October
18, 2005
The Montgomery County School Board met on the above date in the administrative building at 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of a work session.
Board Members Present
Tacy L. Newell, Chair B. Wendell Jones (6:10
p.m.)
Penny J. Franklin Susan Morikawa
W. Wat Hopkins Mary Hayne North
Staff Members Present
Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent
Nancy L. Ballinger Carol Jennings
Judith K. Barylske Anita P. Johnston
Daniel A. Berenato Marilyn M. Session
Sandra Z. Colman Walter L. Shannon
Christina T. Gilley Jeanette R. Warwick
Harvey C. Goodwin Brad King, Attorney
Call
to Order
Ms.
Newell called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at
6:00 p.m.
Adoption
of Agenda
On motion by Mrs. North, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the agenda as presented.
Closed Session
Mrs. North 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
6:01 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.
Legal Matter: Consultation
with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to
actual or probable litigation, where such consultation or briefing 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.
Personnel Matter: 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.
North moved, seconded by Mrs. Morikawa, and the Board voted unanimously to
return to open session at 7:45 p.m.
Dr. Hopkins moved,
seconded by Mrs. North, 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: Penny J. Franklin Susan Morikawa
W.
Wat Hopkins Mary Hayne North
B.
Wendell Jones Tacy L. Newell, Chair
_________________________ October
18, 2005
Clerk
of the Montgomery Date
County
School Board
Action
Mrs. North moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to expel student A from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
Mrs. Morikawa moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted four to two to expel student B from MCPS. Voting in favor were Ms. Franklin, Mrs. Morikawa, Mrs. North, and Ms. Newell. Voting against were Dr. Hopkins and Mr. Jones.
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. North, and the Board voted unanimously to expel student C from MCPS.
Honors, Awards and Recognitions
Continuing
the commitment of recognizing student achievement and accomplishments, four 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 October are:
Auburn High School (AHS) Caitlin Elizabeth Wolf
Blacksburg High School (BHS) Matthew Paul Allen
Christiansburg High School (CHS) Natasha Hope Creasy
Eastern Montgomery High School (EMHS) Joshua Dwayne Burgess
Caitlin
Wolf, AHS Senior of the Month, could not attend the meeting and will be
recognized at the November work session.
Public Address
Gretchen Ninestein, a MCPS parent, expressed concern regarding the school nutrition program and children’s health issues. Ms. Ninestein said the school division should do more than just meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines.
Item 10/05-181 Personnel
Report: On motion by Dr.
Hopkins, seconded by Ms. Franklin, the Board unanimously voted to approve the
personnel report as presented.
Item 10/05-181
The
personnel report is attached and made a part of the minutes as pages A1-A3.
Item 10-05-182 Payment
of Bills: On motion by Dr.
Hopkins, seconded by Mrs. North, the Board unanimously voted to approve the
bills as presented.
Operating Fund:
Utilities,
09/06/05, Ck. Nos. 433742-433759, $112,774.64
Bills, 10/18/05, Ck. Nos. 433760-434010, $253,632.48
Work Session
Dr. Hopkins moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to enter a work session at 8:40 p.m.
Item 10/05-183 Report
on the Governor’s School: Nancy Ballinger, Supervisor of Gifted Education,
introduced MCPS students who are attending the Southwest Virginia Governor’s
School. The students provided the Board
with a presentation on their experiences this year at the governor’s school.
The School Board
recessed at 8:23 p.m. and reconvened at 8:40 p.m.
Item
10/05-184 Update on September 30 Enrollment:
Jeanette Warwick, Director of Instructional Services, reported to the Board
that the school division’s enrollment as of September 30 is 9,637 (including
preschool enrollment of 151 students).
Dan Berenato, Director of
Facilities, told Board members that the DeJong enrollment projections for this
year were high by 29 students.
The Board discussed the
feasibility of hiring DeJong to develop enrollment projections again this
year. Mrs. North expressed concern
about the possibility that the county is doing the same type of
projections. The Board directed Mr.
Berenato to research the matter. The
Board agreed to discuss the issue again at the next Board meeting.
Item
10/05-181 (Continued) and Items 10/05-182-184
Return to Regular Session
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. North,
and the Board voted unanimously to return to regular session at 8:55 p.m.
