Meeting
Date:

4/26/07

Minutes Submitted On:

4/27/07

Board Attendees:

Ellen Pratt (EP), Virginia Scholl (VS), Benji Cragin (BC), Peter May (PM)

Administration Attendees:

Amelia Stone (AS), Ron Stahley (RS), Jim Kane (JK)

Community Attendees:

PCS Writing Room

Meeting called to order at:

 4:30 pm

Meeting called to order by:

VS

Finish time:

5:30 pm

AGENDA TOPIC

MOTION

MOVED BY

SECONDED BY

DISCUSSION

PASSED?

Prior Meeting’s Minutes

To adopt the minutes of the 3/22/07 meeting

BC

VS

Yes

Communications

In response to an anonymous communication about conducting the evaluation of the principal the board reiterated that it will conduct an evaluation of the principal next year. This year the school’s Climate Survey was conducted. The board is proposing to conduct the 360 degree Principal Evaluation on alternate years from the school Climate Survey.

The board received an email communication asking the board to consider: continuing funding of the Volunteer Coordinator; hiring a Winter Sports Coodinator; Creating a new position for an Asian Arts Coordinator; and hiring an Enrichment Coordinator. The board was not able to address this email communication at this meeting; the board will take it up at the next meeting.

Committee Reports: 
A.Finance
B.   School Forest Committee
C.  WSESU Negotiations Committee
D.  Other

 BC: Negotiations with paras-have come to a settlement.  The settlement agreement will be reported at a later date.
BC: Finance Committee met this a.m. Nothing to report at this time.

Warrants

To pass warrants #1085 #1086, #1087, #1089, #1090 Fast in the amounts of: $35,817.61; $199.50; $450; $4,175; $518.81; and #1092 Regular in the amount of $18,231.03
and #1093 and #1095 Fast in the amounts of $21,717.77 and $33,131.45; and #1096 regular in the amount of $3,491.34
and
#1080 and #1081 and #1082 Fast in the amounts of $899.04, $456.10; $3,185.47; and #1083 regular in the amount of $24,132.43.

PM

VS

yes

Administrators’ Reports

AS: distributed 1% requests for first round and suggested that the board come prepared to discuss and vote on them at the next meeting.
Safe Routes to School grant. There will be a meeting with the Selectboard on June 6 at 6 pm to discuss next steps with this grant. 
We will be advertising for the first grade teaching position
We achieved our target goals on the NECAP
Café Services: we urge parents to pay their children’s lunch and breakfast bill, and ideally to prepay on Mondays for the upcoming week.
PM moved we accept the 11 Westminster tuitoned in students from Westminster. BC seconded. Passed.
AS reported we have 20 potential incoming kindergartners. We have a request for a Westminster non-resident tuition kindergarten student.
The kindergarten orientation will be held May 7th.
The Early Education “Little Kids Fair” will be held Sat, May 12 from 10-noon
PCS received the VT Dept of Education Mount Mansfield Gold Award for its healthy schools initiative.  Thanks to Nurse Jane, Katy Bartlett and member of the Putney Health Action Team for their outstanding leadership in this area over the years.

Old Business

A.Follow up on Regional Meeting with Commissioner Cate
 B.   Board Goals Progress
C. Other
 

postponed

New Business

1. Possible Joint Meeting with Dummerston School Board
2. Early Education

1. How to involve middle schoolers in board activities
   
2. Climate survey
3. Asian studies program
4. Potential endowment
5. Foreign Language
6. Other

The Dummerston school board would like to meet with the PCS board to discuss the potential for collaboration to save money and achieve efficiencies. The PSC board will discuss this at its 5/24 meeting and then will contact the Dummerston school board.

Marcia Hanson reported that the school will continue its Asian Studies program after Gerry Gatz retires. He’s helping to find an intern from UVM  to work on the program next year. Two families have offered to host the intern but we still need another host family. The family would commit to providing room, meals and transportation to the intern for 1/3 of the school year.  Interested parties should contact the school.
RS reported that the supervisory union is applying for another 3 year grant to help fund asian studies at PCS.

All other board business was postponed due to adjournment for the WSESU Board meeting at 5:30

Upcoming Meetings

May 10:
1% funding
Retreat agenda
Communication re: paid positions e.g. Volunteer Coordinator; Winter Sports Coordinator; Asian Arts Coordinator; Enrichment Coordinator

May 24 :
4:30-7:30
School Climate survey results
Expanding Head Start Pre-School 2008-0
Foreign Language
Policy Updates
Transportation – school bus ownership
Enrichment
Possible Joint meeting with Dummerston Board
 June 14:
Discussion of surplus
September 2007
Report on school’s compliance with Nutrition Policy