November 10, 2009 Board Meeting
Synopsis
SYNOPSIS
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
BLAINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 61
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 6:30 P.M.
TRUSTEE WORKSHOP – 4:30 P.M.
DISTRICT OFFICE
I.
Trustee Workshop
a.
Milepost Program 101 Presentation –- Dr. Jim Lewis and Marcia
Rausch
Dr. Jim Lewis and Marcia Rausch
demonstrated the Mileposts Program software.
Please click here to view the
Milepost Program presentation, ‘Going the Distance’, and a
Milepost Program overview composed by Julie Dahlgren.
REGULAR NOVEMBER SCHOOL BOARD
MEETING
II.
Call to Order and Welcome
III.
Pledge of Allegiance
IV.
Accolades
a.
Betty Ervin – Wood River High School Art Teacher
Betty Ervin has been named
Idaho’s Art Teacher of the Year!
Wood River High School Principal,
John Blackman, sent the following recommendation letter to the
Idaho Art Education Foundation nominating Betty as Idaho’s Art
Teacher of the Year.
To whom it may concern – Idaho Art Education Foundation:
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of
recommendation for Betty Ervin as a candidate for the state’s
outstanding art educator. I have had the pleasure of knowing
Betty for the last eight years as a fellow art teacher,
supervisor, Vice-Principal and most recently as her Principal
here at Wood River High School. I have found her to be a person
of impeccable character who possesses the admiration and trust
of her peers and students alike.
Betty is the consummate professional who is always looking
to learn new things, experience new mediums and impart her
knowledge to her students. This honor, of which she is most
deserving, promotes this very concept and recognizes the best
teaching practices within our great state. It encourages
teachers like Betty to continue to seek out life-long learning
experiences and share these experiences with others. It provides
them the opportunity and means to create these invaluable
teaching moments in which our students become the ultimate
benefactors.
As an Art instructor, Betty has been a crucial part in
helping build a truly outstanding Visual Arts curriculum and
program here at Wood River High School. I have never seen her
make a decision that was not student-focused. She has always
jumped in and gone above and beyond the call of duty for the
kids. Ms. Ervin ranks amongst the very best educators, which I
have had the privilege to know and work with over the twenty-six
years I have spent in education. She is an excellent choice for
this honor.
It is a delight to recommend her to you most highly. I am
confident that you could not find a better recipient. If you
have any questions regarding Ms. Ervin, please feel free to give
me a call.
Respectfully,
John M. Blackman, Principal
Wood River High School
Regarding the criteria for Art
Teacher of the Year nominations, the following is taken directly
from the Idaho Art Education Foundation’s website:
Consider the characteristics of outstanding art educators.
Think about their ability to touch the lives of young children
and encourage them to flourish and grow. Consider those who
inspire lifelong learning through their actions and example.
Consider those who reach out to others to build strong mutually
beneficial partnerships with others to support student learning
through visual arts. Consider those who are risk takers and
creative thinkers that think not only of ways to solve
challenges but how to meet their needs straight on and with a
proactive attitude. Think of those who provide thoughtful
leadership and inspire all those around them to say yes! Think
of those who work quietly behind the scenes but have a gift to
make things seem seamless and easy even though the challenge may
seem impossible. Is this someone you know?
Does this fit Betty Ervin to a
“T”? I think it does. Congratulations Betty; this award is so
well deserved!
b.
7th Grade Football Program – Coaches Randy Jorgensen, Andy
Portillo, Brian Kotara
Dr. Barber stated that the
following complimentary letter was brought to his attention by
Wood River Middle School Principal, Fritz Peters.
Scott Carter writes:
Mr. Peters, Mr. Jurovich and Mr. King,
I wanted to take a moment and thank you for adding the 7th
grade football program to Wood River Middle School this year.
My opinion is that it has been a resounding success, well beyond
the lofty 4 win and 2 loss record that these boys earned.
I also want to commend the coaching staff of the Wood River
7th Grade football team.
Randy Jorgensen, Andy Portillo and Brian Kotara have done
exemplary jobs as coaches this season. They have taught this
great group of some 30 boys the specifics of blocking, tackling,
throwing, catching and teamwork.
