Pleasant Valley School Board minutes 11.17.2003

PV Board Minutes 11.17.03

MEMBERS PRESENT: Regular meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. by President Debbie Dayman. Members present: Barsness, Dayman, Hoffmann, Messman, O'Hara, Schurr, Thornton. Absent: None. Also present: Jim Spelhaug, Cyndy Behrer, Kelly Hatler, Bev Anderson, Katie Cordell, Ginny Treasurer, Jennifer DenHartog, Louise Jesson, Nadine Roth, Kathryn Dettlaff and others.

AGENDA APPROVED: Motion by Thornton, second by O'Hara that the Agenda be approved as presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

COMMUNICATIONS: President Dayman welcomed visitors.

Director Barsness congratulated the forty-five new National Honor Society members who were inducted on Tuesday, November 4, 2003. Dr. Spelhaug was the guest speaker at this event.

Dr. Spelhaug gave an update on Whooping Cough in the district. At the time of the meeting a total of six students had confirmed cases. Following Scott County Health Department protocol, a number of students have been put on antibiotics. He thanked the staff and parents for their cooperation and Dr. Edwards for his support.

ELEVEN NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS RECOGNIZED: High School Principal Debbie Menke recognized PVCHS' eleven National Merit Semifinalists, their parents, and teachers the students wanted to recognize:

Katie Consamus, daughter of Bridget & Jack Consamus. Kristen Derhaag, daughter of Susan & Gregory Derhaag. Tyler Guth, daughter of Kathy & Marshall Guth. Teachers Greg Hermann, son of Janet & Mark Hermann. Ellen McAndrews, daughter of Kitty & Peter McAndrews. Scott Myers, son of Annie & Mike Myers. Mike Nelson, son of Cheryl & Lee Nelson. Rachel Poor, daughter of Katherine Sigardson-Poor & Curtis Poor. Jessica Pryor, daughter of Joanne & Ronald Pryor. Eric Swanson, son of Susan & James Swanson. Katherine Westerdale, daughter of Barbara & Randy Westerdale.

CONSENT AGENDA: Motion by O'Hara, second by Hoffmann that the Consent Agenda be approved as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. The Consent Agenda consists of the following: approval of the minutes of the November 3, 2003, Regular Board meeting; the regular employment of Marlise Bossman as a special education aide at Cody, Sharon Hakanson as a special education aide at Bridgeview, Cal Klopp as a special education aide at the Junior High, Jane Overbeeke as an early childhood special education aide at Pleasant View, Amy Schissler as a special education aide at Pleasant View, Connie Schlabach as the laundry worker at PVCHS, Mark Sitrick as a clerical aide at PVCHS, Rhonda Tisinger as an early childhood special education aide at Pleasant View, Anna VanWetzinga as a special education aide at PVCHS, Amber Vaughn as a special education aide at Riverdale Heights, and David Wakeland as a custodian at Pleasant View; and four open enrollment applications-in for the 2004-05 school year - three from Bettendorf Schools and one from North Scott Schools.

EXPENSES APPROVED: Motion by Barsness, second by Messman that General Fund warrants be issued in the total amount of $159, 595.61 in payment of invoices presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Schurr, second by Thornton that Nutrition Fund warrants be issued in the total amount of $50,393.29 in payment of invoices presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Thornton, second by O'Hara that Elementary/Junior High Activity Fund warrants be issued in the total amount of $4,634.55 in payment of invoices presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by Messman, second by Hoffmann that High School Activity Fund warrants be issued in the total amount of $55,240.72 in payment of invoices presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Motion by O'Hara, second by Schurr that Schoolhouse Fund warrants be issued in the total amount of $62,086.34 in payment of invoices presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM: Cyndy Behrer and members of the elementary faculty, Bev Anderson, Katie Cordell, Ginny Treasure, and Jennifer DenHartog presented an overview of the third grade social studies curriculum. The curriculum was revised this past summer and early fall to include an emphasis on community: moving from classroom community to our school community to the Quad Cities as a community, and culminating with our state community. During the second semester, students will focus on a significant study of the state of Iowa. The entire unit, written by PV faculty, includes many interactive and authentic learning experiences helping our students acquire new social studies meaning. Director Barsness commended the teachers for their initiative and efforts in the development of this project. Director Schurr commented upon the close correlation of the third grade Junior Achievement program with the new curricular revision.

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK PROCLAMATION: President Dayman read the following American Education Week Proclamation:

WHEREAS, public schools are the backbone of our democracy, providing young people with the tools they need to maintain our nation's precious values of freedom, civility and equality; and WHEREAS, by equipping young Americans with both practical skills and broader intellectual abilities, schools give them hope for, and access to, a productive future; and WHEREAS, education employees-be they custodians or teachers, bus drivers or librarians-work tirelessly to serve our children and communities with care and professionalism; and WHEREAS, schools are community linchpins, bringing together adults and children, educators and volunteers, business leaders, and elected officials in a common enterprise; Now, therefore, I, Deborah Dayman, serving as President, Board of Education of Pleasant Valley Community School District do hereby proclaim November 16-22 as the 82nd annual observance of American Education Week. GRANT UPDATE: During the past 3-4 months, the Mississippi Bend AEA has been awarded several significant grants. Cyndy Behrer reviewed two of those grants, Safe Schools, Healthy Students and Learning through History that present significant opportunities for the district through the availability of additional services and staff development for PV's faculty. . LEGISLATIVE ACTION NETWORK REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED: Director Messman agreed to serve as the Board's Iowa Association of School Board Legislative Action Network (LAN) representative. The purpose of the LAN representative is to provide IASB with a contact on legislative issues. Dr. Spelhaug thanked Director Messman for accepting this responsibility and Director Barsness for her previous service to the Board in this capacity.

Motion by O'Hara, second by Schurr that the Board appoint Director Messman as IASB Legislative Representative. Roll call vote. Ayes - O'Hara, Schurr, Thornton, Barsness, Dayman, Hoffmann, Messman. Nays - none. Motion carried.

DISCUSSION OF HOUSING GROWTH: The Board continued its discussion about whether the district should keep the Highlands in the Pleasant View attendance area and move ValleyWynds and Highland Green from Cody to Pleasant View. Since the last meeting, a letter was sent to all parents who live in ValleyWynds/Highland Green and have a child attending Pleasant Valley Schools (no matter the grade level) requesting their feedback should such a proposal go forward. Dr. Spelhaug reported that all responses to this letter to date have been supportive of such a change.

Motion by Barsness, second by Messman that the Board designate ValleyWynds, Highland Green, and the Highlands to the Pleasant View attendance area. Roll call vote. Ayes - Barsness, Dayman, Hoffmann, Messman, O'Hara, Schurr, Thornton. Nays - none. Motion carried.

2004-05 CALENDAR DISCUSSION: The board continued discussion of the 2004-05 calendar. It was felt that since all of the buildings are air-conditioned either an August 18th or August 25 start date is viable. Discussions focused on an 18th start in which high school semester exams are taken on December 21-22. Elementary and junior high students return on January 3. The high school uses January 3 as a teacher records/in-service day and high school students return on the 4th for the last day of 1st semester. Second semester begins on January 5. The last day of school is May 26. This calendar would have the major breaks consistent with Bettendorf. A public hearing for input into the 2004-05 school calendar will be held at the December 1 board meeting.

MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORTS (OCTOBER): Dr. Spelhaug presented the monthly financial reports for October. Through October, general fund receipts totaled $4,813,756 (22.5%) and expenditures totaled $6,926,123,(32.1%). The October target for receipts and expenditures was 33.3 %. Receipts through October in the general fund are significantly below the target percentage due to the timing of when the district receives funds from property taxes. After receipt of property taxes in November, the general fund receipts percentage is projected to be much closer to the target percentage. He also presented reports on the Management, PPEL, Capital Projects, Debt Service, Hot Lunch, Internal Service, and Activity funds.

Motion by Hoffmann, second by Thornton that the Board accept the monthly financial reports for October as presented. Roll call vote. Ayes - Hoffmann, Messman, O'Hara, Schurr, Thornton, Barsness, Dayman. Nays - none. Motion carried.

RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ISJIT INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT: ISJIT is a program sponsored by IASB which offers several investment alternatives to assist school districts with their cash management needs. ISJIT stands for "Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust". While Pleasant Valley CSD does not currently have funds invested with ISJIT and has never actually invested funds in ISJIT, the school board did pass a resolution in February, 1987 to allow the district to participate in ISJIT should the district desire.

