Bettendorf eyes 'core time' expansion to 1st, 2nd grades

BETTENDORF COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BETTENDORF, IOWA Unofficial Minutes of April 9, 2007 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education (pending Board approval)

Public Hearings

A Public Hearing opened at 7:00 p.m. in order to discuss the FY 2007/08 Proposed Budget. There were no comments and the hearing closed at 7:01 p.m.

A Public Hearing opened at 7:01 p.m. in order to discuss the new Neil Armstrong Elementary School construction project for purchases of Technology equipment, Furniture, and Playground equipment. Greg Gackle had general questions about the new Neil Armstrong construction project and asked when would be a good time to discuss it. President Anderson said during the comments and suggestions section of the regular board meeting. The public hearing closed at 7:02 p.m.

A Public Hearing opened at 7:02 p.m. in order to discuss an amendment to the FY 2006/07 Budget.

Greg Gackle, 1116 Coffelt Ave., asked for the total amount of the Neil Armstrong project. Maxine McEnany said it is $8.8 million and at this point the project is still under budget. Mr. Gackle asked if that estimate included demolition costs and Maxine said it did. The public hearing closed at 7:06 p.m.

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 Administrative Center, 729 21st Street, Bettendorf, Iowa, on April 9, 2007. President Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. and the Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Colleen Skolrood, Board Secretary, verified that the meeting notice had been posted and mailed to the media as required by law.

Members present: Directors Anderson, Crockett, Ehrmann, Justis, Mayer, Tinsman, Weigle. Members absent: None. Other officials present: Marty Lucas, Superintendent; Dr. Carol Webb, Assistant Superintendent; Maxine McEnany, Director of Business and Financial Services; Joe Slavens, Treasurer; Cindy Ferguson, BEA Representative; Cara Voelliger, Student Representative; Colleen Skolrood, Board Secretary.

Motion by Director Crockett, seconded by Director Ehrmann, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 7-0.

Comments and Suggestions from Audience.

Greg Gackle, 1116 Coffelt Ave., commented on the retirement of the outdoor education teacher and asked about the future of outdoor education. Superintendent Lucas responded saying the proposal is to not replace the position. Superintendent Lucas anticipates continuing to offer outdoor education, but it will be handled in a different manner. Mr. Gackle asked if there was a reason why the board has decided not to replace this position. Superintendent Lucas reiterated that he believes we can provide the program in a different manner.

Lisa Wilson, NA teacher, asked if it was a good time to continue discussion on 3rd quarter conferences, which was briefly discussed at the last board meeting. Superintendent Lucas said there has been discussion with the elementary principals. There are looking at ways to implement this board directive next year. Ms. Wilson responding saying if they are going to make 3rd quarter conferences mandatory, they will need to make the time for the teachers, because it requires a lot of time to meet with every parent. Superintendent Lucas said it was not the original intent to meet face to face with every parent, but to make some sort of contact. Director Justis asked if this should also be looked at with the middle school and high school.

Julie Wold, TJ teacher, asked if it is a done decision to not replace the outdoor education position. Superintendent Lucas said they are not going to replace the position, but will continue to discuss how the program is provided.

Motion by Director Crockett, seconded by Director Justis, to approve the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried: 7-0.

Approval of March 19, 2007, Special Board Meeting Minutes.

Approval of March 19, 2007, Regular Board Meeting Minutes.

Approval of April 9, 2007 Bills Recommended for Payment.

Approval of Administrative Recommendations--Personnel.

Certified Resignation

Janel Vandemore/BHS/Social Studies/Effective 6-30-07

Certified Retirement

Patricia Reier/MT/4th grade/Effective 6-30-07

Certified Contract Correction

Nikki Allers/TJ/Correct FTE from .62 FTE to .69 FTE/Effective from 8-8-06

Certified Approval to Hire

Jamie Bice/MT/4th grade/1.0 FTE/BA, 1/$26,520/Replacing Sandra Vignes/Effective 7-1-07

Lisa Jackson/HH/2nd grade/1.0 FTE/MA, 10/$42,840 Replacing Barb Sodac/Effective 7-1-07

Janell Ronnebeck/PN/2nd grade/1.0 FTE/BA,2,/$27,795/Replacing Heidi Moran/Effective 7-1-07

Jennifer Saxon/PN/1st grade/1.0 FTE/BA,1/$26,520/Replacing Morgan Thomas/Effective 7-1-07

Schedule D Resignation

Jill Holzman/BHS/Assistant Debate Coach (.50)/Effective 6-30-07

Jennifer Saxon/NA/Lunchroom Supervision (.50)/Effective 6-30-07

Classified - Resignation

David York/Operations Center/Special Needs Bus Driver/ Effective 3/29/07

Classified - Recommendation for Employment

Scott Schalk/BHS/Para Educator/$11.98 per hour/5.5 hours per day/ Replacing Kim Catalano/Effective 3/19/07

Construction Change Order.

Approval of Cooperative Sharing Agreements with Rivermont Collegiate.

Approval of Cooperative Sharing Agreements with Morningstar Academy.

Approval of Requests for Open Enrollment.

Into Bettendorf, 2006/07

Brett Dykes, grade 9, from Pleasant Valley, continuation

Kayla Ehrecke, grade 5, from Pleasant Valley, continuation

Tiffany Helton, grade 5, from Pleasant Valley, continuation

Alexandria Hildebrandt, grade 7, from Davenport, good cause

Kelsey Manasco, grade 5, from Pleasant Valley, good cause due to change of residence

Tristen Manasco, grade 2, from Pleasant Valley, good cause due to change of residence

Jordan Schoeve, grade 11, from Pleasant Valley, good cause due to change of residence

Kayla Schoeve, grade 7, from Pleasant Valley, good cause due to change of residence

Into Bettendorf, 2007/08

Marcus Helton, kindergarten, from Pleasant Valley

Niklaus Korthals, kindergarten, from Pleasant Valley

For information only. The following students have open enrolled out of the Bettendorf Community School District:

Out of Bettendorf, 2006/07

Caleb Sievert, grade 1, to North Scott, continuation

Elizabeth Sievert, kindergarten, to North Scott, continuation

Out of Bettendorf, 2007/08

Dylan Keehn, kindergarten, to Pleasant Valley

Cody Teshak, kindergarten, to Pleasant Valley

Mikyla Wren, grade 1

Shared Communications.

Director Crockett attended the Recognition Banquet at the high school on March 22. She said Tina Johnson spoke at the event and did a nice job. She said there were a lot of inspiring stories.

Director Mayer attended the memorial service for former high school Associate Principal, John Kelly.

FY 2007/08 Budget.

Maxine McEnany reported the 2007/08 budget is basically the same as last year. She said the numbers are down a little bit due to the Neil Armstrong project bills paid in the 2006/2007 year. Property tax is up 2.8% over the last two years. The property tax levy remains the same as the current year at $15.00 per $1000 taxable valuation.

FY 2006/07 Budget Amendment.

Maxine McEnany noted the 2006/07 budget was amended for the Neil Armstrong project. The total support services were increased from $11,097,265 to $11,483,582 for technology and equipment of the NA building project. Also, the Board issued Bond Anticipation Notes for Neil Armstrong, which went from $8,373,134 to $11,296,610.

2007/08 School Fees.

The school fees remain unchanged for next year.

Director Weigle asked if there was a big jump in fees last year. Maxine McEnany said the year before they combined all the fees at the high school into registration. She noted we do a comparison with other districts and are in the range with other schools for our registration fees.

She commented that Cindy Jacobsen, Director of Food Service, has made great strides in bringing down the overall expenses in the foodservice program by approximately $75,000 this year and we hope to be at a breakeven next year which will require some changes in personnel through attrition at the end of this year. We are at the upper range of costs for lunches compared to other schools in the state so we did not want to increase those prices.

There was no need to vote on this item, because the fees are not being changed.

Core Time Program

Superintendent Lucas stated the proposal is to add full time core time program positions in each building to the first and second grades. Third, fourth, and fifth grade core time will not change. He noted they will begin discussion with grade level teams this spring on the future of core time.

Director Weigle asked how many hours are currently allocated for core time for first and second grades. Dr. Webb said it is about 3 hours. Dr. Webb feels the hiring of a full time teacher will create a more consistent program.

Superintendent Lucas said he misspoke earlier and there will not be a full time teacher at Thomas Jefferson, because it is a one section building. All of the other elementary buildings will have a full time teacher.

Director Weigle asked if core time is still focused on reading and language arts. Dr. Webb said for the most part it is, but some of the buildings are covering math and reported it has been valuable. However, she would like to discuss what it is that we are going to cover so it is the same for each building. Overall, math scores have been great, so it is not a concern and an area we need to focus on. She said core time was originally started as a reading and language arts program and that is still where they find the greatest need. She said there will be some program changes.

Director Tinsman asked if this change in core time is being generated by teachers. Dr. Webb said discussion began on this topic in February. It began with the data to see if core time was making a big difference. She reported that on grade level assessments we are doing a really good job, however there is a drop in ITBS scores once the students reach third grade. She said part of the problem may be inconsistency in how the program is offered.

Director Weigle noted that originally core time was offered for Kindergarten, first and second grades. When the board decided to expand to third, fourth and fifth grades it was done simply because there were positive things happening with the lower grades and thought it would be beneficial to expand to the upper grades.

The directors wanted to see some feedback that the upper grades were showing the same type of gains as the lower grades. Director Weigle said she would like to see the data on core time for third, fourth, fifth grades and if they are not seeing the same type of gains, then there needs to be discussion on how to change the program for these grades. Dr. Webb said she cannot say it did not work for the third, fourth, and fifth grades, because of changes in demographics, but there have not been the significant changes that they were hoping for.

Director Weigle asked if they are looking at targeting those students who need it. Dr. Webb said there is not any positive data showing pulling students out of the classroom works. She said they are currently looking at different types of teaching so they are not just tutoring.

Director Weigle asked if the board can get cost information on adding full time core teachers to see if they need to reallocate dollars for core time. She noted she is in favor of the program for reasons Dr. Webb stated earlier.

Director Mayer asked if the scope and sequence was going to be look at for all grades kindergarten through fifth. Dr. Webb said it is a little different than it used to be, but there is scope and sequence. The point is not to re-teach the lesson over and over again, but to re-teach it because the child needs it at that particular time.

President Anderson asked if the board could receive an annual report on core time. Dr. Webb said it will be possible as soon as they find better ways to connect what they are testing and results.

Lisa Wilson, NA teacher, said she had big concerns about what she just heard from the board. She said so much is front loaded into early intervention, but then in 3rd grade when things become more difficult we take away the support for the kids who need it the most. She believes bubble kids would do well if they had the support. She is also concerned that the consistency the board wants will dictate how the teachers teach in their own classrooms. Ms. Wilson noted that the teachers have not been involved in the discussions regarding core time. She would like to see the front line people involved in the discussion.

Director Tinsman asked if the teachers have been involved in discussion. Dr. Webb said she shared the data with them at the end of the quarter. Each grade level also had a half day release time to discuss this in February and are meeting again this week. Superintendent Lucas said the principals have been the biggest driver in the discussion, because of the concern to have the constant turnover in the core time positions.

Director Crockett asked if not all the teachers have been involved. Dr. Webb said the core time teachers have not been involved in the discussions, but the grade level teachers have been.

Julie Wold shared some thoughts on her experience with core time at fifth grade. Her first year teaching in the district core time was not available. Since then she believes core time has given her students a big boost.

Motion by Director Crockett, seconded by Director Ehrmann, to approve the FY 2007/08 budget with a tax rate of $15.00 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Motion carried 7-0.

Motion by Director Ehrmann, seconded by Director Crockett, to approve the proposed amendment to the FY 2006/07 budget. Motion carried 7-0.

Motion by Director Weigle, seconded by Director Crockett, to approve mileage reimbursement of $.34 per mile for the 2007/2008 school year. Motion carried 7-0.

Motion by Director Weigle, seconded by Director Ehrmann, to approve Downing Architects as the architect for the Bettendorf High School renovation of the special needs classrooms, cafeteria and rest rooms. Motion carried 6-1.

Next Agenda Planning.

Superintendent Lucas suggested holding a special meeting next Monday to approve the bids for the Neil Armstrong construction project and approval of the BESA contract. The Directors agreed on Monday at 6 p.m.

Items to be discussed at the next board meeting on Monday, April 23 include proposal for consideration for the administrative offices and discussion on Middle School pod remodel.

Motion by Director Tinsman to adjourn the meeting at 8:11 p.m.