October 6, 2009
|
MEMBERS PRESENT: |
MEMBERS ABSENT: |
|
|
Ms. Rita S. Bellitto, Vice Chairman Mr. William J. Brunke, IV Ms. Emma L. “Em” Davis Ms. Patricia G. Edmonson |
Mr. Brent N. Mckenzie Mr. Patrick S. Salyer Ms. Sandra Smith-Jones Ms. Carolyn D. Weems |
Mr. Daniel D. “Dan” Edwards, Chairman Mr. Todd C. Davidson Mr. Dan R. Lowe |
|
Dr. James G. Merrill, Superintendent |
||
1.
Convene School Board Informal Meeting: Vice Chairman Bellitto convened in the
einstein.lab at 5:05 p.m. All Board
members were present with the exception of Messrs. Edwards, Davidson and Lowe
who were absent from the meeting, and Ms. Smith-Jones who arrived during the
formal meeting at 6:21 p.m.
2.
First Closed Meeting:
Personnel Matters and Acquisition of Real Property: Mr. Brunke made a motion, seconded by Ms. Davis,
that the Board adopt a motion to recess into a closed meeting pursuant to the
exceptions from open meetings allowed by Section 2.2-3711, Part A, Paragraphs 1
and 3, of the Code of Virginia, 1950,
as amended, for the following purpose:
A.
Personnel Matters:
Discussion of or consideration of interviews of prospective candidates
for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion,
salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific public officers, appointees,
or employees, pursuant to Section 2.2-3711, (A) (1); namely to discuss: performance of certain administrators.
B.
Acquisition of Real Property: Discussion or consideration of the
acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of
publicly held property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely
affect the bargaining, position, or negotiating strategy of the public body,
pursuant to Section 2.2-3711, (A) (3); namely to discuss: acquisition of a school site in the
Princess Anne district.
The
motion was approved (ayes 7, nays 0; Smith-Jones had not yet arrived) and the
Board entered into a closed meeting at 5:09 p.m.
Individuals
present for discussion:
A. Personnel Matters: Board members with the exception of Messrs.
Edwards, Davidson and Lowe who were absent from the meeting, and Ms.
Smith-Jones who arrived during the formal meeting; Superintendent Merrill; Dr.
Sheila S. Magula, Deputy Superintendent; Dr. Maynard E. Massey, Assistant
Superintendent for Middle School Education; Ms. Jobynia G. Caldwell, Assistant
Superintendent for High School Education; Mr. John S. Kalocay, Assistant
Superintendent for Administrative Support Services; Mr. Richard M. Ponti,
Director of Safe Schools and Risk Management; Mr. Daniel J. Anglin, Coordinator
of Security and Safe Schools; Ms. Kamala H. Lannetti, Deputy City Attorney; Ms.
LaRana J. Owens, Associate City Attorney; and Ms. Dianne P. Alexander, Clerk of
the Board.
B. Acquisition of Real Property: This topic not discussed during the first
closed meeting. See Item 16.
The Board reconvened in an open
meeting at 5:53 p.m.
Certification of Closed Meeting: Mr. Brunke made a motion, seconded by Ms.
Davis, that the Board certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge,
only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements
by Virginia law were discussed; and only such public business matters as were
identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard,
discussed, or considered. The motion was
approved (ayes 7, nays 0; Smith-Jones had not yet arrived).
3.
Hearing of Citizens and Delegations on Non-Agenda Items: None
4.
Formal Meeting Call to Order and Electronic Roll Call: Vice Chairman Bellitto called the formal
meeting to order in the School Board Room at 6:19 p.m. All Board members were present with the
exception of Ms. Smith-Jones who Vice Chairman Bellitto announced was en route
and who arrived at 6:21 p.m.; and Messrs. Edwards, Davidson and Lowe who were
unable to attend.
5.
Student, Employee and Public Awards and Recognition: None
6.
Invocation by Rabbi Howard Mandell of Temple Emmanuel followed
by the Pledge of Allegiance
7.
Hearing of Citizens and Delegations on Agenda Items: None
8.
Approval of Minutes:
A.
September 15, 2009 Regular Meeting: Ms. Davis made a motion, seconded by Mr. Mckenzie,
that the Board approve the minutes of their September 15, 2009 regular meeting
as presented. The motion was approved
(ayes 8, nays 0).
9.
Adoption of the Agenda:
Prior
to a motion, Vice Chairman Bellitto announced there were no proposed changes to
the published agenda and confirmed Item 16 – Closed Meeting would be
needed. Mr. Brunke then made a motion,
seconded by Ms. Edmonson, that the Board adopt the agenda as published. The motion was approved (ayes 8, nays 0).
