January
6, 2009
The
Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative
building at 6:30 p.m. for the purpose of a reorganization meeting and a regular
business meeting.
Board Members Present
B. Wendell Jones, Chair Penny J. Franklin
Jamie M. Bond W. Wat
David G. Dunkenberger, II Joseph T. Ivers, Jr.
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Christine C.
Christina T. Gilley Mark J. Pasier
Lois T. Graham Carol A.
Reynolds
Anita P. Johnston Walter L.
Katie Miano Nelson
W. Simpkins
Call
to Order
Superintendent
Tiffany Anderson called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to
the flag at 6:32 p.m.
Adoption
of Agenda
On motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board voted unanimously to adopt a revised agenda adding legal matters during closed session.
Item
01/09-01 Reorganization
of School Board:
1.
Election of Chair: Ms.
Franklin nominated Mr. Dunkenberger as Chair of the School Board. Dr. Hopkins nominated Mr. Jones as Chair of
the School Board. Mr. Dunkenberger
declined the nomination for School Board Chair.
Mr. Ivers moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, and the Board voted
unanimously that nominations be closed. Mr.
Jones was elected Chair. Voting in favor
of Mr. Jones were Mrs. Bond, Mr. Dunkenberger, Dr. Hopkins, Mr. Ivers, and Mr.
Jones. Voting against was Ms. Franklin.
Item 01/09-01
Closed Session
Mr. Dunkenberger
moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, and the Board voted unanimously to enter into a
closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia
at 6:35 p.m. for the purpose of discussion of the following specific matters:
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 and
briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable
litigation, where such consultation or briefings 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.
Student
Matters: Discussion or consideration of student
disciplinary matters, as authorized by Section 2.2-3711 (A)(2) of the Code
of Virginia.
Return to Open Session and Certification
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to return to open
session at 7:57 p.m.
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board unanimously 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: Jamie M. Bond W. Wat
David G. Dunkenberger, II Joseph T. Ivers, Jr.
Penny J. Franklin B. Wendell Jones, Chair
_______________________________ January
6, 2009
Clerk
of the
Action
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, and the Board voted unanimously to religiously exempt two students from attendance in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to readmit a student to MCPS in accordance with a previous agreement between the school division and the guardians of a student.
Mr. Ivers moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to expel a student from MCPS.
Item 01/09-01 Reorganization
of School Board (Continued):
2.
Election
of Vice Chair: Mr.
Dunkenberger nominated Ms. Franklin as Vice Chair of the School Board. There were no other nominations. Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Bond, and
the Board voted unanimously that nominations be closed. The Board unanimously voted to appoint Ms.
Franklin as Vice Chair of the School Board.
Item 01/09-01 (Continued)
3. Appointment of Clerk and Deputy Clerks:
Clerk: On
motion by Mr. Ivers, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board voted unanimously to
appoint Anita P. Johnston as Clerk of the Board.
Deputy
Clerks: On motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs. Bond,
the Board voted unanimously to appoint Tiffany Anderson and Lisa Radford as
Deputy Clerks of the Board.
4. Adoption of Resolution Affirming Officers of the County School Board of Montgomery County: Mr. Dunkenberger moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to adopt the following resolution:
WHEREAS, at the reorganization meeting of the
B. Wendell Jones, Chair
Penny
J. Franklin, Vice Chair
Anita P. Johnston, Clerk
Tiffany
Anderson, Deputy Clerk
Lisa Radford, Deputy Clerk
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that pursuant
to Article 6, Section 22.1-122, of Virginia School Law, the above officers are
authorized to sign all warrants drawn on the Treasurer or other officer charged
by law with the responsibility for the receipt, custody and disbursement of the
funds of the School Board. Such warrants
shall be signed by the Chair or the Vice-Chair of the School Board,
countersigned by the Clerk or Deputy Clerks.
5.
Board
Committee Appointments: Board members were appointed to the
following committees/positions:
Liaison to the Board of Supervisors – Mr.
Jones
Insurance Committee – Dr. Hopkins and Ms.
