PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1

146 South Granite Street

Prescott, Arizona 86303

 

March 1, 2005

 

Minutes of the Governing Board Study Session of Tuesday, March 1, 2005, beginning at 5:30 p.m. held in the District Office Board Room.

 

Governing Board Members Present:

 

President Andy Newton

Mrs. Dee Navarro

Mr. Steve Campbell

Dr. Joan Fleming

Mr. Tom Staley

                                

Also Present:

Mr. Kevin J. Kapp, Superintendent

Dr. Chris Reynolds, Assistant Superintendent

Mrs. Renee Raskin, Business Manager

Mrs. Andi Mayer, Assistant to the Governing Board

 

Others Present:   

         

          Diane Ryan                    David Martin                  Jean McGee

          Nancy Martinez              Jan Richards                 Les Richards

          Debbie Grahlmann        Rennie Anderson           Pam Williams

          Bonnie Williams             Dorrean Walker             Libby Sluder

          Sabrina Huffman           Michelle Shiloh              Michael Shiloh

          Kevin Howell                  Debbie Kuhnke             Jim Williams

          Sharon Bender              Shawna Hodovance        Jennifer Pike

          Jackson Ravett               Kathleen Newman                   Lisa Castano

          Michelle Reese               Kevin Castano                Jalyn Bacon-Dorow

          Cindy Brown                  Arn Lavington                Mike Harlan

          Jay Collier                     Jim Wahlstrom              Bob Williams

          Kevin Howell                  Totsy McCraley              John Sepanek

          Judy Paris                     

                                                                                                         

CALL TO ORDER

President Andy Newton called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

 

OPENING CEREMONY AND WELCOME

President Newton welcomed everyone and thanked those present for attending.  Mr. Tom Staley led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

President Newton asked Mr. Kevin Kapp if the agenda was in order.  Mr. Kapp responded that the agenda was in order, but that Item No. 5 would have to be rescheduled.  Dr. Chris Reynolds noted that one name would need to be struck from the Personnel Report in the Consent Agenda.

 

Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing Board approve the agenda as amended.  Dr. Joan Fleming seconded the motion.

 

Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, and President Newton voted aye. The motion carried 5-0.

 

PRESENTATIONS

Mrs. Judy Paris thanked the Board for allowing her to attend an out-of-state conference in California and gave a brief report regarding the conference.  She reported that the conference was very well attended and listed the workshops she had attended and the service vendors she had contacted.  She noted that she would be sharing the information gained from this conference with staff.

 

Mrs. Dorrean Walker reported that the PEA had presented three different salary schedules to the Board previously that had some problems and the Board at that time had requested PEA to iron out some of the problems and present a different proposal.  She introduced Mr. Jim Williams and Mr. David Martin to present the new proposed teacher salary schedule.

 

Mr. Jim Williams reported that the certified teaching staff is proposing a new salary schedule for the Board’s consideration.  PUSD has adopted new salary schedules for all other certified staff and the classified auxiliary staff.  These new schedules have greatly improved the potential earning power of these sub-groups and it is now time for the teacher staff.

 

He went on to say that the formula on which to build a new salary schedule is very critical to making it equitable to the schedules already in place.  Prior to the adoption of the new Administrative Salary Schedules, there was a ratio between a career teacher and an administrator.  Most administrators had reached their career salaries as have a larger number of the teaching staff.  With the adoption of the new Administrative Salary Schedules, that ratio was changed drastically.  The old top salary now became the new starting salary and an administrator’s potential earning power climbed 42% higher, while a teacher’s top salary remained static.

 

Applying the inverse of the formula that was used to create the Administrative Salary Schedules, the starting salary (BA Step 1) would be $36,292 and the career salary (MA-45 Step 15) would be $66,741.

 

As an example, in 15 years the assistant superintendent will have a potential salary of $107,647, with no adjustments to the base salary, divided by 240 days = $448.53 a day.  80% of 448.53 = 358.82 a day x 186 days = $66,741 potential salary for a master teacher.  If the teacher’s schedule is adjusted each year, so will the administrator’s schedule.  Therefore, the top salary on the certified schedule would need to reflect the 20% difference in potential earning power.  A schedule with these parameters was presented to the Board in November.

 

Implementation of such a salary schedule all at once did not seem attainable and phasing it in would take twenty years.  Therefore, the certified staff is proposing the following Certified Salary Schedule for the Board’s consideration.  Please see attachment #1.

