Celebrating Growth, Achievement, and Partnership
 

Welcome to edition #18 of A View from the Summit. As we wrap up May, we're celebrating incredible milestones and achievements across Summit School District. This week, we are thrilled to honor two schools whose dedication to academic excellence and student-centered learning has been recognized at the state level. Frisco Elementary has received the Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award, and Snowy Peaks Junior/Senior High School was awarded the High School Academic Growth Award by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

These achievements reflect the incredible partnerships between our educators, students, and families—and the belief that every student can grow and thrive when seen, supported, and challenged. As Principal James Smith of Snowy Peaks shared, “School should be a place where every interaction begins with love and ends with hope.”

Academics: New Tools to Celebrate Student Progress
 

This spring, students across Summit engaged in the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments. Beginning June 6, families can view their student’s preliminary CMAS score reports through the secure Family Portal: https://familyportal.pearson.com/CO.

You will need your student’s SASID (State ID which can be found in PowerSchool), full name, and date of birth. The portal offers early insights into your child’s performance, including strengths, growth areas, and how they compare across school, district, and state benchmarks. Later in June, final reports will provide deeper analysis and resources to support learning at home.

CMAS scores offer one important lens on student growth and should be viewed alongside classroom performance and teacher feedback. We're proud of how our students showed up to demonstrate their learning!

Budget: Investing in What Matters Most

At the May 29 Board of Education meeting, Chief Financial Officer Kara Drake presented the proposed budget for the 2025–2026 school year. Although Colorado faces a $1 billion shortfall in the state budget—which has impacted full implementation of the new school funding formula—Summit School District remains committed to investing in student success and staff excellence.

Key elements of the proposed budget include:

• Maintaining Core Academic Funding: Prioritizing Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies as identified by families and educators. Savings from the International Baccalaureate membership fees will be reallocated to update  curriculum based on best practices and aligning with state standards updates.
• Support for Diverse Learners: Investing in interventions for ELL, Special Education, and Gifted & Talented students.
• Staff Retention and Salaries: A 2.77%  salary increase to support the retention of high-quality educators.
• Professional Development: Providing high-quality training for educators that supports excellence in instruction aligned with state standards, while also fostering welcoming and inclusive learning environments for all students.
• Community Partnerships: Including a new staff housing initiative with the Town of Breckenridge that will result in 35 homes for sale to Summit School District staff.
• Strategic Reductions: Budget reductions were made in central departments and across all schools to protect outlined priorities.

 We heard from the District Accountability Committee, School Accountability Committees, the Finance Committee, Consejos de Familias Hispanas, and the broader community—to help shape these budget recommendations. Together, we are aligning resources to support academic achievement, family engagement, and a thriving future for every student. A copy of the 2025-26 Proposed Budget is available on the District website and public hearing will be held at the June 5th Board of Education meeting. 

Looking Ahead
 

As we celebrate Frisco Elementary and Snowy Peaks, we are reminded of what makes Summit School District exceptional: our community’s shared belief in the potential of every learner. With summer on the horizon and a clear vision for 2025-2026, we’re excited to continue building engaging, and rigorous learning environments.

Way to go, Panthers and Yetis—your success is our collective pride.

Tony Byrd, Superintendent
Kara Drake, Chief Financial Officer
Laura Cotsapas, Chief Transformation Officer