School Board Meeting - April 8, 2004

1. Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance – President, Ellen Dodson called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.  The meeting was held in the library at Kendall Elementary School.

Attendance: 

Board Members – Ellen Dodson, Jim Freeman; Trish Hart, Russ Pfeiffer-Hoyt, and David Smith. 

Certificated Administrators – Rick Gantman, Pat Bieber, Mark Venn, Dave Boeringa, Trina Hall

District Staff – Donna Getchell

            a.       Good of the Order – Attachment “A” and the following

·         Dr. Gantman read a letter from the Pacific Science Center that was sent to Acme School giving accolades to Mrs. Marty Cunningham and her effective teaching and management of students when they visited the Pacific Science Center and her ability to incorporate science concepts and learning throughout the visit. 

·         Congratulations were extended to Mr. Venn on his new job as superintendent for the Sedro-Woolley School District, which will begin July 1, 2004. 

·         Cindy Mellema was praised for her on-going commitment to coordinating the annual Community Talent Show. 

 2.   Approval of Minutes – Mr. Freeman moved and Mrs. Hart seconded the motion to approve the Minutes from the March 11^th and March 25^th meetings of the board.  Motion passed unanimously.

3.       Consent Agenda – Mr. Smith moved and Mr. Freeman seconded the motion to approve all items on the Consent Agenda. Motion passed unanimously.

a.       Personnel Actions – Attachment “A”

b.       Cancelled Warrants – None this month

c.       Surplus Property – Resolution #03/04:22

d.       Delegate Authority to WIAA – Resolution #03/04:21

e.       Overnight Trips –

f.          Approval of Accounts Payable for April 04 and Payroll for March 04

Vouchers audited and certified by the auditing officer as required by RCW 42.24.080, and those expense claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090, have been recorded on a listing, which has been made available to the Board.  As of this day, April 8, 2004 the Board by a unanimous vote does approve the payment of those vouchers included in the above list and further described as follows:  ASB Fund vouchers #251-275 in the total amount of $10,620.77; Capital Projects Fund voucher #81958 in the total amount of $2,342.00; and General Fund vouchers #81809 through #81957 in the total amount of $240,430.70.

4.       Information from Board Members

a.       Report on School Board Goals –

                                                               i.      Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt visited the Junior High.  Highlights included visiting with Amy McCabe and talking about reading strategies being implemented in the classrooms and then observing those strategies in Melissa Pattison’s class.  He also spoke with Mr. Burleigh about the changes made to math and visited math classes. 

                                                             ii.      Teacher Appreciation Dinner put on my Ms. Dodson’s Sunday School students was very appreciated. 

                                                            iii.      Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt attended the North Fork Community Center meeting at Kendall School with approximately 100 attendees. 

                                                           iv.      Mr. Smith reported on his observations of the Kendall Staff during the last two weeks as they have been working together on their SIPTAP process.  Mr. Smith stated, “I am impressed with the incredible amount of time and energy that the staff is putting in to improve student learning.”  Mr. Smith thanked Dave Boeringa for his leadership.

                                                             v.      Ms. Dodson reported on the Deming Friends of the Library’s kick off event that was a great success and raised $9000 toward the start of the Deming Library Expansion Project. 

                                                           vi.      Mr. Smith shared information on the Scholarship Foundation.  The Scholarship Foundation will be putting applications on line for future applicants.  Applications will now be mailed, rather than turning in to the HS counselors.  Many applications are anticipated this year.  In excess of $32,000 is available for distribution this year.

                                                          vii.      Mrs. Dodson reminded the board members that the next school focus is the High School (April), followed by Harmony Elementary in May. 

b.   Dr. Gantman provided a summary of information from the League of Education Voters, giving information on the status of the recent legislative session. 

5.       Information from the Audience –

a.       An audience member informally spoke about additional para-educator time in kindergarten at Harmony and thanked the board for their support.