 

The goal of maintaining the same ratio between the career teacher and the career administrator can be accomplished with this schedule at a more affordable cost.  The starting salary (BA Step 1) is $30,000 and with a 4% index, the career salary (MA-45 Step 15) is $65,734.  He noted that using a 3% index would still take 23 years, so a 4% index was used, which takes 16 years.  He stated that it wasn’t exactly where they wanted to be, but was in the ball park.  He noted that implementation would take $3 million, however, if we can forget about years experience and use the dollar amount (how much they are making) it would cost $517,000 to slide everyone on this schedule.  It would not be equitable, but it was the same with the administrators. 

 

The parameters for implementation would be:

 

1.       All current staff slide on to the new schedule to a cell in their         experience column, that is closest to their current salary with an       increase of no less than $500.00.

 

2.       New Hires Phase in:

 

          a.       All new hires for 2005-2006 will be placed on the 2004-2005                             salary schedule using current hiring practices, granting no                      more than 5 years experience.  Then they will slide onto the                     new (2005-2006) salary schedule with all the current staff.

 

          b.       All new hires for 2006-2007 will be placed on the new 2005-                    2006 schedule at no higher than step 2 in their experience                     column.

 

          c.       All new hires for 2007-2008 will be placed on the new 2005-                    2006 schedule at no higher than step 4 in their experience                     column.

 

          d.       All new hires in 2008-2009 will be placed on the new 2005-                     2006 schedule with up to 5 years experience and current                        hiring practices will resume.

 

3.       Longevity will be covered in the same manner as was used for the            administrative salary schedule.

 

4.       All other policies pertaining to the salary schedule will remain in             place from 2005-2006 on.

 

President Newton noted that the biggest bump for BA Step 1 would be from $25,000 - $30,000.  He also noted that the current schedules use a 3% index.  He asked, if this was implemented and a step was awarded, what would the cost of the step be?  Dr. Chris Reynolds responded, right now its 350,000.  President Newton stated that he thought it would be closer to $600,000.

 

Dr. Chris Reynolds asked Mr. Williams why the additional steps had been added.  Mr. Williams responded that he had not noticed that he had done that and that he had just used the template in his computer and that it was an oversight on his part.  He noted that the additional steps could be removed.

 

Dr. Reynolds noted that the assistant superintendent maximum career salary is $87,545 at step 10 and he was not sure where the $107,647 figure had come from.  He stated that he thought it was probably from a proposed salary schedule that the Board did not accept and would make a big difference in the formula used for the proposed teacher salary schedule. 

 

President Newton suggested taking off the additional steps and re-computing the schedule based on accurate information.

 

Mr. Kapp thanked Jim Williams and Dorrean Walker and whoever else helped with the proposal.  He noted that the proposal need to be refigured, but has some real career potential.  He also pointed out that Arizona State Retirement would be going up this year by 2.55%, but not next year.

 

Mr. Williams commented that the biggest money would go to new teachers with beginning salaries, rather than the veteran teachers.  He noted that right now our salaries are in the lower 10% of state salaries and that this salary schedule would be a great step for Prescott to pay our teachers what they are worth.  He added that our test scores are in the top 90% and the teacher salaries should reflect that.

 

Mrs. Walker noted that PEA was not asking for a step – just to slide onto the schedule.  She added that the district needed to do something to not only hire teachers, but to keep them.

 

President Newton asked if phasing in over two years reduce the $517,000?  Mr. Kapp responded that it would reduce between $80,000-$100,000, less the initial cost.

 

President Newton noted that changing the formula to reflect the $87,000, rather than the $107,000 would reduce that amount also. 

 

President Newton asked what the cost difference would be using a 4% step index vs. a 3% step index?  He noted that the Board needed to consider being able to give a step financially.  Mr. Kapp responded that it would be about $120,000 extra.

 

Mrs. Dee Navarro asked when the PEA could get the Board the corrected numbers.  Mr. Williams responded that they would work on it as soon as possible, hopefully before the April meeting.

 

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Mr. Kapp pointed out the new artwork in the district office and board room noting that March is Student Art Month.  He encouraged everyone to checkout the student art on display at the Yavapai College Performance Hall.

 

He reported that the School Fair was this past Saturday and that it was the most successful with the numbers of contacts higher than ever.  He noted that the high school booth had run out of registration forms.  He thanked the entire district for their support and Dr. Joan Fleming for attending and speaking on the live radio broadcast.  He reported that there were live performances every half-hour for four hours that drew very large crowds.  He noted that he had heard from the secretary at Taylor Hicks that they had registered 17 students last year after the school fair and registered 40 this year.

 

He announced that enrollment was up 162 students, or 3.1%, as of February 28th and that the elementary schools were up by 114 students (5.3%), middle schools were up by 10 students (less than 1%), and the high school was up by 34 students (2%).

 

Mr. Kapp reported that 55 students had signed up for intersession during spring break (15 middle school and 40 elementary school students).

 

Mr. Steve Campbell asked how that compared with last year.  Mrs. Marianne Brooks reported that 57 had now signed up and that last year there had been 59.

 

Mr. Kapp distributed a report on the marketing budget and noted that there was still $16,790.41 in the budget.  He noted that we are getting ready to do the new year-round activity calendar and that more than half the printing cost will be covered through advertisements.

 

He distributed information regarding the Arizona Shakespeare Festival and requested that Board members read this information prior to next Tuesday.  He noted that this organization is proposing a partnership and is requesting the use of the Ruth Street Theater, would provide workshops for our students, and would be a low cost proposal.

 

He announced that the ASBA will be holding their first Annual Spring Law Conference in Tucson on April 1st.

 

He distributed a tax credit report, noting that these figures are pure tax credit donations and do not include pay to play or kindergarten tuition.  He noted that over all, tax credit donations are up this year by 18%.  He commented on what an incredibly generous community we have.  He noted that donations increased at all sites, with the exception of Prescott Mile High Middle School.  He stated that there is great potential with tax credit donations and that as long as the program is allowed by the state, the district should pursue it.

 

Dr. Chris Reynolds reported on the Taylor Hicks Principal Search Committee, noting that the committee had completed their goals, that there were 25 applicants, 6 semi-finalists that would be interviewed, with 3 finalists to be recommended to Mr. Kapp.  He thanked both Tom Staley and Joan Fleming for serving on this committee.  He noted that Dee Navarro would be serving on the Miller Valley Search Committee.

 

STUDY SESSION:

 

CONSIDER THE REVIEW, RATIFICATION AND APPROVAL OF BUILDING RENEWAL REQUESTS AND EXPENDITURES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004-2005

Mrs. Renee Raskin reported that we normally always bring these expenditures to the Board for approval when funds are received.  She noted that the district ended up receiving $694,000 for this year and that the administration had talked to the Board at their summer retreat regarding using these funds for emergency requests.  She reported that of those funds, $119,000 had been spent, $86,000 encumbered, leaving $489,000.

 

Mr. Tom Staley noted that the district administration did not come to the Board because they didn’t think they were going to get any funds.  He stated that his concern is that we’ve known about it since August and have already spent about $200,000.  He added that when you have that amount of money, he believed the Board should take a look at it.

 

Mrs. Raskin responded, that is our normal process.  Mr. Staley stated that he was suggesting that the Board see it from now on.

 

President Newton stated that he agreed that the Board should look at proposed projects.

 

Mr. Kapp noted that the administration did describe this process to the Board in August and the Board did not seem to object.  He noted that bringing expenditure proposals to the Board would be the normal process in the future.

 

Mrs. Raskin noted that the district is allowed to use 8% of building renewal funds for employees.

 

Dr. Fleming asked, do we have to pay for APS for change orders?  Mrs. Raskin responded, that was for additional work not in the original contract.  Dr. Fleming stated that she would like to see about a $300,000 contingency fund.

 

Mr. Steve Campbell commented that our contingency fund was our sell of property funds that no longer exists.

 

Mrs. Dee Navarro noted that the three change orders were for almost $100,000.  Mr. Arn Lavington noted that those figures were estimates.  Mrs. Navarro clarified, that’s over and above?  Mrs. Raskin responded, yes.

 

Mrs. Navarro suggested using that in our motion next week.  Mr. Kapp noted that the Board could add to the motion and set a goal.  He also added that the only danger is that emergencies will come up.

 

Mrs. Navarro noted that the $300,000 contingency fund would be used for those emergencies.

 

Mr. Staley stated that if you add all the asterisks on the handout, it comes out to about $800,000 and that if we did everything on the list, you would use up more than the $694,000, since there are more projects than funds.

 

Mrs. Navarro suggested taking $300,000 off the top, with the balance being what gets to be spent.

 

Dr. Fleming suggested that the administration go back over the list and see what can be put off.

