THE SCHOOL BOARD OF
MINUTES,
The
School Board of Escambia County, Florida, convened in Workshop Meeting at
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
A. Open Discussion
Upon inquiry by Mrs.
Stidham, Mr. Steve Sharp, Coordinator of Health, Safety and Environmental
Operations, stated that the annual safety inspection report (for school year
2002-2003) would be presented for Board approval on the September Regular
Meeting agenda.
[NOTE: The following discussion refers to Board
action from the
Student Enrollment
At the request of Dr. DeWitt, Mr. Paul Fetsko, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, reviewed the most current information regarding student enrollment figures for elementary, middle and high schools. He stated that he would provide the Board with updated information regarding this issue, as it became available.
Adequate Yearly Progress
Mrs. Stidham requested a listing of “which subgroup (i.e., race/ethnicity groups, economically disadvantaged students, students who are limited English proficient, students with disabilities) caused certain schools not to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).”
(NOTE: This item
was previously discussed at the
(NOTE: The
following discussion refers to Board action from the
The Regular Workshop recessed at
Mr. Paul Fetsko, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and
Instruction, stated that
the Superintendent’s staff had discussed the issue and were “clear” that
the position of Demographic Mapping
Technician was to be upgraded to Office of School Choice Coordinator, effective
Mrs. Sheree’ Cagle, Director of Comprehensive Planning, gave a
brief update regarding “strategic planning,” by reviewing information she had
provided to the Board.
II.
COMMENTS FROM SUPERINTENDENT
The Superintendent made no comments.
III.
COMMITTEE/DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
1. Update on Superintendent’s
Council for Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Mrs. Mary Helen Fryman, Director of Instructional, Professional Technical and Administrative Personnel, reviewed information she had provided to the Board, which listed the minority teacher for the 2003-2004 school year. She noted that of approximately 300 new hires, 60 were minority teachers.
Mr. Malcolm Thomas, Director
of Evaluation Services, explained that medical groups had requested that the
District review the current “No-Nit” policy and begin to make recommendations
for change, as the policy conflicted with current medical research and
professional position statements on the management of head lice. Ms. Karen Thoennes, Coordinator of Health
Services, explained that with this request, the District had focused on three
issues: 1) the local pediatric community was treating children with head lice
according to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that do not
support exclusion from school because of head lice; 2) the concern that head
lice are responsible for excessive absenteeism in District schools; and 3) the
initial reluctance of school staff and parents to “risk their own child” being
exposed to lice if children were allowed in school with nits. She stated that the issue was referred to the
Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook Committee and their response was
that the current “No Nit” policy would be maintained for the 2003-2004 school
year however, a task force would be assigned to develop a pilot project to
evaluate the impact of a “no live louse” policy during the 2003-2004 school
year and to develop a plan to assess the results of the pilot project and to
make a recommendation for a district head lice policy for 2004-2005 school
year. Ms. Katrina Webb, Escambia County
Health Department, gave a brief presentation entitled “Truth: The Problem Is
Lice, Not Nits.”
ADD 4. Family and
School Partnership for Student Achievement Act (Senate Bill 1522) – Peggy
Pilcher
(NOTE: The Family and School Partnership for Student Achievement Act (passed by the 2003 legislature) was created to provide parents with specific information about their child’s educational progress; provide parents with comprehensive information about their choices and opportunities for involvement in their child’s education; and to provide a framework for building and strengthening partnerships among parents, teachers, principals, district school superintendents, and other personnel.) Mrs. Peggy Pilcher, Director of Volunteer Business Partnerships, briefly reviewed information provided to the Board, which addressed the following questions regarding the Family and School Partnership for Student Achievement Act: What does the Act require from the District?; When is the District required to complete those tasks?; How does the Act coordinate with the Family Involvement requirements of No Child Left Behind?
IV.
PROPOSED ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO
Notice of Intent to
Advertise Revisions to School District Rules, Chapter 2 (Item II.B.2 on
(NOTE: The following statements refer to Section
2.05 – Ethics.) Mrs. Stidham noted
that the Audit Committee had previously recommended that the Board adopt a
“stronger district-wide ethics policy,” and questioned whether the
Superintendent had formed a committee to review the issue. The Superintendent stated that he would be
forming a committee in the near future and a district-wide ethics policy would
be forthcoming.
