March 11, 2003

All board members were present at last night's board meeting at the Arkansas City High School. The next regular board meeting will be March 24, at 7 p.m. at C-4 Elementary School. All meetings are open to the public.

Good News Recognition

Kristen Martinez presented the recipients of the board/teacher panel January Superior Service Award to the board. President Daren Reese presented a certificate and district logo watch to each recipient.

Nancy Eis, vocal music teacher at ACMS, received the certified staff member award. The classified staff member award went to Lonna Summers, ESL aide at ACHS, and Royce McHargue earned the community volunteer award for his work at Lincoln PALS. Summers was not present for the meeting.

Consent Agenda

I. Resignations

Freedom Brass, music teacher at Adams, and Donna Skiles, high school science teacher, have submitted resignations.

II. Early Retirements

Gary Travis, high school English teacher, and Richard Harvey, high school math teacher, have requested early retirement.

III. Gifts

• Meals for students and parents at the Winfield Head Start from the Elks Lodge #732, Winfield, valued at $200.
• Hats and gloves for USD 470 students from the Redeemer Lutheran Church Women's Group valued at $20.
• Five boxes of crayons, two boxes of pencils and four boxes of Kleenex for students at Frances Willard from the American Legion Auxiliary valued at $17.

Dr. Ron Ballard, assistant superintendent/business manager, said other gifts were presented but didn't make it in time for this meeting, so they will be listed on the next meeting's consent agenda.

Action Items

I. 2003-2004 Calendar. The board voted 7-0 to adopt the presented calendar for the 2003-2004 school year. This calendar addresses the following matters as priority targets:

• Maintain the 187 duty days for teachers (subject to negotiations)
• Increase student contact days
• Eliminate one-half days of school
• Start school later
• Lengthen Thanksgiving break
• Target inclement weather make-up days for the end of the student attendance days

Approved 2003-2004 Calendar

II. 2002-2003 Make-up Days. The board voted 7-0 to approve of the current school year calendar as scheduled with no attendance make-up days, providing no additional school cancellations occurs.

III. Acceptance of 504 Self-Study. The board voted 7-0 to accept the 504 Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan as presented. A public hearing on the plan occurred at 6:30 p.m. yesterday, prior to the board meeting.

IV. Schedule Special Board of Education Work Session. The board voted 7-0 to schedule a special board of education work session on Monday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in Room 253 at ACHS. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the '03-'04 budget and review and revise board policies.

Discussion/Report Items

I. Award Program. Kristen Martinez presented information about the new USD 470 Exceptional Educator Awards program. The purpose of the Exceptional Educator Awards program is to recognize exceptional teachers in the district. The recipients will be honored at the end of the year celebration. The elementary and secondary teachers who receive the award will go on to compete in the prestigious Kansas Teacher of the Year program. Martinez also discussed the selection process/committee and answered questions from the board.

Martinez said that she is working on a similar award for classified staff members, but the specific criteria have not been outlined yet, so that award will be available next year.

Board member Sue Saia asked if anyone could nominate teachers for the award. According to Martinez, anyone can nominate a teacher as long as the teacher's principal signs off on the nomination. Board President Daren Reese asked if Coop employees were eligible to receive the award. Martinez said that Coop employees are ineligible because the district's superintendent must sign off on the Kansas Teacher of the Year nomination forms and Dr. Perry L. Perkins is not the superintendent for Coop employees. They would have to be nominated by USD 465 Winfield.

II. Board Policy Updates &endash; First Reading. The policy updates included in the first reading are as follows:

• BCBK: Executive Session
• CM: Policy Implementation
• CN: Records
• DJFA: Purchasing Authority
• EBC: Security and Safety
• GACC: Recruitment and Hiring
• JBC: Enrollment
• JCDBB: Weapons
• JDD: Suspension and Expulsion Procedures
• JDDB: Reporting Crimes to Law Enforcement
• JFCA: Early Graduation
• JRA: Types of Records
• JRB: Release of Student Records
• JS: Student Fees and Charges
• KBA: District or School Web Sites

The board discussed the policies and decided to further discuss the early graduation policy at the special board workshop.

III. NSBA's Legislative Agenda. Reese presented information from a National School Board Association conference he attended recently. The items he specifically addressed were as follows:

• Increasing the federal investment in public education;
• Reauthorizing the Individuals with Disabilities Act, including fully funding the federal share of the act;
• Defeating all voucher and tuition tax subsidy proposals that result in public funds supporting private K-12 institutions; and
• Addressing the unintended consequences resulting from passage of the No Child Left Behind Acts, particularly those provisions related to adequate yearly progress and the operation/costs of several specific mandates.

IV. State Legislative Agenda Update. Board member Coleen Estep, the board's representative to KASB's Governmental Relations Network, presented an update of state legislative issues. She said the district would not receive its June payment from the state until July, which can cause problems. She also said we can expect to receive another cut from the state because of shortfalls in the adjusted projected revenues. "Serious cuts could probably take place," she said. Dr. Perkins said the board would address this matter at the special workshop.

Estep included in the board packet testimony on the Department of Education budget before the House Budget Committee on Education by the School Finance Coalition, including testimony from Mark Tallman, Assistant Executive Director/Advocacy from the Kansas Association of School Boards, and Mark Desetti, Director of Political Action from the Kansas National Education Association.

Executive Session

I. Discuss Matters Affecting a Student. After executive session, the board reconvened in open meeting. The board voted 7-0 to adopt the original findings of the hearing officer in the long-term suspension case of a student who is suspended for the remainder of the spring semester.

II. Consultation with the Board's Attorney and Discuss Non-Elected Personnel. The board went into executive session for the purpose of discussing the following:

1. Consultation with the board's attorney which is deemed privileged in attorney-client relationship, and
2. Personnel matters for non-elected personnel and to protect the privacy interests of an identifiable individual.

No public action was taken following this executive session.

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