March 19, 2007 Board Meeting

Regular Special Meeting March 19, 2007
5:00 PM Midtown Center Meeting Room

MINUTES

At 5:15 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 Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Zipperer to approve the minutes of March 5, 2007, passed 5-0. Motion by Mrs. Zipperer, second by Mrs. Wood to approve the minutes of March 7, 2007, passed 4-0-1 (Mr. Fredrickson abstained).

Approval of the Agenda: Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Wood to approve the agenda with the addition of a discussion to re-evaluate the upcoming Maintenance & Operations Levy as Item “B”, passed 5-0.

Identification of Citizens Wishing to Address the Board: None

Approval of Consent Agenda Items:
A. Personnel
B. Approve Affidavit of Habitual Truancy
C. Approve District Calendar for 2007-2008 School Year

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

Consideration of Action/Information Items:

Board Recognition:
Michele Sharples was recognized for receiving the Idaho Humanities Award. She and her colleague Nicole Symons planned a 4th grade field trip last year to Boise and stopped at many other points of interest that blended with the Idaho History curriculum. Ms. Sharples donated her $1,000 award toward the next 4th grade field trip.

Mike Clabbby, Idaho Teacher of the Year for 2007 said he was extremely honored to receive this award after 32 years in teaching. He was exuberant in his joy as he represents the Coeur d’Alene School District and the State of Idaho. During recent travels, he met with other national nominees in Texas, and he met with Senator John Goedde, State Superintendent Tom Luna and Governor Butch Otter. He shared some concerns he has about issues that affect education, specifically the dropout rate and the addition of math and science courses saying that “learning must have relevance for all students”. “Students learn differently and we should address this very early”. He shared some stories of students who flourished in his classes over the years. Mrs. Brooks said the success he has seen in his classes may lead to more magnet schools in the future. The National Teacher of the Year award recipient will be announced in April.

Sorensen Magnet School Update – Pam Pratt reported more than 100 students have applied. They have been looking at students who live in the zone and wish to return, students who were previously bussed out, and transfer students who wish to stay. Numbers will be rolled forward which will help to determine how many sections can be accommodated. Ms. Bauman reminded Board members that revenues increase if students come to Sorensen from outside of the district.

Re-evaluation of Supplemental M&O Levy: Chair Newby asked the Board and Administration to look at some scenarios that might be more palatable to taxpayers. Superintendent Amend agreed that we need to look at this and recognizes the amount of planning time spent so far. Ms. Bauman reminded us to watch for the Lake Pend Oreille results as they hold their election next week. The Kootenai School District levy failed recently. We will schedule a continuation of tonight’s meeting after a student discipline hearing tomorrow.

Results of the National School Lunch Program Review – Food Service Director Ed Ducar who refers to the food service program as “Child Nutrition” reported that these national program reviews would have been positive no matter which schools were chosen. The reviewer said that lunch at Coeur d’Alene High School ran like a well-oiled machine, and that our district is considered a leader in the state. Chair Newby agreed that nutrition defines the program well. Mr. Ducar will return to present “A Year In Review” at a later board meeting. Mrs. Brooks shared some positive comments about the program. Mr. Fredrickson thanked Mr. Ducar who thanked Steve Briggs, the maintenance department, school nurses, and the transportation department who all work together for the good of the district. Superintendent Amend thanked Mr. Briggs for his organization of the support services departments and thanked Mr. Ducar for his positive energy.

Community Partnership between School District 271 and Hayden Branch Library – Ed Ducar spoke about year two of the summer reading program and the effort to combine use of the bookmobile with the summer meals program. This partnership will provide nutritious meals to children over the Summer but also offers students the ability to check out books and read them through the summer. He introduced Karen Yother from the Hayden Library who spoke about the ability to reach out to children. Library cards will be honored at 24 libraries all through the region. Libraries nationally will also participate. Studies have shown that students who read 6 or more books over the summer will increase their IRI scores. She estimates they will serve 700-900 children weekly. The goal is that students read all summer. This is a true community partnership.

School Trustee Election: Clerk of the Board Lynn Towne announced the school trustee election will be held on May 15, 2007 for Zones 2 & 3 currently held by Vern Newby and Christie Wood. The deadline to file a declaration of candidacy is 5:00 p.m. April 13, 2007. Candidates must be qualified school district electors who reside in that zone. Additional information and zone maps are available at the District Administration Office.

Finance Reports: Chief Financial Officer Steve Briggs provided a brief general fund report ahead of the amended budget that will come to the Board in April.

Call for Committee Reports: Chair Newby reported that he met with Ms. Bauman and Jim Facciano regarding some concerns that had been brought forward by a parent at the last Board meeting.

Superintendent’s Report – Superintendent Harry Amend reported that a team from the State Department of Education will meet at the district office to complete field audit for the special education program. Members of the Core Cabinet team met this week for 3 hours about maintenance of effort. April 21 is the date chosen for “Shred Day” from 10:00 to 1:00 at Coeur d’Alene High School. This is a combined effort with Numerica Credit Union and the school district to help prevent identity theft by allowing individuals to shred up to 50 pounds of personal documents. This event will be advertised at senior centers and transportation for seniors may be available. Food will be provided and presentations about identity theft will be part of the agenda. Superintendent Amend will provide a master levy presentation schedule for Board members.

