School Board Meeting - February 5, 2007

Regular School Board Meeting - February 5, 2007
5:00 PM Midtown Center Meeting Room

MINUTES

At 5:00 p.m., Chair Vern Newby called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustees Edie Brooks, Christie Wood, Sid Fredrickson and Diane Zipperer were present.

Approval of Minutes:
Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mrs. Brooks to approve the minutes of January 16, 2007, passed 5-0.
Motion by Mrs. Brooks, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the minutes of January 22, 2007, passed 5-0.
Motion by Mrs. Brooks, second by Mrs. Wood to approve the minutes of January 25, 2007, passed 3-0-2 (Mr. Fredrickson and Mrs. Zipperer abstained).
Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the minutes of January 29, 2007, passed 4-0-1 (Mrs. Wood abstained).

Approval of the Agenda and Possible Addendum: Mrs. Brooks requested that Item A from the Consent Agenda be removed and acted upon as a separate item later in the agenda. Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mrs. Brooks to approve the agenda as amended, passed 5-0.

Coeur d’Alene Education Association Report: Barbara Crow, President thanked the district team, Classified Advisory Committee and CEA members who worked together on the classified salary schedule. CEA members conferred with district administrators about the upcoming levy and would like to continue this collaboration. A committee is working on transfer language in the contract. Idaho Education Association is sending a state leadership team to Washington D.C. and they will also meet with the state legislature.

High School Student Body Reports:
Kaylee Newhouse reported that the Bridge Academy recently enrolled 30 new students, and have 40 on a wait list. Approximately 120 will graduate this year. Students participated in community events in December and held a food drive for the humane society.
Jake Wayman, James Sousa, Nic Cotton reported on many activities upcoming at Lake City High School.
Alex Burnell and Paige Armijo from Project CDA talked about fundraisers they are involved in and a food drive. Proceeds from coffee drinks are being donated to a student who is dealing with a serious illness.

Identification of Citizens Wishing to Address the Board:
Amy Evans, 717 B. Street, Coeur d’Alene spoke on behalf of the Sorensen PTA. She thanked the community, school district administration and the Board of Trustees for keeping the doors of communication open and considering the magnet proposal. Everyone is very excited to bring the dream of a magnet school into reality. She also stated that members of the Sorensen PTA will volunteer to work toward passage of the upcoming levy.

Approval of Consent Agenda items:
A. Personnel
B. Approve request for Leave of Absence
C. Approve Accounts Payable Check List Dated January 29, 2007
D. Approve Copier Lease for Atlas Elementary – Oce Imagistics
E. Approve Affidavit of Habitual Truancy
F. Approve Payment to Robinson Research/Survey Costs

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Wood to approve the Consent Agenda as modified (Item A will be acted upon separately), passed 5-0.

Consideration of Action/Information Items

Sorensen Elementary Magnet School Proposal: Assistant Superintendent Hazel Bauman shared results of a meeting held last week to answer questions previously generated by the Board. Sorensen staff members were able to answer the majority of the questions. Caveats were identified which will meet the needs of the district, including to increase the enrollment. Individuals and businesses have offered assistance as this proceeds. District administration supports the proposal for Sorensen to become a magnet school. Mr. Fredrickson asked about the minimum indicators and if staff are informed. Mr. Newby asked about timing and the window of opportunity. Mrs. Brooks was involved in the meetings and was impressed by the presentations. The proposal was very well thought out. This is the right time and awareness in the community is high. Parents, staff and administrators will work together. Mrs. Wood thanked Mrs. Zipperer and Mrs. Brooks for the time they spent during the past several months. Chair Newby asked if outside funding will be long term. Continued fundraising is encouraged. Ms. Bauman responded that if enrollment increases, the program will be self-sustaining. Ongoing fundraising would be positive but increased enrollment should take care of this.

Chair Newby shared concerns about funding, and cautioned to be wise about ways to advocate in future years. Embedded in the magnet proposal is the desire for Sorensen to be a PYP (Primary Years Program) school. Ms. Bauman responded that funding will roll into staff development for PYP and will extend to Sorensen even if it becomes a magnet school. Director of Elementary Education Pam Pratt commented that David Miller and his staff proposed tougher standards and will recruit students who do not currently attend in the District. Grants are available for these types of programs and we will pursue this. In response to previous questions, she stated that teachers will have lunch and prep time, and will make sure that students receive the required instructional minutes and meet all requirements. Chair Newby asked about ADA issues and transportation. Ms. Bauman responded that there would be an ADA evaluation performed, and an architect will walk through the building to identify areas needing immediate assistance. Students with disabilities may not be denied enrollment and this may trigger the need for capital improvements. The district will look now at potential costs and liabilities. Chief Financial Officer Steve Briggs said transportation issues are within our purview; bussing is still reimbursable from the State. Mrs. Brooks said that Sorensen staff members are ready and prepared to begin his program in the Fall of 2007.

