BOARD MINUTES FOR
Highland School District #203
Regular Board Meeting
Highland High School
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The October 23, 2007 Regular Board Meeting was called to order by Chair Julie Smith
at 7:00 pm. Others present were Board Members Nikki Keller, DeeDee Trepanier, Becky Laughery and Bruce Allen; Superintendent Gary Masten; Principal Greg George, Principal Janice Sauve, Principal Andy Woehler, Director of Student Services Barb Gilbert, Principal Kelly Thorson, TIS Principal Intern Mindy Fitterer, Director of Business and Operations Dean Schlenker, Bus Driver/Route Supervisor Mark Williams, Recording Secretary Sharon Fisher; and some teachers and patrons of the district.
Greg George led the flag salute.
It was moved by Bruce and 2 nd by DeeDee they approve the Minutes of the September 18, 2007 Regular Board Meeting; motion passed.
COMMUNICATIONS
Julie presented a Scottie Pride Award to Chris Urquhart. Other recipients unable to attend were Starla Skidmore and Amanda Shipman.
Dean presented an overview of the Transportation and Maintenance Departments. He discussed the number of buses and drivers, bus routes, and that the state funds mileage “as the crow flies”, not by road miles. The District transports approximately 750 – 800 students daily plus trips, so the split transportation schedule is necessary. Also, there is no state funding for those bus stops within a one-mile radius of the school for grades 6-12, so the district has to fund those costs. Safety is a priority on our buses and if there is a discipline problem, the driver has to pull over to take care of it. At this time, two buses have cameras on board. He mentioned that diesel expenses are climbing rapidly. In response to a question Dean said we have purchased no new buses in two years, but there is approximately $160 thousand in state appreciation money for funding purchase of buses. Mark added that we get about 15 years reasonable use out of a bus.
Dean expressed appreciation for all Mark’s time and effort working on grounds and transportation.
Gary and DeeDee met with the county regarding the school zone/crosswalk in front of the high school. They discussed the recent car-pedestrian accident, the number of students crossing the road, and the fact that there has been no flagging or signage for the “school zone”. There will now be a school zone with a crosswalk and a 20 mph zone when flagged. The 20 mph zone will extend 300 feet on either side of the crosswalk. The county discussed improving the shoulder of the road to widen the walkway.
Gary provided the Board with an article written by Tom Boyce, math consultant. Tom led discussions and dialog on math and has analyzed data on doubling up in math and how it affects kids; also intervention and improving reading to help improve math scores.
Gary reminded the Board about the community reception for Roy Hallstrom, retired HHS Ag teacher, who is moving to Virginia.
The Election Office is having an open house for interested persons to see how the election process works and Gary distributed flyers to the Board members and encouraged them to attend.
OLD BUSINESS
Dean discussed the HHS/HJH energy retrofit. He said we have been monitoring the results for cost savings and will continue to do so. He recommended that the Board approve the retrofit.
It was moved by Bruce with 2 nd by Nikki that they approve Resolution #1-07, the HHS/HJH Energy Retrofit; motion passed.
Plans for the WSSDA conference were discussed and Gary reviewed the workshop selections.
There was no other Old Business.
NEW BUSINESS
Gary presented the Overnight Trip Request for the Band to go to Auburn to participate in the Veteran’s Day Parade and Field Show and said the expenses would be paid out of the extracurricular budget. After discussion Bruce moved with 2 nd by Nikki that they approve the Overnight Trip Request; motion passed.
Gary stated there are Board Policy and WAC requirements that the district review School Improvement Plans annually. He said the drafts of those plans are being presented at this Board Meeting and the Board will review the drafts and bring their comments to the November 6 Board Work Study. Board Action will be scheduled for the November Regular Board Meeting.
Administrator Reports
HHS Principal Greg George handed out draft copies and had a PowerPoint presentation of the HHS School Improvement Plan for 2007-08. He reported that our 11-12 th grade Segmented Math does meet the requirements for Senior graduation for those who have not passed the WASL. Also, he said we will have 5 or 6 more days with Tom Boyce. Currently there are 17 students enrolled in Cornerstone Pre-Calculus. In 2008 HHS will offer Cornerstone Calculus. Greg said the high school’s SIP Plan states that by 2008, 85% of our 10 th grade will meet or exceed reading standards as measured in the WASL. There are plans to offer Cornerstone Drama, which is a study of theater. Greg said he will be working with Mike Brown from ESD 105 on the NACL and structuring programs for our students in science.