 

Mr. Lavington noted that the three APS change orders had two asterisks on the handout.

 

Mr. Staley noted that the district had a contract with APS for $2.8 million and then asked, in addition to that we want to do another $95,000 to the equipment that they’ll be working on?  Why wasn’t that in the bid?

 

Mr. Lavington responded that they are promoting energy efficient projects that will give returns to the district and these are projects that were not practicable to recoup the cost, so were not recommended by APS, but are projects we feel are necessary.

 

Mr. Staley asked if the district had looked at these projects in conjunction with the bond projects to make sure there is no duplication.

 

Mr. Lavington responded that it was more practicable to tie into their systems, rather than to do it piece meal.

 

Mr. Jay Collier pointed out that one of the change orders it to do the HVAC first and then the roofing in order to avoid roof leaks by doing it the other way around.  He noted that the district has done it the other way and then had leaks like crazy.  He added that district personnel needed the latitude to talk about it.

 

Mr. Campbell stated that he thought that was Mrs. Navarro’s suggestion of how much we want in contingency and added that once there is a contingency fund that he had no interest in trying to micro-manage it.

 

Mrs. Navarro stated that she agreed.

 

Mr. Staley stated that he concurred with that, but that his concern was according to the list of projects, there was over $800,000 in projects.

 

Mr. Collier noted that on the list, those items numbered 1 and 2 needed to be taken care of and those numbered 3 were negotiable.

 

Mrs. Raskin also pointed out that some projects say 2005-2006 and that they did not plan on overspending the money.

 

Mr. Kapp suggested that next week when the Board approves the expenditures that they think about the language of their motion.  He noted that if we have about $90,000, we can always go back to DLT to re-prioritize the list.  He asked the Board to remember that we have 10-11 buildings, several of which are 100 years old.

 

CONSIDER THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE PRELIMINARY SOFT CAPITAL, UNRESTRICTED CAPITAL AND THE BUILDING RENEWAL BUDGET REQUESTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005-2006

Mrs. Raskin noted that these are capital needs or projects for next fiscal year and discussed how the allocations were distributed to the different sites.  She noted that most of the DLT were present if the Board had any questions.

 

Dr. Fleming asked why there was such a difference in the amount of textbooks?  Mrs. Raskin noted that Taylor Hicks had $12,000 for textbooks and stated that she was not quite sure what he was spending it on, but that it could be used for other things.

 

Mr. Mike Harlan noted that they charge students for damaged or replacement textbooks, which is usually around $5,000.

 

Mrs. Navarro asked, this is not new textbook adoption?  Mrs. Raskin responded, no, this was in addition to textbook adoption.

 

Mr. Kapp noted that over one-third of the entire budget goes for textbook adoption.  He also mentioned that when looking at building renewal funds to remember that over 95% has stayed in Prescott.

 

Mr. Staley noted that our principals are leveraging building renewal funds and bond work and are not duplicating.  Mr. Lavington responded that they would be studying that in detail.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A PROPOSAL FOR THE RUTH STREET IMPROVEMENT/DRAINAGE/ PARKING PROJECT WITH THE CITY OF PRESCOTT

Mrs. Totsy McCraley reported that when she came on board they had discussed traffic flow at PHS and how to improve that and during that conversation she had found out about the city planning on doing work on Ruth and Demerse.  She noted that Mr. Watts and Mr. O’Connell had put her in touch with a representative from Civil Tech.  She stated that the proposal is looking at shaving off a little bit of the northeast campus by the bus pickup area to help straighten up the intersection of Whetstine and Ruth.  She also noted that right behind left field at the baseball field there is an area we do not use and has no purpose.  The proposal is calling for the city to procure that area from the school district behind the current parking and left field fence and make a new, safer parking area that would increase parking from 18-36 spaces.  Then in the area between the proposed parking and the left field fence the proposal calls for a detention basis which would help the city slow down the flow of water from rainstorms that comes down from Ruth and Demerse that would help to solve the problem of water in the intersection.  She also noted that whenever you put in new buildings, you have to have a basin for water run-off and we’ll need this when we start building at the high school.  She introduced John Sepanek and Kevin Howell from Civil Tech who have been hired by the City of Prescott. 

 

Mr. Sepanek displayed a drawing of the proposal and explained that the plan is to fully reconstruct the street, leaving the curb and gutters, keep the parking and still keep the intersection clear, and provide for a drainage system for water that comes off the high school and floods the intersection.

