Burbank Washington
Regular School Board Meeting
Monday, June 24, 2013
MINUTES:
Open Session:
Chairman of the Board, Troy Woody called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Troy Woody led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attendees:
Troy Woody, Sonny Townsend, Brad O’Brien, Mike Scrimsher, Ian Yale, Kevin Kennedy, Kristin Ditty, Lou Gates and Margo Roberts.
Good News
SEWASA Community Award
Dr. Gates announced that Walla Walla Fire District No. 5 has been selected as our SEWASA Community Award recipient this year. We appreciate the partnerships we have with them in supporting our students and community.
Crystal Apple Recipients
Dr. Gates shared a plaque that has been created to honor and memorialize our Crystal Apple Award recipients. The plaque will be displayed in the board room.
Technology Status Update
The report was postponed.
Board Operating principals
Be Prepared
Board: / Read all materials - call and ask questions in advance. Seek clarification and information as needed. When possible explain to the Superintendent in advance about concerns about a proposal.
Superintendent: / Develop recommendations that combine the best interests of schools and the needs of the District within the region that reflect the priorities and goals that have been adopted by the board.
Changes or Additions to the Agenda
There were none.
Consent Agenda
Dr. Gates recommended approval of the following:
· The hiring of Nakia McCarley for the position of Special Programs Office Manager.
· The hiring of Kenneth Smith for the position of Assistant Football Coach at Columbia Middle School.
· The.5 FTE leave of absence for Lynsi Febus for the 2013-2014 school year.
· The resignation of Kris Seffens from the position of Reading & Language Arts Teacher at Columbia Middle School.
· Minutes for the May 20, 2013 and June 10, 2013 regular board meetings.
· General Fund – Accounts Payable – Warrant #229655 through #229790 in the total amount of $146,909.75.
· General Fund – June 2013 Payroll – not available at this time.
· Capital Projects Fund - Warrant #3103 through #3105 in the total amount of $21,593.51.
· ASB Fund – Re-issue of warrant - Warrant #4057 in the total amount of $216.60.
· ASB Fund – Warrant #4058 through #4076 in the total amount of $16,459.02.
· Transportation Fund – n/a
Sonny Townsend moved, seconded by Brad O’Brien to approve the consent agenda including the minutes, personnel and accounts payable. The motion carried.
Hearing of Visitors
There were none.
Staff & Guest Presentations
There were none.
Limited General Obligation Bond Hearing
Troy Woody opened the Limited General Obligation Bond Hearing at 7:15 p.m. Dr. Gates reviewed Resolution 1213-04 authorizing the issuance of $320,000 in Limited General Obligation (LGO) Bond funds, to be paid back from the Transportation Vehicle Fund (TVF). The district is requesting issuance of a $320,000 bond for the purpose of paying costs to acquire three school buses. The resolution carries out other purposes authorized by RCW 28A.530.080, fixing the date, interest rates, form, maturity, terms and covenants of such bond; establishes a limited general obligation bond redemption account; and approves the sale and provides for the delivery of the bond to Cashmere Valley Bank. Cashmere Valley Bank’s response to the District’s Request for Proposal (RFP) represented the best business value for the District.
Dr. Gates reviewed the Transportation Vehicle Fund and how the fund acquires monies to cover the costs of purchasing the buses. If legislature does not fund transportation, or changes how they currently fund school buses, the district’s general fund must cover the loan payment. The Board is sensitive to incurring debt for future years; however the TVF should be able to cover the majority of the bond payments. Moreover, without the bond it is likely that the District would need to ask the community to approve a transportation levy for school buses. Of the two options, the superintendent recommends the LGO Bond. It was also noted that the district is nearing the maximum amount of debt it can carry. The hearing was closed at 7:31 p.m.
Reports & Discussions
Final Enrollment
Dr. Gates reviewed the enrollment report for the month of June. The June enrollment is 809.92 FTE and is also the final count for the school year. The average enrollment for the year was 824.93, which is below the projected enrollment budget of 842.25 FTE.
2013-2014 Budget Status and Financial Statement Update
As of June 24th the legislature has not approved a budget. The state’s fiscal year ends June 30th and on July 1st the government will shut down. Without July apportionment the district will need to use their reserves to cover payroll and other required district expenses. The district has enough reserves to cover one month without having to borrow money from the County. Dr. Gates reviewed the Cash Flow Statement for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. If the state does not come to an agreement, and the district must use reserves to cover July expenses, the fund balance will dip to and estimated $31,250.85. Overall it is anticipated legislature will reach an agreement before June 30th and the districts projected ending fund balance will be $492,117.09.
Football Bleacher Preliminary Architectural Design
Dr. Gates reviewed the fee proposal and costs analysis provided by ALSC Architects for possible improvements to the football complex. The hypothetical costs analysis provided a rough order of the magnitude, idea and potential costs for the project, which totaled $1,295,000.
