FREDERICKSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Fredericksburg, Virginia A regular meeting of the Fredericksburg City School Board was held at 6:30 p.m. on February 1, 2016 in City Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street. Board members present were: Mrs. Patricia B. Green, Chairperson Rev. Jarvis E. Bailey, Vice-Chairperson Ms. Jannan W. Holmes Ms. Malvina Rollins Kay * Mrs. Barbara A. Miller-Richards Mrs. Elizabeth R. Rehm Others Present: Dr. David G. Melton, Division Superintendent Mrs. Deborah B. Wright, Clerk of the Board The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. by the Chairperson. * Note: Ms. Kay arrived at 7:55 p.m. 15-16-125: BOARD CONVENES INTO CLOSED SESSION: RECONVENES INTO OPEN SESSION. A recommendation was made by the Superintendent that the Board convene into closed session under FIA 2.2-3711(A), Section 1 - Personnel (discussion regarding employment recommendations, change in position/contract adjustments, resignation recommendation, retirement recommendations, and student teacher/practicum student placements). A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Ms. Holmes, seconded by Mrs. Rehm, and unanimously approved by a roll call vote. The Board convened in closed session at 6:41 p.m. On a motion by Mrs. Rehm, seconded by Rev. Bailey, and unanimously approved by a roll call vote, the Board reconvened in open session at 7:30 p.m. and approved Certificate of Closed Meeting No. 15-16-8 which involves a statement concerning items discussed in closed session. A copy of Certificate of Closed Meeting No. 15-16-8 is attached to the minutes. 15-16-126: APPROVAL OF AGENDA. The Chairperson noted amendments to the agenda to add two information items. The items were Update on Original Walker-Grant Renovation Project and Update on the International Baccalaureate Program. Mrs. Green then called for a motion to approve the agenda as amended. A motion to approve the agenda as amended was made by Rev. Bailey, seconded by Mrs. Miller-Richards, and unanimously approved by the Board. 15-16-127: APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 11, 2016 SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION AND THE JANUARY 11, 2016 REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. Minutes of the January 11, 2016 School Board Work Session and the January 11, 2016 Regular School Board Meeting were presented for approval. A motion to approve the minutes as presented was made by Mrs. Rehm, seconded by Rev. Bailey, and unanimously approved by the Board. 15-16-128: RECOGNITIONS. As part of the school division s character education program, Dr. Taneshia Rachal, Principal of James Monroe High School, stated that the Word of the Month for February is Respect. Dr. Rachal introduced Special Education Department Chair Kathy Ryan who briefed the Board on the JM Morning Café. Several students shared information on the operation of
the Morning Café. As they showed their respect for others, the students invited Board members to visit the Morning Café which is open on Friday mornings from 7:30 a.m. until 8:10 a.m. Superintendent David Melton announced that Governor Terence McAuliffe has declared February 2016 as School Board Member Appreciation Month around the state. The Virginia School Boards Association established this observance in 1989 to encourage public recognition of the roles and responsibility of School Board members and to highlight the importance of public education throughout the Commonwealth. This year Fredericksburg joins 132 other school divisions throughout the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Month. Almost 850 elected and appointed school board members throughout Virginia will be recognized by schools and communities for their service and dedication to public education. The theme of this year s celebration, Turning Vision into Results, reflects the top priority of local school board members as they advocate for public education with local, state, and federal leaders. Dr. Melton stated that the foundation of school leadership is ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students and we are proud of our division. School Board Appreciation Month is the time to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our elected trustees. The following students participated in a special presentation to each of the Board members: Gwenavere Para (OWG) Josie LeDoux (HM) Tesher Baer (LUES) Staci Tate (WG) Christian Taylor (WG) Rose Zheng (WG) Jaren Jackson (JM) Board members were presented with Certificates of Appreciation and tokens of appreciation from the schools. Board Chairperson Patricia Green announced that the VSBA Board of Directors has designated the third week in February as VSBA School Board Clerks Appreciation Week with the goal of building awareness of the role Board clerks play in assisting School Board members, superintendents, and local schools. On behalf of the School Board, Mrs. Green expressed appreciation to School Board Clerk Deborah Wright for her services and to Mrs. Rebecca Christopher for her assistance. Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Christopher were each presented with a token of appreciation from the Board. Board Member Elizabeth Rehm announced that Governor Terence McAuliffe has signed a Certificate of Recognition declaring January 24-30, 2016 as Virginia Principals Appreciation Week. Mrs. Rehm read the Governor s proclamation and noted that Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of Virginia school principals and to recognize the importance of principals in ensuring that every child has access to a quality education. 15-16-129: CONSENT AGENDA. There were no items for approval on the consent agenda. 15-16-130: PERSONNEL MATTERS. The Superintendent recommended approval of the personnel list as presented. A motion to approve the Superintendent s recommendation was made by Ms. Holmes, seconded by Rev. Bailey, and unanimously approved by a roll call vote. A copy of the personnel list is attached to the minutes.
