Minutes
Seven Hills Charter Public School Board of Trustees
August 8, 2006
Present: Krista Piazza, Lee Cordaro, Cindy Krakovic, Donna Lemoyne, Dorothy Escribano, Carlton Watson, Rebecca Blodgett, Andrew Feeland, Beth Gillis.
Welcome: Carlton Watson called the meeting to order at 6:15 pm.
Mr. Watson asked for an update on the completion of the playground project. It is expected to be completed by Monday August 14, 2006. Rain delayed the project. The issue of parking was raised and the potential need for temporary parking for a week at least. Ms. Osborn noted that the sites are available down the street. Construction on dr’s side is slowing and parking for their workers is being done mostly inside the site, creating spaces that were not available last year. The parking lot will be open by the time school begins. When the playground equipment delivery is made it will close the parking area for a maximum of 2 weeks.
Minutes
Minutes of the June 6, 2006 SHCPS Board of Trustees Meeting presented for approval.
Motion to approve: Lee Cordaro
Second: Donna Lemoyne
All members voted in favor of the motion.
Public Comments
The BOT has allotted 15 minutes to those individuals from the community or staff who have notified the Board in advance that they would like to speak on a topic that may or may not be on the agenda. There was no public comment.
1) Presentations
a) SHCPS Staff and Family Handbook and Policy Manual: Note that the board of trustees votes on policies only, not procedures. The entire manual was included in order to put the policies in perspective.
Ms. Osborn presented the SHCPS Staff and Family Handbook and Policy Manual and explained that the manual is a consolidated version of all of the current policies updated as necessary to reflect any changes in DOE regulations, and to incorporate new policies where required. A draft was submitted to an outside consultant for feedback to ensure compliance in preparation for the Coordinated Program Review audit. The role of the Board of Trustees is to examine the manual to be sure it is in line with the school’s philosophies, not to enforce the day-to-day follow through of the policies. Krista suggested that the highlighted areas be reviewed and that a vote be conducted to accept the entire document.
Changes begin on Page 15 with the World Language section. The Board discussed offering other languages besides English and Spanish to the students of Seven Hills. Mr. Watson reminded the Board that the desired level of competency in Spanish and English has not been reached to date. That goal should be achieve a high level of competency in our Spanish program before adding another language to the curriculum. Ms. Escribano suggested that a future brain-storming session be held to discuss the possibility of incorporating Chinese or Arabic instead of another European language; that it would put the students of SHCPS at an advantage. Ms. Osborn has a relationship with an organization that could establish a Chinese language program at potentially no cost to the school. Further investigation into this option will be done.
Pages 16 through 23 did not prompt additional discussion.
Ms. Lemoyne requested additional discussion regarding the policies highlighted on Page 24. Specific remarks were made regarding the policy for “illness absence must be accompanied by a doctor’s note.” Ms. Osborn reminded the Board that this is not a new policy, however, Ms. Escribano suggested that “after 3 days” should be added to the text since many illnesses would not require a doctor’s visit before 3 days.
Page 25 through 35 did not prompt additional discussion.
Mr. Watson requested additional discussion regarding the school’s physical restraint policy on Page 39 and asked if we should make a statement of exclusion. He stated that definitions are included in the policies, however, there does not seem to be a definitive statement outlining what the school won’t do relative to restraints. Ms. Osborn directed the conversation toward the Special Notes section and stated that it makes reference to exclusions. Mr. Watson and Ms. Escribano suggested that Seven Hills should provide guidelines to identify the person or position that would provide permission for extended restraints. The reporting process does not include information regarding approval. The Board members agreed that permission should be generated from an administrator or the superintendent.
Pages 40 through 45 did not prompt additional discussion.
Ms. Blogett asked the Board to clarify the policies outlined on Page 46 and wondered what happens if a grievance or complaint does not receive a response within 5 days. Ms. Osborn responded that it automatically goes to the next level. Mr. Watson stated that the policy, as stated in the manual, did not properly capture what happens next, and requested that language to clarify this be included.
Pages 47 through 57 did not prompt additional discussion.
Ms. Osborn directed the Board to the policy changes on Page 60. Although this section is already board-approved, an outside legal consultant suggested that this area be red flagged; that perhaps the special education section should be eliminated all together. Ms. Blodgett suggested that the section should remain to clarify that Seven Hills accepts special education students. It was agreed that this language remain.
Ms. Blodgett requested clarification regarding the CORI Check information outlined on Page 63. Are event chaperones checked? Ms. Osborn and Ms. Krackovic verified that the CORI Check is in place for all volunteers and chaperones. Policy states that CORI checks are done every 3 years as required by law, but changes to the manual specifies that Seven Hills can do it at any time.
Pages 64 through 73 did not prompt additional discussion.
Mr. Watson requested clarification on the policies outlined on Page 74 regarding Reference Letters. He suggested that the wording be changed to indicate that employees may share “their own” information. Ms. Osborn stated that the policy states that Seven Hills could provide a reference to the teacher and they can share it with whomever they wish but Seven Hills will not pass information directly to an organization. Ms. Escribano questioned whether a teacher would be able to ask for a reference from the school. Ms. Krackovic responded that Seven Hills has a “name-rank-serial number” policy relative to references. Ms. Blodgett feels the policy is restrictive and would prohibit teachers from applying for doctorate or other programs that would require a reference. Mr. Watson reminded the Board that the negative aspect has to be considered. Ms. Escribano would like further investigation into this policy. Mr. Feeland asked how other schools handle it. Ms. Osborn reminded the Board that Edison has a strong legal department that recommended this policy to protect the school. Mr. Feeland pointed out that legally, Seven Hills is only required to give “name-rank-serial number” information but that we could provide additional information if desired. Ms. Krackovic pointed out that inconsistency could cause problems later; that we should provide one service, the same service, for all. Ms. Blodgett believes that the school’s cautious attitude could undermine the overall goals and may be holding the staff back from continuing their education and professional development. Mr. Watson recommended following up to find out what other schools are doing regarding reference letters, and to obtain legal counsel regarding this policy. Ms. Escribano suggested that if the school decides to provide references that all letters should come from the principal. The board determined that this policy should be removed until after we obtain legal counsel.
