HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013_09_10 Board MinutesIDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 91
BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BUSINESS MEETING
DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM -- 7:00 P.M.
690 JOHN ADAMS PARKWAY
SEPTEMBER 10, 2013
Present from the Board of Trustees
Lisa Burtenshaw, Chair
Dave Lent, Vice Chair
Deidre Warden, Treasurer
Larry Haws, Clerk
Bryan Zollinger, Trustee
Present from the Administration:
George Boland, Superintendent
Lisa Sherick, Assistant Superintendent
Trina Caudle, Assistant Superintendent
Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance
Camille Wood, Director of Technology Services
Margaret Wimborne, Coordinator of Communications &
Community Engagement, Recording
Board Chair, Lisa Burtenshaw, called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by IFEA President Angela Gillman.
ADOPT AGENDA
Superintendent Boland shared information regarding the Dora Erickson Elementary construction project and stated
that after a conversation he had with Mike Clements, Chief Executive Officer Bateman -Hall, today it would be in the
best interest of the District to shift the moving date back a week as requested. Chairperson Lisa Burtenshaw called
for a motion to amend the agenda.
Trustee Warden made a motion to amend the agenda to include Action Item c. Modify Dora Erickson Elementary
Calendar. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Trustee Warden made a motion to adopt the agenda as amended. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. Motion
carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION
a. Student Reports — The following Student Representatives provided information about activities and events
taking place at their schools.
i. Aubrey Holt, IFHS
ii. Rose Rammell, SHS
iii. Lesley Rodriquez, Emerson
9/10/2013 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 3
b. Superintendent's Report —A written copy is attached.
c. Patron Input - Written comments, if provided, are attached.
Andrea Chambers shared comments regarding registration & scheduling.
d. IFEA Report — Angela Gillman, President, reported. A written copy is attached.
e. Education Foundation Report — No report.
f. Athletic Advisory Committee Update — postponed until the Work Session on September 24, 2013.
g. Other Items
Board Chair Lisa Burtenshaw shared that the ISBA Resolutions regarding restored funding and seat time
passed the Governmental Affairs Committee with do pass recommendations for the upcoming legislative
session. A discussion was held.
CONSENT AGENDA
Trustee Warden made a motion to adopt the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Zollinger provided the second.
A discussion was held. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Items approved include:
Meeting Minutes: August 9, 2013 Special Board Meeting Minutes
August 13, 2013 Business Meeting Minutes
August 23, 2013 Annual Board Retreat Minutes
August 27, 2013 Work Session Minutes
August 2013
Payment of Claims: $5,665,564.73
2012-2013 IFEA Substitute Invoice
Staff Actions:
New Hires: Angela Anderson
Longfellow Elementary
.50 FTE Kindergarten
Shelly Lehto
Professional Technical High School
.50 FTE Pharmacy Tech
Matching Funds: Ethel Boyes Elementary
Playground equipment
$31,355.84
Barbara Dolphin
Compass Academy
Math
9/10/2013 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 3
ACTION ITEMS
a. Approve/Reject Proposed Changes for November Board Meetings
Superintendent Boland reviewed some scheduling conflicts with the November board meeting schedule.
The superintendent proposed cancelling the work session because it falls within the scheduled
Thanksgiving Break and moving the business meeting to Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 PM. A discussion
was held.
Trustee Haws made a motion to approve the proposed changes for the November board meeting schedule
as presented. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
b. Approve/Reject Proposed Superintendent's Evaluation Goals
Superintendent Boland reviewed the goals he had previously presented at the work session, relating to the
three district goals, for which the superintendent's annual evaluation will be based on this year. The
superintendent will also provide a monthly dashboard related to these goals as part of the
Superintendent's Report to the Board.
Trustee Warden made a motion to accept the standards for the superintendent's evaluation as presented.
Trustee Haws provided the second. A discussion was held. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
c. Modify Dora Erickson Elementary Calendar
Superintendent Boland stated after experiencing some extreme cold temperatures last winter and a few
other setbacks it would be prudent to reschedule the move -in date for Erickson from the week of October
14, 2013 to the week of October 28, 2013 with students returning to class on Monday, November 4, 2013.
A discussion was held.
Trustee Lent made a motion to modify the calendar for Dora Erickson as stated. Trustee Zollinger provided
the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Board Chair Lisa Burtenshaw called for any further discussion. Trustee Lent asked for clarification about the
Leader in Me program and the flexibility schools have to change the program. Lisa Sherick, Assistant
Superintendent, reviewed that most schools are marrying PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Supports) &
Leader in Me to develop positive culture and developing common, school -wide expectations. Lisa stated
they cannot change any of the licensure items such as posters, etc. Mrs. Sherick stated that eight schools
have been participating in the state's PBIS program and have been invited to take part in the National PBIS
Conference in Spokane later this year. A brief discussion was held.
Trustee Warden made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Haws provided the second. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.
9/10/2013 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 3
Superintendents' Report 9-10-13
Enrollment Update:
• Numbers still a little soft but tightening
• Appears as though about 32 students less than last year overall
• Majority of decline is at the elementary grades 2-6 (96)
• However, secondary is up overall (64) particularly in grades 7 and 9
• Historically a decline of 1-2% between opening numbers and the first Friday in November
• If trend holds then we should be in a better position financially than anticipated, losing 1-2
support units as opposed to 8-10.
