BEA notes BCSD 12-18-17

I. Call to Order – Welcome 7:00 p.m.

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Adoption of Agenda- moved by hatteberg and 2nded by Bross- passed unanimously

IV. Public Comments

The Board encourages citizens to attend its meetings. Citizens have this opportunity

to comment on issues and concerns (Policy 210.9 & 213)---

None.

V. Consent Agenda

2. Minutes, Bills, Human Resources Report, and Gifts-

Moved for approval by Kendell, 2nded by Hatteberg.

Robberts thanked all for gifts- over 114k in gifts this year.

Passed unanimously.

VI. District Positive Accomplishments- BHS Play-Drama Dept.- Mr. Moffitt and Ms. Gobble- Matt and Emma - Matt started as drama coordinator- knew Emma would be a good fit- Matt pulled back during the year. Drama had first musical in 5 years- went stunningly well- Mr. Flaherty wanted to get it going.

Drama started auditions sept 12 and 14- call backs the 18th- 6-8 pm rehearsals. Rehearsals started at BHS, then went to Ed Stone which was where performances would take place. Drama dept got parent support- parents built the set- huge support from parents. Sept 25-late Oct- Oct 30-Nov 3- 6-930 rehearsals- parent volunteers provided food. Art club also helped. Performers- 45 auditioned, 30-35 involved in final show. 2 performances- went really well. Thanks to board for support.

Planning a spring play in April- announcing play selection right after Xmas break- musical selection for next fall at Maury Wright concert.

Drama had phenomenal help from admin and custodians of all buildings. Moffitt would like drama to thrive. Moffitt would like a paid position for Gobble and Flaherty’s roles- Moffitt would be like a technical director. Would be nice to have in place so wouldn’t have to rely on volunteers. Show went really well. Would like the program to keep growing. Would like to add another show and increase ticket price. Need to advertise and market better, and fundraise- more solidity would help with that. This year was very good- would like next year to be better.

Gobble- was able to incorporate a lot of elementary students- lit a fire in them to build the program. Exciting that younger kids could be involved. A lot of great feedback from the public. Hope we can give them something to talk about.

Bross- is there room to store props- Moffitt- trying to find that. Bross- thank you for initiative. Kendell- thrilled to see it come back. Very enjoyable. Large cast and crew. Everyone did well. Better sound would be better. (A student ran the sound). Solid start excited to see and hear the future.

Gobble- did an elem school tour. Kids were excited.

Kendell- very good start- board will try to help.

Robberts- excellent example of mission statement.

Coen- show choir- we don’t have it and should.

Moffitt- Flaherty is receptive to changes.

Coen- singing and dancing was not a far cry from show choir.

Hatteberg- something i didn’t catch.

VII. Student Representative Report- Matt Rowland- went to concert last night. Really good- impressed by band and orchestra. Great to see them. Tomorrow night basketball game at Clinton- they haven’t won. Hoping boys will win. Doubleheader with girls.

Also a game Friday- ugly sweater themed Friday night. Kennel will be packed. Bowling meet coming up- 5 pm Thursday. Angel Tree- ton of presents came in. Great to see HS supporting community. Jan 4- swim team- Jace race. Swim member who passed away- would be nice to have a big presence in support of him.

Robberts- a lot going on, wish all teams best of luck.

VIII. Superintendent’s Report- Coen- busiest weeks of year- holiday season- non stop action. SE IA regional orchestra- so fortunate to have them here. Don’t forget fine arts. Planning for next school year- majority of conversations are in cabinet- more will be coming. GRMC meeting- lots of positives coming out of burlington. 100 jobs at Case. Met with board pres and vice president- copy of last year’s early retirement documents- to refamiliarize with it. Courtney wasn’t on board last year so needs to be brought up to speed.

Kendell- request- future planning discussions w cabinet- keep board and public informed- so whispers in community don’t come out. Lots of anxiety in community about things discussed so far.

Coen- good point duly noted.

Dentlinger- Greg and Sharon- facilities long range plan- don’t have academic long range plan. Will have a planning session- initial discussion about long range planning. If there’s no clear discussion about what we want to happen. More we can plan for changes the better. For not only this year, but 5 years down the road. Jan 19? Not sure i got the right date.

Robberts- one of the items is future work sessions- things that we publish for community and public input. Board has time to get community feedback.

Coen- 75% goes to wages and benefits- paying people who work here- it’s all based on enrollment. Enrollment drives everything. SBRC system determines against running negative cash. It's not a mystery.

XIV. Items for Discussion

3. PE Waiver Application- renewal of exemption from last year. State asks what program will be. Exemption we had last year we just renew it. The state requires PE classes for grad requirements- we offer it all 3 trimesters but they don’t have to take it. This allows students to not take PE all year.

Hatteberg- they are required to take 1 tri?

Coen- a lot knock it out during summer school.

Bross moved, Kendell 2nded. Passed unanimously.

4. Board Policy 404.6 2nd Reading- Tabor asked for board approval. Updating language. Robberts- job descriptions are sent out.

Moved by hatteberg, 2nded by Bross.

Vickstrom- what need?

Tabor- wants people to be able to return to work physically.

Vickstrom- is this separated by position?

Tabor- it would be costly to look at.  Most safe environment for everyone.

Vickstrom- do we have it broken down now?

Tabor- no, it’s just by teachers.

Robberts- is the exception by superintendent or hr director still in there.

Tabor- yes- there’s a lot of variation that can come into play.

Vickstrom- who’s the arbitor if there’s a disagreement

Coen- we don’t want to put the school at risk. Sigorney teacher only has 1 arm. Still teaches.

We have identified members of LMC set- some of the things we will have to talk about are these types of things.

Vickstrom- if person disagrees- where do they go?

Coen- district court

Robberts- licensed physician

Coen- we can’t over ride a dr- if a dr says they’re coming back to work, they’re coming back to work.

Passed unanimously.

5. OCR Policy Draft- amend to Online Content and functionality- don’t know where it will go (Tabor)- lawyers looking at place where it should go.

