School officials discuss pros, cons of LEEP program

A declining student population, a decrease in state funding and an increase in staff cutbacks are among the challenges standing before the Libby Educational Enrichment Program – commonly known as LEEP.

In a special committee session held on Tuesday of last week, Libby School District officials discussed the pros and cons of re-implementing LEEP – a program for gifted and talented students – into the schools.   

“We can’t lose half a million a year in funding and expect to keep all things going,” said Kirby Maki, Libby Schools superintendent. “We need to have a plan in place to sustain a program for a longer term. It is hard to put something in for one year and then take it back out because of budgets.”

Over the past 10 years, the district lost a number of math and reading coaches while increasing the responsibilities of staff and administrators to fill those increasing vacancies.

Jael Prezeau, curriculum coordinator for the district, said the budgets must be looked at before making a decision on LEEP. Prezeau noted a national recession and a state surplus on the decline.

Prezeau’s recommendations include increasing specialized staff like reading and math coaches, while diversifying teacher knowledge and training instead of spending for one specific program and a coordinator for each.

“Let’s see what we can do to fund LEEP, or get it in the right direction,” board member Lee Disney said. “This program is near and dear to most board member’s hearts. If we don’t guide students, we lose them.”

Disney suggested that the school board make funding the program a priority for the five-year strategic plan.

Libby Schools have not levied a mil in six years and has been operating many additional programs from grants.

This past year, the district applied for a $58,000 grant to help with programs like LEEP, of which they received upwards of $18,000.

Lenore Reckin currently works part-time as a reading coach and recess duty at Asa Wood Elementary. At one time, she was a full-time educator running gifted and talented programs, among other responsibilities.

Disney said he did not recall any board action taken on Reckin’s cutbacks or the declining LEEP program. 

Reckin said the state requires a K-12 gifted and talented program.

“This is what the understanding of board members is, that we are providing (LEEP), and we are not,” Reckin said.

She believes her training would be utilized best with gifted and talented students instead of recess duty.

“Lenore is passionate about providing opportunities for gifted students and for students in all areas,” Maki said. “She is a very effective reading coach and is sticking up for the LEEP program.”

Even though LEEP is in an official district document, Reckin brought the lack of a gifted and talented program along with her recommendations to the board last year. No action has been taken thus far.

Maki said some patience is needed to see what the principals recommend because they have some “pretty good ideas at this point.”

Libby High School principal Rik Rewerts believes the principals “have not been involved in fully discussing the large scope of things.”

“Committees and boards should not be making decisions on what happens and doesn’t happen, we should be coming back to you with recommendations,” he said.

Rewerts does not think it is feasible to implement LEEP into the middle of the school year, but that it could be accommodated, if directed.

One of the district’s main priorities is a low student-teacher ratio, which Rewerts believes may fall out of balance if the LEEP program is implemented into the LHS day at semester time.

“Best to go back to the drawing board and prepare for next year,” Rewerts said. “Do we need it (LEEP)? Yes. But do we need another English teacher? Yes. Do we need another math teacher? Yes.”

He believes he can work in LEEP next year with the projected loss of nearly 30 students at the high school and 100 districtwide to maintain student-teacher ratios.

“What do we as a district feel we are obliged by law to do. The board must make these decisions officially,” Reckin said.

Disney said the program has slipped away and could die.

“We are in strategic planning. We are deciding where the board wants to look at for the next five years,” Disney said. “We like the LEEP program and don’t want to see it die. We need to do something with it.”