July 11, 2006
Minutes of the
Governing Board Study and Voting Session of Tuesday, July 11, 2006, beginning
at 5:30 p.m. held in the District Office Board Room.
Governing
Board Members Present:
President
Mrs. Dee Navarro
Dr. Andy Newton
Mr.
Mr. Tom Staley
Also
Present:
Mr. Kevin J. Kapp, Superintendent
Dr.
Mrs.
Mr. John Vanuk, Student Representative
Mrs. Andi Mayer, Assistant to the
Governing Board
Others
Present:
Nancy Martinez Stephanie Hillig
Lauren Millette
President
President
Fleming welcomed everyone and thanked those present for attending. Mr. John Vanuk led the audience in the Pledge
of Allegiance.
President
Fleming introduced Mrs. Stephanie Hillig, the new Principal at
Mrs. Hillig
reported that she has been working since July 3rd, that it’s been a
wonderful experience and very educational.
She noted that the staff has been great, that she has been meeting lots
of teachers and that the PTSO at GMMS is great and already working. She thanked the Board for the opportunity to
be principal, stated that she was happy to be here and was looking forward to
the upcoming school year.
President
Fleming asked Mr.
Mrs.
Dee Navarro moved that the Governing Board approve the agenda as
presented. Mr.
Mrs.
Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr.
None.
SUPERINTENDENT’S
REPORT
Mr. Kapp
distributed performance information and tickets to the Board for the upcoming
Shakespeare production.
He distributed
information on the ASBA Law Conference to take place September 7-9.
He reported
that he is still having informal talks with the administration from the City of
Dr. Chris
Reynolds invited Board members to attend and be introduced at the new teacher
orientation to take place on July 26th at 7:45 a.m. at the District
Office.
Mr. Kapp
reminded Board members of the Governing Board Retreat on July 19th
and the Board/DLT Retreat on July 20th and noted that both would
take place at the Yavapai College Performance Hall in the Green Room. He noted that at the retreat the Board would
get a chance to see a demonstration of Data to the Desktop that our Information
Technology Department has been developing.
PUBLIC HEARING
President
Fleming entertained a motion to hold a public hearing, noting that this would
be held in order for members of the public to ask any questions regarding the
proposed budget for 2006-2007.
Mr.
Mrs.
Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr.
No members
from the public requested to speak.
Dr. Andy Newton moved that the
Governing Board adjourn the Public
Hearing and reconvene to regular session.
Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the
motion.
Mrs.
Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr.
STUDY AND VOTING SESSION:
CONSIDER
ADOPTING THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2006-2007
Dr. Andy Newton moved that the
Governing Board adopt the Proposed Budget for 2006-2007. Mr. Steve Campbell seconded the motion.
Mr. Tom Staley
noted that under soft capital allocations, line item number 625, it shows a 5,240%
increase under the heading of administration and wanted to point out that the
allocation is also for information technology, not just for administration
alone.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy
Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and
President Joan Fleming voted aye. The
motion carried 5-0.
Mrs. Renee
Raskin noted that she would need to revise this budget by adding the all day
kindergarten funding and the new TEI in August.
Mr.
CONSIDER
APPROVING A REQUEST FOR A NEW SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FOR THE AUTISM PROGRAM
IN
Mrs. Dee Navarro moved that the
Governing Board approve the request
for a new Special Education teacher for the Autism Program in
Mr. Tom Staley
asked, is this separate from what’s on the personnel report? Dr. Chris Reynolds responded, it’s a request
for a new position. Mr. Staley asked,
what would be the cost? Dr. Reynolds
responded, around $40,000, which includes salary and benefits.
Mr. Staley
noted that between the year 2000 and 2006 there has been an increase of 283% in
this student population. Mrs. Nancy
Martinez noted that he was correct with that figure. Mr. Staley asked, and those new students will
be bringing in $74,000 to the district?
Mrs. Martinez responded, yes, next year, and we may have two more new
students coming into the program.
Mr.
Mrs.
Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr.
CONSIDER
APPROVING THE CURRENT PROCEDURE FOR THE REHIRING OF RETIRED
Mrs. Dee Navarro moved that the
Governing Board approve the current procedure for the rehiring of retired
school district employees. Mr.
Mr. Staley
noted that he was opposed to this procedure and asked if it was district
policy. Dr. Reynolds responded that it
was an extension of a current policy and believed that it was covered under
policy. He distributed a copy of Policy
GCQE – Retirement of Professional/Support Staff Members and brought the Board’s
attention to three highlighted items and noted that there was nothing in the
current policy about posting these positions.
Mr. Staley
stated that he felt the Board needed to expressly give authorization for this
procedure through policy, that it was not specifically worded in the policy and
that he did not believe the procedure was legal.
Mr. Staley
read the following statement:
I
am not trying to comment on the very high quality of past and or future retirees
who have and wish to return to their classrooms after they retire. I know we have some of the best teachers to
be found working in our district. I am
seeking to create district policy, which I believe does not exist, that allows
our district to continue to obtain the very best teacher for every one of our
students.
And
to obtain the very best teachers, we need to open each and every teaching
position to the open application process we now have for every other new
position or existing position that becomes available. It is in the best interests of our students
to do so. We are obligated legally and
morally to do just that. Everyone wants
the best education for our students that is available in the open market. And we do not know what is available for any
given teaching position unless we investigate what is available in the open
market.
The
current procedure is not district policy and no matter how long or consistently
the procedure has been carried on, I do not feel it is in the best interest of
our students to carry this procedure forward.
Mr. Staley
noted that we can’t know if we have the best possible teacher unless we go to
the open market and he didn’t believe the district was doing their job by not
doing so. He also stated that he did not
see it as written policy, but as an interpretation from the administration.