Robberts- we had to enter an agreement that our website was not in compliance with fed law. Didn’t want to face sanctions. Admin agency was making sure we were in compliance. Keeps us from getting fined.

Office of Civil rights has approved policy.

Bross- this requires a 2nd reading too? Tabor- yes

Vickstrom moved, Hatteberg 2nded.

Bross- hired a company to monitor our website to make sure compliant.

Tabor- first audit due by March 1st. District is going to improve communication.

Robberts- will this have a number soon? Tabor- yes

Passed unanimously

6. Early Retirement- Reynolds and Tabor- Reynolds- asking board to approve a policy similar to last year’s. In order to keep management levee consistent, want in line with what we’ve spent in previous years. Would pay out over 2 years. 10 staff members- to keep managment levy with last years. Cap of 10 fair- looking at last 3 years. About the average number we are getting anyway.

Robberts- why is it necessary to put a number on the cap- you can do money instead- trying to manage turnover with staff.

Not knowing who is going to go you could just do money.

Reynolds- 10 is to manage turnover.

Robberts- didn’t was start with 10 last year, went up to 12.

Greg- felt we could take 12. We don’t know until we get applications.

Robberts- does it then come back before the board?

Reynolds- absolutely. Let’s see what we get for applicants. We would absolutely do the same thing this year.

Management levy is a separate pot of money- not general fund- replacing a more expensive staff member with a less expensive staff member.

If we were to dip in to reserves, would that be more general fund? Does that defeat the purpose? Reynolds- we pay out of management- could we use general fund- yes- always need to protect general fund best we can. We could have a 3 mil cut to general fund very easily. Good possibility we will be dipping into general fund. We may recommend to use general fund to smooth the transition.

$1 per thousand tax increase is a possiblity- we are going to be trying to manage levy as best we can.

Robberts- is the number as close as we can get to not increasing management fund levy.

Kendell- dollars versus numbers- don’t see difference. It’s all seniority based? Yes.

Kendell- if we do have someone who retires at 68k, we might not need to replace that person at all. That’s a good thing for the district. But if it’s a hard to fill spot- special ed teacher hired over 50k- can prevent savings.

Reynolds- based on average numbers.

Robberts- don’t want to adopt a motion that will prevent someone from turning in. If there’s more savings to have don’t want to prevent.

Hatteberg- use dollar amount.

Tabor- wide range of people eligible. Number could fluctuate.

Hatteberg- we’re talking teaching staff only?

Coen- we are facing a teacher shortage in the state of iowa. We are going to struggle to fill the positions. Board has to decide quickly so we can hire at job fairs.

Kendell- meet again jan 8 to finalize

Hatteberg-

Tabor- wants people to turn in Jan 3

Hatteberg moved- 242,500 for early retirement- 121,250 per year for 2 years

Will come back to board jan 8.

Bross- 2nded

Passed unanimously.

7. Rand Trust Nominee/Appointment- Coen- trust for author visits to community. Brought in professor from illinois. Local church gets a nominee, and the district gets to nominate one. Meet twice a year to discuss programming- not very time intensive. Coen- outstanding organization. Does the board know of anyone interested? Hatteberg volunteered.

Passed unanimously.

8. Summer School Speaker-Trevor Ragan Agreement- Dentlinger- contract- speaker spends 50% of time- train ugly website- works with corporations and major league teams. Growth mindset- sharon has seen him speak- he relates to a lot of people. District wants to use him for ms summer school. HS and Shay want to have him visit. Athletic fitness camp. 3 days. 2 extra days for cost of hotel. Comes out of at risk, professional development- doesn’t come out of general fund. Categorical fund that doesn’t come from elsewhere.

June 11-13.

TL one night, coaches,

Bross moved, Hatteberg 2nded. $7,000.

Passed unanimously.

9. Trimester Updates Information only- Keane- gave board a packet they can look at. Board will be updated each term. Attendance data- up 1.49% from last year. Diff number of kids- but stats don’t change that much. Sig improvment. Over 90% for term. Addressed some of attendance issues and hallway monitors and shipp. 9th grade grade distribution- more opportunities to earn grades in semesters- down significantly in D’s and F’s- increased in A’s.  has to do with hard work by 9th grade team- reduction in D’s in core classes. Overall failures have been reduced in total and in just core area. Hard work by teachers to reduce F’s. cant attribute all to trimesters. Teachers are provided a collaboration period- contract with eduplanet- 12 of 84 have completed understanding by design- 20 in the process- lots of positive feedback from staff. Improvements in curriculum- UbD’s- transfer goals. 9th grade initiative possible because of tri’s- come up with expectations and executive functions. Spent a lot of time aligning curriculum. Started to engage in authentic intellectual work-

Feedback from co-workers on instruction. Risky. Like Keane does (he said). Also have increased parent contacts.

Allowed for transitioning to hs course. Teachers gave a survey- it scored well.

Discipline referrals- keane hasn’t run that data- doesn’t seem like it’s been changed. Drawbacks- less time, but longer periods. Fewer opportunities for ind practice. Some teachers are teaching sem 1 and sem 2 during trimesters. Gaps during 3 trimesters- teachers have done a nice job of prioritizing learning objectives. Shifted some courses away from jeopardy type courses to skills. Some teachers have done collaborative work- ruehs and johnson are seeing changing gears during class periods. Role of homework- more guided practice-

Teachers can make immediate revisions- 9th grade group can adjust by 2nd trimester.

Students can keep same teacher- might have to change an elective to make that work. Pushed math and modern languages at 9th and 10th grade levels. Forced students to take consecutively. Students like having 1 fewer clas. Teachers, too. Skills activity focus classes- ind tech benefits from it. Eligibility issue- shay and chavers- coincides with seasons. Gives them another chance for eligibility. Students are happy with increased electives. Arts teachers are happy offerings expanded.

Some classes are 3 terms- honors levels. Students have more class time than they did before.

Negs- french over polycom. Thinned out ranks a little bit. Alignment w semesters- for schools that send students to us for project lead the way. Increase in preps for a few of our teachers. 2nd trimester is when that hit. Had an overall increase in SCC course credits.

Fewer F’s, but haven’t had standardized tests. Some teachers weren’t able to fit curriculum.

