THE SCHOOL BOARD OF

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

MINUTES, MARCH 14, 2003

 

The School Board of Escambia County, Florida, convened in Workshop Meeting at 9:00 a.m., in the Board Room, at the Dr. Vernon McDaniel (Administration) Building, 215 West Garden Street, Pensacola, Florida, with the following present:

 

Chair:   Ms. Linda Finkelstein               

Vice Chair:   Mrs. Cary Stidham

 

Board Members:   Mrs. Carissa Bergosh

Mr. Ronnie L. Clark

Dr. John DeWitt

 

School Board Attorney:      Mr. Francisco M. Negron, Jr.

 

Superintendent of Schools:  Mr. Jim Paul

 

I.  CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Finkelstein called the Regular Workshop to order at 9:00 a.m.

 

A. Open Discussion

1.  Sequence of Courses for High School Gifted Students – John DeWitt

In a memorandum previously submitted to the Superintendent, Dr. DeWitt indicated that he had heard concerns that the science course sequence at the high school level was being changed, in preparation for the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT).  In response to questions posed in the memorandum, Mr. Paul Fetsko, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, assured the Board that the current administration had not changed the science course sequence for students at the high school level.  He explained that the existing course sequence had been developed over three years ago, in an effort to align courses with the required Sunshine State Standards and specifically, to ensure that the Standards, which would be assessed on the tenth grade FCAT were addressed prior to test administration.  He also explained that there was no course sequence that was “gifted” specific, nor would one be recommended for multiple reasons, including the belief that limiting or tracking any identified group was discriminatory in nature.

 

Update Regarding the Issue of “Student Dress”

[NOTE: The issue of “student dress” was previously discussed at the February 17, 2003 Regular Workshop, at which time, the Superintendent advised that he had commissioned two committees (elementary and secondary) to review the issue of “student dress” and to assist in the drafting of district-level dress codes.  The Superintendent also advised that he would present a recommendation regarding district-level dress codes at the April Regular Meeting.]  At the request of the Superintendent, Mrs. Wanda Kotick, chairperson, Elementary Dress Code Committee and Mrs. Debbie King, chairperson, Secondary Dress Code Committee, gave a brief update as to the progress of the preliminary committee meetings regarding the issue of “student dress.” 

 

Due to time constraints, the following item was moved forward on the agenda:

Item IV.5 Report from District Equal Employment Opportunities Coordinator

 

Mrs. Mary Helen Fryman, Director of Instructional, Professional/Technical and Administrative Personnel, briefly reviewed information provided to the Board, regarding minority employee demographics.

 

DELETED 2. Request from Beulah Academy of Science for Consideration for Additional Students

 

(NOTE: Ms. Finkelstein noted that this particular item represented a specific request from Beulah Academy of Science, for consideration of additional students. She believed that this particular request should be presented to the Board in the form of a recommendation from the Superintendent.  Therefore, she did not believe that it would be beneficial to discuss the issue, until such time as the Superintendent presented his recommendation.  In response to Ms. Finkelstein’s concerns, the Superintendent requested that this item be deleted from the agenda.)

 

II. COMMENTS FROM SUPERINTENDENT

The Superintendent provided the Board with a listing of the additions, deletions, amendments and corrections to the agenda.

 

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes for all February meetings will be presented for Board approval.

 

IV. COMMITTEE/DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS

1. Report from Mixon and Associates, Legislative Consultants

This item was handled at the March 10, 2003 Special Meeting.

 

2.   Update on Superintendent’s Council for Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Dr. Doug Garber, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resource Services, provided the Board with a “draft” of the recruitment and retention plan, as prepared by the Superintendent’s Council for Teacher Recruitment and Retention.  He noted that the “draft” outlined specific areas that the Committee believed the District needed to focus on, regarding recruitment and retention issues.  The “draft” categorized those specific areas in terms of immediate, short-term and long-term needs.  Ms. Finkelstein questioned “where is the minority component in all of this?”  The Superintendent stated that because the plan encompassed the Council’s aim of  “working to recruit and retain a diverse, quality teaching force,” each aspect of the plan addressed diversity and minority recruitment and therefore, the “minority component” could be found throughout the plan.  In direct response to Ms. Finkelstein’s question however, the Superintendent advised that there was “not a particular place in this particular plan that directs itself toward minority recruitment and what we are specifically doing.”

 

3.  Flow-Chart of Board Member Request for Information Protocol

Basic Procedure:

1) Board Member request for information submitted to Board Secretary.

2) Secretary generates a written request and forwards request to Superintendent.

3) The Superintendent will process this request in one business day.  If the Superintendent approves the request, it is forwarded to the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent.  If the Superintendent does not approve the request, it is rejected in writing to the Board and General Counsel.

4) The Administrative Assistant forwards the approved request to the appropriate Assistant Superintendent and copies the Deputy Superintendent.

5) If the request can be addressed in two business days, the staff prepares a response to the Board, copies the Administrative Assistant, Assistant Superintendent and the General Counsel.

6) If the item can not be addressed in two business days, staff prepares a written response to the Board, copies the Administrative Assistant and Assistant Superintendent with a timeline for completing the request.  To complete the request, the staff prepares a response to the Board, copies the Administrative Assistant, Assistant Superintendent and the General Counsel.

7) Should the staff be unable to meet the timeline identified in (6), the Deputy Superintendent issues a memo to staff, copies the Board with a new timeline for completion.

 

The Superintendent stated that the purpose of this particular procedure was simply to communicate the expectations associated with staff addressing Board Member requests in a timely manner.  He stated that in the past, some requests may have “fallen through the cracks” and believed that this particular procedure would eliminate such instances.  Mrs. Stidham expressed several concerns with the procedure as outlined, regarding issues of consistency, duplication and user-friendliness. Upon inquiry by Mrs. Stidham, the Superintendent stated that while “the chances of a request being denied” were “slim to none,” there could in fact, be such situations where the information may be too voluminous to duplicate or the information may be non-existent.

 

4. Early Childhood Summer School at Century

(NOTE: The issue of “Early Childhood Summer School at Century Elementary School,” was previously discussed at the February 17, 2003 Regular Workshop.)  Mr. Wayne Odom, Director of Title I, presented a proposal to the Board, to operate a summer school program, for up to sixty (60) pre-school children in Century, during the regular summer school calendar.  Mr. Odom stated that the proposed students to be served, were those who participated in the 2002-2003 pre-kindergarten program or the 2002-2003 Century Head Start Program, and those who would be eligible for pre-kindergarten in 2003-2004.  He stated that the program would focus on fundamental school readiness concepts, language development and the reinforcement of dispositions for learning.  Dr. DeWitt questioned why the program would be limited to only fifteen (15) days.  Mr. Odom explained that it was in effort to “stay in the footprint, so to speak, of regular summer school, so we can use that transportation and reduce costs that way.”  Upon inquiry by Mrs. Stidham, Mr. Odom stated that Title I funds would be used for this program.

 

ADD 5. Report from District Equal Employment Opportunities Coordinator

This item was handled earlier in the meeting.

 

The following section was moved forward on the agenda:

II.  PROPOSED ADDITIONS OR REVISONS TO SCHOOL DISTRICT RULES

B. Permission to Advertise

1.  Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-3.02(7) – Office of Student Assignment

(NOTE: This rule creates the Office of Student Assignment to develop recommendations for student transfer procedures, identify limitations/stipulations, review transfer categories and document residence for assignment purposesThe rule also codifies previous Board resolutions establishing magnet programs and schools.)  Mrs. Stidham expressed concerns with the inappropriateness of  “creating an Office of Student Assignment within a rule.”  Dr. DeWitt and Mrs. Stidham also expressed concerns that certain verbiage within School District Rule 6Gx17-3.02 as a whole, had been duplicated in this particular section [3.02(7)].  Dr. DeWitt questioned whether this particular rule should include “caps” in terms of number of students, for each magnet program, as determined by prior Board action.  After further discussion regarding their concerns, Dr. DeWitt and Mrs. Stidham requested that this item be deleted from the agenda.

