PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1
146 South Granite Street
Prescott, Arizona 86303
December 6, 2005
Minutes of the Governing Board Study and Voting
Session of
December 6, 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. Tom Staley
Mr. Steve Campbell
Dr. Joan Fleming was present via telephone conference
call
Also Present:
Mr. Kevin Kapp, Superintendent
Dr. Chris Reynolds, Assistant Superintendent
Mrs. Renee Raskin, Director of Business Services
Mrs. Janice Snyder, Acting Assistant to the Governing
Board
Others Present:
Barbara Van Fossen
Susan Friedman
Jay Collier
Zach Friedman
Jim Williams
Linda Bedard
Greg Schultz Jack
Ragen
Robbie Schultz Monica
Irwin
Nancy
Martinez Steve Irwin
Dorrean Walker Susan
Clark
Ken Jackson
Giorgio Rey
Len Johnson
Portia Rey
Nannette Oatley David
VanNess
David Martin
Donna Norris
Larry Siegler
Brian Moore
Mary Siegler
Kellie Shanahan
Susi Peeples
CALL TO ORDER
President Andy Newton called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
OPENING
CEREMONY AND WELCOME
President Newton led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and welcomed
everyone and thanked them for attending.
APPROVAL OF
AGENDA
President Newton asked Mr. Kevin Kapp if the agenda was in order. Mr. Kapp
stated that the agenda was in order, but suggested that items 4 and 5 be
switched, which would be a more logical order.
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing Board approve the agenda as
amended. Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the motion.
Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr. Tom Staley voted aye, Dr. Joan Fleming
voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and President Newton voted aye.
The motion carried 5-0.
PRESENTATIONS
None
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Mr. Kevin Kapp distributed the monthly list of district calendar events.
He welcomed back Joseph, the camera man, who brought donuts for the board.
Mr. Kapp distributed tally sheets which determine eligibility for Arizona
School Board’s Cactus Pin awards for Board members at next week’s
conference. He also distributed the November enrollment report. He stated
that enrollment was up overall 130 students.
Mr. Kapp announced that the possible Skyview merger with PUSD had been put
on hold at least for this year, due to Skyview feeling they would be
giving up things that make up their identity. He stated we will partner
with Skyview because of our new expeditionary learning high school.
OPEN CALL TO THE PUBLIC
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing Board recess the
regular meeting in order to hold an Open Call to the Public. Mrs. Navarro
seconded the motion.
Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr.
Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and President
Newton voted aye. The motion carried 5-0.
The following parents, students and community members spoke to the Board
in support of the Prescott High School tennis courts renewal project:
Kevin Lane, Steve Lewis, Nannette Oatley, Larry Siegler, Monica Irwin,
Steve Irwin, Nate Irwin, Susan Friedman, Chris Howard, Ken Jackson and
Layton Howard.
Mr. Kapp stated that there have been meetings with the City of Prescott
regarding getting the tennis courts back into shape. He asked Mr. Arn
Lavington to update everyone on what Western Technology had done so far.
Mr. Lavington reported that he, Wayne Howell, Bill White and Jay Collier
met briefly with Western Technology on December 5th. It was
decided that Western Technology will come back with a proposal, which will
evaluate the condition of the soil underneath the tennis courts to
determine what needs to be done. Mr. Kapp stated we can do preliminary
things and make decisions later as to what materials to use for the
renewal project.
Mrs. Navarro thanked the people for showing support of the tennis courts.
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing Board recess the
regular meeting to hold a public hearing to discuss the 2005-2006 Revised
Expenditure Budget. Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the motion.
Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr.
Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and President
Newton voted aye. The motion carried 5-0.
No one had signed up to speak at the Public Hearing regarding the
2005-2006 Revised Expenditure Budget.
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing Board return to
the regular public meeting. Mrs. Dee Navarro seconded the motion.
Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr.
Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and President
Newton voted aye. The motion carried 5-0.
STUDY AND VOTING SESSION:
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A
REVISED EXPENDITURE BUDGET FOR 2005-06
Mr. Steve Campbell moved that the Governing board approve the
Revised Expenditure Budget for the 2005-2006 school year. Mr. Tom
Staley seconded the motion.
President Newton asked if this was an adjustment to the budget. Mrs.
Renee Raskin affirmed that it was. She explained that the State advises
the District to advise the Board that our numbers have to be revised.
President Newton called for the vote.
Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr.
Tom Staley voted aye, Mr. Steve Campbell voted aye, and President
Newton voted aye. The motion carried 5-0.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
PROPOSAL FOR AN R.O.T.C. PROGRAM AT PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Steve
Campbell moved that the Governing Board approve an R.O.T.C. program at
Prescott High School. Mr. Tom Staley seconded the motion.
