Meeting Date:	12/15/05
Minutes Submitted On:	12/16/05
Board Attendees:	Ellen Pratt (EP), Virginia Scholl (VS), Peter May (PM), Rebecca Coffey (RC)
Administration Attendees:	Ron Stahley (RS), Amelia Stone (AS)
Community Attendees:	Scott Henry (BUHS board), Sue Kochinskas, Beth Muskat, Susan Hesse, Nancy Mackler, Gerry Gatz, Chris Ryan (Town Manager). Select Board Members: Lyssa Papazian, John Nopper, Regina Rockerfeller

Location:	PCS Writing Room
Meeting called to order at:	4:10
Meeting called to order by:	PM
Finish time:	6PM

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?
School Board / Select Board joint meeting	With new figures for BUHS assessment provided at this meeting by WSESU Business Manager Jim Kane via RS, Putney Town School District expects to have a 3.57% increase in its general operating fund and less than a 2% increase in its “Combined Total” spending (general operating fund, special education, early essential education, vocational education block spending, special article – capital fund, BUHS assessments, and WSESU assessments). Even though our budget increases are low, taxes will rise, perhaps as much as 20 cents. Act 130 and the slightly declined ADM (pupil head count) will conspire to negatively affect revenues to Putney Town School District for FY07. Our per pupil assessment will be $11,640, which is in line with state guidelines (and safely below the level at which the town would be penalized via Act 130 for overspending). The tax rate does not get set until the end of June or early July 06, so the tax rate information will not be available by Town Meeting. Even though tax rates will very possibly go up, the tax rate will, like last year, be income-sensitive, meaning that low income people may not see an increase in their own taxes. Scott Henry re: BUHS budget: For FY07, Act 130 will decrease revenues to the high school and increase expenses. As a result, Career Center and high school teaching positions will be cut. The expenditure per equalized pupil rate for BUHS is not yet available. In response to a question by a community member, the board explained that PCS has 210 students enrolled 13 are tuitioned. PCS is paid by the “sending districts” for accommodating the students, and the amount of that payment is regulated by the state. The payment is less than the PCS expenditure per equalized student but does help PCS address certain fixed costs that it would have regardless of whether those students were enrolled. PCS has a policy that determines whom to accept. When PCS accepts students with special needs it is compensated, by state-defined formula, for addressing their needs.
Meeting’s Minutes November 17 and November 29 (previously distributed), and December 1 (enclosed)	Move to approve minutes of November 17, 29, and December 1, 2005.		PM		EP			Unanimous
Communications	None.
Committee Reports: Finance/School Forest/Early Education Outreach Advisory Committee	No reports.
Warrants	None
Administrators’ Reports	Building Committee. AS distributed a one-page “Town School District Capital Plan for FY2007 (2006-2007): Draft December 15, 2005,” prepared by the Building Committee. That chart addresses planned expenditures through FY2015 for the following broad categories: BUILDING EXTERIOR, BUILDING INTERIOR, SYSTEMS, and KITCHEN. It suggests that for FY07 the Putney Town School District raise $23,500 to address needs/planned expenditures. The chart is in the school board binder in the school office and available for review by anyone who wants to read it. AS will provide more information to the board regarding needs and planned expenditures on January 12. PM asked RS to ask Jim Kane for detail in time for the 1/12/06 board meeting about an approximately $41,000 balance mentioned in the March 2005 Town Report. That balance does not seem tied in any way to the draft FY2007 operating budget or capital plan budget. Amelia Struthers has accepted the Early Education Outreach Coordinator position. She is highly qualified. MS level training and eligible for a variety of early education state certifications. Also works at Putney Family Services. Special thanks to board member EP for working with AS in the interview process. Holiday Bazaar happened. Special thanks to EP, Felicity Ladd, and all parent volunteers. Winter Sports Raffle update: Participation increased from last year’s levels. All Winter Sports fundraising events combined will have brought in a little more than $8000. Again, special thanks to Brad Borofsky, LaVonne Betts, Angela Daprato, Anna Potter, and all parents and students who have worked so hard to raise money for Winter Sports. AS distributed the teaching schedules for “specials” and homeroom duties. Nancy Mackler (library) and Gerry Gatz (art) also distributed write-ups of their positions. The board will discuss this material at its January 12 meeting.
Unfinished Business
FY ’07 Budget Discussion – including review of FY ’05 expenditures (final figures are now available) and look at BUHS assessment	Tabled until 1/12/05