Franklin
Planning Commission – Mrs. Bond and Mr.
Dunkenberger
Voting Delegate to
Alternate to VSBA – Mr. Dunkenberger
Item 01/09-01 (Continued)
National School Boards Association Delegate –
Mr. Ivers
Christiansburg Institute Board – TBD
Social Justice and Non Violence Coalition –
Ms. Franklin and another member TBD
Southwest Virginia Governor’s School – Mr.
Ivers
MCPS Foundation – Mrs. Albritton and Mr.
Ivers
Board members agreed to ask Mrs. Albritton
who was not present if she would like to serve on the Christiansburg Institute
Board and/or with Ms. Franklin on the Social Justice and Non Violence
Coalition. Dr. Hopkins said he would
serve in one of these capacities if needed.
6. Adoption of Resolution Appointing an Agent
and Deputy Agent for Signing Claims: Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms.
Franklin, and the Board unanimously adopted a resolution appointing the
Superintendent and, in her absence, the Assistant Superintendent as agent and
deputy agent respectively for signing claims.
This resolution is attached and made a part of the minutes as page A1.
7. Appointment
of Superintendent Designee:
On motion by Dr. Hopkins, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board voted
unanimously to appoint the assistant superintendent as primary superintendent
designee and, in his absence, the director of elementary education as secondary
superintendent designee.
8.
Schedule
of Meeting Dates, Times, Locations: On motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mr.
Ivers, the Board voted unanimously to hold School Board meetings at the School
Board Office on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m.
9.
Adoption
of Hiring Practices Resolution:
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, and the Board voted
unanimously to approve the adoption of the hiring practices resolution.
Item 01/09-01
(Continued)
This resolution is attached and made a part of these
minutes as pages B1-B3.
10. Adoption of Policy 1-1.6 (School Board
Procedures/Standards of Conduct) and Policy 1-1.7 (Code of Ethics): Ms.
Franklin moved, seconded by Mr.
Dunkenberger, and the Board voted unanimously to reaffirm Policy 1-1.6 (School
Board Procedures/Standards of Conduct).
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. Bond,
and the Board unanimously reaffirmed Policy 1-1.7 (Code of Ethics).
The School Board Procedures/Standards of
Conduct and Code of Ethics are attached and made a part of these minutes as
pages C1-C3.
11. Appointment of a Blue Ridge Educational
Television Representative (ETV):
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, and the Board voted
unanimously to appoint the Supervisor of Social Sciences and Character
Education as the School Board representative to the Blue Ridge ETV for 2009.
12.
Reaffirmation of Policy 1-1.5 (
The mission, vision, and focus areas and goals are attached and made a part of these minutes as pages D1-D2.
13. Reaffirmation of School Board Protocols: On motion by Mr. Dunkenberger, seconded
by Ms. Franklin, the Board unanimously reaffirmed the School Board Protocols.
The School Board Protocols are attached and
made a part of these minutes as page E1.
Item 01/09-01 (Continued)
14. Adoption
of Resolution Authorizing the Superintendent to Settle Claims Against the
School Board: Ms.
Franklin moved, seconded by Mr. Ivers, and the Board unanimously adopted the
resolution authorizing the Superintendent to settle claims against the School
Board.
The resolution is attached and made a part of
these minutes as page F1.
15. Policy
Manual: Mr. Jones announced that the MCPS Policy Manual is available
at the Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Shawsville branches of the
Montgomery/Floyd Regional Library, at the School Board Office and at all
schools in the district. He added that
the policy manual is also available on the MCPS website.
Public Address
Sharon Duncan, Kate
McCoy, B. J. Norris, Kenna Colley, Mark Caldwell, Clay Caldwell, Kimberly Ellis,
Alison Kocz, Macarthur Fox, and Roxanna Hartmann spoke to the Board about the
importance of inclusive education to all students in MCPS.
Kelly Passek
addressed the Board about what she sees as unfair grading policies used by the
fifth grade teachers at Price’s
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin,
and the Board voted unanimously to extend public address by 15 minutes.