 

President Newton asked if they would be widening the street?  Mr. Sepanek responded, yes.  Mr. Howell noted that this would require about 8’ additional, about 1/10 of an acre or 4,000 square feet.  He also noted that the detention basin could store one acre of water.

 

Mr. Campbell asked if there was a danger of water running onto the ball field.  Mr. Howell responded, no.

 

Mr. Sepanek noted that the city would required an 8’ right-of-way for a temporary construction easement and that after construction the maintenance would fall upon the school district.

 

Mrs. Navarro asked, why would that be?  Mr. Sepanek responded, school water, school property.  Mrs. McCraley responded, the benefit would be the city would put in grass like what is on the baseball field and with grass the water will dissipate into the ground better and our personnel could take care of this area.  She also noted that there were three storage buildings used by the city, which the city will be moving closer to the existing bathrooms.

 

Mr. Lavington noted that the district would be turning land over to the city for sidewalks.

 

Mrs. McCraley stated that it is a trade-off and that the high school would be gaining additional parking spaces and picking up a detention basin that we would be required to have when we begin construction on the new buildings.

 

Mr. Sepanek also noted that in talking with the Yavapai Indian Tribe, they will be coming out with an easement and will be building a road for access to a sub-division they will be building in the future that will come out on Ruth Street, which will increase traffic also.

 

Mr. Kapp asked if there was any concern over standing water for small children.  Mr. Sepanek responded that there was a 36 hour maximum timeframe for water drainage from the detention basin.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING CONSIDERING APPROVING (___________________) AS A TRUSTEE ON OUR EMPLOYEE BENEFIT TRUST (EBT) BOARD

Mr. Kapp announced that he had talked with Mr. Joseph Dombrowski on the telephone and that he was going to visit with him on Monday morning regarding his interest in this position.  He also noted that Mr. Dombrowski has a background in finance.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING THE EXPANSION OF THE PARTNERS FOR HEALTHY STUDENTS PROGRAM TO PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL

This item was deleted from the agenda and will be on the April agenda.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A TEAM NUTRITION MINI-GRANT BETWEEN PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR $15,000 TO BE USED FOR A PILOT TEST OF THE ARIZONA NUTRITION POLICY

Mr. Kapp noted this is a grant we want to apply for and that it ties in very well with the School Board goal.

 

Mr. Jim Wahlstrom noted that the goal was to look at nutrition and health and that one of the first things the committee had decided to look at was a grant.  He noted that there were 8 schools involved with this grant last year and that our district did apply for this grant and was selected to receive the grant.  The grant would be for $15,000, which the district could use in a variety of ways.  He noted that one thing that was mandated since the reauthorization of the child nutrition grant is that all schools must have a wellness policy in place.  He noted that the program would be implemented at Prescott Mile High Middle school and be used as a model for other schools, once it has been tested there.  He added that they would not just address the cafeteria and school lunch program, but would be looking at snack bars, vending machines, health information and physical education.  He noted that they would measure the outcome through revenues for junk food vs. healthy food and make comparisons.  He stated that he felt like it was eventually going to be mandated by the state anyway, so the district will be ahead of the game.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A “SEALED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL” - #070105H – SCHOOL AND OFFICE SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT – RFP – LOCAL VENDOR PROPOSAL – PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR

Mr. Arn Lavington noted that the competitive sealed bid process was not advantageous for this project, so he was doing a Request for Proposal instead.  He added that price alone was not the sole factor in awarding the proposal.  He stated that he would recommend that Seitz be awarded the proposal for catalog and walk-in sales and that Staples be an alternate because of their large stock for items that are not available at Seitz.  He also noted that he would recommend “Think for Ink” due to their very competitive prices.  He noted that purchasing could still utilize other vendors and that he tries to utilize local vendors when possible.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A “SEALED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL” - #070105M FOR COMPUTER PARTS AND ACCESSORIES – LOCAL VENDOR PROPOSAL – PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR

Mr. Lavington noted that an RFP was used, that price alone was not the sole factor and that he would recommend that CompuTime be awarded the proposal.  He noted that the district has used this vendor for the last five years and that they have a very competitive mark-up of 12.5%.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING THE FOLLOWING COOPERATIVE PURCHASING CONTRACTS FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR – AZ STATE, MOHAVE, SAVE, TCPN, GSA, AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CA

Mr. Lavington reported that every year the district uses one or more of these contracts and that they are approved on a yearly basis.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SEALED BIDS - #PUDS020905A – FOR VARIOUS PAINTING PROJECTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT

Mr. Lavington noted that in view of the building renewal statements, $90,000 being left over, and grouping building renewal and bond projects, he had put a bid out for painting projects at Granite Mountain, Prescott High School and Abia Judd.  He reviewed the project tally sheets with the Board and noted that he was recommending that Century be awarded the bid.

