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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016_05_11 Board Minutes� DA 0III L LS S C 0 0 L D � S IIU.... III � C IIU.... III BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BUSINESS MEETING DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM 690 JOHN ADAMS PARKWAY WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016 Present from the Board of Trustees: Lisa Burtenshaw, Chairman Deidre Warden, Vice Chair Dave Lent, Trustee Larry Haws, Treasurer Bryan Zollinger, Clerk Present from the Administration: George Boland, Superintendent Kelly Coughenour, Director of Elementary Education Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance Jennifer Jackson, Director of Curriculum Margaret Wimborne, Communications/Community Engagement Coordinator Debbie Wilkie, Recording Clerk Chairman Burtenshaw opened the meeting at 6:35 p.m. and called for a motion to amend the agenda. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to amend the agenda to remove Action Item c. Employee 2015-2016J as posted. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Trustee Haws made a motion to adopt the agenda as amended. Trustee Warden provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Chairman Burtenshaw called for a motion to go into Executive Session. Trustee Warden made a motion to go into Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §74-206 (1) (b) Personnel and 74-206A (1) Negotiations. Trustee Haws provided the second. A roll call vote was taken: Lisa Burtenshaw— yes Deidre Warden — yes Larry Haws —yes Bryan Zollinger — yes Dave Lent — N/A EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board of Trustees, Superintendent Boland and Carrie Smith met in Executive Session regarding contract negotiations. Superintendent Boland and the Board of Trustees continued in Executive Session regarding personnel matters for Employee 2015-20161 and Employee 2015-2016K. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to return to Open Session at 6:55 PM. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 7 BUSINESS MEETING Chairman Lisa Burtenshaw called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Marnie Havas, District 91 Human Resource Assistant. REPORTS/I N PUT/I N FORMATION a. Student Reports Idaho Falls High School — Representative Nicholas Stubblefield reported that this is his last Board Meeting as he will be graduating soon and thanked the Board for the opportunity. Chairman Burtenshaw asked Nicholas to share with his predecessor that next year there will be a list of questions provided at the beginning of the year for student leaders to report on each month. Superintendent Boland asked what students are saying about the proposed high school redesign project. Nicolas stated that everyone except seniors are wondering what the remodel will look like. Chairman Burtenshaw thanked Nicolas for reporting each month and asked what his plans were after graduation. Nicholas stated he is planning to attend Boston College majoring in Political Science and Physics. b. Superintendent's Report - written comments are attached. c. Patron Input —written comments, if provided, are attached. Teachers Kristine Hansen and Marie Hammon shared comments regarding the English Language Arts curriculum adoption, Teacher Becky Harmon shared comments regarding classroom behavior support and parent Suketu Gandhi shared comments regarding the mathematics curriculum selection process. d. IFEA Report IFEA President Angela Gillman reported that this is her last report as president, Lisa Scott and Margaret Quade will be coming in as Co -Presidents next year. Written comments are attached. e. First Reading— BP 408 Child Nutrition Charge Policy and Procedures Carrie Smith provided a handout showing historical unpaid meal costs and reported the increased number of meal charges since the policy of collecting these fees changed in 2013. Child Nutrition employees are spending a huge amount of time trying to collect the outstanding charges that have grown from $352 at the end of 2013-2014 to $6841 owed currently for the 2015-2016 school year. The proposal is to move back to serving an alternate meal if students don't have money on their account or have a free/reduced application on file. Children will still be fed but this would hopefully be more incentive for parents to stay on top of it. Unpaid meal costs comes out of the general fund so that is money that cannot be used for instruction. A discussion was held. Faye Olsen, D91 Child Nutrition Supervisor, was also in attendance to answer questions from the Board. This item will move forward for a second reading at the June 8t" meeting. 