Special Meeting of April 25, 2005

[Diane Blevins]

Proceedings of the Board of Trustees

District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

April 25, 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, April 25, 2005, at 5:30 p.m.

 

Those present included: Judith Herzog, Gene Jarussi, Superintendent Rod Svee, Katharin Kelker, Mike Dimich, Conrad Stroebe, Clerk Leo Hudetz, Malcolm Goodrich, Dale Getz, and Karen Moses.

 

Registered guests included: Jan Denny, Mark Model, Lesley Model, Bruce Raw, Linda Raw, Lynette Sawatzke, Sharon Cagle, Pat Luterbach, Bonnie G. Kuck, Jami Steinbauer, Kerri Connors, Kelly Cook, Pete Gesuale, Cheryl Cook, Chris Cook, Tim Cranston, Joel Guthals, and Janet Baum.

 

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.

 

Tim Kranston, a member of the 20-Year Planning Committee, urged the Board to consider the recommendations of the committee. He thanked the Board for the opportunity to work on the committee. Mr. Hanson recommended the Board come up with solutions on the facility for a mail-in ballot in September or get something on the city’s November ballot.

 

Budget Work Session

 

Superintendent Svee stated he felt it was not necessary to act on the resolutions calling for a mill levy. He recommended no levy election based on the $50 increase in additional funding in the high school district that made a big difference. There are still the issues of an insurance increase and MPEA negotiations to consider. Mr. Svee believed the administration could balance the budget without a levy. He would eliminate 9 FTE in the high school district, which would have little effect on students. Four of the nine did not deal with students and the other five are in an area that the District covered for a few years in other ways, which it could do again. Mr. Svee reported some staff members have been notified of transfers to other schools.

 

Trustee Dimich asked if any activities would be affected. Superintendent Svee stated that were no plans to eliminate neither a program nor a part of a program. Seniority will be followed in any personnel cuts.

 

Trustee Goodrich made the following motion with a second by Trustee Dimich:

 

Motion not to call for an elementary district levy and to the extent that Rod Svee needs authority to fiddle with the FTEs within the middle school or elementary schools, he is authorized to do that.

 

Those voting in favor were Mike Dimich, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Gene Jarussi, Katharin Kelker and Karen Moses. The motion passed. Judith Herzog and Conrad Stroebe are ineligible to vote on elementary issues.

 

Trustee Goodrich made the following motion with a second by Trustee Herzog:

 

Motion to not call for a mill levy in the high school and to the extent Rod needs authority with the respect

to those 9 FTE that he identified and to proceed forward.

 

Superintendent Svee reported the reading program, as well as the math in the elementary district will not be done this year. Technology issues have been addressed for two or three years and will not be fulfilled again. The reality is the public will not support two mill levies at this time.

 

Trustee Stroebe felt the wrong message was being sent to the legislators by not running a mill levy. He stated the high school district is not at the cap or close to it and the message is that we do not need the money. Those voting in favor of the motion were Mike Dimich, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Judith Herzog, Gene Jarussi, and Katharin Kelker. Karen Moses and Conrad Stroebe opposed the motion. The motion carried.

 

Trustee Goodrich stated the numbers are constantly changing. The $50 brought some relief, with the deficit in the high school being $200,000 at this time, and $350,000 in the elementary district. Negotiations with the MPEA group are still taking place and the insurance issues remain. Trustee Goodrich stated he is still concerned about the numbers. When applying federal program reimbursements, we come up with an ending positive balance of $252,000 in the elementary district. In the high school district, picking up the extra $50 per student, and adding in the federal reimbursements would bring the budget to a $238,000 positive ending surplus.

 

Trustee Jarussi felt there was no work the Board could do at this meeting because with the numbers from HB63, administration can balance the budget to some level. Mr. Svee reported, according to the newest spreadsheet just received during the meeting, the elementary figure is a positive ending surplus of $52,548 and the high school is a positive $188,000. Trustee Goodrich asked if there would be program cuts or FTE cuts. Mr. Svee did not believe so. He will come back to the Board if any program cuts are anticipated. Staff cuts would have to be made by June 1st for non-tenured teachers, but he did not anticipate that happening other than the 9 FTE cut out of the high school budget as previously mentioned.

 

The Chair reported administration would go to the Business Committee with a detailed explanation as to why things have been moved and where. The Insurance Committee is meeting this Friday at 4:00 and the MPEA negotiations are going well.

 

Chris Cook, a swimming parent, voiced his concern to the Board over anticipated cuts to the swimming program. He asked the Board to keep cuts equitable among activities.

 

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m.

 

 

 

Katharin Kelker, Chair

 

 

 

Diane Blevins, Recorder