At Tuesday night’s Nome Public School (NPS) board meeting, vandalism, a revised teacher evaluation model, and student scholarships were at the forefront of discussion.
A broken window was the topic that kicked off Superintendent Shawn Arnold’s report. Recently, Nome Elementary School was down $5,000 after replacing a shattered pane. Arnold says that most broken window vandalism is done unintentionally.
In response to this incident, and others in the past like it, NPS has installed new security cameras. The cameras will watch over school property and hopefully help to identify future vandals.
Further along in Arnold’s report was a new system to measure teacher performance. The new evaluations will emphasize 23 essential teacher behaviors in four domains of expertise.
Previously, 61 teacher behaviors were evaluated, leaving the time and resource burden on those who desired fair and accurate measurements. The new streamlined process allows educators to focus on research-based, standards-aligned instruction. This model will also shift its focus to evidence of student learning.
During Megan Contreras’ student report, she was happy to share good news. After scholarship night, Contreras says Nanook seniors walked away with significant financial help. She reports that a majority of scholarships students received originated from within Nome.
She also recognized Ms. Caroline and Mr. Bress for their help in setting up a (Lord of the Rings) Rivendell-themed prom. The student representative report concluded with a statement about the success of the big brother / big sister program that provides mentorship opportunities for high school students and younger Nome Public Schools students.
The school board meeting ended with the approval of two policies about free and reduced lunch and meeting conduct. A policy on Family Life and Sex Education was tabled by the policy committee, as it awaits edits.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for June 13th at the Nome Elementary School library.