Motion by Thornton, second by Barsness that the Board approves (i) Voyageur Asset Management, Inc. as the ISJIT Investment Advisor, (ii) the ISJIT Amended and Restated 12b-1 plan for the Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust (including the Diversified Portfolio and the Direct Government Obligation Portfolio), and (iii) the ISJIT Marketing and Service Agreement between MidAmerican Investment Advisory Group, Inc. and Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust and hereby authorizes its board secretary to execute the proxy statement. Roll call vote. Ayes - Thornton, Barsness, Dayman, Hoffmann, Messman, O'Hara, Schurr. Nays - none. Motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 8:59 p.m.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT PARENTS OR GUARDIANS WITH CHILDREN ATTENDING NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS:

The 2002 Iowa Legislature made changes to the section of the Iowa Code related to Nonpublic Transportation Reimbursement. Per the changes made to Iowa Code Section 285.3, in order to qualify for parental reimbursement, a parent or guardian of a student attending an accredited nonpublic school who furnishes transportation for the student in accordance with this section, shall submit a notice of nonpublic school attendance to the resident public school district, notifying the district that the student is enrolled in and will attend an accredited nonpublic school during the period for which parental reimbursement is being requested. The notice shall be filed with the resident public school district not later than December 1 for the first semester claim and May 1 for the second semester claim each year. Forms which must be filled out in order to qualify for this parental reimbursement are available at the Belmont Administration Center, 525 Belmont Road, Riverdale, Iowa 52722 and on the district website at http://www.pleasval.k12.ia.us. Information needed to complete the form includes the parent or guardian's name and address, the name, age, and grade level of the student, the name of the nonpublic school and its location and the number of miles one way to transport the child from home to school. Iowa Code Section 285.1, subsection 3, limits the number of students that may be eligible for parent reimbursement to a maximum of three (3) elementary students and one (1) high school student per family.

GUIDANCE OFFICE NEWS

ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS & PARENTS: Are you aware there are "Student Opportunities" available to all Pleasant Valley High School students? Some of these opportunities include leadership conferences, educational forums, essay contests, specific programs through the state universities and other agencies, foreign exchange programs, and volunteer opportunities, to name a few. Visit the Pleasant Valley High School Guidance website www.pleasval.k12.ia.us and click on Guidance link for further information.

SENIORS & SENIOR PARENTS: Scholarship information and applications are now available on the Pleasant Valley High School Guidance website under "Scholarships".

OPEN ENROLLMENT NOTICE Parents/Guardians considering the use of the open enrollment option to enroll their child or children in another public school district in the state of Iowa should be aware of the following dates:

JANUARY 1, 2004 - Last date for regular open enrollment requests for the 2004-05 school year.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2004 - Last date for open enrollment requests for entering kindergarten students for the 2004-05 school year.

Parents/guardians of open enrolled students whose income falls below 160% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for transportation assistance. This may be in the form of actual transportation or a cash stipend.

Parents should be aware that open enrollment may result in the loss of athletic eligibility.

For further details, contact 332-5550.

Before the holidays, the PV Booster Club's Spartan Clothing will be on sale Dec. 13th, at the high school guidance office from 8:00-2:00.

Throughout the holiday season, holiday order forms are available on the PV website, www.pleasval.k12.ia.us, or at all of the school offices. The Deadline for holiday orders is November 7th. We cannot guarantee delivery before the holidays on orders received after Nov. 7. Pickup for holiday orders is on Saturday, December 14th from 8:00-2:00 p.m. at the H.S. Guidance Office. Mark your calendars!

Call Cathy Linn 332-4847 or Marsha Kline 332-6137 with questions.

44th Annual Christmas Dance Sponsored by The Friends of Pleasant Valley December 13, 2003 Starlite Ballroom, Fairgrounds, Davenport, IA Dinner 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Dancing 8:30-12:00 Midnight Music by "Monkey Around" Dinner/Dance Tickets $30/couple, $15/single Dance Only Tickets $15/couple, $8/single Shuttle service available from Carriage Place Addition, Deerbrook, and Crow Creek Park - $5.00/person. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Pleasant Valley Schools Educational Foundation Scholarship Fund. Call Suzy VenHorst, 332-5986, for further information & reservations.

Pleasant Valley Schools Foundation Alumni Data Base If you are an alumnus of Pleasant Valley Community Schools, we would like to hear from you. We are developing an alumni data base and will make this available for class reunions. Please let us know your address and phone number and year of graduation so you can be kept informed of your class events. Call (563)332-5550 or e-mail harveychris@pleasval.k12.ia.us.

Class of 1984 20 Year Reunion July 2 - 4, 2004 Contact Ann Reynolds Huss at ahuss2@excite.com for further information.

The Pleasant Valley Schools Educational Foundation's New Leaders Scholarship ($1,000) has been presented to 129 PVCHS seniors over the past twelve years. The Foundation is a non-profit organization and contributions to it are tax deductible. For more information on how funds can be directed to scholarships, contact Jim Spelhaug, Superintendent, at 332-5550 or spelhaugjim@pleasval.k12.ia.us.