May
15, 2007
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of a work session.
Board Members Present
Penny J. Franklin, Chair W. Wat Hopkins
Jamie M. Bond B. Wendell Jones (7:30 p.m.)
David G. Dunkenberger, II Susan K. Morikawa
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Nancy L. Ballinger Rochelle
Judith K. Barylske Walter L. Shannon
Daniel A. Berenato Patricia Talbot
Kathy A. Duncan Jeanette R. Warwick
Patricia A. Gaudreau Laura Williams
Harvey C. Goodwin Sharon J. Zuckerwar
Lisa R.
McAlexander Brad King, Attorney
Mark J. Pasier
Call
to Order
Ms.
Franklin called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag
at 7:00 p.m.
Adoption
of Agenda
On motion by Mr. Dunkenberger, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.
Closed Session
Mrs. Morikawa
moved, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, and the Board voted unanimously to enter
into a closed meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of
Virginia at 7:01 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.
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
Mrs.
Morikawa moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to open session at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Mrs. Bond, 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 Susan K. Morikawa
David
G. Dunkenberger, II Penny J. Franklin,
Chair
W.
Wat Hopkins
B. Wendell Jones abstained from voting as he
was not present for the closed session.
_________________________ May
15, 2007
Deputy
Clerk of the Montgomery Date
County
School Board
Continuing
the commitment of recognizing student achievement and accomplishments, eight
new “Senior of the Month” selections have been made by high school principals
in Montgomery County. Their activities
reflect the full range of opportunities in the school division, ranging from
fine arts to vocational experiences to athletic accomplishments. The four students for May and June are:
May
Auburn High School Ian Alexander Burton
Blacksburg High School Emma Louise Hileman
Christiansburg High School Tia Briana Greene
Eastern Montgomery High School Jennifer Joy Wahlberg
June
Auburn High School Camron Michael Withrow
Blacksburg High School Hayley Margaret Rhodes
Christiansburg High School Ada Sue Myers
Eastern Montgomery High School Hillary Ann Linkous
The
following students were recognized as National History Day State Runner-ups and
will proceed to national competition:
Historical
Paper – Junior Division
Second
Place
Cheyenne
Pierce
Auburn
Middle School
Group
Documentary – Junior Division
Second
Place
Lucy
Britt
Wilson
Hammett
Blacksburg
High School
The
School Board also recognized coaches Marti Hale and Shpresa Mykerezi.
Margaret
Beeks Elementary School and Price’s Fork Elementary School were recognized for
being named Title I Distinguished Schools by the Virginia Department of
Education.
The School Board recessed at 7:56 p.m. and reconvened at 8:10 p.m.
Alan Mandzak talked about poor planning in the facilities department and the costs being incurred by the school division as a result of the specific instances he cited. He said bids should be properly advertised, and sole source contracting should no longer be permitted.
Julie Snyder, Auburn Middle School parent, urged the School Board to move forward on capital projects where funds are available to complete those projects. She referred to information in the DeJong report when stating that the Riner community has the potential to grow by 10% in the near future, which is greater than other communities being considered for school construction. Ms. Snyder acknowledged that needs at Price’s Fork and Shawsville are great but urged the Board to act in the Auburn community if funds are available now to address the needs of that community.
Item 05/07-98 Personnel
Report: On motion by Dr.
Hopkins, seconded by Mr. Dunkenberger, 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-A7.
Item
05-07-99 Payment of Bills: On motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, the Board unanimously voted
to approve the bills as presented.
Operating Fund:
Bills, 05/15/07, Ck. Nos. 443759-444002,
$241,505.32
Utilities, 5/15/07, Ck. Nos. 444003-444044, $209,958.68
Cafeteria:
Bills,
05/08/07, Ck. Nos. 2253-2266, $71,489.90
Work Session
Mrs. Bond moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, and
the Board voted unanimously to enter a work session at 8:20 p.m.
