Brief: Stillwater School Board Gets Updates On Bullying Policy and Budget Adjustments

There were two presentations during Thursday night’s Stillwater Area School Board meeting.

The first presentation was about personalized learning using 21st century learning tools. Special Education teachers in the district demonstrated how they use technology to teach special education and English learning students. Tools include: iPad educational applications, audio books, text to speech and dictation software.

The second presentation was an update on the budget adjustment process. Currently, a district committee is identifying major areas that could be impacted if the levy passes or if the levy fails in November.

Despite the outcome in November, the district will be making a $5 million budget reduction.

In other school board news:

• Coach Scott Christensen was recognized with some members of his Cross country team. The team won a conference last Friday.

• The one action item was a vote on refinancing some existing bonds to save money on interest in the future.

• During the learning session Thursday afternoon, the board was updated on the implementation process. All staff members in the district including substitute teachers will be required to review summary of policies and provide an electronic signature. Parents will be educated on the policy during parent/teacher conferences and informational sessions. The district will collect data on bullying by survey collecting and tracking incidents. By June, the district plans to develop a district wide bullying prevention program for implementation for the 2012-13 school year.

The next school board meeting is Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7:15 p.m. at .