Principal Janice Sauve gave the Board members draft copies of her SIP. She also reported MWC is still above the state average in reading and they will be working toward further improvement.
They are continuing with LASER science with the intent of increasing science knowledge in the K-3 grades. Janice said attendance at Parent Conferences was good, but can be better. MWC plans to increase parental involvement by 25% in 2007-08.
Andrew Woehler, TIS principal, handed out and reviewed the draft School Improvement Plan for his building. He went over the research-based strategies TIS will be putting in place this school year. He reported that their Open House attendance was not what they hoped for.
HJH Principal Kelly Thorson handed out drafts of his School Improvement Plan. He also had a PowerPoint presentation and said there would be an emphasis on reading and improving WASL scores by 10% in 2007-08 and another 10% in 2008-09. He stated he feels that CMP2 will help with math scores. His staff will be discussing a math night with parents.
Barb Gilbert, Director of Student Services, reported she attended a Law Conference session on “Dealing with Dangerous Students”. The Special Ed program is up and running and the student count seems stable at this point. She is adding a paraeducator position to address student needs at TIS; this position will be supported by migrant funds.
Director of Business and Operations Dean Schlenker gave the Budget Status and Enrollment Reports. He referred to the handouts and reported that student enrollment is at 1085. Gary stated the average class size for grades 9-12 is 25.19 students, at the K-3 level 20.69 students is the average class size and TIS is at 25.45 while HJH averages 25.28 per class. Dean said the General Fund balance is slightly up this month, but next month will drop to it’s lowest level. This is due to grants and program expenses being front loaded before the revenue comes in.
Gary presented the Personnel Report. There were corrections to change the HJH Head Basketball Coach to HJH Head Boys Basketball Coach in Extracurricular Section 1. “Resignations/Releases” and also in Section 5. “Status of Posted Extracurricular Vacancies”. Section 5. was also amended to add the Apple Bowl Advisor position. Bruce moved with 2 nd by DeeDee they approve the Personnel Report as corrected; motion passed.
Nikki gave the Legislative Report and mentioned highlights from the WSSDA newsletter. She said she might need an alternate to vote at the Delegate Assembly, as she will be unable to attend that session.
HHS Principal Greg George shared with the Board the remote security camera program on his laptop computer, which showed real-time activity in the building. He said the program is also on HJH Principal Kelly Thorson’s laptop and several other computers, which really helps with monitoring activity and security in the building.
Dean reviewed the bills and clarified some of the higher payments: The Advantage retainage is being paid off this month. Also, he said the soccer goals were very weak and dangerous and needed to be replaced and the increased costs for bus fuel were reflected in higher payments this month. There were also additional costs for payment of two months worth of power bills due to the late Board Meeting.
It was moved by Becky and 2 nd by Bruce that they approve the payment of bills as follows:
General Fund for $4,772.31 with warrants 46082 through 46086, $2,811.93 with warrants 46087 through 46090 and $177,313.98 with warrants 46091 through 46241; ASB Fund for $7,861.95 with warrants 4072 through 4086; and Payroll for $261,562.73 with warrants 46242 through 46323 and $428,565.90 by direct deposit. Motion passed.
At 9:30 pm, Chair Julie Smith called for an Executive Session to discuss Real Estate and legal counsel’s advice regarding an arbitration. The Board, Superintendent Gary Masten, Director of Business and Operations Dean Schlenker and Recording Secretary Sharon Fisher were the only people still in attendance and Julie estimated the Executive Session would last 45 minutes.
At 10:15 the Regular Board Meeting was reconvened. There was additional discussion regarding the sale of the landlocked Cowiche Mill property. DeeDee moved, with 2 nd by Becky, that this Parcel # 151313-22001 be declared surplus and the Board authorize the district to put it up for bid, with the minimum bid set at $5,500. The motion was approved.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 pm.