The Daily Mining Gazette - Published: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Print Article | Close Window CISD evaluates 2007, sets goals for 2008 By Jane Nordberg, DMG Writer HANCOCK — Members of the Board of Education for the Copper Country Intermediate School District held a special meeting Thursday to discuss district goals in the upcoming year. Superintendent Dennis Harbour provided the presentation, which is normally done during the course of a regular meeting. “I appreciate the board agreeing to spend the extra time to review these goals,” Harbour said. “When we’re in regular session, it’s difficult to have any meaningful discussion because of time constraints in conducting our regular business.” The presentation detailed the goals identified for each of the CCISD’s core areas for 2007, provided an updated on those goals, and identified new goals for 2008. Core areas for the CCISD include special education, career and technical education, public relations and relations with local districts, general education, Regional Educational Media Center and SupportNet, and transportation, facilities and finances. “It’s good for both the board and myself to hear what’s going on in these various departments so we can evaluate what we’re doing and identify what we want to accomplish in the near future,” Harbour said. Administrators from all of the core areas were present at Thursday’s meeting to answer questions from the board. Director of Special Education Christine Salo said the restructuring of the district’s area-wide cognitive impairment programs in 2007 went relatively smoothly. “We had a few glitches, but overall, it went well,” Salo said. “Everyone worked hard at the beginning to make the transition as smooth as possible.” Salo and Lois Gemignani, supervisor of the special education learning center, acknowledged the work of special education personnel at the Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium and Keweenaw for their work. “They were great to work with,” Gemignani said. Heating and electrical upgrades of the CCISD building were completed in 2007, reported business manager Ken Maki. A deteriorating roof membrane was also replaced. Career and Technical Education Director Bill Rivest said the program met its goal of developing an auto electronics course and is in the process of developing a manufacturing technology course for Baraga County. “Welding is done, tooling is done and the drafting portion is being developed now,” Rivest said. The program received recertification in 2007 from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, an organization which develops training standards for automotive technology instruction. Shawn Oppliger, director of the Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education under the General Education umbrella, said the restructuring of the distance learning schedule completed in 2007 was an improvement. “I think it’s much easier now for local schools to do their scheduling now that we’re getting (a schedule of) classes to them earlier,” Oppliger said. A distance learning French class is so popular, she said, one of the goals for 2008 is to add a French II class via distance learning. Advanced Placement English and literature, and Advanced Placement calculus may also be added, she said. Another goal for 2008 for general education is to develop an area-wide summer school program for credit retrieval, necessitated by the recent change in high school graduation requirements. “That is going to be a big initiative,” Harbour said. “We’re going to have a lot of students who will need some help over the summer to get those credits.” Harbour said he intends to promote CCISD services and programs throughout the community during the next year. A recent Daily Mining Gazette article regarding a postponed millage for the district’s Career and Technical Education Programs prompted some interesting questions from the community, he said. “Despite my best efforts and those of our administrators, there’s still a lot of confusion out there about what we do and the services we provide,” he said. “We’ll keep working on that.” Thursday’s meeting was an informational meeting only; the board is expected to take action on the proposed 2008 goals at its next meeting Jan. 15. The board also briefly discussed the evaluation process for the district superintendent. Harbour said the process needs to be completed by the end of March, 90 days before the end of his current contract. Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com