REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

January 10, 2005

Page 7

COOS BAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS JANUARY 10, 2005

COOS BAY, OREGON

REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

The Board of Directors of Coos Bay Public Schools met on January 10, 2005, in the Coos Bay City Council Chambers, 500 Central, Coos Bay, Oregon, for their regular monthly meeting. Chairman Don Blom called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Board and guests recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Board members present: Tom Bennett Richard Sebesta

Don Blom Charlie Sharps

Wally Hazen Donna Stolle (after oath)

Caddy McKeown

Board members absent: None

Others present included: Superintendent Karen Gray, Attorney David Dorsey, Rod Danielson, Mary Bjornerud, Duella Scott-Hull, George Winterscheid, Ben Hammer, Bob Line, Gina Sutherland, Travis Howard, Roger Trail, Greg Mulkey, Nancy Tedder, Dave Laird, Dale Inskeep, Arlene Roblan, Linda Vickrey, Lynda Sanders, Kevin Zenchenko, Sharon Muffett, Richard Hinkle, Brian Hutchins, Rebecca Peters, Holly Yovino, Angie Webster, Greg Stambaugh, Brittany Hunter, Sharon Rossback, Donna Opitz, Vicki Goodrich, Kelly Thompson-Poore, Joe and Julie Jacobson, Brittany Beebe, Rob and Joann Thompson, and Josh Thompson.

CONSENT AGENDA

As there were no corrections to the Consent Agenda items, the following were approved as submitted:

· Minutes of the December 13, 2004, Board Workshop;

· Minutes of the December 13, 2004, Board Executive Session;

· Minutes of the December 13, 2004, Regular Board Meeting.

PUBLIC INPUT

No public input was given at this time.

SCHOOL PRESENTATION

· Millicoma Intermediate School – Principal Nancy Tedder introduced Millicoma staff present at the meeting. Richard Hinkle and Sharon Rossback talked about the RBD (Responsible Behavioral Development) program, serving kids with behavioral issues. Millicoma Intermediate School has one of four RBD programs in the district. Students can choose behavior that gets them out of the RBD program and into the regular classrooms. Sharon Rossback talked about the long history of dealing with emotional problems, teaching social skills to students, working on art projects, etc. Sharon said that healing can take place when students participate in art projects, adding that “Creative play is a means of expression for things no words can express.” Sharon taught them important computer skill, which the students put in use creating their own 2005 calendar. One of the students who participated in this project gifted each Board member with a calendar – an excellent sample of the work being done with these students.

Nancy Tedder then introduced students Brittany Beebe and Josh Thomspon, who shared a PowerPoint presentation depicting Millicoma’s AYP data. Teachers Kevin Zenchenko and Sharon Muffett gave their students a task of creating a presentation of this data. This gave the kids a better understanding of the data itself as well as taught them increased computer skills by practical PowerPoint presentation. Brittany and Josh explained how AYP data is used to determine areas of success and areas of needed growth.

Nancy Tedder finished Millicoma’s student presentation by announcing they would be holding their 3rd annual talent show on January 27, prefaced by a student art show and artists’ reception.

BOARD ITEMS

· Board Member Activity/Committee Reports:

Richard reported he had visited each of the schools prior to the winter break.

Don took part in the Resource Link advisory board meeting and reported that the number of students in this on-line charter school keeps climbing. There are more students enrolled than what’s needed to reach the “break-even point.” Additional part-time tutoring positions have been required to meet the growing number of students and their unique needs.

Caddy reported she had spent time at Resource Link earlier in the day and found it very interesting. She noted the level of parent involvement at the Harding Learning Center. Caddy attended the December Superintendent’s Advisory Committee meeting, where parents meet with the superintendent to provide comments and ask questions about happenings in the schools.

Tom Bennett was pleased to report that, as Intern Director at Southwestern Oregon Community College, there are 4-5 students doing their internship within the District. He thanked the principals and staffs for taking them in.

· Professional Services Evaluations: Charlie Sharps said the Professional Services Evaluations sub-committee (Wally Hazen, Richard Sebesta, and himself) plans to meet on January 18 to review evaluations and contract information gathered for those providing professional services to the District. Expect a report and action at the February Board meeting.

· February 14 Board Workshop: Superintendent Gray announced that a workshop would be held February 14 at 5:00 p.m. at the Milner Crest Education Center. The purpose of this workshop is the provide the Board with more in-depth departmental updates in curriculum, special programs, and technology.

· Future Board Meeting Site: Superintendent Gray happily reported that the renovation of the Community Room at Milner Crest Education center is going very nicely. Our District maintenance folks are doing the majority of the work, and they are doing an excellent job. Plans are to hold the February Board meeting there. Chairman Blom thanked the City of Coos Bay for letting us use this tremendous facility for Board meetings.

· Expiring Board Positions: Chairman Blom announced that four school board positions will be available this year – Positions 1, 2, 5, and 6. This includes the now vacant seat held by Sue Walberg and the expiring positions held by Don Blom, Charlie Sharps, and Caddy McKeown. The deadline for file for candidacy is March 17. Don Blom announced publicly that he will seek re-election; Charlie Sharps announced he would not seek re-election.

BUILDING STAFF PRESENTATIONS

· CBEA Business – Local CBEA President Lynda Sanders shared a letter received from certified staff member Paul Zenchenko, who is on active military duty in Iraq. His letter included many reflections. Paul said that the laughter of children is what he misses so much – both at home and at school. Lynda also said she wondered how prepared we all are in the event a tsunami hit our coastline and asked if there truly had been enough discussion about this topic.

· OSEA Business: Local OSEA President Greg Stambaugh expressed their sincere appreciation to the School Board for all their work and dedication to the District. He was pleased to honor them during School Board Recognition Month. The classified group provided information to the Board and to Supt. Gray for use as research material for future negotiations.

· MHS Activities Report: Brittiany Hunter, MHS Board representative, handed out the newest MaHi Times, the Marshfield High School student newspaper. She talked about the upcoming Mr. MHS, the annual fund-raiser to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. Also, the student body is making a tremendous effort to raise funds for the bone marrow transplant needed by MHS student Juan Rodriguez. Don Blom added that the Les Schwab basketball tournament held over winter break was very well organized. He declared it a very successful tournament.

· School Nurses’ Update: Angie Webster outlined nurses’ activities and projects in the schools. Nurses are advocates who address issues that might be barriers to student learning, chronic illnesses and disabilities, vision screenings, measures to help fight diseases – all to help keep students healthy, in school, and feeling good about themselves. Administrators and teachers are very supportive of the nurses’ efforts. They continue to work with Operation Backpack, the project aimed at collecting and providing hygiene products for those students in need.

This year, Nurse Karen Brown started the “Shoes that Fit” project. Signs will be posted in the schools and community. Nurse Shannon Weybright has been involved with the School Based Health Center. It is to be certified by May and eligible to receive funds from the State Health Department. The School Health Advisory Committee involves the community in problem solving and planning.

· Arlene Roblan Receives the Human Dignity Award: Superintendent Karen Gray announced that Madison principal Arlene Roblan had been selected to recive the first Haman Rights Advocates’ “Human Dignity Award.” Carl Siminow presented the Award to Arlene at Madison Elementary School on January 4, Arlene’s birthday. Arlene said that, while this award was presented to her, she’s pleased many are being recognized in helping our kids in so many ways, raising the dignity of our students.

ACTION ITEMS:

· Appoint Board Member to Position 5: Chairman Blom explained that three letters of interest had been received from candidates interested in being appointed to the position vacated by Sue Walberg. He asked them to address the Board and explain why they are interested in being on the Board.

Vicki Goodrich said he was interested in what’s going on in the school district, especially for her child. She was elected to the South Coast ESD Board at their last election. Vicki said she was excited about the opportunity and truly believes that decisions are made by “those who show up.”

Donna Stolle-Opitz expressed interest in the position because she has 10 years of experience on the Board already, likes to be one of those making decisions for our children, and has been a child advocate for many years. Children’s education is extremely important, and Donna said she wanted to help fight for funding. She missed being involved and knew she could step in and do the job well.

Kelly Thompson-Poore declared her interest because she has a lot to offer. Kelly has been on several committees over the years, and she was interested in helping by carrying on Sue’s good work.

Don explained that the winning candidate would require a majority of Board votes – four of six. After a ballot vote was taken, Don reported that 4 votes were cast for Donna Stolle-Opitz (cast by Blom, Bennett, McKeown, and Hazen), and two votes were cast for Kelly Thompson-Poore (Sharps and Sebesta).

Donna Opitz stood and swore to the Oath of Office, declaring she would perform the duties of a Coos Bay School District Board member.

Chairman Blom asked that the other two candidates consider applying for positions that would be expiring the end of June. Tom Bennett gave a good word for them, saying they were both excellent candidates. Donna Opitz took her place at the Board table.

· Approve Contract & Resolution Programs with South Coast ESD for 2005-06:

Tom Bennett moved and Caddy McKeown seconded the Board approve the 2005/06 Contract & Resolution Programs with the correction of the district name from Bandon to Coos Bay. ESD will provide Life Skills, OSAS financial software, and Cisco Academy. The motion passed unanimously.

· Approve Revised Extra-Curricular Code of Conduct:

Karen explained the latest revisions to the code: (1) Definitions of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities have been revised. This code deals only with extra-curricular activities. (2) The definition of who can perform pre-participation health exams has been expanded as required by law. (3) The academic requirement of passing all classes at 4 weeks has been added back in. If not met, the student will attend mandatory academic study hall. Supt. Gray said she talked to a number of people in Oregon and in New York during her recent visit as well as North Bend School District regarding the 2.0 gpa requirement. She could not find anyone who disagreed with that requirement; OSAA requirements are not that stringent. (4) The superintendent also noticed in various extra-curricular codes of conduct that others were treating marijuana like alcohol rather than an illegal drug. The revised code calls for suspension of play for two weeks after the first alcohol/marijuana offense; it calls for immediate dismissal after the second alcohol/marijuana offense. The sale of any of these substances results in immediate dismissal for the season. (5) The definition of tobacco is now in line with the wording used for smokeless tobacco in our policy.

Charlie Sharps moved and Richard Sebesta seconded the Board approve the Extra-Curricular Code of Conduct as revised. Caddy expressed concern that the study hall be effective and provide the assistance needed by these students. Karen had conversation with Greg Mulkey about moving the program from the lunch hour, which does not provide enough time, to about 45 minutes first thing in the morning. They talked about assigning rotating duty to coaches in order to provide some academic support to students, because we cannot hire someone for this position. Charlie suggested an extra-duty contract as compensation; Caddy agreed saying she is concerned about over-burdening the coaching staff. Caddy commented, “If the Board is going to raise the standard, we need to be able to support that standard.”

Greg noted that 6th graders participate in cross-country and wrestling and need to be included in the code. Karen agreed that change should be made.

A vote was taken on the motion on the floor, and it passed unanimously. The revised Code of Conduct will be effective immediately.

DISTRICT STAFF PRESENTATIONS

· Tim Enright – Information Technology Manager:

United Streaming – In Tim’s absence, Duella talked about United Video Streaming, part of Discover Education, a web-based video education service. Video streaming will replace old VHS and DVD libraries – collections that become outdated quickly. Discover Education and United Video Streaming merged, and all material is aligned to Oregon Content Standards. Duella said it is a very powerful curriculum tool. Tim and Duella started talking about this long ago; now we will be piloting it in the spring with some of the tech cadre. The Board will get a demonstration at the February 14 Board Workshop. Don commented, “The promise of technology comes to fruition.”