BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Bellingham, Washington

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

OF THE

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

November 29, 2001

The Bellingham School Board of Directors met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., November 29, 2001, in the Board Room of the Administration Building. Prior to the regular Board meeting, an Executive Session was held at 7:00 p.m. Purpose of Executive Session – negotiations.

Present:  Directors David Blair, Ken Gass, Don Leu, and Elaine Lynch, President Ann Whitmyer, Superintendent Dale Kinsley, and recorder Shirley Knapp.

At 7 p.m. Lynch moved to begin Executive Session; Blair seconded. At 7:15 p.m. Lynch moved to regular session; Gass seconded.

Prior to the meeting a ceremony and reception was held in recognition of outgoing Directors David Blair, and Don Leu. 

At 8:15 p.m. President Ann Whitmyer called the meeting to order.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Gass moved and Blair seconded approval of the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Minutes

Action on the minutes of the November 8, 2001 School Board meeting.

Investments

Action on investments in accordance with Resolution 13-88.

                   GENERAL FUND

                                          $2,127,000.00                     LGIP, investment, November 8, 2001

                                          $703,000.00                        LGIP, investment, November 15, 2001

                                          $233,500.00                        LGIP, withdrawal, November 21, 2001

                  CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND

                                          $726,200.00                        LGIP, withdrawal, November 15, 2001

                  DEBT SERVICE FUND

                                          $1,573,000.00                     LGIP, investment, November 8, 2001

                                          $299,000.00                        LGIP, investment, November 15, 2001

                                          $56,000.00                          LGIP, investment, November 21, 2001

                  ASB FUND

                                          $32,900.00                          LGIP, withdrawal, November 15, 2001

• Linda St. Andre, Barbara Campbell, and Eileen Andersen, to work on library, media, and technology projects on as-needed basis August 2001-August 2002.
• Karen Larson to provide occupational therapy services effective November 2001 and continuing on as-needed basis during the 2001-02 school year.
• foreign language interpreters for the 2001-02 school year.
• Rob Brand to continue to serve as the liaison to facilitate the placement and supervision of WWU interns and practica students during the 2001-02 school year.

REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS:

School Board Reports

Lynch reported on the WSSDA Annual Conference November 15-17, in Spokane. She highlighted Terry Bergeson’s and Governor Locke’s speeches and the session about the Prosser Reading Academy.

Leu gave a presentation on the Achievement Gap at the WSSDA conference in Spokane.

Gass reported on a play he attended at Bellingham High School. He also attended the WSSDA Annual Conference, and he reported about the sessions on professional practice standards, school board president, and middle school respect and connections.

Whitmyer reported on the Prosser Reading Academy, the Ten Trends of Education sessions that she attended at the WSSDA conference. Whitmyer will be attending the Gates middle school conference next week in Seattle.

Superintendent’s Announcements/Reports

Dr. Kinsley attended the WSSDA Annual Conference November 15-17. He also attended a meeting of the State Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on November 27. One area of discussion at that meeting was the Certificate of Mastery Exam. On November 28, Kinsley and a team from the District met with other Gates Grantee Districts. The focus of that meeting was on continual improvements and a strong learning environment for all students.

Superintendent Kinsley announced the following upcoming events:

• December 3-4, a team from the District will attend a two-day Gates middle school conference in Seattle.
• December 5, at 5 p.m. in the Board room, there will be a swearing in ceremony for the two new Board members.  Afterward there will be a special session with the Bellingham Technical College to discuss and develop a joint vision.
• Friday, December 7, at 7:15 a.m., the Board will visit Shuksan Middle School.

REPORTS:

2000-2001 Annual Financial Report

Executive Director Jim Stevens summarized the year-end budget for the 2001-02 school year. Revenues totaled $68,533,120 and expenditures were $67,837,590. The District continues to show an increase in the percentage of expenditures for teaching and teaching support. Final enrollment for the 2000-2001 school year was 9,651 FTE regular education students and 206 FTE Running Start students. This represents an increase of 70 FTE from the previous year.

“Teen Aware” Project

David Rostykus, Art and Visual Communication teacher reported on the Teen Aware Project at Squalicum High School. Rostykus applied for grant funding through the Washington State Teen Aware Project. The District received a $9,000 state grant for the development of student media projects to create awareness of sexual abstinence and prevention of teen pregnancies. Students worked independently and in groups to produce high quality posters that sent strong messages about responsible sexual behavior to their peers. The Board was provided with several examples of the posters. Student Kyle Pennell reported on the process that he used to create his poster.

ACTION ITEMS:

Budget Modification

Lynch moved and Gass seconded the motion to approve a modification to the “one time only” allocations within the 2001-2002 budget.  The motion carried unanimously. Jim Stevens outlined the proposed reductions, which totaled approximately $700,000. These reductions are in response to anticipated decreases in the state and local budget for next year and the expenses related to the collective bargaining agreement with BEA. The program areas will be reexamined in the spring.

Student Trips

Blair moved and Gass seconded the following student trips (in concept):

• Squalicum Jazz Band to travel to Moscow, Idaho to participate in the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival on February 22-24, 2002.
• Squalicum band to travel to Victoria, B.C. on May 20, 2002, to participate in the Victoria Days Parade.
• Squalicum Concert Choir and Storm Singers to participate in the University of Washington’s Choral Workshop on May 2-5, 2002 in Seattle.
• Squalicum Chamber Orchestra to travel to Gresham, Oregon to participate in the Northwest Music Festival on March 15-16, 2002.

The motion carried unanimously.

Bid Award

Blair moved and Gass seconded the motion to award the bid for Whatcom Middle School gym addition/auditorium renovation project to Ebenal General of Bellingham. The motion carried unanimously.  The bid package included twelve additive alternates. The bid award includes the base bid and additional alternates 4,6,9, 10, and 12.

Personnel Recommendations

Blair moved and Lynch seconded the motion for approval of the personnel recommendations as presented. The motion carried unanimously.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:18 p.m.