Bettendorf School Board meeting 3.1.04

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BETTENDORF COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Unofficial Minutes of the March 1, 2004, Regular Meeting (Pending Board Approval)

1. Call to Order.

The Board of Directors of the Bettendorf Community School District, in the County of Scott, state of Iowa, met in open session according to Iowa law for their regular Board meeting at the Ray Stensvad Administration Center, 3311 Central Avenue, Bettendorf, Iowa, on March 1, 2004. President Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and the Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Lynne Lindstrom, Board Secretary, verified that the meeting notice had been posted and mailed to the media as required by law.

Members present: Directors Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle. Members absent: None. Other officials present: John Perdue, Superintendent; Carol Webb, Assistant Superintendent; Maxine McEnany, Director of Financial and Business Services; Celeste Reuter, Director of Communications; Candi Egger, BEA Representative; Lucy Colville and Tim Holmes, Student Representatives, Lynne Lindstrom, Board Secretary.

2. Agenda Approval.

Motion by Director Roski, seconded by Director Crockett, to approve the agenda as presented.

Ayes: 7 Directors Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

3. Comments and Suggestions from Audience. 3.01 President's Statement. On behalf of fellow Board members, at this time I would like to invite any member of the audience to step to the microphone with comments about items of interest or concern that do not appear on the agenda this evening. Please begin by stating your name and address. It would be most appreciated if you would limit your comments to three minutes so that we can keep the meeting moving in a timely fashion and allow others an opportunity to speak. We ask that you remember that Iowa law prohibits us from discussing specific employees or their job performance. If you have thoughts to share about items that are included as topics for tonight's meeting, we would invite those comments when we reach that point in the meeting. Thank you for your support of our school district.

There were no comments from the audience.

4. Commendations. 1. Congratulations to the following teachers, who were included in the current edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers: Bettendorf High School: Mike Green, Director of Instrumental Music; Deborah Ragan, Vocal Music; Linda Melroy, Special Education; Margo Effland, Social Studies/Special Education; Jill Montgomery, Language Arts; and Dea Nelson, Family & Consumer Science. Paul Castro, current Board of Education Director, and retired instructor, was also nominated. Neil Armstrong Elementary School: Kevin Hatfield, Principal. Bettendorf Middle School; Jeff Winter, Social Studies/Literature; Ruth Senneff, Math/Literature; Marianne Marcek, SAIL; Dave Folks, Science; Lori Hatch, Social Studies/Literature; Ted Thompson, Literature/Language Arts; Lorna Sawyer, Resource; Mick McVey, Social Studies/Literature; and Deb Patterson, Physical Education. These teachers were nominated by one or more former students who themselves were listed in either Who's Who Among American High School Students or the National Dean's List. 4.02 Congratulations to the following Bettendorf High School students who were chosen for the Boys Swimming MAC All Conference teams: 200 Yard Freestyle, 1st team - Kyle Green; 2nd team - Alex Clark; 200 Yard Individual Medley, 2nd team - Jason Meinhart; 50 Yard Freestyle, 1st team - Brian Welke, Honorable Mention - Thomas Gissel; 100 Yard Butterfly, 2nd team - Alex Clarke; 100 Yard Freestyle, 1st team - Brian Welke; 500 Yard Freestyle, 2nd team - Jason Meinhart; 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, 2nd team - Eric Solveson, Brian Welke, Kyle Green and Jason Meinhart; 100 Yard Backstroke, 2nd team - Kyle Green, Honorable Mention - Joe Wells; 400. Yard Freestyle Relay, 2nd team - Jason Meinhart, Brian Welke, Alex Clark, and Kyle Green; 100 Yard Breaststroke, 2nd team - Eric Solveson. Megan Lonergan and Jason Meinhardt have been selected as the Gatorade High School Athlete for Girls' and Boys' Swimming.

5. Consent Agenda.

Motion by Director Roski, seconded by Director Crockett, to approve the consent agenda as presented.

