MINUTES
North Dakota Teacher Center Network (NDTCN)
Thursday, May 16, 2013
10 a.m. Central Time
Hughes Education Center, Board Room 1
Bismarck, ND
Participants
Teacher Center directors in attendance were NDTCN President Jennifer Carlson, NDTCN Vice President Sandy Zahn, Valeria Becker, Shannon Faller, Joanne Fields, Missy Hutter, Darlene Pullen, Ryan Townsend, Darlene Schwarz, and Kris Warmoth. Advisory Committee members Dakota Draper, Glenda Fauske, Kim Jones, and Marilyn Weiser attended, along with Dana Schaar and Jackie Nye of Clearwater Communications. Director Jenny Schmidt was not in attendance.
Welcome & Introductions
President Carlson called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.
Approval of Minutes
Zahn moved to approve the minutes of the Dec. 10, 2012, meeting. Pullen seconded the motion, and it passed.
Financial Report
Approval of bills
Jones moved to approve payment of the spring meeting expenses, as well as the $500 annual stipend to the NDTCN president’s Teacher Center. Pullen seconded the motion, and it passed.
Advertising financial account
Nye reviewed the advertising revenue for 2012-2013; newsletter ad sales brought in $12,050. Based on anticipated expenses through the end of the fiscal year, it is estimated NDTCN will have to use a few hundred dollars from the reserve account.
Other Reports
DPI budget update
Townsend informed NDTCN that the legislature didn’t approve an increase to the budget, but it did continue funding at the previous level. DPI was allotted $2.75 million to use as they see fit. AdvancEd will be the first priority. Common Core will hold a meeting June 3-4 that will be open to the public. The first day of the meeting will be presentations, and the second day will allow feedback. A decision on spending will be made in June following the meeting.
Business Items
STEM training workshop
There will be 10 STEM kits made. Each center will receive a box of resources and tools. A kit will also be sent to Fargo to be used by their students. The kits will have materials that focus on math, science, technology, and engineering. The kits will be ready for the centers in the fall.
New fiscal agent
Devils Lake Public Schools is willing to take over the financials for NDTCN. They would set up an activity account to handle the transactions. Minot State University could continue to be the fiscal officer if needed. There was consensus to move forward with the transfer to Devils Lake. Warmoth will research the transition process and email Nye and Carlson with steps to move forward.
Election of president
Zahn nominated Carlson as president, and Carlson accepted the nomination. With no other nominations being made, Pullen moved to cease nominations and re-elect Carlson for a two-year term as president. Hutter seconded the motion, and it passed.
Advisory Committee positions
Dakota Draper with NDEA has termed out and will be replaced by Nick Archuleta. Doug Johnson’s position with NDCEL will be filled by Amy Copass. Townsend will contact Lucy Fredrickson to fill the Indian Education Representative position. Zahn will contact Sen. Robinson to see if he is still interested in serving. Carlson will contact Rep. Monson to see if he is interested in serving on the committee. Fauske, Warmoth, and Weiser all agreed to serve another term.
Annual Report forms approval
Townsend stressed centers must show accountability to maintain or increase future funding. The centers could risk funding cuts if reporting isn’t completed correctly or on time.
Changes were made to the Amendment Checklist to better reflect the work each center is doing. Zahn moved to approve changes to the Amendment Checklist and Constitution pending final approval with email. Schwarz seconded the motion, and it passed.
Newsletter recommendations 2013-2014
Schaar addressed the continued decline in advertising for the statewide newsletter. Clearwater Communications aggressively marketed the newsletter this year, and many previous advertisers continued to advertise, but with fewer or smaller ads than in past years. NDTCN directors and advisory committee members will send Nye contact information of out-of-state vendors to contact about advertising.
Clearwater Communications contract
Zahn made a motion to approve the contract with Clearwater Communications with the same monthly fee as last year. Pullen seconded the motion, and it passed.
Website
Hutter made a motion to have Clearwater purchase a new domain name for NDTCN for up to $200.00. Jones seconded the motion, and it passed.
Other
Strategic planning will be done following the fall meeting. Fauske will email a list of strategic planners to Carlson, and Schaar will send a quote from Clearwater for planning services.
Nye will send out an email to determine a date for the fall NDTCN meeting. The tentative location for the meeting will be at the State Capitol.
Center Reports
Carlson subscribed to virtual job shadow. It is a program in place to help students in rural communities get job experience. The class is held online, and students can interact with someone on the job in a field they are interested in. Lake Region is also thinking of buying Valley City’s STARLAB.
Zahn reported that Valley City has been working to get back surprise boxes. They are also in the process of trying to purchase a digital STARLAB. Valley City will be holding poverty workshops in June. One of their students placed fourth at State Math Counts and got to move on to Nationals.
Pullen wants to start an ELL boot camp. Recently Mid-Dakota Teacher Center, along with North Dakota Game and Fish, offered field trips to students to go fishing. Over 500 students attended.
Becker shared the North Dakota Science Fair had just wrapped up in Grand Forks. There was great participation in the younger grades, but very few high school students entered. She believes part of the reason for low participation was the amount of paperwork required to enter the contest. She would like to set up credits to help encourage students to take part.
Faller reported for Richter on Williston Teacher Center. Williston is in the process of getting Daily 5 established. They are also planning a STEM class. The center is interested in getting an eBook subscription.
Schwarz shared information on Bismarck’s traveling kits. They now have 113 kits that include a variety of books, stuffed animals, CDs and maps. There is a list of all the kits available on the Bismarck website.
Hutter stated that Mayville has also started making traveling kits. The center has also partnered with a Mayville State University student to offer Tech Thursdays. The student comes in and helps teach technical lessons.
Fields reported for Olson on the West River Teacher Center. This summer the center has 25 classes scheduled. They will also be helping with an engineering camp. iPads have continued to be a popular item to be checked out. World Voices, Passport Days and Women’s Voices were all held this spring.
Adjournment
Carlson adjourned the meeting at 12:55 p.m.
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