However, the diversity of lessons taught by these coaches
stretch well beyond the football field and that should be
recognized too. In my own son I have seen him learning life
lessons of dedication, thinking on your feet, assuming a role on
a team, hard physical work, demanding mental agility, tenacity
in the face of adversity and one of life’s true intangibles:
learning how to succeed.
Mr. Jorgensen, Mr. Portillo and Mr. Kotara have dedicated
numerous hours to these boys and this program. And with that
dedication, these gentlemen have provided sound leadership and
measured guidance, while sowing seeds of character that benefit
not just these boys and their families, but the community as a
whole.
From my point of view the addition of a 7th grade football
team—especially with these men guiding them—has been a success
beyond expectations and I urge you to continue this program and
recognize these gentlemen for their substantial contributions.
Oh yes, and you should probably give the boys a pat on the
back too today, as they all seem to be on cloud 9 with last
night’s 34-6 win over Jerome.
When you review programs from this academic year, I suggest
the terms associated with the 7th grade football season and the
coaches who guided them be: educational, successful,
character-building and community-enhancing.
Again, thank you very much for putting this program
together.
Best Regards,
Scott Carter
Vice President Engineering and Product Development
Marketron Broadcast Solutions
Dr. Barber asked all three of the
7th grade football coaches to stand and be recognized. Thanks
coaches, for all you do for the kids!
c.
Plant Facilities Reserve Fund Election – Thank you!
Dr. Barber stated:
In the wake of our successful levy election I would like to
take a few minutes to thank some of the people who were
indispensible to our efforts. The successful passage of any
levy or bond requires a coordinated effort by many people. We
had that. In fact, we had so many people that worked on the
levy that it is not possible to thank them all here tonight. I
would however, like to recognize and thank a few people who were
pivotal in the passage of the levy.
I would like to begin by thanking our incredible Clerk of
the Board, Mrs. Laurie Kaufman. Being in charge of an election
like the one we just went through is no small task. In addition
to the hard work required to ensure the election goes off as it
should, Laurie also administered the absentee voting process for
well over 400 absentee voters. If each of those absentee voters
takes an average of 10 minutes, which is probably a minimum,
Laurie put in well over 60 hours, just processing those voters.
Mrs. Kaufman, thank you very much for everything you do for the
Blaine County School District.
I would also like to take a moment to thank Mrs. Susie
Reese. Susie does so many things for our School District, but I
want to recognize her herculean efforts during the election.
Although Susie only works part time for us, she put in many,
many hours beyond her scheduled number of hours each week for
the past two months. Working behind the scenes Susie was
responsible for keeping track of where we were as we neared the
election date. She worked with the Levy Committee, the
co-chairs of that committee and me on a daily basis and her
efforts were indispensible. Thank you Mrs. Reese.
I would like to recognize Mr. Jeff Neel. Jeff is an
incredible parent and patron of our School District. Not only
is he the treasurer of the Education Foundation, he also served
as the treasurer of the Levy Committee and he went above and
beyond the call of duty in his efforts to pass the levy. Jeff,
thank you so much for everything you did and for everything you
do on a daily basis for Blaine County Schools. We appreciate
you very much.
I absolutely need to take a moment and thank Mrs. Heather
Crocker. Heather is the Executive Director of the Blaine County
Education Foundation and works tirelessly to help improve our
district. However, during the past few months Heather did as
much as anyone to assist in the passage of the levy. Although
Heather’s job is a half-time position, she put in 60-80 hours
per week for the past several months without additional
compensation. Heather reached out and arranged many community
meetings, talks and brown bag presentations. She kept me on
track and moving forward and for that I cannot overstate my
appreciation. Thank you so much Heather.
Finally, I need to recognize and thank the co-chairs of the
Levy Committee, Mr. Lynn Askew and his wife, Mrs. Janet Askew.
I would like to begin by saying what an honor it is for me to
have met the Askew's. I cannot overemphasize the time, the
effort and the importance to the passage of the levy that the
Askew's played. Lynn and Janet stepped forward at a critical
time for us. They worked tirelessly to ensure that the Levy
Committee stayed focused on the right issues. They led when we
needed true leadership. Lynn and Janet certainly did not have
to volunteer the hundreds of hours that they did. Although they
no longer have children in our schools, they truly understood
the importance that careful planning plays in maintaining a
system like ours. Leading an effort like this is not fun and
games, but Lynn and Janet never wavered in their commitment, the
time they donated, or their belief that we were working for
children. I am so honored to know Lynn and Janet Askew. Thank
you so much.
