Attendees:

NOTE: These minutes should be considered a draft that awaits approval and possibly amendment by the board at its next scheduled meeting.


Meeting Date:	9/9/04
Minutes Submitted On:	9/10/04
Board Attendees:	Ellen Pratt (EP), Anne Fines (AF), Peter May (PM), Rebecca Coffey (RC)
Administration Attendees:	Ron Stahley (RS), Amelia Stone (AS)
Community Attendees:	Ella McIntosh

Location:	PCS Writing Room
Meeting called to order at:	4:30 pm
Meeting called to order by:	VS
Finish time:	6:45 pm

AGENDA TOPIC

MOTION

MOVED BY

SECONDED BY

DISCUSSION

PASSED?

Prior Meeting’s Minutes

Move to adopt as amended minutes of 8/12/04

Amendments: In upcoming meeting we will discuss superintendent administrative review procedure (not policy) as stated on meeting minutes

Unanimous

Warrants

No current warrants. RC, who had missed the meeting of 8/12/04, noted that the warrants approved at that meeting did not have adequate information (about payee, purpose, and category) for the board to understand the expenditures they were approving. Other board members said that the WSESU had represented at the 8/12/04 meeting that it is in the process of upgrading its accounting system and that future warrants would have adequate information.

Communications

EP: A representative of the Vermont School Board Association communicated informally to EP that the VSBA is not comfortable with endorsing the Kids Are Priority One campaign resolution endorsed by the school board. The VSBA is, however, going to develop principals on early care. EP is working with them on that.

The board received a letter on Senate Chamber letterhead from Jeanette White. Paraphrase: Health care is one of the most important issues we deal with. As a country we need to decide whether health care is a common/public good or a commodity. White believes it is the former. White regrets not being able to attend the 8/12/04 joint school board / select board meeting at which health policy was discussed but offers to come to a future meeting.

The board would like to discuss whether it wants to formally ask the Vermont School Board Association to endorse the idea of universal health care coverage. To that end, AF and EP will write a draft resolution for the board’s consideration (and, should it pass board muster, ultimately for VSBA consideration). At least one member of the school board has expressed reservations about engaging in matters outside the realm of elementary school education. When it next takes up this discussion, the board will first decide whether we as a board want to address matters outside the realm of elementary school education. If the board member decides that it does, the board will then review the draft resolution prepared by EP and AF.

The school board is looking for a volunteer to refurbish the PCS web site. The site needs a graphic “face lift.” Its content needs to be updated. Volunteers should contact board member Rebecca Coffey at 387-2753 or coffeyschwartz@yahoo.com.

Out of district student

Ella McIntosh approached the school board for acceptance of her daughter into the fourth grade at PCS. The McIntosh family resides in Westminster. They will pay PCS full tuition for their daughter. AS recommended that the board accept Samantha McIntosh into the 4^th grade for 04-05.

Executive Session.

4:50 – 5:02

Student matter.

Out of district student

Move to accept Samantha McIntosh as a fourth grade student for academic year 2004-2005

Unanimous

Administrators Report: RS

RS asked the board to approve a contract for a supervising physician for the entire WSESU. The contract specifies pediatrician Lynn Herzog.

Supervising physician for district

Move to accept the school physician contracted services proposed by RS

Unanimous

Administrators Report: RS

RS distributed a document dated June 2, 2004 and entitled “WSESU District Diversity Committee – District Action Plan 2004-2005.” It is now in the school board binder in the school office. It shows action plans for:

· Procedures and policies to communicate harassment policies. The District is updating the policy with input from students, staff, and parents and is ensuring that the new policy is listed in all handbooks and distributed in other appropriate fashions.

· Anti-harassment, anti-bias curriculum. The district will review new textbook purchases for bias and will continue to provide formal and informal instruction in equity, diversity acceptance, and anti-bias.

· Training/professional development regarding harassment, bias, equity or diversity education. The District will offer training to all relevant professionals, staff members, and employees of contractors.

· Site-specific action plans. Each school will generate at least one specific annual goal to address issues of harassment, equity, diversity, and bias.

