Dear Community,

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, I delivered my 12^th “State of the District” report as Superintendent of Westminster Public Schools. You can read it here or learn about the highlights in this edition of What’s UP WPS.

State of the District

As I put my report together, I try to strike a balance between celebrating the good stories from the past year (there are many), while offering a frank assessment of the challenges before us. I also try to convey how genuinely honored I am to be serving this organization.

Half way through this school year, it is clear that WPS and other school districts across the country are not showing the kind of academic growth we saw before the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many reasons this is happening and I think it is important that we tackle the issues head on.

In short, educators, students and parents need to focus on learning like never before.

Our Competency Based System (CBS) acknowledges that some students come to us with gaps in their learning. Our system places an emphasis on personalized learning and an understanding that every child learns differently; this is the beauty of CBS. That said, we must commit to a sense of urgency and rigor. Students do best, academically and psychologically, when they are on pace and being challenged.

This year we have stressed that every moment of every day is valuable.

We have already lost two days of student learning to winter snow storms, and I want to remind everyone about our board policy concerning any future snow days. If the weather should interfere with traditional learning, we will move to “remote learning” on those days.

Teachers and students should be prepared for the possibility of remote learning by having their Chromebooks and materials with them. Of course, it is always better to have students in the classroom. Given the frequency of spring snow storms, we have to be ready for all possibilities and make the most of our technology.

Your cooperation is appreciated. As we all know, nothing is more important than our children’s education and future.

Kindest regards, 

Dr. Pamela Swanson
Superintendent of Schools