Madam Chair, as I said, there were many, many people who
contributed their time, their efforts and their conviction in
the passage of the levy. If I were to recognize each and every
one of them here we would be here until tomorrow. I hope I can
summarize my appreciation by saying there is no better place to
be a superintendent than in Blaine County, Idaho.
V.
Consent Agenda
a.
Consideration of Minutes
Regular
Meeting of October 13, 2009
b.
Acceptance of Monthly Financial Report –- Payment of Bills
Please click here to view the
October Financial Report.
c.
Approval of Declaration of Hiring Emergency at Silver Creek High
School for Health Teacher
d.
Approval of recommendation of non-renewal for Anna Auseklis and
Kevin Stilling, both Category 2 Contract employees, for the
2010-2011 school year, due to their positions of Roaming Guest
Teacher being discontinued next year.
e.
Approval of Personnel –- Exiting and Entering
Classified Staff – Exiting
None.
Classified Staff – Recommending
for Hire
Jennifer Robinson – St. Srvcs.
Paraprofessional, Woodside Elementary School
Darlene Byington – Bus Driver, Transportation Department
Jim Chatterton – HVAC/Plumbing Technician, DSB – Building &
Grounds
Certified Staff – Exiting
None.
Certified Staff – Recommending
for Hire
None.
Action was taken to approve items
“a” through “e” of the Consent Agenda.
VI.
Public Comments
a.
Mary Ellen O’Leary
I’m here today to bring some balance to the topic of
security in our schools. What I’m hearing is lock down schools,
teachers watching Columbine videos, and there is an e-mail
circulating about watching ‘33 Minutes: Protecting America in
the New Missile Age.’ I don’t think these kinds of things are
empowering; I actually think we’re lending towards more
violence. To explain this I will explain the physiology of
stress. If I am under stress I have three choices, fight,
flight, or play dead. If that stress is eminent and coming,
then I’m going to divert my blood flow to my extremities and
start running and away from my cortex, away from my system that
keeps me growing and my viscera and put it into reflexes to
survive. If I can get to do that and survive, then I just go
about my day, my nervous system comes back to normal, and
homeostasis is back. What is happening with modern society is
that we are having this level of stress that we never really get
to fight, flight, or play dead. By giving our kids or giving
our teachers videos about Columbine, but then not giving them
solutions, we’re creating all sorts of physiological responses
that are not appropriate to healing and learning. A person’s
perception of the world has a profound effect on their
physiology, immune system, digestive system, circulatory system
and nervous system. The part of the brain that regulates our
physical body does not distinguish between what we really
experience and what we imagine, dream, or see on TV. This means
watching a violent movie will create physiological reactions as
if the person was actually experiencing the event. Showing kids
or teaching them these kinds of things will have a very
measurable physical effect and the effects will be more
pronounced in people with violent trauma in their history or
their homes. So, when we show this kind of thing we don’t know
what’s happening in the home. Because blood flow is taken away
from the cortex, we are actually less intelligent, less able to
learn, less able to focus, and less able to integrate new
information. What I’d like to do is suggest that we have people
in the community that we could teach our staff ways to deal with
stress. There is a guy named Travis Scott who goes out to Power
Engineers and different places to teach the physiology and then
what we can do with it so it doesn’t affect our emotional
being. When we decrease the blood flow to our brain, then we
act with our primitive brain. Then we are actually more
susceptible to be acting out in a violent behavior. My concern
is that with kids, when we are having armed guards, locked-down
schools, and cameras; that we also want to give those tools and
classes and curriculum on what is real stress and what is
perceived stress and teach them about these things. There are
many people in the community that can do these things.
Dr. Barber: I don’t know anything
about the Columbine video. It is not circulating from us; so
who has that?
Ms. O’Leary: Teachers have told
me that they have been instructed to watch it.
Dr. Barber to John Blackman, WRHS
Principal: Do you know something about this, John?
Mr. Blackman: No, I don’t know
of anyone that’s showing a Columbine video or the ‘33 Minutes’
video.
