Fayetteville
Board of Education
Minutes of the October 28, 2004 Regular Meeting
The meeting convened at 5:00 PM in the Adams Leadership Center with President Steve Percival presiding. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from Vandergriff Elementary School.
The roll was called and board members Shannon McCuin, Howard Hamilton, Laura Underwood, Steve Percival, Susan Heil, Christine Bell and Tim Hudson were present.
David A Young, Algebra II and Chemistry teacher at Fayetteville High School, received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement for being named the 2004 Physics Teacher of the Year by the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Kansas Association of Physics Teachers.
Alan Wilbourn reminded everyone that the November Board meeting will be on November 18th and the December meeting will be held on December 16th. These meetings are being held on the 3rd Thursday of the month due to the holidays.
Christine Bell made a motion to accept the consent agenda. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Howard Hamilton made a motion to elect Steve Percival as the delegate to the Arkansas School Board Association Annual Conference. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Debra Wilson, director of special services, asked for approval of the 2004-05 special education budget. Laura Underwood made a motion to table the vote until later in the meeting after the board members have received a copy of the budget for review. Howard Hamilton seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Ginny Wiseman, assistant superintendent for administration, asked the Board to approve the elementary and secondary student handbooks for the 2004-05 school year. Ms. Wiseman noted that board approval is necessary in order to comply with the requirements of the Arkansas Department of Education Standards and Assurance. Howard Hamilton made a motion to approve the elementary and secondary student handbooks as presented. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Dr. Lisa Morstad, chief financial officer, requested that the Board table approving the financing of the district’s Capital Improvement Plan. Dr. Morstad noted that two key variables could impact the district’s finances. One is the possibility of a 2.6 mill rollback. The other is Referred Question #1 that will be on the general election ballot in Arkansas. Each variable could result in a negative financial impact to the district of over $2 million. We will know more about each of these issues by the end of November. Howard Hamilton made a motion to table the financing proposal until more information is known and Dr. Morstad brings it back to the Board for approval. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
The Board agreed to a resolution indicating their opposition to Referred Amendment #1. Christine Bell made a motion that the Fayetteville School District adopt the position of being opposed to Referred Question #1. Shannon McCuin seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
David Hartz, director of human resources, reported that several district policies need to be adopted or revised due to state standard requirements, district requirements or updates from the Arkansas School Board Association. New Policies 4.8 (Make-up Work), 4.23 (Tobacco and Tobacco Products), and 4.24 (Drugs and Alcohol) need to be adopted. New Policies 6.11 (Parental/Community Involvement – District), 6.12 (Parental/Community Involvement – School) and 6.13 (Parent Involvement for English Language Learners) need to be adopted. Policy 5124 (Grading Policy) needs to be revised by adding a statement on concurrent enrollment. Policy 4131 (Professional Development) needs to be revised to reflect the new number of professional development hours required by the state. Policies 1.2 (Board Organization), 1.8 (Governance by Policy) and 1.14 (Meeting Agenda) need to be revised to reflect updates from the Arkansas School Board Association. Dan Marzoni of the Personnel Policy Committee noted that PPC has reviewed and approved the proposed changes to the Professional Development Policy. Tim Hudson made a motion to adopt Policies 4.8, 4.23, 4.24, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13 and to approve the revisions to Policies 5124, 4131, 1.2, 1.8, and 1.14. Howard Hamilton seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
After Board members reviewed the 2004-05 special education budget, Debra Wilson asked for approval of the budget. The state and local portion of the budget is $5.9 million and the federal portion is $1.5 million for a total special education budget of $7.4 million. Christine Bell made a motion to approve the 2004-05 special education budget. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Board president Steve Percival reported that Board member Shannon McCuin has submitted her resignation to the Board because she is moving out of the Fayetteville School District. Her resignation is effective on October 29, 2004. Mr. Percival added that Ms. McCuin has been a dedicated school board member and she will be greatly missed. Howard Hamilton made a motion to accept the resignation of board member Shannon McCuin. Christine Bell seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote.
Mr. Percival reported that anyone who is interested in the vacant board position would need to contact Dr. Bobby New, superintendent, or him by email, letter, or telephone. To be qualified to fill the position, an applicant must be eighteen years of age, live in Zone 3 of the Fayetteville School District, and not be a Fayetteville School employee. The Board will review letters of interest and vote at the November 18 board meeting. The new board member will serve until September 2005 when the position will come open for re-election.
Alan Wilbourn, director of school/community relations, reported that the district’s Annual Report that was brought to the Board in June 2004 has been updated. Several goals have been updated, while some are still works in progress. The report can be seen on the district’s website by clicking on the Along the Road from Good to Great icon.
Michelle Boles, director of federal programs, gave a federal programs report, which included all the title programs in the district. She also reported on the No Child Left Behind Act and the district’s role in that mandate. Lester Long, director of assessment, noted that we have no citations on the district’s accreditation report. Mr. Long further reported on the 2003-04 Benchmark data and the 2002-04 Benchmark trend data, noting that the scores in math, literacy, and end of course exams were consistently higher than the average score in the state. In addition, the Benchmark test scores in math, literacy and end-of-course exams have risen in this three-year period.
Mr. Long reported that academic improvement plans for students who do not make acceptable scores on tests are being developed. The plans will include parental involvement, remediation, and frequent monitoring. Dr. Randy Willison, principal at Fayetteville High School, added that they are working on the academic improvement plans for the high school. He stressed the importance of communication with parents and students regarding this issue.
Ginny Wiseman, assistant superintendent for administration, gave a report from the Alternative Learning Education Committee. The main purpose of the committee is to develop a new alternative program that meets the needs of students in the district and to ensure that program meet regulations in order to receive funding for the 2005-06 school year. The curriculum would include math, science, social studies and language arts taught by a highly qualified instructor. The committee also recommended that the Fayetteville Youth Center facility be redesigned to include sixteen classrooms and offices to accommodate 240-280 students. Ms. Wiseman noted that this proposal will be brought back to the Board for approval of the facility renovation and the alternative learning program.
Board president Steve Percival welcomed newly elected board member Tim Hudson.
Christine Bell made a motion to adjourn. Laura Underwood seconded the motion, which passed by a 7-0 vote. The meeting was adjourned at 6:44 PM.
The Board convened in closed session at 6:55 PM to hear student expulsion matters. Board member Shannon McCuin excused herself from the expulsion hearing because of a professional acquaintance with the student’s family.
The Board returned to open session at 7:34 PM. Howard Hamilton made a motion that Student A be expelled through the end of the semester. Christine Bell seconded the motion, which passed by a 6-0 vote.
Laura Underwood made a motion to adjourn. Christine Bell seconded the motion, which passed by a 6-0 vote. The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM.