SCHOOL BOARD OF THE CITY OF
MINUTES OF SCHOOL BOARD REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 20, 2007
The School Board of the City of
MEMBERS PRESENT:
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Mr. Daniel D. “Dan” Edwards, Chairman |
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Ms. |
Mr. Dan R. Lowe |
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Mr. Todd C. Davidson |
Mr. Lyndon S. Remias |
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Ms. Emma L. “Em” Davis |
Ms. |
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Ms. |
Mr. Michael W. Stewart |
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Mr. Edward F. Fissinger, Sr. |
Ms. Carolyn D. Weems |
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Dr. |
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Members ABSENT: None
Chairman Edwards convened the Board in the einstein.lab at 4:00 p.m. All Board members were present with the exception of Mr. Stewart and Vice Chairman Bellitto who arrived at 4:16 p.m. and 4:18 p.m., respectively.
B. Recruitment and Staffing: Mr. John A. Mirra, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, introduced Mr. Bernard Platt, Human Resources Specialist, who provided an update on recruitment and staffing activities. He presented comparisons of ethnicities by students, teachers, administrators and staff; and reported on diversity and gender of teacher applicants, newly hired teachers and promoted administrative staff. Additionally, he reported ongoing recruitment efforts and new initiatives to increase diversity in the workforce. Discussion concluded at 4:46 p.m.
C. Update: Drop-Out Data / Strategies: Dr. Jared A. Cotton, Assistant Superintendent for Research, Evaluation and Assessment, introduced Ms. Denise C. White, Coordinator of Student Services, who presented an update on the division’s drop-out rate indicating a slight decline in the district as compared to the 2005-2006 school year. In addition, Ms. White reviewed divisionwide strategies, programs, and community resources, and provided an overview of school based strategies being utilized throughout the division to address the drop-out rate. Discussion concluded at 5:38 p.m.
D. Program of Work: Board Committee Reports: The Board agreed to postpone Program of Work Board Committee Reports until their next regular meeting. Chairman Edwards asked Board members to forward any prepared committee reports to the Clerk for distribution to the Board prior to discussion at the next meeting.
The workshop concluded at 5:30 p.m.
Motion for Closed Meeting in Accordance with VA Code § 2.2-3711, Part A: Vice Chairman Bellitto made a motion, seconded by Mr. Davidson, that the Board adopt a motion to recess into a closed meeting pursuant to exemptions from open meetings allowed by Section 2.2-3711, Part A, Paragraph 3 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, for the following purposes:
A. Publicly Held 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:
1.
The motion was unanimously
approved and the Board entered into a closed meeting at 5:32 p.m.
Individuals present for discussion:
A. Publicly Held
Property:
1. Virginia Beach Middle School lot conveyances: Board members; Superintendent Merrill; Dr.
The Board reconvened in an open meeting at 5:41 p.m.
Certification of Closed Meeting: Vice Chairman Bellitto 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 unanimously approved.
Chairman Edwards called the formal meeting to order in the School Board Room at 6:15 p.m. All Board members were present.
A.
Outstanding Attendance – October 2007: The School Board recognized the following
schools for having the highest percent of student attendance for the month of
October 2007:
B.
Most Improved Attendance – October 2007: The School Board recognized
B. November 13, 2007 Special Meeting: Mr. Davidson made a motion, seconded by Ms. Edmonson, that the Board approve the minutes of their November 13, 2007 special meeting as presented. The motion was approved (ayes 8, nays 0, 3 abstentions – Davis, Smith-Jones and Stewart). It was noted abstentions were due to the Board members’ absence at the November 13 meeting.
1. Policy 4-8: Employee Input Process recommended for immediate implementation to allow more efficiency and flexibility in the methodology used to collect employee feedback. Additionally, the revised process reflects sensitivity to employees’ time and confidentiality.
2.
Policy 5-16:
Non-Residents revised to reflect changes made to law governing
nonresident requirements and specifically inserts language relevant to students
for which tuition shall not be collected in cases where the custodial parent
has been deployed outside the
B. The School Board authorized
the Superintendent to execute a contract with Spacemakers, Inc. in the amount
of $799,600 for HVAC modifications to the
C. Textbook adoptions as recommended by the applicable Textbook Adoption Committee for implementation in the fall of 2008 as follows:
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1. |
Personal Finance |
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Title: |
Mathematics and Business Applications, 6th Edition |
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Authors: |
Lange,
Walter and Rousos, Temoleon |
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Publisher: |
Glencoe/McGraw
Hill |
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Copyright: |
2007 |
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2. |
High School English Electives |
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Title: |
News Reporting and Writing, 10th Edition (Journalism) |
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Authors: |
Melvin
Mencher |
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Publisher: |
McGraw-Hill |
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Copyright: |
2008 |
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Title: |
The Art of Public Speaking, 9th Edition (Public Speaking) |
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Authors: |
Stephen
E. Lucas |
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Publisher: |
McGraw-Hill |
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Copyright: |
2007 |
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Title: |
Mass Media in a Changing World, 2007 Update Edition (Visual
Language) |
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Authors: |
George
Rodman |
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Publisher: |
McGraw-Hill |
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Copyright: |
2007 |
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Title: |
Language Awareness (Advanced
Composition) |
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Authors: |
Paul
Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, Virginia Clark |
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Publisher: |
Bedford/St.