(NOTE: The
following statements refer to Section 2.32 – Political Activities of Personnel.) Mrs. Stidham provided a handout outlining
suggested revisions to the language in Section 2.32 – Personnel Activities of
Personnel. She stated that the revisions
were in response to concerns expressed by Mr. Bob Husbands, Executive Director
of Escambia NEA UniServe, regarding the vagueness of the phrase “political
activity.” She stated that she would
have “finalized language” to present at the
V.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Superintendent listed the additions, deletions, amendments
and corrections to the August Regular Meeting agenda.
A. Curriculum and Instruction
5. Amendment to the Charter
Agreement between the School Board of
6. Amendment to the Charter
Agreement between the School Board of
7. Amendment to the Charter
Agreement between the School Board of
Upon inquiry by Mrs. Stidham, Mr. Charles Thomas, Director of
Alternative Education, explained that these charter agreements needed to be
amended, to include items that were inadvertently omitted when they were
approved at the June 24, 2003 Special Meeting.
He noted that the items that had been omitted were included in the
charter agreements from the prior year.
21. 2003-2004 School Improvement
and Educational Accountability Guidelines
Dr. DeWitt suggested that the District’s
“uniform policy” (Student Dress Code) be incorporated into the School
Improvement and Educational Accountability Guidelines, under the School
Advisory Council section, as he believed that “outlining how the Student Dress
Code (“uniform policy”) fits into the School Advisory Council role, would be
very helpful.” Mr. Negron offered to
assist Mrs. Sheree’ Cagle, Director of Comprehensive Planning, in developing
the necessary language to address Dr. DeWitt’s suggestion.
B. Finance
6. Budget
Amendments
a)
Resolution 11: General Operating Fund
Ms. Finkelstein referred to “page 5 of 8”
which indicated a $112,608.06 decrease under “Interest on Investments.” Upon inquiry by Ms. Finkelstein, Mrs. Barbara
Linker, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Affairs, explained
that the decrease “was not an actual reduction in any interest, but rather a
change in the object classification – just to get it in the right category.”
C. Human Resource Services
1. Instructional/Professional
b. Reappointments
3. 4th Year Annual
White, James
Upon inquiry by Dr.
DeWitt, Dr. Doug Garber, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resource Services,
explained that the principal had opted to give this individual “another chance
to be successful in the language arts field,” but would do so only with the
opportunity to evaluate on a 4th year annual contract.
D. Purchasing
2. Bid Renewal / Extension:
Fire Alarm Inspection & Maintenance, Bid #025102
(NOTE: This item was a recommendation for the renewal for the second year of a three-year bid to provide inspection and maintenance of fire alarm systems in schools and facilities throughout the District.) Dr. DeWitt questioned why the District was paying approximately $300,000 for contracted inspection services instead of hiring a “certified person to go around and inspect.” Mr. Ted Kirchharr, Assistant Superintendent for Operations, stated that the District had done a “pilot test with that issue several years back and the result was that it was actually cheaper to contract the inspection services.”
3. Bid Renewal / Extension: Agreement for
Vending Services, Bid #57-98
(NOTE: This item was a
recommendation for extension of the current agreement through
E. Operations
2. Transportation
2. Implementation of Walk Zone Rule
(NOTE: This issue
was previously discussed at the
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. Items from the Board
1. Discussion Regarding Budget
Policies – Linda Finkelstein (workshop
item only)
Ms. Finkelstein stated that at the September Regular Meeting
she intended to propose a policy for a budget calendar, as she believed that
such a calendar would be “helpful as we go through our budget process.” Mrs. Stidham suggested that the budget
calendar include information as “when to expect certain items that are routine
(i.e., Personnel Planning Document, contracts), so that we know when those
items should be coming before us.”
2. Substitute Teacher Requirements
for Northern Escambia County Schools –
This item was discussed earlier in the meeting.
B. Items from the
Superintendent
No discussion was held.
C. Items from the General
Counsel
No items were submitted.
VIII.
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business, the Regular Workshop adjourned at
Attest: Approved:
________________________________ ________________________________
Superintendent Chair