Item
05/07-100 Efficiency Study Results: Mr. John
Ringer, Acting Assistant Director with the Virginia Department of Planning and
Budget, presented an overview of the School Efficiency Review of Montgomery
County Public Schools (MCPS). He noted
that the purpose of the efficiency review was to identify ways that MCPS could
realize cost savings in non-instructional areas in order to redirect those
funds toward classroom activities that encourage the increased efficiency and
effectiveness of MCPS; increase public confidence that MCPS is using resources
wisely; and increase parental satisfaction with MCPS performance. Mr. Ringer
shared the following commendations while noting that MCPS was compared to
Augusta, Fauquier, Rockingham, York, and Frederick County Schools in this
study:
·
The
superintendent has developed numerous internal and external advisory groups to
assist in enhancing communication;
·
MCPS and the
Montgomery County Board of Supervisors have renovated a joint facility for the
administration of both organizations;
·
MCPS is
commended for having a grants office that actively targets and seeks grant
funding and for managing grant funds efficiently;
·
MCPS is
commended for its warehouse management and the efficiency with which it
competitively procures, manages, and distributes those items most commonly used
by the school division;
·
MCPS has
decreased the number of days that teachers are absent from their teaching
responsibilities;
·
Auburn
Elementary School and MCPS are commended for implementing a successful and
effective program through a partnership with Radford University to the mutual
benefit of both entities;
Item 05/07-99 (Continued) and Item 05/07-100
·
MCPS has an
aggressive recruitment plan for the hiring of teachers;
·
MCPS has
implemented an effective on-line job applicant management system;
·
MCPS has
implemented an automated SubFinder system to obtain substitutes for teachers and
teacher aides;
·
The maintenance
and operation of facilities are accomplished in an efficient and effective
manner in order to provide a safe and secure environment that supports the
educational program and utilizes the school division’s resources efficiently;
·
MCPS has a
well-established energy conservation management program that continues today
thanks to strong leadership and dedicated staff;
·
The
transportation department operates a financially efficient operation and staff
overwhelmingly approve of the transportation services; and
·
MCPS has been
consistently successful in receiving annual e-rate funding to substantially
subsidize the costs of telecommunications and Internet services.
Key recommendations as presented by Mr.
Ringer are seen below:
·
Establish
planning, policy, budget and finance, and community relations standing
committees of the Board in addition to ad hoc committees;
·
Change the role
of the director of management services to the assistant superintendent for
administrative services to include responsibility for the human resources,
finance, business, facilities, transportation, nutrition, and technology
departments;
·
Hire a director
of secondary education and a director of elementary education, requiring the
building principals and appropriate curriculum supervisors to report to a
director of education;
·
Document the
entire budget process in a policies and procedures manual and immediately begin
cross-training another finance department employee;
·
Provide monthly
budget-to-expenditure reports to the School Board;
Item 05/07-100 (Continued)
·
Update the
School Activity Fund Manual and Internal Control Procedures, provide annual
training to bookkeepers, and increase oversight over bookkeepers, to include
site visits;
·
Initiate a
division-wide purchasing card program for purchases of less than $1,000 to
reduce costs and to improve purchasing efficiency;
·
Change the
policy of providing “free” supplies and replace this with a budget for each
school and department for all major supplies;
·
Review MCPS
course offerings and teacher assignments at the high schools to improve the
division’s capacity to meet the priority goals set by the Board, and review the
pupil/teacher ratio and class size goals for grades K-3 to ensure that the
educational benefits are sufficient to merit the additional cost to meet Board
goals;
·
Post all human
resources forms and handbooks for new employees on the human resources Web
site;
·
Conduct a
survey of classified employees to determine reasons for attrition;
·
Analyze teacher
salaries in relation to the competition and make adjustments as appropriate and
as budgets allow;
·
Develop
division level activities to ensure that certified and classified employees
have regular professional development activities;
·
Conduct
post-occupancy reviews upon completion of major facility renovations or new
construction projects;
·
Sell the
modular classrooms that are not needed for the current student enrollment;
·
End the
practice of moving students with disciplinary problems onto exclusive student
buses;
·
Enforce the
Board policy on student walking distance;
·
Develop a
formal process for regularly monitoring and reporting on technology activities
such as Internet (Web) performance, usage, and transport limitations;
·
Negotiate a
longer discounted copier rental term under the Commonwealth of Virginia’s
contract;
·
Reduce MCPS
food costs to an industry standard of 36 percent of total revenue;
Item 05/07-100 (Continued)
·
Reduce staff at
schools where staff hours are above best practice levels; and
·
Charge all
appropriate direct and indirect costs to the school nutrition fund.
