Fayetteville Board of Education

Minutes of the November 29, 2007 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 Holt Middle School.

Roll Call

The roll was called and board members John Delap, Tim Kring, Howard Hamilton, Steve Percival, Susan Heil, Tim Hudson and Rebecca Purcell were present.

Recognition

McNair Middle School and Woodland Jr. High received Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Awards for being named as two of the fourteen Arkansas schools recognized for Best Practices by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Leverett ESL teacher Stephanie Sawyer and Holcomb teacher Jason Edwards received Above & Beyond Awards from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce for their outstanding work with students.

The Fayetteville High School Bulldog football team was honored for winning the 2007 7A State Championship.

The Fayetteville High School Service Learning program received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for being named the 2007 Best Service Learning Program in Arkansas.

The McNair Middle School GT Program and Vanessa Seward received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for being named the #1 school in Arkansas in total participation in the Duke Talent Identification Program.

McNair Middle School art teacher Charity McCartney received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for being named the 2007 Middle-Level Art Educator of the Year.

This month’s best practices video featured team teaching at the middle schools, led by Brent Smith (Owl Creek), Makayla Brown (Holt), and Ellen Otis (McNair).

Consent Agenda

Howard Hamilton made a motion to approve the consent agenda including the slip sheet. Tim Hudson seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.

Butterfield Construction

Dr. Randy Willison, associate superintendent for operations, and Wes Burgess from Crafton Tull Sparks Architects discussed the elements of the proposed renovation project for Butterfield Elementary School. A new roof, additional parking, the addition of 31,000 sq. ft., closed classrooms, a new entry and an enlarged cafeteria, media center and gym are all included in the proposed project, which would increase the capacity to 600 students. The school renovation will be finished by August of 2009. The estimated cost of the renovation is $8 million, and the district has $4.4 million in reserve for the project. Dr. Willison made the recommendation to move forward with the renovation of Butterfield Elementary at a cost of $8 million. Susan Heil made a motion to accept the recommendation to renovate Butterfield Elementary as presented. Rebecca Purcell seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.

Howard Hamilton made a motion to authorize the issuance of $7.2 million is second lien bonds for construction projects. Tim Kring seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.

Elementary Rezoning Postponement

The Board voted 7-0 to postpone a decision on rezoning the elementary attendance zones. Ms. Ginny Wiseman, associate superintendent for administration, recommended to wait to rezone the attendance zones until after the renovation of Butterfield Elementary is complete. Tim Hudson made the motion, which was seconded by Howard Hamilton.

Employee Buy Out

The Board voted 6-1 to approve the $50,000 employee buy out proposal. Dr. Lisa Morstad noted that the buyout will be offered to staff members who have ten years of participation with Arkansas Teacher Retirement and five continuous years of service with the Fayetteville School District. Three hundred and forty seven certified staff members are currently eligible for the plan. Approximately seventy employees are projected to elect to participate. Howard Hamilton made the motion, which was seconded by Tim Kring.

High School GPA Requirements

Ms. Judy New, assistant superintendent, reported that a committee is being formed to review policy 5.64 (Graduation Requirements), which includes a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Ms. New added that a review of three years of data shows that the number of seniors who graduate in May is significantly lower that the number of seniors enrolled in August. The committee will be trying to find a reason for this drop in numbers. Board member John Delap has volunteered to represent the board in this process. The committee’s recommendation will be presented to the Board at a future meeting.

High School Committee Report

Board member Tim Hudson reported that he is forming the committee to study the charge of location for the new high school facility.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 7:25PM.

Closed Session

The Board convened in closed session at 7:30PM to discuss student expulsion matters. The Board convened in open session at 7:42PM. Ginny Wiseman, associate superintendent for administration, asked that the Board uphold the recommendation of Cheryl Putnam, principal of Leverett Elementary School, that Student A be expelled for the remainder of the semester. Howard Hamilton made a motion that Student A be expelled for the remainder of the semester. Tim Kring seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45PM.

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