Dr. Barber: The ‘33 Minutes’
video was brought in by a private couple; it is not coming into
our schools. It will be shown at the Community Campus; we don’t
have any connection to that. I don’t have any idea what the
Columbine thing is, so maybe if you can find out, please call me
and let me know because it is not being circulated by the
District.
Board Member Paul Bates to Ms.
O’Leary: You are suggesting we approach the idea of security in
a more holistic fashion?”
Ms. O’Leary: Right. This is
just a life skill. We all have stress and there are excellent
people in the community that I strongly suggest you contact to
teach these skills in Blaine County Schools. Thank you for your
time.
b.
Larry Schoen
I would like to speak both as a
County Commissioner and as a parent. As a County Commissioner,
I would like to congratulate the School District on the
successful passage of the Plant Facilities Levy. In many ways
this has been a watershed year for the School District. You had
a significant election in the summer and now the passage of the
Levy that most people said couldn’t be done. I am very mindful
of the fact that what each of us does impacts the whole
community. What the Board of County Commissioners does, the
property tax and other measures that we undertake, the Land,
Water and Wildlife Levy; all those things impact the whole
county. What the School District does impacts the whole county
and I look forward to opportunities for us to work together. I
think that the School District and the Board of County
Commissioners and other service providers in the community
should look toward working together for the betterment of the
whole community. For example, substance abuse and community
norms around that type of activity. Whether it’s through the
Community Drug Coalition or other entities, we should look for
those opportunities. I’m just here to say that I’d like to have
those kinds of conversations with you.
I was on the steering committee
for the Public Health District trying to determine how to
distribute H1N1 vaccine in the community given the fact that
this vaccine is not readily available. I’m very please to say
that the recommendations of the steering committee were followed
and the vaccine will be available at Carey School on Thursday.
It was the recommendation of the steering committee that the
vaccine be made available first to those schools and school
districts that are more rural and have less direct access to
clinics and clinical care. I’m really pleased that this is
happening and this will continue as time goes on; the outlook is
that the vaccine will be fully delivered to Idaho in the next
few weeks.
As a parent I just wanted to
comment on the curriculum and the direction you are going in.
I’m excited that there will be a presentation tonight on
Strategic Plan Goal #1. I support the Strategic Plan with all
my heart. I was on the Strategic Planning Committee and I think
all of you are headed in the right direction. I would
particularly like to encourage the School Board to continue, if
not accelerate, the movement you are taking in the direction of
style of learning; more project-based learning, whole child
learning, the type of learning that is perhaps geared towards
the upper 20 percentile that is exemplified thorough such
programs as GATE and is part of what I think Mr. Bailey’s
presentation will be about tonight. As a minimum standard, I
also want to voice my support for the idea of a GATE teacher in
every school. The GATE program’s method of teaching is one that
I think is really positive and should be more broadly used. I
really don’t know enough to make specific comments; I just
wanted to offer words of encouragement to undertake this type of
approach. Thank you.
c.
Angie Telford
I am a Hailey Elementary PTA
co-president. Tonight I am representing the Hailey, Hemingway,
Woodside, Bellevue, Wood River Middle School, and Wood River
High School PTA Boards. Two and a half years ago three Hailey
PTA members along with Jim Lewis and Heather Crocker from the
Education Foundation, toured Hemingway, Woodside and Bellevue
Elementary Schools. This tour was a direct result of complaints
from parents and community members that more money and resources
were being provided to Hemingway School. The information we
obtained that day proved these skeptics wrong on all levels
except one, GATE. Hemingway currently has a full time
instructor and a half time paraprofessional. Hailey, Woodside
and Bellevue GATE students share one teacher. Currently there
are five Bellevue, eight Woodside, and 25 Hailey GATE students
being serviced by this teacher. The new Strategic Plan
recommends a half time position be created for Woodside and
Bellevue. Two weeks ago at our PTA Board Chair meeting with
Lonnie Barber and Matt Murray, we revisited issues that we hear
from the community regarding GATE. Some of the questions that
we asked included: Does the current GATE model work for our
District? Is the District actively seeking teachers to complete
the three to five year training required to become a GATE
teacher? How can the GATE teachers offer project based learning
opportunities for interested students who are not GATE
students? We were very encouraged by the active interest Matt
and Lonnie took on this issue and we know it’s on their radar.
