Minutes - Muscatine Community School District

UNOFFICIAL MINUTES
MUSCATINE SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 2012
The Board of Education of the Muscatine Community School District, in the County of
Muscatine, State of Iowa, met in regular session on Monday, December 10, 2012 at 7 p.m. at
City Hall. President Penny Jones called the meeting to order. Directors Tim Bower, Tammi
Drawbaugh, Brenda Garcia-­‐Van Auken, Nathan Mather, and Mary Wildermuth were present.
Director Dennis Fox was also present via telephone conference call as he was in Tennessee on
business. Also present were Superintendent Bill Decker and Director of Finance Jean Garner.
The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
President Jones welcomed visitors and media representatives.
Superintendent Bill Decker announced that Madison Elementary received the state’s Breaking
Barriers Award. This award is given to schools that increase student achievement by closing the
achievement gap. Madison Elementary received the award for closing the achievement gap for
its Hispanic students.
Both Superintendent Decker and President Jones thanked and recognized Madison staff for their
hard work and dedication to the students at Madison.
Emily Juszczyk and Tyler Much, student council representatives, updated the board on current
student council activities.
A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Mather to approve the
consent agenda to include the minutes of the November 12, 2012 Regular Meeting, the
sharing agreement with Louisa-­‐Muscatine Schools for tennis, the bills and claims dated
December 10, 2012, the financial reports for the month of November, the following
personnel recommendations: the hire of Heather Trego as half-­‐time reading
interventionist at Mulberry Elementary and Ryan Kitzmann as Industrial Arts at MHS
beginning second semester, and the FBLA field trip to Coralville, Iowa for the State
Leadership Conference on March 21-­‐23, 2013 as submitted by Konrad Wilke.
All ayes; motion carried.
President Jones stated that the next two items on the agenda are listed as possible action
although they were not presented to the board prior to tonight’s meeting as per new board
protocol. Thus, the board may or may not take action at this meeting.
Superintendent Decker noted that the Affirmative Action Plan update is a routine item. He
noted that Director of Human Resources Wes Fowler had provided information to the board in
earlier board notes about the Affirmative Action Plan and also in their board notes for tonight’s
meeting.
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A motion was made by Director Wildermuth and seconded by Director Bower to
approve the MCSD Affirmative Action Plan for 2013-­‐2015 as submitted.
Director Mather asked regarding the report’s highlighted areas. Mr. Fowler noted that
the highlighted groups were underrepresented according to state guidelines.
All ayes; motion carried.
Superintendent Decker reviewed the temporary construction easement that the City of
Muscatine has requested. The easement would allow the City to have a construction staging
area east of the high school’s south entrance during the Cedar Street Project. He noted that this
is something that the City recently requested of the district formally although there had been
informal conversation about the possibility of an easement prior. Superintendent Decker
recommended that the board take action on this.
A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Drawbaugh to approve
the temporary construction easement for the City of Muscatine east of the high school’s
south entrance.
Director Mather asked if the City shared how long it will take to clean up the area after
they are done. Superintendent Decker shared that he has not had that particular
conversation but feels that the City will have it cleaned up as soon as possible.
All ayes; motion carried.
Superintendent Decker noted that the change in the request to seek additional allowable
growth for open enrollment is due to changes received from the state.
A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Mather to approve
administration authority to seek additional allowable growth in fiscal year 2012-­‐13 from
the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) and to attend such meeting as may be
necessary to accomplish the same for the on-­‐time funding of open enrollment out
students that were not included on our fall 2011 certified enrollment but are on our fall
2012 certified enrollment in the amount of $151,193. All ayes; motion carried.
Superintendent Decker recommended the Juntos Program United Way Grant Application for
board approval. He feels that it is a good way to create partnerships for other parts of our
community and students to be successful.
A motion was made by Director Mather and seconded by Director Fox to approve the
Juntos Program United Way Grant Application. All ayes; motion carried.
Superintendent Decker presented the Olweus anti-­‐bullying program for endorsement by the
board. He noted that an endorsement by the board acknowledges the Anti-­‐Bullying Committee’s
work as they have put in a lot of hours and investigation into this program. President Jones also
noted that the Olweus program is state endorsed as well.
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A motion was made by Director Wildermuth and seconded by Director Drawbaugh to
endorse the anti-­‐bullying program, Olweus. All ayes; motion carried.
Director of Elementary Innovation and Instruction Shane Williams reviewed the District In Need
of Assistance Plan (DINA Plan). He thanked everyone involved in developing the plan that
included administrators, board members, teachers, paras, and parents. The committee
participated in five, six-­‐hour days. He also shared the vision of a graduate of MCSD as
developed by the committee and noted the next steps of the plan.
Director Mather asked regarding the goals of the strategic plan and noted that he would be
interested in receiving concrete goals when they are developed. Mr. Williams noted that more
concrete goals will be developed as the committee continues its work.
A motion was made by Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken and seconded by Director
Wildermuth to approve the District in Need of Assistance Plan as presented.
Director Mather thanked everyone who participated on the committee for their time.
He also shared that he supports the plan but would be a lot more comfortable
approving something that could be measured.
All ayes; motion carried.
President Jones stated that on behalf of the board, she thanked Mr. Williams and the DINA
committee for their hard work and all of their continued work towards improving student
success.
Superintendent Decker apologized for the way that agenda item VIII-­‐A-­‐4-­‐iii was worded as it was
made clear to him today that the wording should be that the district would like to request
approval to explore creating its own off-­‐campus behavioral disabilities program. He said that the
district would like to see if suitable teachers are available for this type of program but would not
be hired until the board approved of such a program. He noted that the district will provide the
board with details of the program as they are developed.
Director Mather asked how much the district spends on outsourcing of this program with Family
Resources. Director of Special Programs Jan Collinson stated that the cost is approximately
$228,000.
Director Mather noted that if the district hires six teachers for this program it would cost
between $300,000-­‐$400,000. Superintendent Decker shared that from his perspective, Mrs.
Collinson’s request is to hire up to six teachers. He also noted that the $228,000 cost is for 10
seats whether or not those 10 seats are utilized. He shared that with the district’s own off-­campus
BD program, it would have the ability to draw from other districts if there is the capacity
to do so which would then offset the extra cost. He noted that current statistics for the MLC
program are dismal and our own program could have a much higher degree of success. He
further noted that if we are not helping students succeed, then we are not using the money
wisely by contracting with Family Resources.
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Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken asked what the district did prior to 2005 and why did it make the
change to use Family Resources.
Mrs. Collinson stated that prior to 2005 students were served within each school’s own BD
programs. She stated that changes happened over time as more students became identified and
students’ behaviors were increasing in severity. The district was not able to meet their needs.
She stated that the district has had a good partnership with Family Resources, however the
student population is changing with more being identified with mental illness and more being
identified with severe and significantly violent behavior. She also stated that students are not
being sent to other institutions out of our community as they had been in the past. She noted
that those changes in student needs and whether or not those needs are being met is the
reason behind looking at other ways to better serve them, thus the possibility of the district
operating its own off-­‐campus BD program.
Director Mather asked if this is a question of resources. Mrs. Collinson shared that the ten seats
the district contracts are for five middle school students and five high school students. She
noted that there is no place for elementary students and there have been cases of elementary
students needing this type of service. She also noted that in order for the district to contract
with any facility, there has to be a number of students served. She further noted that if the
district has its own off-­‐campus BD program, it will have a lot more flexibility and would be able
to better utilize all of those seats and in the long term meet the needs of a wide variety of
students. She also stated that if she cannot find the right people for this program, it will not
happen and the district will continue with what is already in place with Family Resources.