3.  Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment to School District Rule 6Gx17-5.05 - N.B. Cook Elementary School Auditorium and Cafeteria Rental for Non-School use of Educational Facilities

Mrs. Stidham expressed her concern that currently, there was no consistency among rules regarding non-school use of “individual “educational facilities.  She advised that she would propose a motion at the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting, to direct General Counsel to work with the Superintendent, to re-draft the appropriate rules with regard to non-school use of “district-wide” educational facilities.  At the request of Mrs. Stidham, the Superintendent stated that this item would be deleted from the agenda.

4. Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-5.02(4) – Purchasing Approval

Upon inquiry by Dr. DeWitt, Mr. John Dombroskie, Director of Purchasing and Business Affairs, stated that “information technology resources” (as referred to in the verbiage of the rule) included “just about anything that is considered technology (i.e., hardware, software, consulting, etc.).”

5. Notice of Intent to Consider Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-7.09 - Pupil Progression and Promotion – Summer School

Ms. Finkelstein questioned the meaning of “Notice of Intent to Consider.”  Mr. Paul Fetsko, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, explained that this particular item was a request to revise the Pupil Progression Plan, with the inclusion of a provision to permit transportation for elementary school students during the summer school program.

 

V.  CONSENT AGENDA

A. Curriculum and Instruction

1. Challenge Grant

Ms. Finkelstein noted that there were various errors (i.e., misspellings, wrong dates, inconsistencies) contained in the backup information for this particular item.  She asked that those errors be corrected prior to the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting.

 

2. Textbook Adoption

Upon inquiry by Ms. Finkelstein, Mrs. Paula Gleason, Media Services Coordinator, confirmed that this particular item was a request for approval of the 2002-2003 Textbook Adoption, which would be effective for the 2003-2004 school year.  Ms. Finkelstein noted that the “executive summary sheet” indicated that the purpose of this particular item was to “comply with County Rule 6Gx17-4.03,” and would need to be corrected to read “comply with Board Rule 6Gx17-4.03.” 

 

2. User Agreement/Contract Summary – Civic Center

Ms. Finkelstein noted that the agreement/contract included a list of labor rates and statements, which read “please keep in mind these labor rates are in effect at this time” and “rates in effect at the time of this event will be charged.”  She questioned whether that same verbiage had been included in previous agreements/contracts with the Civic Center, and had labor rates in fact, ever increased before the event occurred.  Dr. Alan Scott, Director of Secondary Education, stated that to his knowledge, labor rates had not ever increased before the event occurred. 

 

5. Title I School Improvements Grants

Upon inquiry by Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Wayne Odom, Director of Title I, stated that this particular grant was a pre-approved “entitlement grant.”  Dr. DeWitt noted that the grant included the purchase of several items and questioned if the Board, by approving this grant, would also be approving the purchase orders for those items.  Mr. Odom confirmed that the purchases were in fact, a “parcel of the grant.”  In answer to Dr. DeWitt’s question, Mr. Odom stated that this particular grant was a separate allocation of funds, in addition to the District’s regular Title I fund allocation. He advised that Title I eligible schools scoring “F” or “D”, in 2002 and having a combination of sufficiently high concentration of low-income students and low scores would be eligible for these funds.  He explained that the funds could be used by the schools in much the same manner as their recurring Title I allocation.  Mr. Odom noted that activities under this grant were described in the grant application narrative and were coordinated with each school’s School Improvement Plan.  Dr. DeWitt noted that very few of the activities under this grant were associated with early-intervention.  He questioned why the funds were not being used for that purpose (early-intervention).  He believed that the funds should be used towards for activities to prepare children for kindergarten, rather than “continuing to pump money into programs for remediation.”  Mr. Paul Fetsko, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, noted that the funds would be spent to serve students who generated them, and noted that these funds were not generated by pre-k children.

