June
21, 2005
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 5:30 p.m. for the purpose of a work session.
Board Members Present
B. Wendell Jones, Vice Chair
Tacy L. Newell, Chair (7:25
p.m.)
Douglas W. Eckel Richard J. Johnson (10:55
p.m.)
Penny J. Franklin Mary Hayne North
W. Wat Hopkins
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Judith B. Barylske Katherine M. Rodgers
Daniel A. Berenato Marilyn M. Session
Sandra Z. Colman Walter L. Shannon
Harvey C. Goodwin Brad King, Attorney
Lisa R. McAlexander
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 Mrs. North, the Board voted unanimously to adopt a revised agenda. The revision to the agenda added a Closed Session after Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations, and Announcements to hear the Personnel Matters that were initially included in the Closed Session at the beginning of the meeting.
Closed Session
Mrs. North moved,
seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to enter into a
closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia
at 5:35 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.
Return to Open Session and Certification
Dr.
Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. North, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to open session at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Ms. Franklin, 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: Douglas W. Eckel B. Wendell Jones
Penny
J. Franklin Mary Hayne North
W.
Wat Hopkins
Tacy L. Newell, Chair, abstained from the
vote because she was not present during closed session.
_______________________________ June
21, 2005
Deputy
Clerk of the Montgomery Date
County
School Board
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted to readmit a student to Montgomery County Public Schools with certain stipulations as explained to the student during closed session. Voting in favor were Dr. Eckel, Ms. Franklin, Dr. Hopkins, Mr. Jones, and Mrs. North. Ms. Newell abstained from the vote since she was not present during closed session.
Mrs. North moved, seconded by Dr. Eckel, and the Board voted unanimously to long-term suspend a student for the fall semester of the 2005-2006 school year. Voting in favor were Ms. Franklin, Dr. Hopkins, Mr. Jones, Mrs. North, and Dr. Eckel. Abstaining from the vote was Ms. Newell since she was not present during closed session.
Public Hearing on District F School Board Vacancy
Ms. Newell said that one
individual (Susan Morikawa) had expressed a willingness to serve the remainder
of Dr. Eckel’s term. She asked if
anyone else had an interest in addressing the Board. When it was determined that no one else wanted to speak during
the public hearing, Susan Morikawa came forward. She spoke of the value of education and then entertained
questions from the School Board.
On motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs. North, the Board unanimously appointed Susan Morikawa to the District F School Board seat.
The School Board
recognized Douglas W. Eckel for his service on the School Board from January
2004 to June 2005.
Karen
Chitwood, Christiansburg Middle School (CMS) faculty member and Montgomery
County Education Association (MCEA) representative, asked the School Board and
Superintendent to make a decision to keep Peter Wonson at CMS. She cited his leadership qualities and the
fact that he advocates for students as reasons to make this decision. Ms. Chitwood noted that faculty morale at
the school is high now because of the principal and relayed that the staff
appreciates the fact that Mr. Wonson asks for their opinions prior to making
decisions.
Jerolyn Deplazes, recent retiree from CMS, cited the slogan that “CMS is the most exciting place in town.” She acknowledged that much has happened at the school this year to make this statement come to life. However, she also noted that Mr. Wonson made the faculty and staff feel safe even during those times. Ms. Deplazes stated that Mr. Wonson treats students, faculty, and staff with respect. In turn, she said there is a great deal of respect among those groups for Mr. Wonson.
Michele
Parker, CMS parent and CMS Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) president,
stated that she was among those that originally interviewed and selected Mr.
Wonson for the position of principal at CMS.
She noted that one of things he expressed during the interview was that
he wanted to make CMS strong academically. Ms. Parker said she feels he has
done this and that he has been open and honest with parents. She relayed that he has been to every PTSA
meeting and has shared helpful information.
Ms. Parker said Mr. Wonson is a very visible presence in the school and
is a caring and compassionate leader. She portrayed that parents have complete
faith in this principal.
Tim
Parker, parent, stated that he has found Mr. Wonson to be approachable, bright,
caring, and a humble individual. Mr.
Parker said it is sometimes unusual to find this kind of personable warmth in
an administrator. He noted that his son
and daughter think Mr. Wonson is a great principal. Mr. Parker voiced his displeasure with a process where
“stakeholders” are not consulted for input before a decision is made about a
principal. He said such a decision
should never be made this quickly.
Terri
Ferrier, CMS PTSA Vice President and former PTSA President, talked about how
much Mr. Wonson cares about the children at CMS. Ms. Ferrier said her children love Mr. Wonson, and she encouraged
the School Board to keep Mr. Wonson at CMS to continue his work there.
Alvin
Humes, community member, stated that he has never seen anyone as kind and
understanding as Mr. Wonson. He
commented on Mr. Wonson’s problem-solving skills and his unique way of dealing
with children. Mr. Humes noted that his
grandchildren attended CMS and love Mr. Wonson.
Ann
Urch, parent, said she felt she was more informed of day-to-day happenings at
CMS this year. Ms. Urch stated that the
way Mr. Wonson interacts with the CMS students is amazing. She reported that Mr. Wonson is very
supportive of parents and students and is a big part of this community.