Superintendent Decker noted that he sees the program getting to full capacity over time. He
further noted that he does not see the district meeting every goal of the off-­‐campus program
during its first year, however, it is their job to get there and serve kids as quickly as they can.
Director Mather stated that he understands that it could be a growing process until capacity is
reached and that they would need to look at what is currently being spent now and what would
be needed to give up due to cost. Mrs. Collinson shared that the budget is based on categorical
funding and is weighted funding. Superintendent Decker also shared that the state and the
federal government underfunds special education but expects districts to serve the students. He
noted that this is why you hear of the special education deficit. He stated that a fully functioning
program could easily generate those dollars back that serves our students and other district’s
students. Director of Finance Jean Garner noted that Muscatine’s special education budget has
been operating in a positive balance.
A motion was made by Director Bower and seconded by Director Fox to approve the
exploration and investigation of positions to operate an off campus BD program.
Director Mather stated that he would like to see an update in March or April. Mrs.
Collinson stated that she will keep the board updated along the way and that there will
be no surprises.
All ayes; motion carried.
The board heard a second reading on the following policies:
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204.00 Meetings of the Board
206.01 New Board Member Orientation
401.04 Functions of Personnel
401.06 Evaluation
402.03 Anti-­‐Bullying and Harassment (Employee) and Administrative Procedures
403.05 Facilities – Regulatory Issues
403.07 Other Employment
403.12 Reimbursement for Loss of Personal Property from Physical Assault
403.16 Identification Badges – Administrative Procedures
503.02 Anti-­‐Bullying and Harassment (Student) and Administrative Procedures
506.03 Transcript of Credits
Policy 204.00 Meetings of the Board has been changed to reflect the current board meeting
schedule.
Policy 506.15 Student Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices has been removed from
the approval sequence. This policy will be updated and brought back to the board for a first
reading sometime in the future.
The board received an update on the high school’s block schedule. Superintendent Decker noted
that survey results were in the board packet. He shared that he feels it is important to think
about the motivating factors behind initiating the block schedule. He stated that from his
perspective the main benefit is that it took our students from being able to have seven periods
per day to eight different kinds of options.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken asked if the next survey would be a computer-­‐based survey. High
School Principal Bob Weaton shared that one of the things he wanted to do was to get in the
classrooms and have casual conversations with the students while surveying them. This allowed
for a quick random survey of multiple facets of the student body.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken asked if there were any differences between different groups of
students. Mr. Weaton noted that he felt there was a general consensus of positive viewpoints
from implementing the block scheduling. He stated that he did not specifically disaggregate
specific classes this time.
President Jones stated that she read that the passing time is too long and that skinny classes
were too short. Mr. Weaton stated that administration will be looking at tweaking that next
year, however they are extremely limited on minutes. He noted that the premise is that
students in a long block period need that time to recoup, refresh, and socialize. He then
highlighted other concerns: congestion in the halls during the 10 minute passing time, the loss
of homeroom, and the issue of 3 rd period getting less academic time.
Other concerns shared by board members included: enriched courses not receiving enough time
as a “skinny”, the issue of multiple study halls, and parent surveys. Mr. Weaton addressed all of
these concerns. He noted that the AP courses have been given three quarters instead of two. He
also stated that administration will be looking into the study hall issue as well as the issue of
students skipping classes. Director of Innovation and Instruction Diane Campbell shared that she
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did a random sampling of 9 th -­‐12 th grader’s schedules and did not find more than one study hall
for Freshmen and Sophomores, however, Juniors and Seniors did have more than one study hall
which is normal for upperclassmen. In regards to the parent survey, Mr. Weaton reported that
the parent survey that was sent out did not yield enough responses to report and that the high
school is making an effort to send this survey to parents again to gather their input.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken stated that the feedback and critiques received from the survey has
the opportunity to help improve block scheduling for next year. Mr. Weaton stated that
administration plans to look at the feedback and use that to make changes that allow staff to be
more comfortable with the block environment.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken noted that her comments are to help everyone as one of the things
that came out of DINA is initiative fatigue. She stated that it is her hope that we take some of
the learning from this and focus on it next year in order to plan successfully to try to eliminate
some of the fatigue that board members are hearing about.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken and President Jones thanked Mr. Weaton for his time and also
appreciated the staff comments from the survey and looks forward to the end-­‐of-­‐year survey
results and how block scheduling will be changed.
