grant for an after-school program at Columbia Academy starting next year.
The proposed renewal of the district's primary student transportation services contract.
Economic indicator used to determine annual increases in the transportation contract.
Federal law dictating the rights and services for homeless and highly mobile students, including transportation.
An entity that assists the district with MA (Medicaid) billing for special education transportation.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A district policy presented for its first reading.
A partnership supporting high school student internships for the Blooming Heights program.
Funds the high school student interns for the Blooming Heights program.