April
21, 2009
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of a work session.
Board Members Present
Penny
J. Franklin, Vice Chair
Phyllis
T. Albritton W. Wat
Jamie
M. Bond Joseph T. Ivers, Jr.
David G. Dunkenberger, II
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Judith K. Barylske Katie Miano
Daniel A. Berenato Diane R. Naff
Rebecca Counts Mark J. Pasier
Kathy A. Duncan Lisa R. Radford
Christina T. Gilley Carol A. Reynolds
Harvey C. Goodwin Walter L.
Lois T. Graham Brad King, Attorney
Call
to Order
Ms.
Franklin called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at
6:00 p.m.
Adoption of Agenda
On motion by Mrs. Albritton, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.
Closed Session
Mr.
Dunkenberger moved, seconded by Mr. Ivers, and the Board voted unanimously to
enter into a closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of
Virginia at 6:01 p.m. for the purpose of discussion of the following
specific matters:
Student
Matters: Discussion or consideration of student disciplinary
matters, as authorized by Section 2.2-3711 (A)(2) of the Code of Virginia.
Mr.
Ivers moved, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to open session at 6:02 p.m.
Ms. Franklin explained that a revised agenda
was prepared but was not in place at the Board table; therefore, she asked
Board members to make a motion to re-enter closed session with the
understanding that they would be following a revised agenda and would be
discussing personnel matters and legal matters, which had been added to the
original agenda, during the closed session.
On
motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, the Board voted unanimously
to follow the revised agenda that was presented and enter into a closed meeting
pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia at 6:04 p.m. for the
purpose of discussion of the following specific matters:
Student
Matters: Discussion or consideration of student disciplinary
matters, as authorized by Section 2.2-3711 (A)(2) of the Code of Virginia.
Personnel Matters: The
discussion or consideration of prospective
candidates for employment; assignment;
promotion; performance; demotion; salaries; disciplining or resignation of
specific public school officers, employees or appointees, as authorized by
Section 2.2-3711 (A)(1) of the Code of Virginia.
Legal Matters: Consultation
with legal counsel regarding legal advice by counsel, as authorized by Section
2.2-3711 (A)(7) of the Code of Virginia.
Return to Open Session and Certification
Mrs.
Albritton moved, seconded by Mr. Ivers, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to open session at 7:30 p.m.
Dr.
Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, and the Board adopted the following
resolution:
WHEREAS, the County School Board of Montgomery County
has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded
vote and in accordance with provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information
Act; and
WHEREAS, Section
2.2-3711(d) of the Code of Virginia requires a
Certification by this School Board that such
closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia Law;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
That the County School Board of Montgomery
County hereby certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge (i) only
public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by
Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification
applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the
motion convening the meeting were heard, discussed or considered.
Ayes: Phyllis T. Albritton W. Wat
Jamie M. Bond Joseph T. Ivers, Jr.
David G.
Dunkenberger, II Penny J. Franklin, Vice
Chair
______________________________ April 21, 2009
Deputy Clerk of the
Action
On
motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, the School Board voted
unanimously to expel student A from Montgomery County Public Schools.
Mr.
Dunkenberger moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, and the School Board
unanimously voted to expel student B from Montgomery County Public Schools.
On
motion by Mrs. Bond, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, the School Board voted
unanimously to long-term suspend student C from Montgomery County Public
Schools through the current grading period.
Honors, Awards and Recognitions
Continuing the commitment of recognizing
student achievement and accomplishments, four new “Senior of the Month”
selections have been made by high school principals in
Eastern
Taylor Kate Franklin, CHS Senior of the Month
for December 2008, was also recognized as she was unable to attend previous
meetings due to other activities.
The BHS girl’s indoor track team recently
captured the Group AA State Championship.
The team consisting of Hannah Brown, Kathleen Stevens, Joanna Stevens,
Allison Homer, Tamzin Kaiser, Leah Fitchett, and Sarah Dorrell was recognized
even though they were unable to attend. Coaches
James DeMarco, Steve Schmitt, Brandon Varley, John Cooke, Hayley Rhodes, Matt
Renniger, Mary Morser, and Gray Wilkins were also recognized.
The following individuals from BHS who won
Group AA State Championship titles or runner-up state titles in boy’s indoor
track, swimming, and/or wrestling were recognized by the Board:
Boy’s
Indoor Track
Quinn Hull, Matt Howard, Zach Link, and Brian
Hencke won the 4 x 800 relay state championship. Brian Hencke placed second in
the 1,000 meter event. Coaches James DeMarco, Steve Schmitt, Brandon Varley,
John Cooke, Hayley Rhodes, Matt Renniger, Mary Morser, and Gray Wilkins were
also recognized. Brian Hencke was the only member of the track team that was
able to attend this meeting.
Swimming
Evan Gregg won the state championship in the
200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter freestyle. Coaches Kelly and
David McPherson were also recognized.