Superintendent Decker then reviewed the Jefferson Elementary Forum that took place in
November. He noted that between 30-­‐35 people attended and there was a nice cross section of
community members including: current and former parents, current and former students,
current and former teachers, and current and former administrators. He also shared that
architect Tyler Riley did a great job explaining the options available and it was definitely made
clear that Jefferson Elementary cannot continue to be a viable educational facility in the future.
Director Wildermuth stated that she felt that it was pretty clear that after the forum and from
listening to people in the community the consensus is that people love Jefferson, the culture,
and the atmosphere, however, people are clear that the district needs to do something
different. She encouraged board members to begin to think what that “different” is and begin to
move forward.
Director Bower noted that it was clear that the community was worried about what happened
10 years ago with the possibility of closing Jefferson. He noted that when they heard that closing
Jefferson wasn’t part of the proposals then their other concern was not having the students at
Jefferson while a new Jefferson was being built. Once they realized that students would
continue at Jefferson during construction, there was a calmness that fell over the audience.
Director Drawbaugh shared that audience members were relieved to know that there would be
a Jefferson Elementary in the area. She stated that there are strong ties to the facility, ties that
can be released from the old building and ways to honor the old building. She noted that there
was a lot of excitement and people wanting the new building construction to start immediately.
Superintendent Decker stated that Mr. Riley did a good job discussing what architectural
elements can be brought from the old to the new which brought some calming to the group.
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Director Mather stated that FEH architects did a great job of putting together the document as
people appreciated having that available to them. The document also allowed people to see the
cards that the board is dealing with.
Director Garcia-­‐Van Auken noted that there are valid concerns, great enthusiasm, and a lot of
pride for Jefferson. She further noted that the neighborhood is excited and that teachers and
administration are also excited about the possibilities.
Superintendent Decker shared that it has been discussed that another public forum should be
held. He noted that his personal interactions with community members have been mostly
concerned that the district does the right thing for Jefferson students. There is a possibility that
the district can do the right thing for students and not tear down the building. He also shared
that he tried to make it clear that anyone who wanted to read the Jefferson study can check out
the document or read it online. After reading the study, he does not know how he could
recommend that the district invest millions of dollars into the building in order to maintain it as
an educational facility. This would not be cost effective and the district would still have an
inferior elementary environment. He stated that there is still room for conversation in the
community to determine if there is still some other community use for the building. He further
stated that the district would not want to support maintaining and taking care of the building if
it was not going to be used as a school, but ultimately that is a board a decision.
Superintendent Decker then summarized the different options available per the architect’s
study. He noted that there have been a lot of good ideas brought forward and is open to more
ideas, thus having another forum was discussed.
Superintendent Decker stated that it is important for people to realize that this future project is
not going to be a bond issue and there is no debt involved as it is a pay-­‐as-­‐we-­‐go project. He
stated that the project fits into the plan for both the high school construction phases and a new
Jefferson school that does not affect property taxes. He also noted that this time period is a
different environment then it was 10 years ago and the district and board has an exceptional
opportunity to do what is right for kids by creating a better learning environment and doing it
without increasing property taxes.
The board discussed the dates for the next public forum. Director Bower suggested that at this
forum a tour of Jefferson should be given to those that would like to participate in one. It was
also suggested that the forum also include a Spanish translator as there is a large population of
Spanish speaking parents who do not speak English.
The consensus of the board was to hold two public forums: January 8 at Central starting at noon
and then January 9 beginning at 6 p.m. for the tour at Jefferson and at then at 7 p.m. for the
discussion at Central Auditorium.