Martin’s |
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Copyright: |
2005 |
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D. Religious Exemption Case Nos. RE-07-11 and RE-07-12
E. 2008 General Assembly Legislative Agenda to include
Ø Issues Supported:
·
Full funding of
the biennial re-benchmarking of the Standards of Quality (SOQ) funding formulas
·
Teacher Quality
Initiatives including
§
increased funding
to assist teachers in covering the cost of the initial $2,500 assessment fee
paid by applicants seeking National Board Certification
§
increased funding
for the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program (VTSLP) as well as an
increase to the amount awarded per student
§
Tax relief for
teachers, either through tax credits or deductions from taxable income on state
income taxes, or by granting authority to local governments to provide teachers
with local property tax relief
Ø Issues Opposed:
·
Any legislation
that would modify the Composite Index
· Any legislation that would require local school boards to obtain express written permission from a parent or legal guardian before any student becomes a member of or attends the meeting of a non-curriculum-related student organization
Ø Issues of Concern to be monitored during the course of the session:
·
Required local
match to fund the Early Childhood Education imposed by Governor Kaine’s
“Starting Strong” proposal
·
Legislation
designed to provide tuition assistance grants for disabled students;
specifically legislation that would provide tuition tax credits, scholarships,
or vouchers
·
Recent procedural
and financial changes in funding for National Board Certified Teachers
·
Support for
increased appropriations that would allow divisions to implement and enhance personal
health and academic achievement not only for
F. Monthly Attendance Report – October 2007
G. Appointments, Resignations and Retirements as presented on the November 20, 2007 Personnel Report
B. School
Board Compensation: Prior to a
motion, Mr. Lowe stated he had not received comment on the proposal since being
introduced November 7 and reported in the Virginian-Pilot,
and noted the proposal to increase Board members’ annual salary to $12,000 is
only 42 percent of what was authorized by the General Assembly and in
accordance with §22.1-32 (Salary of Members) of the Code of Virginia. Mr. Lowe
then made a motion, seconded by Mr. Fissinger, that the Board adopt a
resolution to increase School Board members’ annual salary to $12,000, from
$6,000, and the chairman’s salary to $14,000, from $7,100, effective July 1,
2008. Prior to a vote, Vice Chairman
Bellitto stated although she agreed there should be an increase, she could not
support doubling Board members’ salaries because it would not improve the
academic achievement of students. The
motion was then approved (ayes 8, nays 3 – Bellitto, Smith-Jones and Stewart)
and the resolution adopted as follows:
RESOLUTION INCREASING SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS’ SALARIES
WHEREAS, in 2002 Virginia Code §22.1-32 was amended to
authorize an elected school board to pay each of its members a salary that is
consistent with the salary paid to its local government members; and
WHEREAS, the City Council increased Council members’ annual
salaries to $28,000 and the Mayor’s annual salary to $30,000 effective July 1,
2006; and
WHEREAS, in 1999 the School Board last increased the annual
salaries of School Board members to $6,000 and the annual salary of the
Chairman to $7,100.
NOW, THERFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED by the School Board of the City of
Section 1: That
the School Board determines that the annual salary for a School Board member
will be $12,000 and the annual salary for the Chairman will be $14,000.
Section 2: That such salaries will be effective July 1, 2008.
A. School Health Advisory Board Report for 2006-2007: Ms. Eileen Horan, RN, MSN, Coordinator of Health Services, presented to the Board for information the annual report on activities and areas of interest for the School Health Advisory Committee for 2006-2007 including support for implementation of the Student Wellness Policy, ongoing acquisition of automated external defibrillators ( AEDs) for schools, the citywide Pandemic Plan, and efforts to maintain a healthy environment through educational activities. Also mentioned in the report were issues related to homeless students in schools including discussion of the role of social workers in the schools as well as specifics of Project Hope.
B. Course Proposal: Success with the SAT: Mr. Rodney J. Burnsworth, Director of Secondary Instructional Services, presen