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Fitzsimmons Middle School (7048)

57093 US HIGHWAY 285
BAILEY, CO 80421

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Historical Data

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147

Total Students Served

Narrative

A message from:

Ashley Stephen

Director of Business Services

Platte Canyon School District 1

July 01, 2025

The 2024 fiscal year is set to be an exciting time for Platte Canyon School District Staff, Students, and Families. The District will transition to the four-day school week in the fall of 2023 and while we have put in countless hours to make this change as smooth as possible, we know we will be learning what works and what doesn’t work along the way. This District is also entering ... The 2024 fiscal year is set to be an exciting time for Platte Canyon School District Staff, Students, and Families. The District will transition to the four-day school week in the fall of 2023 and while we have put in countless hours to make this change as smooth as possible, we know we will be learning what works and what doesn’t work along the way. This District is also entering into the first round of construction as we implement phase one of the Master Plan to consolidate our facilities by investing $1.5 million into renovating the lower level of the District Admin building, formerly C hall, to house our preschool. This renovation will provide a safer, healthier and more inspiring learning environment for our youngest learners. The District will also be navigating the implementation of Universal Preschool programing. Beginning in August 2023, PCSD1 will offer a minimum of 10 hrs per week of free preschool programing to all qualifying 3 and 4 year olds. The District will be offering full day two day and four day programs for FY 2024 preschool families. We will also be exploring the extension of early reading curriculum at the preschool level. In order to streamline this process internally, the District has consolidated the Preschool Fund (19) into the General Fund as recommended by CDE for cleaner and more effective reporting. While funding at the state level was positive overall for public K12 schools this spring in Colorado, rising costs associated with post pandemic economic factors including the areas of food, utilities and fuel oil, insurance, materials, and supplies, coupled with long lead times on technology and equipment continue to put pressure on the District General Fund. Teacher and labor shortages continue nationwide and further impact our budget process and highlight the need for district efficiencies and campus consolidation. Additional support for K12 families came from the state for FY24 in the form of the Healthy School Meals for All program. This program will allow access to free meals for all students for FY24 and beyond. This program is implemented in conjunction with the federally supported National School Lunch program and will likely require additional financial support out of the General Fund. That said, the District is excited to once again be offering free meals to all of our students. The FY 2024 budget is designed to address the immediate need for facilities improvements for our preschool while moving toward consolidation. The Budget allows for the maintenance of current levels of salary and benefits for staff with no reductions due to the four-day week transition. The District's budget continues to focus on rightsizing staff while building more flexibility within our position structure to better meet student needs. The District's online program continues to expand, as do offerings for post-secondary and workforce readiness courses at the high school level. The District has targeted expenses for the 2024 fiscal year in several areas: • $1.5 million for the Preschool renovation project, phase 1 of the Master Plan • Continued work on student mental health support materials and curriculum • Maintenance of competitive wages and benefits packages for staff members • Continuation of the SRO program at both campuses in partnership with the Park County Sheriff’s Office • Sustainment of the District’s Quarterly Bonus program for regularly-scheduled staff members, supported by Forest Service and small rural “one time” monies Grant Funding Opportunities: • Safety for students continues to be the number one priority for the District and FY24 will see grant applications for upgraded safety and security systems, new cameras and better communications with local law enforcement. • State level grant funding will be available for Math intervention and curriculum. If secured this funding will help to address post pandemic learning loss and student achievement district wide • Additional grant funding applications targeted at offsetting cost for the Preschool playground, the Buell Foundation, and HVAC upgrades, CSU Agricultural Division, will also be completed • Completion of the District ESSR III plan and implementation • Potential BEST grant application directed toward upgrading facilities as outlined in the District Master Plan. The District will continue to seek additional grant funding to support student learning and operations as the opportunities arise and as additional needs come to light. This budget reflects the District's commitment to improved compensation for our staff members, upgraded student learning facilities, and expanded student opportunities. We will continue to work on streamlining operations in all departments. Spring of FY23-24 was a whirlwind of activity beginning with a heartfelt thank you for passing the continuation of the District’s Bond Mill Levy and helping us work toward our vision of a unified, efficient and welcoming campus for the students of Platte Canyon SD1. This amended budget focused on changes to update General Fund revenues to include the sale proceeds of the District surplus property, true up revenue projections based on current legislation and the District’s October pupil count and alignment of expenses as they shift in the early portions of the fiscal year. The District continues to rightsized staff numbers through natural attrition and reduced overall FTE by 3.35 from the adopted budget with overall salaries dropping below original budget projections. This reduction in total salaries is slightly offset by increased expenses in District covered benefits. The general fund discretionary lines remain largely unchanged for the proposed amended FY24 budget, with the only major changes related to increased costs for utilities and the completion of the District Office remodel for our new Preschool rooms and the anticipated kick off of phases two and three of the District facilities master plan. The addition of the Capital Construction fund (41) will support the beginning phases of construction as the District Owner’s Rep and Architect teams work towards securing permits and drafting the design of the new spaces while the District staff starts cleaning out and preparing for round one of consolidation. Light renovation work is slated to begin at the close of the school year with plans for the middle school students to join high schoolers in the newly refreshed space to kickoff the Fall 2024 semester. With COVID grant funding coming to a close, the District will finish out all programming and spending for our ESSR III plan including summer school programing, additional materials, and audit expenses, prior to the close of the fiscal year. Additional grant programming from the Early Literacy Program at Deer Creek Elementary will also support continued intervention measures and training along with the addition of iPad for both staff and students in the program. In the Nutritional services fund, grant funds from the Healthy Meals Incentives Program are being utilized to update small appliances, convection ovens and provide scratch cooking training for staff members this year. Additionally, all students continue to receive no cost meals as the District remains an active participant in Federal and State funding sources and programming. Sincerely, Mike Schmidt Ashley Stephen PCSD1 Superintendent PCSD1 Business Services Manager

Spending

$17,860
Current Spending per Student

View Per Student Spending Calculation

$15,805

State Average

School Level Spending per Student

Federal

$496
State/Local

$12,531
Total

$13,027

School Share of Central Spending per Student

Federal

$29
State/Local

$4,804
Total

$4,833

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Current School Spending

Learning Environment

92%
Operations

8%

Learning Environment
$1,762,728

View Learning Environment Breakdown

Operations
$152,353

View Operations Breakdown

$1,915,082

Total

Long-Term Spending

Construction, Debt, Refinancing & Other

View Construction Funds Breakdown

These expenditures are those not associated with day-to-day operation of school activities and, therefore, are not included in the per-student spending calculation. They are comprised of major construction projects, debt payments, acquisition of land, and other programs.

$32,676

Total

Total School-Allocated Spending

$1,947,757

Totals may not sum due to rounding

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Current School Share of Central Spending

Learning Environment

34%
Operations

66%

Learning
Environment
$244,539

Operations
$465,997

$710,536

Total

$2,658,294

Grand Total of Spending at this school