The board received an update on the 1-­‐3-­‐5 Year Plan with completed projects for Year One.
Superintendent Decker noted that this is the time of year that the district will start putting into
place the next One Year Plan as administration will be working together to determine building
needs for this coming summer and next year. He noted that there were far more things
completed and only a few that were not. Those things not completed will be finished between
now and the end of the year or put on next year’s plan.
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Superintendent Decker noted that next 1-­‐3-­‐5 Year Plan will be brought to the board in April for
approval. He thanked Director of Operations Walter Crowder and the maintenance/custodial
staff for their hard work. Mr. Crowder noted that next month the board will need to consider
putting out RFPs for buses for next school year and to expect this as an agenda item for next
month.
The parent customer service survey results were shared with the board. Superintendent Decker
noted that the results are consistent with last year’s scores The survey was available during
conferences and then after as well and the results will be posted online.
Superintendent Decker updated the board on Phase I of the MHS Construction Project. He
shared that contractors got off on a slow start due to unforeseen issues, i.e. unknown pipes and
electrical lines, but are now close to target. He shared that this week the steel workers are on
site to begin putting the steel that forms the structure of the floor to create the second floor
and that the first floor concrete slab is entirely poured. He stated that the team of contractors
has done a really good job of working through those issues. He noted that people will start to
see the building go up another level and become enclosed within the next four to five weeks. He
also noted that contractors have done a nice job of minimizing the impact on the surrounding
environment and staying out of the way during the busy times of the day. Mr. Decker also noted
that it is important to remember the project is there to create appropriately sized classrooms
allowing for the remodel of the entire academic part of the classrooms in the whole building. He
stated that in the end it will be a phenomenal school.
Superintendent Decker discussed student safety concerns in light of the recent happenings
involving an individual in a black van and the bank robbery on Park Avenue and how the
schools/district reacted to these events. He stated that student safety is the district’s highest
priority. He explained that after the robbery incident, the police department asked that
Colorado and Madison be locked down and that communication about the scenario be limited
as it had the potential to cause undue concern and more traffic in the area from parents
wanting to get their children. The schools were on lockdown for approximately two hours and
were then given an all clear from the police department. It was then that the district let the
parents know what had happened. He noted that he hopes that parents understand that the
district has to comply with the police department in situations such as this.
He then spoke regarding the incident with the black van. He stated that the first reports he had
received were widely varied as to what was seen and what happened. He noted that because of
the varied reports, he felt uncomfortable issuing a statement until he had spoken with the
police department as to what can be put out to the school community. He stated that he has the
responsibility to put out information that is accurate and would be irresponsible of him to put
out information based on rumor.
President Jones noted that she had talked with several staff members and commended staff and
administrators on a job well done as student safety is our highest priority. She stated that the
board would also like to thank the police department in helping to maintain our student’s
safety.
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Superintendent Decker noted that he knows that some teachers walked students home because
they knew they were walkers which shows how our staff goes above and beyond. He thanked
those staff members.
President Jones stated that five board members attended the IASB Conference in Des Moines in
November and at the same conference, teachers and administrators presented on various topics
and did a great job representing our school district. She then announced upcoming meetings
and events as follows:
December 21
January 2
January 3
January 8
January 9
January 14
January 28
Last Day of 1 st Semester
Teacher Inservice – No School for Students
First Day of Second Semester Begins
Noon – Public forum about the Jefferson Project at Central Auditorium
6 p.m. – tour of Jefferson; 7 p.m. Jefferson Project Forum with Spanish
translation at Central Auditorium
Regular School Board Meeting, 7 p.m., City Hall
Board Work, Planning, and Regular Sessions at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 at the Admin
Center
A motion was made by Director Drawbaugh and seconded by Director Bower to adjourn
the meeting. All ayes; motion carried. Time: 9:10 p.m.
Penny Jones, President
Lisa Mosier, Secretary
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