Board member William Landsiedel pointed out the importance of having students in the mix, as they add valuable perspective.
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SchoolPower president recognized
SchoolPower President Robin Rounaghi was honored by the board for her work raising needed funds for the district during her two-year term.
"She brought in a huge donation, probably the most in SchoolPower history, of close to $135,000," Smith said.
Board member Theresa O'Hare thanked her for her countless hours of work, even after going back to her full-time job as a lawyer.
"This is such a team effort at SchoolPower," Rounaghi said. "I feel like we've started to take SchoolPower to the next level."
Later in the meeting she presented the district with a check from SchoolPower for $125,000, the second installment of a $250,000 donation.
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Teachers given grants
Gary Jenkins, president of the SchoolPower Endowment Foundation, handed out substantial grants to teachers at all four district schools, totaling $78,690.
Technology was a common denominator in many of the grants.
Kim Adams of El Morro received $6,000 for laptops, and the fourth-grade classes received $9,999. Top of the World teacher Linda Barker received $8,000 to incorporate iPod touches into her coursework, and Rosie Haynes got $8,000 for laptops for her fifth-graders.
Thurston was excited to receive $5,000 for outdoor science camp and for expanding its multimedia with a $3,300 award.
LBHS principal Don Austin got $9,300 for college readiness, a push the high school is making to better prepare its high schoolers for college and careers.
The PTA's Coffee Breaks received $3,500 for its monthly meetings, which include chats with authors and parenting experts.
Many other grants at each site were given out.
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District to see less funding from state
Norma Shelton, assistant superintendent of business services, gave a presentation on the 2011-12 fiscal year budget.
