PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1
146 South Granite Street
Prescott, Arizona 86303
May 3, 2005
Minutes of the Governing
Board Study Session of Tuesday, May 3, 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:
Jim
Williams Jay Collier Connie Ricks
David
Martin Mike Harlan Jennifer Bergamini
Kathy
Whitted Jack Jackson Jay Collier
Dawn
Dodson Roberta Schamber Nancy Martinez
Debbie Grahlmann
Brian Moore Judy Paris
Lynda
Klein Rene Crain Jennifer
Pere
Dave
McGee P. Mulvey M. McCray
Amy
McCray Kathleen Newman Terri Dundas
Marilyn
Sieckmann Anne Jacobson Drew Collison
Dorrean
Walker Bill Munson Tracie Yeager
Jacque
Price Arn Lavington Bruce Taylor
Barbara Van
Fossen Bill Monroe Joe Howard
Terry
Pemberton Hilary Eller Linda Ryan
Mary Anne
Kapp Frank Lawhead Debbie Kuhnke
Anita
Wells Carol Yetman Marianne Brooks
Kelton
Aker Bob Williams Jalynn Bacon-Dorow
Totsy
McCraley
CALL TO ORDER
President Andy Newton
called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m.
OPENING CEREMONY AND
WELCOME
President Newton welcomed
everyone, thanked those present for attending, and 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 requested that under Item
H. Study Session, that #8. be moved to the second spot on the 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
President Newton announced
that Prescott Mile High Middle School had been approved as an A+ school in
Arizona and asked Mr. Joe Howard, Principal of Prescott Mile High Middle
School, to come to the podium. President Newton presented Mr. Howard with
a plaque for recognition of attaining their A+ status and noted that it
was for the entire staff. Mr. Kapp read the wording on the plaque and
then presented the plaque to Mr. Howard.
Mr. Howard thanked
everyone and gave special acknowledgement to Dawn Dodson, the author of
the application, and her assistants Tracie Yeager and Jacque Price. He
noted that the application was a 34-page document and is currently posted
on the website. He stated that the entire A+ award was possible through
the collaboration of a lot of people including teachers, support staff,
district administration, students, parents, the Board, and the entire
community of Prescott. He thanked Bill Munson for his guidance and
wisdom; Kevin Kapp for his support, and Jay Collier for laying the
groundwork through the previous years.
Mr. Kapp reported that
both Taylor Hicks and Abia Judd already have achieved A+ status and that
now there were three A+ schools in our district. He also noted that this
is not an automatic award and that it is a challenge just to get a visit
from the team. He announced that Prescott Mile High Middle School would
be celebrating their attainment of A+ status on Friday, May 13th
at 2:00 p.m. in Hendrix Auditorium, with activities to follow on the quad.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Mr. Kapp distributed a
copy of the May/June District Calendar of Events noting that May is one of
the busiest months with lots of activities, concerts, etc. and encouraged
everyone to attend at least a few of the activities.
He noted that everyone was
happy to see our Channel 13 cameraman back at work and thanked Elizabeth
Couveur, Sharon Danowski, and Renee Raskin for coming to his aide.
He reported that at the
District Leadership Team meeting this morning they were still “crunching”
numbers for the 2005-2006 school year and that the elementary level is up
by 160 students, or 7.7%, over the same time last year. He noted that
because of those numbers, he would be adding an agenda item for next week
to assist the district in handling these larger than anticipated
enrollment growth.
Mr. Kapp announced that
the district has another Flinn Scholar, Adrienne Contos, who is also a
National Merit Scholar winner, and is in the upper one-half of 1% of all
students in the United States. He noted that she would be recognized for
this outstanding accomplishment at a future Board meeting. He also
reported that Prescott High School has garnered more Flinn Scholars than
any other high school in Arizona.
Dr. Chris Reynolds
announced that his office is looking at the district’s fingerprinting
practices due to a recent situation. He noted that not all employees are
currently fingerprinted, due to being “grand-fathered” in when the new
policy was implemented some years ago. He added that the district is
looking at student teachers, practicum students, contract service
personnel, etc. He reported that his office will be making the effort to
have all staff fingerprinted at the district’s expense by the start of
next year. He noted that Governing Board member Dee Navarro came in to be
fingerprinted, which served as a good role model for the rest of the
staff.
Mr. Kapp also noted that
an agenda item would be added next week to ratify his selection of the
principal at Taylor Hicks. He noted that all assistant principals were
considered and interviewed for this position and that he had selected Mr.
Brian Moore, currently the Assistant Principal at Granite Mountain Middle
School.
Mr. Moore stated that he
welcomed the challenge of becoming Principal for Taylor Hicks School. Mr.