 

Mrs. Navarro asked if Century was a local company and how long have they been in business?  Mr. Lavington responded, that they were a local firm that has been in business for over five years and that he had done a referral check.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING MR. KEVIN KAPP – SUPERINTENDENT, DR. CHRIS REYNOLDS – ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, MRS. RENEE RASKIN – DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SERVICES, AND MR. ARN LAVINGTON – DIRECTOR OF PURCHASING, AS DESIGNATED PERSONS AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNING BOARD TO USE “EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT” FOR GOODS AND SERVICES WHEN AN EMERGENCY CONDITION EXISTS FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR

Mr. Lavington noted that this was another item that is approved on a yearly basis that would allow the above-named people to take action during an emergency situation, such as a tree falling on a building.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING A REQUEST FROM MR. BOB WILLIAMS TO BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2004-2005 BUY-OUT AT THE REDUCED RATE OF 75% DUE TO MISSING THE DECEMBER DEADLINE

Dr. Chris Reynolds reported that Mr. Bob Williams has asked the Board to consider a waiver for missing the deadline and only receive 75%.

 

Mr. Bob Williams stated that he had submitted his resignation to the Cabinet on January 26, 2005.

 

President Newton noted that the deadline was in November and asked why he had submitted his letter so late?  Mr. Williams responded that he had had mixed emotions, is turning 50, has spent 25 years with the district, and didn’t want to be one of those that “hung on” for the golden 80 points.  He stated that at this time it just seemed like the right thing to do.

 

Mr. Staley stated that Mr. Williams realized it was best for the district, that the district will be saving money, and that the deadline was already moved from March to November.  He suggested that the Board consider the mitigating factors and commended Mr. Williams for not wanting to disrupt the principal search.  He also encouraged the Board to not forget his loyalty to the district and 25 years of service.

 

Dr. Fleming stated that she appreciated the reduced rate and that her only concern was setting a precedent.

 

Mr. Staley stated, if it sets a precedent, let’s take any other requests on a case by case basis.  He observed that other deadlines have been moved when it suits the Board or benefits the district.  He noted that with the 75% reduction the Board should take a step towards him for 25 years of service.

 

Mr. Campbell stated that his concern is not so much the precedent as the way we operate as a Board and that he did not want to set rules and then arbitrate those rules, i.e. is 10 years enough?

 

Mr. Staley commented that it seems like we arbitrate a lot of things around here.  He noted that the deadline was already fluid and has been changed. 

 

Mrs. Navarro stated that she agreed with Mr. Campbell – do we set a deadline or not have one?  She asked, what about those people who decided not to retire because they missed the deadline?

 

Mr. Staley stated that he appreciated deadlines and asked the Board to consider the mitigating factors.

 

CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA:

Dr. Chris Reynolds informed the Board that in the Classified Personnel Report under Employment that the name of Jerry Biggins from the Service Center should be removed from the report.

 

Dr. Fleming stated that she would like more information regarding the student disciplinary hearing.  Mr. Kapp responded that he would check to see if he could legally do so, since those types of cases could be appealed to the Governing Board.

 

CONSIDER APPROVING THE RECOMMENDATION FROM MS. KRISTEN REX, HEARING OFFICER, FOR A STUDENT DISCIPLINARY HEARING HELD ON FEBRUARY 9, 2005

 

CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF CERTIFIED AND CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL ACTIONS AS REQUESTED

 

CONSIDER ACCEPTING THE DONATIONS AS PRESENTED

 

CONSIDER RATIFYING THE VOUCHERS AS PRESENTED

 

CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF THE AUXILIARY OPERATIONS AND STUDENT ACTIVITIES FUND STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2005

 

CONSIDER THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES FROM THE GOVERNING BOARD RETREAT OF JANUARY 19, 2005, THE STUDY SESSION OF FEBRUARY 1, 2005, AND THE VOTING SESSION OF FEBRUARY 15, 2005

 

ADJOURNMENT

Hearing no objection, President Newton adjourned the meeting at 8:04 p.m.

 

___________________________________

Governing Board Member