He stated that
actions can only be taken when the Board expressly has given authority through
policy for that action and wanted to amend the motion.
I move that the Governing Board open
up each and every teaching position that becomes available to our existing open
application procedure and to further
clarify, that retirees are required to also go through the open application
procedure.
President
Fleming noted that it was a new motion, rather than an amendment, and asked for
discussion.
Mr. Staley
requested that the Board should consider tabling this item in order to read the
policy more closely.
Mr.
Mrs. Dee
Navarro stated that she concurred with Mr. Campbell and felt it was an
injustice to the principals and superintendent to not trust them in these
matters.
Dr. Andy
Newton stated that you have a hard time knowing how a person will perform when
you hire them and that he also had trust in the principals in hiring staff and
to know whether a position needs a new hire or not.
Mr. John Vanuk
noted that when a new teacher is hired they are really inefficient for the
first month or so because students are testing them. He noted that with a retired teacher coming
back, that doesn’t happen.
President
Fleming noted that a principal does not necessarily offer this opportunity to
every retiree and that her concern was that if a principal knows they want a
certain teacher back, it would be a sham to open up the position.
Mr. Staley
stated that if a principal has already made up his mind, then he’s not being objective,
which is one of the very reasons we should open this up and to not do so
smacked of nepotism. He stated that
competition breeds efficiency and pointed out that one of our most recent
problems was from allowing a retiree to return and wasn’t in the best interests
of the students.
President
Fleming stated that she had infinite trust and faith in our
administrators. She asked, how many
positions still need to be filled? Dr.
Reynolds responded, about eight.
Mrs. Dee
Navarro called for the question.
President Fleming noted that a call for the question would require a
two-thirds vote by the Board (4 votes) and would end the discussion and require
a vote. She called for a vote on the
call for the question.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy Newton
voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted nay, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and
President Fleming voted aye. The motion
carried 4-1.
President
Fleming called for the vote on the original motion.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy
Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted nay, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and
President Fleming voted aye. The motion
carried 4-1.
CONSIDER
APPROVING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH
Mrs. Dee Navarro moved that the
Governing Board approve the Intergovernmental Agreement with
Mr. Kapp
reminded the Board that last year Dr. Ron Minnich from
Dr. Newton
asked, there are no additional fees like with AP classes? Mr. Kapp responded, no.
Mr. Campbell
asked, what about dual credit classes – are those still being offered? Mr. Kapp responded, yes, that is where the
student pays to take a college class to meet a high school credit and added
that the high school must approve the class for dual credit.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy
Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and
President Fleming voted aye. The motion
carried 5-0.
CONSIDER
APPROVING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AS PART OF THE
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the
Governing Board approve the Intergovernmental
Agreement with the Arizona Department of Education as part of the Reading First
Program. Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the
motion.
Mr. Campbell
asked, the first year we will be paying the teacher? Dr. Reynolds responded, we will continue paying
the teacher for three years with ADOE money and that the teacher would be
working throughout
Mr. Campbell
asked, do the payments to the teacher total her entire salary that we would
normally pay her? Dr. Reynolds
responded, yes, her salary would include 301 monies, gaming money, any raises
or steps that our teachers would receive during that three year period, as well
as a 6% buffer.
President
Fleming noted that the district would have to hire a replacement teacher for
that three year period.
Mr. Staley
noted that for those three years the district would lose her expertise. Dr. Reynolds noted that since she would be
working in
Mr. Staley
stated that he was concerned about taking an experienced teacher away from our
students.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy
Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted nay, Mr.
CONSIDER THE
APPROVAL OF CERTIFIED AND CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL ACTIONS AS REQUESTED
Certified Employment: Becky
Brown and Virginia Elley.
Certified Resignations:
None.
Classified Employment:
Frank (Ted) Schleicher.
Classified Resignations:
None
New Volunteers:
None
Funding and status for the above as
designated in the Personnel Report supplied in Board Briefing #306.
Five
hundred dollars from Good Gun Foundation, Bryan and Angela Tucker, to the
One
hundred twelve dollars and fifty cents from Mr. Dan Toth to the
Sixty
seven dollars and fifty cents from Prescott High School Band Booster, to the
An
Apple computer from Mr. Wayne Sisson, to
One
thousand dollars from Wal-Mart to
Eighty
dollars for Roz Ashby to
Twenty
dollars and miscellaneous used books from Kathryn Reisdorfer of
Two
thousand two hundred ninety-six dollars and twenty-nine cents from PMHMS PTSA
for library tables at
Three
prom dresses valued at $120 from Bree Hinkel to the Fine Arts Department at
A
climbing wall valued at $400 from Ms. Laura Bloomenstein to Discovery Gardens
Preschool.
One
hundred and fifty dollars from Mr. and Mrs. Steve Gallo to
Fifteen
thousand dollars from Prescott Rotary to the Frontier Reading Program.
A
guitar valued at $100 from Brigie Dickinson.
Seven
hundred and fifty dollars from Brian Nelson Builders, Inc. for Tina Corbett’s
class at
A
computer valued at $300 from Mr. and Mrs. Boris Calienes, to
A
computer, monitor, printer, speakers and scanner valued at $500 from Len and
Nancy Hines.
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 MAY 2006
CONSIDER
APPROVING THE PREVIOUS MINUTES FROM THE GOVERNING BOARD STUDY SESSION OF JUNE
6, 2006, THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND VOTING SESSION OF JUNE 20, 2006, AND THE
SPECIAL STUDY AND VOTING SESSION OF JUNE 27, 3006
Dr. Andy Newton moved that the
Governing Board meeting be adjourned.
Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the motion.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Dr. Andy
Newton voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and
President Joan Fleming voted aye. The
motion carried 5-0.
Hearing no
objection, President Fleming adjourned the meeting at 6:40 p.m.
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