BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

 OF THE

 BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

November 10, 2005

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., November 10, 2005 in the Board Room of the Administration Building.

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

At 7:30 p.m. President Elaine Lynch called the regular meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Ken Gass moved and Steve Schoenfeld seconded approval of the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the October 27, 2005 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

  GENERAL FUND

  CAPITAL PROJECTS

  DEBT SERVICE

  ASB FUND

Expenditures and Payroll

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

Personal Services Contract

• Haruko Bearden and Michael Kogan to serve as foreign language interpreters on an as-needed basis during the 2005–2006 year.

Out of State Travel

• Steve Clarke and Jeff Vaughn to attend the National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP) Conference in Reno, Nevada, March 17 – 19, 2006.
• Samantha James attended The Women's Conference in San Francisco, California, October 20 – 21, 2005.

Contracts

• Home Port Learning Center to provide educational services for identified adjudicated youth.

Surplus

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

All School Board members reported on visiting Geneva Elementary School on November 4 and commented on how the school has had to cope with a student population that has grown and become more diverse. The Board also commended the teaching staff on their commitment to professional development.

Steve Schoenfeld said early indications are that Sehome High School will have two teams for the Mock Trial Competition this year.

Elaine Lynch attended several meetings preparing for the upcoming bond election. Lynch also reported the Bellingham Public School Foundation received a donation from Village Books in the amount of $321.00 for ticket sales from a recent event. The Foundation will partner with the District to use the funds toward literacy.

Lynch announced the recent School Board election resulted in the re-election of Steve Schoenfeld and the election of Melody Rhode. Lynch thanked out-going Board Member Jeff Haggen for his service to the District and presenting him with a book. Prior to the meeting a reception was held to honor Haggen.

Superintendent's Announcements/Report

Superintendent Dale Kinsley gave each Board Member a copy of the District's 2004 –2005 Annual Progress Report. The Report sets out the goals and work priorities of the District and is mailed to members of the community.

Kinsley announced that the District staff increased their donations to the United Way by $3,700 for a total of almost $27,000.

Kinsley and the members of the School Board will be in attendance at the annual Washington State School Directors Association Conference (WSSDA) November 16 –18, 2005 in Seattle.

Audience

Johnny Grames expressed his appreciation to the District and acknowledged that open government works.

REPORTS:

Financial Report for the 2004–2005 School Year

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Ron Cowan presented the District financial summary for the 2004–2005 school year. Revenues totaled $78,391,512. Expenditures were $79,272,083—72.5% of which was spend on teaching and teaching support; 15.6% was spent on support services; and 11.9% was spent on administration. Cowan reported the reserve balance is 6.3%, an increase over the 5.1% reserve budgeted in 2004–05.

Final enrollment for the 2004–2005 school year was 9,920 FTE regular education students, an increase from 9,769 FTE for the 2003–2004 school year.

Cowan thanked Business Manager Stewart Mhyre, Accounting Manager Wilma Charleston, and Accountant Kathryn Weilage for their help in compiling the financial summary.

District and State Assessment and Testing

Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Susan Zoller reported on changes in assessments of student learning. There are three purposes for assessments. For policy decisions, a standardized and formal assessment, for example the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is used. For program decisions, standardized assessments are used; and for instruction decisions, assessments are more informal, spontaneous and continuous. Zoller reviewed changes in state and district assessments for 2005–2006.

•  State assessments:

A WASL-type test in reading and math will be given to grades 3, 5, 6 and 8. Grades 4, 7 and 10 will continue to be tested in writing as well as reading and mathematics. New this year is an opportunity for high school students to pre-test and re-test the WASL as all students in the class of 2008 must pass all sections of the WASL to graduate. IEP teams working with students with an Individual Educational Program now have several choices for student participation in state assessments, including having students with an IEP take the WASL; take the WASL with accommodations; take a Developmentally Appropriate WASL (DAW); or demonstrate proficiency with a portfolio.

•  District assessments:

• Math–Grades 5 and 8 will be assessed in math using Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) three times during the year.
• Reading–Eighth graders will be assessed in reading using the DRA and DRP assessments. Added this year is the use of DRP at grade 9.
• Writing–Discontinue Six Trait Writing Assessment for grades 3, 6 and 9; provide support for schools doing school-based assessments; develop a more school-based program for 2006–2007.
• Zoller responded to questions from the Board.

ACTION ITEMS:

Approval of Resolution 9–05, Bond Election

Ken Gass moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion to approve Resolution 9–05, General Obligation Bond, to be on the March 14, 2006 special election ballot. The motion carried unanimously. The $67 million bond would provide funds to build two new elementary schools—one on Aldrich Road and one on Yew Street; purchase school property in Sudden Valley; modernize Shuksan Middle School; perform seismic structural improvements on the District's five historic buildings; and provide for major preventative maintenance projects Districtwide.

Approval of Budget Savings Plan

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Ron Cowan outlined Districtwide budget savings measures. Due to a minimal increase in enrollment, Cowan explained that it is necessary to reduce expenditures to cover an anticipated shortfall in excess of $870,000. The proposed measure reduces the budgets of every school and department; however, most District departments have had their budgets reduced by a larger percent than the building budgets. Cowan cautioned that the overall savings do not fully make up for the loss of revenue. The District's fund balance will being used to mitigate the remainder of the loss. Cowan indicated other cost-savings measures will be evaluated throughout the school year. It is also likely that unanticipated expenditures beyond the District's control will require a revisit to the budget later in the school year. Ken Gass moved and Ann Whitmyer seconded the motion approving the budget savings plan as outlined. The motion carried unanimously.

Approval of Culminating Project Timelines

Superintendent Dale Kinsley reviewed the components for the Culminating Project, a graduation requirement for Bellingham School District students beginning with the class of 2006. In order to standardize the process for students to complete this requirement across the District, a timeline has been developed as well as a series of letters designed to inform students and families of student progress towards meeting the timelines. Ken Gass moved and Steve Schoenfeld seconded the motion approving the Culminating Project timelines. The motion carried unanimously.

Award of Bid – Athletic Supplies and Equipment; Athletic Uniforms and Accessories

Ann Whitmyer moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion to award the bid for athletic supplies and equipment to Aluminum Athletic Equipment, Prostock Athletic Supply, and Riddell. The bid for athletic uniforms and uniform accessories is awarded to J. W. International, Riddell, and Prostock Athletic Supply. Each vendor will be awarded the brand name product with the greatest percentage discount. The motion carried unanimously.

Permission to Call for Bids

Jeff Haggen moved and Ken Gass seconded the motion to call for bids for the Alderwood Elementary School addition/modernization; an upgrade for the telephone system; and for a walk-in freezer for the warehouse. The motion carried unanimously.

Personnel Recommendations

Ken Gass moved and Jeff Haggen seconded the motion approving the personnel recommenda­tions as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.