Howe Middle School principal credits PBIS, Linkage tool for sharp drop in office referrals

Rob Buschkes, principal of Howe Middle School, told the Lyle Austin Board of Directors on March 12 that the school’s renewed focus on positive behavior supports and a new daily data tool have coincided with a substantial drop in teacher office referrals.

"I am Rob Buschkes. I am the principal here at Howe Middle School," Buschkes said as he opened a presentation on the school’s mission and behavior work. He described a schoolwide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program, the introduction of a PBS store in the lobby and a house-system approach for students.

Buschkes presented preliminary data showing teacher office referrals averaged about 27–28 per month in the 2024 school year and have fallen to roughly 14–15 per month this school year. "So that's a 47% decrease in just future referrals," he said, characterizing the figures as an early measurement of progress.

He also thanked the board for support of a classroom- and student-level data tool, Linkage, saying the platform allows teachers to pinpoint growth and better align instruction with state standards. "Thank you for supporting Linkage for us to have here at Blackhawk," Buschkes said, describing it as "a tremendous tool" to help teachers focus instruction.

Buschkes emphasized that some figures are preliminary: the presentation framed the referral decline as an early indicator rather than a finalized outcome. He noted additional steps to sustain the change, including continued staff incentives, a planned summer academy tied to the school's house system and work on curriculum alignment and needs assessments for math and ELA.

The board applauded the presentation; the superintendent and members thanked staff and recognized teacher awards and student extracurricular successes in subsequent remarks. The district said it will continue to monitor Linkage data and return with more formal metrics as the current school year concludes.