Official School Board Minutes

Transcription

1 Official School Board Minutes Regular Meeting of the School Board The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Independent School District 270 was conducted on Thursday, in the Boardroom of the Eisenhower Community Center. The meeting was called to order at 7:08 p.m. School Board members present: Chair Susan Wootten, Vice Chair Irma McIntosh Coleman, Treasurer Kris Newcomer, Directors Steve Adams, Betsy Anderson, Wendy Donovan, and Warren Goodroad School Board members absent: None Student Board reps present: William Wickland (grade 10) and Tim Bergeland (grade 12) Student Board reps absent: Katherine Swenson (grade 11) Staff members present: Superintendent John Schultz and Board Clerk/Director of Business Services John Toop Staff members absent: None Open Agenda: Luke Schlangen, founder of abamath, expressed his concern about not having a math team at Hopkins High School, as well as the difference it can make on assessment results. He stated that he would like to help the District create a culture of math, but needed the support of the Board in order to proceed in the creation of a team as strong in math as in basketball. There were no additional requests to address the Board during the Open Agenda portion of the meeting. Approval of Agenda: Newcomer moved, Coleman seconded to approve the agenda as amended, by moving New Business Item A (District Audit Report, ) before Old Business (in order to accommodate an audit presentation by Dennis Hoogeveen In another school district). Carried. Approval of Minutes: Goodroad moved, Anderson seconded, to approve the minutes for the Regular Meeting and for the Executive Session, both conducted on December 5, Carried. Exhibit A Consent Calendar: Newcomer moved, Adams seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar as presented: Appointments Temporary Exhibit B Appointments Classified Exhibit C Request for Leave of Absence Exhibit D Resignation Exhibit E Retirement Exhibit F Termination Exhibit G Construction Plans, 2014 Meadowbrook Elementary School Exhibit H Construction Plans, 2014 Tanglen Elementary School Exhibit I Carried.

2 2 Approved School Board Minutes Treasurer s Report: Treasurer Newcomer shared observations surrounding: Enrollment tracking in our favor ; Expenses comparable to this time last year; Good work of budget managers in managing budgets/allocations; Creation of a replacement plan for aging equipment in school kitchens, so future replacement costs come out of a Food Service budget, rather than from the General Fund CBIZ investments planning to expand investment for better returns With that, Newcomer moved, Anderson seconded, to approve disbursements in the amount of $1,917, for the period of November 26, 2013 through December 11, Carried. Exhibit J Reports: Student Board Representatives Report: Student Reps Bergeland and Wickland updated Board members on events/activities taking place at Hopkins High School. Superintendent s Report: Superintendent Schultz updated the Board on his recent work-related activities. Board Members Report: Chair Wootten provided a summary surrounding the mid-year performance review of Superintendent John Schultz conducted in Executive Session on December 5, In closing, she stated, Board members concluded the mid-year evaluation by commending John for all his good work, and for continuing to maintain a culture of openness and collaboration with the Board. Board members reported on recent educational activities/events in which they have participated. Board members individually and collectively recognized outgoing Board Chair Susan Wootten, thanking her for her leadership, sense of calm, commitment and contributions throughout the past four years. An Award of Excellence plaque was presented, For your service to the Board of Education By word and deed, your presence has enriched the lives of students, and served as an example for all. In appreciation of your outstanding service, dedication, and commitment to Hopkins Public Schools. District Audit Report, John Toop, Director of Business Services, along with Dennis Hoogeveen, auditor from the accounting/audit firm of CliftonLarsonAllen, presented the audit report for fiscal year Hoogeveen opened by explaining that the District prepares a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report CAFR, which is a testament to holding the District to a higher standard, as not all school districts choose to do so. The CAFR is submitted to the national Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) for rigorous review. He also highlighted the amount of time the auditors have spent with the Board Audit Committee (BAC) and the School Board, noting that it is far more time than he spends with any other district/board. The audit includes 3 reports 1) the Executive Audit Summary (EAS); 2) the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards and Other Required Reports; and 3) the CAFR. Hoogeveen stated that, The District is in a very strong financial position, and went on to highlight audit results: Audit Opinion The financial statements are fairly stated. We issued what is known as a clean audit report. Yellow Book Opinion No compliance issues were noted in our review of laws, regulations, contracts and grants that could have significant financial implications. Internal Controls No material weaknesses in controls over financial reporting were noted. Single Audit The District complied with requirements of major federal programs (Title I & Child Nutrition Cluster) except for the one finding that was disclosed related to timely reporting for the Title I program.

3 Approved School Board Minutes 3 Legal Compliance One legal compliance matter was reported relating to the prompt payment of bills. Student Activities A finding was reported for two inactive accounts. He then shared information surrounding: audited fund balances other funds; student enrollment ADMs served and open enrollment General Fund operations, revenue sources, expenditures per student, expenditures by object Food Service Fund operations, meals served Community Service Fund operations Toop and Hoogeveen responded to Board member comments and questions. Chair Wootten explained that the BAC had spent time in November with Hoogeveen reviewing the audit, and that the full Board met with Hoogeveen preceding tonight s meeting to review the audit, where the audit was discussed. On behalf of the Board, Chair Wootten thanked BAC members (Newcomer, Coleman & Donovan), along with John Toop, Controllers Suzanne Johnson (incoming) and Marcia Belter (retired) for the smooth transition, along with the entire business office staff for all the hard work that goes into preparing for the annual audit. With that, Newcomer moved, Donovan seconded, to accept the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, Carried. Student Board reps Wickland and Bergeland left at 7:56 p.m. School Calendars, & in Second Reading At the Board meeting on December 5, 2013, Nik Lightfoot, Assistant Superintendent, along with Paula Klinger, President of the Hopkins Education Association (HEA), presented the & school year calendars for Board review. As a result of that conversation, the Board requested some revisions; namely, alternate dates for elementary conferences in March on both school-year calendars; and a pre- Labor Day start of the school year. Lightfoot met with the HEA to review the Board s requests and as a result, has prepared the calendars for second reading; importantly, the revised calendars remain aligned with Strategic Priorities, state and federal statutes, and other diverse perspectives. Lightfoot highlighted the revisions and opened for Board comments and questions. Anderson moved, Adams seconded, to approve the school year calendars for the and school years in second reading. Carried. Legislative Action Coalition (LAC) State Platform, 2014 Following the review of legislative priorities of other educational groups (e.g., the Association of Metropolitan School Districts [AMSD]), Minnesota School Boards Association [MSBA], etc.], the District s LAC Steering Committee developed their State platform for 2014, incorporating insights from District administrators and residents. Betsy Anderson, LAC Co-Chair, along with LAC members Steve Adams, Angie Sundell, Administrative Assistant Catherine Callahan, David Schmid, Co-Chair Emily Wallace Jackson, Jahay Jallow, and Shannon Andreson, presented the state platform for 2013, including beliefs. In closing, Anderson extended invitations to some future LAC events, sharing the dates and times to get on their calendars. Board members thanked LAC members for their time and commitment to the District and students. Goodroad moved, Coleman seconded, to adopt the LAC s State legislative platform for Carried.

4 4 Approved School Board Minutes Full-Day Kindergarten As a result of the 2013 legislative session, revenue was approved for full-day Kindergarten in the State of Minnesota. Diane Schimelpfenig, Director of Teaching & Learning, along with Nik Lightfoot provided a brief overview of the plan and budget for full-day Kindergarten in Hopkins, beginning with the school year, noting that there had been no changes to the plan, originally presented and discussed at a Board workshop on December 5, Board member comments/questions focused on this being a good place to invest District dollars; whether there might be difficulty in hiring teachers with full-day K being offered in all school districts; para staffing; and the curriculum offered (phy-ed, music, art). Additionally, there were some questions surrounding the proposed budget. Newcomer moved, Donovan seconded, to approve implementation of the all-day Kindergarten program plan in the school year, with the increase of paraprofessional hours for each classroom from 3.5 hours to 5 hours reflected in the budget. Carried. Certification of Pay 2014 Tax Levy In September 2013, the Board approved the proposed 2013 Pay 2014 Tax Levy. On November 5, 2013, voters subsequently approved an increase to the property tax levy. On November 21, 2013, the Board reviewed & discussed a report surrounding the 2013 Pay 2014 Tax levy. The last step was the Truth-in- Taxation hearing which was conducted on December 10, 2013; one community member attended. Toop presented the Report on Payable 2013 Property Taxes (Pay 2014), which includes the level of proposed property taxes by levy component as adopted by the Board on September 26, It also incorporates the effect of passing the increase in Operating Referendum and Capital Projects Levy on November 5, He noted that there are no changes since the Board reviewed it in late November. As a result of the Board approving the maximum levy amount on September 26, 2013, the proposed tax levy is scheduled to increase by 3.45% ($1,457,102.53) over last year s levy, rather than by 4.01% ($1,694,713) as discussed initially on September 26, He stated that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) usually does multiple revisions of the property tax levy to ensure everything is correct for school districts; the most recent run for the Hopkins School District was done on October 1, As explained in the report: General Fund is increasing by $6,226,950 due largely to increases approved by the voters. There is a new (old) levy called the Student Achievement levy, which was called the General Education levy in PAY2001, the last time it was in place. Operating Capital levy is decreasing because the District will now be receiving some state aid. Career and Technical (Secondary Vocational) levy is increasing by $27,021 per legislative change. Health & Safety is decreasing due to a lower amount of identified projects for FY15 and also because of much smaller levy adjustments in PAY14 vs. PAY13. Building/Land Lease levy is increasing by $374,371, which is approximately the amount of the Meadowbrook Elementary expansion. Alternative Facilities pay-as-you-go levy is increasing by $150,000 per School Board directive. Re-employment Insurance levy is decreasing by $53,160 due to a much smaller levy adjustment in PAY14 vs. PAY13 there is a similar adjustment for the Equity Levy. Tax abatement adjustments, because they are lagging adjustments, show an increase from Pay13. Hennepin County is showing an increase as well for the Advance Abatement Adjustments. Community Education has a substantial levy adjustment of $188,136 for School-Age Care, accounting for almost all of their 13.89% increase. Debt Service Fund will decrease by $100,714. Newcomer moved, Adams seconded, to approve an increase in the total levy by 13.33%, establishing the final School District Tax Levy (2013 Pay 2014) authorized for general and special funding purposes. Carried. Exhibit K

5 Approved School Board Minutes 5 Policies in First Reading Policy 214: Out-of-State Travel by School Board Members Policy 455: Conference Attendance Policy 532: Use of Peace Officers and Crisis Teams to Remove Students with IEPs from School Grounds New policies and/or revisions to existing policies are presented to the Board throughout the school year. These policies reflect changes to ensure alignment with: 1) the District 270 Strategic Plan; 2) Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) model policies; 3) 2013 Legislative session; and 4) recommendations from legal counsel. The Monitoring Committee met to review policies Policy 214: Out-of-State Travel by School Board Members; Policy 455: Conference Attendance; and Policy 532: Use of Peace Officers and Crisis Teams to Remove Students with IEPs from School Grounds. Nik Lightfoot, introduced and briefly reviewed suggested revisions to the policies as recommended by the Monitoring Committee and per MSBA model policies. Policy 532 Board members had no further suggestions. Policy 214 Board members agreed upon a revision to the Establishment of Directive and Guidelines so as to be aligned with Policy 455. Policy 455 Board members suggested revisions/additions to the regulations attached to the policy. In addition, the Board Audit Committee members asked that the suggestions made by Suzanne Johnson, District Controller, also be integrated into the Regulations for review by the full Board in Second Reading. Coleman moved, Anderson seconded to approve District Policies 214: Out-of-State Travel by School Board Members; 455: Conference Attendance; and 532: Use of Peace Officers and Crisis Teams to Remove Students with IEPs from School Grounds in First Reading; further, the Board directs the Administration to prepare the policies (with suggested revisions) for approval in Second Reading at the next meeting (as part of the Consent Calendar). Carried. Incident Reports: Donovan moved, Goodroad seconded to accept the following: Welcome Center Update Board Goals/Action Steps, (Midyear Evaluation) Summary Carried. Wootten moved, Newcomer seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 9:12 p.m. Carried. John Toop, Clerk