BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

January 27, 2000

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., January 27, 2000, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.  Prior to the regular meeting, the Board met in Executive Session at 7:00 p.m. Purpose of the Executive Session – negotiations.

Present:  Directors Ken Gass, Don Leu, Elaine Lynch, and Ann Whitmyer, President David Blair, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.

At 7:00 p.m. Whitmyer moved to begin Executive Session; Leu seconded. At 7:22 p.m. President David Blair moved to regular session.

At 7:34 p.m. President David Blair called the meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Gass moved and Whitmyer seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

 Minutes

Action on the minutes of January 13, 2000 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                  GENERAL FUND:

                                                  $408,500.00                      LGIP, withdrawal, January 7, 2000

                                                  $12,500.00                        LGIP, investment, January 14, 2000

                                                  $202,000.00                      LGIP, withdrawal, January 24, 2000

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS

                                                  $100.00                              LGIP, withdrawal, January 14, 2000

                                                  $61,800.00                         LGIP, withdrawal, January 14, 2000

                                                  $1,267,200.00                    LGIP, withdrawal, January 14, 2000

                  ASB FUND

                                                    $2,400.00                          LGIP, investment, January 14, 2000

                                                    $1,300.00                          LGIP, withdrawal, January 14, 2000

                                                    $10,500.00                        LGIP, investment, January 14, 2000

                                                    $11,200.00                        LGIP, investment, January 14, 2000

                                                    $49,500.00                        LGIP, investment, January 14, 2000

                                                    $8,300.00                          LGIP, withdrawal, January 24, 2000

                                                    $9,700.00                          LGIP, withdrawal, January 24, 2000

                                                    $1,200.00                          LGIP, withdrawal, January 24, 2000

                                                    $13,500.00                        LGIP, investment, January 24, 2000

                          TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE

                                                    $211,800.00                       LGIP, withdrawal, January 20, 2000

Personal Services Contracts:

• Susan Lingbloom to teach math enrichment to 5th grade students at Roosevelt Elementary School.

Out-of-State Travel:

• Margo Montague to attend the 2000 National Title I Convention in San Antonio, Texas, January 30 – February 1, 2000.
• Dale Kinsley to attend the AASA National Conference in San Francisco, California, March 3-6, 2000.

Resolution #3-00

Approval of resolution to continue an intergovernmental cooperative agreement with Mount Baker School District for participation in computer bids.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Leu attended a 1-day meeting of the WSSDA Diversity - Multicultural Committee at Highline School District. He also attended a bond/levy presentation.

Gass reported on the DARE graduations at Roosevelt and Birchwood.

Whitmyer and Lynch attended a meeting of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. Whitmyer gave a bond/levy presentation to Sunrise Rotary and attended the DARE graduation ceremony at Lowell Elementary.

Lynch reported that she and Dr. Kinsley had been presenting information on the upcoming bond/levy to various civic groups over the past weeks.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports

Dr. Kinsley and Directors Lynch and Whitmyer will be attending the WASA/WSSDA Legislative Conference in Olympia, February 6-7. Kinsley shared information released today on SB 6470, Governor Locke’s proposal to allow local school district’s to keep a portion of the state property tax at the district level and use that revenue to improve student learning.

The Board will tour Bellingham High School at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28.

The will be a School Board visit to Geneva Elementary School on Friday, February 4, at 7:30 a.m.

Dr. Kinsley shared the School Performance Reports for each of the District’s schools. The reports were released in December.

January is “School Board Appreciation Month.” Kinsley gave each of the Directors a T-shirt with the new Bellingham High School logo in recognition of the “tremendous service” they provide to the District.

REPORTS:

Fairhaven Middle School Service-Learning Project

Teachers Callie Underhill and Tina Allsop gave a presentation on a service-learning project they conducted last year at Fairhaven Middle School. The project incorporated service-learning through the 8th grade Integrated Core Studies class. The program was in collaboration with Western Washington University and involved 150 eight graders.  he students focused on the state’s essential academic learning requirements and tied the classroom components to their actual service learning projects in the field. This project is an example of the District’s continuing effort toward building service-learning experiences into the program of every student as they transition from elementary school to middle school.

Revised Budget Process for the 2000-2001 School Year

Jim Stevens, Executive Director – Finance and Operations, provided information on the District budget model for the 2000-2001 school your. The model outlines the process for development of the budget for the upcoming school year and is centered on the District Budget Advisory Committee (DBAC). The committee’s purpose is to recommend to the Superintendent and the School Board the allocation of funds to support District programs. The committee is made up of administrators, teachers, classified staff, and parents. There are openings for two School Board members to serve as ex-officio members of DBAC.

Update on Implementation of Student Records System

Computer Services Manager John Getchell reported on the implementation of the NeTel SchoolNet student records software. District high schools have been converting to the new system starting with Options in the 1998-99 school year. Middle and elementary schools will soon be using the new software. The new system gives a much more comprehensive picture of students than the old WSIPC system, which was inaccessible to common desktop software systems. The SchoolNet system helps to accomplish many tasks electronically such as taking attendance, keeping student records, and assigning class schedules. Executive Director Jim Stevens acknowledged the efforts of high school staff and Computer Services staff for all their hard work during the transition from the old student record’s system and implementation of the new software.

ACTION ITEMS:

Policy #4331

Gass moved and Lynch seconded approval of Policy #4331, Use of District Kitchen and Cafeteria Facilities. The motion carried unanimously. There were some minor changes since the first reading.

Policy #7322

Whitmyer moved and Gass seconded approval of Policy #7322, Cellular Telephones. The motion carried unanimously. Some minor grammatical changes were made since the first reading.

Classified Baseline Staffing for Three High Schools Approved

Leu moved and Whitmyer seconded approval of classified baseline staffing for three high schools for the 2000-2001 school year. The motion carried unanimously. A committee gathered data from comparable-sized high schools and considered program requirements and needs when making the baseline recommendations. Further requests for additional classified hours will be subject for review in the regular budget process.

Extracurricular Programs and Staffing for Three High Schools Approved

Lynch moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve the extracurricular programs and staffing for three high schools for the 2000-2001 school year. The motion carried unanimously. Opportunities will be increased for student participation in an expanded intramural program. In addition, each school will have a fund to support academic or interest activity/club positions.

Purchase and Sale Agreement for Yew Street Road Property

Leu moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to authorize the Superintendent to sign a Purchase and Sale Agreement for 16 acres off Yew Street Road for a future elementary site. The motion carried unanimously. The agreement provides a 60-day feasibility period to assess the appropriateness of the site for future school uses. The purchase price is $560,000.

Field Trip

Gass moved and Whitmyer seconded approval for Sehome Debate Team to travel to California and Oregon for three debate tournaments in February. The motion carried unanimously.

Call for Bids:

Lynch moved and Gass seconded the motion to call for bids on the following:

• completion of wetland mitigation work at Squalicum High School.
• two foodservice vans.

The motion carried unanimously.

Bid Awards

Leu moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to award the following bids:

• athletic uniforms and equipment for Bellingham High School to be split between Athletic Supply Inc. - $33,112.13, Prostock Athletic - $56,364.90, International Athletics - $13,295.00, and Riddell/All American - $5,831.30.
• one school bus to Schetky Northwest for $89,154.24.

The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations Approved

Lynch moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:56 p.m.