UNOFFICIAL MINUTES MUSCATINE SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION PLANNING MEETING February 25, 2013
The Board of Education of the Muscatine Community School District, in the County of Muscatine, State of Iowa, met in planning session on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Center. President Penny Jones called the meeting to order via Skype from Hawaii. Directors Tim Bower, Tammi Drawbaugh (arrived at 6:47 p.m.) Brenda Garcia-‐Van Auken (arrived at 6:38 p.m.), Nathan Mather, and Mary Wildermuth were present. Director Dennis Fox was present via conference phone from Augusta, Georgia. Also present was Superintendent Bill Decker and Director of Finance Jean Garner.
Ag Learning Center Update Superintendent Decker and ag teacher Dave Fowler updated the board regarding the Ag Learning Center. Mr. Fowler informed the board that the ag department has taken over the management of the facility in order to save funds. Mr. Sam Paul is doing the hands-‐on management, and Mr. Dave Tometich is doing the financial side of the Learning Center. Both roles fit with each individual. He informed the board that the Learning Center is cash flowing right now and with fundraising efforts has paid off 2/3 – 3/4 of the debt. Mr. Fowler then shared that 350 high school students and 275 middle school students are taking ag classes. He also shared that there were 70-‐80 students that had signed up but due to class size they were unable to accommodate them. Mr. Fowler commended the community and district for this partnership that has allowed the program and students to flourish and benefit. Director Bower congratulated Mr. Fowler on his upcoming retirement and stated that he, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Tometich have done an outstanding job with the program. Superintendent Decker stated that it is the goal of the district to put our students in the most advantageous position as they move to the next level and that the ag program has been one of the district’s most successful programs for students. Energy Update Charlie Velasquez, the district’s energy consultant, gave an update on the current and estimated savings from energy conservation. He shared that within the last three months (September – November) cost avoidance was $61,000 and over the last 2-‐1/2 years the total savings was over $535,000. Superintendent Decker stated that a great deal of credit for this savings goes to Mr. Velasquez for what he does and to the staff for what they are doing to conserve energy. Quarterly Reports Directors of Innovation and Instruction Diane Campbell and Shane Williams presented the quarterly updates for elementary, middle, and high school.
Mr. Williams and McKinley principal Perry Rodocker explained the DIBELS assessment to the board. Mr. Williams noted that the summer learning loss for at risk students is high as they leave school at the end of the year at benchmark and then return in the fall at the strategic level. He further noted that the time structure of the traditional school puts these students at a disadvantage. Mr. Williams explained that the Leader in Me data is baseline data and administration still needs to determine what the expectations should be. Mrs. Campbell reviewed the secondary reports. She noted that ACT numbers will be shared at the end of the year and that there will be an end-‐of-‐the year assessment of Standard’s Based Grading as information is being collected right now from students, teachers, and parents. ELL Presentation Mrs. Campbell and elementary ELL teacher Linda Brecht-‐Kwirant provided a powerpoint presentation on the district’s ELL program. There are currently 409 students this year and the number could possibly go higher. She explained that the district serves 409 students but only 321 bring weighted funding according to the Department of Education’s funding formula. Mrs. Brecht-‐Kwirant reviewed the goals which all revolve around reading, writing, listening, and speaking English. She then described each level that students can be placed. Inservice Discussion President Jones, in order to save time, asked if anyone had any questions about the inservice on January 28th so that the board could move on to the DINA Update. There were no questions. DINA/PLC Update Mr. Williams and Mr. Rodocker updated the board on the District Leadership Team progress. In January and February the team met six times and discussed how the district will implement the plan. Mr. Williams shared that the DLT wants to maintain a high level of transparency and be in constant communication with the buildings. Their goal is to present at all 11 buildings before March 1 and so far, have presented at six buildings. At the presentation there is a question and answer session and teachers fill out a survey. So far, 110 surveys have been completed with 97% of the respondents saying the message of the action plan was clear. Staff also provided suggestions on how the presentation can be better and feedback on the level of understanding. He noted that one comment that was commonly stated was the need to support our professionals through time to collaborate. Another question asked was what are the implications for phys ed teachers and then comments on how the district needs to support them professionally in their area and not force them to do something that is a waste of their time. He shared that there were lots of appreciation and thanks for the conciseness and clarity of the message and all of the time put in by the DLT. He also noted that there were a lot of comments about not forgetting about the social and emotional side and that student achievement is broader than just academics. He stated that from this the DLT specifically inserted social and emotional into the DINA vision. He stated that staff wants to get together as grade level teams K-‐5. He further stated that another frequent comment is that the teachers understand that the importance of the work is to improve and get better and they are on board and fully appreciate the scope of the work.