Kapp thanked Mr. Mike Harlan for letting Mr. Moore spend some time at
Taylor Hicks and noted that Mr. Moore already has the level 2 qualified
evaluator training.
Mrs. Dorrean Walker
reported that she had attended the State Delegate Assembly and had
nominated Ms. Hilary Eller for an award due to her excellent school news
coverage. She noted that she had to send in examples of Hilary’s work and
that she was selected as a state winner. Mrs. Walker presented Ms. Eller
with an award.
Mr. Kapp noted that the
bond project update would be postponed until June due to the lengthy
agenda.
PUBLIC HEARING
Mr. Steve
Campbell moved that the Governing Board consider recessing the regular
meeting to hold a public hearing to discuss the revisions to the
2004-2005 budget limits for the Maintenance and Operations and Capital
Budgets. 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.
No one had signed up to
speak regarding either budget.
Dr. Joan Fleming
moved that the Governing Board adjourn the Public Hearing and reconvene to
the regular session. Mr. Steve Campbell 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.
STUDY SESSION:
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
REVISIONS TO THE 2004-2005 BUDGET LIMITS FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND
OPERATIONS AND CAPITAL BUDGETS
Mrs. Renee Raskin noted
that this was the final revisions to the 2004-2005 budget and also how the
district captures growth money. She reviewed the 2004-2005 Expenditure
Budget Revisions. In the Maintenance and Operations budget there was a
total increase of $91,157, which included a decrease of $782 due to
student count, an increase of $577,662 due to student growth, an increase
of $161 in unrestricted capital, a decrease in tuition revenues of $7,062,
and a decrease in budget balance carry forward of $480,386.
She reported that
regarding the 2005-2006 Proposition 301 money, the Joint Legislative
Budget Committee’s estimate for next year is $353 per weighted student
count for an estimated total for PUSD of $2,120,054. The 20% to eligible
certified staff base salary amount equals $424,011, the 40% to eligible
certified staff performance pay equals $848,022, and the 40% to classroom
improvement options equals $848,022. She noted that the amount per
weighted student count has grown each year since the 2001-02 school year.
Classroom improvement options include class size reduction, teacher
compensation increases, AIMS intervention programs, teacher development,
dropout prevention programs and teacher liability insurance programs. She
reported that regarding the 2005-2006 Maintenance and Operations Supplies
and Services, the elementary schools are allocated $37.45 per student, the
middle schools are allocated $66.60 per student, and the high school is
allocated $81.00 per student.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
SELECTION OF (____________________________) AS DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICE
FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR
Dr. Chris Reynolds
reported that he had chaired a committee to find a replacement for Mr. Jim
Wahlstrom, current Director of Food Service, who is moving to Austin,
Texas. He noted that Mrs. Barbara Van Fossen has been in the district
since 1980 serving as a cook, cafeteria manager, and for the last 9 years
as the Assistant Director for Food Service. He introduced Mrs. Barbara
Van Fossen, who thanked the Governing Board for the opportunity.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
NEW TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE FOR POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION PENDING FUNDING
FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR
Mrs. Dorrean Walker
reported that since April her team has been crunching numbers, just as the
district administration. She noted that David Martin had spent time with
Renee Raskin to reconcile the numbers and that their intent for the
proposal all along was for everyone to receive at least $500. She stated
that she felt the 3.5% index proposal meets three goals: it will attract
new teachers, it will keep teachers in the district, and will give
teachers more earning potential.
Mr. Jim Williams
distributed a letter regarding two of the concerns expressed by the Board
in April. Regarding the 3.5 index, the PEA’s focus is on the career
salary of $60,000. The 3.5 index was the most logical way to achieve this
goal. Starting salary/index/years of experience/career salary are all
related. In order to reach a career salary comparable to the
administrative schedules, one of more of these factors has to change. A
starting salary of $33,000, a 3.0 index, 15 years = $60,000. A starting
salary of $30,000, a 3.0 index, 18 years = $60,000. Or a starting salary
of $30,000, a 3.5 index, 15 years = $60,000. The latter makes more sense
to the PEA.
He noted that regarding
the cost to maintain the new schedule, all of the changes that have been
made to other schedules have added cost, both in implementation and
ongoing. Reclassification, coaches, nurses, psychologists, and
administrators all cost more to maintain each year. For example: If
every administrator receives a step from their first column and goes from
step 2 to step 3, it will cost $28,341, or an average of $1667. Next year
it will cost $385,619, or an average of $1353 to give a step to every
teacher. Every action the Board has taken thus far has added maintenance
costs and the teachers would just like the same.
Dr. Chris Reynolds noted
that teachers would be phased in so no one would “leap frog” over current
employees.