Ayes: 7 Directors Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

5.01 Approval of February 17, 2004, Special Board Meeting Minutes. 1. 5.02 Approval of February 17, 2004, Public Hearing Minutes. 2. 5.03 Approval of February 17, 2004, Regular Board Meeting Minutes. 3. 5.04 Approval of March 1, 2004, Bills Recommended for Payment. 4. 5.05 Approval of Administrative Recommendations--Personnel. Certified Resignation Jane Steele/BHS/Business Education/1.0 FTE/Effective 2/10/04 Certified Transfer Loralee Cole/BHS/ Transfer from .50 FTE Special Education/.50 FTE Social Studies to 1.0 FTE Social Studies/Replacing Margo Effland/Effective 2004-2005 School Year Classified - Recommendation for Employment Gina Laughlin/BHS/Food Service-Part-time Worker/$8.08 per hour/5.5 hours per day/Replacing Carole Albrecht/Effective 3/1/04 Classified ñ Letter of Assignment Modification Brenda Haynes/MT/Food Service-Satellite Worker/Same rate of pay/From 3.25 to 3.75 hours per day/Increase in breakfast participation/Effective 3/1/04 Debbie Petersen/NA/Food Service-Satellite Worker/Same rate of pay/From 3.75 to 1.25 hours per day/Resigning lunch position only/Effective 2/24/04 Classified FYI Dana Ross/Transfer from BMS to MT/Correction on effective date from 2/17/04 board/Effective 2/18/04 1. 5.06 Approval of Early Graduates, 2003/04.

6. Discussion Items.

Shared Communications.

Dirctors Weigle and Castro reported their work on the Retirement Committee is completed, with positive results and consensus amongst the various groups. Superintendent Perdue will present a summary report to the Board at an upcoming meeting.

Director Luton shared a discussion with past school board member, Dean Arney, regarding school consolidations.

Director Crockett reported on discussion topics at a recent Parent/Executive Council meeting, which included the Family Museum, PPEL funding for playgrounds, and legislative action issues.

Director Castro recognized the achievements of the following BHS athletes at the State wrestling tournament in Des Moines: Greg Reckman, Kyle Rose, Derick Lindle, and Bryan Hart.

Director Castro commended those involved in the high schoolís ìOral History Night,î held February 26. Area veterans were honored and interviewed by students in Modern War in History and Modern War in Fiction Writing classes.

Director Luton noted a recent article in The Quad City Times regarding energy consumption analysis in a local school. Director Weigle shared cost-saving measures related to computers. Director Castro referred to an article he recently read in a school board journal in which Secretary of Interior, Spencer Abraham, announced the government has a variety of conservation programs available to schools regarding energy consumption. Superintendent Perdue indicated he plans to attend an energy conservation meeting at the AEA and has also met with building principals on this topic.

Director Weigle recently attended the high schoolís musical production ìGreaseî and complimented the students on their performance.

Director Castro shared a recent article from The Quad City Times regarding proposed anti-bullying legislation, which would have directed schools to shape their policies around several protected categories, including age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability, ancestry, political party preference, socioeconomic status or family status. The amendment failed.

As representatives of the Finance Committee, Directors Anderson, Weigle, and Crockett recently met to review the year-end audit report, discuss tax levies, and budgetary issues.

Lucy Colville, student representative, reported profits of approximately $500 from the recent BHS Olympic event.

Mark Twain & Thomas Jefferson Construction Proposal.

Rich Reyseck, Story Construction, and Gary Hindemeister, Downing Architects, provided an overview to the Board on the construction projects at Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Reyseck discussed boiler replacements and rationale for construction overruns. Competitive bids for renovation and construction work for Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson for the summer of 2004 were reviewed. Although a specific breakdown of funding sources was not available, the PPEL and LOSS will be utilized for these projects. The electrical work bid was not available at this time but will be presented at an upcoming meeting.

Budget Guarantee.

Maxine McEnany, Director of Finance and Business Services, discussed the preliminary allowable growth funding for 2004/05. Due to the vulnerability over what the Iowa Legislature will set the allowable growth percentage at for 2004/05, administration is recommending the Board pass the Budget Guarantee Resolution. Passage of this resolution would ensure the districtís regular program spending authority would be 101 percent of what the districtís regular program spending authority was in the 2003/04 fiscal year. It will not be necessary to utilize the Budget Guarantee for 2004/05 unless the Legislature sets the allowable growth at 0 percent or less for 2004/05.

Budget Projections/Annual Spending Plan.

Maxine McEnany updated Directors on the spending plan for 2004/05, which included new expenses and reductions projected. The Board will continue to be updated as more definitive numbers are known.

Board Retreat Topics.

Superintendent Perdue reviewed agenda items for the Board Retreat scheduled on March 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Superintendentís Report.