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 7 f. Other Items i. Board Committee Report A discussion was held regarding upcoming board meetings and the Open House planned for May 25, 2016, at the Willards Art Center, for the High School Redesign Project. Hummel Architects will be sharing information and drawings with parents, students and patrons to get their feedback about the possible upgrades. ii. Budget Status Report — a copy of the report was provided in the board packet. No further discussion. iii. 2016 Education and Retirement Celebration This annual celebration, organized by the IFEA, will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at the Colonial Theatre this year. A social hour will be held from 6:00 — 7:00 p.m. with the program starting at 7:00. Everyone is invited to come celebrate, the cost is $15 per person at the door. iv. Graduation Date Reminders: • Tuesday, May 31" Compass @7:00 p.m. at Compass • Tuesday, May 31" Emerson @ 7:00 p.m. at Colonial Theatre • Wednesday, June 1St IFHS @ 7:30 p.m. at Civic Auditorium • Thursday, June 2nd SHS @ 7:00 p.m. at Skyline CONSENT AGENDA Trustee Warden made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Items approved included: a. Approval of Minutes i. April 13, 2016 — Business Meeting b. Payment of Claims i. April 2016 Payment of Claims $2,117,645.57 ii. April 2016 Elementary Bill List $24,521.84 iii. April 2016 Representative Organization President Leave Invoice $284.00 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 7 Staff Actions N'efires Name Position Location Joshua Newell Principal A.H. Bush Elementary Miel V Abbot 3rd Grade Dora Erickson Elementary Jessica L Browning 61h Grade Dora Erickson Elementary Tori L Clark 61h Grade Dora Erickson Elementary McKenzie L Hawkins 41h Grade Dora Erickson Elementary Jillian N Mock 2nd Grade Dora Erickson Elementary Erika J Morgan 2nd Grade Edgemont Elementary Rebecca L Heiner 3rd Grade Ethel Boyes Elementary Michelle Pierce Early Child Special Education Ethel Boyes Elementary Madison G Wanner Early Child Special Education Ethel Boyes Elementary Meggan L Irving 3rd Grade Linden Park Elementary Bailee May 3rd Grade Linden Park elementary Emily M Muillic 2nd Grade Longfellow Elementary Elise C Hansen 61h Grade Sunnyside Elementary Nancy L Anderson 41h Grade Westside Elementary Stacie T Pullum 3rd Grade Westside Elementary Bailey R Reed 61h Grade Westside Elementary Amanda L Allen Reading Eagle Rock Middle School Courtney L Buys English Language Arts Eagle Rock Middle School C Suzanne Daley History Eagle Rock Middle School Daniel J Newsted Math Eagle Rock Middle School Amanda C Petersen English Language Arts Eagle Rock Middle School Allison N Tolman Reading Eagle Rock Middle School Lori D Brackett Art Taylorview Middle School Kelsey Lindsay English Taylorview Middle School Michelle M Ward Special Education Idaho Falls High School Charlene K Nagle Reading Intervention Idaho Falls & Skyline Aaron J Fahl Math Skyline High School Erin A Fahl Speical Education Skyline High School Luke Hatch English Skyline High School Amanda L Holmes English Skyline High School Jenna L Kunde Science Skyline High School Todd A. Walker Math Skyline High School Amy Hopkins Speech Language Pathologist District Anna C Nelson Speech Language Pathologist District Resignations: Rebecca Romero Speech Language Pathologist Dora Erickson Elementary Christopher Manley Counselor Edgemont Elementary Amyra Burnett Early Childhood Spec Ed Ethel Boyes Elementary R Kelly Hammer Early Childhood Spec Ed Hawthorne Elementary Michelle Price 2nd Grade Linden Park Elementary Heather Leishman 51h Grade Linden Park Elementary 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 4 of 7 Tamara Foiles 2nd Grade Longfellow Elementary Alexa Manley 1St Grade Sunnyside Elementary Lauren Keller Kindergarten Temple View Elementary Mark Rodel Counselor Temple View Elementary Pamela Holman 51h Grade Westside Elementary Mandy Chestnut History Eagle Rock Middle School Kristi Howard Reading Eagle Rock Middle School Nancy Ball Family Consumer Science Taylorview Middle School Megan Frongner Art Taylorview Middle School Kendell Nielsen Music Taylorview & Compass Abigail Tucker English Taylorview Middle School Marie Rasmussen Art & Art History Compass Academy Kenneth (Scott) Harmon Math Idaho Falls High School Brandi Pride ASD Resource Room Idaho Falls High School Diana Molino Assistant Principal Idaho Falls High School Anna Chithelen Math Skyline High School Alyssa Rangel Family Consumer Science Skyline High School JoLea Johnson Grant Special Education Emerson High School Shelby Kirk Resource Room On leave 2015-16, not returning Lindsey Merrill School Psychologist District Transfers:, Seth Callister From: 51h Grade To: 61h Grade From: Temple View Elementary To: Edgemont Elementary Sheri Beck From: 3rd Grade To: 1St Grade From: A.H. Bush Elementary To: Fox Hollow Elementary Charlotte Daley From: Paraprofessional To: History Teacher From: Taylorview Middle School To: Eagle Rock Middle School Christina Adams From: Early Childhood Spec Ed To: Early Childhood Spec Ed From: Ethel Boyes Elementary To: Hawthorne Elementary Linda Berger From: 41h Grade To: 51h Grade From: Dora Erickson Elementary To: Temple View Elementary Retirements: Donna Beckmann School Psychologist District Eileen Bird 1St Grade Ethel Boyes Elementary Mary Reed 1St Grade Fox Hollow Elementary Nancy Robbins 3rd Grade Sunnyside Elementary Bonnie Porter 61h Grade Westside Elementary Alicia (Lisa) Becker 7th Grade Reading Eagle Rock Middle School Karen Johnson 81h Grade Reading Eagle Rock Middle School Kathy Mitchell FCCLA Eagle Rock Middle School Roxann S Phillips 81h Grade English Eagle Rock Middle School Gary Gernant Math Skyline High School Courtney Morgan English Skyline High School Curtis Rudd P. E. Skyline High School Randy Hurley Director of Secondary Education District Leave Request: Laura Miller 61h Grade Edgemont Elementary 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 5 of 7 d. Matching Funds i. A.H. Bush Elementary Chromebooks $15,000.00 ii. Ethel Boyes Elementary Chromebooks $ 720.00 iii. Hawthorne Elementary Chromebooks $24,772.50 Total Matching Funds requested $40,492.50 e. Student Travel i. Skyline High School Debate