Mr. Steve Campbell asked,
is other income applied? Dr. Reynolds responded that teachers sponsor
clubs, coach, 301 funding.
Mr. Campbell asked, the
bottom 40% doesn’t require a special action? Dr. Reynolds responded,
$85,000 off the top with the remainder divided in half. One-half is for
the sites to spend and the other half is divided among teachers in a
tiered system, with the lowest teacher receiving $500, the most
experienced receiving $1100. He noted that there is also funding from the
Indian gaming money, Proposition 202, of which one-half can be used for
teacher compensation. He noted that this funding financed two teachers at
the high school with the remainder divided between all teachers. He noted
that last year that amount was $14.
Mr. Campbell asked, so a
teacher at the top could potentially earn $3,000 more by combining? Dr.
Reynolds responded, yes.
Mr. Tom Staley stated that
it would allow you a longer time to make more money until frozen again.
He went on to say that he felt a new salary schedule would be good for
students, would attract good teachers, and keep good teachers. He added,
rather than phasing in, let’s just do it. He stated that he hoped
teachers could concentrate on the starting and ending salaries, rather
than the index and that a pay raise would increase morale. He noted that
he appreciated how hard the PEA has worked on this proposal and that
personally, he would like to see a $30,000/$60,000 schedule.
President Newton noted
that he was looking at the totals and that the cost to implement will be
close to $400,000 and that the cost of a step in the past was around
$200,000.
Mr. Tom Staley stated that
he thought everyone would be pleased with what the Board comes up with and
encouraged those present to leave with a positive attitude.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
SELECTION OF (__________________________)
AS PRINCIPAL OF MILLER
VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR
Dr. Chris Reynolds
reported that the four finalists would be interviewed this Thursday and
that the superintendent hoped to have a recommendation for the Board at
their Voting Session.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
PROPOSAL FOR COSOLIDATED TIME IN ORDER FOR STAFF TO PARTICIPATE IN
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, CONDUCT PARENT CONFERENCES, AND ALLOW
TIME FOR CLUBS AND TUTORING AT PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Kevin Kapp noted that
PUSD is a high achieving district and that our scores are usually way up
there, sometimes in the top 10% for student achievement. He reported that
there are lots of ways to achieve that and compensating people is one of
them. He went on to say that this district has never been able to achieve
an on-going, regularly schedule time for staff development. He pointed
out that private businesses do this, but education does not.
He did a presentation on
AIMS scores and noted that while the district is still doing very good, he
pointed out some “slippage” in scores that have occurred over the last
three years. He noted that when you conclude from data that there is a
pattern that you are not comfortable with, you should do something about
it.
Mr. Kapp then did a
PowerPoint presentation regarding an adjusted dismissal proposal.
He discussed the makeup of
the committee, that every site had been represented along with two parents
and two Board members, the challenges to be overcome, and the strong need
for on-going, sustained professional staff development.
The proposal is as
follows:
Elementary:
·
Dismissal moves
from 2:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. Starting time for school
remains the same, 8:30 a.m.
·
Wednesday is
“Professional Development Day” every week with planned, documented and
quality activities for teachers and staff focusing on the improvement of
student achievement and learning using data.
·
Parent Conferences
will be held the week of October 24, 2005. Thursday, October 27th
will be a half-day for students with conferences in the afternoon. Each
school will also have an evening conference time that week. Friday,
October 28th, will be a work day for teachers and staff with no
students to allow teachers to complete their parent conferences. Teachers
may leave at noon on Friday, October 28th, if all parent
conferences are completed to the highest parent participation level
possible.
Middle School and High
School:
·
Both middle schools
and Prescott High School would dismiss at 1:15 p.m. every Wednesday.
·
Wednesday is
“Professional Development Day” every week with planned, documented and
quality activities for teachers and staff focusing on the improvement of
student achievement and learning using data.
·
Selected Wednesdays
will be “Club Days” and student tutoring/assistance days at Prescott High
School. All other Wednesdays will be dedicated to professional
development.
·
Both middle schools
and Prescott High School would adjust their dismissal on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday to between 3:05 and 3:20 p.m.. Dismissal times for
the three schools could vary slightly, depending on internal adjustments
to the schedule such as passing time between classes, etc.
·
Parent Conferences
will be held the week of October 24, 2005. Thursday, October 27th
will be a half-day for students with conferences in the afternoon. Each
school will also have an evening conference time that week. Friday,
October 28th, will be a work day for teachers and staff with no
students to allow teachers to complete their parent conferences. Teachers
may leave at noon on Friday, October 28th, if all parent
conferences are completed to the highest parent participation level
possible.
District-Wide:
·
School would start
on Monday, August 8, 2005.
