July
11-12, 2008
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date at the Hotel Roanoke at 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of a special session/retreat.
Board Members Present
B. Wendell Jones, Chair Penny J. Franklin
Phyllis T. Albritton W. Wat
Jamie M. Bond Joseph T. Ivers, Jr.
David G. Dunkenberger, II
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Daniel A. Berenato Walter L.
Lois T. Graham Nelson Simpkins
Lisa R. Radford Brad King, Attorney
July 11, 2008
The School Board first met for dinner at 6:00 p.m.
Call
to Order
Mr.
Jones called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
Adoption
of Agenda
On motion by Mrs. Bond, seconded by Mrs. Albritton, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.
Item 07/08-01 School
Board Assessment and Year-End Review:
The School Board cited the following as areas wherein progress was made
during the past year:
·
Budget
·
The
extension of the superintendent’s contract
·
The
consolidation of schools (Elliston Lafayette Elementary and Shawsville
Elementary)
It was noted that a goal of the School Board
last year was to recognize staff. School
Board members debated whether that goal had been sufficiently achieved.
Although the School Board did recognize principals and school resource officers
during the previous year, members agreed that they would like to have more
recognitions in the coming year.
Item 07/08-01
Dr. Anderson suggested that this initiative
could be built in as a component of the Comprehensive Plan to involve
principals in this effort.
The School Board recessed at 7:45 p.m. and reconvened their meeting at 7:58 p.m. to discuss the School Board assessment tool. School Board members discussed what is going well and what might need more attention in the following categories:
- High Quality
Decision Making and Follow-Through
- Future/Pro-Active
Orientation
- Communicating
with Our Community
- Staying
Connected to Our Community
- Board Conduct
and Self-Assessment
- Future Board
Development
- Relationship
with the Superintendent
Mr.
Brad King, School Board Attorney, referenced bond documents that had just been
received in his office and stated that the Board of Supervisors will be voting
on a bond resolution on Monday, July 14, 2008. Therefore, Mr. King stated that
the School Board would also have to vote on the resolution sometime during the
week of July 14. A School Board meeting was scheduled on Friday, July 18, 2008,
at 4:30 p.m. for the sole purpose of acting on the bond resolution.
The
meeting was adjourned for the evening at 9:50 p.m.
July 12, 2008
The
meeting reconvened at 8:30 a.m.
Item
07/08-02 Comprehensive Improvement Plan: Dr. Lois Graham introduced members of the
design team who were instrumental in the development of the Comprehensive Plan (2008-2014).
Dr. Graham commented that this is a document that could serve as both the
six-year plan and the school improvement plan. The group divided into subgroups
and discussed the following areas within the Comprehensive Plan:
·
Leadership
and Communication
·
Safety
and Wellness
Item 07/08-01 (Continued) and Item 07/08-02
·
Preparation
for College and/or Workforce
·
Literacy
and Numeracy
·
Accreditation
Although a suggestion was made for the guiding principles that were presented to replace the current vision statement, there was no consensus for this to occur. Instead, it was determined that the issue will be discussed in more detail at an upcoming School Board meeting. A proposal was made to change the word “stakeholder” to “community.” It was also suggested that the word “excellence” appear in both the vision and mission statements for the division.
The group took a break at 11:45 a.m. for lunch and reconvened at 12:30 p.m. At this time, School Board members viewed the following options for a new mission statement for Montgomery County Public Schools using input gathered prior to the break.
Option 1
The mission of MCPS is to be a community of excellence that develops each student’s full potential to be a lifelong learner and a productive global citizen.
Option 2
The mission of MCPS is to work with our community to educate each student to achieve her/his full potential as contributing, productive individuals for life.
It was proposed that “global citizens” be added to option 2. After further discussion, it was determined that the Superintendent and the School Board Chair would work together to draft a proposal for a mission statement using discussion from this retreat as a guide. This mission statement will be brought forward for the Board’s consideration at an upcoming School Board meeting.
Item 07/08-03 Facilities Update: Dan Berenato, Director of Facilities, provided the following recommendations regarding available (or soon to be available) school property after evaluating various criteria related to the buildings and sites:
Possible Disposition: Recommend demolishing the building but
keeping the land
Item 07/08-02
(Continued) and Item 07/08-03
Ward House at
Possible Disposition: Sell house to relocate but keep the land
Possible Disposition: Surplus Property; have the County sell as
they did
Possible Disposition: Surplus Property; have the County sell as
they did
Price’s
Possible Disposition: Surplus Property; have the County sell as
they did
Possible
Disposition: Retain for School Use
Possible
Disposition: Study
The School Board will discuss the disposition of the two properties that are currently available – the Ward House and the SMS Annex – at the first or second meeting in October.
Board members were pleased with the retreat and being
able to interact with the staff that worked so diligently on the Comprehensive
Plan. They offered a few suggestions for consideration when planning the
retreat next year to include modifying the schedule and having the retreat
within
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 2:38 p.m. on motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs.
Albritton, and passed unanimously.
School Board Chair Deputy
Clerk of the
School Board