Lee
Ann Shaheen, parent, spoke of the support her child had been given by the
instructional team at CMS since she recently moved her child to that school.
She talked briefly of her child’s unique needs and the child’s 504 plan. Ms.
Shaheen said behind every great team is a great leader, and she encouraged
Board members to keep Mr. Wonson at CMS.
Erin
Clark, student, talked about the fact that Mr. Wonson said “hi” to her every
morning at CMS. She said she wants Mr.
Wonson to stay at her school.
Trena
French, instructional assistant at CMS, noted that she works with a special
needs child at the school who thinks Mr. Wonson is wonderful. Ms. French said Mr. Wonson is calm under
pressure, and she encouraged the Board to keep him at CMS.
Steve
Hulburt, a teacher in the county, voiced his dismay at what he views as a move
to look at the data coming in to make a decision on personnel regardless of
other factors. He pointed out that the
community needs strength and trust and may be negatively affected by looking at
the wrong data. Mr. Hulbert said he
would hate to see the county turn into a corporation, looking only at
statistics and not at the trust and respect that people have built for each
other.
Glenn
Orr, pastor, encouraged individuals not to end the evening on a divisive
note. He asked that people continue to
support one another.
Sharon
Roberts said she had worked in Roanoke County and in Montgomery County with
several principals. She noted that Mr.
Wonson is one of the most personable principals she has known and stated that
he is visible in the hallways. Ms.
Roberts said Mr. Wonson had been in her classroom three to four times this
year. She portrayed that the special
education staff and regular education staff have been brought closer together
because of Mr. Wonson.
John
Overton supported a review of the process to ensure that all sides have a voice
in this matter. He said the welfare of
the students should be considered foremost in this decision. Mr. Overton said he would respect the final
decision if the process were fair.
Josh
Ferrier, student, said Mr. Wonson called him by not only his name but by his
nickname as well. Josh stated that Mr.
Wonson was a friend to the students and really worked hard to make sure they
felt safe.
Patrick
McGinnis, parent, referenced an issue involving a student and drugs. He said this student was allowed to re-enter
school after first semester in direct contradiction to policy. Mr. McGinnis acknowledged that the School
Board would not respond to his question during this section of the agenda
(public address). However, he did
request that someone get back to him in regard to this matter.
Soule Wellons, special education teacher at Blacksburg High School (BHS), voiced displeasure about the fact that Dave Petersen was not selected as principal for BHS. She said a disservice had been done to the faculty of BHS when someone from outside the system was selected over Mr. Petersen to fill this position. Ms. Wellons purported that input was solicited from BHS staff and then discounted.
Item 06/05-112 Personnel Report: On motion by Ms. Franklin,
seconded
by Dr. Hopkins, 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-A14.
Item 06-05-113 Payment of Bills: On motion by Dr. Hopkins,
seconded by Dr. Eckel, the Board unanimously
voted to approve the bills as presented.
Operating
Fund:
Utilities,
6/9/05 Ck. Nos. 432067-432092 $911,141.81
Bills,
6/21/05 Ck. Nos. 432093-432474 $610,448.28
Item
06/05-114 Consent Items: The following items were approved by
general consent:
Field Trip: Marching band students
from Blacksburg High School to travel to Concord College in Athens, West
Virginia, on July 31 through August 4, 2005.
Students will travel via parents.
Accommodations are to be provided in the college dormitories. The cost per student is $200.
Grants:
a.
Jumpstart
Program at Auburn Elementary School (AES): A grant to continue
the Jumpstart program at AES. The
program includes a series of four evening meetings held each spring, which
encourage reading at home and help current and upcoming kindergarten students
and their families become familiar with the AES facility and programs.
b.
Building a
Community of Readers: A grant to provide 50 at-risk Eastern
Montgomery High School students with the opportunity to attend the Green Valley
Book Fair and purchase books of their choice.
Item 06/05-112, Item 06/05-113, and Item
06/05-114
Cancellation of the Following Checks:
Check # Payable To Dated Amount
426964 Sheraton
Richmond West Hotel 9/28/04 237.38
Supervisor
could not go
427705 Education
Center, Inc. 11/10/04 33.90
Duplicate
Payment
427224 Virginia
Assoc. for Gifted 10/12/04 2900.00
Returned
by vendor-check was
reissued
429284 Pediatric
Developmental Clinic 1/24/05 570.00
Duplicate
Payment
430002 Williamsburg
Hospitality House 2/18/05 88.90
Supervisor
could not go
431097 Pryor
Resources, Inc. 4/26/05 179.00
Vendor
wanted check payable
to
Fred Pryor Seminars
431171 New
York Marriott Marquis 4/26/05 1000.00
Hotel
would not accept check
after
they told teacher it would
be
okay
432005 Teacher
Created Resources 5/31/05 160.95
Check
was written to wrong
vendor
– reissued to Teacher
Created
Materials
School Nutrition Checks to be Cancelled:
1509 Christiansburg
Printing Co. 9/22/04 102.50
Check
written to wrong vendor,
Should
have been Christiansburg
Cash
Register
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations and
Announcements
Item
06/05-115 Discussion of District F Vacancy
(Discussion/Possible
Action): There was no need to
discuss this item since Susan Morikawa was appointed earlier in the meeting.