·
School would end on
Thursday, May 25th, with a half-day for students. Teachers
would check out that same day.
·
Returning teachers
would report back to work on Monday, August 1, 2005. This gives teachers
and the school district five full days to prepare for school, participate
in necessary trainings or other valuable activities.
·
New teachers would
report to work on Wednesday, July 27, 2005.
·
The 6th
additional contract day for returning teachers would be Friday, October
28, 2005 for the completion of parent conferences.
Challenges to Proposal:
·
Adjusted dismissal
for middle school and high school students on Wednesdays creates one hour
and 45 minutes of “extra” time for these students every week. Options for
working parents must be created so students are not necessarily home alone
and unsupervised for that period of time.
Solution:
Work within the school district and with other community resources and
programs to create supervised options for the students of working parents
to avoid extended periods of unsupervised time during the day.
·
Special
instructional areas for elementary students (music, art and PE) must be
scheduled to insure these special areas are still offered in a quality way
for students.
Solution:
Elementary principals will submit a schedule to insure that special areas
are offered in a quality manner for students no later than June 15, 2005.
·
Parents and the
community must be given evidence that the decrease of elementary
instructional time (approximately 30 hours/year) is worth it and our
students will benefit from a “quality, not quantity” approach.
Solution:
Each school and site will publish a calendar of professional development
activities for each semester. The calendar for first semester will be
published no later than Friday, August 5, 2005. The calendar for second
semester will be published no later than Friday, December 16, 2005. A
report will be published by the administration each quarter summarizing
professional development activities with indicators of participation by
staff through sign-in sheets.
·
Evidence and
accountability for the “Wednesday Professional Development Day” must be
made public and data must be collected to study the effects of this
focused, ongoing and sustained time for professional development.
Solution:
Quarterly reports will be published via school newsletters and posted on
the school district’s web page. Quarterly reports will also be shared
with the Area Council PTA representatives.
·
No doubt, other
challenges will be identified and need to be addressed.
Mr. Kapp noted that a
proposal of this nature bears discussion and may have some criticism, but
as a life-long educator he sees the benefits of the proposal.
President asked, what’s
the reason for the elementary schedule differing from that of the high
school and middle schools? Mr. Kapp responded, the original proposal had
the elementary schools getting out around 1:00 p.m., which wasn’t good, so
a compromise of 2:30 p.m. was met in order to give teachers some time
back. He noted that it was also a busing issue.
Mr. Steve Campbell asked,
so the early dismissal for elementary students was not necessary to make
time for professional development? Mr. Kapp responded, yes, they will
have 15 minutes more on Wednesday and we didn’t feel we could move the
elementary dismissal time to an earlier time.
Mr. Campbell asked,
wouldn’t they have longer classes the rest of the week to save time from
those days? Mr. Kapp responded, yes, you could.
President Newton asked,
the amount of professional staff development time would be what? 75-90
minutes? Mr. Kapp responded, for elementary it would be 75 minutes.
President Newton asked,
similar? Mr. Kapp responded, longer and that the elementary level
teachers would have more time on a daily basis.
Mr. Tom Staley noted that
he was on the committee as a parent and then asked, was the committee
supposed to carve out time for professional development? Mr. Kapp
responded, yes.
Mr. Staley noted that
parent conferences were not on the agenda and should not have been
discussed. He also added that he knew two parents in addition to himself
that disagreed with the discussion of parent conferences.
Mr. Staley noted that
early dismissal for the elementary level would equal about 30 hours per
year and asked if the schools would get any of that time back. Mr. Kapp
responded, no.
Mr. Staley asked, of
instructional time? Mr. Kapp responded, unless the schools do something
internally.
President Newton asked,
compared with what we’re doing right now? Mr. Kapp responded, dismissing
15 minutes every day would equal 45 hours and with the recovery of time
from the half-days they would gain back 15 hours.
Mr. Staley expressed
concern for working parents and asked if there were any concrete
suggestions. Mr. Kapp responded, yes, from Parks and Recreation.
Mr. Staley asked it Art,
Music and P.E. might be reduced? Mr. Kapp responded that he didn’t know,
but it was a possibility.
Mr. Staley clarified, so
there would be professional development every Wednesday with a published
report in the summer with indicators through sign-in sheets. Would
professional development be mandatory for teachers? Mr. Kapp responded,
yes, all those hours can be used for professional growth.
Mr. Staley asked, and
attendance will be taken? Mr. Kapp responded, yes, and that Mrs. McCraley
had already talked with her coaches about that reality.
Mr. Staley asked if any
assessments were planned regarding gain in quality. Mr. Kapp responded,
that is the main reason for doing this and that the district was currently
looking at the AIMS web software, which is a benchmark program.