10.
Consent Agenda: Ms. Smith-Jones made
a motion, seconded by Ms. Edmonson, that the Board approve the Consent
Agenda. The motion was approved (ayes 8,
nays 0) and the following items adopted as part of the Consent Agenda:
A.
Resolutions:
1.
National
School Bus Safety Week as follows:
NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK RESOLUTION
OCTOBER 19-23, 2009
WHEREAS, the
School Board of Virginia Beach has set high standards for school bus safety as
a fundamental principle of caring for and protecting the school children of
Virginia Beach; and
WHEREAS, the
safety of our school buses is vital for the protection of school children in
the Virginia Beach City Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, school
bus administrators, mechanics, 650 school bus drivers, and 110 school bus
assistants work diligently each day to ensure the safe and efficient
transportation of 60,000 school division students over 10 million miles per
year to and from their places of learning; and
WHEREAS, the
Virginia Beach City School Board recognizes the outstanding safety record of its
school bus personnel; and
WHEREAS,
motorists are urged to assist in school bus safety by obeying the law and
stopping when buses are picking up and discharging students.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED: That the Virginia Beach City School Board
take official cognizance of the exemplary work performed by pupil
transportation personnel;
RESOLVED: That the Virginia Beach City School Board
recognizes October 19-23, 2009, as National School Bus Safety Week and call its
significance to the attention of all Virginia Beach citizens.
RESOLVED: That a copy of this resolution by spread
across the official minutes of this Board.
2.
America’s
Safe Schools Week as follows:
AMERICA’S SAFE SCHOOLS WEEK RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, excellence in education is
dependent on a safe, secure, and peaceful school setting; and
WHEREAS, all children deserve to have a
learning environment free of verbal, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect;
and
WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of all
citizens to enhance the learning experiences of young people by helping to
ensure fair and effective discipline, promote good citizenship, and generally
make schools safe and secure; and
WHEREAS, schools make substantial
contributions to the future of America and to the development of our nation’s
young people as knowledgeable, responsible, and productive citizens; and
WHEREAS, the safety and well-being of
students, staff, and visitors are of utmost importance in our schools; and
WHEREAS, the observance of America’s Safe
Schools Week and Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence
will substantially promote efforts to provide all our nation’s schools with
positive and safe learning climates.
Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED:
That the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach recognize the week
of October 18-24, 2009, as America’s Safe Schools Week; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach recognize Wednesday,
October 21, 2009, as School Resource Officer and Security Assistant Recognition
Day; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach calls on all
citizens and school division employees to support the observance of these
dates; and be it
FURTHER
RESOLVED: That a copy of this resolution be spread
across the official minutes of this Board.
3.
National
School Lunch Week as follows:
NATIONAL
SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK RESOLUTION
OCTOBER
12-16, 2009
WHEREAS, the National School
Lunch Program has served our nation admirably for over 60 years through
advanced practices and nutrition education; and
WHEREAS, the National School
Lunch Program is dedicated to the health and well-being of our nation’s
children; and
WHEREAS, the National School
Lunch Program has been joined through the years by many other excellent child
feeding programs; and there is evidence of continued need for nutrition
education and awareness of the value of school nutrition programs.
NOW,
THEREFORE,
I, the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach, do hereby proclaim the week
of October 12-16, 2009 as National
School Lunch Week and I encourage all
residents to become aware and concerned about their children’s and their own
nutrition habits, in hope of achieving a more healthful citizenry for today and
the future.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Official Seal of the School Board of
the Virginia Beach City Public Schools to be affixed.
That a copy of this resolution be
spread across the official minutes of the Board.
4.
GED
and Lifelong Learning Awareness Week as follows:
RESOLUTION REGARDING 2009 VIRGINIA GED®
AND LIFELONG LEARNING AWARENESS WEEK CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH
WHEREAS, a
well-educated workforce is essential to the vitality and growth of Virginia
Beach’s economy and the strength of our community; and
WHEREAS, approximately
23,000 adults in Virginia Beach do not possess a high school diploma or GED
certificate, which hinders their efforts to earn a good wage and provide for
their families; and
WHEREAS, Governor Kaine
has identified earning the GED certificate as a critical first step that
under-educated Virginian’s can take to improve their lives; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia
Workforce Network is working to increase awareness of and access of GED
preparation and testing opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Virginia
Beach’s adult education programs have served under-educated adults in our
community for forty years, producing hundreds of GED graduates each year; and
WHEREAS, local
communities throughout the Commonwealth will hold events to stress the
importance of a well-educated workforce and citizenry.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED:
That the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach joins the City of
Virginia Beach and Mayor Will Sessoms, to hereby recognize October 19-23, 2009
as GED and Lifelong Learning Awareness Week in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and be
it
FURTHER RESOLVED:
That a copy of this resolution be spread across the official minutes of
this Board.
