Date:Jan 13, 2009
Present: Wade Powell, Lydia Norton, Christine Pettingill, Joanne Moorefield, Peggy Farris, Lisa Albrich, Lisa Strauch, Courtney Leonard, Londa Rochholz, Sarah Appelbaum, Amy Duncan, Jessica Schabtach, Gerrie Widdiscombe, Rachel Taube, Craig Wiebe, Aaron Matney, Nancy Pollard, Kendall Lawless, Jessica Land
Minutes From 11/25 and 12/9 approved (change wording in scholarship application section to "all applicants will be....name is announced")
Students: Penny war and T-Shirts going well
Parents: No meeting this month
In-service day 1/5:
Kendall and Courtney presented about Hawaii trip. Experiences included looking at case studies and practices in international education, lots of shared activities.
One hour was devoted to revising school improvement goals, as part of a year long process of revision and refinement.
Afternoon was spent in 9/10 curriculum meetings (what we do, where we have gaps and overlap) and 12 grade team on senior paper revisions (have proposals, no time for clarification or decisions).
School Improvement Goals 1 and 2:
Goal 2/F: add alumni and retired teachers
IV: Big step and different direction - reflects incentive fund work and mandate to recruit and retain. Is the mandate defining IHS?
Definition of goals: What we strive towards, plus targets
III: What are we doing with IB? Open to all or do we counsel students to think twice. How does this influence our practices?
VF: Practices: Including new special needs students, add 'support and press' from TRIPOD data
Next steps? Finalize draft of goals by the end of the year
Wade: While it is difficult, it is important to have our goals defined for ourselves and those looking at us.
Gerrie: Add Mission Statement at the top of the page
VD4: Delete language about the coast trips (budget woes)
IHS may be reviewed soon along the lines of the elementary and middle school reviews
SI Juniors:
Need money to fund junior section and support for the health and long term viability of the program. Funds that we thought we had evaporated during winter break due to budget woes.
Attrition and staffing - no staffing available for breakout session 2nd semester for juniors - possible scenarios?
1: Parents raise $4500 for 1/2 section, added to EEF funds and SHS funds to create 2nd semester section of 22 students
2: 10-15 students take class online with Josh, in English to bring section size down from 58 ($2500-3000)
Parents and students working hard to raise funds, money needed by 1/23
If not enough money comes in, there will be no junior section in SI at SHS this semster
Why a problem now? Normally, 11th grade SI section is not run. This has been unique this year.
EEF holds $3000, which we have used in the past for staffing, supplies, conferences (Africa and Euraisian), and travel.
EEF funds are contingent on parents raising matching funds.
Junior year is important, as it is the AP/IB language test year and maintains program
Jessica: The Africa Celebration benefits all students, whereas this benefits only SI. Is it a good use of our EEF money?
There is other money to fund Africa Celebration.
Use of EEF funds approved for helping fund SI section
Budget and Enrollment:
Outlook is grim and alarming
Principals met to organize priorities
Our big points: IB is huge, and we don't take a lot of staffing (we are a good bargain)
Possible outcomes:
Consolidating schools
Upping student to teacher ratio
Must cut $3.3 million this year ($400 for us) out of general funds and supplies
Encouraged to stop spending on unnecessaries
Next year may need to cut %5 or $5-7 million
Trying to avoid layoffs and displacement
Administrative pay freeze?
Reduction in teacher days (1 day may equal $1 million)
Discussion coming - we will not know much for a while
Enrollment:
Incoming 9th grade will be smaller (like district)
Possible shift of 30 students (transfers @ middle school level)from South to Churchill
Caps will be 7.5% and 1500 at each high school
Maybe all at once, or over 4 years
Good news? We aren't facing as big a hit as other schools, if we stabilize enrollment, planning is easier
Timeline: Late March/Early April (later than usual)