Speech & Debate Nationals Salt Lake City, UT June 11-17, 2016 f. Early Graduation i. Student 2015-2016D Skyline High School PROPOSALS a. ELA Curriculum Adoption Supt. Boland stated there was nothing more to discuss that he had not addressed during the superintendent's report earlier. The expectation is that it will take a few more months before this item is brought back to the Board. ACTION ITEMS a. Board Policy/Procedures 805.0 Reduction in Force Revisions —Third Reading Supt Boland reviewed this is the third reading for the proposed revisions. No comments or feedback have been received since the previous reading. It is the recommendation of the administration to adopt the proposed revisions as presented. Trustee Warden made a motion to adopt Board Policy and Procedures 805.0 -Reduction in Force the revisions as presented. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. b. Employee 2015-20161 Probation Trustee Zollinger made a motion that Employee 2015-20161 probation continue for the 2016-2017 school year with the final recommendation to come in January 2017. Trustee Warden provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 6 of 7 e. Employee 2015 2016:11 — the agenda was amended to remove this item, Board action was no longer needed. d. Employee 201-2016K Probation Trustee Haws made a motion to place Employee 2015-2016K on probation for the 2016 2017 school year. Trustee Warden provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. e. True Time Software Carrie Smith provided a handout and reviewed the recommendation to purchase Skyward's True Time Accounting Software. Carrie stated the program will increase time card accuracy and assist with reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act. A discussion was held. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to approve the purchase of the Skyward True Time Software as recommended. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. f. High School Football Equipment Usage Requests Superintendent Boland reviewed that Idaho High School Athletic Association Rules states that the Board of Trustees give approval for students to use the high school protective equipment during summer training camps. Letters submitted by both Idaho Falls and Skyline coaches were included in the board packet for consideration. A discussion was held regarding the cycle for reconditioning football helmets. Supt. Boland believed it to be after the end of each season, around December or January, he will contact the high school activity directors to confirm this information. Trustee Warden made a motion to approve the high school usage request for football protective equipment for summer training camps to be held by Idaho Falls and Skyline High school football programs. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. g. Change Meeting Date and Time for May Work Session Superintendent Boland reviewed the need to change the May 25th noon work session and would propose holding the meeting on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. to facilitate the ratification meeting decision and the high school redesign presentation. Trustee Haws made a motion to approve the change to move the May 25th noon work session to May 24th at 7:00 p.m. as proposed. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Haws provided the second. No further discussion. Meeting adjourned at 8:24 PM. 05/11/2016 D91 Board Minutes Page 7 of 7 5-11-16 Superintendent's Report Hummel Architects returned today to continue HS redesign process. Met with the SHS strategic team this morning and held an open session with the faculty this afternoon. IFHS strategic team will meet tomorrow morning followed by an open session for all faculty at 4:00. Scott Strubhar and Mandy Boem will then meet with the community group tomorrow evening. Have 3- dementionalized conceptual designs looking at spaces/volume — birds eye view with additional images related to those spaces. o Will present to the board at the Ma 4t" work session and hold a community open - house at the Carr Gallary tkGfI5_"g from 6-7:30. As the school year winds down staffing for next year is taking shape. As of today we've filled about 42 vacancies and have about 6 elementary and 6 secondary positions still to fill. At the secondary level there is a math opening that will be challenging as well music and math and reading intervention teachers. We have 2 elementary counseling positions currently vacant and about 4 teaching positions. o Kindergarten registrations reflect a decline in enrollment so there are a couple of positions in flux there. We'll continue to monitor enrollment and probably won't finalize K sections until as late as August. o Administratively, Josh Newell will be joining the district as the new principal of A.H. Bush, replacing Sarah Sanders who will become the director of secondary education. Josh comes to us from the Alpine School district in Utah where he has taught 6" grade and completed his administrative internship. Diana Molino has been named as the principal at Nampa High School and we have started the search process for a new AP at IFHS. ELA Curriculum Adoption: o Concerns, questions, misunderstanding, misinformation associated with proposal o Push the "reset" button o Entered into a client services agreement with Hanover Research, an educational research firm. Have had discussions over the course of the year regarding utilization of their services to conduct Data Analysis, Survey