I do not have a child in GATE, but as a PTA president, I feel
like we’re going to for our parents and students. I don’t know
exactly how the Strategic Plan is going to be implemented, but
in my mind I almost feel like it’s the concept, ‘build it and
they will come’. I think that we’ve got a ten-year Strategic
Plan; it’s not unrealistic to think that there could be full
time GATE teachers in all the schools by that time, especially
if it takes three to five years to train the teachers. We just
want it to be on your radar; we’re very encouraged by Matt’s
efforts and interest and there is a lot of activity surrounding
GATE right now. I know there is a parent meeting in January and
we are actively encouraging all of our GATE parents to attend
that meeting and become more involved with the program. I just
thank you for your time and consideration this evening and thank
you for considering GATE in the future.
d. Liz Schwerdtle
I just want to say that I feel a real sense
that this Board really wants to hear from the public and I just
wanted to thank you for that. It feels good. There are a
couple of things that I want to talk to you about tonight. A
few of us worked really hard to take the 6,000 public comments
and try to distill them down to what the public actually was
looking for in terms of the survey. Curriculum turned out to be
number one, far, far in a way above everything else. Number
two, foreign language, and number three, IB and AVID. There
were some other things that were very much lower than those.
We’re going to be working on those comments more. Three or four
of us put in a lot of time working on the comments and making
charts in order to see quantified, not just anecdotal
interpretations. The reasons I’m going to reduce my comments to
one thing is because Angie Telford and Larry Schoen both spoke
on it. The number one thing in curriculum that was mentioned
was on terms of what I believe to be GATE style. People are
wanting GATE style curriculum for all the kids. I had one kid
that was able to test into GATE, and I had one kid that did not
test into it; and I can tell you it’s night and day in terms of
their level of learning. That is 21st Century Skills and I
would love it if the School District would go forward on that
and I know that that’s your number one goal in the Strategic
Plan and will be presented this evening. I would like it if we
could come back next time to show you the charts on what all we
found. Thank you.
VII. Information Agenda
a. Board Meeting Webcasts – Paul Bates, Board
Member
Paraphrased discussion:
Board Member Paul Bates:
I
have been talking to a lot of people and there seems to be a
very positive feeling about the idea of recording Board meetings
as webcasts. The webcasts could be watched at home or something
could be archived on the website within 24 hours of the
meetings. I think it would provide great outreach to the public
in general and many people in the community would have more of
an interest in participating if the Board meetings came to
them. It is a hardship to make the drive from Carey or north of
Ketchum in January on icy roads. It seems like a great fit with
technology expanding in this District and I think that we can
utilize a lot of technology we already have. It also opens the
door to a lot of other possibilities. Gary Stivers is an old
friend and has been doing a lot of research on this. This could
become an academy; we could involve government and video
students in programming. We could invite other stakeholders in
the community to participate; the County Commissioners, the Sun
Valley Center, the YMCA, Sun Valley Ski Education. I see this
as something we can bring to our public and allow them to be
participants on their terms, not just our terms. It gives
people the opportunity to see what they need to see and perhaps
we’ll get better public participation in the future. I hope
that the Board will consider this.
Gary Stivers:
I want to
emphasize that in addition to streaming live, the videographer
would be recording as well, and the next day there would be no
reason why it shouldn’t be up on the District’s website. It
would be organized by topic so people wouldn’t have to wade
through the whole meeting; they could go to the topic that
interests them, listen to that, and peruse some of the other
things that they have instant access to. I think it would
improve the quality of discussion before you because you would
have much better informed patrons of the District.
Paul
Bates:
I just can’t see why the public wouldn’t become more
engaged or at least more knowledgeable, if not more
participatory.
Board Member Mari Beth Matthews:
Paul, have
you researched anything as far as costs?
Paul Bates:
We
have. Actually Gary did it because he understands the companies
that deal with that. The first year cost estimate is $4,000 for
the initial license and the capability to stream this company’s
servers up to 100 patrons watching. The license fee is a
one-time fee and it would be approximately $1,600 a year
thereafter.