Grad rate- several demographics will hopefully be addressed.

Grad requirement changes. Keane would like a financial literacy requirement.

Robberts-

Uptick in SCC credits- how does that impact budget

Med terms class- weighted dollars- made money on that class.

Other classes we don’t.

Bross- we will know later.

Will increase our costs- we lose money on the book.

Vickstrom- how has this impacted students taking SCC courses. Not really.

Hatteberg- what will be done to catch kids up that missed curriculum in core course- those weren’t classes where content was missed

Keane- as a teacher, didn’t always get through same amount from group to group

Coen- curriculum map- Dentlinger’s map is more open- drives where it fits in

Kendell appreciates report. Encouraged. Looks positive. Concerned because of scheduling issues at beginning of year. Concerned about students changing teachers- knows it’s an upper class versus lower class. Good things happening- things to tweak.

10. Future Work Sessions- Coen- close to january- new year- close to 3 board meetings a month. Lots going on. Maybe allow board flexibilty by having a work session spring, summer, and fall- look at long term planning. Gives board more opportunity to select options. Might need more board- 5-6 building 7-8 building- better prep them for high school. Not saying we’re doing that- but purely for discussion of work sessions.

Robberts- january meeting- lots of community concern. Would like one in january- lots of stuff financially

Wants to let public know where the board is. Need time for public hearings- Budget cuts in an hour?

Better board members if on same page. Info at jan 8 meeting- jan 8 and 22nd- work session on a meeting night other than monday

Want to convey direness of finances- panic- hatteberg not avail on wednesday nights- other mondays in january- one in jan and one in march and over the summer

X. Board Communications

The members will have the opportunity to share items and events.

Kendell- awesome swim team reaching out for lost teammate. Concert fantastic and break. HS has to work on Friday

Bross- decisions will seem odd and irrational- have to spend money in different ways- if we have to close a school, we might have to build at same time- we might cut teachers- we have to follow rules and do what we’re told to do. Going to get a lot of input from public.

Hatteberg- community gifts- tremendous support from community- fantastic staff and students- need public input and support

Vickstrom- merry xmas and safe new year

Robberts- thank you to Coen- for musical and drama dept- have a lot of great parents and staff in district. Public input- we appreciate input, Robberts- 4 to 5 emailing- lots more concern than that- some of them have generated questions- anonymous letter concerns- challenging for her to respond to that. Robberts wants to know who is writing. Encourage those writing to sign their letters. Encourages public to be part of work sessions and get information.

XI. Adjournment

XII. Exempt Session-Negotiations

POV 2

Agenda

Public Comments- none

Consent agenda- approved

Received 144,000 dollars in gifts from July to now

Drama club- middle school play- Emma Gobble and Matt Moffitt

• Very pleased with the musical and excited about how the play came out
• 1st musical in five years- Mr. Flaherty started and Moffitt and Gobble took it on
• Sept- auditions and call backs, practices twice a week started at end of Sept
• Practices were at BHS and then moved to Ed Stone where the musical would be
• Parent meeting was held and parent support was phenomenal- parent offered to build the set, provide meals, help with the musical
• Students in Art Club and other students
• 45 students audition; 30-35 students including elementary were in musical
• November 4 & 5- musical
• Spring play planned in April
• Play selection will be announced after break
• Planning another musical for next year
• Custodians, staff and board support was well appreciated
• Matt Moffitt would like to see the program thrive by adding a paid position to Emma and Tim’s roles
• Matt would like to be an extra person to help with getting sets ready ahead of time instead of relying on volunteers at the last minute
• Increase ticket prices and add a show for next year
• Better advertising and marketing to promote the shows
• Elementary parents were very excited to be part of the musical with their kids and also got excited that they were part of building the program
• Questions: Where are you storing your props? Darven Kendell was pleased to see the program come back- he also added that the sound needs to be better- excited to see how the program will do.
• Took the musical on elementary tour to show part of the musical to all of the elementary students.
• Coen- would like to see show choir come back and Moffitt and Gobble are supportive of that

Student Rep report

• Went to the BHS concert- enjoyed it
• B-ball game against Clinton tomorrow 12/19/17
• B-ball game on Friday 12/22/17
• Bowling meet on Thursday 12/21/17- King pins
• Giving tree- tons of presents donated by students
• Jace race- 1/4/18- Event to honor Jace on the swim team that died in vehicle accident- 6pm

Superintendent report

• Busy time of the year
• SEISO in our community
• 18/19/20 school year conversations
• Gregg and Coen met with
• Early retirement documents
• Going to and from schools, attending events,
• Request from Greg- keep board and public informed so that we don’t have a lot of anxiety and gossip throughout the community
• Sharon- extension of Coen’s report- created a long range plan for the district, invited administrators, initial discussions on long range planning, need clear communication, allow people to contribute. Meeting January 15 at high school.
• Robberts indicated that we need to publish work meetings in order to better get community feedback.
• 75% money goes to wages and school funding

PE Waiver

• Renewal of exemption from last year
• Required to teach pe for graduation
• We offer pe all 3 trimesters but you don’t have to take one all 3 trimesters
• How we move from semester to trimester
• Required to at least take 1 trimester pe class a year
• Approved

Jeremy Tabor

• Board’s approval for second reading for family medical leave- 404.6
• Individual’s ability to come back to their position after medical leave
• Do we have specific descriptions for each certified positions? No Ex: English teacher vs. industrial ed teacher
• We are willing to make exceptions case by case
• Who is the arbitrator when there is a dispute? Coen and Tabor
• Identified a labor management committee which is an advisory committee- Vickstrom
• Employees can go to district’s court and employees must come back with a doctor’s signature saying that employee is capable of returning to their position
• Approved

Jeremy Tabor

• Online Content Functionality- OCR Policy
• Determining where to put this policy in the handbook
• Enter an agreement bc our district is not in internet compliance to avoid fines and financial penalties
• Offices of rights has approved- still needs second reading and board approval
• Website monitoring, website auditing- due March 1, statement on website indicating accessibility and contact info and audit compliance
• Second reading in January with policy number and location in handbook
• Approval of first reading

