Joint Meeting with City Council January 22, 2007

Joint Special Meeting with Coeur d'Alene City Council January 22, 2007
5:30 PM City Council Chambers

MINUTES

Goals That Lend Themselves To Partnerships

Introductions: Steve Briggs, Hazel Bauman Sid Fredrickson, Woody McEvers, Ron Edinger Harry Amend, Sandi Bloem, Vern Newby, Wendy Gabriel, Dixie Reid, Diane Zipperer, Al Hassel, Edie Brooks, Mike Kennedy, Lynn Towne.

Wendy Gabriel thanked the district for their partnership and pointed out how this has led to wonderful programs. The city looks forward to finding opportunities for further partnerships.

City Council Agenda:

Affordable housing: The city finished a study and asked for school district assistance, as they are a significant employer. The city asked for a representative to help as they look at the recommendations. Harry Amend stated the school district is excited about the prospect of affordable housing in the hopes of attracting more families to move into the downtown area. Dixie Reid asked about the numbers of students who qualify for free & reduced meals. Mr. Amend responded that currently the number is at 38%; last year the number was just under 43% with 10,000 students in the district. Mrs. Reid noted that that statistic is very important to understand the magnitude of this problem. Students learn better when fed well. This shows a clear definition of how affordable housing also addresses other areas. Sandi Bloem stated the intention is to find ways to place affordable housing within all neighborhoods. Mike Kennedy stated that many points within the study can be addressed right away. Vern Newby asked if this provides better projection patterns for students showing up at our door. Ron Edinger asked if the enrollment of the school district has decreased because of more affordable housing in the Lakeland and Post Falls areas. Mr. Amend stated that we continue to see that trend as homes cost less in Post Falls and Rathdrum; we also notice staff members who commute due to lower costs in Spokane Valley. Edie Brooks asked if the city is looking at home ownership and/or renting. Mayor Bloem replied that the recommendation is to look at both. Ron Edinger noticed young families buying older homes downtown and fixing them up. Mrs. Brooks responded that even a fixer-upper is more than 200,000 and she felt that young families might choose to purchase in the northern area in a subdivision. Mike Kennedy noted that the study is approximately 160 pages and is on the city website. Mr. Edinger asked the city to provide the school district with a copy of the report. Hazel Bauman added that the school district is looking at demographics, and wondered about a timeline to help the district make decisions about operating costs. Mayor Bloem said the city won’t move ahead without school district as a partner.

Safe Route to School: City Attorney Mike Gridley shared a handout about “Safe Routes To School” (SF2S). Congress has approved 1 million in funding per year per state. The city has looked at the 15th corridor which is in need of improvement. This program applies to schools within 2 miles of the affected street(s). The City is moving forward to procure funds for this, which includes education and enforcement along with engineering to improve safety. Sherman Ave to Dalton Ave are among the 15th Street concerns; many schools are affected along the 15th street corridor. Steve Briggs thanked Mr. Gridley for the work done so far. The school district is ready with a letter of intent to pursue funding for SR2S. Mr. Newby thanked the city on behalf of the Board and remarked that he has seen results of a city committee in place to study student-pedestrian bicycle paths.

CDA TV: Woody McEvers noted that Board officials are elected by the public and the newspapers don’t always cover the story as would be expected. How do you best present information that people understand? By being transparent, you’re “out there” and there is greater public awareness and participation.

Christie Wood arrived at 6:15.

Mr. McEvers continued that the city finds this method of communication very useful and recommends that the school district consider doing this. Council members are willing to help. Ms. Bauman said the administration is very interested in using CDA TV noting that a survey shows that city has a level of credibility, more so than the school district and the county. District administrators have had preliminary discussions about how we could use CDA TV as we serve the public. She continued by saying that the school district is a complex system and would be very interested in partnering with city. Mr. Newby thanked the city for sharing this facility in the 80’s, and the Board would enjoy the cooperation of the city to televise committee meetings and show the public how they are doing their job. It’s a great way to reach patrons in the community.

ADA Sidewalk Issues – project 5 years for overlay of streets – working with ADA to get sidewalks level-repair sidewalks first then overlay the streets. City will provide list of streets coming up in the next two years. Al Hassel – all ramps on all corners will be done as streets are done.

Legislative Issues: Mayor Bloem asked for a partnership on issues that might affect both entities. The Urban Renewal District might be one such issue, essentially anything to better the community: Some similar issues include drug abuse, sexual predators and the higher education corridor. As these issues come forward, we will have stronger voice as one strong unit. Mr. Amend said the same three items are high on the school district’s list of priorities. Christie Wood asked about a venue to come together and talk to legislators, possibly host a meeting in the North prior to the legislative session. Mr. Newby mentioned that Idaho School Boards Association hosts Day on the Hill, an event for school board members; administrators and CEA/IEA groups all have dates to meet with legislators and we should find ways to bring all entities together in one meeting prior to the legislative session. He spoke about a Supporters of Public Education and Kids (SPEAK) meeting and how that group could link with the city to include common information. Mike Kennedy asked about buffer zones and their effectiveness regarding sexual predators. Christie Wood stated that enforcement is more the issue, citing that the majority of crimes of that nature are committed by family members. Mr. Amend talked about some screening software recently implemented in the district. Using a driver’s license, the systems checks information against a data base. The software has helped identify issues and we deal with them as they arise.

School District Agenda:

Supplemental Levy: Superintendent Amend stated that the District has asked for input from community about the levy and received more than 1000 responses; 104 people attended a forum held Jan 11. He highlighted the material used at the forum and provided an overview of what is contained in the levy. Some commonly asked questions include:
 What is a Supplemental Levy for M&O?
 How does M&O affect facilities?
 Types of programs are supported by Supplemental M&O Levy?

