A 15-year campus monitor for Greeley-Evans School District 6 was named the system's classified employee of the year Monday evening.

Amy Luster, who has spent all of those years at Greeley Central, was announced as the winner of the annual award during a board of education meeting at the District 6 administration building in Greeley.

The classified employee of the year is an annual award hosted by the district's classified council, recognizing individuals other than teachers and administrators. Classified employees are support staff not licensed as educators or administrators such as office managers, secretaries, bus drivers and monitors, nutrition service workers, custodians and grounds crew.

Luster was among a large group of the 43 nominees who attended the meeting and received certificates from classified council co-vice presidents Linda Rulla and Julie Lewis. Luster was announced as the winner after all of the certificates were distributed.

Rulla and Lewis said the council received 66 total nominations for the award; some individuals including Luster were nominated by multiple people. A committee then selected five finalists.

"It's very special to me," Luster said in a news release from the school district late Monday evening. "Greeley Central is my family. I love my kids and I love the staff."

One of the nomination letters supporting Luster cited her work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.

"One particularly special thing she did last school year, during remote learning, was coming to the school with the CLD students to help tutor them through their remote learning," the nomination said. "She always brought them snacks and showed how much she cared for them and their learning, during the most difficult time."

The nearly 2-hour meeting was the first for the District 6 board in exactly one month, on Feb. 28, and included a lengthy agenda highlighted by multiple other items: the renaming of Madison Elementary School, the approval of district legal counsel to handle truancy proceedings starting in April and a plan to strengthen relationships with parents and families presented by assistant superintendent Stacie Datteri, director of cultural excellence and parent engagement Jesse Tijerina and David Reyes, coordinator of the District 6 Family Center on 10th Avenue.

The District 6 board's regularly scheduled meetings are the second and fourth Monday of each month. The March 14 meeting was cancelled because it was scheduled during spring break week.

Multiple items totaling nearly $65 million related to school bond projects appeared on the meeting's consent agenda. The consent agenda allows a board to group like items and approve those without an individual discussion, motion or vote. Boards typically then "vote" on the consent agenda to approve the items together.

Of the $64,779,980 combined for the bond projects, more than $49 million is designated for the Madison Elementary School replacement project with Fort Collins contractor Adolfson Peterson. The district's contract approval form quotes a total cost of $49,392,800.00 including $447,243.00 for a snowmelt system. Adolfson Peterson is also building the new Greeley West High School.

Madison Elementary School

Madison Elementary School on 24th Avenue in Greeley (Greeley Tribune file photo). 

The Madison replacement project will turn the 58-year-old school into a building for 750 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades on the existing site on 24th Avenue. A video of the new Madison school from Denver architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht is available on the school's webpage.

Built in 1964, Madison had 496 students in kindergarten through fifth grades as of 2018. Capacity is 331 students according to information from District 6.

The contract approval form lists Adolfson Peterson's dates of work at Madison beginning last month, in February 2022, and extending through October 2023. The contract approval form states construction was to start in March with completion by May 2023. Site work will be finished by October 2023.

A ground breaking for the new Madison school is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. When the building opens, the school will have a slightly different name and a new focus.

The board of education approved the name change Monday to James Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy.

A STEAM education is an approach to teaching and learning that combines science, technology, engineering, the arts and math, according to The Conversation U.S., an independent news news organization part of a global group founded in Australia.

A STEM education focuses on scientific concepts: science, technology, engineering and math, according to The Conversation.

The nine-person naming committee met four times in January and February, according to documentation on the board's meeting agenda. The naming committee was facilitated by assistant superintendent Wes Tuttle and Madison principal Steve Isenhour, who addressed the school board Monday night on the school name change and building project.

The committee received 94 responses to a survey distributed in English and Spanish to current families and staff, alumni, retirees and community members. Of those responses — 72 from English respondents and 22 from Spanish respondents — 87% favored retaining Madison in the new name.

The school will also keep its eagle mascot, with a slight change to the logo and school colors switched to black and gold at the request of the students.

The other bond-related projects on the consent agenda were:

  • $1.5 million for Franklin Middle School renovation (to provide administration office and secure entry);
  • $299,477 for Jefferson High School renovation (to provide a secure entry);
  • $1.7 million for Maplewood Elementary renovation (for secure entry and HVAC);
  • $386,297 for Jefferson High (boiler, domestic hot water heater and chiller replacement);
  • $584,855.79 for Madison K-8 (building and development fees to city of Greeley);
  • $6.4 million for Martinez Elementary (addition and renovation);
  • $2.1 million for Greeley West (for evaluation, inventory, selection and design of new furniture, fixtures and equipment-FF&E);
  • $1.5 million for Greeley Central (for roof system);
  • $410,023 for Jefferson High (roof system); and
  • $279,068 for Monfort Elementary (roof system).

The board also on Monday nigh unanimously approved legal counsel Nathan Fall to represent the district for truancy proceedings. This is a change from the outsourcing of the truancy docket to Greeley firm of Witwer, Oldenburg, Barry & Groom, LLP that is expected to save the district "hundreds of thousands of dollars," District 6 chief of communications Theresa Myers said after the meeting Monday.

Fall told the board that Weld County District Court requires the board of education sign a document appointing Fall as the attorney of record for truancy proceedings.

There are compulsory education laws in Colorado requiring kids go to school, Fall explained to the board. If students have four unexcused absences in a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences in a calendar year, they would be considered "habitually truant" according to state law. From there, a school district may begin truancy proceedings that brings the student into court.

The court then has jurisdiction over the child and parent to make sure the student goes to school, Fall told the board.

"It has its flaws," Falls said. "The system really does. But as a school district, we're obligated to initiate truancy proceedings if children aren't going to school."

In response to a question from board member Kyle Bentley, Fall said truancy proceedings are very common in District 6. He said there are probably several hundred currently in the district system with "a lot" of those on hold and being monitored.

"I think we're going to be filing two dozen referrals in April," Fall said. "And this is definitely the time of year when we get a lot of them."

Fall said efficiency is the biggest reason for the change to the district legal office handling the truancy docket. With truancy legal proceedings handled internally, Fall can communicate on paperwork with colleagues Renee Fleecs, the executive assistant to assistant superintendents Wes Tuttle and Anthony Asmus, who oversee the elementary and secondary schools, and with chief of safety and security John Gates.

"Working closely with attendance liaisons and other advocates in the district to help improve our attendance so we can keep students out of truancy court," Fall added as another benefit of the in-house legal office handling the truancy docket.