Wrestling
Neal Kennedy won the state championship in
the 103-pound weight class
Coaches Jason Waelti and Don Halverson were
also recognized.
The following individuals from CHS who won
Group AA State Championship titles in boy’s indoor track and swimming were
recognized by the Board:
Boy’s
Indoor Track
Travis Hudson won the state title in the high
jump. Coach Shane Guynn was also
recognized.
Swimming
Seth Wensel won the state title in the
200-meter freestyle and the 500-meter freestyle. Coach Amy Brehl was also recognized.
The EMHS boy’s basketball team was recently
runner-up in the Group A State Championship.
The following members of the team were honored: Mark Blankenship, Bobby
Cerva, Shawn Christian, Henry Hall, Laquin Khalil, Ethan Linkous, Mike
Milovich, Justin Motley, Chad Raines, K.C. Shrader, Adam Sisson, Julian
Stewart, Joseph Vishneski, and Brad Wooten.
The following coaches and other members of the team were also
recognized: Jeff Myers, Head Varsity
Coach; Gerald Thompson, Assistant Varsity Coach; Brandon Shields, Head JV
Coach; Tom Cerva, Stats; Wes Shrader and Josh Rakes, Managers.
Jayanne Bridges, a sixth grade science
teacher at
The Board recessed at 8:02 p.m. and
reconvened at 8:12 p.m.
Public Address
Greg Harman, technology coordinator for MCPS
and an employee in the school system for over 30 years, addressed the Board
regarding the elimination of the supplement for technology staff. He said the
elimination of the supplement for the extended day essentially means an
elimination of 14% of each individual’s salary. Mr. Harman proceeded to explain
why the supplement was introduced initially, and he questioned why this is the
only salary reduction that has not been restored in the budget.
Item
04/09-52 Personnel Report: On
motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by
Mrs.
Albritton, the Board unanimously voted to approve the personnel report as
presented.
The personnel report is attached and made a
part of the minutes as page A1.
Item
04/09-53 Payment of Bills: On motion by Mrs. Albritton, seconded
by Mr.
Dunkenberger, the Board unanimously voted to approve the bills as presented.
Operating Fund:
Utilities, 04/21/09, Ck. Nos. 455727-455749, $203,195.72
Bills, 04/21/09, Ck. Nos. 455524-455726, $182,364.01
Item 04/09-52 and
Item 04/09-53
Cafeteria:
Bills, 04/16/09, Ck. Nos. 2882-2895, $65,529.44
Work Session
Dr.
Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, and the Board voted unanimously to
enter a work session at 8:16 p.m.
Item
04/09-54 Presentation from
(ELES)/Shawsville Elementary School (SES)
Students on New School: A group of students from ELES and SES along
with Gifted Resource Teacher Patty Thompson presented a documentary of the December
2008 groundbreaking ceremony for the new consolidated school. The students and
teacher explained that the students have been studying the history of
Item 04/09-55 Student
Congress Presentation: Rebecca Counts shared a video of the Student Congress
leadership training day that occurred in February 2009. A student from BHS then
talked about the positive experiences gained from being a part of the Student Congress,
one of which was the enhanced development of her leadership skills. The School Board then learned the types of student-led
service projects that schools chose to participate in this year as a result of
being a part of the Student Congress.
Item 04/09-56 2009-2010
School Operating Budget: Walter Shannon, Assistant Superintendent, reported
that the school division has received no changes from the county or state with
respect to the budget. He said the
county will take action on their budget on April 27, 2009. Mr. Shannon entertained questions regarding
the budget at this time. Mrs. Albritton
questioned whether the Board would be taking action to allow support staff that
have been with the division for two years to receive their leave up front. Mr. Shannon responded that this effectively would
only require a change in procedures, not a change to the budget. He also noted
that the Board had discussed the possibility of staff being allowed to carry over
leave and reiterated that both of these issues are policy issues.
Item 04/09-53
(Continued) and Items 04/09-54-56
Mr. Shannon noted that usually these proposed
changes to policy would be brought back at the first of May for a policy
reading. He stressed, though, that there
would be no need for these issues to be tied into the budget or to be approved
with the budget.
Several Board members voiced concern about
the technology supplements and proposed adding them back in. Mr. Shannon noted
that this could be done with some budget adjustments. He said he could have those figures by May 5
and confirmed with Board members that they were proposing that equipment and
supplies be adjusted in order to add technology supplements back in.
Mrs. Albritton questioned whether summer
school could be added back into the budget at this point. Mr. Shannon responded that it probably could
be accomplished but noted that it would be difficult at this point due to the
tight timeframe. Dr. Anderson reminded Board members that the focus during the
budget deliberations was maintaining items that would be impacted during the
school year. Mr. Shannon said the amount for summer school would have to be
taken from elsewhere in the budget if Board members wished to reinstate this
item. Mr. Shannon did comment that there
had been some discussion about conducting an evaluation after this year to
determine the effectiveness of summer school.
