Meeting Date:	12/16/04
Minutes Submitted On:	12/19/04
Board Attendees:	Ellen Pratt (EP), Anne Fines (AF), Virginia Scholl (VS), Peter May (PM), Rebecca Coffey (RC)
Administration Attendees:	Amelia Stone (AS)
Community Attendees:	Gerry Gatz (PCS staff), Sue Kochinskas (parent)

Location:	PCS Writing Room
Meeting called to order at:	4:37 pm
Meeting called to order by:	PM
Finish time:	7:00 pm

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?
12/9/04 meeting minutes	Approve the minutes of the 12/9/04 school board meeting as amended	VS		AF		Amendments: The minutes should have included abundant thanks to Putney Family Services for Parents Night Off from Cooking and to April Sprague and Nancy Brennan for their years of work on the Holiday Bazaar.		Unanimous
Communications	A communication from the Vermont School Board Association asked all school boards to elect a representative to the VSBA governmental relations network.
VSBA Governmental Relations Network	Elect Ellen Pratt the PTSB representative to the VSBA governmental relations network		PM		AF		Unanimous
Warrants	None
Kindergarten Committee.	NOTE: Just as this portion of the meeting was getting underway, RC was called from the meeting by a family emergency. The remainder of the meeting minutes (Kindergarten Committee, Administrators’ Reports, and Unfinished Business: FY06 Budget) were taken by board member Virginia Scholl. Kindergarten Committee Report: AS presented the summarized findings and proposed guidelines for the kindergarten program from the Kindergarten Committee, which has been meeting since May 2004. The full report will be in the school board binder in the school office. The report summarized data such as projected enrollments for kindergarten, optimal class size research, possible issues of concern to parents and community, available funding, and parent preferences. It recommends three different options to serve as guidelines for further School Board discussion, and recommends a decision be made by July 31, 2005, at the latest. The board requested costing of the options, especially in regards to transportation, and suggested examining a few other models, such as Newfane’s use of some of the extended day time for preschool outreach, and the Follow Through model that AF said worked very well, of three full days and two short days each week. A fuller discussion will take place at a future board meeting. Committee members included Sarah Baker, Meredith Wade, Holly Hammond, Jan Blanchard, Amelia Stone, Cami Elliot-Knaggs, and board member Rebecca Coffey. (To avoid a conflict of interest between her roles as a committee member and her role as a board member, Coffey had no part in writing the committee recommendations or report.) The Board extends a huge thank you to the Kindergarten Committee for their diligent work and thorough report.
Administrators’ Reports	AS reported that the planned emergency drill on Thursday went very well. Congratulations to all of Cliff Adler’s students who participated in the American Math Competition. Congratulation also to the many PCS students who earned honors and high honors on the honor roll.
Unfinished Business: FY06	An updated budget was presented which reduced the General Operating Fund increase from 6.71% to 6.35% by making some changes in a few lines such as legal/audit . The secondary tuition line, which relates to out of school placements, may be possible to reduce with further investigation, The Special Ed Health Ins line and the EEE assessment still seem to be very high. Other than these few areas, there is very little paring down that can be done without making changes in staffing or programs. The Board revisited the projected enrollment patterns and staffing for the next three years, and would like to develop a long term plan that deals with dropping enrollments and small class sizes, and balances high educational standards and programs that are real strengths of the school with limited resources. Therefore, the Board requested AS to provide information to the Board at the next meeting (January 6) reflecting the likely financial impact of reducing professional staff by one teacher position for next year. In addition the Board would like to continue discussing whether reframing the Early Ed. Outreach position in consideration of the new Head Start Program could lead to any budget reductions.
Upcoming Meetings January 6, 2005 at 4:30 – 7:00 in the Writing Room at PCS · Review revenue budget for FY06 · Continue discussion of cost containments for FY06. As stated above, the board will review a plan to be provided by AS reflecting the likely financial impact of reducing professional staff by one teacher position for next year. In addition the Board would like to continue discussing whether reframing the Early Ed. Outreach position in consideration of the new Head Start Program could lead to any budget reductions. January 13, 2005 · Keyboarding (whether keyboarding should be introduced into the middle school curriculum or whether it should remain a high school curriculum item. January 27, 2005 · NSRE tests (Vermont Standards scoring). Feb 10, 2005 · Fitz-Vogt Quarter Report Some meeting in February · Review EES/Head Start Program and approve or disapprove contract renewal.

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.