BETTENDORF SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES 8.16.04

Unofficial Minutes of the August 16, 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 August 16, 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; Margie Schwaninger, BEA Representative; Joe Slavens, Board Treasurer; Lynne Lindstrom, Board Secretary.

2. Agenda Approval.

Superintendent Perdue noted the following changes to the agenda: 1. Additional bills under item ì5.02 Approval of August 16, 2004, Bills Recommended for Payment.î 2. Withdrawal of item ì5.06 Approval of Tuition Application.î 3. Rescheduling of item ì6.02 School-to-Work Updateî until September 7.

Motion by Director Roski, seconded by Director Mayer, to approve the agenda as amended.

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

3. Comments and Suggestions from Audience. 1. 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. 4.01 Congratulations to the following Bettendorf High School students, who were recognized for baseball honors: CO-MVP's: Sean Rizzo, Alex Thomas; 2nd Team All Conference: Kyle Merten, Isiah Stevens; Honorable Mention All Conference: Alex Thomas, Sean Rizzo, Kyle Naylor; All District Team: Kyle Merten, Alex Thomas; MAC All Academic: Dan Halfman, Brian Kim, Kyle Merten, Kyle Pitz, Luke Peterson, Blake Rubino, Alex Thomas, Steve Marsh, and Kyle Naylor. 1. Judy Wade, Living Skills instructor at Bettendorf Middle School, was commended by the Midwest Dairy Association for her support of dairy nutrition education. Judy participated in a panel presentation in July at the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Conference, and has been instrumental in promoting wise food choices for Middle School students. 5. Consent Agenda.

Superintendent Perdue introduced and welcomed Joe Slavens, new Board Treasurer for fiscal year 2004.

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

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

5.01 Approval of August 2, 2004, Regular Board Meeting Minutes. 5.02 Approval of August 16, 2004, Bills Recommended for Payment. 5.03 Approval of Administrative Recommendations--Personnel. Certified Resignation Trisha Calsyn/NA/Core Reading/.66 FTE/Effective 7/30/04 Stacey Ruff/HH/Core Reading/.66 FTE/Effective 6/21/04 Certified Approval to Hire Trisha Calsyn/NA/5th grade/1.0 FTE/BA,1/$25,974/Replacing Lisa Reid/Effective 8/2/04 Melissa Galles/NA/MT/Art/.70 FTE/BA,0/$17,882/Replacing Jill Lindstrom/Effective 8/2/04 Bill Matthys/BHS/Special Education/1.0 FTE/MA,7/$38,212/ Replacing Sue Aubry/ Effective 8/20/04 Lindsay Rowland/MT/Core Reading/.66 FTE/BA,0/$16,920/ Replacing Jan Sebastian/Effective 8/12/04 Mark Stateler/BHS/TELC/TV Tech/Alternative Education/1.0 FTE/BA+15, 5/$32,218/Replacing Ethel Hegeman/Susan Feuerbach/Effective 8/20/04/Pending certification Certified Contract Modification Robin Bridges/GW/Core Reading/Increase entry level from BA, 4.5/$15,877 to BA, 5/$16,203 Schedule D Resignation Ryan Ames/BHS/Director of Forensics/Effective 8/4/04 Barb Brown/BHS/Curriculum Leader, District Wide, Vocational Education/Effective 8/10/04 Alonzo Clayton/BMS/Assistant Coach 7th & 8th Grade Volleyball/Effective 8/10/04 Hugo Herrera//BHS/Assistant Freshman Football Coach/ Effective 7/27/04 Darcy Johnson/GW/ Curriculum Leader, District Wide, Special Education/Effective 8/10/04 Schedule D Approval to Hire Cheryl Brogla-Krupke/PN/Curriculum Leader, District Wide, Music/$1,324/Replacing Marilee Weigle/Effective 8/16/04 Alonzo Clayton/BMS/8th Grade Assistant Football Coach/ $1,748/Replacing Scott Ervin/Effective8/10/04 Nathan Hernandez/BMS/Assistant Intramural Football Coach/ $949/Replacing Larry Flathman/Effective 8/16/04 Bill Matthys/BHS/Head Freshman Football Coach/$2,498/ Replacing Terry Stevens/Effective 8/3/04 Terry Stevens/BHS/Assistant Freshman Football Coach/ $2,248/Replacing Hugo Herrera/Effective 8/1/04 Judy Wade/BMS/ Curriculum Leader, District Wide, Vocational Education/$1,324/Replacing Barb Brown/Effective 8/16/04

