Diane Blevins Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Proceedings of the Board of Trustees District No. 2, Yellowstone County High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County Billings, Montana September 18, 2006 Call to Order 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, September 18, 2006, at 5:30 p.m. Chair Malcolm Goodrich presided and led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Members present included: Trustees Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Rachel Stagg, Dawn Achten, Joel Guthals, Sandra Mossman, Conrad Stroebe, Superintendent Jack Copps, and Clerk Leo Hudetz. Registered guests included Laura Tode and Sandi Mammenga. 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. Carol Blades reported she is working with the Indian Parent Committee. Cathy Izalt, President of the Indian Parent Committee, announced the Indian Heritage Day this Friday and invited everyone to attend. She, as well as Carol Blades, hoped to have better communication with the Board this year. Chair Goodrich recommended Cathy Izalt might want to consider becoming involved in the Planning and Development Committee. Approval of Agenda Trustee Getz made the following motion with a second from Trustee Kelker: Motion to approve the agenda. Those voting in favor were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman, and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. Recognition and Gifts and Donations Dennis Sulser, West High Principal, presented members of the 2006 State AA Boys Tennis Champions, the 2006 State AA Boys Track Champions, and the 2006 State AA Girls Track Champions. The Board also recognized the members of the three standing committees and thanked them for their service to the District. Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Getz: Motion to accept the gifts and donations with gratitude. Those voting in favor were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman, and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. The following are the gifts and donations: Bitterroot – First Interstate Ban-System,money Julie Majeske, contribution through United Way Shelly Ostermiller, volunteer hours Wal-Mart, school supplies Broadwater – Bill Rubich, Masonic Lodge, school supplies, snacks, hygiene products Cathy Johnson, children’s clothing McKinley – Movie Gallery, school supplies Marian Green, school supplies Shiloh United Methodist Women, school supplies Toni Rainey, school supplies Wal-Mart, school supplies Jeanne Morrison Trust, books Orchard – Mr. and Mrs. Gene Jarussi, school supplies Brian and Erin Grummett, school supplies Judy Moore, school supplies Costco, backpacks with supplies for every student Wal-Mart Giving Tree, school supplies Janet Jelinek, money Peter Mitchell, money Jean Ann Dutcher, money Betty L. Nelson, money Mike and Diane Boyett, money Marjorie Stephens, money for playground Connie Wittman, money for playground Dr. James Hanna, money for playground Dorothy Liquin, money for playground Paul and Cynthia Foster, money for playground Ivell Halseide, money for playground Con’eer Engineering, Inc., money for playground Golf Ambassadors, Inc., Bill Jones, money for playground Doris Lundin, money for playground Ralph and Patricia Dixon, money for playground Jean McNally, money for playground Matthew Thomas, money for playground David and Mary Schaenen, money for playground Benjamin T. Marchello, money for playground Kwik-Way, Inc., money for playground District – George Selover, fundraising for Trading Card Program First Interstate Bank, money for Trading Card Program Monthly Legal Report The Chair reported there was no change in the Columbia Falls case since the court decided to wait until after the legislative session in January to make a decision if there should be a show cause hearing. Superintendent Copps reported Peter Carparelli is serving as the Coordinator of the Montana Quality Education Committee. The Chair reported on the following cases: nothing new on the KTVQ case; the Erekson matter is still pending before the Supreme Court; the trial date for the M.T. case has been set for October of 2007; the Petition of the Billings High School District No. 2 is still pending before the Supreme Court; the Hudak case is in discovery which is nearly complete; the summary judgment hearing for the Harper case has been set for November 4th, 2006; Harlan Krogh is now representing all District employees except one in the Opie matter (and that employee is represented by Martha Sheehy); and the Human Rights complaint, the District has responded and is waiting for the Bureau’s further investigation in other matters. Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Achten: Motion to approve the recommendations in the suspension hearing report. Those voting in favor were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman, and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. Budgeting for Results Update Trustee Mossman reported the committee is in the process of finalizing the two surveys, the community survey and the student survey. The committee has been looking for surveys that are reputable and sustainable. The committee is still working on the composition of the prioritization committee. Thomas Harper is in the process of finalizing the proposal plan and timeline. Report of Community Involvement Committee Trustee Kelker reported the Community Involvement has met once in the last month. Their charge is to review the information gathered from the breakfast held with community leaders. The committee decided a newsletter was to be sent out to the people attending open houses or sent home with the students. The committee