School City of Mishawaka Mishawaka, Indiana August 25, 2015 Together, we will equip our students with the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to excel in a dynamic and evolving world. Meeting of Standing Board Committees – 6:30 p.m. – Board Conference Room Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees -- 7:00 p.m. Administrative Center 1402 South Main Street Mishawaka, IN 46544 Meeting called to order by Board President
at 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER Jeffery E. Emmons, President Dennis R. Wood, Vice President Holly Parks, Secretary William D. Pemberton, Member Larry E. Stillson, Member Dr. A. Dean Speicher, Interim Superintendent of Schools Michael Pettibone, Interim Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction Randy J. Squadroni, Business Manager Gregg A. Hixenbaugh, Executive Director for Human Resources & Legal Counsel OFFICIAL GUESTS: Dr. Theodore Stevens, Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction Barbara Michalos, Director of Special Education Services Eilleen Kalman, Assistant Director of Special Education Services Brad Addison, Principal, Emmons School James Aldrich, Director of Athletics Michael Babcock, Assistant Principal, John J. Young Middle School Rob Bach, Principal, LaSalle School Rochelle Brandenburg, Principal, Twin Branch School Jerome Calderone, Principal, Mishawaka High School Barton Curtis, Assistant Principal, Mishawaka High School Michael Faulkner, Assistant Director of Athletics C. Mike Fisher, Principal, John J. Young Middle School Jenifer Fisher, Attendance Coordinator, Mishawaka High School Ashley Litwin, Assistant Principal, John J. Young Middle School Janine Mabry, Principal, Liberty School Patricia Morris, Program Supervisor, Joint Service Campus Program John Ross, Assistant Principal, Mishawaka High School Daniel Towner, Principal, Beiger School David Troyer, Assistant Principal, Mishawaka High School Matthew Wood, Principal, Battell School Jeffrey Yohe, Principal, Hums School Trudy Lietzan, PTA Council President Patricia Bellovich, Secretary to the Superintendent Sherry Keyser, President, MEA
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Media Representatives: The School City of Mishawaka appreciates the presence of representatives from the media. Please identify yourselves to Pat Bellovich to have your attendance noted in the Board minutes. Persons who are hearing impaired or deaf and who require an interpreter for this meeting should notify Mr. Gregg A. Hixenbaugh in writing at the School City of Mishawaka, 1402 South Main Street, Mishawaka, IN 46544, or by telephone at (574) 254-4500. Notification must occur by noon on the Friday prior to a Board Meeting.
Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 This meeting is a meeting of the School Board in public for the purpose of conducting the School Corporation business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. There will be time for public comment as indicated on the agenda. VISITORS REQUESTING PERMISSION TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM Visitors requesting permission to address the Board on a specific agenda item are requested to sign in on the registration form upon arrival at the meeting. Each statement made by a participant on any specific agenda item may be limited at the discretion of the presiding officer. Visitors will be restricted to one appearance per item. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 2015 – 131.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA – President Emmons It is recommended that the agenda for the August 25, 2015 Regular Meeting of the Board be adopted as presented. Motion by
Stillson
second by
Parks
vote
5-0
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR 2015 – 132.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR – President Emmons
132.1 COMMUNICATION WITH PTA None
132.2 REPRESENTATIVES OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES None
132.3 REPRESENTATIVES MISHAWAKA EDUCATION FOUNDATION Jane Wright reported that: there are over 200 people registered for the Run/Walk on September 7; invitations for the Growing the Future dinner will be sent out this week; and today’s agenda will reflect the donation of $26,000.00 from MEF to the corporation.
132.4 GENERAL PUBLIC No one registered to speak.
Anyone wishing to address the Board on general topics is invited to do so under this item. These individuals must register their intention to participate in the public portion of the meeting upon their arrival at the meeting. Each statement made by a participant may be limited at the discretion of the presiding officer. It is requested that names and addresses be stated at the beginning of such comments. Individuals may speak only once during this section of the agenda. As per Board Policy, personnel issues will not be addressed during open sessions of the Board. Concerns about individual employees of the district should be brought to the superintendent or designee.
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Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 2015 – 133.
CONSENT AGENDA – President Emmons
133.1 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 11, 2015 REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD It is recommended that the minutes of the August 11, 2015 Regular Meeting of the Board be approved as presented. 133.2 BILL WARRANTS AND PAYROLL It is recommended that the bill warrants and payroll in the amount of $2,121,903.65 be approved for payment from the appropriate fund. 133.3 FUNDRAISER REQUESTS It is recommended that the Board of School Trustees grant approval for the fundraiser requests as listed and documented. 133.4 PERSONNEL REPORT It is recommended that the Personnel Report, dated August 25, 2015, be approved. Motion by
Parks
second by
Wood
vote
5-0
2015 – 134.