Classified ñ Resignation Ryan Ames/BHS/Para Educator A/Effective 8/3/04 Renee Collins/Lourdes/Para Educator B/Effective 8/5/04 5.04 28-E Agreement for School Based Supervision Program (Juvenile Court Liaison Officer) at Bettendorf Middle School. 5.05 Construction Change Order. 5.06 Approval of Tuition Application. Bjorn Rydder, grade 8, from Davenport 5.07 Appointment of Joe Slavens, Treasurer, for Fiscal Year 2004 5.08 Approval of Requests for Open Enrollment.

Into Bettendorf, 2004/05

Nicholas Corbin, grade 10, from Pleasant Valley, continuation due to change of residence Marquis Hendricks, grade 2, from Pleasant Valley, good cause due to change of residence Morgan Nichols, grade 7, from Pleasant Valley, continuation due to change of residence Whitney Nichols, grade 10, from Pleasant Valley, continuation due to change of residence Quinlan Syfert, grade 7, from Pleasant Valley, continuation due to change of residence 6. Discussion Items. Shared Communications.

Director Roski attended the New Teacher Breakfast at the Family Museum in Bettendorf and reported it was a very enjoyable event with good representation from the districtís administrators.

Director Weigle has been working on the student directory at the high school. She reported positive comments on the new registration process and no issues being brought forward on the new scheduling changes.

Director Crockett visited the newly renovated Bettendorf Middle School parking lot and provided positive feedback on the modifications.

Director Crockett reminded Board members and administration of the picnic she is hosting on Wednesday, August 18, at 6:00 p.m. School-to-Work Update.

The School-To-Work update was rescheduled for discussion at the upcoming Board of Education meeting Tuesday, September 7. Retirement Resolution.

Superintendent Perdue reviewed the proposed retirement resolution, which encompassed a three-year plan for the fiscal years ending in 2005, 2006, and 2007. As outlined, the plan included a $200 per month stipend into a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) for up to ten years or until the employee becomes eligible for Medicare. The $200/month stipend could be utilized on a pre-tax basis for eligible medical expenses and/or health insurance premiums. In addition to this provision, the district would deposit $10/day for each retireeís unused sick leave days into a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

Director Weigle stated her concern for the funding of this enriched retirement plan pending the number of employees who elect to retire and its impact on the various funds. She clarified she wanted to be able to make a commitment to employees for the three years and not have to retract the plan if participation levels were higher than anticipated with a negative financial impact.

Maxine McEnany, Director of Finance & Business Services, distributed Management Fund projections for fiscal years 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 and reviewed historical participation rates in retirement rates.

Directors discussed the potential impact of the lump sum payment on the Management Fund and proposed a variety of options to minimize cash flow concerns. These options included lowering the $200/month stipend to $150 or $100, eliminating the lump sum option, or making a $2,400 annual payment into the HRA. The long-term replacement savings from the early retirement plan were discussed. On behalf of the BEA, representative Margie Schwaninger, conveyed an interest in health care benefits and felt the BEA would be understandable to the good faith efforts of the Board, should something need to be revised at a future date. Board Treasurer Joe Slavens proposed questions of cash flow, affordability and an incentive-based plan.

Directors recessed at 8:05 p.m. and went back into session 8:12 p.m. Special Education Deficit.

Maxine McEnany, Director of Finance & Business Services, reported on the districtís special education deficit and its increased growth rate. She shared historical deficits from 1999 through the current year and the certified special education student count categorized by Level I, II, and III. The 2003/04 year deficit is projected at $573,339, which is an increase of $322,089 over the prior year. The special education deficit has been erratic over recent years with a low of $251,250 in 2002/03 to a high of $592,847 in 2000/01. Comparative data is available, however, due to the dynamics of the student population it is difficult to estimate from year to year. Bonnie Fisher, Director of Special Education Services, will conduct a detailed audit of individual special education programs and utilization of classroom aids. Additionally, a team of outside reviewers will examine staffing ratios, programming options, and the utilization of instructional aides. Maxine McEnany projected an increase from the 27 cents levy to 65 cents on the special education levy. The overall tax levy will remain at the current rate of $15.47. Results from the audit and outside reviewers should be available by January 2005.

Superintendentís Report.

7.01 Oath of Office: Treasurer to the Board of Education.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Roski, to approve Joe Slavens, as Treasurer to the Board of Education for 2004/05.