Mr. Williams then reviewed the next steps for the a DLT. He noted that they will be presenting at five schools the rest of this week. The team will be engaging in deep discussion and analysis of the topic of time and not just for professionals but also for our students. He noted that the DLT wants to make sure it is doing things right and support the individuals in the organization in any means necessary. He shared that Professional Learning Communities are an inextricable part of what they are doing as a DLT and the district cannot separate the Iowa Core from the PLC. He shared that now is a great time to be an educator in our district as there is a level of focus and cohesion that we have not had in the 16 years that he has been here. Both, Mr. Williams and Mr. Rodocker, stated that they appreciate the board’s support. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
UNOFFICIAL MINUTES MUSCATINE SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING February 25, 2013
The Board of Education of the Muscatine Community School District, in the County of Muscatine, State of Iowa, met in regular session on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 7:57 p.m. at the Administration Center. President Penny Jones called the meeting to order via Skype from Hawaii. Directors Tim Bower, Tammi Drawbaugh, Brenda Garcia-‐Van Auken, Nathan Mather, and Mary Wildermuth were present. Director Dennis Fox was present via conference phone from Augusta, Georgia. Also present was Superintendent Bill Decker and Director of Finance Jean Garner. The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance. President Jones welcomed visitors and media representatives. No one spoke during the Citizens Speak portion of the meeting. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Fox to approve the consent agenda which includes the following: the minutes of the February 11, 2013 regular meeting; the renewal of the sharing agreement with Wilton for swimming and diving, soccer, and tennis; bills and claims against the district dated February 25, 2013; the personnel recommendations of: the resignation of Katie Chambliss as high school girls’ soccer assistant coach, the resignation of Robert Weaton as high school principal, and the hire of Al McDonald as MHS assistant girls’ track coach; and the following field trips: MHS Science Club to Six Flags Physics Day in Chicago on May 3, 2013 and the cross-‐country team to Cross Country Training Camp at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado on July 14-‐20, 2013 as submitted by Chris Foxen. Director Bower commented on Mr. Weaton’s early retirement and thanked him for his public service as the high school principal and for his leadership. All ayes; motion carried. Superintendent Decker noted that the proposed calendar for 2013-‐14 was in the board book and the calendar feedback was sent to the board last Friday. He shared that comments ranged from “school starts too late” to “wanting to get out earlier” which shows that it is hard to please everyone. He shared that the calendar was put together by the District Leadership Team as part of the outgrowth of the DINA process. He noted that it could be possible to avoid the state fair but this would then be in opposition of needed staff professional development. Director of Elementary Innovation and Instruction Shane Williams stated that starting with a partial week was a recommendation from the DLT thus causing some of the conflict with the state fair days. He noted that there is not a lot of wiggle room with that first semester ending before Christmas break which aligns better with PSEO and college classes for high school students. Superintendent Decker noted that if our students are not ready to start 2nd semester with PSEO and credit classes this puts those kids at a disadvantage for those who are working towards college credits. He talked about how the non-‐alignment of colleges and other institutions with the school calendar puts
students at a disadvantage and how coordination of all is not a school district choice. The question the district has to work with is: “how do we make our students more aligned with other institutions?” Superintendent Decker noted that early dismissals provide four hours of additional professional development for our staff. With the proposed calendar there are 19 hours of additional professional time for our staff which he feels is very important. He noted that it is also important to have a balance between first and second semester. He discussed the issue of conferences and how it is too early/too late for elementary and secondary and how there needs to have some level of compromise as early interventions are important for high school students. He shared that the district needs to do something different for higher passing rates at the secondary level by moving conference times back in order to support the high school level and make certain we are getting parents through the doors to communicate effectively in order to make academic progress/changes. Superintendent Decker noted that he is hopeful that there is talk in the legislature to move from student days to student hours and then elementary and secondary conferences would no longer have to be tied together. He shared that because conferences count as an instructional day they have to be held at the same time. He stated that the committee did a great job of compromising on the conference dates. Superintendent Decker noted that he had received questions about using President’s Day this year as a snow make up day. He stated that this was not possible as it is a holiday for many of the non-‐certified groups. He further noted that having the non-‐certified employees come in on President’s Day would cost the district at least double their wages. Mr. Williams noted that the calendar survey results showed that 28% gave the calendar a 1 or 2, 38% gave it a 4-‐5, and 33% gave it a 3 (with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest mark). Superintendent Decker stated that it is up to the board to take action on the calendar tonight. He recommended that the board take action as this calendar was put together by the DLT and well vetted with staff input. He thanked the DLT for being a part of the calendar creation process. Director Mather asked when the handbooks need to be to the printer. Superintendent Decker stated that he wasn’t certain but that the calendar needs to be approved at least at the March meeting. A motion was made by Director Fox and seconded by Director Wildermuth to approve the 2013-‐ 14 calendar as presented. Director Bower asked for clarification on the shortened days at the start of school on August 15 and 16. Mr. Williams stated that the reason for the early dismissals is to provide professional development for faculty and we also know from informal discussions that teachers and students like starting with a partial week which is the impetus for starting on the Thursday. Superintendent Decker also noted that the first days are seen as introductory in nature and ensures that if students do go to the state fair on those days, they will then miss an introduction piece as opposed to full instruction days.