President Newton asked if
this was to be a new department within Prescott High School, who would
oversee this department and evaluate the instructors since they are not
PHS personnel. Mrs. Totsy McCraley approached the Board and gave an
overview of the R.O.T.C. program. She introduced Captain Neidecker from
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, who gave his perspective on the
Junior R.O.T.C. program. He then introduced two cadets from the program
who each explained their experiences within the program.
Mrs. McCraley then
introduced Dr. Susan Fahrni, assistant principal at Prescott High School,
to further describe how the program would work at PHS. Mr. Bill DeKemper
introduced himself, stating he was in charge of the J.R.O.T.C. program at
Peoria High School. He offered to answer any questions of the Board.
Mr. Campbell asked what
the two teachers do all day. Dr. Fahrni explained the teachers’ role in
the program. Mr. DeKemper added that one of the teachers instructs, while
the other one has administrative duties. He explained that R.O.T.C. has
its own curriculum just like P.E. has its own curriculum.
(Mr. Campbell left the
meeting at 6:45 p.m.)
President Newton asked
how many class levels we will offer the program. Mrs. McCraley said we
will offer it to all grade levels and that we are required to have ten
percent of our school population in the program. It was stated that this
program is an elective course.
President Newton asked
who chooses the instructors. Mrs. McCraley stated that PHS does. She said
they would be employees of the district.
Mr. Staley asked if an
interest survey had been given for the program. Mrs. McCraley said that
will be done if the program is approved.
President Newton asked if
students outside the district can take the R.O.T.C. course. Mrs. McCraley
stated we can do that, similar to the school’s CTE program. Students
provide their own transportation. She stated we can also have open
enrollment students, creating an additional draw for new students.
President Newton asked if
the District would be responsible for the two teachers’ benefits. Mr.
DeKemper stated that it would be.
Mrs. Navarro asked if the
District is responsible to pay for the program’s field trips. Mr.
DeKemper stated that typically the field trip funds come from two
resources – the Air Force and student fundraisers.
Mr. Staley asked if the
J.R.O.T.C. had in its paperwork the standard where the student would have
to keep up their GPA. Mr. DeKemper said that is determined by the local
district. He stated that, typically, students who are struggling
academically will self-eliminate from the program.
President Newton asked
what department the supervision of the instructors would fall under. Mrs.
McCraley stated it would be a new department.
Mr. Staley said he sees
this as a positive addition to the Character Counts program. He asked if
we choose not to accept the program, can we pass it to another school
district. Mrs. McCraley stated if we do not accept, there will never be
another J.R.O.T.C. program offered in this area. If we accept it but
choose not to host it, we can pass it to Humboldt who would be very eager
to take it.
Mrs. Navarro asked Mr.
Kapp if he had any creative sources for funding the teachers. Mr. Kapp
responded that we would build it into next year’s budget.
Mrs. McCraley stated if
we accept the program, Embry Riddle will help recruit students at the
District’s school fair in February.
Mr. David Martin asked if
the hired individuals would be required to be certified by the State of
Arizona.
Mr. DeKemper stated they are certified by the State, however, it is for
J.R.O.T.C., which is a different process. Mr. Martin asked if the teachers
would come in on the new teacher salary schedule. Mr. Kapp stated they
would most likely be placed on a certified auxiliary schedule.
Dr. Fleming said she was
thrilled and excited to have this opportunity.
President Newton called
for the vote.
Dr. Joan Fleming voted aye, Mrs. Dee Navarro voted aye, Mr.
Tom Staley voted aye, and President Newton voted aye. The motion
carried 4-0.
CONSIDER APPROVING A NAME
FOR THE EXPEDITIONARY LEARNING OUTWARD BOUND HIGH SCHOOL
Mrs. Abbie Roses and Mr.
David DenHartog explained the committee process for selecting names for
the new expeditionary learning high school. President Newton stated he
liked the top name of
Northpoint
Expeditionary
Learning Academy. After much discussion regarding the name choices,
Governing Board members ultimately asked Mrs. Roses to bring the entire
list of names to them for further consideration.
CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION TO NEGOTIATE SERVICES FOR PRELIMINARY
ARCHITECTURAL ESTIMATE FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 937 RUTH STREET
Mr. Arn Lavington
introduced architect Mr. Mike Taylor, who explained how he had gone
through the building with Mr. Lavington and noted improvements that needed
to be made to bring it up to code and standard. Mr. Staley asked Mr.
