Marta McAllister Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Proceeding of the School/Community Committee Meeting District No. 2, Yellowstone County High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County Billings, Montana January 9, 2005 Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Karen Moses Members Present: Karen Moses, Mary Jo Fox, Dawn Achten, Jim Hartung, Tom Willis, Sandra Mammenga, Michael Hughes, Jay Kirk, Gail Surwill, Kristen Mavencamp, Michael Burke, and Jan McCandless. Excused Members: Carol Wicker, Laura Simonsen, Greta Besch and Molly Holt. Guests present: Shaun Harrington, Dave Williams, Kim Halverson, Scott Anderson, Kim Carroll, Marne Jacobsen, Mary Patton, Todd Preston, Summer Gappa, W. John Wessell, Keri, Kufeld, Steve Waller, and other guests that did not sign in. Communication from the Public: The following guests will present comments and concerns on the Senior/West Boundary Study Concerning Boulder Elementary at the time the agenda topic is discussed: Mary Patton, Marne Jacobsen, Todd Preston, Summer Gappa, W. John Wessell, Kim Carroll, Keri Kufeld, and Steve Waller. 2006 Montana High School Association Proposals: Dave Williams, Student Activities/Facilities Director presented a copy of the 2006 Montana High School Association Proposals. Dave explained his rationale for the recommendations he will present at the Montana High School Association Annual Meeting. Dave will be speaking with the high school principals and activity coordinators to get their input. Dave recommends to vote in favor of the following five proposals: 1. Proposal to Clarify Membership Participation for Activities 2. Proposal to Conduct a Biannual Meeting of the Membership 4. Proposal to Renew the Age Waiver for All Students 5. Proposal to Add a Code of Conduct By-Law for Transfer students 6. Proposal to Amend the Award Rule Dave recommends to vote against the following four proposals: 3. Proposal to Allow Eighth Grade Participation in Cross Country 14. Proposal to Eliminate Regional Scheduling 15. Proposal to Regulate the Use of Headsets in Football 19. Proposal to Modify the Volleyball Tournament Bracket Dave recommends they listen to the debate for the following four proposals before voting for or against: 8. Proposal to Study the Adoption of Competitive Cheerleading 12. Proposal to Award Class C Trophies for Wrestling 13. Proposal to Award “Small Town” Championship Trophy in Wrestling 18. Proposal to Add Qualifying Standards for Advancement to State Track & Field Proposals 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 20 do not apply to our District. A motion was made and seconded to recommend the proposals as presented, and send Dave and a representative to the Montana High School Association Annual Meeting with voting authority as presented. The motion carried. Senior/West Boundary Study Concerning Boulder Elementary: Karen Moses gave a synopsis of the West Boundary Study Concerning Boulder Elementary which took place during the December 12, 2005 School/Community Meeting. The Boundaries dictate that Boulder students go to Will James Middle School, then to Senior High. Will James is primarily a feeder for West High. Therefore, many Boulder parents want their children to go on to high school at West with their friends. Shaun Harrington reported that Board policy states, out-of-district transfers can only be granted for students who have “medical or physical conditions that cause the home school to be less appropriate” or “the place of residence is changed midyear.” This issue has re-surfaced due to so many out-of-area transfer requests resulting in West High overcrowding and transfers of Senior High teachers to West mid-year. Another concern is the social-economic issue and excelled classes at Senior might be eliminated because there are not enough students meeting the criteria to enter these classes. There was discussion that over time the practice has been to allow many Boulder parents to have a choice. Many members of the School/Community feel the administration should take a stricter stance on the district’s policy regarding out-of-area transfer requests. The issue was brought up that Elementary students are not attending the appropriate school in their boundary area due to day care issues, working parents, etc. This also results in inaccurate recording of Middle School students not attending their appropriate feeder Middle School. A motion was made and seconded to recommend to the Board to enforce the boundaries and policies as set and examine district boundaries. The motion died. A motion was made and seconded to recommend enforcing boundaries for K-8 as of fall 2006. The motion was taken back. An amendment was made and seconded. The motion to enforce boundaries for incoming freshman as of fall 2006 using current procedures and policies as strictly enforced by High School and elementary. The motion was withdrawn. A motion was made and seconded to not pursue the boundary issue at this time. Five members voted against and six members voted in favor. The motion carried. Montana Quality Schools Committee Update Regarding the Upcoming Special Session: Karen Moses reported that despite the increases in funding approved by the 2005 Legislature in regular and special sessions, many schools are not adequately funded. Members of MQEC and many schools recommend going back to court in order for the state to comply with the court’s order for adequate funding for Montana schools. Karen asked for the opinion of the Committee regarding pursing the idea to return to court. It was suggested that even though it looks like Billings School District is receiving substantial funding, some of the funding has been ear marked for specific items, such as, one-time funding for heating bills and building maintenance, Indian education, and at-risk students, etc. It was suggested that the public inform Legislators and the Governor that there are still unmet needs for school funding. Old Business/Announcements/Handouts: Dave Williams, Student Activities/Facilities Director gave an update on the “Mold” issue at Bench School. It has been determined that there is no evidence from the samples taken that it is a dangerous strain know as “Stacking Mold”. It was determined that the some mold was found in classrooms due to other causes such as: terrains, old bread, etc. The weekend of January 14th-15th they will be taking new air samples. Air movement is suggested for the crawl space and an abatement project is planned for the installation. Karen Moses welcomed Kristen Mavencamp, special education teacher as a new member to the School/Community Committee. Minutes of the School/Community Committee Meeting: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the December 12, 2005. The motion carried. The next scheduled meeting is February 6, 2005. The Committee members will meet in the Board Room located in the Lincoln Center, at 415 N 30th at 6:00 PM. _________________________ ___________________________________ Karen Moses, Chairperson Brenda Cross, Recorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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