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

Director Anderson administered the oath of office to Joe Slavens, Treasurer to the Board of Education for Fiscal Year 2004. 1. Approval of Resolution ñ Designated Fund Balance as of June 30, 2004.

Maxine McEnany reviewed the resolution outlining set-aside funds within the General Fund, which represented the districtís strategic plan and other long-range goals. If necessary, these designations can be adjusted.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Roski, to approve the resolution designating a portion of the June 30, 2004, General Fund balance for the following: Technology $500,000 and working capital $2,000,000; for a total of $2.5 million.

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

1. Retirement Resolution.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Roski, to move consideration of the retirement resolution as outlined in item #7.03.

Motion by Director Mayer, seconded by Director Roski, to propose an amendment to the resolution as proposed in item #7.03, page 2, Section I, Item C:

1. When an employee is eligible and elects to retire early under this program, the district will deposit $2,400.00 annually into a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) (See IRS 2002-41, 2002-45) for the lesser of up to 10 years or until the employee becomes eligible to receive benefits under Medicare or becomes deceased. The district will provide an annual payment of $2,400, based on $200 times the number of months of eligibility. The deposits are intended to be used on a pre-tax basis for eligible medical expenses and/or health insurance premiums.

Additionally, on page 3 the third paragraph under Section I would be amended as follows:

1. If the retirement is effective June 30, 2005, the benefit will begin in the name of the employee October 2005. If the retirement is effective June 30, 2006, the benefit will begin in the name of the employee October 2006. If the retirement is effective June 30, 2007, the benefit will begin in the name of the employee October 2007.

President Anderson called for a vote on the proposed amendment.

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

President Anderson called for a vote on the main motion, as amended.

Ayes: 6 Directors Mayer, Roski, Weigle, Anderson, Crockett, Luton. Nays: 0 Abstained: 1 Director Castro. Motion carried 6-0-1.

While Director Castro stated his overall agreement with the retirement resolution, he clarified that his reason for abstaining from the vote was because he would like to have a final printout of the resolution, including the proposed changes, prior to giving his approval.

1. First Reading of Board Policies.

Directors conducted a first reading of suggested dissolution of the following Board Policies: 1. 402.9 & 402.9R1 - Supplemental Retirement Incentive

Director Mayer clarified that because of the language in the new resolution these policies have to be deleted. Additionally, it will be necessary for the Board to further review the retirement plan in three years, as this plan will have expired at that time.

Motion by Director Roski, seconded by Director Mayer, to approve as a first reading Board Policies 402.9 and 402.9R1, Supplemental Retirement Incentive, as deletions from the Board policies.

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

1. First Reading of Board Policies.

Superintendent Perdue reviewed suggested revisions to the following Board Policies: 1. 401.9 Use of School District Facilities and Equipment by Employees 2. 504.1 Student Health & Immunization Certificates

Motion by Director Weigle, seconded by Director Roski, to approve for a first reading the above-stated Board policies as outlined.

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

Superintendentís Report. 2. New Board Member Orientation; Board Elections. Superintendent Perdue and Director Weigle recently met with Board candidate, Barb Ehrmann. School board elections are scheduled for September 14. 3. BOE Follow-Up Reports. Directors provided input as to additional follow-up reports they would like for the 2004/05 school year. 4. Construction Update. Superintendent Perdue shared the summer construction projects via the districtís website, which included chronological photos on a BMS, Mark Twain, and Hoover construction projects, in addition to the BHS Fine Arts addition, BHS photo lab, and improvements to the BMS parking lot. 5. Enrollment & Staffing. Superintendent Perdue indicated pre- registration has kick-off and enrollment numbers will be more accurate by the September 7 meeting. The official count day will be September 17. The majority of all staffing positions have been filled. 6. Next Agenda Planning. Superintendent Perdue reviewed a draft agenda items for the Tuesday, September 7, 2004, meeting. This meeting date has been moved to Tuesday due to the Labor Day Holiday.

Future Events and Informational Items. Tuesday, August 24, All Staff Welcome Back at BHS Cafeteria, 8:00 a.m. 3. Wednesday, August 25, First Day of School 4. Tuesday, September 7, Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m., RSAC 10. Adjournment.

Motion by Director Mayer to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 p.m.

_______________________________________

Barry Anderson, President ATTEST: _____________________________________ Lynne Lindstrom, Secretary