Jeremy Tabor and Greg Reynolds

• Early retirement policy for this year
• Over 55
• Total payout would be split over 2 years- $242,500
• 10 staff members
• Questions:  Robberts: Why is there a cap and not a dollar amount cap?  Depends on who applies for retirement.
• Question: Robberts: Last year we started with 10 and went up to 12. Yes because we didn’t know exactly who applied.  Could we come back to this after people apply and see if we’re able to take more.
• Question: Funds come out of the management funds not the general funds so we pay retirees out of the management funds and replace that person with lower salaried person from the general funds.
• Question: What if we dip into cash reserves?
• Question:  Do you think we will be dipping into our cash reserves in the future? Yes based on our loss to open enrollment.
• Increase property tax
• Dollars vs numbers: How is early retirement determined? Seniority based
• If we have someone who retires that does not need to be replaced, woohoo
• However, if we have to replace someone that retires that is a specialized position, we won’t save that much
• 57 individuals that are eligible- teaching staff only
• Suggestion: Link it to dollar amount until we can further see who might apply
• We’re paying good teachers to leave but know there is a teacher shortage in Iowa- job fairs so we need to approve the early retirement plan soon
• Motion to get the process started: Notifications to staff tomorrow, responses back from staff on Jan. 3, approval on Jan. 8
• Motion to limit the dollar amount regardless of number of staff and then board will finalize from there with the recommended total tonight
• Motion approved

Coen- Rand trust appointment

• Trust available to bring authors, artists, etc. to the community and schools
• Structured that one church gets one nominee and school district gets a nominee
• Meet twice a year
• Proposals submitted with criteria- Hatterburg
• Approved

Sharon- Trevor Regan summer school agreement

• Trevor Regan works on website and athletics and growth mindset
• Wanting to have Trevor Regan come in to work with middle school summer school program
• Three days- giving us 2 extra days for the price of 1 day
• Funding is coming from multiple sources but not general funds
• Coming June 11-13- middle school summer school, athletic coaches, professional coaches
• $7,000 which covers the cost of Trevor Regan coming to speak to various members of the school district and hotel stay
• Contract written for 3 days but only being charged for 1 day
• Approved

Caine- trimester update

• Attendance is up 1.49% same number of days as last year at this time
• Over 90% at the high school
• Grades- down significantly in D’s and F’s in the 9th grade and up in A’s and B’s
• Overall failures substantially reduced
• Combination of trimester and staff effort
• Teachers at high school are provided collaboration period embedded into their day
• Staff participating in EduPlanet and UBD planning
• 9th grade initiative is possible bc of the trimester- collaboration time to for students to learn organization and time management skills
• Students engaging in peer review
• Teachers are engaging in peer review as well
• Trimester allows the transitions class seven habits
• ODR’s data not finalized yet
• Concerns- less overall time but longer class time- kids not engaged during longer class times; additional prep for teachers, students encountering new teachers every 12 weeks
• Teachers doing a good job prioritizing planning and clarifying standards
• Shifted away from content focus and moving towards skill building
• Teachers doing collaboration work and teachers changing practice to better meet the needs of their classes
• More guided practice
• Students have opportunity to stay with the same teacher for the next trimester but may have to give up an elective
• Pushed math and modern languages at the 9th and 10th grade levels- huge advantage of students taking them consecutively
• Skills activity focus learning is benefiting students
• Fine arts teachers have indicated that they enjoy the extra time during the classes in trimesters
• Easier for ineligible athletes to become eligible faster
• Students have provided positive feedback on trimesters
• More time is provided through trimesters in core areas
• Alignment issues
• Increase in preps for some teachers
• Increase in SCC credits earned
• How will this impact the overall achievement of students, curriculum, graduation rate, demographics?
• What do we need to increase graduation requirements?

Coen- future work sessions

• set spring, summer, and fall work sessions
• Give board more flexibility for cabinet meeting
• Work sessions to better discuss and provide more specific information to the community
• Puts school district and board in a better position to better communicate to the public
• Robberts: look at calendars and see if work session can be planned for January to take a look at any financial decisions that need to be made
• Work sessions would be separate meetings from regular board meetings
• January 8 and 22, 2018- regular board meetings
• Have Janet Johns email board members to set a work meeting for January 2018
• Have another work session in March, summer, fall- Robberts
• Wait to schedule when able to contact missing board members from tonight’s meeting

Board communications- board members

• Swim team reaching out to a lost teammate
• Concert fantastic
• Have a fantastic Christmas break
• Community gifts appreciated
• Continued community and staff support as we move forward
• Difficult decisions to be made
• Positive accomplishments with the renewing of drama program
• Winter sports support
• Public input; parental concerns, questions, anonymous letter concerns- challenging for board to address your concerns and follow up with you, encourage all concerns to have contact info so board is able to follow up and address concerns
• Public encouraged to be part of work sessions
• Thank you to the board for their hard work

Motion to adjourn 8:46 pm

December 2017 ISEA Sentinel

The December 2017 issue of ISEA's Sentinel can be read here.

BEA notes from 11-27-17 BCSD Board meeting

I. Call to Order – Welcome 7:00 p.m.

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Adoption of Agenda- moved kendell, 2nded by bross- passed unanimously

IV. Public Comments

The Board encourages citizens to attend its meetings. Citizens have this opportunity

to comment on issues and concerns (Policy 210.9 & 213)

- Robert Critser- Corse- consolidating schools. Wants more public discussion of the issue- Robberts- it will be on a future agenda- lots of parents that bought houses in certain areas so they could walk to school. PTOs involvement. Piece of the puzzle that Critser wants to discuss. Sure teachers are freaking out, too. Doesn’t want public left out of the discussion. Robberts- it will come up on a future agenda- Robberts- budget cuts- numerous things- No decision has been made.

Critser- maybe the paper isn’t helping in this instance- he wants to be involved. Thank you. Robberts- we do want public input

-Laura Blanchard- make sure people are aware of forum Thursday night about vouchers and ESA- Aldo Leopold- 7-830 Thursday night.

