Special Board Meeting December 3, 2008

[Diane Blevins]

Proceedings of the Board of Trustees

District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

December 3, 2008

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

The Special Board Meeting 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, December 3, 2008, at 5:30 p.m.

 

Members present included Trustees Peter Gesuale, Sandra Mossman, Katharin Kelker, Joel Guthals, Kathy Aragon, Superintendent Jack Copps, and District Clerk Leo Hudetz. Trustees Dawn Achten, Tim Trafford, Mary Jo Fox, and Malcolm Goodrich were excused. Administrators present included Scott Anderson, Kathy Olson, Dan Martin, Nancy Hines, David Munson, Dave Williams, Thomas Harper, Rich Whitney, and BEA President Jeff Greenfield.

 

Registered guests included Becky Shay, Errin Schmitz, Wanda Grinde, Gary Branae, Margie MacDonald, Ken Peterson, Roy Brown, Dan McGee and Bill Glasser.

 

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.

 

DISCUSSION OF 2009 LEGISLATIVE ISSUES WITH AREA LEGISLATORS

 

Chair Kelker stated the purpose of the meeting was to give information to help the legislators with the work to be done at the legislative session in Helena. Billings is the largest school district in the State and is considered an urban district. Three topics will be discussed: 1) profile of our district; 2) discussion of additional funding and the impact; and, 3) needs of urban school districts.

 

Superintendent Copps reviewed the information contained in the information given to those present. The basic definition of educational funding, the needs of rural communities, and the special needs that might apply to urban districts must be addressed. Mr. Copps felt there has not been much action for the urban districts’ needs, especially for at risk students. There is on average a 20% drop out rate state wide and 47-50% of Native Americans. There is a movement across the country to down size larger schools which will not happen in this State for quite awhile. School funding contains basic entitlement which means each high school district receives $250,000 regardless of the size of that district. Mr. Copps believed there should be an economy of scale. There is also one basic entitlement for 22 elementary schools in School District #2. He urged the legislators to ask the Governor how the districts are funded equally. The Governor’s budget increases the high school district by $350,000 which is less than 1% of the general fund budget. High school enrollments are dropping across the State and 330 high school students were lost in Billings over the last three years. $1,700,000 will have to be cut out of the high school budget next year. Mr. Copps reported 87% of the budget is personnel.

 

At the elementary level, Mr. Copps stated enrollments are increasing. Cuts will also have to be made at the elementary level. He stated they needed to protect the concept of neighborhood schools if parents are to visit their children’s schools on a regular basis. Billings is two years away from losing the neighborhood concept.

 

Mr. Copps reported that the Billings Public Schools has a bonding capacity of $290,000,000 for its schools. Most school districts use 35-70% of their bonding capacity to take care of buildings. Billings currently has no debt and it has not built a new school since 1986. There is a backlog of $84,000,000 of deferred maintenance. The State provides resources to help build a new school which is currently 46% of the cost but it does not appear the community will approve a new building and there is no guarantee from the State that the money would be available year to year.

 

Trustee Kelker stated the biggest problem is how to deal with deferred maintenance and how to deal with staff salaries. Programs and personnel would have to be eliminated. Trustee Guthals reported that Billings has to pay more to buy property, build schools, and hire employees so it does not realize the economics of scale.

 

Wanda Grinde felt the per school unit for basic entitlement needed to be addressed. For each student, money is lost in basic entitlement in the larger districts. We have the obligation to help rural schools stay alive. Per teacher entitlement should also be addressed.

 

Nancy Hines, Communications Director, reported the Billings Chamber of Commerce, as a partner in the work force, will be in Helena to visit with legislators and to lend its support. Superintendent Copps stated Billings is the only district in the state that has a Career Center and we receive no extra funds for the work force development. Bill Glasser suggested rethinking where Billings needs to be today rather than making a micro change to the funding. The district should look at what it costs to operate a classroom.

 

Trustee Guthals stated $340,000,000 is needed to maintain school buildings state wide but only $14,000,000 was being funded state wide for the biennium. Windows, boilers, and fans need to be replaced in our district for long-term investments.

 

The question was asked where the $950,000,000 in the state coffers went. Dan McGee stated the figure was changed as various reports were compiled and $35,000,000 is now the surplus, and it is not money in the bank. It is about state government spending but the actual amount of revenue is not always projected correctly.

 

Trustee Gesuale felt more activities participation be offered to students to prevent more students from dropping out. He requested the legislators go and ask for more funding for participation instead of funding more for the correctional department. Ken Peterson felt the school funding formula should be thrown out and the legislators should start over. The Office of Public Instruction and the various school board associations need to help in the process. Roy Brown reported that Wyoming supports their schools because of the natural resources that are available which helps pay for school funding. He felt the legislators needed to develop a new formula and where the money comes from, as property owners do not have the money.

 

Chair Kelker was excited about the new definition of quality education and felt each component should be costed out. Wanda Grinde felt the legislators should focus on what we can do now with what resources are available. Trustee Kelker stated the entitlement issues must be addressed as well as making it possible for districts to carry money over to the next year. Dan Martin reported that cash reappropriation was taken away from us which had allowed districts to lower tax bills. The State took it away because it gave more money to the State. Trustee Kelker believed the rate of inflation should be connected to funding as districts are falling behind.

 

Trustee Mossman asked what the most effective way was of communicating with the legislators. The consensus was email was the easiest but volume is not always good when the emails are exactly alike. It is best to hear from real people and not lobbyists.

 

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Katharin Kelker, Chair

 

 

 

Diane Blevins, Recorder