Panhandle Alliance for Education

District-wide Strategic Programs are opportunities for Lake Pend Oreille School District and the Panhandle Alliance for Education to work together to meet a need (or needs) of the school district. Recommendations of current requests are presented by LPOSD Superintendent and LPOSD Curriculum Director for review by the PAFE Executive Commitee. The requests must meet certain criteria to qualify as a District-wide strategic program. These initiatives must be consistent with the school districts strategic plan; must be consistent with the Pananhandle Alliance for Educations Mission Statement; and must have clear target performance goals with clear means to evaluate progress toward goals. It is preferred for the initiatives to be innovative and research-based; to have a positive, systemic effect over time for teachers, students and administrators; should improve student performance and achievement; should create a partnership, either in-kind or financial between LPOSD and PAFE; and should not replace an existing taxpayer supported program.PAFE funded a total of $292,300 toward district-wide strategic initiatives and Residential Carpentry for 2022-2023:Strategic Initiatives - $88,600:**Community Relations Liaison for LPOSD (part-time) - $40K**Math Support & Professional Development for new curiculum - $36,600**Behavior Support Teams & Training - $12K; Residential Carpentry & Pre-apprenticeship Program - $203,700 (for year 1 of 3):**Instructor salary - $80K**Facility renovations - $73,700**Start-up equipment & supplies $50K

Panhandle Alliance for Educations Teacher Grants are awarded on an annual basis to teachers who compete for available funds. Awards are based on innovation, collaboration, impact on education, and a cost benefit analysis. Examples include classroom technology, lab and safety equipment, musical instruments, robotics, math and book clubs and more. There were 46 teacher grants awarded this fiscal year for a total of $100,350. As part of our 20th anniversary as an organization, PAFE pledged to fund over $300k toward enhancing the CTE programs at Sandpoint High School with the addition of Residential Carpentry classes (over a three year period). This first year PAFE will fund the retrofitting of the woodshop, materials and tools, as well as instructor salary to kick-start the program.

Community Education and Awareness. The Panhandle Alliance for Education created this program to help inform our local residents about important information regarding education in our community. The program included both subscription services to a quarterly newsletter, social media postings and a website blog. In addition, PAFE communications are directed to the business community who have a vested interest in knowledge about the Lake Pend Oreille School District, the opportunities that are made available to graduating seniors, and an understanding of the districts performace compared to state and national statistics. The program includes informing the public about school funding and the use of PAFEs fundraising assets to support effective teaching, learning, and school management. Panhandle Alliance for Education also provided funding in the amount of $185,000 for endowments held by the Idaho Community Foundation and the Innovia Foundation for perpetual funding of the operating grants for the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

PAFEs Early Childhood Literacy Program includes Born to Read, READY! for Kindergarten and Ready to Read. Born to Read kits, full of reading information and oportunities in the community, are given to every newborn to visit a pediatrician at Kaniksu Health Community Services and/or Family Health Center. Approximately 430 kits are distributed each year. READY! for Kindegarten is a program for families with children ages birth to five yers old, giving parents tools and information they need to prepare their children for starting school. 90% of READY! for Kindergarten graduates have entered school testing at or above Kindergarten readiness levels since the program began in 2008. These workshops serve over 150 families each year. Ready to Read was approved as a PAFE Program in May 2022 and began September 2022. Ready to Read is a reading incentive program where every 1st grader in the Lake Pend Oreille School District receives a non-judgemental stuffed puppy reading buddy to encourage them to read throughout the year. LPOSD schools continue to outperform the state average in state standard reading tests and students regularly grow in their reading levels of at least 30% from fall to spring.