· A working group within the District and the schools. The WSESU will expand membership on the District Diversity Committee, encourage school teams to integrate work of the Diversity Community and encourage student participation in diversity work.

· Projects and efforts in place within the school community to address equity, anti-racism, diversity. The District will encourage and support District-wide celebrations and demonstrations of diversity.

RS distributed the “Growing Healthy Schools” newsletter. The entire newsletter is in the school board binder in the school office.

WSESU is sponsoring an all-day meeting for selected middle school students. Students will come up with contributions to their schools’ action plan for safe and healthy schools. On November 9 there will be a breakfast at which students present findings.

Next WSESU board meeting: September 23 in Putney at 6:30. Lynn Corum is developing the agenda. (Board members are communicating to her suggested agenda items. Anyone wanting to bring potential agenda items to the attention of the school board can email delivertoboard@yahoo.com.)

Administrators Report: AS

Enrollment is 208 plus, at last report, 12 enrolled in the Head Start Preschool. There are 24 kindergartners (11 in the am class and 13 in the pm). First Day Hooray had a strong turnout. The Kindergarten Committee is developing a survey for current and past parents of preschoolers. Head Start Preschool is setting up its classroom. Its playground should be installed within the next week. Head Start Preschool is hoping to have an opening reception on Monday the 20^th, bothduring the day and evening, and to start school on Tuesday the 21^st. The children will be part of the Hot Lunch program during the school year. The school has a new phone system. Individual employees now have voice mail.

Nutrition Policy

Nutrition Policy. In Fall of 02 PHACT (the school health committee) recommended some nutrition guidelines, which the board approved and adopted. Recently, the Brattleboro Coop’s Feed Your Head Committee recommended to all schools that boards adopt food policies. EP recommends that the board review the PHACT guidelines and determine whether we want to adopt the guidelines as policy. AF recommended that we think in terms of guidelines, not policy, because guidelines are legally less complicated to update as new information comes in.

The board entered into a significant discussion of nutrition policy and guidelines. Some board members expressed concern that the school look into ways to create a food program that better adheres to the PHACT nutritional guidelines, that buys its food locally, and that pays employees living wages, all while remaining economically viable for the town. To that end, board member EP will invite Vern Grubinger, Director of Sustainable Agriculture at UVM, to present to the board about many aspects of food policy.

Fitz, Vogt contract

Fitz, Vogt and Associates, Ltd. is the current food service supplier at PCS. Fitz, Vogt has a three-year arrangement with PCS. On August 1, 2004 it began its third year of that arrangement. The contract for this last year has yet to be signed, so Fitz, Vogt and PCS are currently operating without a contract.

AS presented to the board a financial summary of the current school lunch program. That full summary is in the school board binder in the school office.

As of August 1, 2004 the school lunch program is operating at a gross loss of $12,446.75. This loss is at least partly due to the fact that food prices have risen significantly within the past year while PCS has not increased the cost to students of school lunches.

At the time that the loss was incurred, the school lunch program was operating under the terms of the contract that expired at the end of July. According to the terms of that contract, the first $5000 of any losses would be absorbed by the school and the remainder would be split 50/50 between PCS and Fitz, Vogt. (This contract specification is reflected in the PCS FY05 budget, in which $5000 is allocated to cost overruns in the school lunch program.) By contract, therefore, PCS is not liable for the entire $12,446.75. Rather, by AS’s calculation, it is liable only for $6973.28. (This represents an overexpenditure of budget of $1,973.28. Board member AF noted that exceeding budget on this line item is not unprecedented. For example, in FY 2003 this budget item was overspent by $906.)

AS noted that, given recent rises in food prices, most schools in the area have raised school lunch prices. She recommended to the board that it raise food service prices as follows. (Note: According to the Student Handbook, these prices will go into effect on October 1, 2004.)

Item	Current price	New price	Difference
Milk (white)	$.25	$.40	$.15
Milk (chocolate)		$.45
Lunch for k-4	$1.50 (for k-3)	$1.65	$.15
Lunch for 5-8	$1.60	$1.75	$.15
Free and reduced lunch	$.40	$.40	No change
Breakfast for children	$.75	$.75	No change.
Breakfast for adults	$1.25	$1.25	No change

AS also asked the school board to approve payment of an amount not to exceed $6973.28 for the current deficit.

