The meeting was called to order at 6:38 p.m. by the Superintendent.

Transcription

1 FREDERICKSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Fredericksburg, Virginia A regular meeting of the Fredericksburg City School Board was held at 6:30 p.m. on July 9, 2007 in the Lecture Room of James Monroe High School, 2300 Washington Avenue. Board members present were: Others Present: Mr. Jarvis E. Bailey Mr. Michael J. Gillenwater Mrs. Patricia B. Green Ms. Malvina Rollins Kay * Mrs. Barbara A. Miller-Richards Mrs. Janice R. Walsh Dr. David G. Melton, Superintendent Mrs. Deborah B. Wright The meeting was called to order at 6:38 p.m. by the Superintendent. * Mrs. Kay arrived during closed session : BOARD CONVENES INTO CLOSED SESSION: RECONVENES IN REGULAR SESSION. The Superintendent recommended that the Board convene in closed session under FIA (A), Section 1- Personnel (discussion of new employee credentials/salaries). A motion to convene in closed session under the section of the Freedom of Information Act recommended by the Superintendent was made by Mrs. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Green, and unanimously approved by a roll call vote. The Board convened in closed session at 6:39 p.m. On a motion by Mrs. Green, seconded by Mrs. Walsh, and unanimously approved by a roll call vote, the Board reconvened in regular session at 7:03 p.m. and approved Certificate of Closed Meeting No which involves a statement concerning items discussed in closed session. A copy of Certificate of Closed Meeting No is attached to the minutes. The Board was in recess until the start of public session at 7:30 p.m : BOARD ORGANIZES FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. The Superintendent called for nominations for the office of Chairman of the Fredericksburg City School Board. Mrs. Green nominated Mrs. Barbara A. Miller-Richards for the office of Chairman of the Fredericksburg City School Board for the school year. The nomination was seconded by Mrs. Walsh. There being no further nominations, Mrs. Miller-Richards was unanimously elected to the position of Chairman of the School Board. Mrs. Miller-Richards then opened the floor for nominations for the office of Vice-Chairman of the Fredericksburg City School Board for the school year. Mrs. Walsh nominated Mr. Michael J. Gillenwater for this position. The nomination was seconded by Mrs. Green. There being no other nominations, Mr. Gillenwater was unanimously elected Vice-Chairman of the School Board. The Superintendent then recommended that the Board appoint Mrs. Deborah B. Wright to the office of School Board Clerk and Mr. G. David Baker, Jr. to the office of Deputy Clerk and that each of these persons be bonded in an amount no less than $10,000 with premiums paid by the School Board. A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Mrs. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Green, and unanimously approved by the Board. The Superintendent further recommended that Mrs. Marceline R. Catlett, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Personnel, be approved as the Superintendent s designee to attend

2 meetings of the School Board in the absence or inability of the Superintendent to attend. A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Mr. Gillenwater, seconded by Mrs. Green, and unanimously approved by the Board : APPROVAL OF AGENDA. The Chairman called for a motion to approve the agenda. A motion to approve the agenda as distributed was made by Mrs. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Green, and unanimously approved by the Board : ESTABLISHMENT OF MEETING TIME AND PLACE. The Superintendent recommended that the regular meeting time for the School Board be 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month and that the meetings be held in City Council Chambers unless otherwise announced. A motion to approvethe Superintendent's recommendation was made by Mrs. Green and seconded by Mrs. Walsh. For clarification, Mr. Gillenwater noted that the Board will meet in closed session at 6:30 p.m. and open session at 7:30 p.m. The motion was then unanimously approved by the Board. A revised schedule of meeting dates for was distributed : APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE JUNE 4, 2007 REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AND THE JUNE 27, 2007 SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. Minutes of the June 4, 2007 Regular School Board Meeting and the June 27, 2007 Special School Board Meeting were presented for approval. A motion to approve the minutes as presented was made by Mrs. Green, seconded by Mr. Gillenwater, and unanimously approved by the Board : RECOGNITIONS. Mrs. Miller-Richards presented Mrs. Green with a gift certificate as an expression of the Board s appreciation for her service as Chairman during the past year. Mrs. Green expressed appreciation for the Board s support throughout the year. As part of the school division s character education program, Mr. Gillenwater presented the Word of the Month for July, Patriotism. Mrs. Marjorie Tankersley, Principal of Hugh Mercer Elementary School, recognized the following individual for her service as PTA President at Hugh Mercer Elementary School during the school year: Mrs. Libba White Mrs. White and the PTA worked to ensure that all students had the new Hugh Mercer spirit wear to wear on Fridays. Mrs. Tankersley outlined some of the many services provided by the PTA for the school staff and students. Mr. John Russ, Principal of Lafayette Upper Elementary School, recognized the following individual for her service as President of the Lafayette Upper Elementary School PTA for the school year: Mrs. Denise Righter Mr. Russ noted that Mrs. Righter has served as PTA president for the last two years having worked with the opening of the new school to establish the PTA organization. Mr. Dennis Keffer, Principal at Walker-Grant Middle School during the school year, explained that the president had been unable to fulfill her duties due to illness and resigned before the school year began. Mr. Keffer expressed appreciation to the many individuals who served on PTA committees to accomplish many services during the school year.

