Highlights of Board of Education Meeting

October 10, 2011

 

CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Deb Allen, President of the Classified Employee Association, along with Tabitha Thompson were present to recognize Sue LaBram, the October “Classified Employee of the Month.”  Sue is a paraprofessional in the library at Oak Ridge Intermediate School.

 

CONSENT ITEMS

A.   Approve Minutes and Documentation of Regular Board Meeting – September 12, 2011

B.    Excellence in Education Certificates

                    This month’s recipients are as follows:

 

The Board approved the above consent items as presented.

 

BUDGET AMENDMENT

The Board reviewed the proposed budget amendment for the first fiscal quarter.  There were a few small items to be adjusted and also two major items included.  These items impact both the revenue and the expenditure sides of the budget.  First, the City of Camdenton was awarded a grant under the COPS Secure our Schools (SOS) Grant program.  Under this grant, the District will receive $13,478.16 under the old grant and $110,000 under the new grant.  The District will match the amounts.  The District would use these funds primarily to purchase cameras at LCTC, additional bus cameras, and laptops for District SROs to monitor cameras from police cars.

 

The District also received a federal grant this year after the budget was approved.  This grant is a Title VI.B grant and amounts to $91,065.65.  The purpose of this grant is to help meet the needs of rural school districts.  These funds would be utilized to establish a focus room at Oak Ridge and also to purchase new software to help with assessments. 

 

In total, it was recommended to amend the expenditure side of the budget $237,791.23 and the revenue side of the budget $159,543.81.  The budget amendment was approved as submitted.

 

The Board then voted to enter into an Inter-Governmental agreement between the City of Camdenton, Mo. and Camdenton R-III School District to implement the Secure Our Schools grant as presented.

 

NEW BUSINESS

District Financing Options

Dick Bartow, with George K. Baum and Company, was in-District to discuss possible refinancing options and possible timelines.  They could develop a plan and bring it to the Board in November and/or December with suggestions to approve in January.  The Board granted permission for George K. Baum and Company to investigate refinancing options.

 

Transportation Report/Bus Route Approval

Every year the Board of Education is required to approve bus routes in October.  Gary Cuendet, Director of Transportation, presented the Transportation Report and was available to answer questions.  No new routes were added for this school year; however, the student count is up.  Routes were reconfigured to accommodate the additional riders.  Mr. Cuendet reminded the Board that the District will need to look at the rotation for new buses.  Maintenance and mechanic time are increasing with the aging bus fleet.  The grant approved earlier will provide cameras on all route buses. 

 

The Hurricane Deck bridge is currently expected to be closed two to seven days during its renovation work.  There is not yet a specific timeline for the anticipated closure.  Affected programs at Hurricane Deck Elementary would include Early Childhood, PASS, after-school-programs, as well as the regular school day.

 

Acuity Overview

Mrs. France gave the Board an overview of Acuity, an online assessment solution to measure mastery of GLE’s.  This is not additional testing, it is a program change.  This assessment provides predictive and diagnostic testing.  It is a tool to provide teachers with more information.  Train the trainers begins this week.

 

Patron Panel Update

Mr. Hadfield updated the Board on the second meeting of the Patron Panel held October 4.  Two Guiding Principles agreed upon by the Patron Panel are:  keeping a personal school environment in the face of growth and establishing equitable facilities for students in the District.

 

Policy/Procedure Updates

The Board reviewed policies JHC Student Health Services and Requirements, DJF Purchasing, and procedure JHD-AP Student Guidance and Counseling.  The policy on purchasing was modified slightly since the District does not have a chief financial officer.  Student Health Services was revised to reflect changes in the law.  It clarifies that districts may train employees in lifesaving methods and have expanded legal immunity.  House Bill 1375 also allowed for districts to provide parents/guardians with information about HPV.  Parents would be directed to the Department of Health and Senior Services’ website.  The District is not required to distribute this information.  The procedure on Student Guidance is a new and much needed procedure.  It is designed to create a referral process for addressing drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and suicide.

 

The Board approved the policies and procedure as presented.

 

Set Date for Administrator & Teacher Formative Evaluations

Prior to issuing administrator contracts in a few months, a review of formative progress on administrators and new staff members should be conducted.  This review will be held at the regular November 14^th Board meeting.

 

 

BOARD PRESIDENT’S WRAP-UP

This is an opportunity for the Board to report on upcoming meetings, meetings attended, registrations, and deadlines.  Items mentioned included the MSBA Annual Conference, MSBA’s Regional meeting, and the Board’s October Retreat.  The Retreat will be held in the Administration Building Board Room from 8:00-11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.