Administrator’s Professional Goals (The procedure for evaluating the school principal that the board approved in 2004 specifies that the Superintendent meets with Board and Administrator to present Administrator’s professional goals for the coming years to Board, with reference to PCS School Action Plan. Board provides input to Administrator’s professional goals (possible executive session with Superintendent at Board’s request))	AS distributed a handout titled “Professional Goals for 2005-2006.” That handout keyed AS’s professional goals to the WSESU district goals, which fall into three categories. They are: Safe and Healthy Schools (goal=build teacher leadership in the building regarding bullying); Curriculum: Instruction and Assessment (goals=(a) making annual progress for all students in meeting Vermont Standards and (b) reducing the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students by accelerating achievement of low performers); and Public Engagement and Communications (goal=organize Volunteer Program at PCS). Full information is on the “Professional Goals for 2005-2006” handout, which is in the school board binder in the school office. Question regarding the Volunteer Program: What about the $750 of 1% Fund money approved in the Fall by the board for a Volunteer Coordinator? Has someone been hired? AS responded that she is meeting with a parent next week who has expressed interest in the position. Special thanks to Sue Kochinskas for, back in the Fall, surveying parent interest in volunteering and collating that information for AS. Also regarding the Volunteer Program: Coordinating the Winter Sports program is taking up a lot of AS’s time. While the board appreciates the effort that AS has put into the Winter Sports program, the board encouraged AS to delegate as much as possible of that task to parent volunteers. According to the procedures approved in 2004 by the board, a principal's Performance Feedback Questionnaire is to be distributed by the WSESU in February to all school stakeholders.  In response to a question from a board member about when the board would see the questionnaire to be distributed, RS suggested that the timing (February distribution) is not critical and that he might elect to replace the Performance Feedback Questionnaire that would not be an evaluative instrument regarding the principal. RC suggested that the timing is critical as is the nature of the questionnaire because the board would like broad evaluative information from stakeholders available to the Superintendent regarding the principal's performance prior to when the board votes on the Superintendent’s recommendation regarding the principal's contract renewal.  RS said that he would raise this matter in Executive Session with the board.  RC pointed out that, if the discussion that RS wants to have is not about AS in particular but, rather, about the timing of the procedure and the nature of the survey, it would be a matter for public session.  RS suggested that, indeed, matters appropriate for an executive session would be discussed.  Given the shortness of time, PM suggested that the matter be deferred until January.  PM offered to meet with RS before the next Board session to get an understanding of what a "Climate Survey" would entail and bring this information to the Board's next meeting.  RC said that she would prefer that the matter not be discussed between the two of them privately because the procedure for evaluating the principal is an important matter and the entire discussion should be open to public input.  It was agreed that the Board would ask RS to provide an overview of his proposed change in the process regarding stakeholder input at a Board meeting in January, tentatively on January 19th.  The Board would like to adhere to the timetable of circulation of an evaluative instrument to stakeholders in February. The board did not elect to exercise the option in the board procedure to request an Executive Session with the Superintendent regarding AS’s professional goals.
New Business
Draft of Evolving Action Plan – Amelia Stone	Tabled until 1/12/05 meeting
Executive Session: Discuss Negotiations Committee and Personnel Issue. Entered 5:50.	Move to go into Executive Session	PM		VS			Unanimous
Upcoming Meetings	January 12. 5:00 pm in Writing Room. § Superintendent meets with Board and Administrator in Executive Session to consider provisional budget allocation for Administrator Salary for coming year. Executive Session may be held with Superintendent at Board’s request. § Review transportation bids § Update via AS from Building Committee § “Specials” schedule discussion and general FY07 budget discussion. § Presentation by AS of draft school action plan. January 17. 7:00 pm in Writing Room. § Joint meeting with Select Board, School Board, and Putney Family Services. Purpose of meeting: Plan a community forum on human services in Putney. RC will not attend this meeting .January 19. 5:00pm – 6:00pm in Writing Room. § Adopt FY2007 budget. No other business. January 26. 5:00pm in Writing Room. January 31. 3:30. § Meeting with faculty at PCS. First Meeting in February § Superintendent distributes Administrator Performance Feedback Questionnaires to stakeholders (parents, teachers, staff, etc.). Second Meeting in February § Superintendent meets with Board and Administrator in Executive Session to provide Progress Report to Board with respect to Administrator’s progress against Administrator’s professional goals for the current year. Purpose is to provide constructive feedback on Administrator’s performance and identify critical issues, if any, that may impact any contract renewal notice dates. Executive Session may be held with Superintendent at Board’s request. § 4-Day Week § Presentation from RS on progress to-date on Brattleboro Town Schools Foreign Language Program Second March Meeting § Consideration of Head Start contract for 2006-2007 § Discussion of language instruction.

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.