3 : CONSENT AGENDA. The following items were included on the consent agenda: Administration of Federal Programs - Approval of the following statement of authorization for the processing and administration of approved federal programs was recommended: "The School Board of the City of Fredericksburg authorizes the Superintendent to process and administer applications and transactions concerning the federal programs listed below: Title I, Part A - Improving Basic Programs Title V - Innovative Programs P.L Pre-school Economically Deprived (Head Start) P.L The Education of All Handicapped Children Act P.L The Rehabilitation Act Title II, Part A - Title III, Part A - Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students Title IV - Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities year." Other federal programs adopted by the School Board during the school Authorization for Warrants - A recommendation was made that the Board approve the attached resolution to appoint the Chairman as agent and the Vice-Chairman as deputy agent to perform certification and approval functions in regard to warrant authorization. VPSA Spring 2008 Technology Bond Sale Resolution Since there is a possibility that the Fredericksburg City Public Schools may wish to purchase certain networking and computer related equipment prior to and from the proceeds of the Spring 2008 VPSA Technology Bond sale, a recommendation was made that the Board adopt the attached Resolution of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools of Fredericksburg City Declares its Intention to Reimburse Itself from the Proceeds of One or More Grants Made by the Commonwealth of Virginia for Certain Expenditures Made and/or to be Made in Connection with Certain Capital Improvements. Student Fees - Lists of student fees for each of the schools are approved annually by the School Board. The attached schedule of fees for the school year was recommended. No increases in student fees were recommended. Bids for Milk, Bread, and Ice Cream A recommendation was made that the milk bid be awarded to Shenandoah s Pride Dairy, the bread bid to Wonder Bread, and the ice cream bid to Land-O-Sun Dairies for the period of August 23, 2007 through June 20, 2008.