Design & Analysis, Benchmarking, and primary research. o Have a number of upcoming areas requiring in-depth study and data analysis (ie. Middle school model review, possible elementary boundary changes as population shifts) and based on the questions and concerns associated with portions of our ELA Curriculum think a comparative analysis and best practices study is in order. o Will provide time to develop differentiated curriculum adoption procedures and analyze our 2015-16 ISAT results. o Have a significant number of teachers who individually, as a grade level, and whole school have invested time and energy into implementation of LC and EI and will continue to support those efforts with ongoing PD and resources. o May well be August or September before we are ready to propose a comprehensive elementary ELA curriculum proposal. Another factor for us to take into consideration is the new K-3 literacy intervention legislation and how that may develop. o Ultimately need to have a guaranteed and viable curriculum to facilitate the PLC process and be able to more clearly answer the 4 fundamental questions. IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91 PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Guidelines for Patron Involvement in School Board Meetings School Board ,meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings on the following basis: To request to speok to the Board of Trustees In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public input portion below prior to the beginning of the meeting. The Public input Sheet should be located on a table at the back of the boardroom. Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions. Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or personal attacks ore not appropriate. Board Policy 506.0 item S states that complaints against a particular teacher or District employee sholl be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of law, require that the affected employee be notified of a written complaint. The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary. PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Name: ✓1'1 cry-) . � / i Date: Address: A4.4 Phone: SA_ (o u(e-0cp E -Mail Address: .i 'tts" Do you have children attending School District H91 schools? If so, which schools do your students attend:']/,-,_A"V1t,,) WY,— Imo, Topic:. C /, C H -n n My name is Becky Harmon and I am a 6th grade teacher in District 91. First a little background. We have different levels of behavior support in our district. Tier 1, 2 and 3 are the levels you find within our classrooms. Tier 1 is about 90% of our students. These are the supports you use for all students such as class points, school wide expectations with school wide color charts (green doing what is expected, yellow is a warning etc.) and table group points are just a few. The supports are generally effective with most students. Tier 2 are students who need a little more support. They have issues like trouble staying on task so teachers set up a reward system for their on task behavior or completed work. These tier 2 plans usually work for minor, undisruptive behavior. A teacher can have multiple students, usually 2-3, on the same plan. Tier 3 plans are individualized for specific students. Usually these plans are developed with a team, either your school MDT team, PBIS team or IEP team. These plans usually include a reward type system specific to motivate the student. The plans also include a crisis plan, what we are supposed to do if the student escalates to the point of major disruption or unsafe behavior i.e. throwing things in the classroom or physical altercations with the teacher or other students. However, these plans do not include a procedure for the other students in the class when these situations arise. This can be troublesome for teachers because we have a responsibility to all the students in our room. I would like to focus on tier 3. Tier 3 behavior plans require specialized training that teachers do not receive through the general education certification process and our district follows a model where these students are in our general ed. classrooms. In order for us to provide the least restrictive learning environment that is safe for all students, we need more training. I would ask that the district provide this training to teachers prior to them having a student on a tier 3 plan in their room. This training should not be at the teacher's expense. We need to understand what the escalation process is, how to evaluate where the student is in that process and have strategies to use at every level of the process. There are also concerns about the long term academic and psychological effects on all students. Generally, students with a tier 3 plan are with the same group of children throughout elementary school. If we look at academic data, do these groups of children show less growth than their grade level peers in other schools or districts? Sometimes classrooms with students on tier 3 plans are cleared multiple times per month (due to inappropriate behavior). What affect do these situations have on other students' learning? Psychologically how will the students who are repeatedly exposed to violent behavior be affected? We know that children who are exposed to violence in the home experience long term effects. Does violence in the classroom create the same issues? I would ask that the district keep these concerns at the forefront while we move forward with decisions about our district model for behavior and for future professional development for teachers. IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91 PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Guidelines for Patron Involvement in School Board Meetings School Board meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings on the following basis: To request to speak to the Board of Trustees In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public Input portion below prior to the beginning of the meeting. The Public Input Sheet should be located on a table at the bock of the boardroom. Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions. Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or personal attacks ore not appropriate. Board Policy 506.0 item S states that complaints against a particular teacher or District employee sholl be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of law, require that the affected employee be notified of a written complaint. The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary. PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Name:-�rI���P �anSenDate: r�// Address: q5_12 2 c, W. Phone: E -Mail Address: Do you have children attending School District 991 schools? If so, which schools do your students attend: 'At Topic: So important to really look deeply into what works best for our students. Teachers are the ones that are in the classroom day in and day out. They know what motivates students and trust me - you want engaged students because teaching is no fun when students are not engaged and learning! District moving in the right direction to focus on assuring our students are prepared for a changing world - we have entered the digital age! Very different from what most of us grew up with. Special thanks to Heather Rassmussen who pulls up her sleeves and makes herself available to help in the classroom. was determined to make Lucy Calkins work because I was told this is the curriculum we must use. What Journeys has that makes it a great writing program: • Rigorous - kids write daily • Clear gradual Release of Responsibility - a framework of teaching our district is encouraging teachers to use - because it is an effective way to teach • Journeys incorporates lessons on using digital tools (one of our Common Core Standards) . Calkins does not have any lessons which teach students to use digital tools. • Journeys embeds the grammar into the writing which has been shown to be a more effective way for students to learn grammar (Angie Lee) • New York no longer includes Lucy Calkins as a recommended writing program because it does not align as well with the Common Core State Standards and it is not as effective for lower socio-economic students. Lucy Calkins has some good elements and I have some great take-aways, but it is not as solid as the Journeys ELA Curriculum Writing. IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91 PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Guidelines for Patron Involvement in School Board Meetings School Board meetings ore meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings on the following basis: To request to speak to the Board of Trustees: in order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public input portion below prior to the beginning of the meeting. The Public Input Sheet should be located on a table at the back of the boardroom. Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germone questions. Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or personal attacks are not appropriate. Board Policy 506.0 item 5 states that complaints against a particular teacher or District employee shall be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of law, require that the affected employee be notified of a written complaint. The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary. PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Name: �iY(�l't�fin.M fWo,1 Date: f� �illf Address: IO5 E 154 50S Phone: 50-"l- S'7Q._g1Zk E -Mail Address: k a MrAj2V(_) A Co ACI,, 10"(ZC 1),LIS Do you have children attending School District #191 schools? If so, which schools do your students attend: 1 " Topic:r 511612008 May 11, 2016 Statement to District 91 Board of Trustees By: E. Marie Hammon (elementary teacher) --------------------------------------------------------- First, I'd like to state that I do have an immense amount of respect for Jennifer and Kelly and I recognize the enormous undertaking they are grappling with, in regards to improving the English Language Arts instruction throughout the district. I'd also like to thank Mr. Lent for his remarks last month when he pointed out that our teachers are intelligent, well-educated professionals, whoyYdeserve to be regarded in a respectful manner. I'd like to add that it is especially true, when it comes to making decisions for which we will be responsible to implement. However, when asked by a board member what would happen if we did not adopt some sort of prescribed writing curriculum, Mr. Boland's response was "chaos". That comment has stuck with me these past few weeks and literally eaten away at me until I decided I should respond, so here goes: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT TEACHING WRITING? 