WBCSD staff, students are keeping busy

As a way of improving communication from the West Bonner County School District to the community it was recommended I write a monthly column to the newspapers. The focus of the column will vary depending on the time of year. This is a busy time in our schools as we are nearing the end of the first semester, which means finals and winter benchmarking. This information provides our teachers with valuable information on what our students are learning and help guide future instruction. We have a great staff who continue to work hard for our students.

This is also a busy time in our state Legislature, I would like to thank Rep. Heather Scott, Rep. Sage Dixon, and Sen. Shawn Woodward for their hard work in representing our region. In this upcoming legislative session is a proposed new funding formula for schools, this is something to watch moving forward as this could impact all school districts across the state of Idaho.

Our district has made recent improvements to both school safety and utility savings. Our schools are all equipped with upgraded door locks with a single point of entry, which is controlled by new door strikes. This allows the visitors to be viewed by school personnel before being buzzed into the school instead of walking straight in with full access to the school.

The district has also undergone a process of replacing all lights with LED bulbs, this project is 95 percent complete and was funded by rebates from Avista Utilities as well as district funds. This should provide large, long-term savings to the district. Also, be sure to look for the new digital reader board at Priest River Elementary coming soon. Thank you to the Priest River Community Foundation, Priest River Elementary PTO, and the Board of Trustees for funding this project

Thank you to our community for all of your support and our district will continue to strive for greatness!

Paul Anselmo is superintendent of the West Bonner County School District. He can be reached at PaulAnselmo@sd83.org.