Mr. Staley stated that his
main concern was the loss of instructional time. He noted that teachers
would be getting a raise and yet working less hours. He went on to say
that if this was implemented it must be by a Board vote and the Board
would have to vote and negate what they did with last year’s calendar.
Mr. Kapp responded, the
calendar template is the same and it was up to the superintendent to set
the agenda and discuss parent conferences.
Mr. Staley noted that the
ending date would have to be adjusted on the calendar. He noted that
after all the discussion on the calendar last year about early release
days that the Board voted not to have and now you’re changing the schedule
every week. Mr. Kapp responded, Granite Mountain would be ending later
and would make up that time. He also noted that it would help the busing
situation. He noted that regarding the loss of instructional time, the
district would be looking at quality, not quantity.
President Newton commented
that if you have a company that is not having staff meetings every week,
you’re in trouble.
Mr. Kapp noted that
historically in this district professional development has been done by
finding time here and there with staff meetings usually occurring once a
month, and then only being able to discuss operational items.
President Newton asked, is
there a plan for the year?
Mr. Kapp responded, PUSD
has 15 members on the Professional Staff Development Team that are
attending conferences and planning. He noted that they would be meeting
for five days in June to work on professional development with the primary
goal being to come up with what schools will be doing on those Wednesdays
during professional staff development.
Mr. Staley noted that the
elementary schools get out at 2:45p.m. and that he was proposing having
professional development meetings from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. He also stated
that he felt no meeting should last longer than an hour. He stated that
teachers needed to make sacrifices if it’s that critically important.
Dr. Joan Fleming stated
that she was on the committee and was pleased with what the committee had
done. She also noted that professional development and staff meetings
were two different things. She stated that teachers and professionals and
every other profession that I can think of take the time to upgrade their
skills, such as tax accountants, doctors, etc. She stated that we don’t
allow our teachers to do this and it should be quality, not quantity when
addressing instructional time. She noted that teachers are required to
have professional development time that is on-going and sustained. She
stated that this district has never done a good job with professional
development and that after the PDST meetings this summer, they will be
able to.
Mr. Staley stated that he
felt that if the district decreased instructional time that there would be
a public outcry. He stated that the Board should gear to education, not
bus schedules.
President Newton asked,
the reason we let everyone out early is what? Mr. Kapp responded, on
Wednesdays it is 15 minutes to carve out a little more time with the logic
being to keep a 2:30 p.m. dismissal time the other days of the week.
President Newton asked,
why not keep it at 2:45 p.m.? Mr. Kapp responded, teachers stay until
4:00 p.m. and would then go home early on Friday. He noted that the
overriding issue was if we were going to carve out time, we needed to do
it K-12 and elementary teachers still loose some prep time. He added that
the committee is not saying this should be voted on and never revisited.
The district needs to collect data all year and report back next year and
if it’s not working we change it. It needs to be put in place for a year
in order to be able to evaluate it. He noted that once a change is made,
people usually get used to it. He reported that for many years the
elementary schools used to get out at 2:30 p.m. and then it was changed to
2:45 p.m. to accommodate P.E. He noted that changes do occur.
Mrs. Dee Navarro reported
that when attending the national NSBA conference research had proved that
it’s not the instructional time turning scores around, but is the
professional development that teachers get that makes the difference in
the scores.
President Newton asked, if
we’re a unified school district, why are we cutting instructional time at
the elementary level and not at the other two levels? Mr. Kapp responded,
because the middle schools and high school have the ability to make that
time up internally.
President asked, why can’t
we have the elementary schools go longer? Mr. Kapp responded, because
parents did not support that and because at the elementary level our
district is way over what is required.
Mr. Staley then read some
e-mails that Governing Board members received regarding concern over the
proposed schedules. He added that we should not lightly dismiss the fact
that everyone can get used to schedule changes and need to remember our
working parents.
Dr. Fleming noted that we
would not be the only district trying to find consistent professional
development time.
Mr. Staley stated that he
agreed it was critical, but not through the loss of instructional time and
changing the schedules of every school in the district. He stated that
the district could have professional development time without major
changes and that it was his impression that the majority of the committee
was made up of teachers, with two parents.
President Newton stated
that it would be hard to maintain the current schedules and have weekly
professional development that is not the same amount for each level. Mr.
Kapp noted that this was the best the committee could come up with and
noted that the original proposal had a dismissal time of 12:30 p.m. He
reported that the committee was not taking this proposal lightly and that
the concerns expressed by Tom Staley and parents are critical. He stated
that this district is family friendly and that everything we do is for
student achievement.
