November 5, 2007 Regular Board Meeting

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

Minutes

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

Approval of Minutes:
Motion by Mrs. Zipperer, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the minutes of September 28, 2007 as presented, passed 4-0.
Motion by Mr. Newby, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the minutes of October 1, 2007 as amended, passed 4-0.
Mrs. Wood arrived at 5:05 p.m.
Motion by Mrs. Zipperer, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the minutes of October 8, 2007 as amended, passed 5-0.
Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mr. Fredrickson to approve the minutes of October 17, 2007 as presented, passed 5-0.
Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mr. Newby to approve the minutes of October 24, 2007 as presented, passed 5-0.

Approval of the Agenda and Possible Addendum – Motion by Mrs. Wood, second by Mr. Newby to approve the agenda as presented, passed 5-0.

Identification of Citizens Wishing to Address the Board - None

Coeur d’Alene Education Association Report – Paula Marano, CEA President reported about ISAT testing and report cards currently being prepared at the elementary level. Veteran’s Day Events are also being planned. CEA has been supporting the IEA Children’s Fund. Funds are donated by teachers into pool to assist students/families for clothing, groceries, and necessities. Nominations for Delegate Assembly are complete. American Education Week will be recognized next week and CEA will host a meeting at the CDA Library with the IEA President on Tuesday Nov. 14th. Topics for discussion will be the ISTAR and Career Ladder Awareness Programs. She continues to meet weekly with Harry and Hazel. Mr. Newby asked if a representative from CEA would meet with him and administrators about kindergarten seat time.

High School Student Body Reports:
Project CDA: Jake shared that students are contributing to Invisible Children, an organization that helps children in Uganda who have been forced to flee their homes to escape capture. Students sold apparel to raise funds for this effort which will ultimately provide mentorship and career guidance. The carpentry class is working to make tables and chairs. Sara is Sunrise Rotary Student of the Month and reported about the Excel grant they received to make blankets for the homeless in our area and to send overseas. Early Childhood Development students are volunteering at Headstart. The Annual Thanksgiving lunch to be held on November 21st. Students in Restaurant Occupations will cater an upcoming Excel event at Project.
Bridge Academy: Evan reported about a presentation from NIC about dual enrollment. Hanna reported that students have exceeded the expectations for assignments completed.

CHS: Hayden was pleased to announce that the cross country team had a freshmen take first place at the state tournament, soccer teams placed third and swim teams placed in the top ten. State Student Council Leadership Conference will meet in Boise. Buff-n-Tuff volleyball is gearing up (similar to powderpuff football). Students will host a black light dance as a fundraiser for Fight for the Fish. There is a new emphasis on safety at CHS, additional cameras have been helpful. Upcoming events include a food drive. High School Musical currently playing.
LCHS: Kyle reported students there will also attend the State Student Council where they will explain their new concept for open house called Expo. Students are attempting to change the drug policy to include clubs and everyone in a school sponsored activity. Students will host a Sadie Hawkins dance, a college fair was held last week, and they will participate in Buff-n-Tuff.

Approval of Consent Agenda Items:
A. Personnel
B. Approve Accounts Payable Check List Dated 10-30-07
C. Approve Affidavit of Habitual Truancy
D. Approve Bid Award for School Buses
E. Approve 2007-2008 ICTL Phase II Report
Motion by Mr. Newby to approve the consent agenda, second by Mr. Fredrickson, passed 5-0.

Consideration of Action/Information Items:

Meet The Board
Regina Ochs, Fernan Preschool Coordinator introduced Megan Wallace. Karen Desimmone not able to attend tonight but previously worked at preschool and has returned.
Lana Hamilton, Fernan Principal introduced Melody Lund, Title teacher.
Jeff Bengtson, Canfield Principal introduced Nick Edwards, 6th Grade, Sara Keyabe, Math Teacher and Yvonne Anderson, Spanish Teacher. He also acknowledged Jim Gray, Michelle Williams and Keri Jaworski who are new to Canfield this year.

2006-2007 Audit/Annual Report – Chief Financial Officer Steve Briggs thanked the Board for their understanding in light of unforeseen circumstances with regard to the audit. He also thanked his staff and Magnuson McHugh. He introduced Michelle Mitchell of Magnuson McHugh who reported that the district received a clean opinion; the highest level that can be received. Her presentation highlighted the following areas: property taxes, cash flow, emergency levy, salary and benefits, bond refinance, SPFL, implementation of HB 743 and the new budget format. She discussed the findings and reported they are satisfied with the district’s response and corrective action taken. A copy of the audit presentation will be included with the original minutes.

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Zipperer to accept the audit as presented, passed 5-0.

