From the Board - September 24, 2025 - Megan Heil

The Garfield Re-2 School Board held its regular meeting this past week, and I want to share a few highlights from the evening with our families and community.

We started our meeting by celebrating the fantastic work of the Riverside Middle School! Principal Karen Satter has led her staff with excellence and true commitment to student growth. Riverside Middle School has been rated as a Performance School for the 3^rd year in a row! Staff also presented a plan to provide additional support to students who are not YET meeting academic achievement standards. It’s encouraging to see such passion for education. Go Vikings!

Celebrating Community & Schools

Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Nipper opened the meeting with an uplifting update about the many wonderful community events hosted recently across our schools. She also shared that five of our ten schools have completed their strategic planning visits, an important step in aligning our work with the district’s long-term goals.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Mr. Banghart highlighted the outstanding efforts of the City of Rifle in responding to a recent water main break, ensuring our schools could continue operating smoothly. He also shared that more than 1,100 community members participated in the recent calendar survey, offering valuable feedback ahead of the Board’s upcoming calendar review process. Schools continue to pursue their long-term strategic planning goals for continuous improvement. I am delighted to see the thoughtful work that is being invested in identifying areas for improvement and strategies to close the gap.

Board Reports

The Board has been participating in various school events and reporting district-wide celebrations. The Board is meeting with Superintendent Banghart on September 27^th for a scheduled workshop to discuss and align goals moving forward.

Committee & Governance Updates

• District Accountability Committee (DAC): Provided updates on ongoing parent and community engagement. They are working hard to provide support to families throughout the district.
• Safety Committee Report: I was able to attend the district’s safety committee meeting. Very thoughtful work is being done to ensure that our buildings are safe.
• The Confluence for Early Childhood Development: Presented insights into the early learning/childcare ballot initiative. The initiative establishes a new regional taxing authority to provide funding for qualifying childcare on a sliding scale to children from Parachute to Aspen. The board was able to ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of the initiative and its mission.
• Curriculum & Grants: Updates were given on the implementation of CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) and the district’s use of “impact cycles” to support continuous improvement in classrooms. Great work is happening across all lines to identify areas of improvement as the new curriculum is rolled out District-wide.

Policy & Governance Actions

The Board conducted a first reading on the following policies:

• JRA/JRC – Student Records/Release of Information on Students
• KLG – Relations with State and Federal Agencies

Looking Ahead & Closing Thoughts

This meeting reaffirmed our commitment to strong community partnerships, continuous instructional improvement, and responsive governance. Going forward, the feedback collected from the calendar survey will shape the final calendar recommendation, and the policy revisions underway will help us stay aligned with state and federal expectations.

I’m thankful to everyone who attended, presented, or submitted input. Your engagement is essential to the success of our schools and our students. Please consider joining us at our next regular board meeting on October 8^th (5:30 pm) at Kathryn Senor.