Mr. Staley stated that if
it's that important to teachers, they should look at doing it on their own
time. He stated that when his boss sends him to professional development
on a Saturday for three hours he doesn’t ask for that time back. He
suggested having the elementary professional development time be from 3:00
– 4:30 p.m. and give them that time back somewhere else.
Mrs. Navarro stated that
she does not work when she is doing professional development because she
doesn’t want to try to do two jobs in the same day.
Mr. Campbell stated that
he had some concerns regarding the loss of instructional time. He stated
that he would prefer seeing professional time adjusted – stay late on
Wednesday and go home early on Friday. He noted that the Lower 40 money
needed to be more consistent, since some schools budget $27,000 for
professional development, while others budget $500.
President Newton stated
that it sounded to him like a weekly professional development time is
important and would benefit the district in the long term. He noted that
teacher surveys have said over and over again that it’s not for the money
and that staff development is important.
Mr. Jack Jackson addressed
the Governing Board and stated that he was really ambivalent regarding
early release and that he saw disadvantages and advantages. He also noted
that there was no “slippage” with his numbers. He stated that he needed
to go to professional development, but that he’s in his room at 7:00 a.m.
and home at 4:00 p.m. He stated that he had done his B.A and M.A. and
mathematics certification and if the district wants him to do professional
development, they’re going to have to give me the time to do it. He
stated that his wife grades papers at home for four hours every night and
that he does it on Saturdays for eight hours and he stressed that he was
not the only teacher that does this. He stated that there is just not
enough hours left. He stated that if the district feels it would be
beneficial, then they need to give me the time to it.
Mrs. Kathy Whitted
addressed the Governing Board and stated that she was a speech/language
therapist at Taylor Hicks. She stated that she has to do 48 IEP’s a year,
which involves a lot of time – personal time. IEP’s require that teachers
be there, it’s not an option, as well as the parents, and that they
usually occur after school. She stated that if you take away days from me
it will cause a problem, because we have to have these done on time or we
loose money. She stated that 45 minutes a week she could figure out, but
don’t tell me to do another day by 15-20 minutes. She stated that she has
no prep time, only a 15 minute break and a short lunch. She noted that
she was a special education teacher and has no planning time – only before
school and after school. She stated, if I choose to stay until 7:00 p.m.,
I do it – it’s my choice. She went on to say that she does professional
development all the time and that she has already done 60-70 hours this
year. She stated that she must have those hours in order to be able to
continue what I do or else she doesn’t get a certificate. She stated that
she was not sure how this would help her in her job, but that she would be
open to it. She stated that she was concerned about you eating up my
time.
Mrs. Jennifer Bergamini
addressed the Governing Board and stated that she was a parent with
concerns regarding the elementary level. She noted that at the elementary
level the kids would be losing 15 minutes a day and that she was glad the
half-days were gone. She stated that her teacher struggles already
getting everything done during a day and that she didn’t know how she
could possibly loose 15 minutes of her day. She stated that she was a
C.P.A. and that they have meetings every week in which she has the
opportunity to earn professional development time. Some noted that some
teachers leave at 3:45 p.m. while others stay and that the district needs
to find a way to have professional development and keep kids in school.
She observed that five hours and fifteen minutes is the amount of time
students have with teachers. She wanted to know where this time was
coming from – lunch, specials, etc. and would the benefits of professional
development out-weight the detriment of losing that time. She stated that
if teachers are struggling with whether professional development is really
going to benefit them then they’ll just be putting in their time and would
probably not get much out of it. She noted that another concern she has
is that Abia Judd has after school clubs that are full and beneficial to
the kids. She was concerned that this program might be lost if teachers
who do that have to take more time out of their day.
Mr. Mike Harlan addressed
the Governing Board and stated that he has spoken passionately about this
topic and thanked everyone for their time. He noted that dissension helps
us to answer some of those questions. He also noted that sometimes it’s
not good. He stated that he has been in education for 24 years and has
learned something new every year that he has been in education. He
reported that one of the things that has occurred over the past few years
is that we’re not really doing a good job with professional development.
He stated that a lot of it is not based on research, some of it makes us
feel good, but doesn’t change the way we teach or how we administrate. He
stated that PDST has taught him that we need to carve out time to create
professional learning communities of students, staff, and parents. He
noted that we all believe we’re doing good, but I believe we could do a
better job. He stated that we are not going to come up with all the
correct answers, we need to trust our superintendent, the professional
staff development team, and our parents, and that we need to adopt a
schedule.
Mr. Staley stated that he
did not feel teachers would want to give up their time with students
before or after school for professional development. He noted that the
original proposal at the Board Retreat was for Friday. Mr. Kapp noted
that this proposal came from PDST. Mr. Staley stated, originally this
proposal came from the two middle school principals. Mr. Kapp agreed.