Taylor’s professional opinion for a ballpark cost range for the
improvements. With hesitation, Mr. Taylor stated a bare minimum of
$200,000. He stated the building was not up to code in many areas and had
not been well maintained, but that it was a sound structure with good
property. Mr. Taylor said any older building is going to have these same
issues.
Mr. Staley asked Mr.
Lavington if APS would do the same energy saving improvements on this
building. Mr. Lavington said they would. Mr. Staley stated that if this
property was not leased by the District, where would we go with this new
program. It is a good property, it is close to the high school, and there
are a lot of really good reasons to lease this property. He asked how we
get a better idea of the cost of the project. Mr. Taylor recommended going
back to the City Planning and Zoning to discuss specifics of the project
and what we plan to do. We would then do a more thorough code check, ADA
check and zoning check and assign costs to each of these things. He
stated the time frame would be three weeks to accomplish this; the cost
would be about $3,800 for these services and an additional $1,000 for a
more thorough investigation of the plumbing. Mr. Kapp stated that we could
call a special Board meeting if we need to delay the vote. Mr. Taylor said
he would be able to contact the City before the next Board meeting to get
more feedback and arrive at a somewhat closer estimate of the
improvements.
CONSIDER APPROVING A
LEASE BETWEEN PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND BILL AND SHARY
FELDMEIER FOR THE LEASING OF THE FELDMEIER’S PROPERTY LOCATED AT 937 RUTH
STREET TO HOST PRESCOTT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S NEW EXPEDITIONARY
LEARNING OUTWARD BOUND HIGH SCHOOL
Mr. Kapp suggested that
this had been discussed under the previous agenda item.
Mr. Jack Wilson,
Prescott
commercial property owner, addressed the Board with his experience
regarding the cost of improvements to a commercial building.
CONSIDER APPROVING AN
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT BETWEEN YAVAPAI COLLEGE
AND PRESCOTT UNFIIED SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE 2005-06 SCHOOL YEAR
Mr. Kapp introduced Dr.
Ron Minnich, from Yavapai College, who spoke to the Board regarding dual
enrollment classes. He presented the program and its advantages. Mr.
Minnich answered questions from the Board.
CONSIDER APPROVING A 5%
INCREASE TO SCHOOL BOARD POLICY KF-EB COMMUNITY USE OF SCHOOL
FACILITIES
Mrs. Raskin stated the
District must come to the Board to implement an increase. Mr. Staley
suggested removing Category 1 from the Schedule of Charges, since it is
for non-profit activities. He said he doesn’t feel right about charging
groups such as PTA and Girl Scouts. Mrs. Raskin stated that it is up to
the discretion of the principals whether these groups are charged and they
do not charge them. She stated there are other non-profit groups renting
who should be charged, so to remove the Category would also eliminate
charging these groups. Mrs. Raskin said she would look into running a
report showing all the non-profits who rent from us.
CONSIDER APPROVING AN
OUT-OF-STATE TRIP FOR MRS. DEE NAVARRO TO ATTEND THE NSBA FEDERAL
RELATIONS NETWORK CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON DC, FEBRUARY 5-7, 2006, AS AN
ASBA DELEGATE
Mr. Kapp explained that
Mrs. Navarro would like to attend the conference on national education
legislative efforts. Dr. Fleming has attended it for the past six years.
ASBA would pay all the registration costs and the District would be
responsible to pay for travel expenses.
CONSIDER APPROVING THE
RESIGNATION AND RELEASE OF MR. FRED PITMAN, PHYSICS TEACHER AT PRESCOTT
HIGH SCHOOL, FROM HIS 2005-2006 TEACHING CONTRACT WITH
PRESCOTT
UNIFIED
Dr. Reynolds stated that
Mr. Pitman was asking for a release due to personal reasons and that
Principal McCraley supported the request.
Mr. Staley asked if we
have been sending exit surveys to these people who are leaving. Dr.
Reynolds stated it had been finalized and the labels and envelopes were
now being printed. They will start mailing them after the first of the
year. After that, the survey will go with the employee’s last paycheck.
APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT
AGENDA
Mr. Tom Staley wanted to make sure the Board recognized the generous
donations of all the persons listed, especially Mr. Jeff Spohn who had
given so much of his time to prune dead tree limbs from Miller Valley
School. Mr. Kapp stated the Board recognized Mr. Spohn at a previous
meeting. Mr. Kapp agreed that Mr. Spohn had put in a lot of time to the
project and thanked Mr. Staley for recognizing each of the donors.
ADJOURNMENT
Hearing no objection, President Newton adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m.
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