Director Drawbaugh shared that she has had feedback on those days as well and also feedback on concerns for the state fair. She noted that it is her understanding that for students it isn’t so much as missing academically as students don’t want to miss the first days of school which is a positive because our students want to be here. She noted that she supports those families that say they want to be at the state fair as there are lessons to be learned there as well. She stated that she appreciates the work that has been done on the calendar and is a huge advocate to get those conference days in earlier so parents can have time to react earlier should there be issues. Mr. Williams stated that across the board, the district and DLT are huge proponents for our agriculture program and want to make certain that their voice is heard as well. It is balancing the needs of all students that become tricky. All ayes; motion carried. Superintendent Decker reviewed the list of bids that were received for the buses and van. He noted that there were two bids received for the buses. He recommended that the board approve the purchase of the Blue Bird buses from School Bus Sales. Regarding the activity van, he noted that the district purchased a Chevy Suburban to see if it would be useful and something that people would take advantage of. He said that response has been that people feel safer driving this than the van; however it is 2-‐1/2 times the cost of the lowest bid for a regular van. He noted that all-‐wheel drive (AWD) vans are more expensive than a rear-‐wheel drive van but less expensive than a Suburban. He recommended purchasing the AWD Chevy Express LT van from Krieger’s for $18,311.96. A motion was made by Director Mather and seconded by Director Bower to approve the purchase of three school buses from School Bus Sales in the amount of $269,784. All ayes; motion carried. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Drawbaugh to purchase the Chevy Express LT from Krieger Motors for $18,311.96. Director Mather noted that with the financial condition of the district, he cannot see spending the additional money for the AWD van and therefore, he would go for the Mincer Ford bid. Superintendent Decker stated that Director Mather’s point is well taken; however, the the usability and the demand that people have shown for the Suburban and how they feel safer and probably are safer, he would not want to send students out in a rear wheel drive van. He stated that from this point-‐of-‐view, he sees this as a savings. There were six ayes and one nay with Director Mather voting nay. Motion carried. Superintendent Decker shared with the board the district’s desire to re-‐open the early retirement program. He noted that he has heard of other districts across the state who have done this in order to realize additional savings.
Director of Human Resources Wes Fowler noted that he has had a couple of other staff approach him to see if the district would be able to re-‐open the early retirement program. He also stated that he doesn’t see a downside to re-‐opening it as the district could have a few more early retirees or none at all. Director Drawbaugh asked if there is any cause for setting precedent for future years. Mr. Fowler stated that he didn’t see this as an issue as it is different each year. Director Mather asked regarding the litigation issue at the state level. Superintendent Decker stated that doing this as a one-‐time event wouldn’t create this as a condition of employment. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Drawbaugh to re-‐open the early retirement program from February 26 – March 7th. All ayes; motion carried. Superintendent Decker shared the Budget Guarantee Resolution. He noted that the board needs to take action to approve this should allowable growth end up to be zero percent. If allowable growth is greater than zero percent, then the district would not qualify for the 101% budget guarantee. Director Mather asked if the budget guarantee would affect the levy. Director of Finance Jean Garner stated that the 101% budget guarantee is funded 100% by property tax so the levy rate would be higher if the district was on the budget guarantee. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth to approve the Budget Guarantee Resolution which states, “RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Muscatine Community School District will levy property tax for fiscal year 2013-‐2014 for the regular program budget adjustment as allowed under section 257.14, Code of Iowa.” Director Mather asked for clarification if the district ends up going on the budget guarantee will this end up raising the levy. Superintendent Decker stated that the district is currently at zero percent and the levy will not go up from where we are at right now as we do not have the spending authority to support the raise in the levy from right now. Director Mather asked if the budget guarantee would give us 1% of authority. Superintendent Decker stated that the 101% share comes from local taxes; however the district would be reducing the cash reserve levy. Director Mather then asked for verification if the district receives the 101% budget guarantee that the levy for the coming year will not go beyond the $15.35 of this year. Mrs. Garner stated that that is true that the $15.35 levy will not increase. All ayes; motion carried.
