Minutes
Iredell-Statesville Board of Education
Iredell County Government Center
September 14, 2009
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The Iredell-Statesville Board of Education met at the Iredell County Government Center on Monday, September 14, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Members present: Dr. David Cash; Dr. Ken Wilson; Mr. Bill Brater; Mr. Charles Kelly; Mr. John B. Rogers, Jr.; Mrs. Karen Watson, and Mr. Keith Williams.
Administrators present: Mr. Brady Johnson, Interim Superintendent; Ms. Melissa Wike, Chief Finance Officer; Dr. Ron Hargrave, Assistant Superintendent Student Services; Mr. Dale Ellis, Interim Superintendent of Secondary Education; Ms. Pam Schiffman, Chief Accountability & Technology Officer; Mr. Bill Long, Interim Executive Director of Human Resources; Mr. Mathew Fail, Chief Strategic Planning Officer; Ms. Dawn Creason, Director of Public Relations; and Ms. Susie Wiberg, Partnership Coordinator.
Also Present: Mrs. Susan Kennedy, Board Clerk and members of the press.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Administration:
Approval of 2009-2010 Budget Resolution: Ms. Wike presented the budget resolution for 2009-2010 and noted a total of $98 million in the State Public School Fund; $37 million in Local Current Expense Funds; $21 million in Federal Grant Funds; $21 million in Federal Funds; $4 million in Capital Outlay Funds; $11 million in Child Nutrition Funds; $15,000 in Scholarship Funds; and $2 million in Prime Time Funds. She stated that this budget resolution already includes the figures for the reversion of funds to the state.
Personnel:
Mr. Long mentioned that this is a very lengthy personnel report due to the opening of two new schools and the number of transfers to our new schools.
Approval of Acceptance of Resignations, Retirements, and Leaves of Absences: No discussion.
Approval of Classified Personnel: No discussion.
Approval of Licensed Personnel: No discussion.
Approval of Administrative Appointments: No discussion.
Approval of Minutes:
· August 3, 2009 Committee of the Whole Minutes: No discussion.
· August 10, 2009 Board of Education Minutes: No discussion.
· August 16, 2009 End-of-Year Board Work Session: No discussion.
Approval of Consent Agenda: Mr. Bill Brater made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Karen Watson, to approve the Consent Agenda. The motion unanimously carries. These items are:
Item I-A Approval of 2009-2010 Budget Resolution
Item I-B Acceptance of Resignations, Retirements, and Leaves of Absences
Item I-C Approval of Classified Personnel
Item I-D Approval of Licensed Personnel
Item I-E Approval of Administrative Appointments
Item II Approval of Minutes of August 3, 2009 Committee of the Whole Meeting; Approval of Minutes of August 10, 2009 Board of Education Meeting; and
Approval of Minutes of August 16, 2009 End-of-Year Board Work Session
Recognitions:
Teachers of the Year Recognition:
Mr. Bill Long presented the following Teachers of the Year:
· Harry Efird Visual & Performing Arts (district TOY)
· Reagan Stillerman Union Grove Elementary (Wachovia Outstanding
Teacher Award – Elementary)
· Tim Hoffman Lake Norman High School (Wachovia Outstanding
Teacher Award – Middle/High)
· Molly Zimmer Brawley Middle School
· Annemarie Economou Celeste Henkel Elementary
· Karol Leaptrott Central Elementary
· Heather Forbis CCTL Early College
· Pamela Long Cool Spring
· Allison McCarthy East Iredell Elementary School
· Graham Lynch East Iredell Middle School
· Lisa Proffit Ebenezer Elementary School
· Mitzi Mitchell Harmony Elementary School
· Sally Webb Lake Norman Elementary School
· Crystalyn Schnorr Lakeshore Elementary School
· Bryan Chappell Lakeshore Middle School
· Yolanda Gearheart Monticello School
· Linda Lerch Coddle Creek Elementary School
· Courtney Kimball NB Mills Elementary School
· Allison Lowrance North Iredell High School
· Teresa Renegar North Iredell Middle School
· Amy Morley Northview Elementary School
· Becky Courson Scotts Elementary School
· Teresa Shook Sharon Elementary School
· Amy Atwater Shepherd
· Msgt Michael Fisher South Iredell High School
· Kathy Guerin Pressly School
· Lilia Cox Statesville High School
· Katie Doric Statesville Middle School
· Lisa Nisley Third Creek Elementary School
· Susan Hinerman Troutman Elementary School
· Megan Evans Troutman Middle School
· Eric VanVilet West Iredell High School
· Tony Ballard West Iredell Middle School
· Patricia Phelps Woodland Heights
Ms. Amy Hines of Mike Griffin Insurance Agency was present to talk about the “Tee Off for Teachers” Golf Tournament which raises money for each teacher of the year.
Mr. Paul Cook from Wachovia/Wells Fargo, presented Reagan Stillerman from Union Grove Elementary and Tim Hoffman from Lake Norman High School, with a crystal apple and a check.
Mr. Gil Hamilton from Everhardt Honda presented a check in the sum of $500 for Mr. Harry Efird, District Teacher-of-the-Year.
District NCCTM Elementary Math Teacher of the Year: Ms. Sarah Schemanske is being recognized tonight as the Iredell-Statesville Schools North Carolina Council for Teachers of Mathematics 2009 Elementary Math Teacher of the Year. Her hands-on approach to mathematics allows her students to work with and understand math in a practical way. She has been a leader in robotics instruction and district competition organization. She also provides instruction in math and science at our summer AIG camps.