Mr. Staley noted that the
elementary school principals require teacher lesson plans from their
teachers, yet they are asking us to trust them without lesson plans.
CONSIDER APPROVING USES
FOR THE PROPOSITION 301 “LOWER 40” CLASSROOM SITE FUND MOINIES FOR
2005-2006
Dr. Chris Reynolds
reported that the district receives $353 per weighted student count, $70
per student of that is one time carry over money. He noted that at PUSD
we spend that on a cash basis through the site menu items. He stated that
the district knows how much we are receiving and then allocate that out to
the schools. He noted that the first priority is to teacher salaries. He
noted that the amount received has gone up and that what the Board would
be looking at tonight is what the schools would like to spend their
allocations on off the special menu.
Mr. Staley noted that the
high school has $64,000 down for lunch duty. Mrs. Renee Raskin pointed
out that it is money that teachers submitted on time slips for lunch duty.
Mr. Kapp noted that when
Proposition 301 came in four years ago, our school district was still in
financial trauma and that it was creative financing. He stated that now
that the district is in a growing mode, it may be time to move some of
those things out of 301 and into M & O. He noted that this was the reason
why some schools don’t have a lot of money in professional development.
Mr. Staley noted that
while Abia Judd had budgeted $22,000, Prescott High School and Prescott
Mile High Middle School had not budgeted any money for professional
development. He also stated that there were the same discrepancies last
year.
Mr. Kapp responded that
the answer to that is that PMHMS felt that adding time to orchestra was
more important, as did the high school regarding paying their teachers for
lunch duty, and at that time those were the priorities.
Mr. Staley stated that it
was the same discrepancy this year and that they should cut out money for
professional development as well as time. He stated that it appeared that
PHS and PMHMS does not value professional development, but AJ does.
Mrs. Raskin noted that
other schools were paying for positions not covered under M & O and they
have no other way of paying for them. She added that they are paying for
staff, while some of those other schools have found other ways to pay for
those positions.
Mr. Staley stated, if it’s
as critical as we’ve heard, they need to commitment to professional
development.
Mrs. Navarro stated that
if we were able to get elementary P.E. teachers and other “bodies” into M
& O, I think they would be willing to put more into professional
development and that basically we’re talking staff versus professional
development.
Mrs. Navarro stated that
regarding teacher lunch duty it has gone up from $9,500 last year to
$64,000 this year. Mrs. Raskin reported that she had helped the principal
out and looked at year it went over in M & O.
Mrs. Totsy McCraley stated
that when coming to the high school she had inherited some things and that
she has requested to move these “bodies” from 301 to M & O in order that
she can use that funding for professional development. She noted that she
has seen a commitment over the years to start getting those positions into
M & O. She added that it was important on an open campus to maintain
quiet hallways.
Mr. Joe Howard stated that
a year ago PMHMS did not make adequate yearly progress and the person
added through 301 monies had made a huge difference this year. He noted
that orchestra was a commitment to the arts.
Dr. Fleming noted that
regarding professional development time we were talking about – would
schools need to use 301 for professional development? Would Abia Judd
have to spend $22,000? Mr. Kapp responded, they could – they might have
to. If they identified a need is writing they may wish to bring in a
professional.
Mr. Kapp stated that he
felt Mr. Staley ‘s comment really makes a good point and that he didn’t
think this school district knows what quality professional development
is.
Mr. Staley commented that
Abia Judd increased their professional development from last year, as did
Granite Mountain, and that shows him that they are committed.
Mr. Campbell asked, what
is the Miller Valley Gold Mine? Mr. Bob Williams responded that it is
their after school program.
President Newton noted
that by doing professional development in-house you’d be able to spend
less money by bringing people in, rather than sending people out.
Mr. Kapp noted that could
happen. He also added that research shows that when newer teachers watch
master teachers teach they improve their own teaching skills, which would
be the cost of a substitute.
Mr. Staley stated that he
couldn’t get around the fact that if it’s important, it should be budgeted
and that Lincoln’s budget went down $3,000.
Mr. Frank Lawhead
responded that Lincoln has Title I funding that they didn’t have before
and that’s where they are spending money on professional development.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
2005-2006 MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS (M & O) BUDGET FOR SUPPLIES AND
SERVICESU
Mrs. Raskin noted that
this was another piece of the 2005-2006 M & O budget for supplies and
services. She reported that the principals receive allocations based on
their student count, which is outlined in the Board Briefing. She stated
that this year the district would like to do $20,000 for schools to pay
for SASI, which is slated to come off the top.
