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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-20-2013_Work_Session-Special_MeetingI'd J ... E 0 r 911� rw " i ol ! o h " , ; 3497 North Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401 (208) 525-4400 Fax (208) 529-0104 www.d93scliools.org -l� pill v supctilO ,ndi lit Special MeetingitWork Session of the Board of Trustees Bridgewater Elementary School Media Center March 20, 2013 11:30 AM Call to Order Chairman Lords called the meeting to order at 11:50 a.m Roll Call Those Board members in attendance were Chairman Craig Lords, Vice-chairman Annette Winchester, Treasurer Kip Nelson, and Trustee Devere Hunt. Trustee Wendy Herman was excused. Others in attendance were Superintendent Chuck Shackett, Deputy Superintendent Marjean McConnell, Human Resources Director Shalene French, Director of Operations Todd Hicks, Director of Plant Facility/Purchasing Roger Hill, Health and Safety Coordinator Guy Bliesner, Energy Education Specialist Don Trauntvein, Director of Federal Programs Susan Searle, Technology/School Improvement Director Scott Woolstenhulme, Principal Doug McLaren, Principal John Pymrn, Food Service Manager Heather Plain, Principal Terri Beseris, Transportation Manager Karen Judy, Data Analyst Jodi Barnes, and Board Clerk Valerie Messick, Welcominq Deleaates and Visitors Amy Landers, Sam Hulse, and Renee Cook IV. AoDrove Trio Reauest Hillcrest High School French Club to travel to Montreal and Quebec City, Canada - March 25, 2013 to March 31, 2013 Chairman Lords asked if there would be any questions regarding this request. Mrs, Winchester asked if we can approve travel outside the United States. Are there any rules? Mr. McLaren responded that other clubs have gone out of the country but with a tour group. The club will hook up with tours in Quebec. Mr. McLaren assured the Board that insurance has been handled through kids and parents. It is well organized. Chairman Lords asked if there were any other questions. Hearing none, he asked if there would be a motion to approve or deny the Hillcrest High School French Club trip request. Motion: Kip Nelson made the motion to approve the Hillcrest High School French Club trip request as submitted. DeVere Hunt seconded. The vote was 4 in favor with 0 opposed and 0 abstentions. Motion passed, IV. Items for Discussion A. Construction Update - Roger Hill Mr. Hill distributed a Monthly Report from Headwaters Construction Company, He stated that the Pictures taken last Thursday. The brick is completed, drywall, painting, and carpet are finished in many areas, and metal panels are on the roof on a good portion of areas. Headwaters personnel still say they are on task for substantial completion in June and we should be able to begin moving in on July 1d, Mr. GaLichay is working on the name of the school with patrons in that school boundary area. The question was asked about the timeline for hiring a new elementary principal. The position is posted and closes in a week. B. Weicihted Gradina Scale - Doug McLaren, John Pymm Mr. Pymm and Mr. McLaren presented the concept of weighted grading scale at the high schools. Hopefully it Would provide incentive for Students to take honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Many are not willing to take the risk because of possibility of their GPA going down. If we go to a 5.0 scale for difficult classes, it would create an incentive to take the classes. They called other schools with higher academic rankings and the majority of them use a 5 point grading scale. College applications ask about class rank rather than weighted GPA. In Our District, students can't be valedictorian without taking honors or AP classes, Mrs. Winchester is in support of the concept. Doing this will encourage kids to take classes for college credit. AP courses are accepted by all colleges and universities. Articulated agreements are more particular. The way colleges transcript credits is a concern for students. Universities like ACT or SAT and class rank. ACT average scores for kids who take advanced classes are much higher. A 5 point scale gives students an advantage. The concept will generate discussion among faculty deciding who requires a 5 point scale and who requires 4 point scale. It would apply to all AP courses the question will be whether it should apply to honors Courses as well. The question was asked whether it is academically driven or ego driven. It is both. We would probably force Students to make a decision about not taking Lipper division choir, Spanish, or drama. The capstone welding class takes Lip % day so they Would have to make a choice as well. Mr. Woolstenhulme stated that there will be some technology issues in PowerSchool. We may need to start with incoming freshmen and work out technology issues. It is hard to define sophomore and freshman classes especially in math. There was some discussion regarding how we translate transfer credits into a 5 point scale. Chairman Lords asked the principals to construct a plan and present it in the next Board meeting. The principals agreed that we need to start talking about it before the end of year. Chairman Lords thanked Mrs. Beseris for having the Board meeting at her school. He asked if she had anything to report. The students are working hard and preparing for ISATS next month. Chairman Lords also thanked Mrs, Plain for lunch.. C, Safety Issues - Guy Bliesner, Sam Hulse - Operations Captain - Bonneville County Sheriffs Department Mr. Bliesner reported that we have resolved the Dare Issue. The city of Ammon, the sheriffs department, and the District will each contribute 1/3 of the cost for next year, q Since Sandy Hook, there has been much discussion regarding school safety, We are well ahead of most of state and nation because of our relationship with tile sheriffs department, What are Our next steps? Mr. Bliesner introduced Sam Hulse who discussed safety issues with the Board, He cautioned that some actions could