Community Schools Award: Tonight we are pleased to recognize the Downtown Statesville Development Corporation, headed by Marin Tomlin and Deb Konczal. DSDC is charged with administering the Main Street Program and management and revitalization of downtown Statesville. DSDC helped plan and execute our “Stuff the Bus” event which resulted in approximately 8,000 pounds of school supplies collected for our students. Ms. Jan Woodside, Board Member, was present to accept this award.
NAACP Back-to-School/Stay-In-School Recognition: The Statesville Branch of NAACP has hosted their “Back to School/Stay in School event for the past seven years. This event fits well into the strategies of the Statesville Branch since their major platform is education. This year’s rally provided break out sessions for parents and children, lunch, entertainment and school supplies for every student in attendance. Iredell-Statesville Schools extends a big “thank you” to the NAACP for all they do for our community.
“Transformed” Recognition: In early spring, Lisa York from the Department of Social Services contacted Mr. Brady Johnson to report some upsetting statistics about students at North Middle School and East Middle School. DSS saw an increase in drug related issues and they wanted to get involved immediately. After months of planning, the “Transformed-Taking Control” event was held at North Iredell High School. The day was full of information given to parents and students, and a nationally recognized psychologist was the guest speaker, providing guidance to parents on issues they may face with middle-school children.
NON-CONSENT AGENDA:
Administration:
Revision to Policy 4700: Destruction of EC Student Records (2nd Reading): This policy is presented tonight for a second reading and approval. The management of confidential EC records is outlined in the policy. This policy provides guidance and direction to principals for handling, managing, disposing, and long-term storage of EC student records. Our Board Attorney, Bill McMillan, has reviewed the policy and the policy is aligned with the law.
Dr. Ken Wilson made a motion, seconded by Mr. Keith Williams, to approve the policy revision as presented. The motion unanimously carries.
Revision to Attendance Policy #4400 (2nd Reading): This policy is presented tonight for a second reading and approval. This revision proposes the use of a new procedure whereby parents may submit notes concerning student absences using an online process. The process was piloted at three of our elementary schools last school year with positive results. Administration is recommending expansion of the process to all schools beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. There will be a form online for parents to use, which includes a section for contact information for verification purposes.
Mrs. Karen Watson made a motion, seconded by Mr. John Rogers to approve the policy revision as presented. The motion unanimously carries.
Revision to School Field Trip Policy #3320 (1st Reading): This policy is presented for first reading tonight. Our current policy states that all field trip chaperones must have a background check and the schools are paying for these background checks. The revision to the policy would provide that the chaperone will now have to pay for their background check. For those schools who do not have the means or the volunteer base to meet the guidelines for a field trip, the district will provide the background checks for recruited volunteers. Background checks are good for one calendar year.
I-SS Board of Education Improvement Plan (1st Reading): The data from our Board of Education Survey will help us craft a Board of Education Improvement Plan. The survey results reflect that we should work on Items #2, 6, 7, and 11. In addition, the Board of Education will seek stakeholder input in the Superintendent selection process by collecting data from Area Advisory meetings, Certified and Classified Advisory meetings, Student Focus Groups, and a Community Survey.
Recommended Changes to Iredell-Statesville Schools Strategic Plan (1st Reading): Mr. Mathew Fail reported that some changes were made to the Iredell-Statesville Schools Strategic Plan to align the district’s plan with North Carolina’s 21st Century Strategic Plan. We are still in the data collection process. We have an electronic survey currently posted on our website and it will remain open for a couple more weeks. We want to obtain as much feedback as possible in order to make an informed decision with regard to the strategic plan.
School Improvement Plans (1st Reading): Mr. Fail reported that the School Improvement Plans will be available online for review beginning September 25th. The School Improvement Plans will require a vote by the Board at the October Board of Education meeting.
Public Comment: There were no requests to speak tonight.
Superintendent’s Comments:
Mr. Johnson recognized our teachers of the year and thanked them for their hard work. He also mentioned that we have over 100 partnerships with businesses, churches and other organizations who are involved in helping us help children. Our “Of-the-Year” recognitions will take place next month.
Mr. Johnson recognized our Technology Department, consisting of 11 technicians. In our system, we have one technician for every 1,200 machines. DPI recommends 1:450 and the private sector recommends 1:50. The Technology Department is led by Pam Schiffman.
Our Maintenance Department, led by Dr. Kenny Miller, was recognized for their work this summer. Forty-three technicians will complete approximately 1,000 work orders in a normal month of school, in addition to opening new buildings. Over the summer, they broke down five megaunits, set up one megaunit, broke down several quads, converted two elementary schools to middle/high schools, added 500,000 square feet of building space to their workload and added 136 acres of ground to maintain.
Mr. Keith Williams made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Karen Watson, according to NCGS 143-318 for the board to enter into closed session to discuss personnel issues. The motion unanimously carries.
Mr. Keith Williams made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Karen Watson, to return to open session. The motion unanimously carries.
There being no further business before the board, Mr. Bill Brater made a motion, seconded by Mr. Charles Kelly, to adjourn. The motion unanimously carries.
Signed:______
Dr. David W. Cash, Chairman
Board of Education
______
Mr. Brady Johnson, Interim Superintendent
Secretary, Board of Education
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