Meeting

Date:

10/28/04

Minutes Submitted On:

10/31/04

Board Attendees:

Ellen Pratt (EP), Anne Fines (AF), Virginia Scholl (VS), Peter May (PM), Rebecca Coffey (RC)

Administration Attendees:

Ron Stahley (RS)

Community Attendees:

                       

Location:

PCS Writing Room

Meeting called to order at:

4:36

Meeting called to order by:

PM

Finish time:

7:17

 

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

 

AGENDA TOPIC

MOTION

MOVED BY

SECONDED BY

DISCUSSION

PASSED?

Prior Meeting’s Minutes

Motion to approve minutes from 10/14/04 meeting.

VS

PM

 

Unanimous

Communications

Letter from a parent regarding questions about who has access to confidential student files.  Board asked AS to investigate the matter and report back to the full board. 

 

RC asked on behalf of the Kindergarten Committee for clarification about whether and to what extent the school board is willing to entertain recommendations from AS that include new spending on the kindergarten program.  The board’s answer is that, while the board wants the best recommendations pedagogically, it urges the committee to be mindful that resources are very limited.  As a practical matter, the board will close its budget discussion sometime in early January and it would need AS’s recommendations regarding kindergarten by the second board meeting in December at the very latest were those recommendations to include any spending for FY06.

Warrants

Move warrants #1024 FAST for $1,106.67, #1025 FAST for $807.75 and #1026 REGULAR for $5,301.11

PM

AF

 

Passed.  RC opposed on the grounds of “inadequate information on cover pages.”

Committee Reports

None.

Administrators’ Reports

From RS: 

 

Some PCS middle school students are participating in the Development Assets Survey taken by students last spring.  (This project is co-sponsored by the Brattleboro Area Community Team and the Alliance for Building Community.)  On November 9 from 7:30 – 9:30 am they will participate in a presentation at the River Garden in Brattleboro.

 

The WSESU Special Ed tour is on 11/10 at 7:30 am.  Board members are invited.

 

Regarding principal performance review process:  At 11/11/04 meeting the Putney Town School Board will give RS input into AS’s performance appraisal and also discuss AS’s goals for the current year with reference to the PCS School Action Plan and with reference to previous performance appraisals.  The board asked AS to therefore mail each of them a current copy of the School Action Plan.

 

From AS: 

 

For AS, RS distributed a typed report. 

 

Summary:  (The full report is in the school board binder in the school office.)

 

·        Current Enrollment is 211.

 

·        New England Common Assessment Program assessments are being piloted in grades 3-8.

 

·        The Kindergarten Committee has identified transportation as a problem for families and day care providers.  The committee is considering holding a community forum.

 

·        The Middle School team attended an information night for Westminster Central School families who might want to send their children to PCS for middle school.  (Westminster pays PCS tuition for each child attending.)

 

·        The eighth graders participated in Make a Difference Day.  Some helped build a bridge on Chesterfield’s Conservation Commission’s Sergeant Trail.  Some eighth graders visited with residents of Maplewood Nursing Home.  (The board expressed its thanks to Mary Anne Deer for her efforts in Make a Difference Day.)

 

 

Old Business: School Animal Policy

The idea of a formal animal policy was discussed.  The board decided that an animal policy is not needed at this time.  The board reiterated its support for the responsible incorporation of animals in the education process as stated at its 7/22/04 meeting:

 

“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.”

 

 

Old Business: Policy C7 “Board Relations with Administrators”―2nd Reading

 

Read.

Old Business: Procedures for Board Input to Superintendent for Administrator Review

RS suggested that the 360-degree performance review of the administrator (a/k/a/ principal) be distributed by the principal in February of each year so that the data are available for consideration by the board prior to the April 1, 2004 deadline for principal contract renewal.  He recommended that, initially, the Vermont School Board Association (VSBA) 360-degree administrator review survey be used.

 

The board decided that: 

 

The survey (in one form or another) would be distributed to all stakeholders.  (The WSESU will develop a simplified version of the VSBA survey that will only ask parents appropriate for parents.)

 

The survey will go home with each student as part of the newsletter.

 

When the surveys are distributed they will have a cover note that explains the 360-degree review process, explaining that the respondents can remain anonymous and that data will be collated by the WSESU, not the PCS office.  The WSESU will receive and collate data and share it back in toto with the principal.  Board members interested in the summary data will need to visit the WSESU office to review it.

Universal Health Care

At this meeting the board discussed whether it is appropriate for the school board to act in any way on matters that seem to lie either outside its normal arena of action or at its periphery.

 

History: 

 

After hearing from the Vermont Citizens for Health, EP proposed to the board that it could adopt a draft resolution to submit to the VSBA for its consideration at its annual meeting in the fall of 05. 

