 |
 |
School Board Meeting Briefs
.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Feb 16 - REGULAR MEETING - 7:00 PM
President Means called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Present: Eads, ales, Hutchinson, Means
Absent: Freebairn, Kile, Young
Others Present: Superintendent Hall, Principal Hettmansberger, Gary Henry, Jacob Roskovensky, Tonya Eich, Kristina Milburn, Adam Milburn, Amy Hales, Wade Hales, Traci Pribble, Shannon Gordon, Amanda Bisby, Randi Pollock, Pam Kelly, Craig Bisby, Laura Williams, Jessica Armstrong, Terry Sullivan, Barb Board
President Means welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Board approved the following:
Treasurer’s Report
Activity Report
Public Hearing minutes of January 19, 2010
Regular Meeting minutes of January 19, 2010
Payment of bills
Kathy Aligood entered the meeting at 7:03 PM.
Communications:
Thank you letter from Becky Kramer, Edgar County Clerk, for use of the Ag Shop during the recent elections.
FFA Week Presentation – Kohl Key and Jon Dye announced the events planned for FFA Week, February 22-26, 2010. A guest speaker, Sam Glenn, former nighttime janitor, now a leading authority on attitude, will present a program for the entire school - A Kick in the Attitude on February 23. All of Board members were invited to the FFA Appreciation Luncheon on February 22.
Student Council – Jon Dye presented a Student Council evaluation form and asked everyone to complete and return it.
Audience to Visitors
Wade Hales: spoke of the potential loss of the PreK program. He questioned if students currently enrolled in PK will be able to stay next year if there is only section and asked how the district will address special needs students, specifically speech.
Superintendent Hall: students can still receive speech services even if there is no PreK program. The Board must make some decisions regarding personnel notices of non-renewal by the March meeting to meet legal guidelines. Even if some staff receive notices they may still be called back if funding is received and programs are reinstated. We just don’t know when the state will make their decisions.
Deb Young joined the meeting at 7:14 PM.
Pam Kelly: has a child with autism and asked if her child’s aide doesn’t stay who is available that is trained to work with a non-verbal, autistic child, who uses communicative devices.
Superintendent Hall: explained the legalities of seniority. All decisions as to who receives a notice of non-renewal are based on seniority.
Mrs. Kelly’s concern is that her child may regress if a new aide is not properly trained. She questioned if someone would be trained.
Superintendent Hall: a new aide would be trained and there are several programs available for that training in the area.
Christina Milburn: urged the school to fund the PreK program even without state funding.
Kathy Aligood: questioned if the Board had considered other options to save money: how many classrooms are available at the Shiloh building to move students here; cost of portable classrooms; how much would be saved by bringing Newman Grade School students to the Shiloh building and letting go of the Newman building.; doesn’t want to see our kids being bussed to Paris in a few years.
President Means: as soon as we can fit all the district’s students in the Shiloh building we want to do that. The Newman building is not being kept open just for the benefit of the citizens of Newman.
Superintendent Hall: These estimates do not including keeping a PreK program - if Newman Grade School were closed we would see a savings of $95,000/year in utilities and salaries. We would need a minimum of 3 additional classrooms. As enrollment declines we can have one section of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades and can then move all grades. Portable classrooms are quite expensive. Building additional classrooms would cost $150 per square foot or $450,000 to $500,000.
It currently costs $180,000 per year to operate the PreK program
Some of our special teachers, Title I, for example, teach to a small group of students but the teacher still needs a classroom.
Rural America has a declining enrollment and we will probably go to one section each at some point. Doesn’t feel it would be wise to go the taxpayers for a tax increase to build on to the Shiloh building when we will have lower enrollment and can move the all students into one building without building new classrooms.
Beth Harbaugh entered the meeting at 7:33 PM.
Hutchinson: at the Board Retreat in January the members looked at all these issues, discussed them, and laid them to rest at this time. At this time the board has decided it is not in the best interest of the district’s students to close Newman Grade School.
