Special Board/Work Session April 28, 2008

[Diane Blevins]

Proceedings of the Board of Trustees

District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

April 28, 2008

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

The Special Board Meeting/Work Session of the Board of Trustees of School District No. 2, Yellowstone County, Montana, and High School District, Yellowstone County, Montana, was duly held at The Lincoln Center, 415 North 30th Street, Billings, Montana, April 28, 2008, at 5:30 p.m.

 

Members present included Trustees Tim Trafford, Sandra Mossman, Mary Jo Fox, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Malcolm Goodrich, Kathy Aragon, Peter Gesuale, Superintendent Jack Copps, District Clerk Leo Hudetz, and COLT staff members Scott Anderson, Thomas Harper, Gail Surwill, Dave Williams, Rich Whitney, Nancy Hines, and Kathy Olson.

 

There were no registered guests.

 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC

 

The Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of listening to members of the public in its meetings. The Board also recognizes the statutory and constitutional right of the public to participate in governmental operations. The Board encourages members of the public to participate in and express opinions about issues important to the District. This part of the Board’s meeting is dedicated to public comment on any public matter that is not on the agenda of this meeting and is within the jurisdiction of the Board of Trustees. Members of the public may also address particular items on this agenda either now or at the time the Board considers the particular item. There were no public comments.

 

MTSBA UPDATE

 

Trustee Guthals reported the Montana School Board Association (MTSBA) team has put together a very nice presentation on the school funding problem which is on a Webinar. The report compares funding from ten years ago. He urged The Board members to review it. On Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21 in Helena, there will be meetings which will include the grand opening of the MTSBA’s new building. The meetings will include a training session and a leadership symposium. Trustee Guthals urged all Board members to attend. MTSBA will pay for all expenses for the Board members.

 

WORK SESSION

 

The Chair stated that before the Board decides what facilities need to be refurbished, we should decide where the money should go and for what schools. He urged the members to work toward achieving quality in all of our facilities. Trustees Gesuale and Kelker worked on a proposed long-term facilities plan from the last work session of the Board, which has been included in the agenda packet. The items are for discussion only and no action will be made tonight.

 

Trustee Kelker reported on the facilities plan, which calls for refurbishment which means raising a school to the standards of Orchard Elementary. Trustee Guthals suggested, besides safe, warm, dry and accessible, the facilities should also be educationally, environmentally, and energy efficient. Trustee Kelker stated she and Peter Gesuale assumed the changes to be made would be done in phases in four-year increments. D. A. Davidson also worked bonding needs and recommended a long-range plan. The first phase for 2008-2012 would call for the remodel of McKinley and Broadwater Elementary schools, to build an elementary school on the Cottonwood property, and to require boundary changes for McKinley, Broadwater, Highland, Arrowhead, Boulder, Meadowlark, Burlington, and Central Heights. Trustee Kelker also reported that the enrollment figures from the March compilation of ANB were used in the plan. When viewing the population density, both Trustees Kelker and Gesuale felt that a new school would decrease bussing needs.

 

Trustee Mossman stated that a K-8 school would come with staffing problems. She requested more information on K-8 schools. Trustee Kelker stated that Will James is crowded and that it might make sense to add rooms to that facility or consider adding capacity to the new school. If a K-8 school were to be built, a middle school could be built later on close to the Cottonwood school. If we go through these phases, two elementary schools could be eliminated. Consolidating Miles Avenue and Broadwater could also be considered with a remodel also occurring on Burlington. The issue of remodeling Senior High School should also be discussed in order to accommodate a smaller population. Trustee Trafford discussed up the subject of a high school in Lockwood as Skyview is close to capacity.

 

Trustee Guthals requested information on deferred maintenance that needs to be done and how many of the projects would be a part of the McKinley/Broadwater remodel. He also asked for information on how many deferred maintenance projects would be included in the long-range plan. Trustee Guthals also asked what if the Board planned for four high schools of which one is the Career Center, offering a full curriculum. The board could set the enrollment goals of Senior, West and the Career Center at 1400, with a capacity of 1600 at Skyview. He asked if there was a plan available that would show a remodel of the Career Center into a full-time high school? Trustee Kelker responded that the 20-year Planning Committee looked at making the Career Center a full-time high school, but decided to leave it as is due to its uniqueness. Trustee Guthals suggested moving one of the high school projects up into Phase 1 to see how that looks. Trustee Fox wanted to keep the thought on the table of an alternative high school, which would require a building that is structurally sound. She felt it was important to make space for those at-risk students in their high school in a smaller environment.

 

Trustee Aragon asked for information on how long the school population has been declining and data prior to 1996. Trustee Kelker said that information could be provided and that it has been declining since the mid 1980s. Trustee Aragon also requested demographic information, as well as the City’s plan for new platted subdivisions. Superintendent Copps stated the Board also needed to look at new federal programs and the new accreditation standards.

 

Trustee Guthals requested the costs of the proposed long-range plan. We might be able to close two elementary schools and have cheaper operational costs for refurbished schools. He also requested numbers where we are costing out the closure of elementary schools versus a building of a new school. Given state funding, what is the number of schools possible based on the student population? He asked if the District could afford to implement the plan without increasing the size of schools. Trustee Kelker reported the plan would have less bussing and would be safer for students to walk to school but is dependent upon the passage of levies. Trustee Aragon felt we must define what is meant by a neighborhood school and any closures or new schools should follow this definition.. She suggested that more definable issues be provided for further review. Superintendent Copps reported that in 40 years, 23 schools were built in Billings. However, during the past 19 years, no more were built.

 

The Chair reported another work session would be scheduled, at which time all the requested information would be available.

 

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Malcolm Goodrich, Chair

 

 

 

Diane Blevins, Recorder