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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2014 Minutes_Special_Meeting-Work_Sessiong497 North 4mnnm Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 834U1�(2U3 ) 52S-44OO� Fax (208)539-01O4�www.d93mhqob.mrg Dr. CommsJ.sheckmu Superintendent MeriemuNIcCmnnm(i,oepmySuperintendent Special Session January 8, 2014 District Board Room 11:30 AM i Call toOrder Chairperson Winchester called the meeting to order ot11:40am. U. Roll Call Those Board members in attendance were Chairperson Annette Winchester, Vice-chairperson Kip Nelson, Treasurer Amy Londam Tmn�eBdanMcBdd�and Tmu�aJeff Bird. O�e�inuUendanoewmm8upehn�ndent Chuck 8hacke0 Dapu�Supedntendont`arjean McConnell, Director of Operations Todd Hicks, Director of School Improvement and Technology Scott Woolstenhulme, Director ofPlant Facility/Purchasing Roger Hill, Director of Human Resources Shalene French, Chief Fin an cial/Operation s Officer April Burton, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Michaelena Hix, Director of Safe Schools John Pyrnm, Energy Education Specialist Don Trauntvein, Food Services Supervisor Heather Plain, and Board Clerk Valerie Messick, U|. Welcornina ofDelegotea and Visitors Chairperson Winchester welcomed Paul Jenkins, Brad McKenzie, Holly Giglio, Renee Cook, and Tammie McCummon, K( Aoomvethe Aqenda Chairperson Winchester asked for e motion hu approve the agenda MOTION: Amy Landers made the motion to approve the agenda, Jeff Bird seconded. The vote was 5 in favor with 0 opposed and U abstentions. Motion passed. K Consent Calendar Aporove Alternative Authorizations 1. Jaime Pierson Mountain Valley Z Jessie Ward Rocky Mountain 3. Christopher Ball BHS Alternative authorization for Elementary Alternative authorization for Health Alternative authorization for Natural Science Chairperson Winchester aske if any Board member would like to remove any item from the Consent Calendar to the regular agenda, Hearing none, she then asked for a motion to approve the Consent Calendar. MOTION: Brian McBride made the motion ho approve the Consent Calendar, Kip Nelson seconded. The vote was 5in favor with O opposed and 0 abstentions. Motion passed. VI. Items for Discussion A. Common Core Information Plan - Dr. Shackett, Michaelena Hix Chairperson Winchester asked Dr, Shackett and Mrs, Hix to discuss the District's plan for dissemination of information to the patrons regarding Idaho Core Standards. Mrs, Hix passed around the District's plan to talk about what we have done and what we plan to do. She also passed out a pamphlet entitled "Idaho Core Standards — Hiaher Standards to PreDare Every Idaho Student", The principal at Rimrock presented information to the parents and they accepted it because they have a relationship with the principal, Mrs, Hix has prepared a PowerPoint that includes the three minute video telling what Idaho Core is and the process of how the Common Board mfTrustees Annette Winchester KipMebom Amy Landers A Brian McBride <,,� Jeff 0rd be made with the Common Core. The principals have been trained on the Common Core and SBAC through the LEADS program. There is information on the website and additional videos. Mrs. Hix will ask the principals to meet after school or at night with parent groups and go through the PowerPoint, She will make herself available to be at any meeting. So far, we have had only two schools, Rimrock and Hillcrest, which have met with their parents on the Common Core, There are a group of parents who are struggling with it but some are beginning to understand what we are trying to do. We believe there is a majority who support it. We are waiting to see what the outcome at the legislature will be, Mrs. Hix and Dr. Shackett will present to legislators February 22,1d, Mrs. Hix shared the website link with the PTO presidents at their last meeting. She will ask a teacher and the PTO President to be available to present with the principal at the meeting for the school. Chairperson Winchester stated that it is scary and overwhelming to parents when it comes to testing, scores, and homework. It is a new challenge. Maybe we need to ask the Post Register to do some articles about the Common Core. Mrs. Hix stated that there have been some articles in the Post Register. If the legislature turns down the Common Core, Mrs. Hix will recommend to Board that we rewrite our curriculum to make it more rigorous, There is a meeting tomorrow night at the court house, It's a bigger issue than common core standards. Parents are concerned that it is a data trap so the government can intervene, Mrs. Landers asked hwm should wewait until after the bond election to have meetings regarding the common core, It was felt that principals need ho meet with concerned parents now in small groups. Not addressing their apprehensions would bea greater concern. We will let our principals have that discretion ento when hu meet with parents. We will also put information out for our parents uo they can help their children do well with the new test. There are higher expectations at the schools now. Kindergarten is teaching kids how to read, It is going to be difficult. Hopefully our principals will keep the pulse of the neighborhood and community. The principals can use the materials when they need them and let the District administration know how they can help. There was discussion regarding whether students understand that the standards are being raised and they may not du well on the test. Mm. McConnell believes that the message is getting out and the teachers are communicating Uho the students. Mr. McBride suggested that the administration might bring this up to the principals to encourage them to help their teachers communicate the standards k>the students but not scare them, Mrs. Hix hopes that the communication with parents will happen before the end of the school year because there will be changes for next year regarding curriculum and testing, She will add some slides regarding tips on how parents can help their children with the common core. Mrs, Hix has worked on getting the teachers ready for the past four years and she believes that in the long run, it will be a good thing for our students. |t won't he easy but Our teachers and kids will ba able k>dothis. We will leave i(uptm principals anto when and i/ they meet with their parents. Chairperson Winchester thanked Mrs. Hix and asked if there were any other questions from the Board for her. Hearing none, Chairperson Winchester move to the Bond Question Discussion. B. Bond Question Discussion - April Burton Chairperson Winchester asked Mrs. Burton to lead the discussion regarding the Bond Question that will be presented at the Regular Board Meeting next Wednesday, Mm. Burton presented the Board with ehandout. The first page ia information regarding the $02million dollar bond and the potential cost to patrons. The second page shows our future debt capacity calculated by Piper Jaffrey showing when we Could possibly build an additional elementary school. The third page shows what would happen if we don't bond in 2014. That just adds $92 million to future bonding capacity based on projections prepared by Piper Jaffrey, In September 2014 with no growth in taxable market value, we would have an additional $8million bonding capacity. Sobywaiting until Sep(ember, we could run a bond for $i8O million. We will have to raise taxes for anything wo bond now and probably we will have toraise them again when *m bond in the future. Kmm just run the bond for a high school and a middle school now, then we Would have enough capacity to run for an elementary next fall. As we have talked, we have about $6 million now in needed projects and that does not include upgrades to the existing high schools. That is how we came up with the $92 million. We need to protect the assets that we have along with addressing the growth, There was discussion regarding whether there is a need for $100 million. It will be tough to have a new nice school and not make some upgrades in both existing high schools. We would have about 15 years before we get to capacity at the new high school. Mr. Nelson wondered if we built just an elementary on this bond would *m still need ho raise taxes. We would probably still need to raise taxes, If we want to wait to bond for the high school, we would probably need to have split sessions and get rid of the eight period day as well. We will save time in design if the Board likes the Middleton High School. We would still want the Bonneville edition with improvements taken into account. The Board is sold on the Middleton model. Dr. 8haoke# wondered if it would save money to build the high school and middle school at the same time. That is a lot of money for a general contractor to bond, The local people may not be too pleased because there may be a lot of out-of-state people coming in if we have the same contractor doing both. We want boallow the people around here hu have the ability hoget the work, We might save a few hundred thousand dollars but not millions and timelines would be an issue, for the bus barn. The current facility is not in a safe location, the number students. The Middleton p n has taken th I into account. We are living with a 1976 education facility. he new high school will alleviate stress on the existing schools. Chairperson Winchester stated that we need to look at upgrades at both Bonneville and Hillcrest, The principals and PTOs have submitted e list