Mr. Staley asked, what
type of services? Mrs. Raskin responded, purchase services such as
speech, psychologists, etc.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
USE OF APPROXIMATELY $45,000 OF CURRENT (2004-2005) SUDDEN GROWTH MONEY TO
HIRE A NEW FOURTH GRADE TEACHER AT ABIA JUDD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND
PURCHASE DESKS, BOOKS, AND OTHER NECESSARY SUPLIES FOR THE CLASSROOM FOR
THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR
Dr. Chris Reynolds
reported that due to a report of unanticipated growth at the fourth grade
level, this request is being made.
Mr. Bill Munson noted that
Abia Judd has been a four section K-4 school and currently the school is
15 students over the maximum enrollment number with eight students on a
waiting list. He noted that these students would fill a classroom right
away. He noted that the classroom would be in the computer lab and that
Abia Judd has a benefactor that will be providing the school with a
wireless computer lab.
Mr. Kapp stated that he
needed to mention that the district is adding a classroom teacher at
Miller Valley and will need to lease a portable classroom, possibly a
double portable. He reported that first and fifth grade numbers are
really high, which may require an addendum at the Voting Session. He
added that elementary numbers are usually pretty solid. He noted that
this would be a request for a lease, not a purchase.
CONSIDER APPROVING AN
INCREASED SEALED BIDDING THRESHOLD (SUPERCEDES USFR MEMORANDUM NO. 200)
Mr. Arn Lavington reported
that this was a compliance issue.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
“SEALED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL” (#070105IK) FOR MISCELLANEOUS BUS AND AUTO
PARTS
Mr. Arn Lavington reported
that this proposal would be for bus and auto parts and that an RFP is used
when it is felt that a bid would not be practical or advantageous to the
district. He noted that this request is for 260 different items and would
be renewable for the next five years.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
BEVERAGE BID (#2005-06-0701-FSB) FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR (RENEWABLE
FOR FOUR ADDITIONAL YEARS)
Mr. Arn Lavington
distributed an additional tally sheet that had accidentally been omitted
from the Board Briefing. He reported that he had put out a beverage bid
to cover vending machines as well as for food service. He noted that Coca
Cola was the winner of the bid for food service, which is renewable up to
five years, and Pepsi was the winner of the bid for vending machines.
Mr. Lavington explained
the bid process and noted that on the vending machine bid the district is
guaranteed $40,000 commission for the coming year. He noted that each
school will continue to receive check from the commission on their
machines.
Mr. Campbell asked where
the money from the machines goes? Mrs. Raskin responded that it goes into
auxiliary accounts and each school would have to tell you how they spend
that money.
Mr. Kapp noted that the
district is waiting for legislation K-8 regarding “junk food.” He
directed Mrs. Raskin to collect the information on how each school uses
the money from the vending machines.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
AWARD OF A BID FOR TWO AUTO SHOP LIFTS AT PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Arn Lavington reported
that Mrs. MaryAnne Kapp had informed him that the district had money
through grants for the purchase of the lifts and he had scrambled to get
the bid process done by June 30th.
CONSIDER SELECTING AND
APPROVING BOARD MEMBERS TO SERVE AS DELEGATE AND ALTERNATE DELEGATE FOR
THE ASBA DELEGATE ASSEMBLY TO TAKE PLACE ON JUNE 25, 2005, AT THE HILTON
PHOENIX EAST/MESA
Mr. Kapp noted that this
is an important day that ASBA puts together to determine their legislative
stances. Dr. Fleming noted that at this assembly the ASBA determines
whether or not to support proposed legislation.
CONSIDER REVIEWING AND
ADOPTING POLICY SERVICES ADVISORY, VOLUME 17, NUMBER 1, FOR MARCH
2005, REGARDING POLICY ADVISORY NUMBER 246
Mr. Kapp explained that
this new policy outlines the circumstances of if a staff member were to be
called into the military, the district would have to provide two years of
insurance.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE
CONSENT AGENDA:
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
ANNUAL GENERAL STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES FOR THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
CONSIDER APPROVING
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM MS. KRISTEN REX, STUDENT DISCIPLINARY HEARING
OFFICER, REGARDING STUDENT A AND STUDENT B, PENDING STUDENT DISCIPLINARY
HEARINGS TO BE HELD ON MAY 6, 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 MARCH 2005
CONSIDER THE REVIEW AND
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES FROM THE GOVERNING BOARD EXECUTIVE SESSION OF
APRIL 4, 2005; THE EXECUTIVE SESSION OF APRIL 5, 2005; THE STUDY SESSION
OF APRIL 5, 2005; THE EXECUTIVE SESSION OF APRIL 12, 2005; AND THE VOTING
SESSION OF APRIL 12, 2005
ADJOURNMENT
Hearing no objection,
President Newton adjourned the meeting at 8:48 p.m.
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