 

7. The School District of Escambia County, Florida Elementary Summer School – 2003

Upon inquiry by Ms. Finkelstein, Dr. Deborah Malishan, Director of Elementary Education, confirmed that the “total project” cost of $193,114.97, did include transportation for elementary summer school students.  Dr. Malishan advised that Pine Meadow Elementary would replace Jim Allen Elementary, as a summer school site, due to construction work scheduled for Jim Allen.  She stated that the backup documentation for this particular item would be revised to reflect that change.  Mr. Shawn Dennis, Director of Transportation, explained that recommendations for elementary summer school sites and bus transportation, were determined by reviewing the estimated total number of students for each summer school site and the geographic location of each school site.  He noted that the recommendations represented an effort to maximize transportation services with the least number of buses and least number of sites.  He noted that there were two options with regard to the starting times for summer school programs: “same start times” or “paired start times.”  He explained that “same start times” for each recommended school site “would require more buses to services the more sites.”  He further explained that “paired start times” would involve pairing schools, “whereby they would start staggered approximately an hour and fifteen minutes apart,” with the same buses serving multiple schools.  Dr. Malishan noted that the recommendation from the summer school committee was to go with paired start times for all school sites, with the exception of Century Elementary School (due to its unique location), as it would save the District approximately $14,000.

 

B. Finance

4.    Financial Status Report

Mrs. Stidham questioned why the funds in the amount of $50,000 for the “Even Start Family Literacy” grant/project had not been spent and were being sent back.  Mr. Wayne Odom, Director of Title I, stated that it was “simply a mistake that should not have happened.”  Dr. DeWitt noted that there were “many grant funds that would not carry forward, with a final date to encumber of June 30, 2003.”  Mrs. Barbara Linker, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Affairs, stated that measures were being taken, to improve communication with all grant directors, as to the available amount of funds for each grant/project and the timelines for spending those funds.  Her hope was that “every single dollar would be spent and that it would be spent wisely on good things for students.”  

 

8.  Budget Amendments

Dr. DeWitt and Ms. Finkelstein requested that when referring to “reserves for contingencies,” that future backup documentation for this section (“Budget Amendments”) indicate the balances of such.  Ms. Finkelstein also requested indications as to “what is old money” and “what is new money,” as she believed that such information would be helpful.

 

c) Resolution 6: Capital Projects Fund

7.  2001/02 PECO Maintenance Fund 3422, (Pages 13-15)

d. Reallocate funds from Bellview Elementary School ($8,000.00 decrease) and Ensley Elementary School ($3,769.00 decrease) fire protection system project, Pensacola High School gym floor replacement project ($478.00 decrease), and McArthur Elementary School remodeling-phase 2 project ($7,769.00 decrease) to Pensacola High School general renovations project ($20,016.00 increase).  Facilities Planning initiated this budget amendment to facilitate funding for a security system upgrade at Pensacola High School.

Upon inquiry by Ms. Finkelstein, Mr. Ted Kirchharr, Assistant Superintendent for Operations, confirmed that all funds (total of $20,016.00) being reallocated to the Pensacola High School general renovations project, were being transferred from completed projects.