He also noted that the transportation component would have to be put in
place in order for summer school to be effective. There was no consensus on this item.
Dr. Anderson confirmed that the final budget
will be presented for approval to the School Board on May 5, 2009.
Item 04/09-57 Special
Education Annual Plan: Christina Gilley, Director of Special Education,
reviewed the Special Education Annual Plan noting that this is a compliance
document. She outlined the report in sections
as follows:
1)
Superintendent’s
Certification and Policy Statement
2)
Annual
Submission Document (MCPS Advisory Committee Information, Interagency
Agreement, and a Report on Implementation of the 2006-2007 Plan)
3)
Application
for Federal Funds
Item 04/09-56 (Continued) and Item 04/09-57
In response to a question by a Board member,
Ms. Gilley confirmed that services are available to children who are located at
the detention home.
Ms. Gilley noted that the plan will be
presented to the Board for approval on May 5, 2009.
Return to Regular Session
Dr.
Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to regular session at 8:50 p.m.
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations,
and Announcements
Item 04/09-58 Secondary
Art Textbook Adoption (Action): On
motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, the School Board unanimously
approved the adoption of secondary art textbooks and other materials.
Item 04/09-59 AP
Textbook Adoptions (Action): Mrs.
Albritton moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, and the School Board unanimously
approved the adoption of Advanced Placement textbooks.
Item 04/09-60 English
Elective Textbook Adoption (Action): On
motion by Mrs. Albritton, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, the School Board unanimously
approved the adoption of English elective textbooks.
Unfinished Business By School Board Members
In response to a
question by a Board member, Mr. Shannon explained that a Request for Proposal
(RFP) allows the school division to describe what the district is looking for
in the specifications and then release it for advertisement. He noted that this
is the only legal way for the school division to solicit proposals from
firms. After the proposals are received,
he said the school division is under no obligation to accept the proposals. However,
he confirmed that negotiations could occur with the top rated firm once the
specifications had been met. The cost for the advertisement per Mr. Shannon
should be less than $100 if advertisements are run locally and RFPs are sent to
firms that MCPS is already aware of.
Item 04/09-57 (Continued) and Items
04/09-58-60
Several Board
members were interested in seeing a presentation by VSBA. Mr. Shannon noted
that the Board doesn’t need to go out for RFP for VSBA because the Board is a
member of the association. However, he
said that if MCPS goes out for RFP, VSBA is not precluded from providing a
proposal.
Mr. Ivers
mentioned various complaints about the School Board spending money for outside
search firms in these tough economic times and proposed hiring an interim for
the present and not rushing the process. He commented that he would not be
opposed to an internal candidate.
Dr. Hopkins reminded
the Board that they must meet a deadline and must have a superintendent in
place by a specified time. He said he
would be opposed to a search that only focuses on
Brad King, School
Board Attorney, interjected that he wasn’t aware of any provision of law that
allows an interim to serve for more than 180 days from the date the vacancy
occurs. He confirmed that the interim
could be given a contract of not less than two years and not more than four
years per Section 22.1-60(A) of the Code of Virginia.
On motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Mrs. Albritton,
the Board voted to circulate the RFP that the Board has examined to the
appropriate outlets to advertise to the firms who may want to lead the MCPS
search. Voting in favor were Mrs. Albritton, Mrs. Bond, Mr. Dunkenberger, Dr.
Hopkins, and Ms. Franklin. Opposed was Mr. Ivers.
School Board
members reviewed a proposal from ERASE Racism to facilitate the upcoming board
retreat. Ms. Franklin pointed out that
the consultant had requested that the retreat times be changed and that more
time be devoted to the retreat (Friday, July 10, 3 p.m. -9 p.m.; Saturday, July
11, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.). She also noted
that the consultant had requested that Board members stay overnight for the
retreat in order to enhance the retreat’s effectiveness. Dr. Hopkins asked that this item be carried
over to the next meeting and that the consultant be asked to provide a two-day
schedule for this particular retreat as all examples provided do not fit the
times shown for the MCPS retreat. Dr.
Anderson said the consultant needs a Board member to serve as the contact
person, and Ms. Franklin agreed to serve as that contact person. Dr. Anderson will give the consultant Ms.
Franklin’s name as the contact person and will secure a new schedule.
New Business by School Board Members
There was no new business.
Announcements/Information
There
were no announcements or information.
Agenda
Preparation
May 5, 2009 Special Education Annual Plan (Action)
2009-2010 School Operation Budget (Action)
May 19, 2009 Senior Recognition – May and June
Recognition
of Virginia Honor Bands and
Schools in Music
Recognition of MCPS “Best Communities for Music
Education”
Recognition of BHS Student – Science Fair Winner
Recognition of BHS FFA Parliamentary Procedure Team
- State Champions
July 10-11, 2009 School Board Retreat - CrossPointe
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 9:48 p.m. on motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Mrs.
Bond, and passed unanimously.
School Board Chair Deputy
Clerk of the
School Board