Culpeper County School Board 10/30/2007 ~ 9:58:12 AM
Minutes
October 8, 2007
Page 11
CULPEPER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Minutes
October 8, 2007
The regular meeting of the School Board of Culpeper County was held on October 8, 2007 at the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room at 302 N. Main Street, Culpeper, VA. Present were Elizabeth Hutchins (Cedar Mountain District), Chair; Claudia Vento (West Fairfax District); Leanne Jenkins (Jefferson District); George Dasher (Stevensburg District), Vice-Chair; Jennifer McCauley (Salem District); Division Superintendent Dr. David Cox, Clerk of the Board Jeff Shomo, Parliamentarian Eric Conti, Director of Human Resources Starr Rowe, and Deputy Clerk Pearl Jamison.
Executive Director of Administrative Services Dr. Larry Carter, Robert Jenkins III (Catalpa District) and Robert Beard (East Fairfax District) were absent.
At 7 p.m. Ms. Hutchins called the meeting to order and Dr. Cox called the roll.
Those present observed a moment of silence.
Ms. Hutchins led the Pledge of Allegiance.
On motion of Ms. Jenkins seconded by Ms. Vento, the board approved the adoption of the agenda. Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Recognitions
Dr. Cox recognized School Board Members for their participation in VSBA conferences. He presented Jennifer McCauley with an Award of Excellence, Claudia Vento and George Dasher with an Award of Honor, and Elizabeth Hutchins with an Award of Distinction. Dr. Cox also received an Award of Honor for his attendance at VSBA conferences.
There were no delegations.
Ms. Hutchins convened the first public hearing on the budget. There were no speakers.
On motion of Mr. Dasher seconded by Ms. Vento, the public hearing was closed. Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
On motion of Ms. Vento seconded by Ms. Jenkins, the Board approved the consent agenda.
(a) Minutes of August 13 & 27, 2007 and September 10 & 24, 2007
(b) Payroll and Payment of Bills
(c) Personnel Recommendations
(d) Request from Relay for Life to Use Broman Field - June 7-8, 2008
(e) Resolution to Recognize American Education Week - November 11-17, 2007
(f) Approval of 2007/2008 Tuition Rate
(g) Approval of Replacement Member for Transportation Task Force
(h) Review of Administrative Regulations
- GAA R-1 (Staff Time Schedules)
- GAA R-2 (Staff Time Schedules)
- GBO R-1 (Extended Service Program)
- GC R-4 (Professional Staff Dress)
- GC R-5 (Professional Staff – Safety Standards)
- GC R-6 (Professional Staff – Employee Code of Conduct)
- GCBA R-1 (Staff Salary Schedules)
- GCBA R-2 (Staff Salary Schedules)
- GCBA R-3 (Staff Salary Schedules)
- GCL R-2 (Tuition Reimbursement)
Ms. McCauley moved to have Item H considered at a later meeting. Motion died for lack of second.
The consent agenda motion carried 4-1 by voice vote (Ms. McCauley voted in opposition.)
The board considered the following action items:
(a) First Reading of School Policies
Dr. Cox said the policies for first reading tonight have been considered by the policy committee. He said the policy does not become effective until second reading.
On motion of Ms. Vento seconded by Ms. Jenkins, the board approved the policies on first reading. Motion carried 5-0 by voice vote.
Dr. Cox read the resolution recognizing American Education Week as November 11-17, 2007.
The board heard the following reports:
(a) Building Updates
Eastern View High School - Mr. Spencer said the floor layout coloring has begun and the painting is progressing well. He said a lot of light fixtures and ceiling tiles have been installed. He said he is still working on the furnishings list for the school.
Yowell Elementary School - Mr. Spencer said the lower floor concrete slabs are being poured and the upper level concrete slabs will be poured next week. He said the curb and gutter has been installed and asphalt will begin soon.
