December
6, 2005
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of a regular business meeting.
Tacy L.
Newell, Chair B. Wendell Jones
Penny J.
Franklin Susan Morikawa
W. Wat Hopkins
Mary Hayne North
Richard J. Johnson
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Nancy L.
Ballinger Carol Jennings
Judith K.
Barylske Anita P. Johnston
Daniel A.
Berenato Marilyn M. Session
Sandra
Z. Colman Walter L. Shannon
Kathy A. Duncan Jeanette R. Warwick
Christina T. Gilley Laura Williams
Harvey C. Goodwin Brad King, Attorney
Call
to Order
Ms.
Newell called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at
7:05 p.m.
Adoption
of Agenda
On motion by Mrs. North, seconded by Mr. Jones, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented with the exception of moving Item 12/05-219 (Revisions to Policy 5-1.2 and 7-1.1) to the beginning of Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations, and Announcements.
Closed Session
Mrs. North moved,
seconded by Mr. Jones, and the Board voted unanimously to enter into a closed
meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia at 7:07
p.m. for the purpose of discussion of the following specific matters:
Personnel Matter: The discussion or consideration
of prospective candidates for employment; assignment; appointment; 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 Matter: Consultation
with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to
actual or probable litigation, where such consultation or briefing in open
meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the
school division, as authorized by Section 2.2-3711 (A)(7) of the Code of
Virginia.
Return to Open Session and Certification
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Mrs. North, and the Board voted unanimously to return to open
session at 7:41 p.m.
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, and the Board unanimously 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: Penny J. Franklin Susan Morikawa
W.
Wat Hopkins Mary Hayne North
Richard
J. Johnson Tacy L. Newell, Chair
B.
Wendell Jones
_______________________________ December
6, 2005
Clerk
of the Montgomery Date
County
School Board
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
Montgomery County. Their activities
reflect the full range of opportunities in the school division, ranging from
fine arts to vocational experiences to athletic accomplishments. The four students for December are:
Auburn High School (AHS) James Ryan Bowyer
Blacksburg High School (BHS) Tyler Anthony Smith
Christiansburg High School (CHS) Lauren Michele Wensel
Eastern Montgomery High School (EMHS) Elizabeth Blair Evans
Elizabeth
Blair Evans, EMHS Senior of the Month for December, was not present and will be
recognized at a future meeting.
Outgoing School
Board members Richard J. Johnson, Tacy L. Newell, and Mary Hayne North were
recognized with plaques for their years of service on the School Board. Board members also reflected on their time
spent in serving with the outgoing Board members.
The School Board
recessed at 8:12 p.m. and reconvened at 8:26 p.m.
Curtis Jackson spoke on behalf of his wife, Tonya Smith Jackson, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and expressed support for Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson.
Item
12/05-211 Payment of Bills: On motion by Mrs. North, seconded by Mrs.
Morikawa, the Board unanimously voted to approve the bills as presented.
Operating Fund:
Utilities, 11/17/05, Ck. Nos. 434656-434679,
$133,358.55
Bills, 12/06/05, Ck. Nos. 434680-435009,
$421,677.23
Item 12/05-211
Utilities, 12/06/05, Ck. Nos. 435010-435031,
$110,994.62
Payroll, 11/10/05, supp. Ck. Nos. 42306-42347, $58,092.02
Fixed Charges, 11/10/05, Ck. Nos.
42348-42355, $2,643.59
Payroll, 11/30/05, Ck. Nos. 42356-42378,
$4,587,450.59
Fixed Charges, 11/30/05, Ck. Nos. 42379-42450, $1,352,964.07
Cafeteria:
Bills, 11/21/05, Ck. Nos. 1840-1855,
$180,471.86
Payroll, 11/30/05, Ck. Nos. 4481-4483,
$136,142.61
Fixed Charges, 11/30/05, Ck. Nos. 4484-4508, $28,054.94
Item 12/05-212 Consent Items: The following items were approved by general consent:
1.
Minutes: Minutes from the October 17, 2005 joint
meeting, the October 18, 2005 work session, the November 1, 2005 regular
session, and the November 4, 2005 special session.
2.
Donations:
a.
Linda and Michael Gillen to donate a Cable upright piano to Montgomery
County Public Schools (MCPS) in memory of Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Bennett.
b. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Richert to donate a
computer and related equipment to MCPS.
3.
Field Trip: Eighth grade
students at Shawsville Middle School to travel to Washington, D.C., on May
24-26, 2006. Students will travel via
charter bus. Accommodations are to be
provided by the Country Inn and Suites in Manassas, Virginia. The cost per
student is $339.
Item 12/05-211 (Continued) and Item 12/05-212
4. Grants:
a.
MCPS Robotics Program: A grant to provide travel funding for MCPS
students who are taking Robotics. The MCPS Robotics program allows students to
learn skills in engineering, computer programming, shop mechanics, and teamwork
as they build a robot.
b.
