Fayetteville Board of Education

Minutes of the July 24, 2008 Regular Meeting

The meeting convened at 5:00PM in the Adams Leadership Center with President Steve Percival presiding. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from Root Elementary School.

Roll Call

The roll was called and board members Conrad Odom, Tim Kring, Steve Percival, Susan Heil, Becky Purcell and Tim Hudson were present.

Recognition

Adam Stowe, recent Fayetteville High graduate, received a Recognition of Outstanding achievement award for being named the 2008 Arkansas Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Dr. Bobby New, superintendent, introduced new district administrators, John L Colbert, associate superintendent for elementary education and Linda Auman, special assistant for curriculum, instruction, accountability and assessment.

Board president Steve Percival welcomed Conrad Odom to the board.

Consent Agenda

Tim Kring made a motion to accept the consent agenda. Tim Hudson seconded the motion. Susan Heil made a motion to amend the July 15^th minutes by adding that the motion to appoint Conrad Odom to the board passed by a 6-0 vote. Becky Purcell seconded the amendment, which passed by a 6-0 vote. The Board voted to accept the amended consent agenda by a 6-0 vote.

Superintendent Search Firm

The Board voted 6-0 to enter into negotiations with Ray & Associates of Cedar Rapids, IA as the primary choice to conduct the superintendent search, with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates as the second choice. Three search firms, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, McPherson & Jacobson, and Ray & Associates, made presentations and answered questions from the board. Tim Hudson made the motion, which was seconded by Becky Purcell.

Purchase of 9.6 Acres

Dr. Bobby New, superintendent, reported that he would like to schedule a board workshop before the August board meeting to discuss information regarding the Morningside property and the offer from the University of Arkansas. Fred Turrentine, maintenance director, reported that the cost of the 9.587 acres is $62,584 per acre for a total cost of $600,000 and that the property would add 1,400 linear feet of frontage along Deane Solomon Rd. Susan Norton, chief information officer, presented information regarding the Audubon Arkansas project and their educational programs, which parallel with our district goals for 21^st Century learning. She also displayed maps which show the master trail plan, proposed road improvements, and approved commercial and residential developments. Rudy Moore, Jr., school board attorney, discussed the contract for the purchase of the property. Mr. Moore also gave an update on the Morningside Drive property, noting that the property is owned by a trust and the price is $5,000,000 for 73 acres which is $68,500 per acre. The district is currently obtaining an appraisal and soil samples.

Tim Kring made a motion to split the land holding and place on the market a significant portion of approximately thirty acres of the western portion of the total land holding on Deane Solomon Road and that district staff make a recommendation on exact boundaries and acreage. Mr. Kring withdrew the motion.

Tim Kring made a motion to adopt administration’s recommendation to purchase 9.6 acres on Deane Solomon Rd. contingent on a split of the land holding and place on the market approximately thirty acres of the western-most portion of the total land holding and that district staff make a recommendation on exact boundaries and acreage. Becky Purcell seconded the motion. Mr. Moore informed the Board that they cannot enter into a contract to purchase the property subject to a contingency as described in the motion. Mr. Kring withdrew the motion.

Susan Heil made a motion to accept the recommendation of administration to purchase 9.6 acres adjacent to the Deane Solomon property. Conrad Odom seconded the motion. Tim Kring moved to amend the motion to include that the district split the land holding and place on the market a significant portion approximately thirty acres of the western portion of the total land holding on Deane Solomon and ask district staff to make a recommendation on exact boundaries and acreage. Becky Purcell seconded the amendment to the main motion. The motion failed by a vote of 2-4. The Board voted to approve the original motion by a 4-2 vote.

Greenland Consolidation Presentation

Dick Johnson, assistant superintendent for student life services, discussed the information that was given to the State Board of Education on July 14^th during the Greenland annexation hearing. Dr. Lisa Morstad, chief financial officer, made the presentation that she gave at the hearing. Board president Steve Percival recognized central office administrators for their hard work and professionalism.

Update on Raise Proposal

Dr. Morstad reported that the 2% raise for all staff that was included in the 2008-09 budget was contingent on the Greenland annexation decision. Since that issue has been resolved, the 2% will be added to the salary schedule. Employees who were paid in July will receive back pay on their August paycheck.

Rezoning Process

Board member Becky Purcell presented information regarding the model and timeline that will be used to rezone the elementary attendance zones. The process would begin with a board workshop in late September 2008 to prioritize the criteria and end with a board vote in January 2009. Three community engagement rounds would be held in October and November.

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 9:10PM.

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Stephen M. Percival, President Susan W. Heil, Secretary