be GOLInter-productive, They Could create time compression and difficulty with threat assessment especially if concealed weapons are allowed oil school property, Our Current model is delay, deity, and defend. Metal detectors need to be staffed and requires people to lineup. That could now become a safety issue. Metal detectors can be easily breached because schools function as multiple purposes. We need a method to enhance lock down procedures. The ALICE program is the best that is out there at this time. Sam will forward the information to tire Board. It was designed by a swat officer whose wife was a teacher, We need to teach people to fight. That is not something to teach elementary students. You can survive a gun fight but you can't Survive an execution. These people want a high body Count, so they come to schools. The Board has the ability to allow others to carry on school property. The schools are gun free, but the law means nothing to individuals who want to do violence. We need to consider placing a defense inside every school. Our SRO program is good. Employing a static guard in every school is very costly. We could arrn educators and administrators who are willing to arm and require an enhanced permit to Garry a concealed weapon, If we were to do that, we Would need a standard of proficiency in place. We would need to require that people quality at least twice a year. Consideration to standards would need to be made, What caliber? How would you allow them to carry? There must be control over the weapon at all the times. We would need to consider sustainability and cross training. The sheriffs department would need to know who is permitted to carry on school property. They would need to be trained on how they will behave. The sheriffs department will hunt and go toward shots. Mr. Hulse fears that we might do something that would create a larger safety issue, Who Would give qualification standards? Who is responsible for training and oversight? These are questions that need to be addressed, People need to know that you have a trained armed presence in the schools. It ties happened in other schools. This problem in society won't go away soon, Some ofthe problem relates to how we recognize and help people who suffer front mental illness. Too often we fail to mitigate these conditions and then we have a tragedy. Untreated mental illness drives most of the occurrences. Unfortunately, we don't have a clear understanding of what actually drives these individuals. Mr. Hulse stated that the sheriffs department wants to be a partner and help the District make these tough decisions. He stated that the department encourages patrol units to stop by the schools when they are in the area. Nk0iesner. stated that the enhanced permit legislation has a component that takes control away from the Board and the administration, You can't ask who is carrying. Therefore the planning assumption will need to change. He asked the Board to work with ISBA to oppose that piece of legislation, It has made it to the house floor. He suggested that maybe we have technology folks and custodial individuals who have had training in the military to be allowed to carry on school Mr. Hunt asked what liability aspects are inherent to arming the staff. Mr. Hulse responded that if we harden the schools with weapons then our buseswould not be protected. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the psychology of arming the staff, The liability factor is there. The action will be scrutinized, We need to understand that engaging a moving target is not like shooting at a gun range, Training would need to include how to use a handgun in close proximity to students. Whatever you put in place will be challenged, We need to talk about arming educators. Training and procedures Would need to be well honed. There Would need to be increased insurance coverage in case things don't go right, But, if we fail to defend Our children, that can be a problem. If we arm individuals, we will need to train on rules of engagement, how we will handle weapon enforcement, and who and we will be responsible for weapons. ALICE stands for "Ale¢ Lock down Inform, Counter (look for wwapons), Evacuate. The question was asked about the need N train the kids, There ionhuge debate, What age Would Ne want m protect our youngest children, Wo need m help train inan informed way. |tiao real possibility. Things happen io mmmunitino like ours, We need the right training with the children, ALICE io the best out there e|this time. Fleeing isa proper response. Mr. Hulse used the analogy o[ sheep. They uunoh'oy when there ina threat. A predator can kill alot because they are all in one place, Zebras oo the other hand scatter and the predator needs to choose one m attack and the others get away. None of the plans is perfect. Chairman Lords is concerned with other predators, We don't want schools m feel like ao institution, 0e need to train m defend against bulling. Mr. Hulse stated that the safety of schools io the responsibility of the community. wo need to cultivate a Culture of safety. We need to look at how we deal with external and internal threats as well as mental illnesses, W* need m assess what our actions will get us. There was m question regarding the possible use of non-lethal weapons. They are okay to defend ourselves. Sometimes violence to resist violence is the only option. Tasers are great tools. It functions for a few second and You need to have two probes to contact the individual. As soon as the taser shuts off, there inoo lingering influence, Ryou contact a dedicated adversary, You will need to know what to do next. Tasers may fail because of too much clothing, Dedicated adversaries know how to roll and remove at least one contact. Pepper spray is somewhat effective but an individual can fight through it, Chairman Lords thanked Mr. Hulse for tire sheriffs department support. He stated that he is concerned that we have sufficient training i/wo allow weapons inthe