The district has been in the paper a lot in the last 10 days- cancellation of ch 20 work session- disappointing- appeared abrupt- decision made while board members were out of town. Board members gave different answers about why it was cancelled. The handbook is sufficient as a master contract. One member wasn’t present when decision was made. Many other districts kept language in contract- other educators in state are appalled by our district. 2nd- lowering teaching standards doesn’t work. Taking away Praxis- be a model- look at districts like Mediapolis-  some items are in handbook- Robberts doesn’t think they kept it. Teacher retention can start at local level. Concerned about district financial situation- solvency rates, district not allocating money in way that is best for district. Starting to become concerned as a parent who will start school in the district.

Mari Butler- ch 20 work session cancellation- iowans for public education was excited to have the meeting- hoping another work session will be set up- in a time when teachers can give their voice- Mt pleasant kept permissives in contract- they have a handbook as well. They’re better off than those of us in BCSD, according to Mari.

Phoebe McNeese- son in Kindergarten- would like to comment on chapter 20- disappointed that district disrespected teachers- don’t care about children, or their teachers- teachers are with her child 40 hours a week. Doesn’t like that teachers want to leave the district. Doesn’t want to change schools. Very upset about the idea of grade alike schools. 45 minutes bus ride earlier this year- might pull son if changes made.

Eric O’Brien- has a child that they plan to put through the district- teachers want permissive items in the contract. Lane changes frozen- grievance process- class sizes out of hand- mandatory recess- health and safety- use of reasonable force- need to put teachers up a little more- could send child elsewhere if district doesn’t change.

V. Consent Agenda

2. Minutes, Bills, Financial Reports, Human Resources Report, and Gifts- moved by Vickstrom, 2nded by Hatteberg. Passed unanimously, except brueck abstained.

VI. District Positive Accomplishments- Course changes- (Outdoor PE, etc.)- changes in hs pe- Huff and DeBower- Huff has to do all the talking. Changed due to trimesters, opened up to offering new classes. 9th graders take 9th grade pe, 10th graders take options. Hound power- weight training- light exercise (?), cross training class, sports specific classes such as wrestling, volleyball. Deceiving when talk about sports specific classes- it’s hound power with a sports emphasis. Lifetime skills class- frisbee golf, bags, tennis. Outdoor rec- kayaking, fishing, mtn biking, archery, frisbee golf, drone activity, rock wall climbing at hospital, outdoor cooking day. Lifeguarding course- coaching theory class- 4 classes through scc- 10 credits- intro to coaching, human growth and development- once students have completed, students can coach.

Coen- coaching class is big- can’t find ms and soccer coaches- trying to grow our own. 4 last year, 27 this year. Young people who want to teach- coaching starts your ipers. Lifeguard course leads to certification so they can work. Bross- does this meet coaching requirements.

Thank you both for your leadership.

VII. Student Representative Report- Matt Rowland- new trimester, new hours. Matt has to take 4 classes instead of 2. Lot of sports meets and games. Swim meet thursday night at 6, and wrestling in fairfield. BB double header friday- girls at 6, boys at 730. Then beach night dance. Wrestling invite 9 am sat morning. Swim meet in Davenport saturday as well.

VIII. Superintendent’s Report- Coen- hope everyone had a wonderful holiday- what could you and i do to improve the district- dean of ed at uni- agreed to help start a 2+2 program with SCC. employees gain licensure to teach. Short week- 2 days- parade- our bus won- bus barn entry won. Bad news- 10th street house- termites in sill plate. Iowa code- started mid year eval- cabinet meeting- shared doc so board members can see. Spent time with principals working through issues with parents and students.

Passed out communication protocol for supt advisory committee.

Attached to report copy of des moines register article- ed dept getting more time to research seclusion rooms- we do use them in our schools. School has to maintain a positive learning environment- students can be restrained and so forth. That may be changing. This could greatly impact how we handle disruptive students.

IASB conference discussed being down 170 students- what we can do. Realigning schools- let the public know we are thinking- resulted in article in hawkeye. No decisions have been made. Draft document work session sometime in december or january- what we want to do. Nothing happen until July 2019. Month community forums- public hearings, q and a sessions. April 2019 and May 2019- if any action taken would be june 2019. 6.8 classrooms that are now empty. Over last 26 years, averaged 77 kids per year. Work session up to the board, maybe january- work session to start talking about declining enrollment and how do we position district as best as we can.

Robberts- before we get into a work session- how do we trace the specific financial savings. Greg- can you put together numbers. Whole grade sharing doesn’t always make sense in savings. Tracing how that works- impact should any school close- really need hard numbers to see- we need to see numbers before we can make decisions.

Coen- board could run each elementary half empty. Do we do something of that nature. Load a school to capacity, or run all at 50.

Robberts- options in between. This isn’t coming until 2019. DDMP- round tables.

Vickstrom- when are we going to go through handbook. Coen has meeting with us Dec 4 at 4pm. Kendell- lunch table discussion at conference- gentlemen from Boston- we were talking during the lunch sessions.

Robberts- there wasn’t a quorum.

Kendell- doesn’t remember discussing corse plans.

Coen-

Kendell couldn’t find anything in cabinet notes about that topic.

Coen- would be important to note, cabinet will bring board all options.

Kendell- disheartening to see in paper

Coen- buster isn’t full time yet.

Vickstrom- are his classes being covered- roger is (not sure who is covering classes)

Coen- floor wasn’t torn up last time he was there. Might have been confederate termites (?)

XIV. Items for Discussion

3. Tim Oswald Information on Sales Tax Bonding Update- refinancing sales tax bonds. Review bonding capacity as extension of sales tax. Refinancing was on hold until Oswald can discuss bonding capacity. Do we want to continue with refinancing.