Superintendent’s Reports, Recommendations and
Announcements
Item
10/05-185 Discussion of Legal Issues Related to
Discrimination, Harassment, and the Student Code of Conduct
(Information/Discussion): Brad King, School Board Attorney, briefed the
Board regarding current policies and legal issues with regard to the
confederate flag insignia. Mr. King
suggested that the Board incorporate the procedure for complaints included in
the staff section into the student section as well. He said everyone should be educated about the policies in place
and how to use the procedures if they believe they have been discriminated
against.
Mr. King told Board members that
only where there has been a recent disruption, violent or otherwise, will the
courts uphold a ban on wearing the confederate flag insignia.
Ms. Franklin noted that it’s the
School Board’s duty to create an environment conducive to learning. She said when African-American students see
confederate flag symbols, it’s not conducive to their learning. Ms. Franklin stated that it’s wrong for
students to think that they have to get into a verbal or violent conflict for
the ban to be put in place.
Mrs. Morikawa expressed concern
that students may not report incidents.
The Board directed Mr. King to
cross-reference the procedures for discrimination, harassment, etc. in the
student section.
Dr. Hopkins said this seems like a
good topic for staff development. He
expressed that staff need to be trained on observable conduct and action to
take when incidents are observed.
Item 10/05-185
Item
10/05-186 Falling Branch Corporate Park Connector
Trail (Action):
Mrs. North moved, seconded by
Dr. Hopkins, and the Board voted five to one to approve the concept of the
Falling Branch Corporate Park Connector Trail as detailed with a recommendation
to the county administrator that the sheriff’s department be consulted to
determine whether a fence adjacent to the trail is required or prudent for
trespassing enforcement. Voting in
favor were Ms. Franklin, Dr. Hopkins, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Morikawa, and Mrs.
North. Voting against was Ms. Newell.
Ms. Newell said there might be constituents
in the district who are against the connector trail.
Item
10/05-187 Budget Calendar for 2006-2007 Fiscal Year
(Discussion/Possible Action): The Board agreed to follow the basic budget
calendar as presented.
Mrs. North moved, seconded by
Mr. Jones, and the Board voted unanimously to advertise for a public hearing on
the 2005-2006 School Operating Budget for November 15, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. at the
School Board Office.
Item 10/05-188 Field
Trip (Action): Mrs. North
moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board unanimously voted to approve a
field trip for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club at Christiansburg High
School to travel to Louisville, Kentucky, on October 26-29, 2005.
Item 10/05-189 Part-Time
Employee Benefit Plan Update (Information/Possible Action): Walt Shannon, Director
of Management Services, told Board members that the administration is
recommending that the Board approve an exception to the current Part-Time
Employee Benefit Plan to continue to provide the benefit to the employees
listed on page 31 of the Board packet who work less than 20 hours per week for
fiscal year 2005-2006.
Items
10/05-186-189
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Dr.
Hopkins, and the Board voted unanimously to approve an exception to the current
Part-Time Employee Benefit Plan to continue to provide the benefit to the
employees on page 31 of the Board packet who work less than 20 hours per week
for fiscal year 2005-2006.
Unfinished Business by School Board Members
Ms. Franklin
expressed concern that Christiansburg Elementary School (CES) and Christiansburg Primary School
(CPS) were mislabeled as “schools of choice” during the last school year. She said this was devastating to the schools
and it should be made public that a mistake was made.
Carol Jennings,
coordinator of testing, provided the Board with state reports showing that
CES/CPS should not have been labeled as “schools of choice.”
The Board
directed the administration to prepare a resolution regarding the mistake made
with regard to CES/CPS for the next School Board meeting.
New Business by School Board Members
Mr. Jones asked
the administration to look into a list serve capability such as the one the
county uses.
Announcements/Information
Dr. Anderson told
Board members that the principal at Belview Elementary School asked that she
relay to the Board that the incident that occurred last week at the school was
not precipitated by any conversation or dialogue with the parent.
Agenda Preparation
November 1,
2005 MCPS Comprehensive Plan – Biennial
Report and Adoption
Legislative Priorities
Recognition of Fully
Accredited Schools
November 15,
2005 Discussion of Drug and Alcohol
Issues
Discussion Regarding
Cancellation of December Work Session
Item 10/05-189 (Continued)
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m. on motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mrs.
North, and passed unanimously.
School Board Chair Clerk of the School Board