 

10.  Resolution requesting the issuance of S.B.E. Capital Outlay Bonds, Series 2003-A

Mrs. Barbara Linker, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Affairs, advised that the Florida Department of Education (DOE) had notified the District of a new issue of SBE Capital Outlay Bonds and had calculated the bond capacity for the District, for the current fiscal year at $750,000.  She explained that because the District receives Classrooms First money, participation in the current SBE Bond Issue was required and advised that the resolution required that funded capital outlay projects at the schools, be on the approved Project Priority List.  Mrs. Stidham questioned whether participation in the SBE Bond Issue would have any effect on the District’s bonding capacity.  Mrs. Linker stated that she would need to review information regarding that issue and would respond to Mrs. Stidham’s inquiry prior to the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting.  Upon inquiry by Mrs. Stidham and Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Ron Peacock, Director of Facilities Planning, stated that the funds would be spent under the following project categories: 1) county-wide to correct deficiencies relating to safety to life, health and sanitation as identified in the comprehensive Safety Inspection Report and 2) county-wide for additional or replacement of equipment for existing school buildings recommended for continued use in this survey report.  In response to questions posed by Dr. DeWitt and Mrs. Stidham, Mr. Peacock explained that the District had selected those two categories as “they would give the most flexibility to spend that money, within the District, for things that are needed in terms of safety issues and replacement of equipment.”  He noted however, that any project category listed on the Project Priority List (PPL) could have been selected.  Dr. DeWitt questioned whether the funds could be used towards the cost to “clean up” the firing range.  Mr. Ted Kirchharr, Assistant Superintendent for Operations, did not believe that the “clean up” of the firing range would be an appropriate use for those funds, however, he would research that issue. [NOTE: Later in the meeting, Mr. Kirchharr provided the Board with a copy of the Project Priority List (PPL).]

 

9.  Disposal of Capitalized and Non-Capitalized Assets:

c) Request permission to sell an obsolete, inoperative Automotive Collision Frame Machine from West Florida High School

 Ms. Finkelstein noted that several “informal” bids had been submitted to the District for the purchase of the Automotive Collision Frame Machine, but questioned whether or not the District would need to undergo a “formal” type of bid process.  Mr. Negron stated that he would need to review information regarding that issue and would respond to Ms. Finkelstein’s inquiry prior to the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting.  

 

Due to time constraints, the following item was moved forward on the agenda:

Professional Services – Dr. Raymond Hindman (Item V.D.14)

Dr. DeWitt questioned why the District handled contracts for charter schools.  Mr. Wayne Odom, Director of Title I, stated that in this particular case, it was because the District was “the fiscal agent, if you will, for administration of the Comprehensive School Reform funds.” Mrs. Barbara Linker, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Affairs, explained that was the “District’s obligation to account for those funds, so we can’t just give the money to the charter school, they have to go through the District and meet all of the Board regulations.”  At the request of Ms. Finkelstein, Mr. John Dombroskie, Director of Purchasing and Business Affairs, gave a brief review of the “payment process.”  He explained that Dr. Hindman would submit an invoice to the principal, who would review and approve all charges and forward the invoice to the Accounts Payable Department (via the Title I office), where a check would then be issued to Dr. Hindman.  Ms. Finkelstein noted that the initials for Jackie Harris Pyramid School of Learning (JHPSL) and Escambia County School Board (ECSB) were listed incorrectly throughout the contract and requested that those items be corrected prior to the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting.

 

The Regular Workshop recessed at 12:00 p.m. and reconvened at 12:30 p.m., with Mrs. Bergosh, Ms. Finkelstein, Mrs. Stidham, Mr. Clark and the Superintendent present.  Dr. DeWitt and Mr. Negron entered at 12:33 p.m. (during discussion on the following item). 

 

C. Human Resources Services

2.  Educational Support Personnel

e.  Dismissals

-  Employee #50101-9620-220, School Bus Operator, Transportation, be terminated effective March 19, 2003 for misconduct.

The Board recognized Ellen Lawrence, Director of Escambia NEA UniServ, who stated that she believed the Board would be violation of Florida Statutes, if they in fact, approved to dismiss this employee.  She suggested instead, that the Board vote “to suspend this employee without pay, pending an evaluation by a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and subsequent carrying out of the recommendations made by the SAP.”