• Overflows are relatively low (57 total) with half of those from Sunnyside
• Bush 6, Edgemont 16, Hawthorne 2, Bunker 3
• Again, nearly half (24) are K, followed by 3`d (11) with other grade levels 4-6 (51h = 0)
Class Size:
• 66/84 grade levels (12 schools X 7 grade levels) are at or below class size target (79%)
• Of the 18 above target, all but 2 are at K, 1, and 3.
• Staff reductions through attrition as a part of budget reductions has resulted in some increase in
class size at the secondary level, but generally speaking core classes are below 30 students.
Scheduling quirks and variations in grade levels result in some skewed class sizes with variations
of 10-12 students between sections of the same courses.
Late Start Monday:
• Based on our observations (district administrators attended various school organizational
meetings) and reports from principals the first LSM went very well.
• Contrary to article in the PR, few parents have expressed concerns/complaints & students
arriving early ranged from 1 to a dozen. Commend principals for preparations & plans.
o Meet & greet early arrivals
o Opportunity to promote school messenger
o Explain purpose of LSM
• Teachers anxious to get started, build capacity & understanding of the respective processes
• Generally positive feedback re differential compensation — like that it is structured around what
is already being done. Some concerns about variations in SMART goals (relative difficulty) &
potential for creation of competitive environment.
0 Additional feedback & questions coming.
16
Uaryi 6ey!5
9/10/15
This year, same as every year for the last six years, my high school student
reviewed their schedule when it became available on August 15th and we
immediately noticed some things that needed to be changed, that had been
scheduled wrong or were not conducive to her academic success. So
during registration, we waited in line for two hours to see the counselor who
spent a whole two minutes looking up the schedule on the computer and
told us, sorry there's nothing I can do. I tried getting the schedule changed
in the best interests of my student with four different staff members,
including the principal. I got the same terse, unresponsive reply from each
of them like they were reading a pat answer from a script. I feel that the
underlying issue and one which more and more cause me grave concern is
that because my student doesn't have an IEP or a 504 or a PSR or
whatever the latest and greatest acronym is, nobody was willing to do
anything to help meet her academic needs. She has the misfortune of
being a student who simply shows up every day ready to learn, a serious
handicap in a system that caters to so-called needs. I feel that if she had
had an IEP or whatever it is attached to her student number that people
would have fallen all over themselves to help make the scheduling change
that would help her succeed. But because she doesn't have any acronyms
or numbers, she is left to fend for herself. That needs to change. We had
a legitimate scheduling concern for a college bound student and no one
even acted like they cared.
Since I have had to register a student into a District 91 high school for the
last 6 years, each time, I think to myself that there is simply no way they
could make the system any more inefficient but each year they prove me
wrong. I urge you next year to grab a student and walk through the
process with them and see just how awful the system is. I believe the
biggest contributor to the problem is the trimester system. Because it offers
such a bevy of options, the scheduling becomes a nightmare and is rigid
and inflexible. I have never had the experience of registering a student for
high school that a schedule change did not need to be made, in 6 try's.
And the process of trying to see a counselor to help you change a schedule
is like a scene from a horror movie. It always requires a wait of two or more
hours, usually ending with them telling you that there's nothing they can do
- there's that script again. If the trimester system really worked, all of these
scheduling changes would not be necessary. I don't have any idea who is
responsible for doing the scheduling. Perhaps the computers do all of that.
But something needs to change. Right now we have a system that early in
the spring offers up a world of options to the students that all sound great
and wonderful. What is not offered by the system, is common sense and
logic. Could we please put it on the agenda to revisit the trimester system?
I know it will open up the whole debate of trimester vs. semester all over
again but it needs to be seriously evaluated. Our ready to learn students
are the children now being left behind.
Back to my experience trying to get my daughters schedule changed this
year, I even tried to get the principal to help me make the change. His
response to me via e-mail was the same scripted reply but with the
following thought of the day at the bottom of the note: never accept the
proposition that just because a solution satisfies a problem, that it must be
the only solution. Isn't that the most ironic thought to put with your
response when you just got done telling someone that there's nothing you
can do? However, let me read that thought again: never accept the
proposition that just because a solution satisfies a problem, that it must be
the only solution. What a wonderful mantra! If only...
Wilkie, Debbie -D91
From: Gillman, Angela -D91
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 7:55 PM
To: Wilkie, Debbie -D91
Subject: September board meeting IFEA report
Here are my short notes on my report to the board Tuesday.
Hope you are/have enjoying you week!
September board meeting IFEA report
Wear red for public education today.
Thank board, George and Lynn MacAusland exec member of IFEA
New Teacher night sept 19th for new teacher members Emotion bowl tailgate, 4th year
Late start Monday appears smooth & collaborative between admin and teachers as concerns have risen, request for
transparency in selecting leadership opportunities (not only involves pay this year, concern with opportunity to add to RIF
list)
Work out unexpected issues from part time teachers, to leadership positions at elementary level to flex time for when/if
part time teachers participate
Angela