also moved forward with the community leadership to help the Board with communication with the public and the hope of a passage of a mill levy. Jack Copps will lead a discussion with community leaders. Scheduling of Legislator Forum Chair Goodrich reported a meeting has been scheduled for the Board to meet with legislators. Trustee Stagg stated the meeting has been scheduled for October 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room. The meeting will break into smaller groups with a list of 5 or 6 questions that the Board would like the legislators to take back to Helena. Trustee Stagg reported she would continue to work with the legislators throughout the legislative session. Status of High School Feasibility Study Rich Whitney, Facilities Director, reported the feasibility study includes all 29 sites in the District. The total proposal is $127,300 and would include 29 sites, and the adequacy of the sites. The District would provide the student enrollment forecasts, the capacity of each school, and the curriculum provided in each school. The Board could choose to do only a portion of the study, such as the high school only, at a cost of $39,740. If the three studies were done at different times, there would be a planning criteria cost of $6,300 added to each total. This study would look at the District from the standpoint of educational delivery only. Superintendent Copps reported it was his recommendation to approve the study and to move forward. The funding could come from weatherization and Board contingency. Weatherization currently has $2,300,000 between the two funds to be used over a three-year period. $800,000 has been committed this year. Trustee Guthals voiced his concern that this was not a proper expenditure for weatherization source. The Superintendent said the money for weatherization is not earmarked and flexibility is possible. Trustee Guthals felt any motion should be separated between high school and the elementary funds. Trustee Fox stated she was not sure she could support this issue, as there is no measurable support from the community. She encouraged the Board to wait and put the issue on a mill levy election. Trustee Kelker stated they have been working on the high school problems for the last ten years and the public was told the District would come up with a plan for the overcrowding. Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Stagg: Motion that we authorize the administration to enter into a contract for a study of the educational capacity of our facilities in the high school area for a total of approximately $39,740 to be taken out of Board contingency. Trustee Getz voiced his concern that using Board contingency this early in the year was too much of a risk and it was too early in this budget year. He suggested the issue be deferred at this time. Trustee Stagg felt the community would support the study if the decision were put before it. Thomas Harper reported there is $233,000 in Board contingency for high school and $112,000 in the elementary contingency fund. Trustee Guthals stated a decision did not have to be made tonight and the Planning and Development Committee could review the issue. Those voting in favor of the motion were Malcolm Goodrich, Katharin Kelker, Sandra Mossman and Rachel Stagg. Those opposing were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Joel Guthals, and Susan Messerly. The motion failed. Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Stagg: Motion that we authorize the administration to enter into a contract for a study of the educational capacity of our facilities in the middle school area for a total of approximately $28,040 to be taken out of Board contingency. Those voting in favor of the motion were Malcolm Goodrich, Katharin Kelker, and Rachel Stagg. Those opposing were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, and Sandra Mossman. The motion failed. Joel Guthals and Susan Messerly were ineligible to vote on middle school issues. Trustee Kelker recommended the issue go to the Planning and Development Committee for review. Trustee Getz felt there were reports from the past that could be used and a further study could be helpful. Trustee Fox suggested private funding be sought for the project. MTSBA Update and AA District Issues Discussion Trustee Mossman reported the issues of the larger districts were addressed by the ‘AA’ caucus. The basic issue was the basic entitlement and getting the same amount as the smaller districts. Special Education was another concern discussed at the caucus meeting. The next meeting will be at the end of September to discuss Vision Net. The October meeting will be in Billings at MCEL on October 18 and 19. The MTSBA Delegate Assembly discussed what issues to support during the upcoming legislative session and included adequate funding for education and adequate funding for the infrastructure for all day kindergarten. Bills Paid – August 2006 Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Fox: Motion to approve bills paid for the month of August 2006. Those voting in favor were Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Dawn Achten, Joel Guthals, Sandra Mossman and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. The bills paid are as follows: Fund Description Fund Total 101 Elem. General Fund $ 395,876.70 110 Elem. Transportation Fund 12,639.37 113 Elementary Tuition 37,539.98 114 Elementary Retirement 401.72 115 Elem. Misc. Programs 131,564.81 117 Elem. Adult Education 1,253.25 128 Elem. Technology 13,653.56 150 Elem. Debt Service 300.00 160 Elem. Building 229,956.32 161 Elem. Building Reserve 334,757.26 184 Elem. Student ECA 13,506.92 185 Elem. Misc. Trust 