The Milepost Program was presented earlier this
evening by Dr. Jim Lewis at the Trustee Workshop. This would
have been an extraordinary presentation to archive and post on
the website. It becomes truly friendly technology.
Mari Beth
Matthews:
With only 100 people that can watch it at a time,
have you researched other options? If you were going to do
something like that it might be good to look into a partnership
with the County on it, and not only that, maybe a You-Tube or
something you can go back to again and again. Are there other
Districts that you have examples of that have done it?
Paul
Bates:
I have looked through a number of other Districts that
do have webcasts of their Board meetings. I haven’t looked into
what technology they are using, how big their patron base is, or
what sort of response they are getting. I don’t know if having
100 people watch it is going to be a huge number or if the
license fee increases with more people watching.
Mari Beth
Matthews:
What will be your nest step?
Paul Bates:
My hope
is to find out if the Board feels that it’s something that we
want to do. There is some research to be done.
Board Chair
Julie Dahlgren:
I was trying to think of a cheaper way. Our
process in the District is, and I know it sometimes takes
painstakingly long, that when we pilot something; we study it
and make sure it works and then we scale up. I’m just wondering
if there’s an experimental stage that we can possibly do with
our own cameras and our own posting on our own website. Maybe
Kate Heinecke can keep track of how many people actually look at
it. It’s not as intricate as the wonder of being able to
actually go through an index and get what you want.
Paul
Bates:
Most of the cost is actually in the infrastructure and
being able to stream at anyone’s computer. We could hire Gary
to go through all the motions to videotape the Board meeting,
break it up into those segments and put it on the website. We
then let the public know about it and see if it draws attention.
Board Member Dan Parke:
It sounds to me like we just need to
decide if this is the direction we want to head in.
Mari Beth
Matthews:
Personally, I think that there’s got to be other
options.
Dan Parke:
I’m okay if we allow Paul to continue to
do more research, bring back more information including the
exploration of costs, and present us with different
alternatives.
Julie Dahlgren:
I don’t know how to give you
direction, Paul, but I know that initially our conversation was
about making the Board, Board conversations, and all the ideas
that float around in the Board meetings more accessible to the
public. However, you are now suggesting additional things like
Mileposts understanding and classroom applications; so it really
does extend on and beyond what we were initially having
conversations about. I don’t know whether I should charge you
with just pursuing this public input application or to pursue
the whole ball of wax.
Board Member Steve Guthrie:
I would
like to see a brief one-page implementation summary of what you
are really talking about along with a summary of expenses.
Dan
Parke:
I suggest we start small, pilot it and see how it goes,
and then if it goes well we can expand it.
Mari Beth
Matthews:
I still think we need research before we pilot. We
have to be stewards of the taxpayer’s money. We just passed the
levy and we are under a lot of scrutiny on how we spend the
money. So for me to say, I’m going to spend all this money so
you can look at me while we’re having a meeting, it’s kind of
hard to swallow. When it comes to spending my money and your
money I want to see if there’s and interest, because that’s the
way we do it. Maybe Jerry (Technology) can get on board; we can
look at some other alternatives. Maybe it’s something that
doesn’t have to be streamed; a video could be created so that
patrons can watch it at their leisure. A streamed video still
locks people in to the actual time of the meeting. I’m just
saying, it’s a great idea; let’s just look at all the
possibilities.
Steve Guthrie:
I enjoy all the participation
we’re having here and I know you’re saying this for all the
people out there that can’t make the meeting, Paul. But I don’t
want to be sitting here with the six of us looking into an empty
audience either.
Paul Bates:
If everything comes down to
dollars and cents, what we’re trying to do is tying the public
into the process and not demanding that they be here on the
second Tuesday. They still get to participate. That’s very
important to me.
Larry Schoen, County Commissioner:
I just
would like to say that the Board of County Commissioners has
discussed this idea. I agree with Ms. Matthews that there are a
lot of options. If you research this further I would welcome a
presentation to our Board. I have a friend that does this for a
living for corporations; he also does it for CBS News, Reuters,
and a lot of other people. So there are a lot of levels of
this. If it makes more sense to have more of us participating
in this, I would say that my Board would probably be open to it
and we should have that discussion together.