7.01 Approval of Mark Twain & Thomas Jefferson Construction Plans.

Motion by Director Mayer , seconded by Director Luton, to approve the following bid packages for renovation and construction work at Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools for the summer of 2004:

WP #011, General Work Contractors: Tri-Con Construction Group $ 312,900 WP #091, Gypsum Board/Ceiling Systems: Truss Plus, Inc. $ 50,125 WP #096, Floor Covering: Riverbend Floor Covering, LTD $ 40,881 WP #099, Painting: Johnson Contracting Co. Inc. $ 51,453 WP #151, Mechanical Work: Ragan Mechancial Inc. $1,548,888

Ayes: 5 Directors Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Weigle, Anderson. Nays: 0 Directors Castro, Roski. Motion carried 5-2.

Directors Castro and Roski indicated their rationale for voting ìnoî on this motion was due to their preference for reviewing the financial funding breakdown and the electrical bids prior to approving the above- stated bid packages.

1. Bid Approval for BHS Baseball Lighting Project.

Mark Brooks, Athletic Director, presented an overview of the high school baseball field lighting project. Funding for the project includes a Scott County Regional Authority grant totaling $45,000, donations of $15,000, and up to $10,000 from the BHS Athletic Department and PPEL fund if needed. Director Castro and Superintendent Perdue acknowledged the efforts of Joe Vaccaro, Assistant Varity BHS Baseball Coach, for his efforts in leveraging outside funds for this project.

Motion by Director Luton, seconded by Director Crockett, to approve the bid not to exceed $64,500 from Musco Sports Lighting for the high school baseball lighting project.

Ayes: 7 Directors Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson, Castro, Crockett. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

1. Set Date for Public Hearing for Proposed FY 2005 Budget.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Luton, to conduct a public hearing for the proposed FY 2005 budget on April 6, 2004, 7:00 p.m. at the Ray Stensvad Administration Center.

Ayes: 7 Directors Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

1. Budget Guarantee.

Motion by Director Crockett, seconded by Director Castro, to approve the resolution supporting the districtís participation in the budget guarantee program for the 2004-05 school year, to insure the districtís regular program spending authority would be 101 percent of the what the districtís regular program spending authority was in the 2003-04 fiscal year.

Ayes: 7 Directors Roski, Weigle, Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

1. Approval of Bettendorf Education Support Association (BESA).

Motion by Director Weigle, seconded by Director Mayer, to approve the contractual agreement with the District and the Bettendorf Education Support Association (BESA) at a total package of 3.46 percent to include the following components: 1. Step movement 2. Change to $500/$1,000 deductible health insurance plan 3. $.30 on step 2 (old step 3) for Secretary A & B and Para-Educator A 4. $.50 on step 1 & 2 (old step 2 & 3) for Para-Educator B 5. 1 more noncritical family illness 6. employee paid LTD 7. adjusted scale for LTD change

Ayes: 7 Directors Weigle, Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski,. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

1. Approval of Central Office Support Staff Salaries.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Weigle, to approve the compensation package with the District and the Central Office support staff at a total package of 3.32 percent to include the following components: 1. Step movement 2. $.10 on last step 3. Change to $500/$1,000 deductible health insurance plan 4. Change LTD premiums to employee paid 5. Adjusted scale for health and LTD changes

Ayes: 7 Directors Anderson, Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle,. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

Director Mayer commended staff for looking at innovative ways to increase their salaries via the changes to their health insurance plans. Director Roski acknowledged the efforts of Maxine McEnany for the compilation of proposals and providing employees data to make choices.

1. Administration Contract Approval.

Motion by Director Crockett, seconded by Director Weigle, to approve the compensation package with the District and the administrative team at a total package of 3.3 percent to include the following components: 1. Change to $500/$1,000 deductible health insurance plan 2. Change LTD premiums to employee paid

Ayes: 7 Directors Castro, Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

Superintendentís Report. 2. Next Agenda Planning. Superintendent Perdue reviewed draft agenda items for the March 15, 2004, meeting.

Future Events and Informational Items. 9.01 Friday, March 12, Kindergarten Roundup 1. Monday, March 15, Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m., RSAC

The Board recessed at 9:00 p.m. and reconvened at 9:07 p.m.

Closed Session.

Motion by Director Roski, seconded by Director Crockett, to go into closed session in accordance with Iowa Code section 21.5(1)(i), for the purpose of evaluating the professional competency of individuals whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge are being considered, when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to those individualsí reputations and those individuals request a closed session.

Ayes: 7 Directors Crockett, Luton, Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson, Castro. Nays: 0 Motion carried 7-0.

Directors entered closed session at 9:08 p.m.

Directors returned to open session at 10:24 p.m.

10. Adjournment.

Motion by Director Mayer to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 p.m.



_______________________________________

Barry Anderson, President ATTEST:

__________________________________ Lynne Lindstrom, Secretary