January
20, 2009
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date at the administrative building at 5:30 p.m. for the purpose of a work session.
Board Members Present
B.
Wendell Jones, Chair Penny J.
Franklin
Phyllis
T. Albritton W. Wat
Jamie
M. Bond Joseph T. Ivers,
Jr.
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Daniel A. Berenato Carol A. Reynolds
Christina T. Gilley Walter L.
Harvey C. Goodwin Nelson W. Simpkins
Lois T. Graham Rick D. Weaver
Mark J. Pasier Brad King, Attorney
Lisa R. Radford
Call
to Order
Mr.
Jones called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at 5:30
p.m.
Adoption of Agenda
On motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.
Closed Session
Ms. Franklin
moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, and the Board voted unanimously to enter
into a closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of
Virginia at 5:32 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;
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
Matters: Consultation with legal counsel
regarding specific legal matters requiring the legal advice by counsel, as
authorized by Section 2.2-3711(A)(7) of the Code of Virginia.
Real Estate Matters: The
discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real estate for the
construction of a new school, where discussion in an open meeting would
adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public
body, as authorized by Section 2.2-3711(A)(3) of the Code of Virginia.
Return to Open
Session and Certification
Ms. Franklin
moved, seconded by Mr. Ivers, and the Board voted unanimously to return to open
session at 7:30 p.m.
Mrs. Albritton
moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board adopted the following
resolution:
WHEREAS, the County School Board of
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
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
hereby certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge (i) only
public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by
Ayes: Phyllis T. Albritton W. Wat
Jamie
M. Bond Joseph T. Ivers,
Jr.
Penny
J. Franklin B. Wendell Jones,
Chair
_________________________ January
20, 2009
Deputy
Clerk of the
Action
On
motion by Mr. Ivers, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and passed unanimously, a
student was long-term suspended from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and
may return to school in February 2009.
Dr.
Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, to expel a student from MCPS. The motion was passed unanimously.
On
motion by Ms.
Ms.
Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. Bond, to long-term suspend a student through
the end of the fifth marking period. The
motion was passed unanimously.
Honors, Awards and Recognitions
Continuing
the commitment of recognizing student achievement and accomplishments, eight
new “Senior of the Month” selections have been made by high school principals
in
DECEMBER 2008
Eastern
JANUARY 2009
AHS Sabrina
Marie Huff
BHS Brian
Parkhurst
CHS Nathaniel
Tull Hodges
EMHS Benjamin
Earl Dunlea
Melissa
Umberto, Taylor Kate Franklin, and Nathaniel Tull Hodges were unable to attend
this meeting; therefore, they will attend an upcoming School Board meeting to
be recognized.
The
BHS girl’s cross country team recently captured the State AA Girl’s Cross
Country Championship. The School Board
recognized the following members of the team:
Allison Homer, Joanna Stevens, Kathleen Stevens, Leah Fitchett, Trinity
Foreman, Hannah Brown, and Sarah Dorrell.
The coaches of the team (James DeMarco, Ingrid Burbey, Marcia Barrow,
and Trevor Johnson) were recognized as well.
Governor
Timothy M. Kaine recently announced that seven Montgomery County Public Schools
have earned awards in an incentive program for schools and school divisions
created by the Virginia Board of Education to advance Governor Kaine’s
“competence to excellence” agenda. The
Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) program awards points to schools and
divisions based on the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level
on Standards of Learning assessments and progress made toward educational goals
advocated by Governor Kaine and adopted by the Board as part of its
comprehensive plan for further strengthening public education in the
Commonwealth. The following
Ø
Ø
Auburn
Elementary School, Gilbert Linkous Elementary School, Margaret Beeks Elementary
School, and Price’s Fork Elementary School – Board of Education’s VIP
Excellence Award
Ø
Belview
Elementary School and Elliston-Lafayette Elementary School – Board of
Education’s VIP Competence to Excellence Award
The
Board recessed at 8:00 p.m. and reconvened at 8:12 p.m.
Public Address
Barbara Stepp, librarian at
Lynn Yeatts, MCPS Technology Resource Teacher (TRT), talked about the role of TRTs within the school division when stating that cutting the number of TRTs in the budget will negatively affect student achievement. She pointed out that TRTs provide direct assistance to classroom teachers in their efforts to integrate technology tools and resources in order to improve student achievement. Ms. Yeatts pointed out that even with the current staff, TRTs are only able to visit their assigned schools once a week; therefore, decreasing staff will make this schedule even more difficult.
Burt Milburne, MCPS TRT, asked Board members to equally share the burden when examining the budget. He gave examples of the important role technology plays in the lives of students today both in and outside of the school setting. Mr. Milburne stressed that technology is an integral part of the school system and of everyday life.
Item 01/09-10 Personnel
Report: On motion by Ms. Franklin,
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 pages A1-A2.
Dr. Hopkins acknowledged that his wife was
listed on the personnel report due to a contract change but noted his belief
that there is no conflict of interest in terms of his voting for the personnel
report.
Item 01/09-11 Payment
of Bills: On motion by Mrs.
Albritton, seconded by Mrs. Bond, the Board unanimously voted to approve the
bills as presented.