1. Teaching writing is extremely difficult and likely the most widely over -looked aspect of teacher preparation. Many teachers themselves are not good writers, they have not had quality professional development in the area of teaching writing, or they are unaware of the widely documented "necessary shifts in instruction" required to meet the more rigorous demands of the Idaho Core Standards. 2. Taken from a May 51h email to teachers from Jennifer Jackson: "Our district's ELA ISAT scores were below both the state level and neighboring districts in grades 3- 6. Writing has been an area of deficiency in the elementary grades..." The email went on to say that in the last couple weeks there has been very encouraging evidence of "great improvements in scores on ELA ISAT's from grade levels and schools who've used the Units of Study regularly this year." Let's stop and analyze for a moment. First of all, the survey asking teachers about their use of the Lucy Calkins units of study was disseminated after the above comment about the improved scores coming from "those classrooms where the units are being used regularly this year." So, how do we know by whom, and to what extent, the units had been implemented? Secondly, when initially overwhelmed in the fall with dictates to implement the LC writing units while simultaneously implementing the rigorous Expeditionary Learning ELA Modules, I did what teachers do: I talked to other teachers. What I found at my building, at district grade -level PD meetings, and at EL trainings was that many, if not most, of the teachers I talked to were not fully implementing the Units of Study. Whether accurate or not, it was widely understood that our directive was to essentially start small, or just do parts of the units that could fit into the time allotted. Several well-respected teachers told me they were only doing the "Connection" and "Teaching" portion of each lesson, leaving the "Active Engagement" and "Link" portions untouched. This seemed crazy to me! Would it not be better to do a few things well rather than skim over many things? But alas, I was assured that working through the Units of Study in this manner would suffice. I strongly disagree and will address why later. For now let's consider those test scores -- 3. I too have been looking at scores, which are available to educators statewide through the live On -Line Reporting System. As of today, each of my students' ELA ISAT scores has posted, and I am pleased. The preliminary report indicates that not only has my class out -scored the District 91 average, but is also above the statewide average for the grade level. 4. At the risk of exposing myself, I think you deserve to know that I have not used the Lucy Calkins Units of Study as the foundation of my writing instruction. I do employ a Writer's Workshop model of instruction, which is also the foundation of the LC units. So, the pedagogy and basic approach is solidly established and in fact aligned with the aims of the mandate to use the LC units. 5. What I cannot do is read from a manual and follow a prescribed set of instructions to do something that I have been doing successfully for years. No, I choose to use all of the knowledge and all of the tools I have available. Taking away teacher autonomy is like telling a pastry chef to bake a cake using only a boxed cake -mix. 6. Step -Up -to -Writing worked well for some teachers, the Lucy Calkins units will work well for some teachers, examining student writing through the Six Traits materials works extremely well for some teachers, and the list goes on... WHERE DO WE GO? 1. Realize that we are in need of a strong writing initiative. 2. Recognize the published "ELA/Literacy Idaho Core Key Shifts" for instruction and provide quality Professional Development to teachers. 3. Let teachers have a voice in what and how curricular decisions are made. 4. Identify unsatisfactory results and target support where needed, rather than try to make all teachers fit into the same mold. In closing, I ask the administration to reconsider the perceived need to control so many aspects of what goes on in classrooms. Hold meeting the Idaho Core Standards up as the primary "un -negotiable" and then let teachers do what ever it takes to get there. One phrase I've heard repeatedly since moving here is that we, "Have so many supports in place for our teachers." I simply have to say that sometimes those supports feel more like restraints. And of the board, I ask that you have the courage to trust teachers. Our elementary ELA ISAT scores are already on the rise, so let's put off writing a one -size -fits -all prescription and develop a strong writing initiative at the elementary level. And no, we will not have "chaos" as the result. IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91 PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Guidelines for Patron involvement in School Board Meetings School Board meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings on the following basis: To request to speak to the Board of Trustees: In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public Input portion below prior to the beginning of the meeting. The Public Input Sheet should be located on a table at the bock of the boardroom. Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions. Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or personal attacks are not appropriate. Board Policy 506.0 item 5 states that complaints against a particular teacher or District employee sholl be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of low, require that the affected employee be notified of a written complaint. The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary. PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Name: _S� keJ' G.a; Date: Bal 111 2a 6 Address: _-'R k\� '36 1� � -A� Phone: E -Mail Address: 6�zt V�Ca I,,, Do you have children attending School District #91 schools? _ Y e4 If so, which schools do your students attend: �Otg_ 14otl'_ Topic:,tAuRLAMI'C; C.=j.1r1'C!J0K-k 511612008 Suketu Gandhi's Comments on Mathematics Curriculum Selection Process May 11, 2016 On April 13, 2016 Board Meeting, a number of teachers expressed strong opposition to a proposed English curriculum for grades 4-6. It served as a reminder that serious problems exist on the internal evaluation process. A thorough evaluation of curriculum today prevents catastrophic failure in the future. Similar problem exist in the secondary school mathematics instruction materials. There is a crowded field of vendors vying to offer instructional materials, but not necessarily meet the expectations for learning at the highest level. Furthermore, in the existing setup, possession of limited specialized knowledge makes thorough evaluation impossible, and the outcome of each instructional material remains uncertain. It is easy to overcome the knowledge barrier by including a person with specialized knowledge in the evaluation committee. Individual committee members would understand the reasoning behind the contents of the best curriculum. It is expected that the decision of the committee becomes credible. At the District level, the mathematics curriculum imposed during the first three months in Algebra class was very bad. It was difficult to determine if the students were learning English literature, or mathematics. Complaining about the curriculum resulted in its removal from the classroom. In other words, in the students lost three months of valuable instructions to something absolutely useless. The decision makers need to determine if the students are well served when a curriculum, regardless of being a temporary, or in for a long duration, is imposed without having it evaluated by those with knowledge. The mathematics learning goals must be set to attain grade level maturity. Anything less does not serve the students. Effective evaluation of instructional materials requires specialized knowledge. It helps answer questions: Is the curriculum rigorous? Does it provide clarity in exposition, have coherent sequence of topics and contains quality exercises that reinforce the lessons learned? The learning goals are met when teachers engage students, and students do their assignments. Students gain maturity when they confidently solve complex on frequent basis problems with ease, and are in position to solve challenging problems through reasoning. Students learn from both successful failures, and cracking of the problem. The meaning of complex and challenging problems is illustrated through concrete examples (on page 2-3), in this case on fractions. While the examples are from grades 2/3, but the same idea applies to the secondary grades. Students need to solve problems that reinforce the basic skills, force them to think and formulate a strategy for challenging problems. It is the teachers who would discuss problems in the classroom atter unsuccessful attempts in solving them at home. The net impact is that the students gain mathematical maturity, and learn at an advanced level. The decision makers' limited in depth subject matter knowledge has prevented the schools from offering quality mathematics instructional materials from reaching secondary schools. Effective instructional materials in math classrooms require their identification and discussion at the committee level. This includes both the textbooks/workbooks for the students, and grade appropriate supplementary books for the teachers. When knowledgeable people are involved, quality instructional materials will reach the classrooms, students will learn mathematics at an advanced level. This meets the learning objectives, and the public gains the confidence. Suketu Gandhi's Comments on Mathematics Curriculum Selection Process May 11, 2016 Exercises on fractions illustrate meaning of complex and challenging problems. In Singapore Math, students learn concepts of fraction in 2"d grade. They express fraction (an adjective) way an area with high degree of symmetry, instead of being a number (a noun). a) Shade 3 of the circle. b) Shade 4 of the square. Easy problem Easy problem c) Shade 5 of the "plus" (or the cross). Complex problem: Requires thinking to determine the number of squares making up the "plus" sign (or the "cross"). 2. Determine the fraction of the shaded area in each figure below: a) Complex problem: Shaded portions are not continuous. One counts total number of squares and shaded squares to determine the answer. b) Challenging problem: Three different shapes make up the square. Thinking is required to determine how to separate shaded portion the unshaded portions of the figure. 