DEER ISLE-STONINGTON CSD
“Launching life long learners and responsible citizens able to keep our island community vital”
DEER ISLE – STONINGTON CSD SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Launching life long learners and responsible citizens able to keep our island community vital.
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
March 8, 2007
Board Members Present: Skip Greenlaw, Jim Adams, Aimee Hunt, Donald Sargent, Walter
Kumiega and Mark Cormier at 6:33 p.m.
Staff Present: Catherine Ring and Robert Webster
Citizens & Guests Present: None
1. Call to Order/Quorum
Chair Walter Kumiega opened the meeting and declared a quorum at 6:30 p.m.
2. Moment of Silence
A moment of silence was observed.
3. Citizen’s Comments
There were no citizen comments.
4. Approval of the Agenda
Motion by Greenlaw, second by Hunt, to approve the agenda with the addition of action item for certification of school committee election results, an executive session on administrator contract negotiations, deletion of the calendar discussion item and moving the discussion item on the high school renovation project to the beginning of the agenda. Vote: 5 Yes; 0 No.
5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Adams nominated Walter Kumiega, with a second from Hunt, for the position of chair of the school committee. Cormier nominated Skip Greenlaw, with a second from Sargent, for the position of chair of the school committee. Vote on Kumiega for chair: 3 yes; 3 no. Vote on Greenlaw for chair: 3 yes; 3 no. Kumiega nominated Jim Adams for the position of chair. Vote on Adams for chair: 3 yes; 3 no. None of the other school board members was interested in serving as chair of the school committee. Motion by Greenlaw, second by Hunt, to table action on election of officers until the end of the meeting. Vote: 6 Yes; 0 No.
6. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Motion by Hunt, second by Sargent, to approve minutes of February 6, 2007 as written.
Vote: 5 Yes; 0 No, 1 Abstention (Cormier).
9. DISCUSSION ITEM (moved from discussion items)
A. High School Renovation Project Plans
Michael Young and John Kilby presented a detailed explanation of the plans for the high school renovation project. They answered questions from board members on details of the sprinkler and fire alarm systems, the heating and ventilation design and the roof renovation. Webster will check with the art teacher to determine her preference on the art room ceiling issue.
7. REPORTS
A. Elementary School Principal
Catherine Ring provided a brief overview of the Professional Learning Community workshop which she and the superintendent had attended earlier that day. She also reported on:
· Meeting with the Reach Advisory Group to review Marion Austin substituting as interim director of RPAC two days per week
· Literacy Committee meeting coming up on March 14th
· Enrollment of a deaf child in September
· Two additional Kindergarten students recently enrolled
· The number of students in all K-8 grades and classes
· A parental request for a student to have a service dog at school
· Initial meeting of the pre-school committee
· State chess tournament on March 9th
B. High School Principal
Webster explained that Ms. Wendell was absent due to illness.
C. Superintendent
Webster reported :
· A DOE audit of the special education program has been scheduled for 4/5/07.
· The resignation received from interim RPAC Director Mark Stevenson.
· Copies of the report from the Union 76 NCLB review report will be forthcoming.
· A meeting with Sue Daignault from MSMA on safety committee development.
· The need to reschedule the special meeting for review of administrator evaluations.
· The quarterly RPAC financial statement.
· A draft of a Literacy Committee work plan and teacher survey.
· The monthly CSD financial statement.
· Webster asked that Ms. Ring be excused from the remainder of the meeting as she was not feeling well.
Hunt asked for follow up on administrative assistants’ plan to attend a workshop in Portland when the same workshop might be available in Bangor. Adams asked if Marion Austin might be allotted more time to substitute at RPAC. Webster said he would look at the possibility to determine if funding was possible.
D. CSD Strategic Plan Implementation
1. Student Council - Webster reported that the student council had begun meeting under the rules of its new constitution even though it had not been ratified yet by a vote of the student body.
2. Implementation Activities - Webster affirmed Ring’s earlier comments on the Professional Learning Community Workshop stating that PLC’s may be an excellent way to carry forward implementation of the strategic plan. He plans to meet with faculty to set priorities for the coming school year.
8. ACTION ITEMS
A. Commendation Honoring the State Championship Boys Basketball Team
Webster distributed copies of a letter to Coach Glenn Billings congratulating him on his outstanding work as boys basketball coach this year. Motion by Greenlaw, second by Hunt, to adopt a resolution commending the members of the state championship boy’s basketball team and coaches for their outstanding season. Vote: 6 Yes; 0 No.
B. Personnel Nomination
Webster recommended employment of Katie Cousins as an educational technician at the high school for the remainder of the school year. Motion by Sargent, second by Cormier, to approve the probationary employment of Katie Cousins as a special education ed. tech. at $10.30 per hour for the remainder of the school year.
Vote: 6 Yes; 0 No.
C. Continuing Contract Teacher Nomination
Webster nominated Gil Lacroix for a continuing teacher contract. This action was needed due to the extended illness and absence that Lacroix experienced last spring. Motion by Greenlaw, second by Sargent, to approve a continuing contract for Gil Lacroix. Vote: 6 Yes; 0 No.
D. Bus Contract Amendments
Motion by Adams, second by Cormier, to approve amendments to the bus contract with First Student: 2007-08 contract price $431,754; 2008-09 contract price $440,706; mileage range reduced 135,000 to 150,000 miles. Vote: 5 Yes; 0 No (Greenlaw temporarily out of the room).
E. Donations
Motion by Cormier, second by Hunt, to accept two Island Education Foundation donations: $1,400 for the foreign language class trip to Honduras; $2,000 for Christel Kenzia’s Orff Music Program; $250 for a performance by the Erika Allen String Quartet. Vote: 5 Yes; 0 No.
F. Certification of School Committee Election Results
Motion by Hunt, second by Sargent, to certify the results of the March 5, 2007 school committee election. Vote: 6 yes; 0 no.
Three Year Terms
James Adams* 476
Sherman Hutchinson III 374
Walter Kumiega* 477
Peggy Zembrusky 286
One year term
Donald Sargent* 486
Michael Warr 362
* elected
9. DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. High School Renovation Project Plans
Greenlaw asked for action on this item. Motion by Greenlaw, second by Cormier, to approve the engineering plans for the high school renovation project and authorize the James Sewall Inc. to take the project out to bid. Vote: 6 yes; 0 no.
B. MSMS Article on Discharge v. Resignation
Hunt expressed reservation about the legal liabilities of situations in which an employee is asked to resign in place of a discharge proceeding. Greenlaw suggested that the school committee should be involved in these kinds of employment problems.
Cormier said that new policy may be in order to protect the school in the future. Webster will obtain an opinion from legal counsel on the implication of the article.
C. School District Consolidation Update
The education committee is reporting an outline of its work on consolidation to the appropriations committee that includes a minimum school unit size of 1200, a local vote whether or not a municipality joins a larger district, mandatory planning alliances to consolidate central office business functions and plans for district consolidation, consolidation by 2010, financial penalties through loss of subsidy for schools that do not consolidate, financial incentives for schools that do consolidate, and a requirement that all schools adopt a common budget format consistent with EPS categories. The superintendent said he would be attending an MSSA executive committee meeting the next day that would provide additional details.
D. School Calendar (deleted from the agenda)
E. 2007-08 Budget Draft #1
The first draft of the budget included an overall increase of 6.47%. This draft contained an added elementary teaching position to provide for two fourth grade sections next year, new debt service funds for the high school renovation project, a technology initiative that the technology committee will explain at an upcoming budget work session, funding for special education services for a deaf student and a large increase in local funding for food service. Greenlaw advocated for a budget increase of no more than 2%-3%. Several members of the board asked for an alternative to the addition of the elementary teaching position. The first budget work session is scheduled for Thursday, March 15th.
Motion by Greenlaw, second by Sargent, to extend the meeting until 10:00 pm. Vote: 6 yes; 0 no.
10. COMMUNICATIONS
The superintendent reported receiving a letter from First Student on the proposed purchase of Laidlaw by First Student. He also received a flyer from the Department of Transportation on the upcoming bridge closure schedule which he will forward to the bus company.
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion by Greenlaw, second by Hunt, to enter executive session for discussion of negotiations on administrative contracts pursuant to 1 MRSA § 405(6)(D) at 9:42. Vote: 6 yes; 0 no. Participants were Kumiega, Hunt, Cormier, Greenlaw, Sargent, Adams and Webster.
5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS (tabled from earlier in the meeting)
The school committee discussed ideas for resolving the impasse on election of the board chair. Greenlaw suggested co-chairs. Hunt nominated Walter Kumiega and Skip Greenlaw, with a second from Cormier, as co-chair of the school committee. Vote on Kumiega and Greenlaw as co-chairs: 4 yes; 1 no (Adams) and 1 abstention (Sargent). Greenlaw nominated Aimee Hunt, with a second from Adams, for the position of treasurer of the school committee. Vote on Hunt for treasurer: 6 yes; 0 no.
Adjournment
Motion by Cormier, second by Sargent, to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 p.m.
Vote: 6 yes; 0 no.
Respectfully Submitted,
___________________________________
Superintendent of Schools