GED
is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education and may not be
used or reproduced without the express written permission of the American
Council on Education
B.
Religious
Exemption Case Numbers RE-09-02, 03, 04 and 05
C.
The
Board authorized the Chairman to execute a Deed of Dedication for Bayside
Middle School to “clean up” a property line conflict with Newtown Elementary
and Bayside Middle Schools which was discovered as a result of construction of
the storm drainage outfall improvements associated with Diamond Springs
Elementary School
D.
The
Board authorized the Chairman to execute a Deed of Dedication for King’s Grant
Elementary School to adjust the common property line between the school and the
Lynnhaven Boys Baseball complex which was recently acquired by the City of
Virginia Beach. Realignment of the
current property line will coincide with the existing physical improvements on
both parcels
E.
Appointments,
Resignations and Retirements as presented on the Personnel Report dated October
6, 2009. In addition, Superintendent
Merrill announced and the Board affirmed, the following administrative
recommended appointments and reassignments:
Kelli
M. Cedo, current Assistant Principal of Pembroke Meadows Elementary School, to Coordinator
of Title I Programs;
Catherine
M. Pullar, current Assistant Principal for Fairfax County Public Schools, to
Assistant Principal at Pembroke Meadows Elementary School;
Kay
L. Thomas, current Principal of Bayside High School, reassigned to Executive
Director of Alternative Education and the Renaissance Academy; and
James
D. Miller, current Assistant Principal of Landstown High School, to Principal
of Bayside High School.
11.
Action: None
12.
Information
A.
FY2009-10 Budget Calendar: Mr. Farrell E. Hanzaker, Chief Financial
Officer, presented to the Board for information the proposed FY2009-10 Budget
Calendar which he explained is the guide for the development, completion and
adoption of the Biennial Operating Budget FY2010/11 – FY2011/12 and the
FY2010/11 – FY2015/16 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). He noted November 17, 2009 there will be a
joint City Council/School Board presentation on the five-year forecast and
anticipated presentation of the Superintendent’s Estimate of Needs to be on
February 2, 2010, with up to four budget workshops scheduled as necessary with
the Board adopting the budget on March 2, 2010 in order for City Council to
adopt a budget by May 15, 2010.
B.
2009 Field Trip Report:
Mr. David L. Pace, Director of Transportation Services, presented to the
Board for information the 2008-09 field trip report. He explained the report although normally on
the Consent Agenda had been placed on the Information Agenda in order to
provide information on the impact of restrictions implemented the prior year limiting
field trips to Southside Hampton Roads resulting in 600 field trips dropped
equating to 22000 miles. He noted they
had not received any complaints about the restrictions and advised the division
had garnered support from other school organizations such as the PTA’s, band
parents and monogram club parents who reimbursed transportation expenses for
travel outside of the area.
C.
Local Assessment Program:
Evaluation Readiness Report Update:
Dr. Jared A. Cotton, Assistant Superintendent for Research, Evaluation,
and Assessment; and Dr. Douglas G. Wren, Assessment Specialist, presented to
the Board for information an executive summary of the Evaluation Readiness
Report Update for the Local Assessment Program with a focus on progress of
recommendations made in September 2008.
A revised recommendation and rationale was presented to conduct the
initial program implementation evaluation of the Local Assessment Program
during the 2010-11 school year.
13.
Committee Reports:
Recognizing
not a specific committee report, Ms. Edmonson reported on the State Board of
Education regional hearing she attended in Chesapeake on September 30 to
represent the School Board and the division, where twenty six other speakers
unanimously urged the Governor to not cap the number of school support
positions that would be funded by the state, or make the school’s funding cuts
permanent. She explained the impact
under the ratio standards proposal would result in the loss of 769 support
positions or $25.4 million in Standards of Quality (SOQ) funds in Virginia
Beach. In conclusion, she advised at the
October 5, 2009 meeting, the State Board reviewed draft recommended policy directions
and amended the draft to include two recommendations: 1) to advocate against permanent structural
changes to the SOQ that result in decreased funding for K-12 education; and 2)
to support the appropriateness of establishing ratio standards for individual
categories of support service positions as is the current practice used for
instructional personnel. She reported in
this regard, the Board rejected the Governor’s approach of lumping different
support categories together under one ratio.
Ms.
Weems advised she attended the quarterly SECEP - SouthEastern Cooperative Education
Program meeting where a successful school opening was reported, and noted there
are 84 SECEP locations in Virginia Beach this year, 22 in Virginia Beach City
Public School buildings. She also announced
the annual SECEP plant sale scheduled for Friday, October 23, where lunch will
also be available.
Also
Ms. Weems reported she attended the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
meeting on October 5, and announced upcoming events and activities.
Ms.
Davis advised she attended the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) October
Board meeting, and reported facilities are still being sought to accommodate
students. She noted the school is full
with 355 students and stated she would e-mail to the Board the number of
students from the division attending by each high school and each talent stream.
14.
Vote on Remaining Action Items: None
The
Board recessed at 7:04 p.m. and reconvened in the einstein.lab in workshop
format at 7:20 p.m.
15.
Workshop: Project
X-CD Program Update: Dr. Jared A. Cotton,
Assistant Superintendent for Research, Evaluation and Assessment; and Dr. Lisa
A. Banicky, Research Specialist, presented an update on the Project X-CD
Program including status and actions taken in response to recommendations from
the fall 2008 evaluation findings, performance data for SY2008-09, and stakeholder
perceptions. In conclusion, it was
recommended an update on the Project X-CD program be provided in the fall of
2010 with specific data to be reported as outlined in the report to include
program capacity; student demographic and academic characteristics; percentage
of students with improved academic performance, and those meeting the criteria
to exit the program; teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of roles and
responsibilities, support and oversight; parents’ perceptions of program
communication and satisfaction; and students’ perceptions of the Project X-CD
classroom environment. Discussion
concluded at 7:53 p.m.
16.
Second Closed Meeting:
Personnel Matters and Acquisition of Real Property: Mr. Brunke made a motion, seconded by Mr.
Salyer, that the Board adopt a motion to recess into a closed meeting pursuant
to the exceptions from open meetings allowed by Section 2.2-3711, Part A,
Paragraphs 1 and 3, of the Code of
Virginia, 1950, as amended, for the following purpose:
A.
Personnel Matters:
Discussion of or consideration of interviews of prospective candidates
for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion,
salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific public officers, appointees,
or employees, pursuant to Section 2.2-3711, (A) (1); namely to discuss: performance of certain administrators.
B.
Acquisition of Real Property: Discussion or consideration of the
acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of
publicly held property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely
affect the bargaining, position, or negotiating strategy of the public body,
pursuant to Section 2.2-3711, (A) (3); namely to discuss: acquisition of a school site in the
Princess Anne district.
The
motion was approved (ayes 8, nays 0) and the Board entered into a second closed
meeting at 8:01 p.m.
Individuals
present for discussion:
A. Personnel Matters: Board members with the exception of Messrs.
Edwards, Davidson and Lowe who were absent from the meeting; Superintendent
Merrill; Dr. Sheila S. Magula, Deputy Superintendent; Dr. Maynard E. Massey,
Assistant Superintendent for Middle School Education; Ms. Jobynia G. Caldwell,
Assistant Superintendent for High School Education; Mr. John S. Kalocay,
Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Support Services; Mr. Richard M.
Ponti, Director of Safe Schools and Risk Management; Mr. Daniel J. Anglin,
Coordinator of Security and Safe Schools; Ms. Kamala H. Lannetti, Deputy City
Attorney; Ms. LaRana J. Owens, Associate City Attorney; and Ms. Dianne P.
Alexander, Clerk of the Board.
B. Acquisition of Real Property: Board members with the exception of Messrs.
Edwards, Davidson and Lowe who were absent from the meeting; Superintendent
Merrill; Dr. Sheila S. Magula, Deputy Superintendent; Mr. John S. Kalocay,
Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Support Services; Mr. Anthony L.
Arnold, P.E., Director of Facilities Planning and Construction; Ms. Kamala H.
Lannetti, Deputy City Attorney; and Ms. Dianne P. Alexander, Clerk of the
Board..
The Board reconvened in an open
meeting at 8:51 p.m.
Certification of Closed Meeting: Mr. Brunke made a motion, seconded by Ms. Smith-Jones,
that the Board certifies that, to the best of each member’s knowledge, only
public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by
Virginia law were discussed; and only such public business matters as were identified
in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed,
or considered. The motion was approved
(ayes 8, nays 0).
17.
Adjournment: There being no
further business before the Board, Vice Chairman Bellitto adjourned the meeting
at 8:52 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Dianne
P. Alexander, Clerk of the Board
Approved:
Daniel
D. Edwards, Chairman