Oswald- 1 page attachment. We don’t think undertaking refinancing would impact ability to issue further debt. Analysts tested again- no impact on future capacity in a neg way. 3 options- option 1- do nothing. Fixed interest rates on bonds. Could go down, but won’t go up. 2nd and 3rd would be refinancing- either now or 2020. July 1 2020 is just an example. Tax expires 2029 in current form. All bonds pay off by then. No debt, no tax. If they extend the tax, what kind of capacity do we have. Could issue new debt in 2029. For example, if tax is extended, if enrollments hold, could issue 17.5 mil project in 2020 and 40 mil in 2029. If refinance debt, less capacity in 2020- 13.75 mil. More capacity in 2029- 50 million. Does that increase our debt service in option 2 (bross)- slightly more expensive yearly, but over time savings. Timing implication to when savings occur.

3rd option- wait until 2020- refinance all debt at that time. 46.5 million in that time. Least amount of money in absolute dolalrs is 3rd option. Most money in 2 years.

2nd option gives most real dollars, but it’s deferred to 12 years from now. Capacity over time is greater if refinance. If tax is extended, capacity is less 3 or 4 years from now.

Does the district have things we want to finance right now?

Robberts- all contending if tax is extended past 2029. Some support in house for extension, was support in senate last session. If there is some interest in the house- would rather know what they’re dealing with than pull the trigger today and wish they hadn’t.

Robberts- how much will numbers change if act in the spring?

Oswald- biggest 2 factors are duration- if 10 years instead of 20- if we issue debt 25 years- what are realistic trends of enrollment. Bond holders will want to look hard at revenue stream.

Robberts- this helps for 5 to 10 year plan, prob need to see you again in the spring.

Bross- option 3 question- typically we borrow 80 cents on the future dollar. Money talk lost me here.

Option 3 is least amount of cash flow yearly. In light of declining enrollment- solvency ratio- that doesn’t apply here since that’s general fund.

Hatteberg- need to wait, at least for this time.

Robberts- appreciates the update. Would like to see an agenda for the spring. Hatteberg- motion to table, 2nded by Bross. Passes unanimously.

4. Des Moines County Conference Board Appointment- Reynolds- school district representative- 2018-2019 year. Garwood used to sit on this. Anyone interested? Bross will volunteer. Kendell 2nds his volunteer. Garwood described as informational for the board- board is required to have a rep. Passed unanimously.

5. Board Policy 404.6 First Reading- Tabor- extended FMLA- was tabled last meeting. Ironic that jeremy was out sick last time. Scope of policy- limited to requests for FMLA- approved requests. Language taken from government FMLA policy. Wants district and staff to be protected in that situation if they want to come back before they are fully cleared.

Robberts- rationale for may to requires? Are there specific job descriptions? Tabor- may to require district has been practicing for some time. Here are the requirements. Job descriptions can be made available- those can be readily available. Can employees take these to physicians so they can be cleared to return to work.

Tabor says yes.

Robberts- when we say may require- exceptions can be made- wants a difference between FMLA and Americans with Disabilities act. Difference in that exact instance. Wanted to make sure differentiation. One is a protected class, one is not (Coen).

Tabor- someone is out for an extended period of time with FMLA.

Bross- what’s the difference in that same paragraph. Doesn’t say when exceptions can be made- will be up to superintendent and hr director.

Coen- court ruling where district has to employee has to be employee by district.

Robberts- every case is unique

Bross- exceptions may be made by HR director or superintendent.

Vickstrom- has there been suggestion about sharing sick days-Tabor used to be in contract- is exactly the same as it used to be.

Bross- moves to approve, Hatteberg- 2nded.

Robberts- will this change practice? No.

Motion to approve first reading. Amendments can still be made. Most verbiage came straight from FMLA.

First reading passed unanimously.

6. SBRC Allowable Growth-Open Enrollment- Reynolds- asking board to approve request for open enrollment- schools are funded a years in arrears. This year, 121 students not in our count last year. Have to pay open enrollment tuition for these students. District can recuperate spending authority for these 121 students- 800k. (6600 each). Doesn’t affect cash or general fund- just spending authority.

Brueck moved, Hatteberg 2nded.

Robberts- if we didn’t do this, ties a hand behind our back to meet budget shortfalls. As we work on budget in April-

This isn’t spending money- it’s ability to get into cash reserves. Will assist unspent balance (reynolds)

Passed unanimously

7. SBRC Allowable Growth-ELL- Reynolds- similar to previous request- only receive funding for first 5 year- last year had 3 students who went past five years- can ask for additional spending authority- 4,398$.

Bross moved, Vickstrom 2nded.

Passed unanimously.

8. SBRC Allowable Growth-Dropout Prevention/At-Risk- Reynolds- same as previous 2. Funds supplement what we use to operate BILA, home to school liasons, software for BILA, juvenile court officers, and summer school. Asking for 937k, requires match from general fund. Down from previous year. Slight request change due to declining enrollment. Extension of existing services.

Motion- Hatteberg, 2nded by Vickstrom- Kendell ?- page 83- lists people- there’s an unnamed individual- trying to hire a math/science teacher. Looking for that hire- was listed again last year.

Passed with Brueck abstaining.

9. Desk Audit K-12 Information Only- was piloted last year- looks at course offerings- licensed teachers in place. When are we teaching health, things like that. Submits dec 15- coming up- may be out and talked about. This is now going to be part of the process used to evaluate schools. Used to do site visits- we weren’t identified as having the greatest need.

Robberts- does it help us to have more need?

Dentlinger- we used to have a team come- process is now a team of educators and DE people- we are solid in a lot of our areas. We don’t want to be a school that needs resources.

333 districts after several close every year. We are doing well. (Coen)

10. School Board Convention Sharing Information Only-

Dean- safety meeting- what was going on. We do a good job- everyone can see blind spots that we have.

We have seen importance on committee- wants public to work with them to get satisfactory solution. We have some tough decisions to make and need help from community.

Brueck- thank greg for walking through financing. Helpful. Presentation on school system that faced a similiar system that had to close a school. Glad to have a work session to keep public as part of that process.

Kendell- enjoys it always- enjoyed the keynote speaker

Never know who you’re going to meet that will make an impression. What that will be to them. Raised in foster care and had a difficult time- diff people reached out to him as he grew up- chief diversity officer for walgreens.

Hatteberg- thanks district for allowing them to go. Get a lot of good info. Safety schools. Kindergarten kids in a double line than a single line.