Administrative Team Reports
Principal Hettmansberger: Winterfest was the week of February 8. Congratulations to King Brandon Madden and Queen Stevie Davis. Gave a big thank you to Ms. Boland and the entire Student Council. This was the most successful Winterfest we have had since he’s been here. Also gave a big thank you to all the students and staff for making the week run smoothly.
Elementary Citizens of the month for January were: Emma Gordon, Brianna Bange, Laura Kinnett, Kyrie Watson, Michael Rideout, Azriel Kelley, Sonya Rollins, Morgan Minott, and Taylor Balogh
Horizon Wind Farm Meeting to be held at Shiloh on March 11 at 6:00 PM. Joni Smith or Front Street Market will be catering the meeting. They are expecting 100-150 local farmers and farm owners.
ISAT’s will begin week of March 1st. Encourages all parents of students in grade 3-8 to make sure their students get to bed on time and are well rested for ISAT testing.
President Means invited all the FFA members to attend a Bin Rescue program on March 13.
Board approved:
Resignation of Nicole Mazur, Second Grade Teacher
Employment of Missy Tingley as Girls Junior High Track Coach
Health/Life Safety Emergency Board Resolution to replace the carpet in the Shiloh music room due to mold
Announcements and Discussion
First Reading of the following Board policies occurred:
2:20 School Board: Powers and Duties of the School Board
2:40 School Board: Board Member Qualifications
2:110 School Board: Qualifications, Term, and Duties of Board Officers
3:40 General School Administration: Superintendent
4:20 Operational Services: Fund Balances
4:30 Operational Services: Revenue and Investments
4:40 Operational Services: Incurring Debt
4:100 Operational Services: Insurance Management
4:110 Operational Services: Transportation
4:140 Operational Services: Waiver of Student Fees
High School Track: due to recent snows they haven’t been able to get in and look at the track. Cinders are pretty much gone but there is still enough acidity that the grass won’t grow. Looking at hauling in lime stone, plowing up the track and adding 3-4” of soil then planting grass, or not playing football at Shiloh.
Moving Second Grade to Hume Building: Hutchinson responded to a question that was asked at last month’s meeting about why the second grade was placed in the Newman building. She asked several teachers and the reason was the curriculum makes a shift from 2nd to 3rd grades, going from a primary curriculum to an elementary curriculum.
Superintendent Hall: if the 2nd grade was moved to the Shiloh building the special teachers would all have to travel between buildings just for 2nd grade students. At this time it is not feasible to move the 2nd grade to the Shiloh building.
Proposed cuts for 2010-2011 school year: Superintendent Hall explained that by law the board must make notices of non-renewal at the March meeting. Just because someone gets a notice of non-renewal that doesn’t mean that person will not have a job next school year. Issuing the notices gives the board the opportunity to find out more about what to expect from state funding. To be fiscally responsible the board needs to issue the notices and rehire if funding becomes available.
Young: board is not doing this because they want to but are forced by our state government.
Hutchinson: hated the RIF process but teachers have told her that it’s better to give people as much notice as possible.
Freebairn: asked about eliminating any athletic programs to save money.
Superintendent Hall: has looked at this but we have to be careful about Title IX. We offer only the bare minimum now. We could reduce some assistant coaches and save around $2,000.
Hales: if we can offer what we have it won’t have as much of an impact on the budget as it would to cut a class.
Excluding PreK, even with reductions recommended we are not cutting any educational programs. If classes are combined we might need to look at a full time classroom aide if there are a lot of student behavior issues in that particular grade.
Eads: questioned if we can spend Title I money on PreK.
Superintendent Hall: Title I money is restricted and can’t be used to fund PreK.
President Means: thanked everyone for coming. Nice to see that people in the community care. Let us know what you want us to do for your district.
Board went into Executive Session at 8:12 PM.
Board returned to Open Session at 9:57 PM.
Board approved
Executive Session minutes of January 19, 2010
Board adjourned at 10:40 PM.