BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

 

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

September 11, 2003

 

      The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., September 11, 2003, in the Board Room of the Administration Building. Prior to the regular meeting, there was an Executive Session at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the Executive Session was negotiations and litigation.

 

      Present: Directors Jeff Haggen, Elaine Lynch, Ann Whitmyer, President Ken Gass, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Nancy Merry. Director Steve Schoenfeld was excused.

 

      At 6:05 p.m. Ann Whitmyer moved to begin Executive Session; Elaine Lynch seconded. At 7:25 p.m., Whitmyer moved to regular session; Lynch seconded.

 

      At 7:35 p.m. President Ken Gass called the regular session to order and asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

 

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

      Elaine Lynch moved and Jeff Haggen seconded approval of the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.

 

      Minutes

      Action on the minutes of the August 28, 2003 Executive Session and School Board meeting and the September 4, 2003 Executive Session and Special Session.

 

      Investments

      Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                GENERAL FUND

 

LGIP, withdrawal, August 29, 2003

$101,000.00

 

 

 

 

                CAPITAL PROJECTS

 

LGIP, withdrawal, August 29, 2003

$67,700.00

 

 

 

 

                DEBT SERVICE

 

LGIP, investment, August 29, 2003

$17,000.00

 

 

 

 

                ASB FUND

 

LGIP, withdrawal, August 29, 2003

$13,500.00

 

 

 

     

      Expenditures and Payroll

      Action on expenditures and payroll as approved by the Auditing Committee.

 

GENERAL FUND

 

 

August 8, 2003

$224,588.22

 

August 15, 2003

$309,135.53

 

August 22, 2003

$77,580.02

 

August 29, 2003

$124,666.93

 

Total

$735,970.70

 

 

CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND

 

 

August 15, 2003

$45,013.16

 

August 29, 2003

$67,684.44

 

Total

$112,697.60

 

 

ASB FUND

 

 

August 15, 2003

$507.49

 

August 29, 2003

$24,406.23

 

Total

$24,913.72

 

 

ASB DISTRIBUTION BY SCHOOL

 

 

Bellingham

$8,959.72

 

Sehome

$4,354.52

 

Squalicum

$10,101.99

 

Fairhaven

$ - 0 -

 

Kulshan

$1,072.49

 

Shuksan

$425.00

 

Whatcom

$ - 0 -

 

 

PRIVATE PURPOSE TRUST FUND

 

 

August 22, 2003

$2,243.58

 

Total

$2,243.58

 

 

PAYROLL

$5,038,999.02

 

      Personal Services Contract

a)      Laura Carney and Ana Ogburn to present before- and after-school enrichment programs at Roosevelt Elementary School during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

 

      Out of State Travel

a)      Pam Pottle and Karen Tolliver to attend Training Support for District Learning Facilitators in Denver, Colorado, November 2 – 5, 2003.

 

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

      School Board Reports

      The Board members reported on their participation in serving breakfast to all District staff at the Back to School Breakfast on September 2.

      Elaine Lynch also reported that she had been involved in preparation work for the 2003 – 2004 District Levy.

      Ann Whitmyer reported on recent federal funding for education.

      Dr. Ken Gass reported he recently served as a panelist for the Whatcom County Medical Society made up of school board members in Whatcom County who are physicians (3) or the spouse of a physician (1). The panel discussed challenges facing public schools.

      Superintendent’s Announcements/Report

      Dr Dale Kinsley reported that preparations for the Citizens’ Advisory Committee to begin their work was underway. The Committee considers District finances, program, enrollment, and technology during the fall before making their recommendation for a levy to the School Board.

      Dr. Kinsley invited Board members to attend Umbrella Fest, a fundraiser for all Bellingham high schools sponsored by City Wide High School Pride. Umbrella Fest will be held October 4, 2003 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Bellingham High School.

      Dr. Kinsley expressed his appreciation to Costco for their donation of 500 backpacks and schools supplies. Tom Mang, Costco Membership Marketing Manager, personally delivered the backpacks and supplies to individual school sites where they were made available to students from low-income homes.

      Kinsley announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Indoor Environments Division awarded the District the 2003 Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Excellence Award. Mike Anderson, Manager of Building and Grounds, received the letter from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, recognizing the District’s overall strong, pro-active approach to implementing the IAQ Tools for Schools Program and the District’s commitment to improving the learning environment for students, teachers, and other staff and providing motivation to other schools to improve their indoor air quality. The award included an invitation to attend the Awards Ceremony in October in Washington, DC.

 

      Guests

      Dr. Gass welcomed guests from Boy Scout Troop 6 and a government class from Ferndale High School.

      Dr. Gass introduced Tom and Karen Stuen, who will serve as co-chairs of the 2003 – 2004 Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the School Levy.

 

REPORTS:

      Enrollment Report

      Assistant Superintendent Jim Stevens gave an enrollment report based on the OSPI September 8th official count day. The total headcount for the District was 10,288, which is an increase of 75 students over last year’s headcount of 10,213. Stevens also provided enrollment history and detailed data by building and compared the enrollment to budget projections for the year. Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller reported on adjustments that have been made to accommodate the larger than expected kindergarten enrollment.

 

      Summer School Report

      Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller reported on the 2003 Summer School session and introduced Teresa Van Haalen who reported on summer school at the elementary and middle school levels. Classes included literacy support for grades one through eight; mathematics support for grades three through eight; and technology enrichment for grades six through eight. Katherine Crandall reported on summer school at the high school level which included classes at each of the four high schools. A total of 246 high school students attended, an increase of 30 students from the previous summer. Classes included credit retrieval, mathematics support, literacy support, global science, and technology connections. Physical education and health were also offered but limited pre-enrollment did not justify offering either of these two classes. Nancy Messmer reported on the summer elementary school library usage. All elementary libraries offered six or more weekly open library sessions in which parents and students used computers, attended library programs, and checked out books. Some schools experienced a high volume of usage; others saw little to no regular usage. Feedback from staff, parents, and students reflected positive comments on the small class sizes and the quality of teachers. Suggestions for longer sessions and more Spanish-speaking teachers were also received.

 

      Report and Analysis of 2003 WASL Scores

      Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller reported on the results of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) taken by 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students in the spring of 2003. Test results indicate we are making progress and students are achieving at increasingly high levels at the elementary and middle school levels. All elementary schools had more than 50% of their students meeting standard in reading. At the middle school level, since 1997 – 1998 when the WASL was instituted at this level, three of the District schools have demonstrated increased performance in reading, all four schools in writing, and all but one in math. Student performance at the high school level show a continual decline from a high in 1999 – 2000. The decline reflects an increasing number of students who do not take the WASL seriously and do not commit to doing their best. In addition, more than 110 high school students did not take the test, including more than 50 who “refused,” up considerably from the first year when only 8 students “refused.”

      Zoller also reported on the Adequate Yearly Progress for the Federal “No Child Left Behind (NCLB).” The district-wide report shows a total of ten cells in which adequate yearly progress was not achieved. In addition, there are three schools that did not make adequate yearly progress.

 

ACTION ITEMS:

      Clock Hour Fee Schedule Approved

      Ann Whitmyer moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion to approve the clock hour fee schedule. All teachers are required to have 150 clock hours or 10 semester or 15 quarter college credits every five years to renew their teaching certificates. To assist teachers in meeting this requirement, the Office of Professional Development offers clock hour classes. Due to a steady increase of clock hour courses being offered, the cost has also increased. To cover these expenses, the Clock Hour Committee is recommending an increase in the clock hour fee structure. The motion carried unanimously.

 

      Resolution 7 – 03, Northeast Fiber Circuit Interlocal Agreement Approved

      Jim Stevens, Assistant Superintendent and John Getchel, Computer/Network Services Manager reviewed the Fiber Lite Project, the initial analysis, and the reasoning underlying this project. This Agreement represents Phase Two of the project which will provide fiber optic lines to Parkview, Sunnyland, Roosevelt, Silver Beach, Northern Heights, and Squalicum. Elaine Lynch moved and Ann Whitmyer seconded the motion to approve the Resolution 7 – 03, the Northeast Fiber Circuit Interlocal Agreement with the City of Bellingham. The motion carried unanimously.

 

      Personnel Recommendations

      Jeff Haggen moved and Ann Whitmyer seconded the motion to approve the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

 

      Adjournment

      The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.