22,718.14 201 H. S. General Fund 263,659.21 210 H. S. Transportation 12,532.35 212 H. S. Food Services 166,485.99 213 H. S. Tuition 20,448.00 215 H. S. Misc. Program 28,767.71 217 H. S. Adult Education 137,554.95 218 H. S. Traffic Education 12,187.08 228 H. S. Technology 9,187.50 229 H. S. School Flexibility Fund 382.50 260 H. S. Building 262,193.73 261 H. S. Building Reserve 173,185.35 278 H. S. Self Insurance-Health 882,241.93 279 H. S. Self Insurance-Liability 15,444.02 282 H. S. Interlocal Agreement 351,432.39 284 H. S. Extracurricular 76,486.92 285 H. S. Misc. Trust 9,553.72 286 H. S. Payroll 351,444.79 TOTAL $ 3,967,356.17 ACH Tax Deposits $ 274,400.05 Payroll Warrants & Direct Dep. $ 861,198.52 GRAND TOTAL $ 5,102,954.74 Financial Reports – August 2005 (Unaudited) The financial reports have not been reviewed by the Budgeting for Results Committee but have been reviewed by Thomas Harper. Financial reports received are as follows: CS101 Account Expenditure by Fund CS102 Account Receipts by Fund CS105 Statement of Estimated and Actual Revenue CS108 Object Cost Analysis Superintendent’s Report Superintendent Copps stated a report on the Office of Development and Advancement proposal has been included in the agenda. The purpose of this office is the coordination of a number of issues in the District such as the areas of public relations, communications, community relations, marketing and institute of research. Mr. Copps will be taking over the Facilities department and Dave Williams will head up the Development and Advancement Office. The Billings Education Foundation will partner with the effort. Trustee Guthals made the following motion with a second by Trustee Mossman: Motion to authorize the Superintendent to form the Office of Development and Advancement as set forth on page 44 of the packet and to further rearrange the District’s executive staff as the Superintendent has described to provide personnel for that office. It was stated a motion was not needed to authorize the Superintendent. Trustee Guthals withdrew the motion and asked for a sense of the Board. Those agreeing to the authorization were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman and Rachel Stagg. Superintendent Copps reported there are numbers of students being lost in the enrollment counts in the sophomore grade and hoped the District would study the issue to find out the reason. Trustee Mossman requested information from the feeder schools for the 10/1 enrollment counts. Superintendent Copps furnished a report for the board members to review on the Crossroads students and reviewed the report with those present. Mr. Copps reported there is a considerable amount of savings that could be realized in energy efficiency and the Energy Innovation Committee will address the issue. The Calendar Committee is reviewing the school calendar and will bring suggestions to the Board at a future meeting. Personnel Report The Chair reported that there was an addition to the Personnel Report in that Courtney Hamblin, Debate coach at West High, had been left off of the list. Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Getz: Motion to accept the Superintendent’s employment recommendations as amended. Those voting in favor were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman, and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. Consent Agenda Trustee Kelker made the following motion with a second by Trustee Getz: Motion to approve and accept the items within the Consent Agenda without objection to recommended action. Those voting in favor were Dawn Achten, Mary Jo Fox, Dale Getz, Malcolm Goodrich, Joel Guthals, Katharin Kelker, Susan Messerly, Sandra Mossman, and Rachel Stagg. The motion passed unanimously. Items approved are as follows: Regular Board Meeting Minutes, August 21, 2006 Special Board Meeting Minutes, August 7, 2006 ECI Inclusion in the BCEA Agreement Appoint Budgeting for Results Committee Membership FY2006-07 Addition of Orchard Playground Trust Account at Orchard Elementary Addition of Student Assistance (Angel Fund) Extracurricular Account at Lewis & Clark MS Addition of Student Assistance (Angel Fund) Extracurricular Account at Castle Rock MS Calendar/Agenda Planning The following are the future scheduled meetings and events: October 2, 2006 – Executive Committee October 3, 2006 – Agenda Setting October 9, 2006 – Budgeting for Results Committee October 9, 2006 – Planning & Development Committee October 16, 2006 – Regular Board Meeting October 23, 2006 – School Community Committee The meeting recessed for a break at 7:15 and reconvened in a Board work session. Board goals listed by the Board members during the work session are as follows: Overcrowding Private involvement (small pieces) Stable funding Align staff resources with enrollment, demographics, & market place Budget for results Develop community relations 7th period day in middle schools Extended studies Tenure teaching evaluation Leadership/administration Address full day kindergarten issues Work with legislators Mill Levy passage Encourage innovation and efficiency Have at least 1 high school be named Best in the Nation by Newsweek Magazine Quality Education Help At Risk students Increase smaller learning communities Staff/administrative training and development Review personnel policies Address Curriculum Director’s workload The Chair stated he will summarize the goals and the Board will select four or five items for the upcoming year’s goals. As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Malcolm Goodrich, Chair Diane Blevins, Recorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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