Greetings families,
The regular school board meeting was Monday evening at Somers. One parent utilized the
public comment time to express gratitude for the many outstanding educators in the district and inquire about more school access for parents. The board is now working with the superintendent to review current policies for volunteer involvement. We hope to provide a follow-up at the May board meeting.
The superintendent, principals, PTA, and several staff members provided reports on upcoming
events and happenings at the school. It has been a busy time, and we look forward to a
wonderful last quarter of the school year. Reports of particular interest included Mr. Duval winning a $500 grant to buy new books to supplement his classroom library! PTA is also giving generously to fund more books in classroom libraries at the elementary school. In addition, watch for more information about the PTA-sponsored Family Fun Night on May 18th and opportunities to help celebrate our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 1–5.
Finally, the kindergarten round-up begins next week, so if you have an incoming kindergartener, connect with the Lakeside office to sign up.
PTA does so much for our schools but needs more volunteer help to fill leadership positions. As
they look to the 23/24 school year, it is uncertain if PTA can continue. Please consider how you
might get involved to keep this program alive in our schools. For more information, email
pta@somersdist29.org.
The Finance Committee reported that the district's financial audit was successful with no
significant findings. We are grateful for our district clerk's work in ensuring everything is in order.
The board is greatly encouraged that our goal of being better informed and providing more
oversight and transparency in district finances is being met.
The PR committee is eager to complete their goal to show appreciation by helping facilitate a
teacher luncheon on May 5th. This isn't a PTA fan letter, but we are again grateful for PTA's help
pulling this off.
The Montana School Board Association is advising the board on how to report on survey results properly. The survey results will be reviewed in May or June. There is still time to fill out the parent survey to let the board know your thoughts on a number of issues. Here is the link:
https://forms.gle/bac2KeoAovR4sfGj9. This survey helps inform board goals for the upcoming
school year.
The Negotiations Committee is meeting again on May 1st to negotiate classified staff contracts.
Our classified staff includes our maintenance, paraprofessionals, office teams, and kitchen staff.
We wish Ms. Oberlander, Mrs. Shaffer, Ms. Knepper, Ms. Olson, and Ms. Heidegger well as they
leave the district for new places and new opportunities. Tenured and non-tenured teacher contracts were renewed, and we welcome Ms. Fernandez to our teaching staff for the 2023/2024 school year.
Because the number of candidates equaled the number of open positions on the board of
trustees, the school trustee election was canceled in accordance with 20-3-313, MCA. We will
welcome trustees Kendall Massie, Bill Metzler, and Cortnie Brooks into their new terms in May.
It was the last meeting for Meredith Coopman, who has served nine years as a trustee, and
Sean Banks, who was a tremendous asset for the last several months. We are grateful for their
service to the district and wish them well in their next chapters.
The 2023/2024 Academic calendar was approved, along with permission to recycle or destroy
the obsolete electronic equipment that had accumulated. Finally, expenditures and payroll were reviewed and approved.
Only a few more weeks until the end of the school year! The next board meeting is May 15th,
2023, at 6 PM at Lakeside Elementary.
Have a great weekend,
Jesica Swanson
Board Chairperson
jesica.swanson@somersdist29.org