COMMUNICATION TO SECRETARY OF THE BOARD – Secretary Parks
2015 – 135.
INSTRUCTION
135.1 Action 135.1a MHS PARTICIPATION IN JOBS FOR AMERICA’S GRADS (JAG) PROGRAM – Mr. Pettibone Background: Mishawaka High School’s participation in the JAG Program was first approved for the 2013 – 2014 and 2014 – 2015 school years. The JAG Program is a two year course for students in the 11th and 12th grades and this year it will be taught by Julie Novak. The prepared curriculum will include community service. There is no cost to the corporation for this program. Recommendation to Board: It is recommended that the Board of School Trustees approve Mishawaka High School’s participation in Jobs for America’s Grads (JAG) for the 2015 – 2016 school year. The JAG Program is provided by Work One Workforce Development. It is further recommended that the Superintendent be authorized to sign the agreement to participate. Mr. Calderone reported that this is the third year for this program and it has been very beneficial for students.
Motion by
Stillson
second by
135.2 Discussion Items
3
Parks
vote
5-0
Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 135.3 Reports • Formative Assessment – Dr. Stevens
Formative assessments are the used throughout the year for teachers and principals to gage student learning. Acuity is a predictor for how students would perform on ISTEP testing. Scantron is used primarily for DEEP students and High Ability identification. The Department of Education has approved a list of vendors that if used, the state will reimburse. Overall, last year SCM spent $34,220.00 on formative assessments. This year after the state reimbursements are returned, the expenses should only total around $19,836.00, which will result in a savings of over $14,000.00
2015 – 136.
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
136.1 Action 136.1a ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS – Dr. Speicher Recommendation to Board: It is recommended that the Board of School Trustees accept the following donations as listed and documented. $50,000.00 – Anonymous to offset the salary and benefit costs associated with the Secondary Student Success Coordinator at Mishawaka High School $126.22 – T H Enterprises to Mishawaka High School for football equipment $302.28 – Life Touch to Hums for student purposes $26,500.00 – Mishawaka Education Foundation for the following purposes: $14,500: From Major Savers Fundraisers for technology ($2,000 for each elementary school and $500.00 for John Young) $12,000: For academic competitions ($1,000 for every elementary school, $2,000 for John Young, and $3,000 for Mishawaka High School) Mr. Calderone noted that Tom Moore is the Secondary Success Coordinator and he operates like a social worker both at the high school and at John Young. Mrs. Parks said that Mr. Moore is a huge asset, helping students with issues ranging in gravity from abuse to needing lunch money.
Motion by
Parks
second by
Pemberton
vote
5-0
136.1b RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES APPROVING AMENDMENT TO LEASE AND TAKING OTHER NECESSARY ACTIONS REGARDING FIRST MORTGAGE REFUNDING BONDS, SERIES 2006 – Mr. Squadroni Recommendation to Board: It is recommended that the School City of Mishawaka Board of School Trustees adopt the resolution authorizing issuance of the School City of Mishawaka 2001 Multi-School Building Corporation First Mortgage Refunding Bonds and related matters. The recommendation is in order to take advantage of the current low interest rates to lower debt service. The resolution also approves the school corporation to pay maximum rent for the years 2016 through 2019. The maximum rent will increase the property tax rates approximately .02 per $100.00 of assessed value during the four year time period. The resolution authorizes the proper officers of the school corporation to execute and deliver such documents and take such actions as such officers deem necessary to complete the refunding. 4
Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 This bond refinancing is the second in the series; the first was closed three months ago and resulted in a savings of $1 million. The 2006 refinance will result in about an $850,000.00 savings after expenses. Today, the Building Corporation met and approved the refinancing and the amendment. Late September is the anticipated time frame for the pricing of the bond with closing expected to occur in mid to late October. We can time the market to take advantage of the best interest rate.
Motion by
Stillson
second by
Parks
vote
5-0
136.1c APPROVAL OF DEPARTMENT NAME CHANGE – Dr. Speicher Background: In 2014, the Board of School Trustees for School City of Mishawaka and the Board of School Trustees for the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation each took action to terminate the Joint Services for Special Education Program for the 2015 – 2016 school year. SCM Director of Special Education Services Barb Michalos has recommended that the School Corporation’s Special Education Department be renamed the Department of Exceptional Learners. This change is not only consistent with the Indiana Department of Education’s teacher licensing and assignment code, but also reflects modern educational terminology. Recommendation to Board: It is recommended that the Board of School Trustees approve the utilization of the title Department of Exceptional Learners, effective immediately. Barb Michalos reported that “Special Ed” is a dated term. She also reported that the department is off to a good start as a stand-alone entity after the Joint Service dissolution.