of needed upgrades at their schools. The Board needs to quantify and identify what mm will duat the other schools. Ne could take money from M&0to hire on architect to draw plans. There iso risk i/ the bond doesn't pass. Kisa selling point for this bond for the north and south \o get something. Mr. McBride is not in favor of bonding for upgrades as a selling point. You have to offer something throughout the District that the majority of the people would like ho see happen that |oSubstantial. We need to offer something for which people are willing to raise their taxes. There was discussion regarding making a list of upgrades that will take place or bulleting big ticket items, We could ruff upa cost estimate for the big ticket items. We could work nn making the upgrades before we get started on the high school. We could utnatogiza the inside work and when it could bedone, Chairperson Winchester asked how the Board feels about running the bond for a new high school, middle school, and additional projects. There was discussion regarding the costs for each project. We are projecting $73 million for a middle school and a high school. We continue to update our numbers, Looking at a 1500 student high school, we are looking at around $51 million. VVe are looking et$27 million for a middle school. We need to allow for contingencies because there are unknowns such as city and county requirements for roads and/or sewer lines, etc. Then we are looking at $14 million for the other projects. We are close the $02 million with these estimates, We are looking at $3 million for a bus barn and $1 million for new buses. The Technical Careers High School is also a priority. Then upgrades to the high schools would benext, Chairperson Winchester asked if we can run the bond question up to $92 million. Mrs. Burton responded that it can ba done that way. Dr. Shaoke# asked what $2.7 million for sports fields would include, That is a big unknown. It easily could turn into $4 million without bleachers. The high school could be $55 million if you include all the sports fields. We could buy more property |o get more access U*e needed. We would probably need a traffic study, Middleton has a very well thought out traffic flow oa part n/ their design. We don't have any good middle school plans to look at, A good architect and design team can make the Middleton design yours, Once the bond is passed, wewould gohbid and you could start looking at the other projects, As time goes on, we will have ubetter idea of what we can do, We need to be careful when weadvertise the bond information, Some folks would like to see apicture. You will have to evaluate how much you will want to show of the concept because Jthe bid is higher, wo won't bo able bo accomplish oumamyother projects, — The Bond Election Resolution is not specific and allows the District options, It specifies what we can do without limiting us to specific bui|ding& It is a legal statement that binda Lis with regard ho what wecan do. We will go through our wish list edthe public meetings understanding that some of the things may not be able to be accomplished. The question needs to give the Board leeway to do what they need b>do for the District. We need k/be cautious but informative. We need hz establish priorities e\ the schools, From the time wm bond to the time of the bidding process, construction costs may increase, Chairperson Winchester asked the Board for their feelings about taking the elementary out of the bond question. All five members stated that they are ok with that change. We need to monitor enrollment, intermountain demographics projections, ondemaohumh000ntonf children tinder the age five. In the meantime, we can do some juggling with elementary students, We can put trailers in and may have ho adjust busing. Our first choice isho leave kids in their neighborhoods. We also need h take into consideration the cost of moving modular units and running power to them. The charter schools could have an impact on our enrollment and we need to monitor that as well. Chairperson Winchester then asked if there were other questions form the Board regarding the resolution language. All five members agreed that we need to run the bond in March for $92 million. Paul Jenkins will put together an informational DVD for the bond. There was discussion regarding whether to hold cottage meetings vs. general informational meetings on each side of the district. The administration will schedule an informational meeting at Sandcreek and one at Rocky Mountain, There was a brief discussion regarding the bond committee meetings, The committee's responsibility iahz spread the word about the bond and give absentee ballots to people who they hope will vote for the bond. These groups will hold meetings in neighborhoods along with the PTOs. Mrs. Burton will send out the resolution in Board Book on Monday. Dr, Shackett would like two board members at the initial committee meeting on Thursday. Chairperson asked if there were any other questions or concerns. Hearing none, she stated that the Board will vote for approval ct the regular meeting on Wednesday. C Policy Review 1. 