2 c) Challenging problem: Three different shapes make up the 16 sided star. Thinking is required to separate shaded portion from the unshaded portions requiring multiple rotations. Suketu Gandhi 's Comments on Mathematics Curriculum Selection Process May 11, 2016 3) Shade 3 of the figure below. Challenging, but a doable problem for students in grade 3: Students have learned how to express fiaction, and mastered equivalent fraction (in grade 3). In the previous problems, a hidden message has been that symmetry has to be maintained. Solution to this problem challenges this assumption. The shaded portion will not be symmetrical. Unsuccessful students will learn (after teacher discusses this problem) as much as successful students. When this occurs, students learn both expression of fraction in individual square. Solution To crack this problem, students need to convert the shape in to equivalent fraction. When students do this, they position themselves to solve the problem with ease. There is no unique answer to shading. These problems illustrate how classroom lessons are reinforced, the ways to practice basic skills, and provide an opportunity to solve more difficult problems that requires thinking, Unsuccessful solving of the challenging problems still forces students to think. These types of problems are in place in the elementary school grades with the textbooks, workbooks and supplementary books. Unfortunately, there was no evidence of these types of problems provided in Algebra -1 class for the first three months. It is not clear whether these types of problems will be provided in the subsequent courses. When students gain mathematical maturity, a large pool of students will be available that have a capability to handle AP Calculus BC in grade 11. This is the reality that the public seeks. 3 Wilkie, Debbie -D91 From: Gillman, Angela -D91 Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 7:56 PM To: Wilkie, Debbie -D91 Subject: May IFEA board report IFEA board report May 11 Negotiations complete. Strong teams on both sides that are very analytical. Anticipate the ratification meeting on 24th. Will include explanation of those items of concern that we are unable to negotiate. 3rd read of RIF spilt comments on RIF: all agree extra activities/classes/volunteer work above and beyond job description need/should be recognized. However, there is spilt debate on whether it should be a part of the evaluation. 2nd year of NEA funded strategic plan of strengthening and going our local. Our region has had the largest growth in the state. NEA just offered training for further strategic planning in Portland where we are sending Lisa Scott and Terry Belnap for training. Education and retirement celebration May 19th. Our venue is coming together. Update on looking at Lucy Calkins/EL writing programs. Curriculum verses programs. Process has not progressed as quickly as anticipated since the last board meeting. Appreciate time necessary to find a viable and comprehensive curriculum with teacher input. At this point they are very knowledgable about the programs being brought forward by the curriculum department. Teachers are concerned about action that would occur during the summer. They do not want to be surprised when returning in the fall when/if any curriculum is adopted. This is a concern teachers have shared heavily with me. IFEA is, as you know, heavily collaborative in working through issues for the best learning for our students in our classrooms. We greatly appreciate the respect and cooperation of the board and administration we work with and plan to continue building this relationship. To address dealing with challenging students, IEA is bringing a 4 hour workshop this Saturday. Difficult behaviors among students are growing. We are doing what we can as an association. District guidance and procedures on dealing with this growing population. My last report to board as president. Angela Gillman IFEA President Child Nutrition Proposal May 11, 2016 Historical unpaid meal costs • 2012-2013 $82.15 0 2013-2014 $352.90 0 2014-2015 $1,777.95 0 2015-2016 $6,841.37 as of May 10, 2016 School # Students with unpaid meals Total Boyes 12 $ 246.29 Bunker 13 $ 125.58 Edgemont 15 $ 36.51 Hawthorne 32 $ 507.20 Linden Park 28 $ 548.40 Longfellow 37 $ 213.69 Temple View 28 $ 426.68 Bush 14 $ 264.12 Erickson 29 $ 548.49 Westside 27 $ 70.60 Sunnyside 15 $ 41.35 Fox Hollow 29 $ 250.94 Eagle Rock 51 $ 442.96 Taylorview 44 $ 561.56 Skyline 34 $ 377.00 Idaho Falls 61 $ 683.88 Emerson 16 $ 154.15 Compass 48 $ 808.97 Elementary $ 3,279.85 Secondary $ 3,028.52 Time Management and Reporting The District's payroll and human resources departments looked for time accounting and reporting systems to increase accuracy and assist with the reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act. We recently completed a review of three different companies: Skyward True Time, TimeClock Plus and Veritime. The administration recommends Skyward True Time for the following reasons: • Skyward is the District's financial software, and True Time is integrated with the system avoiding the costly upgrades needed from other vendors as systems are upgraded. • Selecting a time management system that is part of Skyward should lessen the demands on the IT Department. • Skyward has a free app that allows employees to log in using a smart phone. This feature can be tied to IP addresses to ensure employees are on site when the log in. TimeClock Plus has this option, but Veritime does not. • While Skyward's initial cost is higher, it is the more economical choice over time with lower annual fees and no additional costs for upgrades. Vendor Initial Cost 2nd Year 3rd year 4th year 5th year 6th year Total Skyward True Time $ 33,768 $ 7,924 $ 7,924 $ 7,924 $ 7,924 $ 7,924 $ 73,388 TimeClock Plus $ 22,025 $ 13,500 $ 13,500 $ 13,500 $ 13,500 $ 13,500 $ 89,525 Veritime $ 16,500 $ 11,500 $ 11,500 $ 11,500 $ 11,500 $ 11,500 $ 74,000