Four Seasons Garden for Falling Branch Elementary School (FBES) First
Grade: A grant to create an outdoor classroom at FBES designed to foster
understanding of the four seasons among first graders. Creation and maintenance of the garden will
support active learning of Virginia Standards of Learning in science, math, language
arts, and social studies.
c.
Embers and Sparks: An Electrical Reading Adventure: A grant to foster
reading comprehension and fluency skills and science understanding for students
participating in a literacy class at Auburn Middle School (AMS).
d.
Technology Integration for Gilbert Linkous Elementary School (GLES): A grant to enable
GLES teachers to better integrate technology into instruction. The purchase of
a VerKeys and TV wall mounts will allow teachers to project computer text and
images onto their classroom TV screens where multiple students may view them at
once.
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations,
Announcements:
Item 12/05-219 Revisions to Policy 5-1.2 and 7-1.1 (First
Reading): Board members
discussed changes to Policy 5-1.2 and 7-1.1 and recommended that the
definitions from Policy 5-1.2 be incorporated into Policy 7-1.1. The Board also directed the School Board
Attorney to research amending the policy to include age discrimination issues. The policies will be added to the next
School Board meeting agenda for a second reading.
Item 12/05-214 Gifted
Plan (Action): Nancy Ballinger, Supervisor of the Gifted Program, answered
questions for the Board regarding the proposed Gifted Plan. Ms. Ballinger told Board members the
curriculum areas of science, social studies, and eventually fine arts need to
be incorporated into the gifted program in the future.
Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. North, and the
Board voted unanimously to approve the Gifted Plan as presented.
Item 12/05-215 Update on State Reviewers’ Visit to
Unaccredited Schools (Information):
Carol Jennings, Assessment Coordinator, presented the Board with information on
sanctions that may be imposed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) on
schools that are Accredited With Warning for the fourth year in a row. Ms. Jennings told Board members that schools
in this category could be closed or combined with another high performing
school or reconstituted (could entail replacing administrative staff,
instructional staff, etc.). She said a
turn-around specialist could also be hired to improve the school.
Dr. Anderson reminded Board members that Auburn Middle
School and Belview Elementary School have been Accredited With Warning for two
years in a row. Jeanette Warwick,
Assistant Superintendent, told Board members that state reviewers would be
visiting these schools next week.
Item 12/05-214, Item 12/05-215, and Item
12/05-216
Item
12/05-217 Personnel Report: On motion by
Mrs. North, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board voted unanimously to approve
the personnel report with an addendum.
The report is attached and made a part of
these minutes as pages A1-A6.
Item 12/05-220 School
Board Member Priorities for the Upcoming Budget (Discussion): Board members
presented the following priorities for the upcoming budget:
Mrs. Morikawa
·
Full funding of
year two and three of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA)
Compensation Plan;
·
Restoration of
family life nurses;
·
Funding for a
feasibility study on a MCPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center;
Item 12/05-216 (Continued), Items
12/05-217-218, and Item 12/05-220
·
Funding to
address issues presented from the Auburn Strand;
·
A coordinator
for health and physical education; and
·
Support for the
wellness program.
·
Compensation is
the number one priority.
·
Compensation
and funding of the compensation plan; and
·
Funding for a
feasibility study on a MPCS CTE center.
·
Compensation;
·
Staff to
address pupil/teacher ratio issues; and
·
Restoration of
funding for field trips and travel for teachers attending conferences.
·
Full funding of
the compensation plan;
·
Needs for the
Auburn Strand;
·
Funding for the
Director of Elementary Education;
·
Restoration of
family life nurses; and
·
Funding for a
feasibility study on a MPCS CTE center.
·
Funding of the
compensation plan;
·
Full-time
nurses for the secondary schools; and
·
Funding for a
feasibility study on a MPCS CTE center.
Item 12/05-220 (Continued)
·
Compensation;
·
Funding for a
feasibility study on a MPCS CTE center; and
·
Staff to
address pupil/teacher ratio issues.
Ms. Newell noted that a commitment must be
made to fund new school building or reconstruction projects for Elliston
Lafayette Elementary School and Price’s Fork Elementary School.
Ms. Franklin stated that the state is now
lowering its pupil/teacher ratio numbers and the school division would have to
be cognizant of these changes.
Mrs. North reported on the most recent
meeting of the Board of the Southwest Virginia Governor’s School. She said the Governor’s School is not
getting paid the state portion for the MCPS slots because it’s the middle of
the biennium. Mrs. North also noted
that the school division is paying for a slot that was not filled.
Ms.
Newell distributed information on a book about Christiansburg.
Mr.
Johnson announced that he has enjoyed working with Board members and everyone
in the school division.
Agenda Preparation
January
10, 2006 Reorganization Meeting – 7:30
p.m. in the Administrative Building
Rollover Budget
Set Budget Meeting Dates
Policy 5-1.2 and 7-1.1
(Second Reading)