The monthly meeting of the Hope School District
Board of Trustees was called to order at 12:00 p.m. on July 1, 2005, in the Hope
District Board Room. All members were present except Joseph Liebman. Todd Sosna
led the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Board adjourned to Closed Session at 12:05 p.m.
The Board reconvened in a Public Session at 12:35 p.m. The following is a brief outline of the
actions and discussions addressed by the Board.
The Meeting Reconvened to Regular Session
at 12:35 p.m.
The following action was taken in Closed
Session: Accepted the resignation of a Monte Vista teacher.
Acknowledgement of
Retiree:
The Trustees acknowledged Judy Sims, a Monte
Vista teacher who is retiring after 37 years with the district.
Correspondence:
There was no correspondence.
Public Comment:
An audience member asked for details of the
letter of non-reasonable assurance that was sent to instructional
assistants. An audience member
commented that the district budget does not include health care costs in the
projected years.
Consent Items:
·
The
Board of Trustees approved the corrected minutes of the Regular Board Meeting
of April 11, 2005.
·
The
Board of Trustees approved the minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of June 6,
2005.
·
The
Board of Trustees approved the minutes of the Special Board Meeting of June 20,
2005.
·
The
Board of Trustees approved the purchase orders and warrant reports as
submitted.
·
The
Board of Trustees approved acceptance of the list of donations received by the
district during the 2004-2005 school year as submitted.
Action
Item:
· Approval of 2005-2006
English Language Acquisition Program Application
Superintendent Fausett presented the 2005-2006 English Language
Acquisition Program Application to the Trustees for approval. This is an application for funding to
provide a program for English Language Development (ELD) instruction to assist
pupils in progressing upward through the proficiency levels established by the
ELD standards adopted by the State Board of Education. The program shall
include structured immersion instruction to be provided for English learners,
such as specially designed academic instruction in English and sheltered
English strategies, to ensure access by English language learners to the core
curriculum. The
Board of Trustees approved the English Language Acquisition Program (ELAP)
Application for Funding, Fiscal Year 2005-2006 as submitted.
· Ratification of Transfers of Principals and Discussion of
Possible Needs to Make the Transition to Assigned Schools Seamless
Superintendent
Fausett submitted this item to the Board for discussion and action. The
transfers of the administrators are matters of serious interest to the Hope
School District community. In recognition of the diversity of public
opinion on the transfers, the Superintendent requested
that the Board
itself
consider the assignments that have been made for the 2005-2006 school
year. This item assured community members that the Trustees have
considered their views. The Superintendent also requested consideration of the
increase (this year only) of 3 work days for school administrators to allow a
smooth transition for the principals into the coming school year. The Trustees
and the Superintendent discussed questions regarding the transfers. The
principals have requested five days of additional time rather than three days
as suggested. This would allow sufficient time to have their offices and
schools ready for opening day, to continue to meet with each other to make sure
that they do have all necessary information; and have an opportunity to meet
with staff, PTA, and become familiar with their site budgets. The
Superintendent was asked from her perspective what would be the key benefits of
the transfer. She replied that the most
important thing is to have administrators who are well versed in the needs of
the entire district. This would begin to develop a district view rather than an
individual school view. She has extreme confidence in the principals and
teachers and she believes that all will work together to maintain the current
quality of education in the classrooms and their dedication to students. The
Trustees discussed the request for five additional workdays for the principals
instead of the three that the superintendent had requested. The question and
answer period was followed by public comment from community and staff members
in the audience. The Board of Trustees ratified (4 ayes: Steven Weintraub,
Michael Underwood, Todd Sosna, Elizabeth Owen; 0 noes; 1 absent: Joseph
Liebman) the assignments of school principals as follows: Judy Stettler to Vieja Valley, Barbara
LaCorte to Hope School, and Patrick Plamondon to Monte Vista. The Board approved the amended motion to increase
the number of paid work days for principals for this year by 5 days to provide
for time to set up their offices.
Superintendent’s Report:
The
Superintendent reported that the district E-Rate application has been submitted
and approved. There has been vandalism in the form of graffiti at both Monte
Vista and Vieja Valley and a break-in at Vieja Valley with minor damage. A
security light will be installed at the back of Vieja Valley. Carpets will be
installed in two rooms at Monte Vista and will include asbestos removal.
Board Members’ Reports:
Trustee
Mike Underwood reported that he has contacted Amy Bailey at Mercy Charities and
asked her to report on the St. Vincent’s project at a fall board meeting. He
reminded the Trustees that they should look at the caretaker units at two of
the school sites and consider having district custodians live on site as at
Hope School. Trustee Elizabeth Owen reported that she had been involved in the
Foundation Task Force and asked for an update. Superintendent Fausett reported
that the auction fundraiser would probably not be held in the next school year
and this will impact the budget. A more detailed discussion will be held at a
future board meeting.
Adjournment:
The meeting
was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
NEXT BOARD MEETING:
AUGUST 22, 2005