ouhon|o. We need more training on how mhe more proactive w protect children, Ho stated that the law enforcement vehicles presence was great after Sandy Hook and that the District is willing to work with the sheriffs department, We have a good working relationship and Would like i\tocontinue. C. snemStarAwmU 0mTmun*ein Mr. Trauntvein stated that the District has been given two new awards from Energy Education. They are the Top Performer Award where all schools are at 75% or better and the Leader Top Performer 30% Award. We have cut back our use of energy by 30% well, That equates to over $6 million saved. These awards mean that we are doing very well, Each of the schools will receive a certificate to display. Mr. Tratinivein stated that it is pretty significant to get both awards it) tile sarne year. Mr. Traumvein stated that we have finished paying our contract with Energy Education, We can rernain a member of the organization as long as we have an energy guy, allend a yearly seminar, and keep up the bookwork, They will still come around to visit and support, We will still have all benefits but will no longer have to pay monthly payments. Mr. TraUntveln then Suggested that maybe we could put the $13,000 away to go toward energy upgrades, Chairman Lords thanked Mr. Trauntvein for his efforts. AddinaaPeer Tutorina/Internshiu, Class at the Hiah Schools Don Traumvm Mr. Traumvein has been thinking of ways to get kids out of the high school buildings and still get money for attendance. He knows that a peer tutoring program is happening to some extent, He suggested that maybe we make COMMUnity service a requirement as part of the senior project. Elementary teachers don't have time to get PE and Music to happen, Could service at the elementary schools be a senior project? Elementary principals would like to have these Students help, Students would be learning and giving back a little. The idea follows the model of the water safety program, There Would be concerns with transportation. Maybe we could make community service a part Of Our graduation requirements, That kind of requirement Would be a problem for Students at the Technical Careers High School, If we were to go with this type of requirement, it would need to be encouraged more so we Could have 50 to 100 Out Of the schools for part of the day. Mr. Pymm reported that 10% -20% Of Students at Bonneville High School do service in areas such as research, vocational, writing music, writing books, donating to third world Countries, etc. They do something that the want to explore for their senior project. Mr, Hunt wouldn't want to require Community service as part of senior project, Maybe make it more available, Maybe give Students some options that are available, Chairman Lords is interested in the concept of getting kids Out of the high schools to help in the elementary schools. Mr. TraLinivein explained that we have keyboards in storage. We need somebody who can use them and teach music. Mr. McLaren reported that 25 Students at Hillcrest who are being assistants in the elementary schools. We are looking at giving back and getting bodies Out of the high schools at the same time. Transportation may be the biggest piece. Mr. McLaren likes the idea. Maybe we need to increase awareness. He is against the possibility of forcing students into community service. A lot of them will get into it an love it, Dr. Shackett was concerned with how students Would get to the various sites. Mr. McLaren stated that the Students at his school drive themselves. The teacher at the site is responsible to evaluate their performance, Chairman Lords stated that the Board appreciates Mr. TraUntvein thinking Out of the box, After-thouahts; Mr. Hunt stated that he has seen some good things in special education. Susan Searle does a greatjob. She has tried to reach Out to patrons. The Solution is not always what they want but, they feel that they are being heard. Chairman Lords stated that everyone on the staff does a great job and we are just real fortunate. He gave a lot of credit to Superintendent Shackeft, Mrs. McConnell stated that we may want to extend the Open Enrollment deadline until the end of June because of the boundary change process. Call for Aqenda Items for I-locornina Meetinas X Public Hearing - Proposed Elementary School Boundaries -Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - Rocky Mountain Middle School Auditorium - 7:00 p.m. We need name plates at this meeting. Mrs. Winchester and Mrs. Messick will be excused. Jodi Barnes will take minutes, The important thing is that the elementary schools are staffed with good teachers and principals. Students will do well. B. Public Hearing - Proposed Elementary School Boundaries - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Hillcrest High School Cafeteria — 7:00 p.m. Superintendent Shackett will not be there. Deputy Superintendent Marjean McConnell will be there. DeVere Hunt will not be available, Mrs. Winchester and Mrs. Messick will be there. C. Work Session with Hillcrest Student Council - Wednesday April 3, 2013 - Hillcrest Media Center -11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m, D. Regular Meeting - April 10, 2013 Add approve extending the deadline for open enrollment applications to the Consent Calendar. E. Work Session with Bonneville Student Council - Wednesday April 24, 2013 - Bonneville Media Center - 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p,m. Add secondary building options to discussion items, Roger Hill and April Burton will present. F. Work Session with Lincoln Student Council - Wednesday May 1, 2013 - Lincoln Teacher Work Room -11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. G. Regular Meeting - May 8, 2013 VI, AdiOUrnment Chairman Lords asked for a motion to adjourn at 1:28 p.m. Motion: DeVere Haut made the motion to adjourn, Kip Nelson seconded, The vote was 4 in favor with 0 opposed and 0 abstentions, Motion passed. APPROVED: Chairperson /0 ATTESTEDA, 47- Clerk Date: