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GarthElementary School
SBDM Minutes
February 10, 2009
Attendees:
Rusty Andes Leandra Jenkins Jamie Brinkley
Jim Cook Ginny Barnes
JoAnna Fryman Sandy Rees
Minutes from the December 2, 2008, meeting were approved by consensus.
Good News:
The WashingtonDC trip for 5th graders is coming up in March. There have been several significant gifts to the DC Scholarship fund this year. These generous gifts will allow 5 or 6 students to be sponsored.
Garth students will be participating in Aims testing on February 16. The Aims test will test reading fluency and comprehension, and is highly recommended by Supt. Putty. Results will provide teachers with additional assessment data to better identify students needing intervention.
Mr. Andes continues to observe classrooms and is very impressed with the quality of teaching Garth students are receiving.
Congratulations to Garth Spelling Bee winners Rachel Gardner, Shelby Kidd, and Michael Cavanaugh. These students will represent Garth in the district spelling bee on February 16. Abby Snyder represented Garth on the Spelling Bee committee.
Congratulations to the Garth Academic Team, led by Lynnette Mills and Abby Snyder. They defeated Stamping Ground Elementary in their match on January 15.
The PIPA Club did a fantastic job representing Garth in the Chinese New Year Celebration in Lexington. Kellie Moses’ group performed at the SingletaryCenter and at the Lexington Library.
Garth has two student teachers for the spring semester. Cindy Prater is student teaching in Abby Snyder’s class. Suzanne Hibbard is student teaching in Ginny Barnes’ class.
The PTO is gearing up for their annual fundraising auction. The tentative date is March 13, subject to change if items are donated that need to be approved by the school board.
Student Achievement:
Aims testing results will be a good tool in helping to assess student achievement.
The list of students not on grade level is being reviewed at weekly team meetings. Discussion of individual students includes concerns which hinder success, such as attendance issues.
Planning:
Efforts will be made to scale down the Improvement Plan. Supt. Putty requests the goals of schools to fit within broader district goals. More guidelines will be forthcoming and will help as the council discusses changes to the Improvement Plan.
Budget Report:
As state budget worries continue, it is possible the state may request $6.7 million from school districts. If ScottCounty district’s portion would cut into the contingency fund of the district, the district could cut the SBDM allocation for each school. The council should begin to consider priorities and possibilities for cutbacks as we look to the future.
JoAnna Fryman requests a list of current positions at Garth.
There will be no additional instructional money for teachers from the district due to budget constraints. To help with instructional expenses, Mr. Andes will pay copy accounts, unless excessive, and teachers will be able to carryover Garth account balances to next year.
Review:
There is a new district policy for donations. Any donations with a value of $100 or more must be approved by the School Board. PTO President Julie Roe will compile a list of auction items that require board approval.
New Business:
A bill has been introduced in the state legislature that will do away with CATS. We will be hearing more about this proposal in the future.
Plans are moving forward to address the radon concerns at Garth. The library reading came back as acceptable when the library is in use. The district has begun consultations with companies regarding radon mitigation and bids have been requested. The goal is to have the radon mitigation work completed by the end of spring break. An outside source will conduct air quality checks while the work is being completed. Information will go out to parents in Friday’s newsletter (Feb. 13) in an effort to keep everyone informed.
As we move forward in uncertain economic times, it is crucial to remain positive. Great attitudes will be the key to our success.
A motion was made by Jim Cook to adjourn the meeting. By consensus, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40.