March 6, 2007

 

The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 6:45 p.m. for the purpose of a regular session.

 

Board Members Present

          Penny J. Franklin, Chair          B. Wendell Jones

          Jamie M. Bond                Amy U. Lythgoe

          David G. Dunkenberger, II    Susan K. Morikawa

          W. Wat Hopkins

 

Staff Members Present

Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent

Daniel A. Berenato           Carol Reynolds

Christine C. Burton          Walter L. Shannon

Christina T. Gilley          Patricia Talbot

Harvey C. Goodwin            Jeanette R. Warwick

Anita P. Johnston            Laura Williams

Betti C. Kreye               Sharon J. Zuckerwar

Mark J. Pasier               Brad King, Attorney

 

                   Call to Order

Ms. Franklin called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at 6:45 p.m.

 

                        Adoption of Agenda

On motion by Mrs. Morikawa, seconded by Mr. Jones, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.

 

Closed Session

Mr. Dunkenberger moved, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, and the Board voted unanimously to enter into a closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia at 6:46 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.

 

Return to Open Session and Certification

­­­­­­­­­­­­Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and the Board voted unanimously to return to open session at 7:30 p.m.

 

Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, 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:     Jamie M. Bond                Amy U. Lythgoe

              David G. Dunkenberger, II    Susan K. Morikawa

              W. Wat Hopkins               Penny J. Franklin, Chair

              B. Wendell Jones

             

 

              _________________________             March 6, 2007

              Clerk of the Montgomery                Date

              County School Board

 

Action

Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and the Board voted five to two to expel student A from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Voting in favor were Dr. Hopkins, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Lythgoe, Mrs. Morikawa, and Ms. Franklin.  Voting against were Mrs. Bond and Mr. Dunkenberger.

 

Public Address

Brownie Cauley, vice president of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), urged the Board to support a week of spring break in the school calendar to boost the morale of educators in the school division.

 

Karen Trear, a member of the MCEA and a member of the calendar committee, asked the Board to try something new with the calendar by implementing a week of spring break.  Ms. Trear said this request has been made every year, and there is overwhelming support in school buildings for a longer spring break.

 

Nancy Rooker, a MCPS parent, expressed her satisfaction with services provided by the Phoenix Center. Ms. Rooker thanked Board members for allowing her son back in school since this enabled him to join the Marines.

 

Item 03/07-36 Personnel Report:  On motion by Mr. Dunkenberger, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, the Board unanimously voted to approve the personnel report with an addendum. 

 

The personnel report is attached and made a part of the minutes as pages A1-A3.

 

Item 03-07-37 Payment of Bills:  On motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, the Board unanimously voted to approve the bills as presented. 

 

Operating Fund:

Utilities, 02/21/07,    Ck. Nos. 442355-442379,       $217,668.86

 

     Bills, 03/06/07,        Ck. Nos. 442380-442591,       $198,952.40

 

     Utilities, 03/06/07,    Ck. Nos. 442592-442610,       $234,515.64

 

Payroll, 02/06/07, supp.     Ck. Nos. 43998-44006,           $3,476.73

 

Fixed Charges, 02/06/07,     Ck. No.  44007,                   $272.94

 

Item 03/07-36 and Item 03/07-37

 

Payroll, 02/28/07,      Ck. Nos. 44008-44023,       $4,624,536.50

 

Fixed Charges, 02/28/07,     Ck. Nos. 44024-44106,       $1,611,311.16

 

Cafeteria:

Payroll, 02/28/07,      Ck. Nos. 4862-4863,           $135,464.53

 

Fixed Charges, 02/28/07,     Ck. Nos. 4864-4888,            $33,543.46

 

Item 03/07-38 Consent Items:  The following items were approved by general consent:

 

1.              Minutes: Minutes from the January 23, 2007 budget work session and the February 6, 2007 regular session.

 

2.              Field Trips:

a.              MCPS robotics students at Auburn High School (AHS), Blacksburg High School (BHS), and Christiansburg High School (CHS) to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, on April 12-15, 2007.  Students will travel via charter bus.  Accommodations are to be provided by the Holiday Inn Airport in North Atlanta.  The cost per student is $150.

 

b.              The BHS track and field team to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 20-21, 2007.  Students will travel via school bus.  Accommodations are to be provided by the Knoxville Hilton.  The cost per student is $35.

 

c.              Eighth grade students at Blacksburg Middle School (BMS) to travel to Washington, D.C., on May 24-26, 2007.  Students will travel via charter bus.  Accommodations are to be provided by the Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.  The cost per student is $250.

 

3.   Grants:

a.              Belview Book Club: A grant to provide books to Belview students as part of an existing before-school Belview Book Club.  As part of the club, students listen to read-aloud books from 8:20-8:40 a.m. and receive personal copies of the books that are read to them. 

 

 

 

Item 03/07-37 (Continued) and Item 03/07-38

 

 

b.              Falling Branch Elementary School (FBES) After-School Bird Watching and Gardening Program: A grant to continue and expand a weekly after-school bird watching and gardening program for fifth grade students at FBES.

 

4.   Special Education Advisory Committee Appointment: To appoint a member to the Special Education Advisory Committee.

 

Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations and Announcements

Item 03/07-39 Healthy Fuel for Happy Feet Grant Proposal (Action): Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the Healthy Fuel for Happy Feet Grant Proposal.

 

Item 03/07-40 Service Learning Program Extension: Saving History at Price’s Fork Elementary School (PFES) Grant Proposal (Action): Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the Service Learning Program Extension: Saving History at Price’s Fork Elementary School (PFES) Grant Proposal.

 

Item 03/07-41 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Projects (Information/Action): Dan Berenato, Director of Facilities, told Board members that the Board of Supervisors has committed to providing approximately $98,900,000 for school construction/renovation projects over the next five years. Mr. Berenato added that the proceeds from the sale of Bethel, in the amount of $914,000, are available for facility projects and approximately $2 million remains for the BHS stadium.  He presented the Board with a planning, design, and construction plan for facility projects as follows:

             

 

Stadium $

Bethel $

FY 2008$

FY 2010$

FY 2012$

 

$2M

$914K

$31M

$27.9M

$40M

Air cond.

 

dc

 

 

 

AHS/AMS

 

 

p

dc

c

C’burg

 

 

p

dc

c

ELES

 

 

dc

c

 

PFES

 

 

dc

c

 

Stadium

dc

 

c

 

 

                 

P = planning      d = design  c = construction

             

 

Item 03/07-38 (Continued) and Items 03/07-39-41

 

              Mr. Berenato told Board members that funds could increase a little depending on tax assessments and if the School Board decides to surplus old Blacksburg Middle School for sale.

 

              Mr. Berenato said the administration is recommending that the funds from the sale of Bethel be used to air condition the buildings without air conditioning in the school division.  He stated that the air conditioning systems wouldn’t be full systems with ventilation but would be split units that would provide cool air (these units already exist in some schools).

 

              Mr. Berenato told Board members that the administration is proposing to design the two elementary schools using approximately the same floor plan (as was done with the new middle schools in Blacksburg and Christiansburg).

 

              Mrs. Lythgoe said she is highly in favor of using the Bethel proceeds for air conditioning.  Dr. Hopkins agreed and expressed support for approving, in concept, the funding plan presented by Mr. Berenato.

 

               Ms. Franklin noted that parking at Belview Elementary School is also a critical issue.  Dr. Anderson said the administration is looking at using year-end money to fund the parking at Belview.  Mr. Berenato told Board members that the administration would present the list of capital maintenance projects at the next meeting.

 

              Mr. Dunkenberger asked how much it would cost to finish the athletic facilities at Eastern Montgomery High School.  Mr. Berenato said it would cost around $50,000-$60,000 to finish the baseball facilities.

 

              Mr. Jones asked when information on the feasibility study would be completed.  Dr. Anderson said she hopes to present this at the second meeting in April.  Mrs. Morikawa inquired about the GIS study.  Mr. Berenato stated that the contract was awarded to DeJong and Associates yesterday.  He said the study should be complete by the end of June.

 

 

Item 03/07-41 (Continued)

 

              Mrs. Morikawa expressed concern that the Board is not looking at more long-term facility needs and is only looking at immediate and critical needs.  She stated that Board members are not considering future needs such as a career and technical education center.  Mrs. Morikawa said she is also concerned about vacant buildings in the division and not getting a good return on these buildings.  Dr. Hopkins stressed that the Board has talked about these issues in the past.  He said he doesn’t believe he could identify any greater needs than the ones proposed.

 

              Mr. Jones supported using the Bethel proceeds for air conditioning; however, he said he would like to use any excess funding for technology needs.  The Board agreed to discuss capital projects again when more information is available.

 

              Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, and the Board voted unanimously to utilize the proceeds from the sale of Bethel ($914,000) to air condition the un-air conditioned schools in the county.

 

              Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, and the Board voted unanimously to adopt the remainder of the capital-funding plan outlined by Mr. Berenato in slide #2 (planning, design, and construction plan referenced in the table above) as a plan for implementation in the district.

                  

Item 03/07-42 2007-2008 School Calendar (Action): Mark Pasier, Director of Human Resources, told Board members that the six-week grading periods for grades K-5 were changed to nine-week grading periods as a result of the Board’s direction at the last meeting. 

 

              Board members discussed the possibility of extending spring break to a week.

 

Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to adopt a 2007-2008 School Calendar that reduces winter break by one day, provides a full week for spring break (March 24-28, 2008), and begins school on August 21, 2007.

 

Item 03/07-41 (Continued) and Item 03/07-42

The Board then discussed the pros and cons of a full week of spring break and other issues with changing the calendar such as air conditioning and parent schedules.