Finance Report - Mr. Briggs pointed out the inclusion of new reports in the board packet. The cash flow report has not changed. Also included are the revenue and expense cash balance graph, the general fund year to date expenditure report (incorporating a different category structure), comparative graphs, building budgets, activity fund summary, individual building reports, and the new quarterly special education budget. Mrs. Brooks noted the helpfulness of the new graph and asked if we could compare this data to the state average.

The final graph deals with Medicaid revenue; it shows the unrealized amount and efforts are being made to minimize that amount. Assistant Superintendent Hazel Bauman recommended adjusting downward rather than budgeting an unrealistic amount. Dialogue is forthcoming about purchased services within special education. More information earlier in the year will be useful. Mrs. Brooks asked about numbers of students being serviced and their categories of exceptionality. Ongoing challenges are prevalent and we must identify need for revised budget, thus the need for these quarterly reports. Director of Special Services, Dr. Tom Trotter reported an increase in the numbers of students needing services. The process for contracted services is being tightened; he is educating those in leadership position to ensure they are maximizing efforts using existing resources. Mrs. Wood asked about progress training the IEP teams and Dr. Trotter reported that this is ongoing. Mrs. Wood recommended offering training that could be offered districtwide. Mr. Briggs applauded the Board for their interest in delving into this subject.

Ratify Long Range Planning/New Members – Mr. Briggs presented a list of names of new members for the Long Range Planning Committee: Jerry Anderson, Kevin Stevens, Christa Hazel and Heather Montee, all patrons and Michelle Williams, staff member. The committee now has full membership with 28 voting members. Mrs. Brooks asked about the representation and some biography information about the members. Committee members looked at demographic information to ensure varied coverage and will provide this at a later meeting. Mr. Newby is acquainted with most of the new members. Motion to ratify the list of new members to Long Range Planning by Mr. Newby, second by Mrs. Wood, passed 5-0.

Children’s Internet Protection Act - Director of Technology Jean Bengfort reminded the Board about revisions to Policy 698 regarding Internet Safety. As required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act and per policy, this district will hold annual public meetings to receive input from parents and other patrons regarding the District’s Internet Safety Plan, including the use of an Internet filtering service. Web Sense is the current Internet Filter and all Internet traffic goes through this filter. Band Width Optimizer allows daily notifications to administrators who will follow up to any violations. Mrs. Wood asked about access to MySpace or FaceBook. Mrs. Bengfort replied that students do not have access to these sites. Mrs. Brooks recommended to add a link/update FAQ as an informational tool for parents.

2007 Policy Set Review – Board Clerk Lynn Towne received the Annual Policy Set for 2007 and reviewed the list of recommended revisions. Of the seventeen policies received, five are new and the balance are modifications to existing policies. Ms. Towne will distribute copies to appropriate committee chairpersons as we begin the process for review. Policy sections 100 and 200 are due for review this year.

Call for Committee Reports – Mr. Fredrickson reported about the Technology Committee meeting where they established upcoming topics and the Attendance Zone Committee met and will look at addressing some difficult decisions. Mr. Newby reported that the Long Range Planning Committee will tackle the dilemma regarding the Lakes Middle School remodel vs. needs identified through the Attendance Zone Committee. They will look at some options about future levies and facility needs. Mrs. Brooks attended the High School Academic Improvement Committee where they talked about graduation requirements and the presentation of the different sequences of math.

Superintendent’s Report – In Superintendent Amend’s absence, Ms. Bauman reported that one additional case of MRSA was reported at Lakes Middle School; a letter went home with students today listing recommended and appropriate hygiene procedures. At this point, if a single case is confirmed, parents will be notified. We are moving forward with the purchase of equipment needed to televise Board meetings. We will look into raising the chairs or lowering the dais in order to be better seen on camera and a workshop may be forthcoming dealing with broadcasts and conduct. Core cabinet has been doing a book study on “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Some great dialogue has come out about how to be more functional and communicative.

Board Comments and Information: Mr. Newby recommended projecting information from the Board packet on the big screen so audience members can follow along and see what the Board sees. A SPEAK Organizational meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 7 at Avista. Mrs. Zipperer asked about a letter recently sent to the Board regarding a complaint. Ms. Bauman will research and follow up with the Board. Mr. Fredrickson has been working with a city committee about council meetings being televised from the new library. He believes that space will be available for other groups who wish to televise meetings. Mrs. Wood thanked her fellow Board members for attending the recent Town Hall meeting, hosted by the school district and Panhandle Health about MRSA. Mrs. Brooks reminded everyone about Lighthouse training on November 19th. An executive session will be held following the training.

Meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

Edie Brooks, Chair
Board of Trustees

Lynn M. Towne, Clerk
Board of Trustees

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