RFP’s for Renovation of CCHS – He said we received 32 inquires of interest from firms in Virginia and Maryland. He said 13 firms showed up at the proposal meeting. He said they have received 2 bids and the remainder of the bids should be received tomorrow.
(b) Transition Team
Dr. Conti said the transition team has been looking at furniture configurations. Mr. Dietz said by the end of this calendar month administration and instructional team leader decisions will be made. He said they are still on target for assigning staff to their respective school for next year in December. He said they also hope to have common planning space at CCHS for teachers. Dr. Conti said elementary teachers will be notified of their assignment for next year by February 15th.
(c) Financial Report/Budget Update/Energy Savings/Emerald Hill Well
Energy Savings: Dr. Cox said this past summer we implemented an energy savings program with cooling temperatures at 78° and heating at 68° with a mandatory shutdown for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He said he hopes to report to the board quarterly energy savings.
Mr. Shomo said the KWH usage was compared from 2006 to 2007. He said from 2006 to 2007 we saved 177,234 kilowatts which resulted in an estimated savings of $21,268. He said the total estimated annual energy savings for FY08 budget is $296,803. Mr. Shomo said we deal with two power companies – Rappahannock Electric and Dominion Power. He said the KWH per hour costs vary a lot from one company to the other. He said Eastern View High School will be served by Rappahannock Electric and Yowell Elementary School will be served by the Town.
Ms. Jenkins said she has received a lot of comment on the heating/cooling changes that were implemented. She said the board needs to reconsider that change.
Ms. Hutchins asked if energy savings could be found when the high school is renovated. Mr. Shomo said yes there could be significant cost savings.
Financials: Mr. Shomo said the general ledger is up-to-date through August. He said our budget was based on an enrollment of 7,644 and the actual count as of September 28th was 261 kids less or $501,000. He said September payroll was $3.5 million.
Ms. McCauley asked what miscellaneous review comes from. Mr. Shomo said that is insurance refunds and building rental.
Emerald Hill Well: Mr. Parkinson said we will attempt to refurbish the existing well at Emerald Hill on October 11. He said at that time they will decide if they should drill down an additional 120 feet. He said the new well should be in operation by the end of October. He said if we can get our existing well refurbished it could be back in operation within the next two weeks. He thanked the county for all their help during the operation. Mr. Parkinson said the cost to refurbish the well is about $8,000.
Farmington Chiller: Mr. Parkinson said they are waiting to hear from Perry and Associates with a recommendation. He said the machine capacity has been lowered but we are still able to maintain the temperature.
(d) Efficiency Review
Dr. Cox said in 2006 the state conducted an efficiency review of the school system. He said MGT of America conducted the review. He said the purpose of the study was to examine the practices of the school system – Administration, HR, Finance, Instruction, Facilities, Transportation, Technology, and Food Service. He said they also reviewed audit reports and curriculum documents. He said MGT commended us for our finances, delivery of instruction and instructional practices. He said the requirement for us as a school division for participating is that we would agree to implement 50% of the recommendations in a 2 year period and if we didn’t we were liable for 25% of the cost ($20,000) . He said each 6 months we are required to do a report detailing our progression.
A total of 94 recommendations: 35 completed, 36 in process, 1 implemented by substitute, 13 pending, and 9 considered and abandoned.
He said we are at 90% implementation. Further information can be available during a work session, if the members would like.
Dr. Cox said effectiveness and efficiency are not always the same thing.
(e) Governor’s School Report
Ms. Hutchins said she and Dr. Cox attended the Governor’s School meeting on September 20th. She said they discussed items from the retreat and voted on altering reporting of grades to schools so they would be uniform. She said the Academic Advisory Board met to discuss curriculum development. She said the superintendent’s met and discussed delaying the addition of 9th and 10th grade curriculum due to lack of space. The next meeting will be October 18th.
Mr. Dasher asked how many students participate in the Governor’s School. Dr. Cox said 15.
