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GALLAGHER MEMORIAL 5K
Students fabricate commemorative flag for sheriff ’ s office page 2
Coon Rapids graduate visits White House page 3
RMS teacher Pam Schwandt named Art teacher of the year page 4
FOCUS
Regional High School student poetry page 7
ANOKA - HENNEPIN SCHOOL DISTRICT
ON ANOKA-HENNEPIN SCHOOLS
Fit for the Future Task Force presents facility recommendations to board
WINTER 2017
Organizing , planning , working to continuously improve schools
By Superintendent David Law
Our district has a simple , important mission : “ Effectively educating all students for success .” To accomplish this purpose we rely on a great recipe : a strong educational foundation for all students and a system that offers wide ranging opportunities for each student .
The Fit for the Future Task Force has been meeting since last April , studying the district , and determining its long-range facility needs . Some areas of the school district , especially on the northern side , are experiencing dramatic growth , which is putting pressure on capacity at schools like Blaine High School .
A 32-member task force charged with looking into Anoka- Hennepin ’ s long-term building and classroom needs , on Jan . 23 , presented nine recommendations to the School Board for addressing the district ’ s facility needs .
Chief among the recommendations made by the task force , which were made of community members , parents and school district staff , is the construction of new schools in Blaine and Ramsey the upgrading and renovation of schools to meet the needs of 21st century students , the creation of additional space throughout the district for special education programming , and the elimination of all 62 portable classroom spaces around the district by adding permanent classroom space . The group also recommended the district go to the community for a bond referendum to enact the recommendations .
The recommendations were made in order to address the findings the task force made during its eight-month study of the district . Among the findings made : the district is experiencing a dramatic imbalance of population growth , which is
putting significant pressure on schools in Blaine , Ramsey and Ham Lake ; the lack of 21st century learning spaces in nearly all district buildings , which average 49 years old districtwide ; a surging need for special education spaces ; the continued use of more than 60 portable classroom spaces , mostly at secondary schools , continue to pose a security risk ; and a lack of classroom and support space at most schools across the district .
The School Board accepted the report and will use it as a guide to make decisions on how to address space challenges moving forward , School Board chair Tom Heidemann said following the task force presentation .
“ We have a lot to consider and we very much appreciate you laying this very solid foundation for us to work from ,” he said . “ This is not something that ’ s going to go on the shelf .”
Heidemann said the next steps will include a community engagement process and to put together a plan of action with specifics behind it .
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The School Board is committed to continuous improvement . Over the past several years , Anoka- Hennepin schools has implemented an improvement process that allocates resources to strategic priorities based on the needs identified by data and / or recommendations from staff and the community . This four-step approach includes input , prioritization , implementation and evaluation . Our priorities are clustered into three areas : increased academic achievement , safe and welcoming schools , and effective organizational support .
Increasing academic achievement for students is
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Save the date ! www . ahschools . us / ahef
GALLAGHER MEMORIAL 5K
Saturday , April 8
Anoka High School • 3939 7th Ave . N , Anoka
• Proceeds support literacy in our local public schools .
• Registration starts at 8 a . m . 5K run at 9 a . m .
• Pre-register to receive a t-shirt .
• Preschoolers ’ run at 8:30 a . m .
• Participating children receive a free book !
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