Another Second Harvest community service event will be scheduled in late April early May to give produce away to families. House Bill196 will not come out of committee this session. Ms. Bauman commended Mr. Amend for his lead in this project. Board members would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this bill with representatives. Mrs. Brooks also thanked Mr. Amend for his efforts. She asked if community members have stepped up to help with levy campaign. Mr. Amend responded that 16 citizens volunteered from the levy meeting held last week, including CEA membership and district administration.

Board Comments: Mrs. Wood reported a changing of the guard in the School Resource Officer ranks, and the department will be conducting an oral board for 5 officers who have applied to work in the program. She thanked Janet Feiler for the efforts that made the recent safety fair a great success. Chair Newby asked about a follow-up meeting with Dr. Hansen from NIC. Director of Secondary Education Rosie Astorquia has attended meetings with others at the college. Mrs. Zipperer asked about exit interviews for a random number of seniors, as well as the possibility of interviewing some students who previously dropped out. Mrs. Wood noted that evaluations are routinely done at the college at the end of a course, and the information gleaned is very useful. Mrs. Astorquia will provide some baseline information, and Mrs. Brooks recommended an information roundtable discussion be held in the future.

The meeting recessed at 7:25 p.m.

Meeting reconvened on Tuesday, March 20, 2007

At 4:40 p.m. Chair Newby reconvened the Board meeting. Trustees Edie Brooks, Christie Wood, Sid Fredrickson, and Diane Zipperer were present.

Discussion of Maintenance and Operations Levy – Due to considerable feedback from the community, Superintendent Amend reported that the district has spent considerable time investigating a number of scenarios about the upcoming levy. He shared the fact sheet used to inform the public about the levy and also included information received from the State Department of Education regarding supplemental levy rates in the 60 districts that run levies. Chief Financial Officer Steve Briggs gathered information about other districts and their efforts toward running levy elections. For example, the Post Falls School District is going forward with a levy of $1.4 million with no tax increase to homeowners. In our case, an anticipated 3.8% increase in new construction should help to lower the tax rate. He detailed four scenarios for changes to the levy amount in order to keep the amount at $1.12 per thousand. Presentations have been conservative because the district is using the tax base from September of 2006. Mrs. Brooks asked about new construction within an urban renewal district. Mr. Fredrickson said there is a perception that taxes will increase even if levy amount stays the same. Mrs. Wood shared some feedback from citizens urging us to maintain the amount of $7.3 million and look at the value of the additional programs. Chair Newby noted that technology is an appropriate addition to the $7.3 million. Mrs. Wood reminded us that the district cut 2.1 million last year and it will not be reinstated. If technology is menued and it’s voted down, can the district reinstate from other funds? Mrs. Brooks asked what will go away if additional is not funded. Mr. Fredrickson said the state department is devising a plan to assist in the purchase of textbooks however, this information is not clear at this time. Ms. Bauman suggested a maximum of 2 choices on the ballot, advising the district to imbed technology and technology enhancements within the 7.3 million. Mrs. Brooks discussed the difficulty in removing the inflation factor, Ms. Bauman said the population is asking for the choice, and that it is complex to sell an increase in the levy, however it is probably best to offer this levy in two pieces.

Certain portions of the levy amount i.e. salary increases must take place in order to meet our contractual obligations. Some discussion followed about the pros and cons of listing the individual programs with pricetags. Leaving the categories and removing the amounts gives us flexibility to make cuts throughout all programs and into the general fund. Voters have asked for transparency however we must stay away from being too general: a) don’t identify by line item on a ballot, b) continue to explain our plan and c) justify the need. There has been a history of support in this district, and offering a menu is a good idea to give voters an option. Mr. Newby noted that if the $1.5 million dollar part of the levy does not pass, it is not necessarily the same $1.5 million that would be cut from the budget. Mrs. Zipperer agreed that if the $1.5 million fails, it will affect more than what is listed on the fact sheet. Mrs. Brooks reiterated that the increase is needed, however, if not voted in, a $1.5 million cut will occur. Ballot language will be critical.

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson to menu the Maintenance & Operations Levy to have a base of 7.3 million as an item and list the supplemental increase of 1.5 million. If possible, the language should reflect the result of cuts to the general fund budget if the additional 1.5 million is not approved. Mrs. Wood talked about the community value of the programs and the benefits that will come back to everyone especially families with no students currently in school. Superintendent Amend pointed out that CDA School District ranks 98th statewide at a levy rate of $1.12 per thousand; the state average is over $3.00 per thousand. Taxpayers should be interested in this information and that question is asked often. After the discussion, second by Mrs. Brooks, passed 5-0. Mr. Amend commented that the Board has consistently shown a willingness to listen; they made a good decision regarding Sorensen and made a good decision today.

Motion by Mr. Fredrickson, second by Mrs. Wood for Executive Session: Idaho Code 67-2345 (b) to consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent or public school student; Roll Call Vote: Newby, Brooks, Wood, Fredrickson, Zipperer each “yes”.

Returned to open session at 6:55 p.m.
No action was taken from Executive Session.
Meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m.

Summary Statement of Executive Session

At 6:40 p.m. in accordance with Idaho Code 67-2345, Subsection (b), the Board held an Executive Session to consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent or public school student.

Vernon L. Newby, Chair, Board of Trustees

Lynn M. Towne, Clerk, Board of Trustees

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