Motion by
Wood
second by
Parks
vote
5-0
136.2 Presentation and Discussion Casting a Vision for School City of Mishawaka in Collaboration with its Valued Partners – Building an Organizational Culture of Excellence that Maximizes and Uses Financial Resources and Organizational Assets Effectively and with Integrity – Dr. Speicher and Board of School Trustees Dr. Speicher said that this is the second of five strands we have as part of our vision. There are eleven points of focus to this strand of the vision. 1. Revenue enhancement by increasing the SCM student count – This year there are 140 new out of district students enrolled. We intend to continue the marketing into the school year, and will likely bring a marketing person in-house. We are also looking at the possibility of opening the high school and John Young to out of district students. 2. Refunding Existing Debt – This will begin to address the issue of the Circuit Breaker. 3. Naming Rights – Dr. Stahly and the Collaborating Committee are currently working on a recommendation on this topic. 4. Winning Grants – We are going to be aggressive in going after grants. We have met with two different individuals that could work as independent grant writers. Grant writing is a tedious process and we would be much better off outsourcing that task. We will seek safety and security grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Speicher made it clear that we believe our schools are very safe; it is not about any overriding fear about our safety. We have resource officers and a number of safety initiatives. It is about going to the next level to make sure we are doing everything we can to have the highest level of safety for students and staff. 5. The Circuit Breaker/Fiscal Cliff obstacle fix – In addition to the revenue enhancement tactics of recruiting out of district students and bond refinancing, we are looking at going to the open market for insurance. This is an ongoing action. 5
Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 6.
Develop clearly understood and accurate financial forecasts and reports – We are looking at developing two tracks of financial reporting. One would be a snapshot of the corporation’s financial picture that is understandable to the lay person. This would be posted on the website at regular intervals. The second type of report would a more detailed account for the Board. It would enable them to track fund expenditures, revenues and expenses, and would show a monthly balance. 7. Health and Casualty Insurance procurement – We are putting this recommendation into practice. Mr. Squadroni and the insurance committee are working with several consultants who are not brokers. The goal is to continue to provide the highest quality of insurance. We will do the same for property and casualty insurance in February. 8. Develop a five-year Facilities Plan – We are going to look at a number of ways to fund the priorities and do it in a responsible manner. 9. Safety and security assessment – We are going to apply through Homeland Security to undertake a threat assessment. We are now talking to a grant writer for this. 10. Evaluate current and future physical space needs – We need to assess our assets and look at other types of uses. We could develop partnerships with institutions of higher education in the area. 11. Low Assessed Valuation – PHM has $225,000 per student assessed value as compared to SCM’s $140,000 per student. This equate to $1 million per year that we are losing for capital projects. We have to fix that problem and it has to be done through legislation. We will be working to address that issue as we move forward. We will put together a coalition of legislators who are willing to carry it out to get that legislation. Boundary issues make it difficult, but we need to find a way to get a fix for that. Another legislative issue to contend with is related to the Circuit Breaker. Mr. Pemberton noted that many of these recommendations came from the community through the Summer Study Group and now the Collaborating Committee. We are listening to the community. Speicher added that we are stewards of the work that the citizens have brought to us. Mr. Stillson noted that we are now communicating in a proactive manner. Dr. Speicher concluded by saying that we are all working hard to build a standard of excellence that our students and teachers deserve.
136.3 Discussion Items 136.4 Reports 2015 – 137.
INFORMATION TO THE BOARD SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMENTS – Dr. Speicher • •
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2015 – 138.
The public is advised that all School City of Mishawaka schools and offices will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2015 for the Labor Day Holiday. As part of the First Annual Mishawaka Heritage Festival on Monday, September 7, 2015, the Mishawaka Education Foundation and the Mishawaka PTA are sponsoring a Run/Walk. The Run/Walk begins at 9:00 a.m. at Central Park. The next Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees will be held on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the Administrative Center, 1402 South Main Street, Mishawaka, Indiana.
ADJOURNMENT – Parks
Adjournment Time: 8:15 p.m.
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Regular Meeting of the Board – August 25, 2015 MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES South Bend Tribune
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Mishawaka Enterprise WHME Newsroom
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WNDU TV WSBT TV WSJV TV
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ABC 57
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U 93
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WGTC
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WSBT
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WRBR
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FOX 28 WFRN
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