Julie Dahlgren:
To conclude the conversation, I do know that other Boards do it
and at conventions there are sessions on this very thing. They
tend to be in larger cites, reaching out to huge populations.
Larry Schoen:
Madam Chair, first of all, it’s not always
pretty. The one question I would have is; could we share a
make-up artist?
b. Pearson Software – Dr.
Lonnie Barber, Superintendent of Schools
● Stimulus Money
Paraphrased:
What is the analogy for the Educational Systems
of today? It’s not ‘one size fits all’. I would say the
analogy for today is if you have beaker and you drop a drop of
water in that beaker, and another drop and another drop, every
one of those drops represent a kid. In looking at educational
software over the last year and a half, we have looked at all
the major players in that game. One of our philosophies is to
intervene early so we don’t remediate late. We asked ourselves
what kind of educational software would help us to transition
into the future through technology. Is there one out there that
does that? At the same time, is there one out there that we can
use to intervene and remediate at different levels? We did find
one that fits us very, very well.
Something happened that is
a very good thing for us. Stimulus money came to us through the
Federal Government but it flows through Special Education in
Title 1. How do we spend the stimulus money that we’re going to
get? One of the things that helped make the determination was
that we are not going to hire additional employees because the
stimulus money goes away in two years. We’re already half way
into this year and in one and a half years it goes away. You
have to maintain everything you bring into the District. We
have enough staffing, we have great after school programs; but
we don’t have this. It is unfortunate that everyone here did
not see the Milepost Program presentation earlier tonight. One
of the questions Paul asked during the presentation was, what
happens when you have a kid that needs to be intervened either
low or high; what happens with the rest of the kids? This
Pearson software program is one solution to this because the
kids can be working and being intervened and remediated
individually because the software is allowing to them. It’s a
continuum, and where they stop, they start. The good news for
us is because the stimulus money flowed through this category,
the Federal Government did allow us to buy software with it. We
met again with Pearson today. I just wanted to let the Board
know that we’re moving in this direction. It’s a great purchase
for us, we’ll own it forever. We may have to pay small upgrade
fees in the future, but it will live in our schools. We’re
looking at K-5 now and starting with the elementary schools. We
do think this is a very good use of our stimulus money; it’s not
all of our stimulus money, it’s a percentage of that, and we’re
following federal guidelines.
VIII. Strategic Plan Goal #1
Presentation – Information/Action
“Each student
demonstrates BCSD 21st Century Student Performance Indicators to
ensure preparedness for college, career, and citizenship.” – Tom
Bailey, Hailey Elementary School Principal and John Blackman,
Wood River High School Principal
Please click here to view the
Strategic Plan Goal #1 Presentation.
Action was taken to
approve Strategic Plan Goal #1.
IX. Curriculum Report –
Matt Murray, Director of Curriculum/Dual Language Learners –- Information
a. LEP Student Plan
Please click here to view the LEP Student Achievement PowerPoint
presentation.
X. Construction Report –- Howard Royal,
Director of Buildings and Grounds
a. Technology Building Construction Update
Please click here to
view the Technology Building Construction Update and
photographs.
XI. Action Agenda
a. Certification of Emergency Closure (Bellevue Elementary School)
October 5, 2009 – Laurie Kaufman, Board Clerk
Idaho Code
33-1003a allows emergency closures for a variety of reasons
including those determined by the Board of Trustees to be in the
best interests of the health, safety, or welfare of the
students. All emergency closures must be reported to the State
Department of Education by submitting an emergency closure form
and a copy of the Board Meeting minutes authorizing the
emergency closure.
Action was taken to certify the emergency
closure at Bellevue Elementary School due to power loss and snow
on October 5, 2009.
b. Approval of resolution
authorizing a request to the State Department of Education to
adjust the schools’ ADA due to the severity of the H1N1 flu –
Val Seamons, Accounting Manager
Under Idaho Code 33-1003A the
Board of Trustees having certified to the State Department of
Education the cause and duration of such closure or impacted
attendance, the ADA for such day or days of closure or impacted
attendance shall be considered as being the same as for the days
when the school actually was in session or when attendance was
not impacted.
The Board was asked to pass a resolution
authorizing a request to the State Department of Education to
adjust the schools’ ADA due to the severity of the H1N1 flu.
