Special Meeting of March 24, 2005

[Diane Blevins]

Proceedings of the Board of Trustees

District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

March 24, 2005

 

Call to Order

 

The Special 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, March 24, 2005, at 11:00 p.m.

 

Those present included: Superintendent Rod Svee, Clerk Leo Hudetz, Katharin Kelker, Karen Moses, Malcolm Goodrich, and Mike Dimich.

 

Registered guests included Spencer Driscoll, David Allen, Travis Hook, Luke Hoots, Sheri Murdock, David Simmons, Mitch McNulty, Jess McKeen, Shawn Sahlit, Seth Nehring, Megan Park, Danny Zimmerman, Laurel Fergus, Erin Weagel, Shaye Skovgaard, Jenafer Volnek, Sam Urlacher, Shann Scott, Steve Sloan, Roxanne Sullivan, Eric Fisher, Ryan Seitz, and Marcus TenHarmel.

 

Chair Katharin Kelker explained the history of the 20-Year Planning Committee and the three scenarios as recommended by the committee. The students present asked the following questions:

 

What about sports for those students at Lincoln and the Career Center? Chair Kelker reported the existing schools use the existing fields at this time. She did not have an answer available.

 

Would a new high school be built now? The Chair stated the 20-Year Planning Committee has sidelined the idea at

this time. The Board may consider it at a later time.

 

Would the high school at Lincoln in scenario #1 be a ‘AA’ school? That high school would have a lower enrollment

and would not be a ‘AA’ school.

 

The Chair asked the students how their schools were overcrowded. Comments made included: not enough chairs in a classroom, one class was held in a storage closet, not a problem at Senior as the academy eased the problem, not a problem at Skyview, and the halls are very crowded at West.

 

The students were asked how they would feel if additions were put on Skyview and West and Senior kept at a smaller number. If Daylis were moved, more classrooms could be added onto Senior and the parking lot could be enlarged.

 

Those assembled broke into smaller groups for a brainstorming session. After 20 minutes of discussion, the smaller groups reconvened as a whole group and made the following suggestions for Board consideration:

 

1. Moving Daylis Stadium might make sense if the move would allow for more parking at Senior and better parking for those attending the games at Daylis.

2. Artificial turf is a good idea because the current field gets so “chewed up” during the season that is it almost unusable. Having artificial turf would allow for greater use of the field no matter where it is located.

3. Students from Skyview expressed opposition to enlarging their school in order to include Lockwood students. Because of the current and expected growth on the Heights, Skyview students thought that expansion of their high school should be done in order to accommodate students who live on the Heights.

4. Skyview students said that the biggest problem with their high school is the traffic entering and leaving from the one access road. They felt strongly that having more students at their school would only make the traffic problem much worse.

5. Some of Skyview students liked the idea of building another school near Skyview (on state land, if that were available). The new building might be for freshmen and sophomores.

6. Students from all three high schools and Crossroads said that the larger high schools are already overwhelming for some students. The Academies are helpful for freshmen because of the opportunity to be in a smaller learning environment where they get to know each other and their teachers.

7. The participants expressed the strong opinion that when there is space the freshmen academies should return to their home high schools. They like the smaller learning community, but think that the off site location makes freshmen seem as though they are less a part of the home high school. Also, the freshmen who don’t attend the academies are kind of “in limbo” at the home schools.

8. In a general discussion of the Career Center, the students said that the Career Center has an image of being academically “easier” than the home high schools and not a place for students to go who want to go to college. Some college-bound students would like to attend the Career Center for certain courses, but can’t do it because their schedules do not match the available times at the Career Center.

9. Students were generally against the idea of freshmen and sophomore going to the Career Center and staying on for all four years. Students said that freshman year is too early for students to make the decision to go on a completely technical or vocational track. However, some of the participants said that it might be helpful to begin explaining the opportunities at the Career Center as early as eighth grade so that students and their parents have a better idea of what is available.

10. There was some discussion of having a “rotation” for freshmen and sophomores at the Career Center so they could get a taste of what the Center offers.

11. Students from West expressed strong interest in a new high school in order to relieve over-crowding at their school. They did not think that making West bigger by adding classrooms was a good idea. The size of the school is overwhelming now.

12. Participants expressed the opinion that renovations and a new school should be offered on another ballot, but the ballot issues should be split so that if one idea failed it would not doom the other. Most participants felt that renovation of the existing buildings would receive support. The new high school might a “regional” issue kind of like the pool on the Heights—difficult to get support from the whole community.

 

The meeting adjourned, as there was no further business.

 

 

 

 

Katharin Kelker, Chair

 

 

 

Diane Blevins, Recorder