Attention was directed to the new changes to the Staff Disciplinary Action policy. The statement “suspension without pay for a specified number of days or termination” was added to the policy to utilize suspension as an action of consequence. Ms. Escribano suggests changing it to “and/or” suspension to make the policy more clear. The board agreed.
Ms. Lemoyne noted that specific names are used throughout the policy manual. Would the school be wiser to use the position titles instead of specific names? Ms. Osborn responded that positions were used unless mandated by law to identify the person.
Mr. Watson noted that thanks should be given to Ms. Osborn and her team for doing such a great job on the policy manual.
Motion to approve the entire manual with the exception of the section pertaining to the Reference Letter, and with changes as noted above was made.
Motion to approve: Rebecca Blodgett
Second: Andrew Feeland
All members voted in favor of the motion.
2) Board Report
a) Board Recruitment – Ms. Krackovic noted that she does not have contact information for the new Board member, and the potential board member in order to follow up, and obtain the necessary documentation in order to submit for DOE approval. Ms. Krackovic will obtain this information and follow up with them as soon as possible. Mr. Feeland indicated that his mother-in-law has permanently moved to this area and may be interested in becoming a Board member. Ms. Blodgett verified that Mr. Feeland’s mother would be an excellent addition.
b) Edison Negotiation Update – Mr. Watson began the discussion by reminding the Board members that during the last Board meeting he indicated that Edison stated, “regardless of what happens they wanted the payment in full of the loan and collateral funds .” Meetings continue with Bank of America, however, as suggested in the last Board meeting, other options have been pursued. Mr. Watson and Ms. Krackovic have met with DCU and they have offered a 20-year note with a 6.95% rate with renewal in 10 years. If Seven Hills pursued a relationship with DCU, then ratios would be met and the school would be able to move forward. Mr. Watson stated that DCU is being very aggressive in the marketplace and that they are a wonderful institution offering many benefits. Mr. Feeland asked if the interest rate was locked in. Mr. Watson responded that it was locked in if done by August 31st. Mr. Watson’s position is that it is in the best interest of the school to negotiate a pay out agreement of cash due to Edison and some term agreement for the remaining portion . Mr. Watson suggests that the school should retain 1.5M with a payment agreement to pay Edison back over 5-10 years. DCU would also provide Seven Hills with a $1M line of credit. Ms. Lemoyne and Mr.Feeland feel that Bank of America doesn’t seem to want the school’s business, based on the term sheet provided. Mr. Watson clarified that they did but their term sheet offer was from their perspective. Ms. Blodgett suggested that aligning with DCU would be an excellent partnership. Currently Seven Hills has a 5-year term with Bank of America and the law stipulates that the school cannot enter into a financial agreement longer than the charter without DOE approval. Although DCU may feel more comfortable with a longer 10-year term, the school would need DOE approval. The Board members do not anticipate any problems with the DOE since they clearly understand the situation with Edison. Ms. Krackovic will investigate what is involved with the process. Mr. Watson will follow up with George Tetler to see if he has obtained information regarding other financial institutions and what those refinance options look like.
c) Board Effectiveness Survey Results – Mr. Watson reminded the Board that there are many completion dates within the Board adopted work plan and that information is provided in the Board packets every month as reminder of upcoming deadlines.
d) Sub Committee Status Update – Comments and feedback from the Board members will be incorporated into the Satisfaction Survey. Ms. Osborn would like to bring the results to the School Advisory Council for additional feedback.
3) Old Business
a) Food Program Update: (Handout provided) Tasha Griffin, the Food Services Director, has reported to Ms. Krackovic that she is experiencing some setbacks. There are problems with preferred meals, the freezer has failed, and the new ovens are not on-site yet. The ovens have been promised but they have not arrived to date. The old ovens have been removed so that the renovations in the kitchen may continue. Mr. Watson wanted to ensure that a Plan B is in place should the ovens not be place at the start of school. Ms. Blodgett expressed concern that breakfast will be provided for all students under the Universal Breakfast program and that this new program may generate wasted food. Ms. Osborn and Ms. Krackovic expressed their confidence that Ms. Griffin will manage the day to day process and will properly handle distribution of breakfast.
4) New Business
a) FY07 Board Meeting Schedule – A motion to approve the meeting schedule with consideration of inclement weather and attendance was made Noting that without a quorum the meeting would need to be canceled and rescheduled.
Motion to approve: Donna Lemoyne
Second: Andrew Feeland
All members voted in favor of the motion
b) FY07 Budget Revision– Ms. Krackovic put forth a proposed amended FY07 budget as a result of updated revenue figures based on the adjustment to the funding formula, final entitlement grant figures and revised Village budget. Ms. Krackovic noted the necessary changes to the personnel and non-personnel expense resulting from the updated revenue figures. In addition a reclassification of expenses related to the food program were made between non-personnel and personnel as a result of the program being managed in house. The net changes to the budget is as follows: