PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
March 18, 2013 – 7:30 p.m.
Jr./Sr. High School Multi-Purpose Room
AGENDA
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Roll Call
1 absent
4. Approval of Minutes from the Work Session of February 11, 2013 and the Regular Meeting of February 18, 2013.
Approved.
5. Presentations
A. Budget
There was a public budget presentation at the Finance committee meeting at 6:00 p.m. The minutes from that meeting will be published on the District website.
6. Information Items
None
7. Treasurer’s Report
A. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the General Fund Report for period ending February 28, 2013.
Ms. Johnson presented the report. Approved.
8. Business Manager’s Report
A. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the list of bills for payment.
Mr. Carsley presented the report. Mr. Norris had a couple of questions about items on the list. Mr. Carsley will look into those items for Mr. Norris. Mr. Oleyniczak said he needed to abstain from approving the Ricoh bill. Mr. Carsley noted that the contract for Ricoh was in place before Mr. Oleyniczak became a member of the Board.
9. Visitors’ Comments - Agenda Items Only
Timothy Alexander (Parkesburg) - He appreciated the information at the Finance meeting. He understands that some Board members think they are between a rock and a hard place - and that they are left to solve the impossible. He has been looking at other districts who he feels are in a similar situation to Octorara. He noted that the City of York SD is in difficulty and are looking at 3 ideas.
- Transformation of the school district - have teachers renogotiate contract.
- Community charter school - the district would exist to collect taxes to distribute to charter school - would not have to abide by state regulations the way a public school does.
- Consolidate with neighboring school district.
William Kloss (Atglen) - had comments regarding charter schools. He doesn't understand why taxpayers consider charter schools a sacred cow. He feels there isn't enough focus on charter schools during the budget discussions.
His analysis of the impact of charter schools:
- Charter schools can hand pick the students they want to enroll.
- Octorara must meet the needs of every student in the District, no matter how severe or extensive that need is.
- Charter schools do not share their hiring requirements of teachers.
- Cyber charter schools are a growing strain on Octorara's budget. They collect the same amount of funding per student as the brick & mortar schools.
- Because charter schools can choose their students they can skew test scores.
They are using our tax dollars & should be held accountable to the taxpayers.
Note: I will be doing a separate post on charter schools which will include an expanded version of Mr. Kloss's comments, as well as additional information from the Finance Committee & School Board meeting concerning charter schools.
10. Recommended Action Items: (Italicized items are new; they were not on the March 11, 2013 agenda.)
A - N Approved
A. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following policies, second reading:
709 – Building Security
907 – School Visitors
B. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Lauren Brotman’s request for sabbatical leave for the purpose of study for the second semester of the 2013-2014 school year. Ms. Brotman is a learning support teacher at the Octorara Intermediate School.
C. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the student activity request for “Octorara Roots & Shoots” at the Octorara Area Jr./Sr. High School.
Resignation Approvals:
D. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Danise Miller’s resignation as a cafeteria employee effective February 28, 2013. (Hired October 5, 2011)
Hiring Approvals:
E. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Lisa McLaughlin as payroll/benefits coordinator effective February 27, 2013. Ms. McLaughlin’s salary will be $35,500 pro-rated. (Replacing Tina Butler who resigned.)
F. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Mr. Patrick Tobin as an instructional assistant in the Alternative Ed Program at the Octorara Area Jr./Sr. High School effective February 11, 2013. Mr. Tobin’s rate will be $10.90 per hour for four hours per day, 140 days per year. (Replacing Amy Ellsworth who transferred.)
G. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Mr. Jason Ralston as an Alternative Education teacher at the Octorara Area Jr./Sr. High School effective February 26, 2013 through approximately March 26, 2013. Mr. Ralston’s rate will be $140 per day.
H. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Charlene Johnson as a one-on-one instructional assistant at the Octorara Jr. High School effective January 22, 2013. Ms. Johnson’s rate will be $10.15 per hour for 5.75 hours per day, 180 days per year. (Replacing Sharon Richey who transferred.)
I. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Ashley Stern as an instructional assistant at the Octorara Elementary School effective March 5, 2013. Ms. Stern’s rate will be $11.65 for 5.75 hours per day, 180 days per year. (Replacing Melanie Wagner who resigned.)
J. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following substitute teachers for the 2012-2013 school year:
Christianna Berg (Elementary)
K. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following supplemental contracts for the 2012-2013 school year:
Ben Creighton Assistant Track Coach 6 pts @ $585 $3,510
Trent Zook Jr. High Baseball Coach 2 pts @ $585 $1,170
Ryne Anthony Jr. High Baseball Coach 2 pts @ $585 $1,170
Leah Tymeson Jr. High Softball Coach 4 pts @ $585 $2,340
Robert Magera JV Baseball Coach 6 pts @ $585 $3,510
Deb Bloth Mentor Lynn Trouba $200
Vanessa Peterson Mentor Amanda Friedman $200
L. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following supplemental contracts for the 2013-2014 school year:
John DiMatteo Varsity Soccer Coach 7 pts @ $600 $4,200
M. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following changes in salary due to graduate credits earned:
Lauren Brotman From M+15 ($62,159) to M+30 ($64,036) Step 12 to MAX
N. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Katie Heller’s request for unpaid Family Medical Leave for the purpose of child rearing from approximately May 23, 2013 through June 7, 2013. Ms. Heller is a Special Education teacher at the Octorara Area Sr. High School.
O - S Approved. Mr. Ganow voted "no" to P.
O. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Lynn Trouba as a long term substitute effective March 13, 2013 through June 7, 2013. Ms. Trouba will be paid $140 per day to cover two classes of French at the Octorara Jr. High School and to serve as a daily substitute as needed during the remaining portions of the day. (Replacing a medical leave.)
P. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Amanda Friedman as a long term substitute effective March 13, 2013 through June 7, 2013. Ms Friedman will be paid $105 per day to cover four classes of Spanish at the Octorara Jr. High School. She will have no other assigned duties. (Replacing a medical leave.)
Mr. Ganow questioned whether Ms. Friedman would have to give up her job at 21st Century Cyber Charter School. Dr. Newcome said that she is employed by them full-time, but does not yet have a full-time schedule. They ease teachers into a full teaching schedule.
Q. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Donna Mann as a permanent cafeteria worker effective March 1, 2013. Ms. Mann’s rate will be $8.75 per hour. (Ms. Mann was serving as a substitute employee and will be replacing Jennifer Zimath who transferred.)
R. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following substitute support personnel for the 2012-2013 school year:
Diane Hery (Cafeteria)
S. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Jennifer Shaw as a long term substitute ISS aide at the Octorara Area Sr. High School effective March 11, 2013 through June 7, 2011. Ms. Shaw’s rate will be $10.90 per hour. (Replacing Jason Ralston who will be teaching.)
T. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the purchase of stadium bleachers at a cost not to exceed $250,000. The administration may proceed with developing specifications and final proposals. Final contracts must be brought to the Board of Directors for approval.
Ms. Bowman asked for comments.
Mr. Oleyniczak asked if this was a stand-alone capital project. It is.
Mr. Hume feels this should have been part of the construction project.
Mr. Ganow said he wasn't in favor of this at the beginning, but he has changed his mind given the level of commitment from the community. He said that Dr. Melton is vehemently against this.
Mr. Stoltzfus reminded everyone that in 2004/05, when they were looking at building OIS and the renovation of the High School, a stadium was part of the plans. The committee & the Board removed it due to the cost.
Mr. Lapp said he was also against it initially, but appreciates the effort put forth by the community. He also likes the principles that are taught with sports. It has value.
Mr. Oleyniczak stated that this is coming from capital funds which have restricted use. The bleachers have to be addressed at some point. It is a win all around.
Mr. Ganow said that timing is critical w/ Eckman's doing the prep work.
Ms. Bowman commented that this District has a history of groups stepping up. She mentioned the track and the concession stand as examples.
11. Finance Committee Report
Ms. Johnson gave a brief update on the Finance Committee meeting. There were a couple of tax parcel issues and the budget presentation.
12. I.U./C.A.T. Board Representative’s Report
Mr. Stoltzfus said that the I.U./C.A.T. Board meets this Wednesday. They will be discussing the I.U. budget. He believes they are flatlining their budget.
13. Old Business
None
14. New Business
None.
15. Other Items and Announcements
None
16. Visitors’ Comments – General
None.
17. Administrator Comments/Announcements
Ms. Wilson said the PMEA Elementary Chorus Festival will be this Friday in the HS Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Joe Mattis gave a report on the HS. The musical was this past weekend. Model UN went to Boston University. Gillian Michalowski and Elizabeth Lapp received awards at that competition. They are going to George Washington University this weekend. Nicholas Haugh was the Lancaster Newspaper's Teen of the Week.
Dr. Newcome said that another example of people stepping up was the work done on the musical, specifically the sets that were built. He thanked Brian Fox, who was in the audience. He thanked Mr. Kloss for his statement. There was a document prepared last year that he will share with Mr. Kloss. We have learned some lessons from charter schools. In these economic times, they provide duplicate services for pretty much the same product. There are students who were homeschooled that now use cyber charter schools. That costs us money. It has an impact on the local taxpayers.
18. Board Comments
Mr. Ganow stated that not only are our transportation costs included in the rate we pay for charter school students, but we also provide transportation. We are paying for transportation twice.
Mr. Carsley says the same happens with pension expense.
Mr. Norris said there was good attendance at the musical. He's thankful we have the facilities to put on a production like that and that we have staff willing to participate.
Mr. Lapp thanked those he spoke during public comments. He thinks it could be intimidating. We need people to speak up.
Mr. Hume reminded everyone that the Agriculture Fair is April 13th. They hope to raise money for the Ag program. He hopes people come.
Mr. Ganow felt the ideas that York was looking at didn't seem to be legal. Dr. Newcome said if a district has been on "school improvement" for several years the state may permit them to do things other districts cannot do.
Ms. Bowman said she attended the musical and enjoyed it. She also attended the Jr./Sr. High Wrestling banquet. It was held in the cafeteria. The Jr. High program is funded by the Boosters and the Sr. High group. It was a great evening. It was good to see the younger kids looking up to the high school wrestlers.
She also mentioned that there are those who no longer have children in school who continue to give back.
19. Adjournment
Finance Committee Meeting – Monday, March 18, 2013 – 6:00 p.m. in the Jr. High School Multi-Purpose Room
Executive Session for personnel – Monday, March 18, 2013 – Following the Regular Meeting in the District Office Conference Room
Education Committee Meeting – Monday, March 25, 2013 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
Facility Committee Meeting – Monday, April 8, 2013 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
Next regularly scheduled Work Session – Monday, April 8, 2013 – 7:30 p.m. in the Jr. High School Multi-Purpose Room
Policy Committee Meeting – Monday, April 15, 2013 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
Finance Committee Meeting – Monday, April 15, 2013 – 6:30 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
Next regularly scheduled Board Meeting – Monday, April 15, 2013 – 7:30 p.m. in the Jr. High School Multi-Purpose Room
Education Committee Meeting – Monday, April 22, 2013 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
Posts
I'll be doing other posts on the budget presentation.
ReplyDeleteI have just a couple of comments about the Board meeting.
I'm a bit troubled by Mr. Alexander thinking that we are in a similar situation as the York City School District. They have been placed into Moderate Financial Recovery by the Pennsylvania Department of Education based on a warning system. They have had a Chief Recovery Officer appointed by the State to come up with a plan.
While our economic situation is far from robust, I really don't think we can be placed in the same category as the York City schools.
The ideas that the Chief Recovery Officer has put forth, are not necessarily available to districts NOT in official state mandated recovery.
They have already rejected the consolidation idea for a couple of reasons 1) Another district would have to show an interest in consolidation 2) even if there were a district interested in consolidation, it would take too long. Why a neighboring district would voluntarily want to consolidate with a troubled district is beyond me. I can think of no reason why another district would take on those problems - the financial drain & probably a downward pull on test scores.
If all districts had the ability to turn themselves into charter schools, wouldn't all districts now be charter schools? You could do away with all those pesky mandates. You wouldn't have to be responsible for kids with IEPs or students with physical/mental/emotional disabilities. How would those students get educated?
He also seems to think it's easy to get teacher's to renegotiate a contract? Legally, they don't have to do anything with a contract until their current contract is ending. Personally, I think our teachers created a lot of goodwill with this past contract. They went without an increase for one year (plus limited step movement).
I'd like to thank Mr. Kloss for reminding everyone some of the issues with charter schools. As I said in the notes, I'll be doing a separate post on charter schools.