03-21-2012_Special_Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Dr. Charles J. Shackett, Superintendent Dr. Bruce Roberts, Deputy Superintendent 3497 North Ammon Road, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401  (208) 525-4400  Fax (208) 529-0104  www.d93.k12.id.us Board of Trustees  Craig Lords  Annette Winchester  Wendy Horman  Kip Nelson  DeVere Hunt Bonneville Joint School District No. 93 is an Equal Opportunity Employer Marjean McConnell, Assistant Superintendent B. Strategies for adding back positions for next year – Marjean McConnell Teachers are in class rooms before class, after class, and during lunch. They don’t feel the rigor is as high. They require more time to plan. They are feeling exhausted and don’t feel they are doing the best job they can do. She asked if we can do something different. If we raise elementary class sized, they will be at 34 – 39 students. So we really do not have that option. The question was asked about the GATE program. Mr. Hunt stated that we need to look at both ends. We need to decide on priorities. We need input from parents, students, principals, teachers. We used one time money to give back furlough days. We will have increased money based on enrollment and that should allow us to add back approximately five positions at the high school. High school teachers are struggling with one less planning period as they try to correct assignments and tutor those who need extra help. With the possibility of more positions the high schools are proposing adding back a prep period and increasing class sized. We need to know what positions we can add back. Ms. Saffle reported that by adding to class sizes the high school teachers could move to teaching six of eight periods instead of seven of eight. The average teacher load would be 195.56 students. She stated that grading is trumping planning and teachers are finding it difficult to implement new technology, etc. Mrs. Burton stated that the education budget is set. The legislature gave education a 5% increase. We have lost federal money so that equates to only about a 0.4% increase. C. School Boundaries – Marjean McConnell Mrs. McConnell reported that we can get through next year without changing boundaries by moving preschool to Tiebreaker. It will be tight. We want the boundary changes to be part of the big picture and do it all at once. D. Child Nutrition Update – Heather Plain Ms. Plain explained that what the Board is eating is what they serve the students. The pork and fish are from commodity. She wants to put the focus back on child nutrition. All grains will be whole grains. They can’t serve as much pre-packaged items as in the past. They serve 6500 meals per day. They will go over 1 million by the end of the year. Her staff manages 20 data bases. She has five proposals for a new vendor for student data management so parents can pay on line and see what the kids are eating. They do not have a set charge policy. They feed every child that comes through the line. She wants to give parent the tools they need to be aware of the status of their child’s account and minimize the time they spend collecting money. Parents can also see if their child eats. She is hoping for a bigger warehouse so she can consolidate purchasing and monitoring procurement. With the possibility of a warehouse, the semi-truck can be removed from school grounds. Food based requirements: kids are required to take fruit or veggies but not the entrée. Kids at Ucon are the best eaters and are willing to try different foods. We have seen the quality of the food com up. Mrs. Burton stated that Ms. Plain has done an excellent job. We need to promote the program better. Ms. Plain appreciates the Board’s support in having a kitchen in each school. E. Property Update – Roger Hill Mr. Hill reported that he will be closing on the Armstrong property next week. He will get the legal description for the Crow Creek Property and then close on that in the next couple of weeks. Then he will bid the new school in April and award the contract in May so we can begin work on the new school in June. Mr. Hill reported on negotiations on purchase of the warehouse. The owner has come down and Mr. Hill will counter. The question was asked about building our own warehouse for about the same price. We could do it but there would be no asphalt or utilities included. There is another building available but it is not a good site. When asked what it will cost to remodel the building, Mr. Hill answered about $250,000. He stated that he is waiting for an appraisal on the Pam Olsen property and will then start negations on that. F. Mrs. McConnell asked if Mr. Gardner could report on the process for hiring a new coach. Chairman Lords agreed. Mr. Gardner reported that there were 18 candidates and they screened them down to 11. They submitted those applications to a committee to rank them. After interviews the number one ranking was the same from all committee members. Brian Broadus from Oregon was the choice. They called the principal and a former player to get feedback. Mr. Broadus will teach P.E., social studies, weights, and health. He will need to build a relationship with all head coaches. He wants to develop the weights program for all athletes. Mr. Gardner stated that they will need a feeder program. G. Mrs. Burton asked to report on the charter school process with regard to the professional technical school. She stated that she and Mr. Miller attended a conference in Boise. They will report further in a later Board meeting. There is a whole process for converting an existing school to a charter so it is good to keep this school as a school within a school. H. Chairman Lords asked the administration to do a better job of getting things on the agenda in a timely manner so the Board is requested to change the agenda at the last minute. VI. Call for Agenda Items for Upcoming Meetings 1. Work Session – Hillcrest Student Council – April 11, 2012 – 11:30 a.m. Bond Information, DARE Program