SIDNEY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
SIDNEY, IOWA
REGULAR MEETING 7:30 P.M. JUNE 18, 2007
President Jeff Jorgenson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Directors present were Randy Bishop, Jeff Jorgenson, Heidi Lowthorp, Rusty Monroe and Janet Teten. Also present were Superintendent/ Secondary Principal Gregg Cruickshank, and Board Secretary/Treasurer Joyce Morgan.
RECOGNITION OF GUESTS
There were no guests
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
H. Lowthorp moved to approve the agenda. R. Monroe seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE STRATEGY SESSION AND REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 14, 2007.
H. Lowthorp moved to approve the minutes of the strategy session and regular board meeting held May 14, 2007. R. Bishop seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
CONSIDER BILLS TO PAY
J. Teten moved to approve the vendor bills for June 2007. R. Bishop seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
R. Monroe moved to approve the financial reports for the month ending May 2007. H. Lowthorp seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
ADMINISTRATORS’ REPORTS
Elementary Principal’s Report
· Professional Development – One of the primary areas of focus next year for professional development will be reading. Several elementary teachers organized a “Guided Reading Library” with the goal for students effectively utilize books in a guided reading setting. The books were purchased with “Box Tops for Education” donations. Other books came from teachers’ classrooms.
· Summer Professional Development – Mrs. Spencer, Mrs. Ewalt, and Mrs. Larsen participated in the ICAM and Stanford 9 assessment scoring project June 6 and 7. ICAM and Stanford 9 are assessments Sidney students take in addition to ITBS and ITED. Mrs. Ewalt, Mrs. Pollock, and Mrs. Larsen participated in E2T2 professional development in June. This is an on-going project the District has participated in for the past 4 years. An iMovie class will be offered to District teachers August 6 and 10. The class will be taught by AEA technology consultants.
· Decategorization Grant – The District has been approved for a “Decat” grant for $3600. The grant was written to organize an “After-school Homework Club” for grades 3 – 8.
· Dictionaries Donated by PIE – The Partners in Education have purchased student dictionaries for each student in third and fourth grades for 2007-08. This is part of a nation-wide dictionary project.
· First Book Project- Over 900 free books have been donated by the National Book Bank and will become the property of students in the District.
Superintendent’s/Secondary Principal’s Report
· ACT on-line test prep program - The John Baylor Test Prep is a program designed to raise ACT scores. Mr. Baylor’s program comes highly recommended by districts that have used his services. The District will utilize the service through an AEA consortium.
· School Board candidacy information: - There are two seats on the Board that are up for election in September. The filing deadline is August 2. Information and nomination papers can be picked up at the central administration office at 2754 Knox Road or the Fremont County Courthouse.
· Activity openings for 2007-08 - The cross country and junior high boys track coaching have not been filled. The District will advertise locally for a couple of weeks beginning next week.
· IASB Fiscal Management Conference - The IASB Fiscal Management Conference is July 18 in Ames. Mr. Cruickshank will attend and Board members were invited to attend.
· Lighting celebration baseball/softball fields - The celebration on June 1 went well. Alumni and Friends received their funding from Vision Iowa and will continue raising funds to pay off the balance of their loan.
· Atchison-Holt rate increase - Atchison-Holt Electric implemented a rate increase of 6.63% effective July 1. .
· Follow-up on the Technology Grant - June 19, Mr. Cruickshank, Mrs. Maher, and Mrs. Clayton will meet with a member of the Innovation Learning Technology Grant Committee. By July 31, the District will need to submit their implementation report to receive the final 10% funding. Mrs. Maher prepared a draft of the report to share with the committee member.
· Supply donation from the Hitachi Company - The District received several thousand dollars in free supplies from the Hitachi Company. They are the group that has been building the addition to the Mid-America plant located at the Bellevue exit on I-29. As they are phasing out their operations, they are giving away office furniture and supplies. The District has received 20 computer work stations and chairs, computer monitors and keyboards, and office supplies.
ACTION ITEMS
Resignation of Personnel
R. Monroe moved to approve with regret the resignation of Eunice Travis, Co-Head Cook. J. Teten seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
Open Enrollment
H. Lowthorp moved to approve the open enrollment in of Halie Dean-Buttry, 3rd grade, from the Farragut Community School District. R. Monroe seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
Special Education Funds
There is a projected surplus of funds in the Special Education program. The Board discussed how to best utilize the funds in the best interest of the students who receive Special Education services.
H. Lowthorp moved to approve the purchase of two wireless computer labs – one for the elementary SPED program and one for the junior-senior high school SPED program. R. Bishop seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
R. Monroe moved to authorize the Superintendent to utilize the remaining SPED funds in the best interest of the students who receive Special Education services. H. Lowthorp seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
Amend 2007-08 calendar
Due to a conflict scheduling professional development with Apple, professional development will be held November 13 and 14. School will not be in session either day. School will be in session March 12.
J. Teten moved to approve the amended school calendar. R. Monroe seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
Policy review – 400 series:
J. Teten moved to approve the reviewed Board Policies 403.1, 403.3, 403.3R1, 403.4, 403.6, 403.6E1, 403.6R1, 404, and 404.1R1 R. Monroe seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
Windows 2004/2007 software
R. Monroe moved to approve the purchase of the new software for the computers at the high school and elementary buildings. H. Lowthorp seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0. Motion passed.
IASB membership
H. Lowthorp moved to approve the District’s membership with the Iowa Association of School Boards for the 2007-08 fiscal year. R. Bishop seconded. R. Bishop aye, J. Jorgensen aye, H. Lowthorp aye, R. Monroe nay, and J. Teten aye. Ayes 4, Nays 1. Motion passed.
Discussion Items
Nutrition/custodian staffing
There was discussion concerning staffing in the custodial and nutrition areas.
Anti-Bullying/Harassment Policy 104 - first reading
The Board reviewed the Anti-Bullying/Harassment Policy. A School Improvement Advisory Committee meeting will be held July 9 to involve parents, students, staff, and the community in the development of the Anti-Bullying/Harassment Policy.
Student Handbook
There was discussion concerning proposed changes to the student handbook.
Sharing with neighboring districts
Directors J. Jorgenson and R. Bishop shared their thoughts concerning the May 21 meeting with Farragut’s Superintendent and Board President. The Board will continue to pursue discussions with neighboring districts concerning sharing opportunities.
Transportation report
The buses and vans underwent state inspection June 7. All repairs have been made to meet state specifications.
Legislative priorities for 2008.
The Board discussed legislative priorities for the 2008 legislative session. The Board will adopt those priorities at the next regular board meeting.
Windbreaks
The Board discussed planting additional trees for windbreaks at the baseball/softball complex.
CELEBRATIONS
Completion of the lighting project at the Sidney Baseball/Softball Complex.
Thank you to Eunice Travis for 29 years of service to the District.
ADJOURNMENT
R. Monroe moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:16 p.m. H. Lowthorp seconded. Ayes 5, Nays 0.
NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING JULY 16, 2007 AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE BOARD ROOM.
___________________________________________ _________________________________________
President Board Secretary/Treasurer
SIDNEY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
This publication of minutes is the unofficial report of action taken. Official minutes are available for review at the Sidney Community School District after approval at the next regular board meeting.