 

The motion failed by a vote of two to five.  Voting in favor were Dr. Hopkins and Mr. Jones.  Voting against were Mrs. Bond, Mr. Dunkenberger, Mrs. Lythgoe, Mrs. Morikawa, and Ms. Franklin.

 

Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, and the Board voted six to one to approve the original draft of the calendar from the Board packet as the 2007-2008 School Calendar. Voting in favor were Mrs. Bond, Mr. Dunkenberger, Dr. Hopkins, Mrs. Lythgoe, Mrs. Morikawa, and Ms. Franklin.  Voting against was Mr. Jones.

 

Item 03/07-43 Special Education Position (Action): Dr. Anderson said the administration is requesting an additional full-time certified occupational therapy assistant to be funded using flow through dollars.

 

Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the hiring of an additional full-time certified occupational therapy assistant to be funded by flow through dollars.

               

Item 03/07-44 Policy 5-2.5: Hiring: Nepotism and Conflict of Interest Prohibitions (Second Reading): Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve Policy 5-2.5 as presented.

 

Dr. Hopkins proposed alternate language for the second paragraph of the policy.

 

Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, and the Board voted unanimously to replace the first underlined sentence in the policy with the wording, “It is not the practice of the Human Resources Department to assign family members to the same organizational unit, although such assignment is not prohibited and may be made if the assignment meets the needs of the organizational unit,”

 

Item 03/07-42 (Continued), Item 03/07-43, and Item 03/07-44

 

proposed by Dr. Hopkins, and to delete the sentence which reads “However, if the human resources department is unable to identify qualified candidates that are not family members to fill employment openings, the human resources department retains the right to assign staff in the manner that best meets the needs of the organizational unit” from the policy presented.

 

Mr. Pasier told Board members that he is clear about the revisions to the policy.  He added that he believes the human resources department will be able to apply the policy consistently within the school division.

 

The Board voted unanimously to approve Policy 5-2.5 as amended.

 

Item 03/07-45 Communities That Care Youth Survey (Action): Jeanette Warwick, Assistant Superintendent, told Board members that the administration is seeking approval from the School Board to conduct a youth behavior risk survey.  Mrs. Warwick said administering this survey would allow the school division to apply for a grant in partnership with New River Valley Community Services to cover the cost of administering the survey and analyzing the results.  She added that, if approved, the survey would be administered to tenth and twelfth grade students, although an opt-out form would be provided for parents who do not wish for their student to participate in the survey.

 

              Dr. Hopkins said he has a problem with this survey because it’s not well written.  He asked if the survey could be revised.  Rosemary Sullivan of New River Valley Community Services told Board members that the survey is nationally normed and cannot be revised but questions can be omitted.  Ms. Sullivan added that there are other surveys available but not all of them would allow the school division to apply for grant funding.

 

              Board members asked to see copies at the next meeting of all the surveys the administration considered and requested that a clear copy of the opscan form be included in the packet.

 

Item 03/07-44 (Continued) and Item 03/07-45

Item 03/07-46 Inclement Weather Procedures (Information): Dr. Anderson provided the Board with information on procedures followed by the administration during inclement weather. Mrs. Morikawa inquired about snow routes.  Walter Shannon, Director of Management Services, informed Board members that snow routes are used mostly in towns and cities (very populated areas).  Mr. Shannon said Montgomery County is a rural area, and snow routes would result in a lot of absenteeism on inclement weather days.

 

Item 03/07-47 Discussion of School Board Retreat (Action): The Board changed the School Board Retreat from March 16-17, 2007 to August 3-4, 2007.

 

Item 03/07-48 Announcements/Calendar for March (Information): Dr. Anderson had no announcements.

 

New Business By School Board Members

Mr. Jones stated that he would like a report from the Student Congress. Mrs. Warwick told the Board about the Student Congress activities taking place this year.

 

Mr. Jones asked about how the budget presentation to the Board of Supervisors went.  Ms. Franklin said there was only one question and it went well.

 

Ms. Franklin expressed her desire for the Board to seriously consider what to do about the drug and alcohol issues in the schools.  She said things are not getting any better.  Dr. Hopkins noted that the source of the problems must be found before steps are implemented to solve the problems.  Dr. Anderson briefed the Board on measures taken by the administration to address these issues.  She said the administration could present information at a future meeting.  Ms. Franklin stated that she would like a presentation on this information within the next couple of months.  Dr. Anderson told Board members she would place the item on the May 1 agenda.

 

Announcements/Information

Mrs. Bond reported on the Tiny Trotters event at CHS. 

 

 

 

Item 03/07-46, Item 03/07-47, and Item 03/07-48

 

 

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. on motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mrs. Lythgoe, and passed unanimously.

 

 

 

 

                                                                     

     School Board Chair               Clerk of the School Board