Mr. Ringer noted that this report contains
recommendations, not mandates. However,
he did mention a stipulation that 50% of the recommendations must be
implemented or 50% of the savings must be realized in order for MCPS to avoid
having to reimburse the state for a portion of the cost of the report. He
stressed that the superintendent and Board must decide which recommendations to
implement and in what order they will be implemented.
At this point, Dr. Anderson presented an
action plan for the Board’s review that outlined the recommendations within the
efficiency study and proposed an estimated completion date for items the
superintendent and other administrators felt could be addressed. Other items
identified within the study that administrators felt were not viable
recommendations were also listed. During this meeting, Dr. Anderson reviewed
only the items with 2007 completion dates. School Board members were asked to
review the complete listing along with the report they received at this meeting
for discussion at an upcoming School Board meeting when information will be
presented by individual departments.
Return to Regular Session
Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Dr. Hopkins,
and the Board voted unanimously to return to regular session at 9:36 p.m.
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations and
Announcements
Item
05/07-101 Efficiency Study Organizational Chart
(Action): In response to some of the suggested changes in the efficiency
study, Dr. Anderson proposed making the following changes to the MCPS
organizational chart:
Walt Shannon, current Director of Management
Services, would become assistant superintendent for administrative services;
and
Item 05/07-100
(Continued) and Item 05/07-101
Since Dr. Talbot (who conducted professional
development for elementary schools) has submitted her resignation, Dr. Anderson
proposed replacing that position with a director of elementary education and
having one of the curriculum supervisors lead the professional development
effort. Dr. Anderson pointed out that
there would be minimal impact to the budget as a result of the proposed changes
to positions since one position would have been eliminated from the budget
(Patti Talbot’s).
Dr. Anderson said this item was listed as an
action item for this meeting but should have been listed simply as an
information item. She indicated that
the item would reappear on the June 5 agenda as an action item for formal
approval of the personnel items mentioned.
Item
05/07-102 Youth Behavior Surveys (Action): Jeanette Warwick, Assistant Superintendent,
talked about the surveys available to gather information that the school
district needs from students and what information would be garnered from each
of those surveys. Laura Williams, Grant
Writer, confirmed that additional questions could be added to the surveys for
an additional cost. She also noted that the Pride R and R survey would meet the
needs of the division. Board members
were interested in gathering information in the following areas, which were not
addressed within this Pride survey:
Bullying
Sexual Behaviors
Suicide and
Depression
Nutrition and
Exercise
After discussing this issue further, Board
members agreed to disseminate one survey in the fall and one survey in the
spring. It was agreed that the first
survey would be the Pride R and R survey, and the next survey would be a survey
that could address some of the other issues identified by the Board.
On motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Dr.
Hopkins, the Board voted unanimously to approve the use of the Pride R and R
survey.
Item 05/07-101
(Continued) and Item 05/07-102
Item
05/07-103 Fiscal
Year 2007-2008 Budget Appropriation (Action): Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Mr. Jones, and the Board
unanimously voted to approve the request for an appropriation of the FY
2007-2008 budget by the Board of Supervisors.
Item
05/07-104 Supplemental
Appropriation (Action): On
motion by Mrs. Morikawa, seconded by Mr. Jones, and unanimously approved, the
School Board authorized a request to the Board of Supervisors for a
supplemental appropriation to the 2006-2007 School Operating Budget, Code
610000, Instruction, in the amount of $521,847.
Unfinished Business By School Board Members
There was no
unfinished business.
New Business By School Board Members
Mr. Jones distributed a sheet identifying suggested improvements to t