358O Cold Weather Guidance for Elementary Schools 2. 3570 Emergency School Closure a. 3570P1 Emergency School Closure Procedures b 3570P2 Emergency Closure after School Begins Procedure 3. 3575 School Events on Emergency Closure Days There was discussion regarding updating these policies. The Cummt procedure h that Kthe temperature is0 degrees mlower, students will be allowed to remain inside for recess. Sorne principals understand that kids don't have coats, boots, and gloves and let them in at a higher temperature. Mm. McConnell stated that as a principal, it is nice to get kids Outside for a little time during the day. We haven't talked about making any changes with our principals. We will refer the matter ho the PI-Cs an they can meet with the principals and make some decisions as to what needs to be done. There was concerti that sometimes there is no one in the mornings to monitor the children before school. We need ho talk ho principals and have them discuss with their PTUe and staff this concern. Some schools have coat bins with warm things so kids have the opportunity to use them as they go outside. There was concern that wind chill is not always considered and concern about the possibility of frostbite. There was discussion regarding the language concerning wind chill in the policy. If we were to increase the temperature where we keep kids inside in the policy, we would likely need to increase the number of duty aides, there Would be a decrease in planning time for teachers, the duty free lunch period for teachers would be reduced, etc. The result of keeping kids in for a week causes chaos just because they need someplace to run and play. That is not available inside. Principals have the flexibility to let students in when it is not so cold depending on circumstances at their building locations. There was discussion regarding the need to take wind chill seriously as well as how dark it is in the mornings. There needs to be a discussion with the principals and secretaries about these issues. It appears that these are school based issues that we can deal with at that level. There is a responsibility as parents to get ill and talk with the principal regarding issues at the schools, We will start the discussion with principals, Chairperson Winchester asked the administration to let the Board know the outcome of their discussions with the principals. VU. BoardTmininA -AmneMeVWncheoter Day on the Hill Chairperson Winchester asked who Would be attending this event. AnnetteWinchester — yes KipNelsom — yoe AmyLandam— yeo BrianMcBhdo — yoo Jeff Bird — no ChuckShacket( — Maybo MarjeunMnConne|| — no April Burton— yes Sha|enoFmnoh — yeo Scott VVou|ohonhu|m*—no Mm. Messick will complete registration and confirm hotel reservations for those attending. Chairperson Winchester announced the ISBA sponsored Webinar on the Fund Balance Crisis, scheduled for Thursday January 9, 2014 at 7:30 PIVI or Tuesday January 14, 2014 at 7:30 PM. The cost is $20 per person and ISBA will bill the District after the webinar. You can register eilaw: inOXxn id^hu Chairperson Winchester asked if anyone Would like to report on things they have learned at ISBA or LEADS. Amy Landers will report on LEADS information on the 20m. VI 11. Call for Agenda Items for Upcominq Meetinqs A. Regular Meeting - Wednesday, January 15, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. B. Work Session - Wednesday January 29, 2014 - Summit Hills Elementary School Media Center - 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Amy Landers LEADS report. Jeff Bird discuss cement vs. carpet — Don Trauntvein and Todd Hix will research and report. C. Regular Meeting - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 700 p.m. Bond Resolution and question D. ISBA Day on the Hill - Monday February 24, 2014 - Tuesday February 25, 2014 — Boise. E. Work Session - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - Hillview Elementary School Media Center - 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p,m. F. Regular Meeting - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. Chairperson Winchester asked for a motion to adjourn at 1:44 p.m, MOTION: Jeff Bird made the motion to adjourn. Amy Landers seconded. The vote was 5 in favor with 0 opposed and 0 abstentions. Motion passed. APPROVED: Chairperson ATTESTED: Olerk Date: