BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Bellingham, Washington
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
November 9, 2000
The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., November 9, 2000, in the Board Room of the Administration Building.
Present: Directors Ken Gass, Don Leu, Elaine Lynch, and Ann Whitmyer, President David Blair, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.
At 7:32 p.m. President David Blair called the meeting to order.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:
Gass moved and Lynch seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.
Minutes
Action on the minutes of October 26, 2000 School Board meeting.
Investments
Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.
GENERAL FUND
$1,550,000.00 LGIP, investment, October 31, 2000
CAPITAL PROJECTS
$4,900.00 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
$11,769.86 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
$17,200.00 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
$101,000.00 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
DEBT SERVICE
$901,500.00 LGIP, investment, October 31, 2000
ASB FUND
$100.00 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
$5,500.00 LGIP, withdrawal, October 31, 2000
$400.00 LGIP, investment, October 31, 2000
$5,900.00 LGIP, investment, October 31, 2000
$84,700.00 LGIP, investment, October 31, 2000
Expenses and Payroll
Action on expenditures and payroll as approved by the Auditing Committee.
GENERAL FUND
ACCTS PAY: 10/06/00 $241,437.14
10/13/00 42,003.27
10/23/00 526,051.29
10/31/00 162,693.73
Total General Fund $972,185.43
CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND
ACCTS PAY: 10/13/00 $200,916.93
10/31/00 138,414.01
Total Cap. Proj. Fund $339,330.94
ASB FUND
ACCTS PAY: 10/01/00 $9,390.28
10/13/00 91,604.46
10/31/00 40,590.96
Total ASB Fund $141,585.70
BHS $36,825.64
SHS $48,113.86
SQHS $56,288.30
FMS $100.00
KMS $107.90
SMS !50.00
EXPENDABLE TRUST FUND
10/31/00 $141.19
Total Exp. Trust Fund $141.19
PAYROLL $4,667,841.86
Personal Services Contracts:
Out-of-State Travel:
Contracts:
Minimum Education Compliance
Minimum Basic Education Requirement Compliance for the 2000-2001 school year.
Surplus Vehicles
Permission to surplus seven vehicles.
REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:
School Board Reports
Lynch gave a legislative report highlighting the elections results of the initiatives relating to education. Initiatives 722, 728, and 732 passed. Initiative 729 relating to charter schools failed. Lynch announced that Whatcom County superintendents and directors will meet with legislators from the 40th and 42nd district on November 27, from 7-9 p.m. in the Board Room.
Lynch attended a program by Native American storytellers at Whatcom Middle School on November 2. She also reported on the Board visit to Kulshan Middle School.
Leu also commented on the Board visit to Kulshan.
Gass attended the visit to Kulshan Middle School and volunteered today at the Shuksan library. Gass reported that he reviewed the KNOW curriculum for a seconded time and was once again impressed with the curriculum and the fact that parents can review the curriculum in advance.
Whitmyer attended the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Committee meeting today, the Whatcom Middle School Artist in Residence program, the Board visit to Kulshan Middle School, and the Partnership for Learning meeting on November 8.
Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports
Superintendent Kinsley read a proclamation from the Mayor in recognition of American Education Week, which is November 12-18. District labor groups, the Economic Development Council, and the Bellingham Public School Foundation sponsored an ad for American Education Week in the Bellingham Herald. In addition, each of the District’s 1300 employees will receive a personal thank-you card and a treat.
Kinsley shared an example of a certificate that will be sent to students who passed all four areas of the WASL testing. Elementary and middle school students will also receive a letter signed by their principal and the superintendent.
Dr. Kinsley noted that he had just received a copy of NSBA’s recent study on charter schools, which is available for Board members to review if desired.
Kinsley shared a letter he wrote to Communities in Schools, a national organization that helps to facilitate community support for students. This group is part of the Gates alliance and will be helping the District work with community agencies and individuals to find ways to support kids through adult mentors.
The City of Bellingham will be holding a study session next Monday on a proposed stormwater drain fee. Implementation could mean a fee of approximately $100,000/yr for the District. The District is seeking a public agency exemption or a reduced fee.
Bellingham School District, along with seven other districts in the Tech Prop Consortium, received a school-to-work grant from the state for $135,000. Bellingham is the fiscal agent for the grant.
Dr. Kinsley passed out copies of the school performance reports for the 1999-2000 school year. Kinsley recognized the work of Marilyn Grams and Susan Zoller to produce the reports.
Kinsley discussed the Partnership for Learning’s Excellence in Teaching report and the efforts to recruit and support quality teachers.
The WSSDA Annual Conference will be held next week in Spokane.
This is the only Board meeting in November – the next Board meeting will be held on December 14.
Audience
REPORTS:
Birchwood Elementary Learning Contract
Sharon Camblin, principal at Birchwood Elementary reported on the Birchwood Learning Contract. The contract is part of the school’s efforts to improve student achievement and communicate more effectively with parents. Birchwood is a Title I school and is therefore required to have a learning agreement for all students. Birchwood Site Council chose to involve parents in the development and implementation of their Learning Contract. Each student has an individual contract, which is signed by the parents, the teacher, and the student. So far 95% of the individual contracts have been signed. Parent David Stone spoke about his efforts to organize parent volunteers. As part of the Learning Contract parents agree to volunteer at school for at least 3 hours each year.
Tobacco Settlement Funds
Joann Johnson, Intervention/Prevention Specialist for the District, gave an overview of federal tobacco settlement funds. These funds are the result of a lawsuit against tobacco companies several years ago. Our state will receive $2.5 million of which our district will receive $14,260.00 this year. The money is to be used to combat adolescent tobacco use, focusing on grades 5-9. The funds can be used to purchase curriculum materials and training and can also be used to expand the services of the District’s Intervention/Prevention Specialists.
1999-2000 Annual Financial Report
Jim Stevens, Executive Director of Finance and Operations, presented a summary of the year-end budget for the 1999-2000 school year. Revenues totaled $63,739,608 and expenditures equaled $64,101,469. The difference in expenditures was paid from the total fund balance. The District continues to show an increase in the percentage of expenditures for teaching and teaching support. Final enrollment for the 1999-2000 school year was 9,593 FTE regular ed students and 199 FTE Running Start students. This represented a decrease of 69 FTE from the previous year.
ACTION ITEMS:
The Board heard a first reading of revised Policy/Procedures 2320 – Student Field Trips, and Policy 3800 – Music Programs and Uniforms. Deputy Superintendent Susan Zoller outlined the proposed changes for the two policies and procedures. Policy 2320 has additions to clarify water trips, exchange trips, and out-of-country trips. The process was altered for trips involving large fundraising and overnight trips. Those trips will now be presented to the Board for review in concept and the principal and school supervisor will deal with additional steps. Policy 3800 has been changed by deleting the wording dealing with music trips. (That has been incorporated into Policy 2320.) Other proposed language changes deal with uniforms and performance fees.
SEIU Contract Approved
Gass moved and Whitmyer seconded approval of a three-year contract with SEIU from September 1, 2000 through August 31, 2003, which has been ratified by SEIU. The motion carried unanimously. Leu shared his ideas for improving future District bargaining processes.
Approval of Instructional Materials
Leu moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve instructional materials for health education. The motion carried unanimously.
Ed Specs Approved for New School
Lynch moved and Whitmyer seconded the motion to approve the Education Specifications for the new elementary school. The motion carried unanimously. Now, the design phase of the project will begin. The design phase is expected to be ready for Board review in December.
Student Trips
Whitmyer moved and Lynch seconded approval for Jeff Shaw and the Sehome Debate team to travel to Utah for a national debate tournament, December 8-10, 2000. The motion carried unanimously.
Gass moved and Whitmyer seconded approval in concept of trips on the “Zodiac” on
May 11-13, 2001, and May 4-6, 2001. The motion carried unanimously.
Personnel Recommendations Approved
Leu moved and Lynch seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Dr. Kinsley recognized Kathy Feldmann Kelln, teacher at Larrabee Elementary School, who will be retiring in January 2001.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 p.m.