Presenter talked about impact of people in his life- had a tough time, too. You can make a difference.

Enjoyed surveying your district’s data- comparing us with 10 schools- we have highest free and reduced rate. Can give us better understanding.

Bross- best one he’s been to so far. Finance advanced- talked about sbrc- don’t want to be there. If we aren’t making the tough decision we have to make they will force us to.

Forming effective teams- inclusion- diversity.

Stayed for last session- ever increasing burden on america’s public schools- additional requirements from 1900 to present- haven’t added a minute to the school day.

Robberts- came back thursday night for fall band concert. Went to michael dorn- excellent presentation for 2 hours. Eye opener on training all of our staff knowing when to have a lock down. Excellent presentation on tragedies and tragedies that were prevented.

Presentation from cardinal of eldon about sharing the positive- why aren’t we all doing what the missouri dot is doing. Road signs show that goals were met. Why don’t we do that as a district? We have challenges, but don’t show our achievements. Connectedness means success.  

Hatteberg- high school that works- higher achievement rate- 36% have a BA- 29% assoc- careers and offering kids a multitude of opportunities

Safety handout- might want to share with board.  Safe haven international.

Coen- freshmen with trimesters

Kendell- session about handbooks and contracts- think of 3 things that make up a tripod, contract, handbook, and admin- if one is longer or shorter, it won’t sit right. We have to keep those things all in check.

X. Board Communications

The members will have the opportunity to share items and events.

Vickstrom- he’s done

Brueck- done

Kendell- loved parade- loved the bus in the parade. Way to go transportation. And band sounded great.

Hatteberg- done

Bross- first he heard of concerns of Corse school- came from a parent at Caseys this afternoon- lots of misinformation gets out. Pay attention to agendas. Pay attention to rumors. Bross wants people to call him. Good news doesn’t get out enough. It’s going to be a process. Encouraged by things we have seen. We are on the right track on some things. These aren’t fun decisions we have to make- we have to let people go and programs- we want input- i’m sure we will have plenty as we get into budgeting. We have to act.

Robberts- received some emails- understands why Pat talked to hawkeye- need to get public’s attention. We want input. No decision has been made. Workshops have to go into effect. Budget cuts last year- only got 2 emails about it. We are 7 people who sit on a board- no perfect solution- least worse option. Make sure we are educating our students.

XI. Adjournment

BEA notes from 11-13-17 BCSD Board meeting

I. Call to Order – Welcome 7:00 p.m.

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Adoption of Agenda- moved by bross, 2nded by Brueck. Passed unanimously.

IV. Public Comments

The Board encourages citizens to attend its meetings. Citizens have this opportunity

to comment on issues and concerns (Policy 210.9 & 213)

Liz Sanning- HR Agenda- 404.6- may to require- for FMLA- asking for clarification on the HR report- sick leave separate from FMLA.

No one else commented.

V. Consent Agenda

2. Minutes, Bills, Human Resources Report, and Gifts- Hatteberg moved adoption of consent agenda- Bross 2nded. No discussion- passed unanimously

VI. District Positive Accomplishments- BHS Hound Locker Program- Amy Morgan- last 3 years- Hounds Help- 4 lockers- now 12 lockers- 11.5 stuffed full of things for students- recently received $400 from a credit union. Lots of donations from the community- BHS is a team and a family- helping out everyone as much as we can. Used daily- asks students to pay it forward- students add to the lockers as well. Started out with encouragement from Krieger Coen-

Robberts- can we publicly thank the donors- FB page posting

Bross- how many students you have helped? Morgan- 15 to 30 students helped daily.

VII. Student Representative Report- Matt Rowland- busy with end of trimester and play- Halloween- Leo club and NHS helped with safe trick or treat at auditorium. Play went great. End of trimesters doesn’t have Finals built in. Lots of students happy about that. Fall sports coming up- fall fest. Friday at 6 pm. New trimester starting. Food drive- raised over 100 cans, over $300. Winners were Mr. Bishop, Mr. Huff, and Mr. Osborne.

VIII. Superintendent’s Report- Coen- Friday busy doing veteran’s day activities, and saturday. Tightening down on tech expenditures. Cabinet notes are on a shared drive. Fireball run- some students got mayor’s awards. Special ed numbers are up. Concern if a voucher is put in place. Gen ed numbers would go down while spec ed go up. Family rights and privacy act. Shouldn’t talk about things we shouldn’t talk about. Remind staff not to talk to kids about stuff. Shawn Stringer rosters? Don’t know what this is.

Staff and community issues- parent stopped and talked about conferences at Stone- great to talk to teacher who was making accomodations- test anxiety. Thursday am at BHS- halls and IA building- very cleaned up.

Spoke to group of Burlington International Alterisa (?)- ladies formed their group instead of Rotary- how can they help burlington- wants to help citizens become teachers- 2 and 2 program with SCC and UNI. 4 individuals paid for to get certificate.

Transportation audit-Alan has done a nice job, need to continue to push to save money.

Corse round table- loss of 170 students- 1.25 mil loss- they brought up corse being an early childhood center- cabinet and Coen already coming up with plans- we have gone from 5500 to under 4000 now. What is burlington going to look like- we’re not going to go up. Open enrollment out is flat lined, but we have families moving out. Release supt advisory team- leaders vetting the document. Finalized agenda for IASB conf meeting. Supt from across the state of iowa- how can we find teachers, how can we find subs. Fine Arts gala sat night.

Des Moines Register article- Sharon quoted in it- couple of examples- seniority is dog gone important, especially when things are equal. Discussion point for board when we meet and talk on 20th work session. Dentlinger making a name for herself. Right now is a difficult time to advocate for professionals- narrow interpretations- digging in next couple of months.(I don’t know what this is about)

Keane had an engineer look at the house. Communication protocol- idea of a superintendent advisory committee- leaders will be vetting. Attachment sent out for IASB agenda. Draft for Nov 20th work session agenda. 2nd floor library- 6 pm. Board members can add to agenda. Last item on that is wordsmith a board agenda item. Hopefully can get that done in the session.