Lunch prices

Move to approve the increase in prices of milk to $.40 (for white) and $.45 (for chocolate); of lunch for children in grades k – 4 to $1.65; of lunch for children in grades 5-8 to $1.75.

Unanimous

Payment to Fitz, Vogt for calendar year ’04 deficits through July 31, 2004

Move that PCS pay Fitz, Vogt Associates, Ltd. an amount not to $6973.28 per August 2003 contract for deficits through July 31, 2004.

Unanimous

Fitz, Vogt / PCS August 1, 2004 contract

Move to authorize AS to sign the contract that is currently dated August 1, 2004 as amended on behalf of PCS pending approval of the contract by the Putney Town School Board chair.

Amendments:

The contract should incorporate schedules and other details where AS and Jim Kane deem them to be appropriate.

The estimate of the number of participating students should be 195 and calculations to accommodate that change should be made before signing.

On page 4 the contract specifies for 2004-2005 that, “If a loss occurs greater than $8,000 FVA (Fitz, Vogel) will split 50/50 any deficit over $8000.” Both occasions of “$8,000” in that sentence should be changed to “$6,000.”

Unanimous

School Animal Policy.

A model policy developed by the State of Vermont was discussed. Some board members expressed significant disagreement with that policy. Objections to it include that it prohibits entirely from schools pet dogs and cats, wild animals, and farm animals, all of which members of the board believe can contribute greatly to educational discussions. The State of Vermont Model School Animal prohibition on these and other animals seems to incorporate an idea that the presence of animals in the school is without significant educational value. In its continuing discussion of development of a PCS animal policy the board referred back to its meeting minutes of 7/22/04. Those minutes read as follows:

“The board supports innovative education in all of its many manifestations and knows that the presence of animals and plants in the school can contribute greatly to the educational experience. Certain guidelines on the presence of animals in the school, however, are necessary. The board is considering developing a policy that would provide:

· “For animals of breeds susceptible to rabies, that any animal that will be consistently in the school be vaccinated against rabies.

· “That animals can be brought into the classroom if the teacher approves 24 hours in advance.

· “That any animals brought into the school should be safely contained/controlled/properly behaved.

· “That the principal and teachers can make discretionary decisions to ban certain animals, when necessary.

The board decided to solicit teacher input on its development of a school animal policy. AF and RC will together develop a set of questions for distribution to the teachers. They will present those questions to the school board at the next board meeting. In the meanwhile, comments from teachers can also be left in the school board box or emailed to the board at delivertoboard@yahoo.com.

Facilities Use

AS has written a letter to groups that use the facility. The letter has the current policy attached to it. Further discussion of the policy should address liability issues.

Laidlaw Bussing.

RS reported that WSESU is discussing cost implications of using biodiesel fuel in coming years. The representative from Laidlaw did not attend meeting. The remainder of the discussion of Laidlaw bussing was therefore tabled. That discussion would have been about routes.

Next meeting:

September 23 4:30 – 6:30 in Writing Room. (Meeting must end by 6:30 so that two members of board can leave to attend WSESU board meeting.)

This will be a short meeting with many items on the preliminary agenda. Please note that, about one week prior to the meeting, an official agenda will be distributed. Some of the agenda items below may not be listed on that official agenda because, in the interest of expediting the 9/23 meeting, they would have been scheduled for a subsequent board meeting.

Preliminary Agenda Items

Universal health care coverage

Facilities Use

Review of nutrition guidelines and discussion of food service at PCS

Procedures for board input to Superintendent in his review of the Administrator

Review of Policy for Admission of Non-Resident Tuition Students

Discussion of possible Animal Policy

Laidlaw Bus Routes

Review of nutrition guidelines recommended in 02 by PHACT.

Respectfully submitted by: Rebecca Coffey

This represents my understanding of this meeting. If you have any changes, please submit them at the next board meeting.