October 5, 2004
The
Montgomery County School Board met on the above date at the administrative
building at 6:30 p.m. for the purpose of a regular business meeting.
Board Members Present
Tacy L. Newell, Chair Richard J. Johnson
Penny J. Franklin B. Wendell Jones
W. Wat Hopkins Mary Hayne North
Staff Members Present
James Sellers, Interim Superintendent
Judith K. Barylske Anita P. Johnston
Daniel A. Berenato Katherine M. Rodgers
Sandra Z. Colman Judith B. Rutherford
Harvey
C. Goodwin Walter L. Shannon
Call to Order
Ms.
Newell called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to the flag at
6:30 p.m.
Adoption of Agenda
Mr. Johnson moved,
seconded by Mrs. North, and the Board voted unanimously to adopt a revised
agenda adding a legal matter during closed session. After much discussion by the Board about the legal matter, it was
determined that the Board would not discuss a legal matter during closed
session.
Closed
Session
Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mrs.
North, and the Board voted unanimously to enter into a closed meeting pursuant
to Section 2.2-3711(A) of the Code of Virginia at 6:31 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
Mr. Jones moved, seconded by Mrs.
North, and the Board voted unanimously to return to open session at 7:30 p.m.
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mr.
Johnson, and the Board unanimously 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 B. Wendell Jones
W. Wat Hopkins Mary Hayne North
Richard J. Johnson Tacy L. Newell, Chair
_______________________________ October
5, 2004
Clerk of the Montgomery Date
County School Board
Mrs. North moved, seconded
by Mr. Johnson, and the Board voted unanimously to expel Student B from MCPS.
Brian
Walsh, a parent, voiced his concern about special education procedures and a
conflict with volunteers during the school day.
Quentin
Birch, a parent, asked Board members to reconsider the school division’s
volunteer policy so that his son might receive tutoring during the school day
from an established provider.
Regina
Hammond, a parent, expressed her concern about the school division’s volunteer
policy.
Dan
Gallagher, a parent, said he supports the need for his children to have access
to a tutor during the school day.
Item 10/04-211 Personnel
Report: Mrs. North moved,
seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the
personnel report as presented.
This report is attached and made a part
of these minutes as pages A1-A6.
Item
10/04-212 Payment
of Bills: Mrs.
North moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to
approve the bills as presented.
Operating
Fund:
Utilities,
09/27/04 Ck. Nos.
426763-426784, $84,405.16
Utilities,
09/28/04 Ck. Nos.
426785-427011, $438,986.69
Payroll, 09/10/04, supp. Ck.
Nos. 40712-40719, VOID
Ck. Nos.
40720-40721, $35,264.28
Fixed
Charges, 09/10/04 Ck. Nos.
40722-40726, $2,628.38
Payroll,
09/30/04, Ck. Nos. 40727-40729,
VOID
Ck. Nos.
40730-40758, $3,984,993.89
Fixed
Charges, 09/30/04 Ck. Nos.
40759-40834, $1,197,351.22
Item 10/04-211 and Item 10/04-212
Cafeteria:
Bills, 09/22/04 Ck.
Nos. 1507-1528, $101,563.42
Payroll,
09/30/04, Ck. Nos. 4126-4128, VOID
Ck. Nos. 4129-4130, $133,108.94
Fixed
Charges, 09/30/04 Ck. Nos. 4131-4153, $27,771.05
Item 10/04-213 Consent Items: The following items were approved by general consent:
1.
Minutes:
Minutes from the September 7, 2004 regular session.
2.
Donations:
a.
Dee Nichols to donate a Gateway computer and HP printer to Belview Elementary
School.
b.
Bob Pierce of PACE LOCAL 2-0002 to donate school supplies to
Christiansburg High School (CHS).
3.
Field
Trips:
a.
The art guild at CHS to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on November
16, 2004. Students will travel via
chartered bus. No accommodations are
needed. The cost per student is $30.
b.
Seventh
grade students at Blacksburg Middle School (BMS) to travel to Asheville, North
Carolina, on November 9, 2004. Students
will travel via chartered bus. No
accommodations are needed. The cost per student is $35.
c.
Seventh
grade students at BMS to travel to Asheboro, North Carolina, on October 13,
2004. Students will travel via
chartered bus. No accommodations are
needed. The cost per student is $30.
d.
Cosmetology
students at Blacksburg High School (BHS) to travel to Charlotte, North
Carolina, on October 25, 2004. Students
will travel by school bus. No
accommodations are needed. The cost per
student is $40.
Item 10/04-212 (Continued) and Item 10/04-213
e.
Marketing
students at Eastern Montgomery High School (EMHS) to travel to Charlotte, North
Carolina, on November 6, 2004. Students
will travel via chartered bus. No
accommodations are needed. The cost per
student is $70.
f.
Biology
students at BHS to travel to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on November 1, 2004. Students will travel via chartered bus. No accommodations are needed. The cost per student is $33.
g.
Students
at Wilson Avenue to travel to Bozoo, West Virginia, on October 22, 2004. Students will travel via county car. No accommodations are needed. There is no cost for students.
4.
Grants:
a.
The Great Imaginary
Field Trips (GIFT) Project at Christiansburg Primary School (CPS): A grant to fund a vocabulary development project
for CPS students in grades K-2.
