Fayetteville Board of Education

Minutes of the January 22, 2009 Regular Meeting

The meeting convened at 5:00pm in the Adams Leadership Center with President Susan Heil presiding. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from Holt Middle School.

Roll Call

The roll was called and board members Jim Halsell, Howard Hamilton, Tim Kring, Steve Percival, Susan Heil, Tim Hudson and Becky Purcell were present.

Recognition

Jeanne King, Holt GT teacher, and Rick Ratliff, Fayetteville High School custodian, received Above & Beyond Awards from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce for their outstanding work. The Fayetteville High School band received a Recognition of Outstanding achievement Award for being selected to march in the 2008 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Fayetteville High School Student Council received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for raising almost $10,000 during their annual Homeless Vigil in December. McNair Middle School received a Recognition of Outstanding Achievement Award for being named to the Schools to Watch list by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The Apple Seeds program at Leverett Elementary School was featured in a best practices video.

Consent Agenda

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

2^nd Lien Bonds

The Board voted 7-0 to authorize Stephens, Inc. to file an application with the State Board of Education to issue second lien construction bonds in the maximum amount of $10,000,000 for the purpose of constructing and equipping new school facilities, property acquisition, and renovating and equipping various existing facilities. Dr. Lisa Morstad, chief financial officer, noted that this is only a preliminary action to put the paper work in motion with the Arkansas Department of Education. Steve Percival made the motion, which was seconded by Becky Purcell.

Schools to Watch Program Overview

Ms. Ginny Wiseman, associate superintendent for secondary education, introduced Michelle Hayward, principal at McNair Middle School. Ms. Hayward reported that through the Schools to Watch initiative, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades identifies schools across the country that are well on their way to meeting criteria for high performance. Forum members believe that three things are true of the schools that are chosen--they are academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. McNair Middle School is only the 5^th middle school in Arkansas to receive this prestigious award.

High School Construction Update

Dick Johnson, assistant superintendent, introduced Wes Burgess from Crafton, Tull & Sparks who gave an update on their recommendations concerning aspects of the high school construction. The first recommendation was to wait on the closing of Stone Street. When the overall plan for high school construction is presented to the City of Fayetteville, options for Stone Street will be included. The second recommendation was regarding the use of the administration building complex and existing Fayetteville High School facilities. The recommendation from the architects is to keep the current administration buildings due to the high cost of replacement or remodeling. The recommendation regarding the Fayetteville High School building was to not attempt to use any part of the current high school facility. The cost estimates for remodeling would be prohibitive. In addition, a remodel would not support the 21^st century learning model. The third recommendation was regarding the use of the existing athletic facilities. Due to the high replacement costs, the architects recommended keeping the athletic facilities as they are and make improvements as necessary.

21^st Century Timeline Update

Susan Norton, chief information officer, presented a draft timeline of proposed district activities. Ms. Norton also reported on the charrette process, noting that the objective is community engagement. Themes of interest will be during community outreach. The final steps of the process are the development of the final master plan and the report to the public. After reviewing the requests for proposals, administration chose the Concordia, Inc. to facilitate the charrette process.

Superintendent Search Update

Board president Susan Heil reported on the superintendent search. She noted that Ray and Associates had received 42 applications for the position. The Board will meet with Ray and Associates on February 5^th to review the list of recommended candidates.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:35PM.

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Susan W. Heil, President Tim Kring, Secretary