A motion was made by Director Mather and seconded by Director Drawbaugh to approve setting a public hearing on the proposed 2013-‐2014 budget for April 8, 2013 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. All ayes; motion carried. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth to approve setting a public hearing for the purpose of amending the 2012-‐2013 school budget for March 18, 2013 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. All ayes; motion carried. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the district and Eastern Iowa Community College District for the Automotive Technology program at MHS. All ayes; motion carried. The board heard a second reading on the following policies: 404.01 Definition of Certificate Personnel 404.04 Discipline of Students 405.01 Responsibilities and Duties 405.03 Evaluation of Non-‐Certificated Personnel 405.04 Salary Schedules 405.05 Discipline of Students by Non-‐Certificated Personnel 405.07 Food Nutrition Workers/Bakers/Cooks 405.10 Administrative Support/Secretarial/Clerical/Aide/Paraprofessionals 501.06 Non-‐Resident Tuition 502.07 Search and Seizure with Administrative Procedures 703.07 Bidding Procedures for Public Improvements MHS Associate High School Principal Mark Olmstead informed the board that administration remains committed to the process of recruiting and maintaining each of the Perkins sub-‐committees that is reflective of the Muscatine community and district. Director of Human Resources Wes Fowler updated the board on negotiations. He noted that the district is still waiting on several key pieces of information and decided to postpone the initial meeting until next Thursday. The initial meeting will be aligning the big picture of the school district and working through insurance which is a big driver of costs. Superintendent Decker also noted that the holding pattern does revolve around the debate at the state capital on allowable growth so it is very difficult to start negotiations until this is received. Mr. Fowler stated that at some point the district will need to pick a day and go with it and it is their hope the legislature will be giving them guidance soon. Superintendent Decker also informed the board that at one point the board had talked about having an outside resource (specifically ISFIS) come in next week time to talk about the budget. He stated that they are anxious to come and talk to the board but feel it is premature until we know what allowable growth will be. He noted that unless the board specifically wants him to set up the meeting, they felt it would be more productive to set up a date that was after the legislative decides allowable growth.
Consensus of the board was to wait to have them come in after the legislature determines allowable growth. President Jones announced that the Special Education Delivery Service Plan will be up for public comment through the end of February. The plan can be viewed on the web and at the MCSD Administration Center, Musser Public Library, MCC, and Mississippi Bend AEA 9 at their Muscatine location. It has also been published in the Muscatine Journal. Comments can be sent to Jan Collinson, Director of Special Programs, 2900 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, by email to
[email protected], or by voice at 563-‐263-‐7223, extension 1107. She also noted that the next regular meeting of the board will be held on March 18, 2013 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. This meeting will be held on the third Monday of the month as opposed to the second Monday of the month due to Spring Break. A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth to go into closed session to discuss the purchase of real estate per Iowa Code Chapter 21.5(j). Roll call: Ayes: Director Bower, Drawbaugh, Fox, Garcia-‐Van Auken, Jones, Mather, and Wildermuth. There were no nays. Motion carried. Time: 9:08 p.m. A motion was made by Director Drawbaugh and seconded by Director Mather to return to open session. Roll call: Ayes: Director Bower, Drawbaugh, Fox, Garcia-‐Van Auken, Jones, Mather, and Wildermuth. There were no nays. Motion carried. Time: 9:19 p.m. A motion was made by Director Drawbaugh and seconded by Director Bower to approve the purchase of the three properties listed 1, 2, and 3, with the dollar values also listed. All ayes; motion carried. A motion to adjourn was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Wildermuth. All ayes; motion carried. Time: 9:21 p.m. Penny Jones, President Lisa Mosier, Secretary
