School Board Meeting October 1, 2007

Regular Meeting October 1, 2007
Midtown Center Meeting Room - 5:00 PM

Minutes

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

Approval of Minutes: Motion by Mr. Newby, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the minutes of August 28, 2007, passed 5-0.

Motion by Mr. Newby, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the minutes of September 4, 2007, passed 4-0-1 (Mr. Fredrickson abstained).

Motion by Mr. Newby, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the minutes of September 7, 2007, passed 4-0-1 (Mr. Fredrickson abstained).

Approval of the Agenda and Possible Addendum: Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the agenda with the addendum, passed 5-0.

Identification of Citizens Wishing to Address the Board – None

Coeur d’Alene Education Association Report – CEA President Paula Marano reported that school is in full swing. She shared some thoughts about public education; helping students discover their future. The CEA campaign took to the schools in September and information has been shared with staff. CEA will meet on the 2nd Tuesday monthly. State Presidents recently met in Boise to discuss issues and concerns both statewide and locally.

High School Student Body Reports
Project CDA: Alex spoke about last year’s presentation made about drug awareness. Their PowerPoint was shared with many organizations. Jake reported that last year, the Taz Café cleared approximately $4,000 after expenses. Lena noted that the Food Service Production class is hosting an Excel banquet on November 8. Students are taking workshops to learn about OSHA. Heath reported about the child care center and how students work in this environment. Students will also work at Headstart. Students are making blankets which are donated to local shelters. An Excel grant has been applied for to purchase additional yarn and hooks to crochet blanket squares.
CHS: Andrew reported about homecoming activities held last week. Seven hundred students attended the semi-formal dance and raised money for the ASB account. Officers are preparing a workshop to be presented at the state level.
LCHS: Mitchell spoke about upcoming activities for homecoming week. Team building activities were recently held for seniors. The Timberwolf Expo will be held this week, culminating with the parade and game on Friday. Lake City has registered 10 full diploma seniors; 349 juniors and seniors are taking IB classes.
Bridge Academy: Amy spoke about her journey to Bridge and her accomplishments that will enable her to graduate. Josh reported enrollment at 182 students with 40 on the wait list. They’ve been averaging 200 additional lessons per week more than last year. They are looking for volunteers willing to mentor students. Natasha reported about the Open House scheduled for Oct. 11 and an ongoing effort to collect Coats for Kids.

Approval of Consent Agenda Items:
A. Personnel
B. Approve Accounts Payable Check List Dated 9-27-07
C. Approve Affidavit of Habitual Truancy

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the consent agenda, passed 5-0.

Consideration of Action/Information Items:

Meet the Board:
Project CDA Principal Jim Ferguson introduced Lex Levy, new Language Arts teacher.
Ramsey Principal Anna Wilson introduced Summer Comfort, Lisa Hoffman, Suzanne Ryman, Melissa Wells, Misty Whitlow. Jenny Patterson and Spencer Normington were unable to attend tonight. Approximately 25% of the Ramsey staff are new this year,
Nutrition Services Director Ed Ducar introduced Marje Peterson and Diana Noway.

Literature Guidelines Update – Curriculum Director Jim Facciano shared an update on this project. District Office administrators met with all secondary Language Arts staff on Sept. 12 to receive their input as well as assistance to answer some questions. Based on teacher input, administrators reviewed and presented the draft document to secondary principals. Revised guidelines were distributed back to the teachers and additional discussion took place during a second staff meeting last week. Two work groups have been formed; 1) work on statement that addresses literature content and help develop a rating system, along with course outline requirements and 2) research instructional strategies and develop guidelines along with professional development opportunities. Mrs. Brooks asked if the current list of titles is published and about the proposed timeline to completion. Assistant Superintendent Hazel Bauman noted this is part of the on-going discussion.

Response to Questions: Mr. Facciano responded to questions that had been brought forward from previous Board meetings by patrons and parents. Mrs. Brooks asked about state approved lists of appropriate materials, Ms. Bauman responded the state approved list is typically anthologies however may also contain novel titles. Mrs. Brooks asked if we have compared our list to their list. Mr. Facciano researched the 5 novels in question, 3 were on a state approved list and 2 were not. Mr. Newby asked if Charter and Gonzaga Prep have similar lists. Ms. Bauman noted the struggle between the definition of what is offensive.

Debbie Morris, 2039 Sundown, Coeur d’Alene is concerned about defining a rating system that already exists. She volunteered to participate as committees continue their work. Through her research, she found an online group to help define the ratings of book content.