In response to comments by Ms. Lawrence, Mr. Negron stated that by law, the Superintendent was charged with the authority to make recommendations for employment.  He advised that “the Board cannot modify the Superintendent’s recommendation, as they only have the right to accept or reject the recommendation.”  He also stated for the record, that it was “not a technicality as to whether the Board can accept or reject, it’s actually the law and the law is not a technicality.”  He noted that even if the Board was satisfied with the Superintendent’s recommendation, that “still would not end the matter from the employee perspective,” as the employee still had grievance rights and other types of rights which they could pursue.

 

1.  Risk Management

b. 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan

Mr. Joe Bernard, Director of Risk Management, stated that this item was a request to offer a 457(b) Plan to all employees wishing to defer compensation.  He explained that the 457(b) Plan would update and replace the current 457 Plan that the District had made available for many years.  He noted that the options available under the 457(b) Plan would allow employees to defer more compensation than currently provided under the Section 403(b) Plan.  He advised that the 457(b) Plan would supplement, but not replace, the current 403(b) Plan.  Ms. Finkelstein noted that the backup documentation for this item referred to an “Exhibit A” however, there was no “Exhibit A” attached, but rather an “Appendix A.”  She also noted that there were errors with regard to “dates”, and asked that those items be corrected prior to the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting.

 

d. Life Insurance – Renewal of Group Term Life Insurance

Mr. Joe Bernard, Director of Risk Management, and Mr. Kevin Windham, Accountant II, gave a brief review of the renewal for group term life insurance, as outlined in the backup documentation for this item.  At the request of the Superintendent, Mr. Windham indicated that he would provide the Board with several “examples” illustrating the changes in monthly premiums of basic coverage and supplemental coverage for different classes of employees and retirees.  Dr. DeWitt and Ms. Finkelstein questioned whether this proposal had been presented to the insurance committee.  Mr. Bernard stated that it had not, but noted that the renewal indicated a change in rates only, with no change in benefits.  Upon inquiry by Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Windham stated that with regard to the budget, “there would be no impact to the District” as a result of this renewal.

 

f.  Inter-Local Agreement for Funding of Additional Site Assessment and Development of an Interim Remedial Action Plan for the Firing Range

(NOTE: The issue of the “firing range” was previously discussed at the November 15, 2002 Regular Workshop.  Mr. Steve Sharp, Coordinator, Health, Safety and Environmental Operations, gave a brief update on the firing range.  He stated that the follow-up assessment had been completed and results showed contamination above the permissible level, within not only the firing range itself, but also approximately 200 feet out into the adjoining wetlands.  Upon inquiry by Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Sharp stated that while he was not sure of the actual total cost for the clean up, he believed that it would probably be anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000.  Mr. Sharp advised that the “next step” would involve a ‘consent order’, which was basically an agreement between all responsible agencies, regarding the process for the cleaning up the contamination.

 

D. Purchasing

2.  Bid Award: Print Shop Supplies, Bid #032002

Upon inquiry by Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Don Manderson, Director of Instructional Technology, explained that currently, all departments and schools are charged 75% of the commercial value for any process (i.e., printing, binding, reproduction, etc.).

 

14. Professional Services – Dr. Raymond Hindman

This item was discussed earlier in the meeting.

 

E. Operations

1.  Facilities Planning

B. Miscellaneous

3. Sales Tax Extension Project Allocation Schedule

Mr. Clark expressed concerns with the scheduling of several projects, such as the replacement of window air conditioning units at Spencer Bibbs Elementary and Brentwood Elementary (District III), as those were important projects that he believed should be scheduled earlier than they were.  Mrs. Bergosh had concerns with the scheduling of the Bellview Elementary media center conversion (District I), as she believed that particular project should be scheduled earlier than it was.  Mr. Ted Kirchharr, Assistant Superintendent for Operations, stated that the schedule as outlined, represented a “balanced budget,” and advised that if Board Members desired to “move something up in time,” they would also have to “move something else back in time.”  He stated that he would work with Mr. Clark and Mrs. Bergosh to accommodate their concerns.

