Pagosa Peak Open School, the community’s district-authorized K-8 charter school, will be interviewing three finalists for the position of School Director today, Monday March 18, starting at 3pm. Interviews will be conducted at the school in Aspen Village (3133 Cornerstone Dr.). The public is invited to attend.
As a public school, Pagosa Peak Open School (PPOS) is funded mainly by taxpayer revenues, but in recent years PPOS has also received numerous grants, including — most recently — two grants to help open a Preschool, and a $700,000 grant to build a community-accessible playground on the school property.
Three finalists for the School Director position — Emily Murphy, Brie Kaiser and Brian Clyne — will field questions from four teams composed of school staff, parents, students, and the Board of Directors. The teams will present their impressions to the school’s Board of Directors, who will be tasked with making the final hiring decision. The Board might convene in executive session, following the public interview process, as allowed by Colorado law.
Disclosure: I currently serve on the PPOS Board of Directors, but this editorial reflects only my own personal opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of the Board as a whole, or of the school staff, parents, or students.
Pagosa Peak Open School was authorized in 2017 by the Archuleta School District as a tuition-free public school serving families in Archuleta County, according to Colorado’s 1993 Charter School Act. The first School Director, James Lewicki, took the school through the first two years; the current School Director, Angela Reali-Crossland, announced her pending resignation earlier this year.
The School Director at PPOS juggles a mix of duties, similar to a school ‘Principal’ but also also handles task similar to a School Superintendent, because charter schools maintain a certain level of autonomy.
The PPOS Strategic Planning Committee reviewed over two dozen applications for the School Director position for the coming 2024-2025 school year, and selected three finalists, who will be interviewed today.
Brian Clyne was most recently Head of School at Episcopal Day School in Brownsville, TX, where he developed and implemented strategic plans for the school’s long-term goals; conducted regular meetings with faculty to ensure adherence to standards of excellence; created budget proposals and monitored financial performance of the school; evaluated staff performance and provided feedback on areas of improvement; and implemented technology initiatives to improve student engagement.
Brianna Kaiser is currently School Director at Denver Waldorf High School. She wrote in her application: “I am highly motivated with a focus on pedagogy, student support, parent relations, teacher support, and leadership. I am positive, goal achieving, and efficient. I am a people person and thrive on strong relationships with co-workers as well as building strong relationships with community…”
Emily Murphy is the current Assistant Director at PPOS, where she has been responsible to the development of the ‘Restorative Practices’ conflict resolution processes, which has enhanced the school’s overall culture and student-to-student, staff-to-staff and student-to-staff relationships. She was previously the instructional coach at PPOS, creating and implementing professional development opportunities, and collaborating with teachers through coaching cycles, using student data to positively impact student achievement.
Colorado’s Charter School Act of 1993 had the essential aim of improving public education in the state by encouraging innovative, independent schools — charter schools — that would explore alternative methods of learning and teaching. Colorado charter schools are public schools, and must be non-profit by law; they do not charge tuition, and cannot use discriminatory enrollment practices. As of the current school year, 261 public charter schools in Colorado serve over 135,000 students; charter schools in Colorado handles over 15% of total public student enrollment in the state. The schools are required to administer state assessments and are subject to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The PPOS charter, outlining the reasons for the school’s creation and the educational methods that will be used, resulted from the work of a small group of local founders — almost all mothers of younger children — who visited over two dozen innovative schools in Colorado and northern New Mexico. The group was most impressed with the academic successes and school culture at one particular school: Jefferson County Open School. That innovative school featured mixed-age classrooms and a curriculum built partly on ‘Project-Based Learning’ — a teaching method whereby students engage in open-ended ‘projects’ that typically require self-direction, research, and teamwork, and ultimately conclude with a presentation to a public audience.
Some of the outcomes that the Colorado legislature hoped to achieve through the creation of charter schools, as stated in the Charter Schools Act:
(a) To improve pupil learning by creating schools with high, rigorous standards for pupil performance;
(b) To increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low-achieving;
(c) To encourage diverse approaches to learning and education and the use of different, innovative, research-based, or proven teaching methods;
(d) To promote the development of longitudinal analysis of student progress, in addition to participation in the Colorado student assessment program, to measure pupil learning and achievement;
(e) To create new employment options and professional opportunities for teachers and principals, including the opportunity to be responsible for the achievement results of students at the school site;
(f) To provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of education opportunities that are available within the public school system;
(g) To encourage parental and community involvement with public schools…
Today’s interview process at Pagosa Peak Open School will include public interviews of the three finalists, held at the school (3133 Cornerstone Dr.) beginning at 3pm.