Motion by Mrs. Zipperer to support the Sorensen Magnet proposal for the 2007-2008 school year with the following parameters as determined by the District and Sorensen staff.

The following are the minimum success indicators to be met:
1. 20-30 new students by June of 2007
2. 30-50 new students by August 4, 2007
3. $100,000 raised by August 4, 2007
4. Evaluation of ADA requirements and costs will be determined by August 4, 2007

Final determination for approval of the Sorensen Magnet will be formalized at the August 6, 2007 Board of Trustees meeting, second by Mrs. Brooks, passed 5-0.

Superintendent Harry Amend thanked the team from Sorensen who did a good job of providing information to the Board during a process that began November 20th. More than 20 hours of public comment was taken. He thanked Ms. Bauman and Mrs. Pratt who worked with David Miller and the Sorensen staff to finalize the magnet proposal. This will make positive history in Coeur d’Alene. Chair Newby stated that there is a need for an additional elementary in our district. It is best to have students housed in a building and we will need support for the next several building projects and upgrades where needed. Small schools and small classes are good for kids. Mrs. Brooks invited everyone to get involved; the upcoming levy is vital to this district to continue the education that students deserve.

Recess at 6:00 p.m.
Reconvened at 6:10 p.m.

Consent Agenda Item A: Mrs. Brooks was concerned about some newly hired staff on the personnel list and asked in lieu of such a tight budget this year, how are we able to hire new staff. Ms. Bauman responded that the special education position at Woodland was funded by federal money. Board members recommended that a policy be in place prior to future hiring of new staff. Director of Special Service Dr. Trotter said staff were involved and attempted to problem solve this issue and ultimately requested the assistance of the district to add this new staff member. Mrs. Brooks inquired to the total special education budget and what percentage is comprised by federal funds. Mr. Briggs will report this information at a future meeting. Federal and state funds are provided for special education however, both are inadequate. Mrs. Wood noted this item was on the consent agenda without prior Board discussion. Mr. Amend stated that all staffing decisions are put under the microscope and thoroughly discussed within core cabinet; positions may be added by banked hours and the district is in the midst of some tough staffing decisions. Three para-pros listed as new positions on the personnel list are not new; they were hired using the banked hours. Mrs. Wood recommended that discussion should be held prior to new positions being added to the consent agenda. Mr. Briggs stated that these hires will not overrun the current year’s budget. Information will be provided at future agenda planning meetings. Appropriate policies and guidelines will be reviewed.

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson to approve Consent Agenda Item A “Personnel”, second by Mrs. Zipperer, passed 5-0.

Finance Report: Mr. Briggs reported about the upcoming budget amendment and will provide graph information for future reports. Chair Newby asked about the timeline to provide amendment. Can the district explore the option of having an earlier amended budget and if determined to need significant changes, submit additional amendments? Mr. Briggs responded that new legislation (HB 743) is cumbersome; addresses facilities, lottery and maintenance & operation budget. He suggests additional communication via the Board Memo. Next year, we can aim for an earlier budget amendment. The process is arduous and we wish to curb the number of times this takes place. We will discuss this concept further at a future budget workshop. Mr. Briggs will provide function codes which should help Board members to more clearly understand the reports. A meeting to discuss special education was scheduled for March 29 at 5:00 p.m.

Call for Committee Reports:
Mr. Fredrickson reported that the Technology Advisory Committee met and that the libraries are converting to a new software package. There is an opportunity to partner with other libraries via this new software.
Chair Newby reported that Graduation Requirements Committee will look at possible modification of schedules at both high schools.

Superintendent’s Report: Mr. Amend reiterated his thanks to the Board over the Sorensen issue; they deserve all the credit. The CHS Girls Basketball team qualified for state and the LCHS Girls Basketball team will play Post Falls this week. Long Range Planning Committee will meet on Feb 22nd.

Board Comments and Information: Mrs. Wood noted how valuable the Board Memo is and how she looks forward to getting it. She passed along a thank you to Rosie Astorquia on behalf of NIC’s Eric Murray. Chair Newby shared a thank you letter from Mayor Bloem and the City Council for the joint meeting held last month. He asked who might like to attend the upcoming Education Law Institute to be held in April. The clerk will share information with the Board.

The Board did not meet in Executive Session.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Vernon L. Newby, Chair, Board of Trustees

Lynn M. Towne, Clerk, Board of Trustees

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