15-16-131: INSTRUCTIONAL PRESENTATION MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS (MAP). Mrs. Lori Bridi, Director of Assessment and Accountability, provided the Board with an update on the division-wide MAP initiative. Two years ago, administrators were surprised at SOL testing results and discussed the validity of local benchmark tests as predictors of academic success. With the determination that benchmark tests were not giving accurate indicators of how students would do on SOL tests, the staff looked to other forms of assessment tools. Beginning this year, MAP or Measures of Academic Progress, has been used to assess student achievement in reading and mathematics in lieu of traditional benchmark assessments. MAP is a computer adaptive test which is given three times per year. Mrs. Bridi explained how the adaptive tests work and shared examples of various types of questions. The RIT scale is designed to measure longitudinal growth over time and charts student growth with each testing as well as from school year to school year. MAP tells instructors if a student is on track to meet desired achievement levels as well as predicting SOL proficiency. Following the presentation, Mrs. Bridi responded to questions from the Board. Mrs. Miller-Richards commented about communicating to parents about the new MAP assessment. Mrs. Bridi stated that staff felt it would be best not to send information home in the fall on the new assessments but rather to wait until there was a starting point for a child s achievement. Mrs. Miller- Richards also asked if there would be some summary of information for use by teachers. Dr. Thomas explained how data will be associated with classroom instruction. Administrators will be working with teachers to help them understand the data. Ms. Holmes asked about the nationally normed tests. Mrs. Bridi responded that the test results can be compared to other states. Mrs. Green and Ms. Holmes were pleased that the assessment allows students to see their growth. In response to a question from Mrs. Rehm, Mrs. Bridi noted that the new system allows staff to follow student achievement from year to year and also from school to school. Mrs. Catlett commended Mrs. Bridi and Dr. Thomas for their leadership in implementing the MAP assessment. 15-16-132: FINANCIAL REPORT. Mr. David Baker, Chief Financial Officer, presented a brief report on financial matters as of December 31, 2015. Mr. Baker stated that the report shows slight positive variances on projected outcomes for the year. There were no unusual items to report. 15-16-133: PRESENTATION OF THE 2016-17 SCHOOL OPERATING BUDGET. Dr. Melton presented the Superintendent s Proposed School Operating Budget for 2016-17 along with the Special Grants Budgets and the Capital Improvement Plan and Budget. Dr. Melton commented that this year s budget document includes an executive summary in order to review highlights at a glance. The document also includes a transmittal letter noting a total FY 2017 proposed operating budget in the amount of $42,705,394 which is a 3.84% increase over the current budget. The proposal would require a city appropriation of $28,344,704 which is an increase of $734,494 or 2.55%. Also included are an additional 9.5 full-time equivalent positions or an increase of 1.5%. The budget proposal specifically addresses excellent instruction, the required 1% salary increase for the VRS employee contribution, a minimal cost of living salary increase for all employees, additional positions to remain compliant with state regulations, and increases for maintenance operations, and growth. Dr. Melton also highlighted academic statistics such as 72% of our students earned a passing score on Advanced Placement exams, 60% of students earned an Advanced Studies Diploma, SAT scores are among the best in the region, and all schools in the City of Fredericksburg are fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education. Dr. Melton provided the Board with an outline of the requested operating budget increases totaling $1,578,176 and noted again that an additional local appropriation in the amount of $734,494 would be needed to fund the proposal. Budget increases include:
1% salary increase and direct fringes VRS Additional pay increase of 1.5% and direct fringes Additional positions and direct fringes Health insurance increase purchased services Utilities and professional development Materials and supplies Furniture, equipment and software A brief summary of personnel positions and additions was also presented. The Superintendent then highlighted items in the Capital Improvements Plan and Budgets. Dr. Melton reminded the Board that based on projected enrollment, Moseley Architects had recommended the construction of another elementary school five years from now. Funding in the amount of $30,398,836 has now been included for that project in the FY 21 capital budget. Dr. Melton noted that the construction costs assume a 5% per year inflation factor. The Superintendent then responded to questions. Having missed the work session, Ms. Kay wished to