Marta McAllister Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Proceedings of the Planning and Development Committee School District No. 2, Yellowstone County High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County Billings, Montana January 4, 2010 CALL TO ORDER Chair Kathy Aragon called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2010, in Room 219 of the Lincoln Center. Committee members in attendance were Trustee Kathy Aragon, Trustee Mary Jo Fox, Sandra Abraham, Doug Armknecht, Margaret Aukshun, Annette Cabrera, Deana Elder, Amy Griffin, Krista Hertz, Lance King, Jennifer Molk, Josi Wilgus, and Kathy Olson, Elementary Executive Director. Also in attendance were Trustee Barbara Bryan, Trustee Peter Gesuale, and Superintendent Jack Copps. COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC Hearing no communication from the public, Chair Kathy Aragon moved to the next agenda item. DEMOGRAPHIC DISCUSSION Kathy Aragon introduced Candi Beaudry, planning director for the city of Billings. Ms. Beaudry passed out a packet containing information on Billings Growth Trends, which included: -Map of population change 2000-2007 -Maps reflecting Children Under 5 Year, children/square mile – 1990 and 2000. -Map reflecting 1990-2000 Changes -Other Growth Factors -Map 2000-2006 City Limits -Limits of Annexations -South Billings Boulevard TIFD -Projected Growth – 2035 She also explained the city of Billings uses additional data and information to analyze growth potential, including information on: - Economic Development - Birth Rates/Migration - Building Activity - Limits of Annexation/Annexation Policy - Infill Policy - Tax Increment Finance Districts Additional points made by Ms. Beaudry include: - Most Billings students reside in the core of the city; within the past decade there has been little or no change in density patterns of students. - The city is currently working on limits of annexation/annexation policy. Property taxes on annexed property do not cover the cost of providing new services to the property. - The city is looking at developing an infill policy to encourage development where city services already exist. This is something that the school district needs to be aware of in terms of planning for where students might be in the future. - Coordinated planning between the city and school District is essential for the effective allocation of resources. Historically, the city and School District 2 have gone in different directions, creating significant problems regarding city growth versus school District growth. Regular communication is recommended to set direction and coordinate efforts. - Tax increment finance districts/urban renewal districts are a good long range planning tool as they can create value in areas with existing services. - The city wishes to see infill development, not development on the perimeter of the city. Sandra Abrahams asked if historically the city of Billings has been accurate in predicting their growth trends. Ms. Beaudry stated yes, that as of 2003 the city of Billings has been right on. Doug Armknecht asked about data regarding growth of school age children under five. Ms. Beaudry stated that good data is not readily available. There is some data available every two years from the American Community Survey, but the data is not in-dept. Barbara Bryan asked if income level was related at all to the number of school-age children in an area. Ms. Beaudry stated that lower income areas in fact tend to have more school-age children. Because of this relationship, 2010 census data on income will reveal some useful information. Barbara Bryan asked how much residential development is expected in the East End (downtown) and South Billings Boulevard TIFs. Ms. Beaudry stated that both will contain some high-density residential development that will likely contain children. Both of these TIFs are in areas served by existing schools, so these schools will likely be impacted. THREE-PAGE FACILITIES PLAN Superintendent Copps and Peter Gesuale gave brief presentations on planning functions with school District 2. Superintendent Copps handed out a sheet containing selections from Board minutes leading up to adoption of what is called the “3 page Plan,” a plan adopted by the Board in 2008 to guide facility actions in the district. Peter Gesuale and Kathy Aragon voted against the plan. Trustee Gesuale also gave his perspective on the plan, which he was involved in developing. He made the following points: - Only the first phase of the plan was adopted by the Board. - The plan was intended only as a starting point for further Board discussion and analysis. - The public has raised legitimate questions about the long-term impacts of the plan and the lack of data to back it up. - Three current Board Committees are addressing some of the issues that are raised by the 3-page plan: the Strategic Planning Committee, Budgeting for Results, and the Planning and Development Committee. Amy Griffin noted the importance of these three Committees to communicate and share information. She also stated that 1) student achievement should be major criteria for the Budgeting for Results Committee to address, 2) integrity in the classroom should be one of the goals of the Budgeting for Results Committee; and 3) decisions made regarding at risk students and at-risk intervention currently implemented be communicated to the public. Annette Cabrera noted that home school numbers are increasing significantly and questioned if that relates to how well school District 2 is educating students. Jack Copps stated there are several factors driving home schooling numbers. One reason is simply that home school numbers are better reported today than in the past. Also, today the internet is providing parents with more tools that make it easier to home school. Ms. Cabrera suggested that we consider reaching out to home school parent to find out why they chose to home school rather than enrolling their students in School District 2. Peter Gesuale stated home schooling is problematic to the District in that we receive no state funding for these students but we do provide them with some services. Superintendent Copps added that in Montana, in order to home school, you merely have to declare that you are home schooling to the County Superintendent of schools. After that, there is little to no follow up. Annette Cabrera noted several combo classes in the agenda packet data and asked if these are good or bad for students. Kathy Olson suggested it depends on the students and teachers, and the students and teachers who want to be involved in a combo class are matched. Kathy Aragon asked if the District has a way to evaluate combo classes. Kathy Olson said no, but they are tracked year to year. Kathy Aragon asked if teachers are given specific training for combo classes. Kathy Olson stated no. Kathy Aragon suggested that we consider training teachers for these assignments to ensure good outcomes. Josie Wilgus asked how the District decides where to make budget cuts. Jack Copps stated that suggestions come to the Board from administration. Barbara Bryan explained that the process being planned by the Strategic Planning Committee will help address these issues by establishing a framework for decision making. Currently, she noted, the District has no criteria or guidelines that it applies consistently to all decision making. Without these criteria and guidelines, the perception is – and to a large degree – the reality is that the reasons we cite for decisions change quite often. With criteria and guidelines in place, she noted that our decisions will be more consistent and less arbitrary. Josie Wilgus asked if the District is considering a professional planner for the strategic planning process. Peter Gesuale stated that MTSBA will be guiding the process for the district. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Kathy Aragon suggested due to members not having a chance to read the minutes, approval of the December 7, 2009 minutes be delayed until the next meeting. Sandra Abraham made the following motion with a second by Margaret Aukshun: Motion to move the approval of the December 7, 2009 minutes to the next meeting agenda. Those voting in favor were Kathy Aragon, Trustee Mary Jo Fox, Sandra Abraham, Doug Armknecht, Margaret Aukshun, Annette Cabrera, Deana Elder, Amy Griffin, Krista Hertz, Lance King, Jennifer Molk, Josi Wilgus, and Kathy Olson. The motion passed unanimously. Margaret Aukshun made the following motion with a second by Amy Griffin to adjourn the meeting. Those voting in favor were Kathy Aragon, Trustee Mary Jo Fox, Sandra Abraham, Doug Armknecht, Margaret Aukshun, Annette Cabrera, Deana Elder, Amy Griffin, Krista Hertz, Lance King, Jennifer Molk, Josi Wilgus, and Kathy Olson. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment There being no further business Kathy Aragon adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Kathy Aragon, Chair Brenda Cross, Recorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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