 

Discussion:

 

The school board is responsible for managing public money.  Increasing health costs are an increasing part of our budget.  One might argue that the board should take a position on methods for decreasing that portion of our budget and that such efforts are indeed part of our fiduciary responsibility.

 

There is universal concern among school boards about the rising price of health care.  Universal Health Care is one method of attempting to solve the problem.  We aren’t necessarily educated enough about the health care insurance industries to endorse one option over others.  Therefore, if what some board members want the board to consider is an endorsement of cost-effective, comprehensive health care for all Vermonters, perhaps the term “universal health care” might best be eliminated from the resolution, for that term means different things to different people.

 

Suggestions:

 

 The “Be it resolved” paragraph in the draft resolution could be changed to “The VSBA supports a statewide shift to a cost-effective, comprehensive health care plan that provides coverage to all Vermonters and urges the state legislature to create and implement such a plan.”

 

The “Background” paragraph in the draft resolution could be changed so that the phrase that begins with “actively work for the creation of a universal…” reads “actively work for the creation of a health plan that provides comprehensive and cost effective coverage to all Vermonters.”

 

The draft resolution is in the school board binder in the school office.

 

 

Procedures for Board Input to Superintendent for Administrator Review

Motion to adopt the following procedure:  That the 360-degree performance review be distributed to all stakeholders.  The WSESU will develop a simplified version of the VSBA survey that will only ask parents questions appropriate for parents.  That survey will go home with each student as part of the newsletter. When the surveys are distributed they will have a cover note that explains the 360-degree review process.  That cover note will include an explanation of the choice of respondents to remain anonymous and the fact that data will be collated by the WSESU, not by the school office.  The WSESU will receive and collate data and share it back in toto with the principal and superintendent.  Board members interested in the summary data may see the full data by visiting the WSESU office during business hours.

PM

AF

 

Passed.  One member (RC) voted against on the grounds that the summary data will not be distributed to the full board in executive session. 

Procedures for Board Input to Superintendent for Administrator Review

Moving to approve procedures in document titled “PROCEDURES FOR PUTNEY CENTRAL SCHOOL BOARD ANNUAL ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATION: Revised DRAFT 10-27-04” with the amendment that the 360-degree performance approval be distributed by the principal in February so that the responses can be received, collated, and summarized by the WSESU prior to the April 1 annual deadline for principal contract renewal.

RC

AF

 

Unanimous

New Business: WSESU Negotiations Committee Representative and Alternate-election

PM offered to serve as the representative.  AF will be the alternate.

 

 

 

 

WSESU Negotiations Committee Representative and Alternate-election

Move to elect PM as representative and AF as the alternate to the WSESU Negotiations Committee.

RC

EP

 

Unanimous

New Business: Meet With Putney Town Selectboard―FY ’06 Budget

Tabled until meeting of 11/11/04

New Business: School Board Input to Superintendent for Evaluation of Principal (possible executive session) 

Tabled until meeting of 11/11/04.

New Business:  Head Start

The board invites Deb Gas of EES to come to our 11/18/04 meeting and also to the Early Education Outreach Advisory Council meeting on 11/2/04 at 5:00.  The board also invites Cami Elliott-Knags (EEOAC coordinator) to talk about Putney families’ needs and the whole pool of childcare resources in the community.

 

At the 11/18/04 board meeting the board would like a general progress report from Deb Gas regarding Head Start at PCS.  Some questions that the board has for Deb:  How many are currently enrolled in Head Start at PCS?  Is the current enrollment level a problem in terms of Federal funding for the program?  Are there any problems from your point of view concerning the site of the program (PCS)?  What are your outreach procedures? 

 

Upcoming Meetings:

November 11, 2004 at 4:30 in Writing Room

 

·        Discussion with AS of Professional Learning Communities.  This will be part of AS’s administrative report once a month.

·        Initial look at spreadsheets/scenarios re:  FY 06 budget.

·        Meet With Putney Town Selectboard re: FY ’06 Budget.  This is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

·        As part of “Communications,” a response from AS regarding the communication from a parent about the confidentiality of student records.

·        Universal Health Care discussion

·        School Board Input to Superintendent for Evaluation of Principal (possible executive session).  This is scheduled for 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

·        Policy F14 “Admission of Non-Resident Tuition Students” – Discussion. 

·        1% Fund Requests

·        “Quarterly” Report from Fitz Vogt

 

 

November 18, 2004 at 4:30 in Writing Room.

 

·        Head Start Program:  Discussion with Deb Gas of EES.  This portion of the meeting will be scheduled for 5:45 pm to make it easy for childcare providers to attend. 

·        3rd Reading of Policy C7 “Board Relations with Administrators”

 

 

 

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.