Cost of living rises yearly and the district will work on their budget based on levy passage. The district cut 2.1 million out of the budget last year raising the question if passing the levy at the current amount will allow us to add back programs that were cut; the answer is no. He shared a comparison of property taxes from last year to this year and highlighted changes in the tax structure from last year to this year. The Board will use all of the input to make a decision.

Mike Kennedy asked if the levy doesn’t pass, what will the repercussions be considering that it constitutes 13% of operating costs. Mr. Newby added that the district is in danger of losing State funding if cutting additional teaching staff is necessary. The community needs to understand that these funds provide the fundamentals of the school district. Sid Fredrickson reminded everyone about what happened in Bonners Ferry and subsequently, they instituted a 4-day school week and salary cuts. Mr. McEvers asked what the taxpayer gets without this levy. Mr. Amend responded that offerings would be trimmed, and some programs would disappear. Ms. Bauman added that 50% of districts in Idaho run supplemental levies; the state provides the basics. State graduation requirements are being rewritten to be more stringent. Core programs are assessed annually, along with state and federal accountability. State monies fund the basics and supplemental monies fund all the extras. Mrs. Wood talked about Bridge Academy for example and how critical this program is in our district.

Sorensen Magnet School: Ms. Bauman shared information detailing the points brought forward about potentially closing Sorensen, first presented the Board on December 18th. This has been a controversial and emotional topic. For approximately one year, Principal David Miller and staff have been working on the magnet school idea, focusing on humanities and fine arts. Magnet schools initially cost more to get up and running. The district is looking at this and hoping for partnerships with the city and the arts community. The current proposal is thoughtful and creative. When asked if a magnet school is like charter school, she responded that a charter identifies unique qualities and have defined themselves in unique way. A charter school qualifies for funding as a small school and receives funding directly from the state. Sorensen could qualify for a small school divisor but the district could no longer assist with funding/maintenance, etc. There are multiple paths to getting a charter granted. The magnet proposal being proposed is to leave Sorensen as part of the school district. Ron Edinger worked at Sorensen for 8 years and said building is structurally sound. Rather than moving students out of Sorensen, why not bus students from northern schools to Sorensen? Ms. Bauman responded that of the 5 Southern elementary schools, there are enough seats for students without Sorensen. Our 5 downtown schools are underutilized. Mr. Newby said Sorensen is able to change with very little bussing. To move 100 students from a northern school would require us to bus kids past a school. Mr. Hassell commented that a sense of community disappears when a school disappears. Neighborhood schools, if lost by bussing students away, create change in downtown area. Mr. Amend asked to hear from council members regarding what the Board has heard about the potential impact of the closure decision parallel to affordable housing opportunities. Mayor Bloem said tools are needed to assess and measure success.

Recess at 7:30 – Reconvene at 7:40

Mr. Edinger commented that younger couples have purchased and are remodeling homes on Front Ave; their children will attend Sorensen in future. Will kids living in this area walk to Winton, Borah, or Fernan? Mr. Newby responded that the number of students bussed would remain the same. To bus kids to Fernan, Winton or Bryan is very different than bussing from northern schools. The Board will decide this issue in a public meeting. Mr. Kennedy asked further details about a magnet school and Ms. Bauman responded that students are required to take core academic classes and must follow all state and federal accountability guidelines, however in a magnet school, this could be done through the lens of fine arts areas. We would infuse fine arts and humanities with core instruction. Foreign language would also be offered. Mayor Bloem added that the city is on board to help any way they can.

Gymnasium & Playfield Utilization: Steve Briggs said the district is proud of the success of the joint use agreement in place with the city. Some of the impacts, such as a tighter budget, are not recognized by joint use agreement and we are anxious to renegotiate the agreement with city. Some impacts of the city’s use are higher utility costs, maintenance of gym floors, snow removal, etc. We want to maintain our current relationship, be efficient, and provide the city the ability to use our facilities. Keeping them open provides usage of a public asset and serves our youth. Mr. McEvers offered thanks, and said it’s worked well for 10 years. Parks & Recreation Director Steve Anthony reported that 160 youth basketball teams and many more than 70 adult teams use district facilities. The relationship between the city and the district is unique in the Northwest.

School Resource Officers: Mr. Amend commented about the positive relationship with the city; we currently have 5 officers and 1 full time DARE officer in our schools. The officers are a major presence in our district. The DARE officer is present in all 10 elementary schools and with more than just the 5th grade students. Middle and high school officers are part of the administrative team; relationships built between officers and students offer benefits, even during out-of-school times. Officers hear information and are able to share it prior to potential problems. Mrs. Wood was an SRO and is now leading the program; a source of community pride.

Legislative Issues: Ms. Bauman reported that high school reform was passed last year however with no funding, the proposal was withdrawn. This reform will increase math and science requirements, require a senior project, and requires that juniors take a college entrance exam. The district is supportive of this reform but hopeful for additional funding from JFAC. The new State Superintendent presented his budget proposal and it is encouraging. Increases in discretionary funding and line items that the district has been funding are being added to the proposed budget.

Comments: Tonight’s television coverage is collaborative between Time Warner Cable and North Idaho College. We agree to further joint meetings and tentatively plan to meet in October prior to the SPEAK meeting. Mayor Bloem asked for the district’s support to recruit student representatives for committees and the youth commission.

Adjournment at 8:15.

Vernon L. Newby, Chair, Board of Trustees

Lynn M. Towne, Clerk, Board of Trustees

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