The School Board agreed to move Item
06/05-126 up on the agenda so that Item 06/05-115 and 06/05-126 could be
discussed consecutively.
Item 06/05-114 (Continued) and Item 06/05-115
Item
06/05-126 Resolution for Petition of Writ for Special
Election
(Action): In view of Douglas
Eckel’s intention to resign his position of School Board member representing
Election District F effective July 1, 2005, Brad King explained that the School
Board is required to petition the Circuit Court of Montgomery County to issue a
Writ of Election within 15 days of the occurrence of the vacancy.
On motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mrs.
North, the School Board unanimously approved the Resolution for Petition for
Writ of Election.
This resolution is attached and made a part
of these minutes as pages B1-B2.
Item
06/05-116 Exploring K-12 Teaching – The Environment
and Emerging
Technologies Grant Proposal (Action): Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mr.
Jones, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the Exploring K-12 Teaching –
The Environment and Emerging Technologies Grant Proposal.
Item
06/05-117 Teacher Salary Scale Longevity Supplement FY
2005-06
(Action): The School Board discussed the fact that teachers at the top
of the salary scale currently receive an increase of only $844 or 1.73%.
On motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs.
North, the Board voted unanimously to approve a $200 longevity supplement for
teachers at the 30 plus step on the scale for FY 2005-2006.
Item
06/05-118 Shawsville Elementary School – School
Improvement Plan
(Action): On motion by Mrs.
North, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the School Board unanimously voted to approve
Shawsville Elementary School’s School Improvement Plan for 2005-2008.
Item 06/05-126 and Items 06/05-116-118
Item
06/05-119 Pilot Before and After School Care Program at
GLES
and HAES (Information): Dr.
Anderson spoke about the fact that the Y-Zone will not be operating during the
upcoming year at GLES and will not be expanding to HAES as planned. She talked to the Board about investigating
the possibility of piloting an academic adventure zone at GLES and HAES that
would be operated by the school system. Dr. Anderson stressed that plans may
not be in place to make this program operational by this school year if this
program is deemed to be feasible for the school division. Several Board members questioned programs
that are operating in other elementary schools in the district and the fees
parents are paying for those programs.
On motion by Mrs. North, seconded by Dr.
Eckel, the Board unanimously directed Dr. Anderson to proceed with a
feasibility study relating to the possibility of piloting an academic adventure
zone at GLES and HAES.
Item 06/05-120 Foreign
Language Textbook Adoption (Action):
Mr.
Jones moved, seconded by Mrs. North, and the
Board voted unanimously to adopt the following foreign language texts:
French McDougal Littell
German Holt, Rinehart, & Winston
Latin Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Spanish Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Item 06/05-121 K-3
Social Studies Textbook Adoption (Action):
On
motion by Mrs. North, seconded by Mr. Jones,
the Board voted unanimously to adopt the following K-3 Social Studies
textbooks:
Five Ponds Press
Harcourt School Publishers
Houghton Mifflin
Pearson/Scott Foresman
Item
06/05-122 Graduation
Status (Information): Dr. Katherine
Rodgers, Assistant Superintendent, presented a report showing that 562 students
graduated from Montgomery County Public Schools during the 2004-2005 school
year. The
Item
06/05-119-122
report also outlined the types of diplomas
that the students received. Dr. Rodgers
noted that only one student failed to graduate from Montgomery County Public
Schools due to insufficient verified credits. She pointed out that this student
is enrolled in “Middle College” at New River Community College and plans to
either re-take the SOL tests or work toward a GED.
Item
06/05-123 NCLB Application (Action): Dr. Rodgers reviewed the
individual program applications as follows:
NCLB
Purpose: To increase achievement by …
·
Title I –
Meeting the needs of educationally disadvantaged students
·
Title IIA –
Improving teacher and administrator quality; increasing the number of Highly
Qualified (HQ) teachers and administrators; lowering PTR
·
Title IID –
Integrating technology into instruction; ensuring technology-literate students
·
Title III –
Meeting needs of Limited English Proficient learners
·
Title IVA –
Providing Safe and Drug-Free Learning Environments
·
Title V –
Supporting Innovative Programs (Media Materials)
Title IIA Objectives
·
PTR 18:1 or
lower in K-2
·
Recruit, hire,
and maintain HQ professional and paraprofessional employees
·
Staff
development in reading and social studies (new adoptions)
·
Reduce
achievement gaps for AYP subgroups (Data not yet available)
Student Achievement Needs
(Preliminary SOL Results for All Students)
·
Belview
Elementary – All Core Areas
·
Shawsville
Elementary – Reading and Math (May Make Safe Harbor)
·
AMS – English,
Math
Item 06/05-122 (Continued) and Item 06/05-123
·
CMS – History
·
SMS – English
(May Make Safe Harbor) and History