Kendell- 16th meeting- who is going to attend? Most have confirmed- senate ed committee members unable to attend- sending someone else- issues trying to address are listed there.

Kendell- lots of meaty topics on there. Glad to see. Appreciate you doing that.

XIV. Items for Discussion

3. Board Policy 404.6 First Reading- Jeremy is home sick. In light of public comment, Coen recommends tabling so can address concerns before voting. Motioned and 2nded but i dunno who.

4. 9th Grade Academy Information Only- David Ruehs and Amy Morgan- working with 9th graders- 11 teachers work collaboratively- don’t have an academy yet- trying a couple things. Trying to meld it into what’s right. Why?- research shows that resources lower dropouts if put toward 9th graders- 4 lang art, 2 ss, 1 science, 3 math, 1 spec ed, and Ruehs. Big meeting every day. Morgan- teacher side- transition class- 4 classes to 1 class. 7 habits of effective students- proactive- assignment students made a mission statement- how are you going to get there. Have to set goals to get to their mission. Lots of phone calls- 3-7 per week. 50 parents called every week- positive phone calls-after school, sat school, give students rides home- trying to be as proactive as possible.

Key for us is getting students to understand how proactive they have to be. Great experience- learning experience.

Ruehs- high school expectation for 5 contacts a week. Tuesday is contact day. Each day is structured diff- aligning curriculum- making sure not all testing at once. Aligning skills across content areas. Writing the same across content areas. If successful can move to rest of the school.

Artifacts showing 7 habits.work smarter instead of harder.

Data- one day a week look at attendance and D’s and F’s. looking at kids that are 50-63%- who needs an extra push to get the credits. Graph- bars represent years- 4 years ago nearly 300 9th graders F’s. This year- a lot less F’s for 9th graders so far. Team is excited about progress. Professional learning- aligning writing goals- working on UbD’s- whole high school is working on it in diff ways. Authentic intellectual work- professional learning model- is it authentic and relevant. Management strategies- toolbox for teachers. Being proactive w kids. Video from transitions class. Video showed random acts of kindness day.

Bross- this is so excited- are you finding the students ready to receive it now- would they be ready to receive in 8th grade. Small intro would be awesome- goal is to get them to continue with these habits.

Vickstrom- trying to heal at the high school not always successful

Hatteberg- is this all year long. Transitions is just 1st trimester. It’s a lot like teaming.

It’s a one trimester class- works well with steps to success class that Mrs. Long started.

Brueck- the curriculum is working with her 9th grade daughter.

5. Desk Audit Preschool Information Only- part of a pilot group audited this year. Preschool is a state grant. 5 centers in am and pm. State evaluates program. Have to show criterium of 10 things. Submitted electronically. Kids playing and behaviors. 32 subcategories. Preschool has to be a combo of play and learning. Very hard to balance. Kids learn most when they’re playing. This is due mid december. Not about reducing challenging behaviors- reinforcing positive behaviors.

Look for ways to look at books in a quiet environment. Orientation w books. Exposure to literacy before preschool is very important. Manipulative activities. Developmental areas. How they put things into context. Gold system- monitors students and reports for parents. Process is important to education system. Frustration with testing- preschool allows school to address those skills. Very pleased program wasn’t cut. This is a new system. Important to continue to discuss.

6. Depository Resolution- Reynolds- part of annual resolution required. I zoned out on this- money talk- asking board to approve with no changes. Courtney and Bross moved, passed unanimously.

7. Financial Update Information Only- reynolds- review where the district is at conclusion of fiscal year. Budget enrollment- 4262- down around 170. Significant loss- only thought we would lost 50. Ranking is maintained. We might drop a couple spots. ISL levy- 10%- expires 2020. Tax rate 15.85- 74th highest of all districts. Most set by funding level. We are 17th lowest in state in assessed valuation. (property poor)

Enrollment trend- 2005- 4600 students, now down to 4200- projections loss of 58 students per year. Fertilizer plant growth and loss- caused the bump.

Solvency ratio- fund balance went up- not a true representation of cash. Went up 345,000- most was in categorical funds. 9.5 mil in fund balance. Solvency rate of 19.7%. Large portion comes from state aid. It’s important that we keep cash reserves in case of an across the board cut. Trying to keep it around 20%. Can quickly erode if we don’t monitor this. 1 mil in typical salary and benefit increase. We could go through 4 mil in reserves if we weren’t careful.

Unspent balance- credit card spending- went up 520k. Ended with around 19 mil unspent balance. Moderate increases in budget authority.

State recommends we stay around 75%- we are almost 77%.

Robberts- what kind of fund raisers do we have lined up. Lolz.

Courtney-

Coen- violent crime causing people to move. Property valuation- if we can build a new house every year, we drop millions of new money into our valuation. We are trying to do something about it- 10 years before you see a change. Burlington discontinued building trades- we would have millions more if we hadn’t stopped building trades.

Courtney- are other districts losing students around the state?

Coen- yes- 70-80% are. Iowa’s economy is based on agriculture.

Robberts- encourage state legislators to fund our schools.

X. Board Communications

The members will have the opportunity to share items and events.

Kendell- thank the audience tonight- play was fantastic. Lot of time and energy and practice. Great show. Wish we had better stage microphones to improve audio. Congratulate everyone involved.

Went to ed stone to sit in on social problems class (?)- 6 minute presentations. Very creative and insightful students. Well thought out solutions to issues. Hounds help is great.

Hatteberg- thanks presenters. Freshmen academy.

Vickstrom- musical was good- Coens son did well. Acoustic needed improved.

Brueck- liked the stone presentations. Thanks to carper for inviting. Theme on the lunches was interesting.

Courtney- sexual assault at every level- if you’re assaulted, please report it. Don’t be afraid to report.

Bross- social problems presentation- impressed with students at both middle schools. Students like to be social, want to be happy and successful. Need to continue to engage the students. Bross continues to enjoy Grimes PTO.

Robberts- thanks teachers that email and invite us to things. Please keep emailing to invite us to things. Fall sports schedule is out.

XI. Adjournment

November ISEA Sentinel

The November 2017 issue of the ISEA Sentinel can be viewed here.