(f) Career Partners Report
Ms. Vento said Career Partners met last Thursday. She said the Leadership and Career Academy Work Team reviewed senior project proposals on October 3rd. The next meeting is November 1st.
(g) Health Advisory Report
Ms. Vento said the Health Advisory Board has been coordinating the body mass index study. She said volunteers are asked to assist between October 19th – 31st to weigh and measure children. She said students in kindergarten, third, and sixth grade participate.
(h) Instruction Report
Dr. Cox said October is the month that the instruction report is typically delivered. He said they would be talking about topics like the school division’s mission, accreditation and SACS accreditation. He said that schools operate in an environment where standards are continually increasing. We have many wonderful opportunities. He said that many of our achievements are a testament to the high quality of our staff and that we deliver a high quality program at a good value to the community. Last month we saw the “Did You Know” presentation and we learned that we’re preparing our children for a world of work that’s not known to us yet. Look at historic achievement data, reflect on instructional decisions. He said when we raise a question; we look to find the best answer through data. He said tonight we will focus on where the rubber hits the road, and that is with our children, especially as we talk about levels of proficiency and going beyond that to levels of excellence.
Dr. Conti delivered the 2008 Instruction Report in a PowerPoint presentation.
Dr. Conti said it’s difficult to keep his remarks brief when discussing instruction. He thanked Bernice Roberts for helping to compile and create the presentation. He said the words and data are coming through him, but they were created by the teachers, students and staff members and their tireless work and that we have exceptional teachers and building leadership.
He said he wanted to discuss “the why” first and that education is the best investment. He said highly schooled workers have a “leg up” in our workforce. The take-home message, he said, is that Culpeper’s students will be competing globally and that we must acknowledge that. The pace of change in the global economy is ever increasing.
Dr. Conti noted that:
Ø There are 24 different languages used by students in CCPS, including sign language.
Ø In Sept. 2003, we started with 400 third graders. In Sept. 2007, we had 614 students in grade three, a grade level increase of 54 percent. The impact of growth continues.
Ø Of the 419 graduates in 2007, only 74 had enrolled as kindergarten students. Our program is impacted by the mobility of our students and it is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of our programs if the students have not experienced the programs.
Ø Our demographics have not changed that much from last year. We remain at about 65 percent white, 19 percent African American and 12% Hispanic. In 2003, one in four of our students was a student of color. In 2007, one in three of our students is a student of color.
Ø We remain at about 30 percent economically disadvantaged (free and reduced lunches) as a division. There are certain schools with higher percentages.
Ø The take home message is that Culpeper continues to grow and become more diverse. We believe the diversity is strength, as it gives our students an opportunity to experience locally the global community they will experience as adults.
With regards to the Virginia Standards of Learning, Standards of Quality and Accreditation, Dr. Conti noted that:
Ø Teaching is “in the moment” as well as strategic. In many instances, the work was done two years ago – we always try to think toward the future.
Ø The state finance formula for Standards of Quality uses benchmark information that is behind the fiscal year that we are in. For FY07 & FY08, the data the state department used was from 2004. This has a negative effect and impact on a division that is experiencing rapid growth.
Ø The SOQ funding from the state that will impact the opening of our two new schools will likely not be accounted for by the state until 2011.
Mrs. Jenkins asked to confirm that if the state funding is determined by the SOQs, but even though we’re opening two new schools that we won’t be getting that money from the state until 2011.
Dr. Conti said we will “look like” an 8-school division until 2011 from the state perspective. The state funding doesn’t catch up right away.
Mrs. Jenkins said she believes it’s important that the community knows that the state calculates its funding that way, and that it’s not fair and not our fault, but that is the way it’s done.
Dr. Cox said it’s important to remember that SOQ is the bare minimum program and that all school divisions operate at a higher level than the minimum. He said that our composite index is also working against us, that the state considers Culpeper a wealthier county.