BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

October 23, 2003

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., October 23, 2003, in the Board Room of the Administration Building. Prior to the regular meeting, there was executive session at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the executive session was negotiations.

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

At 6:35 p.m. Elaine Lynch moved to begin executive session; Steve Schoenfeld seconded. At 7:30 p.m. Ken Gass moved to regular session; Ann Whitmyer seconded.

At 7:35 p.m. President Ken Gass called the regular meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Steve Schoenfeld moved and Ann Whitmyer seconded approval of the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the October 9, 2003 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

  GENERAL FUND

  CAPITAL PROJECTS

  DEBT SERVICE

  ASB FUND

Personal Services Contract

•  Marion Clair, Margarita Elias, Emily Escudero, Rupinder Kaur Deol, Yelena Romanoff, Elizabeth Sanchez, Taranpreet Singh Mangat, Tanya Snitko, Debbie Wentz, Silvia (Romero) Wood to serve as foreign language interpreters on an as-needed basis during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Kevin Hussey to serve as an athletic trainer at Bellingham High School during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Lynn Zimmerman to provide art instruction for students at the Whatcom County Juvenile Detention Facility during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Lorraine Earle to present an after-school enrichment program at Larrabee Elementary School during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

•  Isabel Haight, Terri Pauli, Robin Pavesi, and Cristina Reyes to facilitate a before- and after-school Spanish enrichment program at Larrabee Elementary School during the 2003 – 2004 school year.

Out of State Travel

•  Edie Holcomb to attend the 2004 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 17 – 22, 2004.

Contracts

•  Interlocal Agreement with Skagit Regional Learning Center to provide educational services for one student for the remainder of the 2003 – 2004 school year.

Surplus Materials

Action on a list of items to be declared surplus.

Resolution 8-04, Revolving Fund Increase

Action on increasing the Revolving Fund from $21,500 to $30,000.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Ann Whitmyer attended a levy bond training in Mount Vernon.

Steve Schoenfeld participated in the Citizens' Advisory Committee meeting, attended mock trial practices, and a Sehome freshman football game.

Elaine Lynch met with the president of City-Wide High School Pride to discuss future plans and goals of this combined high school organization. A second meeting is planned. Lynch also met with Whatcom County Dispute Resolution Center to discuss the Healthy Choices Program for girls to explore the ways this program is used in the schools.

Superintendent's Announcements/Report

Superintendent Kinsley reported on several upcoming dates:

Kinsley reported the Citizens' Advisory Committee would complete their work in two more meetings and planned to present their recommendations at the November 20 Board Meeting.

Kinsley announced that Shawn Doan, Sehome High School science teacher, has been recognized by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) as the 2003 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year for the Pacific Northwest section.

On Monday, October 27, Kinsley will be the presenter at the Rotary Club. The topic of his address will be Standards, Tests, Accountability: Can We Leave No Child Behind?

Kinsley also indicated that the District Annual Progress Report, the fifth in a series of five reports, had been sent to approximately 475 patrons.

REPORTS:

Parent Teacher Conference Task Force

Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller updated the Board on the Parent Teacher Conference Task Force. In April 2003, the Board approved the recommendations from this task force, which included adding conferences for students not yet at standard and implementing schedule changes for regular conferences for elementary and middle school students. Since April, the task force has created a PowerPoint presentation for staff to inform them of the changes in conferences for this pilot year; they have planned the structure for conferences for students not yet at standard; designed an evaluation process for parents and staff to provide input; and identified the data to be evaluated. Zoller responded to questions from the Board and indicated a follow-up report, including recommendations, would be made to the Board in late January or early February.

ACTION ITEMS:

Policy/Procedure 4311 – Non-Student Visitors to District Schools

The Board heard a first reading of Policy/Procedure 4311 – Non-Student Visitors to District Schools. Superintendent Kinsley reported that Policy 4311 was being updated to better address concerns about safety and security and requests for classroom visits by parents. Principals have been involved in revising the policy.

Policy/Procedure 2160 – Grant Policy

The Board heard a first reading of Policy/Procedure 2160 – Grant Policy. Superintendent Kinsley reported that Policy 2160 is being updated to address the increasing potential funding sources that are now available. As revised, the grant application procedure supports wider and more differentiated needs based on the size, complexity, and impact of each grant.

Student Trips

Elaine Lynch moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion approving a student trip (in concept) for the Squalicum High School orchestra to travel to Ocean Shores and Seattle, March 19 – 21, 2004 to perform for several elementary schools and nursing homes.

Personnel recommendations

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

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.