Operating Fund:
Bills, January 20,
2009 Ck. Nos. 453859-454151, $408,219.80
Cafeteria:
Bills, January 14, 2009, Ck.
Nos. 2792-2809, $ 57,652.90
Work Session
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. Bond,
and the Board voted unanimously to enter a work session at 8:25 p.m.
Item 01/09-12 Superintendent’s
Budget Request:
The
superintendent’s proposed budget changes and reductions for the fiscal year
2009-2010 budget were presented. The following items are some of the
modifications reviewed with the School Board:
Item 01/09-10, Item
01/09-11, and Item 01/09-12
Ø Increased reduction
to supply budget from 5% to 8%
Ø Increased reduction
to equipment budget from 5% to 8%
Ø Increased reduction
to travel budget from 10% to 15%
Ø Reduced budget for
field trips from 10% to 15%
Ø Shifted funds
within technology budget from services and supplies equal to salary and
benefits for three positions instead of reducing three technology positions
Ø Convert gifted
supervisor position to part-time gifted coordinator
Ø Adjust two gifted
teacher positions to part-time
It was noted that the increase for health
insurance premiums in the amount of $698,765 is an addition to the budget. Mr. Shannon noted that this figure represents
what a 10% increase in the cost of the school division’s health insurance
premium would be for the upcoming year.
He said the school district will only be asking the county to provide
this amount at this time to help fund the health insurance. However, it was also noted that the county
may not be able to supply any additional funds this year. If this is the case,
the school division will have to revisit the budget. Mr. Shannon shared that the final cuts have
not yet come from the General Assembly and said it is believed that these
should be communicated to school districts by the end of February. The administration confirmed that no one has
yet lost their job as a result of the cuts from the state. However, Mr. Shannon noted that even though
every effort is being made to absorb the cuts through attrition, there is
always a possibility that someone’s certification may not match up and this
could lead to problems at a later time. It was also confirmed that PTRs across
the division would go up as a result of leaving certain positions vacant. The Board talked about possibly adding some
money back into the budget for professional development and specifically social
justice. Dr. Anderson said she
considered this and felt that work could still be done in this area if the
Board wanted to move forward with this initiative using federal funds rather
than local funds. However, there wasn’t
consensus on this issue. Dr. Hopkins
pointed out that once a budget is adopted for the public hearing on February 3
and the Board hears citizen comments at that time, Board members may still choose
to revise the budget after the public hearing. Although some Board members still
felt some changes could be made, they were comfortable saving those comments
until later.
Item 01/09-12
(Continued)
Return to Regular Session
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Albritton,
and the Board voted unanimously to return to regular session at 9:07 p.m.
Superintendent’s
Reports, Recommendations, and Announcements
Item
01/09-13
On motion by Mr. Ivers, seconded by Mr.
Hopkins, the Board unanimously approved the resolution as presented to resolve
the possible sale or lease of Old Blacksburg Middle School with the Montgomery
County Board of Supervisors.
This resolution is attached and made a part
of these minutes as page B1-B2.
Item
01/09-14 403(b) Plan Document Adoption
(Action):
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mr. Ivers, and
the Board voted unanimously to adopt a 403(b) Plan Document and Resolution to
adhere to recent IRS regulations.
This resolution is attached and made a part
of these minutes as page C1.
Item
01/09-15 2009-2010 School Operating
Budget (Action):
On motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Ms.
Franklin, the proposed 2009-2010 budget was unanimously approved to be
advertised for the public hearing on February 3, 2009.
Mr. Shannon told
Board members they may receive information from the Virginia School Boards
Association saying cuts were made to Montgomery County Schools in the amount of
$5 million. He told Board members to disregard this information. Mr. Shannon
said the school system is correctly looking at the state’s approved 2009-2010
budget and noted that the confusion may come from the fact that the second year
of the budget originally had an additional $1 million, which would equal the $5
million figure.
On motion by Ms.
Item 01/09-13, Item 01/09-14, and Item
01/09-15
Unfinished Business By School Board Members
There was no
unfinished business.
New Business by School Board Members
Mr. Jones announced that the League of
Women Voters asked the School Board to join them for a breakfast meeting at
7:00 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. and asked Board members for possible dates. Several
Board members were unable to attend a breakfast meeting; therefore, Mr. Jones
will ask the League of Women Voters if they are available for a dinner meeting
instead, perhaps at 6:00 p.m.
Ms. Franklin asked if one of the framed
mission statements could be located in the boardroom as originally discussed. Dr. Anderson agreed to accomplish this prior
to the next Board meeting.
Ms. Franklin requested that an
opportunity be provided for schools or classrooms to give 5-10 minute presentations
to the School Board prior to their Board meetings once a month to help
highlight the good things going on in MCPS. Dr. Anderson agreed that this would
be offered on a volunteer basis.
Announcements/Information
There were no announcements.
Agenda
Preparation
February 3, 2009 Public Hearing on the 2009-2010 School Operating
Budget, 7:00 p.m., SBO
Approval of Initial Budget Request
2009-2010 School Calendars
February 17, 2009 Senior Recognition
School Board Appreciation
Recognition of National Board Certified Teachers
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 9:23 p.m. on motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs.
Albritton, and passed unanimously.
School Board Chair Deputy
Clerk of the
School Board