 

4. Spot Survey for New K-5 School C

(NOTE: The following discussion refers to a motion approved by the Board, at the February 26, 2003 Special Meeting (under Item V.1 “Plans for Molino/Barrineau Park School”), “to advertise a Notice of Intent to Establish ‘Dogwood Elementary’ as a K-5 Elementary School.”  The Board also, at that time, had requested that the Superintendent begin the necessary processes required by the Department of Education (DOE), regarding the establishment of ‘Dogwood Elementary’ as a K-5 elementary school.)

Mrs. Stidham questioned “what is the Superintendent’s recommendation regarding K-5 versus K-8?”  The Superintendent stated that he preferred the original idea of a K-8, and advised that the spot survey for a K-5 was simply being presented in an effort to comply with previous Board action from the February 26, 2003 Special Meeting.

 

6. Request for Proposals for Garden Street and Hall Center Mailrooms

The Board recognized Ellen Lawrence, Director of Escambia NEA UniServ, who expressed opposition regarding the general concept of “privatizing” support functions and suggested that the District look into ways to administer those services (mailroom and courier) more efficiently, rather than privatizing. 

 

F. Student Transfers

No discussion was held.

 

G. Internal Auditing

No discussion was held.

 

VI.  UNFINISHED BUSINESS

No items were submitted.

 

VII. NEW BUSINESS

A. Proposed Additions of Revisions to School District Rules

B. Permission to Advertise

1. Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-3.02(7) – Office of Student Assignment

3. Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment to School District Rule 6Gx17-5.05 – N.B. Cook Elementary School Auditorium and Cafeteria Rental for Non-School Use of Educational Facilities

4.   Notice of Intent to Advertise Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-5.02(4) – Purchasing Approval

5. Notice of Intent to Consider Amendment of School District Rule 6Gx17-7.09 – Pupil Progression and Promotion – Summer School

These items were discussed earlier in the meeting. 

 

B. Items from the Board

1. Appointments to the 2003 Value Adjustment Board

Ms. Finkelstein noted that a formal motion would be made at the March 18, 2003 Regular Meeting, to appoint Dr. DeWitt and Mr. Clark, (who had volunteered to do so) to the Value Adjustment Board (for the year 2003-2004).

 

C. Items from the Superintendent

No discussion was held.

 

D. Items from the General Counsel

No items were submitted. 

 

VIII.  ADJOURNMENT

Although not an agenda items, the following issues were discussed prior to adjournment:

 

Future Meetings

The Board collectively agreed to schedule the following meetings:

Special Meeting (Re: Budget Process)

April 3, 2003, at 9:00 a.m., in Room 160, at the J.E. Hall Educational Services Center

 

Special Recognition Meeting

April 3, 2003, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 160, at the J.E. Hall Educational Services Center

 

Teachers at the High School Level Teach Six of Seven Periods

The Superintendent stated that he continued to believe that teaching five of seven periods at the high school level was best for students and teachers.  However, due to the anticipated state-wide budget shortfalls, and more specifically, the implementation of the Class Size Reduction Amendment, he was considering a change to six of seven periods for the 2003-2004 school year. He noted that if it was determined that such a change would require Board approval, he would make that recommendation at a later date.  Mrs. Barbara Linker, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, and Dr. Alan Scott, Director of Secondary Education, reviewed information provided to Board regarding a “breakdown” of the effects of teachers teaching six of seven periods at the high school level.

The Board recognized Madonna Jackson-Williams, President of Escambia Education Association (EEA), who believed that the District would be “shafting the teachers” by changing to teaching six of seven periods, and advised that the Union would “fight to keep five of seven,” when the issue was bargained. 

 

There being no further business, the Regular Workshop adjourned at 2:20 p.m.

 

Attest:                                                 Approved:

___________________                    ________________________________

Superintendent                                    Chair