Teachers and volunteers will use non-fiction books and conversation to
help at-risk students experience places they may never have had a chance to
visit.
b.
After School
Homework Club at Price’s Fork Elementary School (PFES): A grant to continue funding for a bi-weekly
after-school homework club that helps fourth and fifth graders develop study
skills and enhance academic achievement.
c.
Christiansburg
Elementary School (CES) and Elliston Lafayette Elementary School (ELES) Roanoke
Symphony Artists-In-Residence:
A grant to continue an Artists-In-Residence project at ELES and CES. The program enriches the music curriculum by
providing a five-day residency at each school by a musical ensemble from the
Roanoke Symphony.
Item
10/04-213 (Continued)
d.
The
Dream Team at BMS: A grant to develop leadership skills in a
group of 30 at-risk BMS students. The
program emphasizes goal setting, team building, and personal responsibility
through bi-weekly activities including journal writing, mentoring, field trips,
family involvement, and community service.
5.
Cancellation of Checks: Approval
to cancel the following checks:
Check # Date Amount Payable
To Issued By
424770 05/25/04 $
155.00 Staff Dev. for Edu. Reg. Operating
425750 07/07/04 $261,055.75 SunTrust Bank Reg.
Operating
425873 07/28/04 $
1,184.25 Innovation First Reg. Operating
426361 08/30/04 $ 36,669.00 Key Industries Reg.
Operating
Item
10/04-214 Evaluation
of Superintendent Search Firms (Information/Possible Action):
The Board evaluated the six Requests for Proposal (RFP) responses
received from superintendent search firms.
Mr.
Jones moved, seconded by Ms. Franklin, and the Board voted unanimously to
proceed in negotiating with Ray and Associates and Hockaday-Hunter and Associates
for the superintendent search.
Ms. Newell reminded Board members
about the conference call scheduled with the Virginia School Boards Association
(VSBA) on October 7, 2004 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Item
10/04-215 Elliston
Lafayette Elementary School (ELES) and Price’s Fork Elementary School (PFES)
Projects (Information/Discussion):
Dan Berenato, Director of Facilities, reviewed the building profiles and
options for renovation/construction at ELES and PFES.
Item
10/04-213 (Continued), Item 10/04-214, and Item 10/04-215
Dr.
Sellers told Board members that Clay Goodman, County Administrator, would be
gathering information on land purchase options in the two school areas for the
School Board’s consideration. He added
that the next steps would be to receive information from Mr. Goodman to develop
cost estimates, to receive community input, and to provide the School Board
with recommendations with regard to the two schools. Mr. Jones suggested a site visit to each school.
Item 10/04-216 Right-of-Way Easement at Christiansburg Middle School (CMS) from American Electric Power (Information): Mr. Berenato provided the Board with information on an American Electric Power right-of-way at the new CMS.
Item 10/04-217 Request for an Increase in Special Education
Staff (Action): Dr. Sellers
told Board members that five additional full-time instructional assistants and
a .7 teacher are needed to serve students with Individualized Education Plans
(IEPs). He said flow through dollars
would be used to fund the positions.
Ms. Franklin moved, seconded by Mrs. North,
and the Board voted unanimously to approve the hiring of five instructional
assistants and a .7 teacher for special education to be funded with flow
through dollars.
Item 10/04-218 Montgomery County Capital Improvement Program
(CIP) New Project Submissions (Information/Discussion): Mr. Berenato reviewed the Montgomery County
Capital Improvement Program and presented a proposed listing of projects. Board members made suggestions with regard
to priorities on the list. Dr. Sellers
said the administration would work on updating the list and bring it back for
the Board’s consideration at the next School Board meeting.
Item 10/04-215 (Continued)
and Items 10/04-216-218
Item 10/04-219 Scheduling of a Special Meeting
(Discussion/Possible Action): By consensus, the Board scheduled a special
session on October 12, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss superintendent search
issues.
Item 10/04-220 Announcements/Calendar for October (Information): Dr. Sellers informed the Board about a bomb threat at Christiansburg Middle School.
Old Business By School Board Members
Board members debated the issue of closed sessions versus open sessions with regard to meetings concerning the superintendent search. Dr. Hopkins stated that the public deserves to know the basis for the Board’s decision to spend public funds. Ms. Newell said she would consult with the School Board Attorney about the issue.
New Business By School Board Members
Mr. Johnson said he is not familiar with the issue brought before the Board during public address regarding volunteers and would like more information. Katherine Rodgers, Assistant Superintendent, explained that parents are requesting that a private vendor be allowed to teach their children the Wilson method of reading during the school day. She said this is a paid service rather than a volunteer service. Dr. Rodgers noted that the School Board Attorney has advised the school division against the practice of allowing private vendors access during the school day. She said the school division also has teachers trained in the Wilson method of reading who can assist students.
Agenda Preparation
October 19, 2004 Recognition
of Adam Leslie, MCPS Teacher of the Year
ELES/PFES Projects
Scheduling
of Budget Meeting Dates and Proposed Public Hearing Dates (Budget and/or
ELES/PFES issues)
Update on September 30 Enrollment
10/04-219
and Item 10/04-220
On
motion by Ms. Franklin, seconded by Mr. Jones, and passed unanimously, the meeting
adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
_________________________ ____________________ _
School Board Chair Clerk of the School
Board