clarify some items in the budget. Ms. Kay asked for clarification that the additional positions were needed in relation to student growth and that the 1.5% salary increase is across the board for all staff members. Dr. Melton agreed that those statements were correct. Ms. Kay commended the Superintendent and staff on how they make the education component of school funding work with the way the budget is prepared. She cautioned that the low salary increase may cause hard working staff to look elsewhere. Ms. Kay stated that she plans to support the budget proposal if it is the will of the Board but noted that she was not pleased with the low salary increases, particularly for groups of employees whose salaries had not been addressed in past years. Dr. Melton commented that the division has been enhancing and adding programs as we go and that the administration does not want to overlook any employees. However, Dr. Melton believes it will be a difficult budget year and it will be hard to get the amount of funding needed from the city. He stated that an increase of two cents on the tax rate would be needed to fund the additional request. The effect of housing developments bringing additional students was mentioned. Ms. Kay noted that City Council needs to be aware of the impact of new housing developments. Mrs. Green commented that this concern had been voiced at the Board s work session as well as increasing the proposed salary increase. Dr. Melton informed the Board that one option in lieu of compensation would be to give employees a one-time bonus using a portion of the fund balance. Ms. Kay expressed her desire for the staff to understand they have the support of the Board. Ms. Holmes commented that the new budget format was easier to understand. 15-16-134: UPDATE ON ORIGINAL WALKER-GRANT RENOVATION PROJECT. Dr. John Gordon, Director of Administrative Services, provided the Board with an update on the renovation of Original Walker-Grant. At this point, the project is on schedule. Design meetings with Central Office, Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education staff have been held. Staff will be meeting with interior decorators who will be auditing current furnishings and materials in an effort to determine what materials will be moved to the renovated building. Dr. Gordon noted that the first payment on the project has been processed. The groundbreaking should occur in mid-march and substantial completion is planned for August 31, 2017. 15-16-135: UPDATE ON INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM. Dr. Gordon informed the Board that the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is in full swing with acceptance letters going out this week to inform students about acceptance into the program prior to scheduling. James Monroe s authorization process went well. The findings were favorable with only
a few minor items to address. The high school is on track for the IB Diploma Program to begin on September 1, 2016. In regard to the Middle Years Program, a consultant has been assigned and will be visiting the schools on March 23-25, 2016. The consultant will review items such as facilities, construction of the master schedule, and training provided for administration and instructors in the IB philosophy. The Middle Years Program is planned to be in place beginning with the 2017-18 school year. Dr. Melton expressed appreciation to Dr. Gordon for his leadership with the IB Program initiative. Dr. Gordon also thanked administrators and Mr. Jay Snyder and Ms. Quincy Click for their work with the initial phases of these programs. 15-16-136: OLD BUSINESS. The following items of old business were discussed: VSBA Northeastern Region Forum - Board members were reminded that the VSBA Northeastern Region Forum is scheduled for March 9, 2016 in Fauquier County. Ms. Holmes and Rev. Bailey will be attending the forum. VSBA Hot Topic Conference The VSBA Hot Topic Conference Career and Technical Education and Workforce Readiness will be held on March 16, 2016 in Wytheville. Rev. Bailey plans to attend. Board members were encouraged to contact Mrs. Wright if they wish to attend. 15-16-137: GOOD OF THE ORDER. Ms. Holmes expressed appreciation for the presentations on MAP, IB and other programs. She thanked administrators for all of their work on these programs. 15-16-138: ADJOURNMENT. There being no further business to conduct at this regular meeting of the Fredericksburg City School Board for February 1, 2016, the meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m. on a motion by Rev.Bailey, seconded by Mrs. Rehm, and unanimously approved. Patricia B. Green, Chairperson Fredericksburg City School Board Deborah B. Wright Clerk of the Board
MOTION: Mrs. Rehm SECOND: Rev. Bailey CERTIFICATE OF CLOSED MEETING 15-16-8 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 2.2-3711(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: 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 (Ms. Kay was absent at the time of the vote.) Clerk of Fredericksburg City School Board February 1, 2016 Meeting Date