Charlie Duncan,
Jeff Willner, Leslie Daniel, Joseph Hartmann, and Roy Saville expressed to the
Board their support of inclusive education within the school division.
Item
01/09-02 Personnel Report: On motion by
Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, the Board unanimously voted to
approve the personnel report as presented.
The report is attached and made a part of
these minutes as pages G1-G3.
Item 01/09-01 (Continued) and Item 01/09-02
Item
01/09-03 Payment of Bills: On motion by Mrs.
Bond, seconded by Mr. Ivers, the Board unanimously voted to approve the bills
as presented.
Operating Fund:
Utilities, 12/04/08, Ck. Nos. 453447-453466,
$321,003.46
Bills, 12/17/08, Ck. Nos. 453467-453842, $588,524.10
Utilities, 01/06/09, Ck. Nos. 453843-453858,
$224,562.61
Payroll, 12/02/08, supp. Ck. Nos. 46287-46313, $6,944.39
Fixed Charges, 12/02/08, Ck. No. 46314,
$533.97
Payroll, 12/19/08, Ck. Nos. 46315-46327, $5,157,565.60
Fixed Charges, 12/19/08, Ck. Nos. 46328-46386, $1,889,136.66
Cafeteria:
Bills, 12/05/08, Ck. Nos. 2765-2776, $67,440.77
Bills,
12/17/08, Ck. Nos. 2777-2791, $114,399.05
Payroll, 12/19/08, Ck. No. 5356, $153,116.14
Fixed Charges, 12/19/08, Ck. Nos. 5357-5377, $37,808.51
Item 01/09-04 Consent Items: The following items were approved by general
consent:
1.
Minutes: Minutes from the October 21, 2008 work
session and the November 4, 2008 regular session.
2.
Field Trips:
a.
The Blacksburg Middle School (BMS) choir to travel
to
b.
Seventh and eighth grade band students at
Christiansburg Middle School (CMS) to travel to Carowinds in
Item 01/09-03 and Item 01/09-04
c.
The scholastic bowl team at Eastern Montgomery High
School (EMHS) to travel to
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations,
Announcements:
Item 01/09-05 2009-2010 School Calendar Parameters
(Discussion/Action): Mark
Pasier, Director of Human Resources, asked Board members about their parameters
for next year’s school calendar.
Dr. Hopkins asked the calendar committee to be mindful
of scheduling time off for students prior to Standards of Learning (SOL)
testing.
Item 01/09-06 Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Budget (Discussion/Action): Walt Shannon, Assistant Superintendent,
told Board members that the school division would lose approximately $3,930,559
in state funding based on Governor Kaine’s proposed budget. Mr. Shannon told
Board members that the administration is already beginning to look at areas for
adjustment in the budget.
The Board established budget work sessions on January 13, 2009
and January 27, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the School Board Office.
Dr. Hopkins noted that his priority is that if staff
has to be reduced, it’s done through attrition.
Item 01/09-07 Announcements/Calendar
for January (Information): Dr. Anderson made no announcements.
Unfinished Business by School Board Members
Dr. Hopkins shared a story related to his son and a special education student in his class.
Mr. Dunkenberger pointed out that he is not against inclusion. He said he is just concerned about having programs in place for an extended period of time and not assessing those programs.
New Business by
School Board Members
There was no new business.
Item 01/09-04
(Continued) and Items 01/09-05-07
Announcements/Information
Ms. Franklin announced that the Montgomery
County/Radford branch of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) will be sponsoring a Martin Luther King program on
January 18, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at
Agenda Preparation
January 13, 2009 Budget
Work Session
January 20, 2009 Recognition
of BHS Girl’s Cross Country Team – Group AA State Champions
Recognition
of BHS Boy’s Cross Country Team - Group AA State Runner-ups
December/January
Seniors of the Month
Old
BMS Draft Resolution
Adopt
2009-2010 School Operating Budget for Public Hearing
January 27, 2009 Budget
Work Session
February 3, 2009 Public Hearing on the 2009-2010 School Operating Budget
Approval
of Initial Budget Request
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. on motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs. Bond,
and passed unanimously.
School Board Chair Clerk of the School Board