BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

October 9, 2003

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., October 9, 2003, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.

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

At 7:30 p.m. President Ken Gass called the meeting to order.

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 September 25, 2003 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

Expenditures and Payroll

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

Personal Services Contract

•  Brenda Brooks and Richard Lewis to serve as tutors in the Home and Hospital Tutoring Program on an as-needed basis during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  George Gleason to assist with curriculum implementation and middle school athletics during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Rob Brand to serve as the liaison to facilitate the placement and supervision of Western Washington University interns and practica students during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Paz Patricia Curtis, Brynne Edwards, Wai Yan (Phebie) Hau, Petcy Mak, Amelia Martinez, Adriana Peterson, Maria Salazar-Campos, Sarah Sokolow to serve as foreign language interpreters on an as-needed basis during the 2003 – 04 school year.

•  Linnet Murray to serve as an English Language Learners (ELL) consulting teacher for elementary and middle school levels on an as-needed basis during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Eileen Andersen to work on library, media, and technology curriculum projects on an as-needed basis effective August 2003 and continuing through August 2004.

•  Cynthia Hartle to conduct a weekly choir before school at Happy Valley Elementary School during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Sherri Hall to present Restorative Discipline Inservice training at Lowell Elementary School between October 1, 2003 and the end of the 2003 – 2004 school year.

Out of State Travel

•  Carol Calhoun, Kristi Champagne, Julie Craddock, Lisa D'Hondt, Janet Eerkes, Kate Eifrig, Sheila Kok, Eleanor Long, Holly McLeod, Patty Rodgers, and Betty Tull to attend a Reading Recovery Institute and Early Literacy Conference in Portland, Oregon, October 16 and 17, 2003; and Alex Brede, Pat Buhl, John Kane-Ronning, Vicky Marshall, Susan Peterson, and Donna Ringwald to attend a Reading Recovery Institute and Early Literacy Conference in Portland, Oregon, October 16, 17, and 18, 2003

•  Marie Little to attend a Reading Recovery Early Literacy Conference in Portland, Oregon, October 16 and 17, 2003.

•  Maria Griggs and two members of the Sehome Math Department to attend the Northwest Mathematics Conference in Whistler, British Columbia, October 23 – 25, 2003.

•  Jim Stevens to attend the 89 th Annual Meeting of the Association of School Business Officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 31 to November 4, 2003.

Contracts

•  Home Port Learning Center to provide an educational program for adjudicated youth for the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Sea Mar/Visions to provide educational services to women in substance abuse treatment programs for the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Interdistrict Cooperative Education Agreement with Mount Baker School District to provide services for one special education student from Mount Baker.

•  Reading Recovery Site Affiliation with California State University to receive assistance with program implementation, professional development, consultation services, and research for the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Interdistrict Cooperative Agreement with Northshore School District to provide Continuing Contact sessions for trained Reading Recovery â teachers, school visits, and teacher leader consultations.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Elaine Lynch reported attending the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Meeting on October 1, and explained that at the first meeting parents have the opportunity to name and select topics they wish to cover during the year. Lynch joined the other Board Members at a visit to Larrabee Elementary School and was impressed with how the staff works to address their strategic plans and how parent concerns and issues are handled. In addition, Lynch attended The Bellingham Herald Forum at which Dr. Ken Gass, a candidate for re-election to the School Board, appeared as a panelist. Lynch also attended football games and worked with Board Member Ann Whitmyer to repair some sewing machines at Fairhaven Middle School.

Ann Whitmyer also participated in the school visit to Larrabee and complimented the staff on supporting the values that the Board and District hold and on how they are taking advantage of staff development opportunities. She also attended The Bellingham Herald Candidates Forum and joined Lynch at Fairhaven Middle School in repairing sewing machines.

Jeff Haggen commented on the success of UmbrellaFest, and attended the initial meeting of the Citizen's Advisory Committee for the levy. Haggen also visited Larrabee and attended the Back to School night at Kulshan Middle School.

Steve Schoenfeld participated in the Larrabee school visit, served as a chef at UmbrellaFest, attended the Citizen's Advisory Committee, Sehome High School football games, and assisted in the Mock Trial at Sehome.

Ken Gass was impressed with how the Larrabee staff are focused on student learning and how the quality of their teaching stands out. He also noted that as a candidate for re-election to the school board he participated in The Bellingham Herald Candidates Forum.

Superintendent's Announcements/Report

Dale Kinsley distributed an issue of eSchool News , a publication which focuses on electronic technology. The October 2003 issue included an article on Libraries & Technology and contained a side column written by Director of Library Media and Technology Nancy Messmer. In addition, Kinsley met with several visiting librarians from Russia. He reviewed upcoming dates, including a program on November 10 at 7:00 p.m. by the League of Education Voters Foundation. The Foundation will be presenting a program to educate the public in improving Washington State's public schools and to suggest a focus for the next legislative session. The event will be held in the Board Room. Upcoming Board Meetings are scheduled for October 23; November 20; December 4 and 18; January 15 and 29. A Board Study Session on No Child Left Behind is scheduled for October 30, 7:00 p.m .

REPORTS:

High School ASB Report

Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller introduced each high school principal who then introduced representatives from their school who were present to address the Board on the Associated Student Body (ASB) programs. As explained by the school representatives, the ASB programs provide a variety of opportunities for students in clubs, athletics, intramurals, and government. The activities coordinator provides support and management for the day-to-day operation of the program with each principal retaining final supervision and responsibility. The activities coordinator is also the ASB advisor and facilitates the Leadership class that provides a substantial student voice in the school. They summarized how the ASB functions, reviewed the budget and fundraising process used by the ASB, explained how the funds are distributed to the clubs, recapped student participation in the various ASB sponsored activities, and responded to questions from Board Members.

ACTION ITEMS:

Steve Schoenfeld moved and Ann Whitmyer seconded the motion approving Board Policy 5011, Equal Employment Opportunity; Administrative Procedure 5011P-1, Procedures for Resolving Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints/Grievances; and Administrative Procedure 5011P-2, Affirmative Action Plan . The motion carried unanimously.

Student Trips

Elaine Lynch moved and Steve Schoenfeld seconded the motion approving in concept the following student trips: Sehome orchestra to Sun River, Oregon, May 13 – 16, 2004 for a performing tour; and, Sehome students on the schooner Zodiac , May 7 – 9, 2004. The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel recommendations

Lynch moved and Schoenfeld seconded the motion to approve the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Kinsley noted the position of Business and Finance Manager has been filled by Stewart Mhyre. He also noted the resignation of Denise Stilwell, Human Resources Substitute Coordinator/Secretary.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.