6.       Presentations –

a.       None at this meeting

7.       Action Items

a.       Bond Refund – Dr. Gantman introduced John Gores from Seattle-Northwest Securities Corporation who shared information on refinancing school bonds.  He presented to the board how refinancing would work, the cost savings of refinancing, and appropriate savings goals. His full report is attached. (see Donna’s notes if you need additional details) Mrs. Dodson thanked Mr. Gores for an informative presentation.  Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt made a motion to pre-approve establishing a resolution to refinance the 97/98 bonds at a minimum net value savings of 4% and utilize state bonding rate.  Mr. Freeman seconded the motion.  Motion passed unanimously.

b.       Food Service Program – School Meal Prices – A recommendation for school lunch prices for the 2004/2005 school year was presented to the school board that includes slight increases in breakfast and lunch costs, but still allows us to retain lower costs than other county schools. Dr. Gantman reported that LouInda Heron and Mark Venn analyze costs each year.  Mrs. Dodson asked if the district is looking into additional freezer space to reduce costs.  Mr. Venn reported that he and Ms. Heron are exploring options.   Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt moved and Mr. Smith seconded to approve the suggested 2004/2005 fee schedule as outlined.  Motion passed unanimously.

c.       Resolution #03/04:23 – Puget Sound Joint Purchasing Cooperative – Mr. Venn presented to the board information on the Puget Sound Joint Purchasing Cooperative, a food services purchasing agency similar to KCDA.  Membership would allow the district to purchase from the co-op, resulting in cost savings to the district.  A resolution would authorize the district to join the purchasing agency once contracts were modified to district specifications.  Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt moved to approve the resolution, Mr. Freeman seconded.   Motion passed unanimously. 

 d.       Modification to the Kindergarten schedule for 2004-2005 – The board reviewed the “Kinderstart” proposal and discussed the changes to the first two weeks of school for kindergartens in order to provide a successful start for parents, students, teachers, and the school community.  Details of proposal are attached.  These changes would go into effect Fall 2004.  If approved, a communication plan will need to be developed and implemented.  Mr. Smith moved and Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt seconded to accept the “Kinderstart” proposal.  Motion passed unanimously. 

e.       Curriculum Development – Highly Capable Student Program& Advanced Placement – The board acknowledged receipt of the curriculum work presented at a work session on at the Elementary Highly Capable Program Recommendation suggestions and the Advanced Placement options for the high school.  Work on these projects is temporarily on hold pending budget decisions this spring.  Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt moved to acknowledge receipt of the work presented in the board work session, Mrs. Hart seconded.  Motion passed unanimously. 

f.        MBHS Directed Study Curriculum Modifications – Ms. Dodson reminded the board of the work presented in board work session related to the changes to directed study.  Dr. Gantman presented the course outlines for DS9 and DS10.  If the board approves this work then additional development will take place in order to offer these courses beginning Fall 2004.  Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt moved to approve the outlines as detailed, allowing staff to move forward with development.   Mr. Freeman seconded the motion.  Motion passed unanimously.

g.       Superintendent’s Employment Contract for 2004-2007  - Ms. Dodson moved, Trish seconded to extend Dr. Gantman’s employment contract for 2004-2007.  Motion passed unanimously.

8.       Policy

a.       Policy 4514: Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Program – Dr. Gantman explained Policy 4514 and discussed the process for action.  Mr. Venn reported on the funds available and the process to implement the plan into action.  He presented additional information to the board related to AEDs.  Mr. Venn attributed work on this project to Halvar Olstead and Lorali Gray, as well as the Booster Club and the Red Cross SSI for donations and fundraising efforts   Mr. Freeman moved and Mrs. Hart seconded the motion to approve the 1^st reading 2^nd reading and adoption of this policy.  Motion passed unanimously.

b.       Review of WSSDA’s work on 1000 series – The board reviewed the 1000 series of the policy development work being done by WSSDA.  Review and discussion was held.  Suggested changes include:

Mr. Pfeiffer-Hoyt moved to approve Series 1000 policies, with the changes noted including the removal of 1610 and 1733.  Mr. Smith seconded.  Motion passed unanimously. 

9.       Reports

a.       Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Gantman provided his written report.  Highlights of the report were:

b.       Business Manger’s Report

10.   Meeting(s) Schedule – All meetings begin at 7 pm in the District Office unless otherwise noted

a.       Work sessions & Special Meetings and Tentative Topics–

                                                               i.      Thursday, April 22 – JH and HS Performance Reports & Co-Curricular Program

                                                             ii.      Thursday, May 27 – Curriculum Recommendations for Reading and Social Studies

                                                            iii.      Thursday, June 17 – School Improvement Plans

                                                           iv.      Thursday, June 24 – Budget

b.       Regular Meetings –

                                                               i.      Thursday, May 13 @ Harmony Elementary   

11.   Executive Session – At  10:05 Ms. Dodson recessed the regular meeting and the board met in Executive Session to discuss a personnel issue.

12.   Adjourn – At 11:00 pm the regular meeting was reconvened and then adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted:

                                                                                       ATTEST                                                         

Ellen Dodson, President                                                        Dr. Richard Gantman, Secretary

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