She stated that School Board members through Code of Ethics and should not reveal their opinions about this topic unless in an open meeting.

Jen Simons, CHS Senior questioned the fact that she was never told she had an option of reading a different book. She did not know about the opt-out option.

Meeting recessed at 6:07 PM. and reconvened at 6:17 PM.

High School Graduation Requirements – Jim Facciano reminded the Board that informational venues were held in order to share information with parents and students. He attended three middle school open houses where he briefly summarized the plan. An open forum was held at Midtown last week to discuss the same information and engage in a conversation with parents and patrons. Mrs. Brooks asked about participation at meetings and Mr. Facciano responded that he shared handouts at all the middle schools to spread the word. Responses so far have been positive. Mrs. Brooks asked about the effect on early graduation and recommended that senior year be established by the number of credits that a student has, not necessarily their grade or age. Motion by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the recommended graduation requirements, second by Mr. Newby, passed 5-0.

Finance Report/Pre-Audit Review 2006-2007 – Chief Financial Officer Steve Briggs pointed out tonight’s focus will be on expenditures. Reports are presented in two formats: by IFARMS Code and by Program Area. He shared current expenditures vs. previous 2 years. Monthly reports beginning in November will help to identify trends and expectations will be identified. This is a snapshot of what is to come and will be part of the audit report. Board members commended Mr. Briggs and his department for their efforts to provide this information. Budgets will be much tighter by presenting the amendment at the same time as the new budget.

Ratify Long Range Planning Committee New Members – Steve Briggs presented the list of new members for the Long Range Planning Committee. (See attachment). These members have been approved by the LRPC. Additional members are needed and those names will come forward in the future. Mrs. Brooks asked about district representation on the committee and if it is spread across the district. Lakes, Winton and Canfield are represented due to upcoming need. Mr. Newby said this was looked at during the previous Long Range Planning meeting and he feels it was fairly and evenly distributed. This information will be provided to the Board at a future meeting. Mr. Briggs noted that committee members should be committed to doing the work for the greater good rather than concerned with a single agenda.

Motion by Mr. Newby to accept the new members as recommended, second by Mrs. Wood, passed 5-0.

Lighthouse Training/Board Meeting Schedule – Hazel Bauman asked the Board to suspend the second meeting of the month due to the Board’s commitment to this training opportunity. Training will be scheduled at a later date based on the availability of the trainer. Special meetings will still be held as needed. Motion by Mr. Newby to suspend the second meeting of the month, second by Mrs. Wood, passed 5-0.

Call for Committee Reports - None

Superintendent’s Report – Mr. Amend reminded Board and Administrators of upcoming events: Elementary cross-country meet on October 2nd at Lake City HS and Region 1 ISBA meeting on October 3rd at Coeur d’Alene High School.

Board Comments and Information – Mrs. Wood noted her commitment to get community input regarding professional technical education and would like to involve K-12 education, offering pre-requisites to these programs. She asked Mr. Amend and Ms. Bauman to review the professional technical program needs. Mr. Amend and Ms. Bauman recently met with Professional Technical Teachers to discuss the unserved population of students. A comprehensive vision and long range plan are needed. Perhaps this need can be folded into a future plant facilities levy.

Mrs. Brooks and Jill Neal visited the outdoor education program being held at Lutherhaven and her positive experience watching students’ involvement with rich programs. She hopes there is a policy in the future indicating that this is an experience that all students deserve to take part in. It is also a great opportunity for the high school students who volunteer as counselors for the program.

No action was needed on the addendum item to cancel the Board meeting scheduled for October 23. By motion under Lighthouse Training, the second meeting of the month has been suspended.

Meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Edie Brooks, Chair
Board of Trustees

Lynn M. Towne, Clerk
Board of Trustees

Board Minutes
Attachment
Long Range Planning Committee New Member Ratification

The following is a list of new Long Range Planning Committee members that have been approved by the committee with 4-year terms beginning in the 2007/2008 school year:
Jill Neal, patron
John McLeod, patron
Jody Azevedo, patron
Tamara Poelstra, patron
Sharalee Howard, patron
Terri Nipp, patron
Sharon Hanson, district
Kathy Liverman, district
Ronnie Semko, district
Dianna Walde resigned from the District. She would like to continue her remaining 2-years as a patron member. The committee approved this change.
The committee is still in need of 4 patron members and 1 District member and can also have up to 3 alternates. The hope is to have these new committee members in place at the October meeting. We will forward the names to the Board for ratification as soon as they are approved by the committee.

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