August 19, 2013 Board Meeting
Because August 19th is the last fiscal meeting for the year, additional time may be necessary to ensure all payments are included in this year’s books, therefore the board meeting day may need to be delayed. Dr. Gates recommended moving the meeting back one week. Consensus of the Board was to move the meeting to Tuesday, August 27th. This will be a special board meeting.
Grading Schools.
The Board continued their discussion about the state’s potential requirement of assessing each school with a letter grade. Ian Yale provided a comparative analysis of the Elementary School to three other schools in our region of similar size. It is evident that our students struggle in math. However, Mr. Yale stressed the importance of not looking at the math program based solely on the MSP scores. The Board discussed the need for improvements in math education. The district will begin measuring automaticity of students in math (as well as reading and writing). This information will be uploaded into the Skyward system and will provide a tracking tool for a student’s growth, or regression, indicating where interventions should be made. The Board encouraged the administration to think outside of the box for possible solutions to enhance math education, particularly at the elementary level.
Troy Woody shared a report card published by Central Valley School District which provides a balanced approach in demonstrating student achievement. The report provides a tool to communicate to the community the districts progress toward achieving academic improvement rather than communicating only scores from the high stakes MSP scores. Board consensus was that it could be a valuable document. Each board member will come back with five broad ideas they believe would be valuable in the district report card. A framework will be developed and the various assessment scores can be added after they are released in the fall.
Unfinished Business
There was none.
New Business
Resolution 1213-04 Limited General Obligation Bond
Dr. Gates recommended approval of Resolution 1213-04 authorizing the issuance of $320,000 in Limited General Obligation Bond funds to Cashmere Valley Bank for the purchase of three school buses.
Sonny Townsend moved, seconded by Mike Scrimsher to approve Resolution 1213-04 authorizing the issuance of $320,000 in Limited General Obligation Bond funds to Cashmere Valley Bank for the purchase of three school buses.
Roll Call Vote - Troy Woody, yes; Brad O’Brien, yes; Sonny Townsend, yes; Michael Scrimsher, yes. The motion carried.
2013-2014 Calendar Revision
Dr. Gates reviewed the revised 2013-2014 academic calendar. The state has declined the district’s request for two waiver days for the 2013-2014 school year. The revised calendar extended the school year one day, ending on June 6th. Graduation will be held on June 6, 2014, also the last day of school.
Sonny Townsend moved, seconded by Mike Scrimsher to approve the 2013-2014 revised academic calendar. The motion carried.
Policy 2022 – Electronic Resources
Language has been added to this policy to promote the safe and appropriate online behavior of students and staff as they access material from the district’s filtered Internet. For internet safety measures the following precautions have been added to the policy. 1) All staff and students must have a valid Network Use Agreement on file. 2) All district owned technology capable of accessing the Internet must use filtering software. 3) District staff must make reasonable effort to supervise student access and use of the Internet. 4) All students must be educated about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with others on social networking websites as well as cyber bullying awareness and response.
Dr. Gates recommended approval of Policy 2022 for first reading and immediate adoption to comply with e-rate requirements, which must be in place by July 1, 2013.
Sonny Townsend moved, seconded by Mike Scrimsher to approve policy 2022 for first reading and adoption. The motion carried.
Administrative Contracts
Dr. Gates recommended approval of the administrative contracts for the 2013-2014 school year.
Sonny Townsend moved seconded by Mike Scrimsher to approve the administrative contracts. The motion carried.
ASB Manual
Because of the recent Associated Student Body audit finding the district made some procedural changes to bring compliance and consistency to the ASB. Dr. Gates reviewed the abridged WASBO ASB accounting manual customized for our district. The District will require all ASB advisors, coaches, ticket takers and others who work with ASB to review the relevant portions of the ASB handbook, which will be posted to Safe Schools, and sign off on them. If there are inconsistencies by any ASB advisor/coach they will be given warnings and could face possible removal if they are unable to follow ASB law. In addition, each school has reviewed and updated their constitution and bylaws.
Continued
Dr. Gates recommended approval of the Columbia School District ASB Manual and the Constitutions and Bylaws of Columbia Elementary, Middle and High Schools.
Sonny Townsend moved, seconded by Mike Scrimsher to approve the ASB Manual and the Columbia Elementary, Middle & High School Constitutions and Bylaws. The motion carried.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
Troy Woody / Chair / 2015
Brad O’Brien / Member / 2015
Sheena Kelly / Member / 2013
Sonny Townsend / Member / 2013
Michael Scrimsher / Member / 2015
Secretary of the Board
Lou Gates
Columbia School District #400
Date when minutes were approved: / July 22, 2013
Regular School Board Meeting 06/24/13
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