Harassment Policy Finally Approved

Study on 4K-8 in each community will be presented to the board on December 22, 2009.

Discussion on class sizes, especially at the high school where last year the district spent $135,000 on overload pay for courses above the district guidelines. The administration suggests increasing some high school class size guidelines because they are smaller than middle school size guidelines. This is being discussed as a budgetary issue and an equity issue.

Board Policy #114 – Harassment – School Board Members, Volunteers, and Other Community Members of the MGSD. The board approved new language for this policy. (Susan Manning voted nay, and requested that the minutes reflect her continued concern with the conflict of interest she believes is created for the Superintendent under this version of the Administrative Rule.)

Superintendent Gerlach laid out the timeline and process for budget discussions. The board will meet on December 16, 2009 for a budget workshop. There will also be public hearings and staff meetings relative to the budget.

The Board conducted a variety of other board business, which can be found in the minutes on the district website.

Study Commissioned on Ad Hoc Recommendation

Set the date for next year’s Annual Meeting for Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Monona Grove High School.

Discussed President Susan Fox’s newly created website update. The Board would like to have a disclaimer on these updates which indicate that they are not official approved reports of the full board and are not intended to take place of the official minutes. In addition, if there are any opinions within the reports, they are opinions of the President, not the full Board of Education.

Reviewed draft implementation plan of the district goals relative to improvement of student performance.

Budget Deficit – Superintendent Craig Gerlach asked the Board about priorities when making budget cuts. The Board indicated that all things are up for discussion at this point.

Board Policy #114 – Harassment – School Board Members, Volunteers, and Other Community Members of the MGSD. Discussion was tabled for the second time and will be discussed at a later date.

Patti McGinnis has been hired to study whether it is possible to provide 4K-8 education in each community. This was one of the six recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee to Study 4K-8 Grade Configuration. She will present the results of her research in December or January.

The Board conducted a variety of other board business, which can be found in the minutes on the district website.

A Long "To Do List"

McKinstry performance energy conservation projects. The District locked in at 0 percent interest on financing the Qualified School Construction Promissory Notes, and with an average interest rate of 3.24% for the General Obligation Promissory Notes. Culmination of both of these financing options will result in a $345,000 savings in interest payments. This would significantly reduce the project cost of this energy improvement.

Board Policy #411.1 – Student Harassment and Policy #512 – Employee Harassment. Changes to both policies were approved.

Board Policy #114 – Harassment – School Board Members, Volunteers, and Other Community Members of the MGSD. Needs more work and will be discussed at a later date.

Preliminary budget shows a deficit of slightly more than $604,000.

Future Agenda Items -- essentially, the Board's "To Do List":

1. Status of athletic fields in district and of grading of fields at Glacial Drumlin
2. Response to Intervention
3. Baldrige Continuous Improvement Process
4. List of policies that need revision
5. Scheduling of “Big Ideas” meetings and/or listening sessions
6. Open Enrollment process
7. Suggestions for others
8. Limiting the amount of non-academic issues per meeting;
9. Gifted and Talented update
10. Disproportionality
11. School Climate, discipline, study halls, school suspensions
12. Budget Session – what we need to do to move forward
13. Financial support for academic groups within the school

The Board conducted a variety of other board business, which can be found in the minutes on the district website.

Attempt to Rescind Previous Work Fails

The Board is meeting twice a month, due to the elimination of citizen committees.

Discussed Policy #114 – Harassment – Susan Fox provided new language and topic will be discussed at a future meeting.

Amended Board Policy #622.2 – Fund Balance

MOTION: Peter Sobol moved to approve the following language “In the event an approved budget projects a fund balance of less than 15% at the end of the fiscal year, the Board shall develop a plan to return the fund balance to a 15% minimum.” Jill List seconded. Motion failed after a roll call vote: Ace, Manning, Fox & Norton voted nay. McCutchin, List & Sobol voted aye.

MOTION: Susan Manning moved to approve the following language “The school board shall strive to maintain an operating fund balance of approximately 15%-25% of the district’s operating budget.” Jessica Ace seconded and the motion carried.

On July 20, 2009, the Board amended Policy #151 on School Board Policy Adoption, Revision and Deletion. Now, Susan Fox requested a rescission of the previous action because some Board members were confused and claimed lack of opportunity to fully consider the repercussions of the policy change.

MOTION: Susan Manning moved to rescind the action from the July 20 meeting and Jessica Ace seconded. Motion failed after a roll call vote: Ace, List, McCuthin & Sobol voted nay. Fox, Manning & Norton voted aye.

Susan Fox stated that because an amendment to this policy was previously approved with no written language, it was now necessary to approve the language to accomplish the policy change.

MOTION: Lionel Norton moved approval of Board Policy 151 – School Board Policy Adoption, Revision and Deletions as presented. Peter Sobol seconded. Susan Fox stated for the record that although she did not support the policy change, she believed the language before the Board accurately reflected the intended change and she would therefore vote to approve. Susan Manning stated that she opposed the change and would not support the motion. The motion carried.

District Goals were approved as presented.

The Board conducted a variety of other board business, which can be found in the minutes on the district website.