Good Evening Everyone!
I want to take a minute and reflect on the school registration “CHAMP” that was held this evening. Having the registration on one evening allowed for many opportunities. Office staff will now be able to process the information which helps each school prepare sooner prior to the beginning of school. Most importantly it was a great opportunity to see all the smiling faces of students as well as reconnecting with parents.
Although there are many opportunities that come from having an evening registration, it became evident the areas that are in need of improving. I noticed that it was taking too long for parents to complete the process. Registration forms were also needed for each child where duplicate information had to be entered. I also had a few conversations concerning the technology fees.
Some initial solutions that were talked about were to have the packets handed out prior to the event. Also, instead of having to fill in each child’s information, have paperwork that contains student information and have parents verify. Each of these options would speed up the process and are great ideas that were shared with me.
I am, however, concerned with some of the conversations I had this evening regarding the technology fees. There is confusion as to why a fee is paid for usage yet other fines are assessed for worn out cables, cracks in the case, etc. The intent of the program is to have every student with a device for school use. Fees are collected to help offset the cost of maintaining the program. I would like to investigate options that will help sustain the program while making sure that fees are not becoming a financial burden for families. We will also be working on communicating any additional fees sooner so that additional fees are not a surprise to families. In addition, I realize that families that have multiple children are at a greater disadvantage when it comes to paying the usage fee along with any other fees that may be assessed.
I want to honor each of your concerns and will begin working toward a viable solution that takes into account keeping the cost to parents down as best as possible while making sure that we can replace equipment as it wears out or needs to be replaced. I only ask for a little bit of time to work with staff in developing some next steps.
I do appreciate all the folks that expressed their concerns with me. It was a great evening and our first CHAMP was a success. We will continue to improve and work toward finding a process that works for everyone. I appreciate all the help from the volunteers and the patience from each of our parents. Thank you all for attending and being amazing to work with.
Sincerely,
Chris Vance