4 Cafeteria Bids A recommendation was made that the School Board award bids for canned/dry foods, frozen foods, and paper/cleaning products for the period of August 23, 2007 through June 20, 2008 to the companies meeting specifications and other criteria pertinent through lowest bid and quality of product and service. Copies of the bid documents are attached to the minutes. Educational Access for Television Services Contract A recommendation was made that the School Board award the contract for educational access for television services to VTS Productions for the period of July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010 at the following costs: $20, $21, $22, Service Contract for Division Telephones A recommendation was made that the service contract for division-wide telephone service be awarded to Communications Specialists of Virginia (CSI) at a cost of $34, for the period of July 1, 2007 through June 30, It was noted that CSI is the sole authorized dealer for these services in our area. Energy Management Contract - A recommendation was made that the School Board ratify the attached contract agreement with Energy Education, Inc. for consultative services for energy management. The Superintendent recommended approval of the items which were included on the consent agenda. In a point of order, Mrs. Kay noted the need for Board members to be informed in the agenda items involving financial obligations and bids in regard to whether or not the bids are within the amount budgeted for such goods and services. Mrs. Miller-Richards agreed that these are excellent comments for future meetings. Mr. Gillenwater commented about the need to make better use of Channel 18. Following these comments, a motion to approve the Superintendent's recommendation was made by Mrs. Walsh, seconded by Mrs. Green, and unanimously approved by the Board. Copies of the consent agenda items are attached to the minutes : PERSONNEL ACTIONS. The Superintendent recommended approval of the personnel list as presented including the addendum. A motion to approve the Superintendent's recommendation was made by Mrs. Green and seconded by Mrs. Walsh. The motion was approved by a roll call vote with Mr. Gillenwater abstaining. A copy of the personnel list is attached to the minutes : ELECTION OF DELEGATE FOR 2007 VSBA/VASS ANNUAL CONVENTION. The 2007 VSBA/VASS Annual Convention will be held in Williamsburg on November The Superintendent recommended that Mrs. Green be named as the voting delegate at the convention and that Mr. Gillenwater be the alternate. A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Mrs. Kay and seconded by Mrs. Walsh that Mrs. Green serve as the voting delegate with Mr. Gillenwater as the alternate. The motion was unanimously approved by the Board : POLICY REVISIONS FIRST READING. The Superintendent recommended that the Board approve several revisions to existing School Board policies on first reading. These revisions have been recommended by the Virginia School Boards Association Policy Services. A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Mrs. Green, seconded by Mrs. Walsh, and unanimously approved by the Board : GRADING SCALE REVISION LAFAYETTE UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. It was recently discovered that the grading scale used by Lafayette Upper Elementary School to help with the transitioning of students to the letter grading system was not officially approved by the School Board. The

5 Superintendent recommended that the School Board approve the following grading scale for students in grades 3-5: A A A B B B C C C D D D- Below 60 F A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Mrs. Green, seconded by Mrs. Walsh, and unanimously approved by the Board : FINANCIAL REPORT. Director of Finance David Baker provided the Board with a brief financial report including the budget status report for May 31, Mr. Baker noted that the summer payroll accruals have been posted and will appear in next month s report. There is a positive variance in both revenues and expenditures. Mr. Baker commented that the fund balance is expected to be $350,000 to $450,000 for the current operating budget. This amount includes the amount of last year s fund balance which was appropriated for the operating budget to offset cafeteria expenses. Mr. Baker noted that the operating budget does contain funds for the telephone service contract. Also, adequate funding is available for the television services contract : OLD BUSINESS. In a matter of old business, the Board was reminded that a work session will be held on Monday, August 6, 2007 to discuss the division s Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. at James Monroe High School. Dinner will be provided with the regular School Board meeting to follow : NEW BUSINESS. The following items of new business were discussed: Welcome Mrs. Miller-Richards welcomed new Board member Jarvis Bailey and new Superintendent David Melton. VSBA Hot Topic Conference The VSBA Hot Topic Conference will focus on Community Engagement for Student Achievement and School Safety and will be held in Charlottesville on August 23. Board members wishing to attend were asked to let Mrs. Wright know as soon as possible. VSBA Leadership Conference The VSBA Leadership Conference will be held in Charlottesville on October 5. Board members wishing to attend were asked to let Mrs. Wright know. Mrs. Green expressed an interest in attending : ADJOURNMENT. There being no further business to conduct at this regular meeting of the Fredericksburg City School Board for July 9, 2007, the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 p.m. on a motion by Mrs. Green, seconded by Mrs. Walsh, and unanimously approved.

6 Barbara A. Miller-Richards, Chairman Fredericksburg City School Board Deborah B. Wright Clerk of the Board MOTION: Mrs. Green SECOND: Mrs. Walsh CERTIFICATE OF CLOSED MEETING

7 WHEREAS, the Fredericksburg City School Board has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and WHEREAS, Section (A) of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by this School Board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Fredericksburg City School Board hereby certifies that, to the best of each member's knowledge, (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed or considered. VOTE: AYES: 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 Clerk of Fredericksburg City School Board July 9, 2007 Meeting Date