The request must be made by school and must state cause and
duration of the impacted attendance.
Please click here to view
a spreadsheet showing impacted attendance compared to current
enrollment by school due to illness.
Action was taken to
approve a resolution authorizing a request to the State
Department of Education to adjust the schools’ ADA due to the
severity of the H1N1 flu.
c. Approval of Social
Studies Curriculum –- Matt Murray, Director of Curriculum/Dual
Language Learners
The Social Studies Curriculum was presented
to the Board of Trustees at the October 13th Regular Board
meeting.
Action was taken to approve the Social Studies
Curriculum.
d. Adoption of Resolution to Canvass
Votes of Plant Facilities Reserve Fund Levy Election – Laurie
Kaufman, Board Clerk
Laurie Kaufman presented all election
materials for the Board to canvass.
TOTAL VOTES CAST
IN FAVOR
OF
SCHOOL PLANT FACILITIES RESERVE
FUND LEVY OF UP TO $5,980,000
1,900
TOTAL VOTES CAST
AGAINST SCHOOL
PLANT FACILITIES
RESERVE FUND
LEVY OF UP TO $5,980,000
1,320
TOTAL VOTES
REJECTED
0
TOTAL ALL VOTES CAST
3,220
Carey Return:
207 total votes were cast of which:
134 were cast IN FAVOR of School Plant
Facilities Reserve Fund
73
were cast AGAINST School Plant Facilities
Reserve Fund
Zero (0) ballots were invalidated or “spoiled”
Bellevue Return: 355 total votes were cast of which:
167 were cast IN FAVOR of School Plant
Facilities Reserve Fund
187 were cast AGAINST School Plant Facilities
Reserve Fund
Zero (0) ballots were
invalidated or “spoiled”
Woodside Return: 205 total votes
were cast of which:
146 were cast IN FAVOR of School Plant
Facilities Reserve Fund
59 were cast
AGAINST School Plant Facilities Reserve Fund
Zero
(0) ballots were invalidated or “spoiled”
Hailey Return:
1,463 total votes were cast (including 461 absentee) of which:
887 were cast IN FAVOR of School Plant
Facilities Reserve Fund
576 were cast AGAINST School Plant Facilities
Reserve Fund
Zero (0) ballots were
invalidated or “spoiled”
Hemingway Return: 991 total votes
were cast of which:
566 were cast IN FAVOR of School Plant
Facilities Reserve Fund
425 were cast AGAINST School Plant Facilities
Reserve Fund
Zero
(0) ballots were invalidated or “spoiled”
Please click here to
view the
Plant Facilities Reserve Fund Levy Election
results/percentages and the
Returns of Plant Facilities Reserve
Fund Levy Election to the Board of Trustees.
Click here to
view:
Resolution (to be signed by Board Chair and
Board Clerk)
Certificate of Clerk (to be signed by
Board Clerk)
Excerpt From Minutes (to be signed by
Board Chair and Board Clerk)
Board Chair Julie Dahlgren read
the Resolution aloud and asked for a motion to adopt the
Resolution.
Action was taken to recommend the adoption of the
Resolution to Canvass Votes of the Plant Facilities Reserve Fund
Election.
e.
Presentation and approval of MYP (Middle Years Program) of IB
(International Baccalaureate) – Fritz Peters, Wood River Middle
School Principal
Please click
here to view the International Baccalaureate presentation.
Action was taken to approve the Middle Years Program of
International Baccalaureate.
There being no further business to
discuss, action was taken to adjourn the Regular November Board
meeting.
The Regular November meeting of the Board of Trustees
of Blaine County School District No. 61 adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
Action was then taken for the Board, pursuant to Idaho Code §
67-2345(1)(b), to convene in Executive Session to consider
personnel matters, and pursuant to Idaho Code § 67-2345(1)(c)
for the discussion of property.
The Board discussed personnel
and property issues.
Action was then taken to return to Open
Session.
Superintendent Dr. Lonnie Barber opened a discussion
with the Board regarding the length of Regular Board meetings.
It was generally agreed that Regular Board meetings should last
no longer than 2 ½ hours, major presentations should be 15
minutes or less in duration, Board Members should only ask
pertinent questions of presenters, and comments should be kept
to a minimum.
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